'With that dumb look on his face, he'll definitely fall for it. Once he gets close, I'll strike and disable him! But I can't let him notice anything off before then. I have to be careful—no cursed energy...'
The flow of cursed energy would never escape the notice of a first-rate sorcerer.
Powerful sorcerers could easily surpass the limits of human vision in battle.
Yet even so, they could still track their opponent's movements—because the best sorcerers sensed actions through the flow of cursed energy. Only third-rate sorcerers relied on their eyes.
For a sneak attack, the less cursed energy used, the more concealed the flow—and the more effective the strike!
Yuji stared at the old man on the ground, his expression blank for a moment.
"...Do you think I'm an idiot?"
"What?! How did you see through it?!"
"Don't look down on me! Look at those muscles—does it look like you'd throw out your back?! And this is the middle of an alley—what kind of old man would be taking a stroll here?! You moron!"
Yuji felt his intelligence had been insulted and angrily pointed at the man while berating him.
"Tch. Didn't expect you to have a brain under that dumb face!"
The old man stood up reluctantly, his expression bitter.
He was short—probably only around 160 cm, not even 170.
But his body was packed with bulging muscles, like a bodybuilding champion. His well-defined muscles strained against his white T-shirt and black shorts, making them cling to his body like spandex, almost bursting out.
Though he looked to be in his fifties or sixties, with only a sparse tuft of hair left on his head, the oppressive aura radiating from him was unmistakable.
Now that he'd been exposed, he didn't bother hiding his bloodlust—a stench of slaughter so thick it felt like a wave of blood crashing over Yuji.
Yuji's scalp prickled, his hair standing on end.
The sheer force of the bloodlust made his entire body tremble violently, dulling his senses.
"This bloodlust is insane—just how many people has he killed?"
A storm of shock raged in Yuji's heart.
For a moment, the old man even gave him the illusion that he might be "stronger than Roy-sensei."
But he quickly snapped out of it.
Roy showed no signs of backing down even when facing the legendary King of Curses. Against three Special Grade cursed spirits, he could still pummel them head-on. His strength was far beyond what some roadside assassin could compare to.
It's just that this man's murderous aura was thick, making his presence far more intimidating.
In contrast, Roy's presence was much calmer, giving off the feeling of a vast ocean—seemingly tranquil, yet even more unfathomable.
Still waters run deep—that was probably the best way to describe it.
"Who are you? Why are you here?"
Yuji took a deep breath. He had faced the pressure of cursed spirits before and had even experienced the entire battle between Sukuna and Roy firsthand from a participant's perspective.
He quickly regained his composure, reasserted control over his body, tensed his muscles, gripped the short knife in his hand, and stared warily at the muscular old man across from him.
"If I tell you my name and your Special Grade teacher finds out, wouldn't I be screwed?"
The muscular old man pulled out a knife from his pocket, a fearless grin spreading across his face.
"Too bad, though. Your teacher doesn't seem to care much about you students. Thanks to that, I found an opportunity quickly. As long as I knock you out and take you away before he notices, I can complete the mission and earn a hefty bounty. I won't need to work for a whole year after this!"
The moment his words fell.
The muscular old man kicked off the ground with astonishing explosive force, his entire body wrapped in cursed energy as he shot forward like an arrow, the knife in his hand stabbing straight toward Yuji's abdomen!
"So fast! I can barely see him!"
Yuji was shocked.
He had thought his physical abilities were impressive, even ranking high among sorcerers. His earlier feat of instantly killing a Grade 3 cursed spirit had made him a little proud.
But could sorcerers really move at such speeds so casually?
Setting aside monsters like Roy and Sukuna, even Megumi's speed was slow in comparison!
He bent his body backward as much as possible, instinctively retreating while arching his spine.
Rip!
A crisp tearing sound rang out.
A half-foot-long gash split open the abdomen of Yuji's uniform, the hem hanging loose, even revealing the abs beneath through the hole.
"That was close! My stomach almost got sliced open!"
Cold sweat dripped down Yuji's face.
If he had reacted even a second slower, would his abdomen have been cut open, sending him to meet his grandfather?
"He actually dodged it?"
The muscular old man was momentarily stunned that his knife hadn't landed.
He hadn't just relied on physical ability—he had also reinforced his body with cursed energy, holding nothing back. Yet he still failed to take down a rookie who had only just enrolled at Jujutsu High a couple of days ago?
"Just luck!"
Fury surged in the old man's heart as he charged forward again, cursed energy flaring!
Even if Yuji had other uses and couldn't be killed yet, he was determined to drive the knife deep into his abdomen, twist it violently seven or eight times in his intestines, and make him scream in agony before stopping.
No particular reason—just for his own amusement!
"This is bad!"
Seeing the muscular old man charging forward like a wild boar again, Yuji gritted his teeth, a hint of madness flashing in his eyes.
He still couldn't use cursed energy, nor could he predict his opponent's movements by sensing their cursed energy. All he could rely on was his naturally strong physique to fight. There was no way he could win against a battle-hardened sorcerer like this—dodging a single attack unscathed would already be a stroke of luck. But he didn't necessarily have to come out unharmed!
The path of a sorcerer was one paved with thorns.
If he was bound to be scarred by those thorns sooner or later, why not start with himself?
A fierce glint flashed in Yuji's eyes.
He gave up dodging and instead spread his arms wide, charging straight toward the muscular old man.
He intended to trade injury for injury!
Whether it would work or not was a problem for later. Right now, all he needed to think about was defeating his opponent!
The old man's eyes filled with mockery. Did this brat, who couldn't even use cursed energy, really think he could counter him by trading blows? How naive!
He paid no mind to this feeble resistance, thrusting his blade mercilessly toward Yuji's abdomen.
"Old man, who said I don't care about my students?"
Just as the blade was about to pierce Yuji—
A fist suddenly shot in from the side, slamming into the old man's stomach with a thunderous impact.
Boom!
The violent force sent the muscular old man curling up like a shrimp.
Then, like a missile, he was sent flying backward, crashing deep into the alley. He ricocheted off the walls several times before finally coming to a stop, sending rubble flying everywhere.
"Sensei!"
Yuji froze for a moment before snapping back to reality, his face lighting up with joy as he looked at the white-haired boy who had appeared before him out of nowhere.
"So you really were watching us! I thought you just left us to fend for ourselves while you slacked off!"
"Hahaha, I'll make sure to correct that mindset of yours later!"
Roy gave Yuji a hollow smile.
Then he turned his gaze toward the depths of the alley, where the muscular old man had been sent flying.
"Sensei, who—or what—is that guy?"
"Probably a curse user…"
Roy narrowed his eyes almost into slits as he stared in that direction.
"Not all sorcerers are willing to risk their lives to protect ordinary people. Some choose to return to peaceful lives, while others refuse to abide by the rules of peace, using their cursed techniques to indulge their selfish desires. Those evil sorcerers are called curse users."
They'll kill for money.
They'll slaughter for pleasure.
If brutal torture brings them joy, they'll massacre the weak without hesitation.
Sorcerers were already people who fought using negative emotions, so their personalities often carried a touch of madness. Even a rookie like Yuji dared to provoke a cursed spirit in his first battle and trade injuries in his second.
When such sorcerers turned to evil and became curse users, most of them lost their minds entirely.
"Talk. Who sent you?"
Roy's voice was icy as he glared at the muscular old man, who had now risen from the rubble in the alley.
"Yuji is a newcomer to the jujutsu world and shouldn't have offended anyone. The fact that you captured him alive—or rather, the person behind you captured him alive—must be to target me."
"Ohoho, will talking really let me leave here alive?"
The muscular old man stood up, dusting off his clothes.
He glanced down at his body, and upon seeing not a single scratch, he exhaled in relief as if a weight had been lifted. Tilting his chin up slightly, a smug smile spread across his face.
"If you talk, I can grant you a painless death."
Roy wore a mocking expression that clearly said, "Are you kidding me?" His gaze was as cold as if he were staring at a corpse.
"To be honest, I'm not very confident against other special-grade sorcerers, especially guys like Satoru Gojo."
The muscular old man's face broke into a dismissive grin, his lips curling wide.
After taking that punch earlier, his confidence had swelled to unprecedented heights.
"But you're different. I've seen your combat footage—mostly hand-to-hand, right? That makes my cursed technique your worst nightmare. I won't lose! Why don't I become the first to slay a special-grade?"
The old man spread his legs, muscles tensed, his aura coiled like a spring. His eyes locked onto Roy like a hunting lion.
Plain as day, the thing called "ambition" was written all over his face.
"Hahaha, you people really underestimate me!"
Hearing this, Roy seemed unable to hold back, covering his face as he burst into scornful laughter.
"Guess I really need to teach you lot a lesson—to make you understand that Satoru Gojo isn't the only one you absolutely shouldn't mess with. Cursed technique? That kind of thing doesn't mean a damn thing in front of me!"
The moment he finished speaking—
The color in Roy's eyes changed.