Shuten-doji

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For a jujutsu sorcerer who controlled thousands of cursed spirits, causing chaos was far too easy. Even if most of those cursed spirits were not especially high-grade, they were deadly enough in a place like Shinjuku, where ordinary people gathered in huge numbers.

Suguru Geto's declaration had pulled every side's nerves taut. Before the date he announced for the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons had even arrived, both locations were already being prepared.

The most obvious changes were tighter security checks everywhere. Most curse users had some kind of criminal record, and the more brazen ones had been on wanted lists for a long time.

To prevent those curse users from sabotaging things early, the authorities could only use crude methods like that. Later, finding an excuse to control the area when the cursed spirits attacked would be another headache.

Shinjuku and Kyoto were not small places one could close off on a whim. A Curtain could solve the matter quickly once it was lowered, but that was a problem for the higher-ups and the government. What did it have to do with Ren?

In truth, while every side was tense, the jujutsu sorcerers were not worried about the final victory. Even the higher-ups who disliked Satoru Gojo did not doubt his title as "the strongest."

Unfortunately, there was only one Satoru Gojo. No... perhaps it should be fortunate that there was only one. The higher-ups, who could barely breathe under his shadow, probably thought one was already too many.

What they truly worried about was how to reduce losses as much as possible, and what unknown trump card Geto's side might be hiding. In fact, if not for Geto's history with Jujutsu High, he would never have been allowed to stir up trouble until now.

Back then, Gojo had not exorcised Geto. Among the three Special Grade jujutsu sorcerers, Yuki Tsukumo was also away from Japan year-round. As for whether the long-standing jujutsu powers could exorcise Geto without relying on Gojo, they could. Not every jujutsu sorcerer was as impossible to deal with as Satoru Gojo.

But the final conclusion had been that the cost outweighed the benefit. Geto had created some kind of religious organization to cause trouble, but Japan had its own circumstances. It was only a cult.

Geto was merely using that organization to collect cursed spirits and gather companions. Compared with the curse-user groups of the past, what he had done was still relatively limited. That was why the jujutsu higher-ups had never gathered forces to wipe out Geto's faction.

This time, though, he had come to them first. Like announcing a murder in advance, he had even told them the place and time of the attack. He was absurdly arrogant.

...

On the evening of the twenty-fourth, Shinjuku, normally packed with crowds, was almost empty. Only jujutsu sorcerers filled the streets. Nearly everyone with combat ability from the school had come, except for Yuta Okkotsu and Maki.

Yuta had been left behind because of Rika. If a curse user ambushed him and caused him to lose control, the disaster would not distinguish friend from foe. It would be catastrophic for both sides.

Maki was left behind because the battlefield was too chaotic. She relied on her glasses to observe cursed spirits. If that cursed tool was destroyed in a melee, she would be at too great a disadvantage and might fall into danger. So the two of them remained at Jujutsu High.

Among the others, even Naone Minamoto had come. According to Nanami-senpai, her progress had been fast too. Gojo had also brought bad news: Dojikiri, which had been taken for safekeeping earlier, had been stolen. Judging by the evidence, Geto's side was most likely responsible.

"Don't tell me he already found a way to revive Shuten-doji," Ren complained. "We do not have much information on this Imaginary Vengeful Spirit. It could turn into a serious problem."

Hearing Ren complain, Gojo rested both hands behind his head and said lightly, "Then leave it to me when the time comes. Hm... Ren, are you trying to slack off? Didn't you take down a Special Grade cursed spirit last time?"

"Haha... those with ability should do more work, right?"

"That is not what you said last time. Anyway, be careful this time. He is definitely planning something..."

Before Gojo finished speaking, he suddenly looked toward the sky.

"They are here."

In that direction, a massive swarm of shadows abruptly appeared. Not only in the air, but on the ground as well, all kinds of cursed spirits surged toward them. Seeing the cursed spirits approaching like a black tide, most of the jujutsu sorcerers present felt a chill crawl over them.

How many people would ever witness a scene like this? Worse, some of the presences inside that tide were terrifying. The cursed spirits around them deliberately avoided them. Gojo turned his head and looked toward the roof of a distant building.

"That guy who loves making an entrance did not come to the battlefield."

On the rooftop of that building, Miguel stood with another man and woman, looking toward Gojo.

"We have to hold Satoru Gojo back. I hope Geto finishes his work quickly. Is the release of the Imaginary Vengeful Spirit, Shuten-doji, ready?"

The man beside him carried three cursed blades at his waist: Dojikiri, Onikiri, and Kumokiri. After hearing Miguel, he looked toward Kento Nanami, Naone Minamoto, and the other jujutsu sorcerers nearby, then nodded.

"Yes. We follow the plan. You send cursed spirits and other people to draw their attention, then I find a chance to ambush her. As long as Shuten-doji reappears, this mission should become much easier. We may even be able to cripple them here."

Miguel took out a whip twisted from many cords that looked as though they had been woven from hair. Then he jumped toward the street below.

"Then let's begin."

Ren had climbed to a high vantage point where he could see most of the surrounding battlefield. There were not only Jujutsu High sorcerers here, but also many unfamiliar faces. Some of Jujutsu High's own sorcerers had gone to support Kyoto. For example, Kento Nanami had stayed in Shinjuku, while Miss Mei Mei had gone to Kyoto. Similar arrangements had been made elsewhere.

The dense mass of cursed spirits soon collided with the jujutsu sorcerers. Just as Principal Yaga had said, most were small fry below Grade 2. Naturally, suitable personnel handled the stronger ones. What everyone needed to watch out for were the high-grade cursed spirits. A weaker sorcerer could die in a single exchange with one.

Ren stood on the high ground and supported the others with ranged attacks. Weaker cursed spirits could be exorcised with one arrow. He also deliberately controlled his cursed energy usage, trying to last through a prolonged battle and leave room for unexpected developments. Sometimes, simply injuring a cursed spirit to help someone else follow up was enough.

On the other side, Ijichi suddenly hurried to Gojo.

"Gojo-san, there is a piece of information I believe I must report to you. It concerns the matter you asked me to investigate earlier."

After listening, Gojo thought for a moment, then suddenly called out.

"Panda! Toge! Ren!"

Panda and Toge, who were closer, looked over.

"What is it, Gojo-sensei?"

Gojo reached out and pulled the two of them over. As he drew obscure symbols beneath their feet, he spoke quickly.

"Geto is at Jujutsu High right now. I will send you back first."

Boom!

With a thunderous crash, a "small mountain" rose from the street not far away. It was a cursed spirit with a body made of stone. The sorcerers around it could be seen faintly struggling to keep it occupied.

Then a figure dropped from the air and split most of its head open with one slash. Gojo seemed to hear an enraged roar. Immediately afterward, a bizarre presence rose from that direction, instantly overwhelming the aura of the huge stone cursed spirit.

Gojo also saw Ren suddenly leap down from his perch and vanish. He was clearly heading in that direction. At the same time, a dark-skinned man in white clothes, obviously a foreigner, appeared before Gojo.

Gojo did not wait for Ren. He formed a seal with both hands and said, "You two go back and protect Yuta and Maki. I will deal with this strange man and return immediately."

As soon as he finished, he clapped his palms together. Panda and Toge vanished from the circular array of symbols, leaving only a sunken, cracked pit in the ground.

...

A few moments earlier, Ren had immediately noticed the commotion there.

'That direction... Nanami-senpai?'

After Kento Nanami quickly cut down the cursed spirit, Ren also took the chance to rescue two other sorcerers in danger.

Then Nanami's furious shout pulled Ren's attention back. When he looked, he saw that a curse user had appeared behind Naone Minamoto at some unknown point. She was staring in disbelief at the blade piercing out through her chest.

The black markings on the blade began writhing like living things when they touched her blood. In the blink of an eye, they sank into her body.

"Dojikiri."

As her consciousness scattered, that final thought flashed through Naone's mind. Then a faint, almost unreal mad laughter seemed to ring beside her ears. In the corner of her vision, she also saw Nanami-senpai rushing toward her.

When Ren saw the curse user ambush Naone, alarm stabbed through him. The position of the blade did not seem to be the heart. In theory, if she was sent to Shoko Ieiri in time, she could still be saved. Yet for some reason, Ren's heart began pounding violently.

'That presence... Dojikiri, Shuten-doji, and a descendant of the Minamoto family.'

Ren, already in midair, connected those clues in his mind. Then he cursed.

"Damn it. I was too late. No... not yet."

Ren arrived in an instant and saw twisted ecstasy filling Naone's slightly raised eyes. Red light flashed inside them. That presence, like dark clouds piling over the sea while violent winds rose and a savage storm waited to break, could not possibly belong to Naone herself.

Timewheel: Reverse.

The moment his reversed technique touched the current "Naone Minamoto," Ren knew his attempt to reverse her to her previous state had failed. The existence inside Naone had blocked him. That existence had already become one with her.

The pressure of its presence far surpassed the die-shaped cursed spirit from before, and that thing had also been a Special Grade. If Ren wanted to reverse Naone to her previous state, he would inevitably have to touch that existence and reverse it as well.

'The opponent is extraordinary. With my current ability, reversing both of them together to their previous state is almost impossible. I need another way.'

'Right. The soul. Naone's technique can let her soul leave her body while maintaining its state. If I only reverse the state of her soul, then exorcise the curse occupying her body, maybe I can restore her.'

With that thought, Ren strained to shift the target of his technique from "Naone Minamoto" as a whole to only her soul. That made the burden much lighter. Feeling the technique succeed, he soon saw Naone's white-mist-like figure appear beside him, staring in shock at the other version of herself across from her.

That "Naone Minamoto" raised her head. Crimson markings appeared across her face. Her originally black hair was dyed scarlet. Then the existence took a deep breath and revealed an intoxicated expression. Five eyes opened at the same time. In addition to her original pair, one eye grew on each side of her forehead and one above the space between her brows. Each held three blood-red pupils.

Her body began expanding with the crack of bones until she stood over two meters tall. She touched one of the five horns growing from her head, her greedy gaze sweeping over everything around her.

"I have returned to the world of man. How beautiful."

Then her roaring cursed energy wrapped around her commanding voice and spread in every direction.

"I am Shuten-doji, king of a hundred demons. Offer everything you have to me."

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