"Has the fighting already started over there?"
Suguru looked toward the East Gate, which was already engulfed in fierce combat, and stepped to the front of the formation.
For a moment, all the Jujutsu Sorcerers at the South Gate turned their attention to him.
The recent release of a cursed tool had let many of them witness the power of a Special Grade for the first time.
Now, they waited expectantly for Suguru to act.
Suguru did not disappoint.
A dark space opened behind him, and one powerful Cursed Spirit after another emerged.
"How many Cursed Spirits is that…?"
A Jujutsu Sorcerer stared in disbelief at the stream of spirits pouring out from the darkness.
"At least ten thousand. And the number's still increasing."
A sorcerer with sharper eyes answered beside him.
"Hey, that one, is it a Special Grade?!"
"That one over there too. Another Special Grade!"
With the appearance of several Special Grades—Rainbow Dragon, Bone Woman, Taotie, demons—their awe toward Suguru reached its peak.
Leaving aside a few kept as trump cards like Yamata no Orochi, Suguru had released nearly 20,000 Cursed Spirits he had subdued over the years.
"Go."
His voice was calm.
The next moment, the swarm of Cursed Spirits surged forward to clash with the enemy.
"Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Behind Suguru, Utata, commander of the southern forces, shouted.
At this moment, all of Suguru's Cursed Spirits were locked in fierce combat with Tamamo-no-Mae's army.
Those Cursed Spirits still attacking the South Gate were naturally enemies.
To the west of the Sendai Barrier, Satoru stood before the West Gate.
"Wow, what a massive crater. I could've done that too, you know."
There was a trace of resentment in his voice.
It was clear that Satoru had wanted to be the one to fire the first shot of the war.
Facing the tidal wave of incoming Cursed Spirits, Satoru began stretching leisurely.
"Let's say hello first."
He spread his hands, then clasped them into a peculiar hand seal.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
A blue glow appeared to his left.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
A red glow appeared to his right.
The red and blue spheres gradually overlapped, and a distorted space began to form between them.
A purple mass, sparking with lightning and warping the air, materialized in front of him.
"Hollow Technique: Purple."
Satoru flicked his index finger.
The purple orb, radiating immense Cursed Energy, shot out like a bullet.
The wave of destruction, capable of cutting through space itself, obliterated countless Cursed Spirits in its path.
Wherever Purple passed, the ground looked as if it had been plowed through, leaving a massive scar dozens of meters wide and stretching several kilometers long.
The devastating sight ignited morale among the sorcerers stationed at the West Gate.
"Warm-up's done."
Satoru removed his sunglasses.
"Now it's cleanup time."
In the next moment, he vanished from the gate.
He reappeared above the mass of Cursed Spirits.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
A massive burst of repulsive force crushed all the Cursed Spirits in the area around him.
"Area cleared. Next..."
His Six Eyes swept across the battlefield.
"Satoru's Special Service, Limitless-brand Sky-Blue Vacuum Cleaner is here!"
Satoru gathered Blue in his right hand and tossed it.
Rather than flying far, Blue hovered twenty or thirty meters in front of him and began expanding.
Satoru waved his hands continuously.
Blue moved like a meteor hammer, or a vacuum cleaner, sucking up the "trash" below.
In mere moments, the surrounding Cursed Spirits were completely wiped out.
"Now, let's see where else needs cleaning."
Satoru crouched atop the dissolving half-body of a large Cursed Spirit, shielding his eyes with one hand as he scanned the battlefield.
Suddenly, a cyan arrow halted inches from his back.
"Hm?"
He looked over his shoulder in confusion.
"A cursed tool?"
Grabbing the arrow, Satoru brought it before his eyes for inspection.
A second later, several more arrows halted behind him.
"You're really annoying."
Satoru looked up at Ootengu, who was drawing and loosing arrows from the sky.
His gaze was like someone staring at a buzzing fly.
Then, the corners of his lips curved upward into a playful smile.
"Fine, I'll play with you. Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
Crimson light bloomed beneath his feet.
Satoru shot upward, hands joined above his head.
An immense repulsive force launched him into the sky.
"Gojo Rocket Number One, launch~!"
Satoru soared toward Ootengu like a launched arrow.
Ootengu, happily firing arrows with the cursed tool bow given by Tamamo-no-Mae, had just nocked a new arrow when it caught sight of something strange flying its way.
A black shape, with white fur, spinning like an arrow.
Its bizarre appearance stunned Ootengu for a moment.
Then a surge of danger snapped it out of its daze.
"Here comes the little flying stick~!"
Ootengu flapped its wings violently and barely dodged the incoming projectile—Satoru.
As they passed each other mid-air, Satoru even stuck out his tongue.
Ootengu felt humiliated.
Thus, an intense (and ridiculous) aerial battle unfolded above the West Gate.
Meanwhile, at the South Gate.
Suguru was showcasing his astonishing swallowing capacity.
Cursed Spirit orbs larger than fists were going down one after another.
Beside him, a dozen Cursed Spirits under his control were pinned to the ground, waiting to be absorbed.
In that moment, Suguru looked like a necromancer in the heat of battle.
"I can't eat them all. Kill the Grade 2s first."
He frowned in irritation.
Soon after, Suguru began absorbing, subduing, and releasing Grade 1 Cursed Spirits in turn.
"Hm?"
He felt a strange tremor beneath his feet.
Cockroaches burst from the ground.
Suguru backflipped to avoid their attack.
Several gecko or lizard-shaped Cursed Spirits beside him suddenly opened their glowing eyes.
"Eat."
Suguru received the Cursed Spirits' thoughts and gave the command.
The geckos rushed forward and began devouring the cockroaches.
"Earthworm Squirm."
Over a dozen grotesque, vaguely humanoid flying insects appeared, swarming toward Suguru.
He raised a hand and pulled.
The dark space opened again, and a massive hand swung out from within, smashing the bugs from the air.
"Cockroaches? Kurourushi?"
Suguru's gaze settled on the Special Grade cockroach standing ahead, blade in hand.
Kurourushi had not come alone.
It brought several quasi-Special Grade Cursed Spirits and over a dozen incarnated ancient powerhouses.
"You guys eat."
The Cursed Spirits behind Suguru cheered at his words, tearing into the Grade 1 Cursed Spirits they had previously pinned down.
He could gather more later.
For now, Suguru had his eyes on the Special Grade before him.
For some reason, a chill crept down Kurourushi's spine as it gripped the Rotten Life Blade.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)