Chapter 18: The Quasi-Special Grade Vengeful Spirit
Stepping deeper into the mountains, the sound of fierce battle echoed ahead.
Nanami and Riko were locked in combat with more than a dozen yamazaru—monkey-like curses. Perched on the surrounding trees, at least a hundred more clapped their hands and howled, their shrill cries reverberating through the forest.
Individually, these curses weren't strong. Most were no more than fourth or third-grade. Only a few managed to reach second-grade.
At the level Nanami and Riko displayed, they could probably handle enemies of this caliber.
"Filthy monkeys! Try my technique on for size!"
Instead of clashing directly with the curses, Riko kept dodging nimbly, channeling cursed energy into her palm. She compressed it. Then compressed it again. And again.
Her body bent like a bow as she suddenly released the condensed sphere of energy, hurling it at the nearest cluster of curses.
BOOM!
The orb detonated like a bomb the instant it struck, the blast reducing two fourth-grade curses and a third-grade curse to nothing but ash.
"Heh!"
A proud grin spread across Riko's face.
This was her awakened technique: compressed cursed energy—what she called Star's Limit.
As long as she wasn't interrupted, she could keep compressing endlessly, right up until her body could no longer endure the strain.
In other words, so long as her body held out, she could unleash a strike rivaling the destructive power of a nuclear weapon.
With that potential, she was destined for at least Grade 1. And if she could reinforce her physical durability, even breaking into Special Grade wouldn't be impossible.
After all, if you can create mushroom clouds, influencing the fate of nations is child's play.
No wonder the Star Plasma Vessel couldn't awaken techniques naturally—it would be far too monstrous.
From his vantage point, Zen'in Shinsuke, who had been watching from afar, twitched at the sight of the girl casually lobbing cursed-energy bombs.
A blossoming maiden, walking down the path of destruction and explosions.
Let's just hope she surpasses the predecessors of that… artistic road.
"Roooarrr—!!"
From the depths of the mountains came a terrifying howl, drenched in cursed energy.
The overwhelming pressure made Nanami and Riko's hearts seize. This level of cursed energy… it was undoubtedly Grade 1. Maybe even higher.
"Again… this kind of situation?"
Nanami gripped his short blade tighter, eyes sharpened with resolve. He would never let tragedy unfold before him again.
But just as the two braced themselves for the incoming curse, none appeared. Instead, the yamazaru scattered, retreating deeper into the mountains—
as though receiving an order.
Rumble—!!
Deep in the Mountains —
The mountains trembled. Two powerful currents of cursed energy clashed violently in the distance.
Sensing this, Zen'in Shinsuke's eyes lit up with interest. With a flicker, his figure vanished from where he stood.
Nanami and Riko exchanged glances.
"What do we do?"
In a situation like this, the logical choice was to report back to Jujutsu High and send in higher-level sorcerers to handle it.
But their supervising instructor had already darted straight toward the battlefield, leaving them momentarily at a loss.
"Let's go take a look. That uncle's not weak—if he can't win, he should at least be able to get us out alive."
Riko's analysis was calm and composed.
Truth be told, she didn't really know Shinsuke's exact strength. But from what she'd heard—especially Gojo's remarks about Shinsuke's younger brother—she doubted the elder brother would be any weaker.
If nothing else, she was certain of one thing: if the fight turned sour, Zen'in Shinsuke could definitely whisk them away. His speed was basically indistinguishable from teleportation.
Nanami didn't argue. Together, they pushed deeper into the forest.
Within minutes, they arrived at the heart of the battlefield.
Zen'in Shinsuke stood at the edge, arms folded, watching the clash with an amused gleam in his eyes.
In the clearing, a towering three-meter-tall yamazaru covered in long white fur bared its fangs in a grotesque snarl.
Opposite it stood a man—one whose presence made both Riko and Nanami stiffen.
"Geto…!?"
Clad in dark monk's robes, it was none other than Geto Suguru—the sorcerer branded a curse user by Jujutsu High, sentenced to death.
"Well, if it isn't little Riko and Nanami," Geto said lightly, his expression unreadable. He had already sensed two sorcerers battling outside the forest, but hadn't expected them to be familiar faces.
"Hm? You're here too?"
Noticing Shinsuke standing nearby, Geto actually looked surprised. If Nanami and Riko hadn't shown up, he might never have realized Shinsuke was even there. The man was like a transparent shadow—just standing off to the side, silently spectating.
"Geto! Why did you do it? Tell me you were framed, right?"
Riko's voice rang sharp as she glared at him.
She had never been able to accept the news. Even with both Gojo and Ieiri Shoko telling her it was true, she refused to believe it without seeing it for herself. How could anyone change so completely, so quickly?
"Sorry, Riko. This is all of my own choosing."
Geto's tone was casual, almost serene. He turned to Shinsuke.
"Thanks to what you said to me last time, I've thought through a lot. I've made up my mind—to live doing what I truly want."
"…Huh?"
Shinsuke blinked, caught off guard. "Oi, oi, don't go pinning this on me. Your choices are your own, nothing to do with me!"
No way was he carrying that blame. If anyone deserved it, it was Yuki Tsukumo.
"Uncle! What's going on? Are you saying Geto becoming a curse user is your fault?"
Riko's wide eyes bore into Shinsuke, who looked utterly exasperated.
"It's not because of him," Geto cut in. "He just helped me sort out my thoughts."
Why wallow in doubt and despair, when he could act? To him now, the path was clear—
to exterminate all non-sorcerers.
And the quasi–Special Grade yamazaru before him was the perfect weapon.
A monster born from generations of folktales, a horror whispered from parent to child. That legacy of fear had nearly elevated it to a true Special Grade.
That was why it had ordered its minions to devour villagers—to stoke fear, to accelerate its evolution.
But in doing so, it had attracted the attention of Jujutsu High… and of Geto himself.
To him, taming this King of Yamazaru—along with its hundreds of underlings—was a prize worth taking.
"ROOOOAR—!!"
The white-furred giant let out a thunderous howl, summoning its horde. Hundreds of yamazaru surged forward, swarming toward Geto.
To the beast, only this man posed a true threat.
The two sorcerers nearby carried too little cursed energy to pressure it. And that other strange onlooker with no cursed energy at all? As insignificant as roadside gravel—utterly beneath notice.
"Tch. Quasi–Special Grade or not, your only choice is to submit."
Geto's eyes glinted with absolute confidence.
In general, sorcerers ranked above curses of the same grade. A Grade 1 sorcerer could exorcise a Grade 1 curse. A Special Grade sorcerer could deal with Specials.
And this? This was merely a quasi–Special Grade. Intelligence or not, to Geto Suguru, it was prey—nothing more.