"How are the circumstances?"
Inside an abandoned underground parking lot, Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru stood beside Kenmyo; the ones standing here now were the real them, not the imposters.
The stupid Jujutsu Sorcerer Association told them to travel separately, but only an idiot would listen to their orders, especially traveling alone.
Anyone who has watched a horror movie knows that the most common way to die when encountering danger is being separated.
Although Kenmyo didn't think a bunch of rabble could achieve anything, to minimize trouble, when he received the notification, he had Suguru Geto use his Rainbow Dragon as transportation to carry them to the location of the Star Plasma Vessel.
As for why Kenmyo didn't use the ice dragon formed by Ryu himself, it was because he was temporarily unable to act as a sorcerer during that period.
Kenmyo had other ideas. Good grief, someone actually dared to put a bounty on him this year, wanting to use him to boost their performance.
The Cursed Users lying in ambush thought they were clever, unaware that the ticket information —Kenmyo taking the Shinkansen, Gojo Satoru driving, and Suguru Geto flying —were all decoys and fake news.
Ultimately, this gang of Cursed Users was truly tired of living. If they wanted to use him for performance, Kenmyo would directly 'recharge' in reverse.
Adding some popularity to his River of Death.
Currently, three blood-colored crystals floated in front of Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru, which were the effects of Kenmyo's Cursed Technique.
These crystals possessed a scarlet color like fresh blood and a crystal-clear texture. Against the backdrop of bright scarlet Cursed Energy particles, countless tiny starlight-like granules were scattered within the crystals, resembling small impurities in blood.
Each corresponding to a location, they used the power of the River of Death to construct fake models of Suguru Geto, Gojo Satoru, and Kenmyo, all acting as "prey" waiting for the "hunters" to take the bait.
"Forty-five people in total. That's a bit few."
Kenmyo frowned. Wasn't twenty million yen appealing enough?
Just as the last Cursed User was dragged into the abyss of the River of Death, these crystals suddenly shattered almost simultaneously, dispersing into the air and turning into fine dust.
This change caused Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru's expressions to shift, thinking something had gone wrong.
"Kenmyo?"
"I'm fine, don't worry."
Kenmyo didn't let the two of them help him; if this level of mental exhaustion counted as tiring, he might as well give up.
However, it was true that he couldn't spare the mental energy to deploy Rin Winter Frost Heart. If he let Ryu cast her Cursed Technique freely now...
Even with their physical bodies and Cursed Energy defenses, the three of them might genuinely be unable to withstand Ryu's current ultra-low temperature.
Ever since Kenmyo had implanted the 'Demonic Buddha Bone' he obtained from Zhong Sheng Temple into Ryu's core, the Cursed Energy and resentment on that sinister item were too potent, driving her increase in strength.
This ability to freeze everything was growing stronger and stronger. If things continued this way, reaching the ultimate freezing power Kenmyo envisioned would likely be just around the corner.
After all, Kenmyo's expectation for Ryu's ice ability was that it could freeze even conceptual things like time and space.
It was becoming increasingly difficult for Kenmyo to control Rin Winter Frost Heart, but fortunately, his PRO-MAX version of Blood Manipulation, combined with psychic power, proved highly effective.
"Who do you think I am?"
A relaxed smile appeared on his face. It was merely a three-pronged operation. No matter how troublesome the Cursed Users' abilities were, encountering clones that could resurrect indefinitely from the River of Death was unreasonable. Not only would their Cursed Energy run out, but their mental state would also easily collapse.
"Of course, they were all wiped out."
Hearing Kenmyo's boast, Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru visibly relaxed.
"But Kenmyo, you're trying to achieve everything in one go."
Suguru Geto frowned. He advised Kenmyo not to do such dangerous things next time.
"Splitting your Cursed Energy into three parts at once, and fighting so many Cursed Users."
"Cursed Energy loss of control, rampage, and overdrafting are all extremely dangerous."
Furthermore, in Suguru Geto's opinion, Kenmyo's biggest flaw was his lack of systematic study on how to correctly use his Cursed Technique.
The surprise generated by Kenmyo's methods of using his Cursed Technique was, in their view, no less than a programmer seeing a line of code that ran correctly but was full of bugs.
Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru both knew this, which was the main reason why they had to wait for Kenmyo to deactivate his Cursed Technique and confirm his safety before immediately going to aid the Star Plasma Vessel.
"Exactly, exactly."
Gojo Satoru agreed from the side.
"Both Jey and I are very powerful; we can help you shoulder some of the burden."
Kenmyo had stopped all the pursuing Cursed Users alone, but Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru, whom he was protecting, preferred to fight alongside Kenmyo.
All three of them were perfect hexagonal warriors, the kind of MVPs who could carry a whole team in other squads.
Moreover, the three of them were good friends; they simply wanted Kenmyo to relax a little, not to be so tired alone, and there was no sense of competitiveness involved.
"Alright, alright, my two older brothers."
"Then, any enemies we encounter later will be left to you. Let me rest for a bit."
Kenmyo naturally heard the concern in their words and smiled helplessly.
"Mm, leave it to us."
Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru both wore smiles full of fighting spirit, rolled up their sleeves, and patted their chests towards Kenmyo.
Especially Gojo Satoru, he vowed confidently.
"Mere Cursed Users! Watch me deal with them properly."
"But Cursed User Q attacking the Star Plasma Vessel is an act of revenge against society, I know that."
Gojo Satoru brought up the Cursed Users, and some confusion arose in his mind.
"Then why does the Star Plasma Cult also want to attack the Star Plasma Vessel? If the assimilation fails, won't their idol die?"
If Tengen fails to assimilate, no one knows what he will turn into, so the original Tengen will certainly be gone.
Erasing their own spiritual pillar with their own hands —that's something.
"The Star Plasma Cult believes in the pure Lord Tengen, so they cannot tolerate any impurities mixing in."
Suguru Geto replied.
"The Star Plasma Vessel is seen as an impurity by them."
As they talked, Kenmyo, Suguru Geto, and Gojo Satoru walked out of the parking lot side-by-side, proceeding one after another.
This forced Kenmyo to once again witness the 'disregarding all decency' walk of his two close friends.
Were these the top students of Tokyo Jujutsu High? The sight was too beautiful to behold.
Jey had a back problem, walking hunched over with his hands in his pockets, shrinking his one-meter eighty-nine height down to a mere one-meter sixty.
Gojo, on the other hand, had both back and neck issues, walking with one hand on his hip, nostrils flared, striding with a "I am the strongest in the world" swagger.
Since he was there, they should at least restrain themselves a little.
Kenmyo's mouth twitched, feeling particularly grateful for his foresight.
Fortunately, he had already set up a 'Bystander Dispersion' Barrier around the area; otherwise, with outsiders watching, how could Kenmyo, a normal person, possibly dare to mingle between these two bizarre individuals?
The reason this parking lot was established as their temporary base was that right outside the exit was the hotel where their mission target was staying, and this open area provided a complete view of the hotel's exterior.
The sky was dark and overcast, heavy clouds seeming to symbolize the approaching storm.
"Speaking of how we should divide the tasks."
It was impossible for all three of them to rush in together; otherwise, he suspected the entire hotel wouldn't withstand their antics and would be demolished by them.
Kenmyo didn't mind, but Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru would certainly suffer consequences when they returned, so it was better to divide the tasks more precisely.
Such as who would draw the enemy's attention head-on, who would rescue the Star Plasma Vessel, and who would eliminate the group of Cursed Users; since there were only three of them, they could just divide it up casually.
But unexpectedly, the two of them seemed exceptionally eager.
When they heard Kenmyo propose how to divide the tasks, Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru almost simultaneously blurted out.
"I'll be the vanguard!" X2
Because the entire interior of the hotel had lost communication; no one knew the extent of the Cursed Users' control over the building.
This meant that the first person to breach the hotel was the most dangerous, as they risked facing the full onslaught of the enemy Cursed Users, and might even trigger lethal traps.
Although dangerous, successfully completing the mission would undoubtedly make them the coolest guy.
"Jey, why are you fighting me for this?"
Gojo Satoru was displeased. His Limitless Cursed Technique could virtually defend against all attacks, making him the most suitable person to infiltrate first.
"No matter how you look at it, I'm the more appropriate choice."
"Gojo, but your technique requires the Six Eyes to identify the threats, right?"
Seeing Gojo Satoru say this, Suguru Geto was clearly also unhappy.
He patted his chest and said.
"My Cursed Spirit Manipulation allows Cursed Spirits to act on my behalf, which is much more suitable for infiltration missions, isn't it?"
"Annoying! I said I'm going."
Gojo Satoru thrust his head forward, and Suguru Geto, not to be outdone, pressed his head against Gojo Satoru's.
The two men stood head-to-head, like bulls refusing to give ground.
"Why should I yield to you?"
Finally, they simultaneously looked toward Kenmyo and spoke in unison.
"Kenmyo, what do you think?"
Watching their 'fragile friendship' display, Kenmyo felt utterly helpless.
"I think..."
But before he could finish speaking, a massive explosion directly drowned out Kenmyo's words, the soaring blast of fire instantly illuminating the dim city.
It was the hotel where the Star Plasma Vessel was staying. A floor in the hotel had violently exploded, sending shattered glass, reinforced concrete, and all sorts of debris raining down.
"Well, now there's no need to fight over it."
Kenmyo's eyesight was excellent. From a distance, he saw a girl in mid-air who seemed to have been blown out by the bomb's shockwave.
Wearing a JK sailor uniform, a white hairband, and black tights, it was the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai.
However, in a moment, the young girl might turn into a puddle of minced flesh.
"No matter which of you, hurry and save her for me."
Kenmyo pointed at Riko Amanai, who was falling through the air, and spoke to Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto.
"Otherwise, our mission will be considered a failure."
If the mission failed, there was nothing else to discuss; they might as well go home and sleep.
Hearing these words, the two of them shot up from the ground like arrows released from a bow, rocketing straight toward the sky.
The one who sped out first was Geto Suguru. The speed at which he summoned his Cursed Spirit was almost instantaneous. As the thought flashed through his mind, his Cursed Technique had already activated.
"I see her."
He summoned a pink manta ray instead of the Rainbow Dragon. Using this smaller, jet-propelled Cursed Spirit, Suguru Geto reached the skies above the incident location at an extremely fast speed.
Suguru Geto's narrowed eyes fully opened. That parabola was their mission target.
"Go!"
The Cursed Spirit beneath him immediately sensed the command and instantly burst with Cursed Energy, aiming to quickly embrace the girl who was continuously falling due to inertia.
But suddenly, a blue beam of light flashed across Suguru Geto's vision, almost instantaneously. If the light hadn't hit him, he might not have noticed it himself.
"Jey, too slow."
The unscrupulous Gojo Satoru simply concentrated a burst of Cursed Energy in his ankles, and then, using that explosion, he launched his entire body violently into the sky.
Gojo Satoru, having mastered Limitless, could fly naturally, and his flying speed was likely not slow. He only seemed slow when compared to his two friends' dragons.
After this burst, his entire body was like a cannonball, shooting directly toward that falling figure.
"Victory belongs to me!"
Sure enough, Gojo Satoru, relying on this sudden burst of acceleration, immediately overtook Geto Suguru, leaving him far behind.
He directly spread his arms toward the continuously falling figure, apparently intending to catch her immediately.
"In your dreams."
It seemed Gojo Satoru's move gave Suguru Geto inspiration. He had the Cursed Spirit he was riding swallow several other smaller Cursed Spirits.
Instantly, the manta ray grew rapidly as if it had taken steroids, and its already astonishing propulsion speed was now operating in fighter jet mode.
The continuously falling girl probably didn't know that she had become a fuse —no, rather, a trophy in a competition between the two men.
"How could I possibly let you succeed?"
Gojo Satoru raised his hand. The girl's falling speed visibly slowed, and unbelievably, she was directly pulled toward him.
That was Gojo Satoru's Cursed Technique, 'Blue'. The principle was infinite attraction, meaning he used it like a vacuum cleaner on the girl, changing her trajectory from falling to being drawn right next to him.
"He can do that?"
Suguru Geto, standing on his Cursed Spirit, widened his eyes. He could only watch helplessly as the girl landed safely in his friend's arms.
"My victory!"
Gojo Satoru held the unconscious girl in his arms, flashing a brilliant smile and a peace sign at Kenmyo and Suguru Geto below.
As if he had already declared victory.
But suddenly, Gojo Satoru inexplicably noticed that the weight of the hostage felt wrong. She looked small, so why was she so heavy?
Then Gojo Satoru was stunned, because he saw their protection target, the Star Plasma Vessel.
The young girl was completely bound, wearing a thick vest, and inside that vest, tightly bundled, were items resembling strings of firecrackers.
Gojo Satoru instantly realized: it was a bomb.
"Blame Tengen, kid."
In the hotel ruins, a person appeared. He looked at the three figures in the air, a faint, strange smile on his face.
This fellow was wearing a black and white uniform, clearly a combatant from the Cursed User Q group, and he pulled out a detonator.
The bomb in the vest worn by the Star Plasma Vessel contained high explosives. The resulting blast would be astonishing, easily capable of leveling an eight-story building.
"Die!"
He pulled the trigger without hesitation.