The moment they crossed the barrier, the world changed.
The sounds of the outside city vanished behind them as if someone had closed a door on reality itself.
A faint ripple shivered through the air.
The Curtain sealed behind them.
Inside Kyoto District Five, the atmosphere felt… wrong.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
The street stretched ahead in an eerie silence. Storefronts stood shattered, glass scattered across the pavement like frozen rain. Streetlights flickered weakly even though it was still afternoon, their pale glow barely cutting through the gloom.
And then the foul stench in the area reached them.
Metallic.
Rotting.
Blood.
Shinji instinctively covered his mouth.
The streets were littered with bodies.
Some lay motionless, twisted at impossible angles. Others were so mangled they barely resembled human forms anymore.
Dark pools of blood had dried along the pavement, trailing into alleyways and doorways—grim evidence that people had tried to run.
Tried to escape, but never made it.
Shinji stopped walking.
For a moment, his mind refused to process what he was seeing.
"What do you think could have happened here?" he asked quietly.
Ahead of him, Utahime kept moving, her gaze scanning rooftops, windows, and every dark corner of the street.
Her voice came out calm, but cold.
"This…"
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of her weapon.
"…is the work of a powerful, cursed spirit."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"One strong enough to slaughter or could even wipe out an entire district."
Shinji swallowed.
He had seen death before.
But never like this.
Never this many.
Never this brutal.
For a moment, fear crawled up his spine.
But he forced his legs to move again.
Because if even one person had survived this tragic incident
Then stopping here wasn't an option.
Moments Later,
They had barely taken another turn down the street when
A scream ripped through the silence.
"Someone…HELP ME!!"
Both of them froze instantly.
Utahime's head snapped toward the sound.
"Over there!"
She was already moving.
Her feet barely touched the ground as she sprinted forward.
Shinji chased after her.
They rounded the corner of a narrow street
And the scene that greeted them made Shinji's stomach drop.
A grotesque, cursed spirit loomed over a middle-aged man.
The creature's body was horribly distorted.
Its limbs stretched far too long, bent at unnatural angles. Jagged bone-like spikes jutted from its torso like broken spears.
Its mouth…
Its mouth stretched across half its face.
Too wide.
Too hungry.
The man it held was barely conscious.
The cursed spirit had lifted him off the ground by the torso, its clawed hand crushing his ribs like paper.
Blood poured from the man's nose, ears, and eyes.
Several feet away—
A little girl lay on the pavement, her leg pinned beneath fallen debris.
Her small voice cracked with terror.
"FATHER!!"
The cursed spirit slowly opened its jaws.
The mouth widened further.
Further.
Far beyond what should have been possible.
The man's head was already halfway inside its mouth.
The creature was prepared to bite down.
And then, Utahime moved in an instant
One moment, she was standing beside Shinji.
The next—
She was gone.
Her body shot forward in a blur of speed.
Cursed energy exploded along her weapon in a flash of dark light.
Her voice cut through the air like a blade.
"BLACK FLASH!!"
[Description: Black Flash is a distortion in space created when a jujutsu sorcerer applies cursed energy within 0.000001 seconds of a physical hit, but in this case, the cursed energy is channeled by Utahime through her secondary weapon: CRIMSON REQUIEM]
CRACK!!
The strike detonated with terrifying force.
The cursed spirit's arm was severed instantly.
Black blood erupted across the street.
The creature shrieked, its roar shaking broken windows nearby.
Utahime's strike also carved across the side of its head—
But the wound was shallow.
Not fatal.
Still—
It was enough.
The injured man fell from the creature's grip.
Utahime caught him before he hit the ground and leapt backward in one smooth motion.
Shinji rushed forward to help support the man's weight.
The moment he saw the injuries up close, his stomach twisted.
The damage was catastrophic.
Blood flowed from nearly every opening in the man's face.
His breathing came in weak, broken gasps.
Utahime's expression darkened.
"He's barely holding on…"
Then —
A low growl rolled through the street.
Both of them looked up.
The cursed spirit slowly turned its head.
Its glowing eyes locked onto Shinji.
For a moment,
The cursed spirit didn't move.
It simply stared.
Then it roared.
The sound exploded through the street, carrying a wave of cursed energy that made the air vibrate.
The monster had chosen its next target.
Shinji felt the pressure slam into his chest.
*****
Far away from the cursed district
At Kyoto Jujutsu High
The academy gates had just opened when three students stepped onto campus.
Momo floated lazily on her broom beside her teammates.
Miwa walked beside her, still chatting about dinner.
Behind them, Mai stretched her arms with visible boredom.
"Man, I'm starving," Mai muttered. "If the cafeteria's closed—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
The courtyard looked… wrong.
Vehicles from the Kyoto Jujutsu Support Division filled the open space.
Sorcerers rushed back and forth carrying cursed tools, weapons, and sealed containers.
The air buzzed with urgency.
Standing at the center of the operation was Kaori Atazawa.
Her expression was deadly serious.
The moment she spotted the three students approaching, she turned toward her team.
"Prepare to move out."
Her voice was sharp enough to cut steel.
"Our destination is Kyoto District Five."
The courtyard fell silent.
Kaori turned her attention towards the approaching students
"Utahime Iori has already entered Kyoto District Five"
The tension instantly thickened.
"We're moving in to provide reinforcement…"
Her eyes hardened.
"…and to assist with civilian rescue."
Engines roared to life.
The convoy prepared to depart.
Because deep inside Kyoto District Five—
A powerful, cursed spirit had awakened.
And Utahime Iori was already fighting it.
****
Back at Kyoto District Five—
The cursed spirit took a step forward.
Then another.
The street trembled beneath its weight.
Utahime slowly rose to her feet.
Shinji tightened his grip around the injured man.
The cursed spirit's eyes glowed brighter.
Its jaws stretched open again.
Wider.
Hungry.
And this time —
It wasn't aiming for the man.
It was staring directly at Shinji.