CHAPTER 155: The Black Thread
Ren splashed cold water onto his face. It wasn't a ritual or anything dramatic—just routine. Steady. Familiar. His breath fogged the mirror as he stared at his reflection: still pale, still sharp-eyed, still him.
'Well, other than that, I also have improved a lot in hand-to-hand. The old man Jiro has been teaching me well, 'he thought. 'It started with punches, then kicks, and then dodges and feints and footwork… When I first actually sparred with Jiro, I fought with Red Stitch, and Jiro was impressed, to say the least. My fighting style was unique, he said. Well, of course it is; I am pretty much copying Spider-Man, but my red stitch is nowhere near strong enough.'
Ren smirked slightly at the memory of Jiro's raised eyebrow. 'In fact, Jiro thought I had to be holding back, and I just smiled at him.'
He leaned against the sink.
'Anyway, I was able to use Overdrive more easily in short bursts too. The past two months have been slow, but there is progress…'
His expression shifted, the smirk fading into something more guarded.
'I still have not shown Ogami the Cursed Death Womb paintings. Why? Because simply I don't want her to question me on how I got them in the first place, and also because the cursed death womb painting is something that could do a lot… way too important to just show them to Ogami. Not only that, I want to keep them like one of my secret cards… Plus I don't want to bet everything on a binding vow… I have to build trust with Ogami. I know she already respects me. Her face shows it all, and when trust is built, I won't have to worry about her backstabbing me…'
Ren turned off the tap, wiped his face, and stepped out of the bathroom.
Mei Mei was seated on the couch again, calm and composed as ever in a crisp white shirt and a tight pencil skirt. She looked like an executive assistant from some high-rise tower—poised, unreadable.
"Here is the file on the Oduol Clan," she said, handing over a manila folder without even glancing up. "There are actually a pretty small clan; I don't understand why you would want information on them…"
Ren took the file and sat beside her. He flipped through it, eyes scanning every line quickly, absorbing.
'Hmm. The Oduol clan… There was a man who fought not only Gojo but also Sukuna… He was from this clan. Miguel Oduol. The funny thing is that he came out alive… Miguel had already fought Gojo in the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, and Miguel was able to stall Gojo for more than a few minutes… And Miguel was able to do the same with Sukuna too… in the future…'
Ren's fingers paused on a paragraph.
'Truly an impressive man, but well, he himself is not that impressive. What's impressive is his cursed technique and the Oduol clan's Black Rope… Now that's something that was never explained much in the JJK manga, but it was said that Miguel's clan somehow over the years made the black rope… And the black rope is one of the few things in this world that is like the Inverted Spear of Heaven. A cursed tool that can even effectively nullify the Infinity…'
Ren's brows furrowed.
'It's actually kind of shocking that this was never brought back in JJK; we never heard about it… even though it was a perfect counter against Gojo… I mean, if Miguel was able to stall Gojo with the black rope, think about what someone like Kenjaku or Sukuna would be able to do…'
He leaned back slightly.
'Plus, like, I am in Africa, so it's a no-brainer to check out Miguel's clan…'
His eyes darted to a detail in the file.
'Miguel's clan is not even a clan; it's like a group of four people, including Miguel… Not only that, they all live near the city area…'
His mind reeled with the implications.
'How does that make sense? I mean, it kind of does since Miguel's clan is not big, since they never show up in the manga, and Miguel also kind of uses the black rope, which was like something his clan was making for years… It makes sense that Miguel's clan is small, or why would a clan waste their special-grade cursed tool in a fight between strangers…'
He flipped the page and saw the final detail.
'Hmm, but still, how did four people make the black rope… Uh oh. They also have a group gathering every month or so near the Eastern Congo jungle… Interesting. Maybe that's where they make the rope? Oh. And the group gathering is also going to take place next morning?'
Ren straightened, heart ticking faster.
'Oh, this is kind of perfect, huh? I can just follow Miguel to wherever he goes to meet up with his clan members, and it would also be fun to see what they do… Hmm, plus right now Miguel does not have the black rope. He should not be that strong. Mei Mei with her crows and Jiro should be able to take him… Plus with me and Ogami…'
He hesitated, tension growing in his gut.
'Hmm, but is this risky? Doing something like this without Rika… But again, this is like a once-a-month meetup. If I don't sneak up on them now, I will have to wait for another month… and even then I will have the same problem since the binding vow with Rika needs three more months before it's broken and I gain Rika back again…'
Before he could spiral further into his risk assessment, the door to the bedroom opened.
Ogami stepped out, her skin glistening slightly with sweat, her expression dripping with satisfaction. Her tone, though honeyed, was unmistakably deliberate.
"Master, today's session was wonderful as always…"
Mei Mei looked up just long enough to frown.
Ren tilted his head slightly and gave Mei Mei a pointed smile.
'Hmm. Jealous? Again, hehe. Mei Mei has started to talk less with me… Is that supposed to be some sort of punishment? Whatever it is, I am getting bored of hiding in this mansion; I need some fresh air, and also it should be alright…'
He closed the folder with finality.
'Plus this might just give me another trump card… if I play my cards right…'
He stood and turned to the two women, voice calm and commanding.
"We are going on a mission next morning at sunrise. Both of you gear up, and Ogami, go tell Jiro to get ready too."