August 2007.
Cicadas screamed beneath a scorching sun.
Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Ever since surviving a deadly battle against Toji Fushiguro, Gojo Satoru had stepped further into the realm of the strongest...
And it seemed that the Cursed Spirits of this world had evolved into something even more terrifying in response.
Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru, Ieiri Shoko,
For the three to sit together now was a rare occasion.
Satoru and Suguru were either in the middle of an exorcism, or already en route to one.
As for Shoko, the school's higher-ups treated her like a treasure. With her ability to use Reversed Cursed Technique on others, a feat even Gojo couldn't replicate, she naturally had no need to dirty her hands in the field.
"Hey, that ten-year-old clan head of the Zenin family... don't you find him even a little interesting?"
Shoko mumbled around the lollipop in her mouth as she looked toward a certain someone floating cross-legged in the air.
"Hmm?"
Gojo blinked, surprised by her sudden curiosity, but answered honestly.
"Interested? I guess... a little."
"That brat's been holed up inside the Zenin Clan all this time. Never shown his face publicly."
"And that absurd bounty of his..."
Gojo spun the straw in his drink, his tone tinged with mischief.
"A full billion yen? Yeah, there's definitely another clan involved in jacking that number up."
"But..." He tilted his head with mock suspicion.
"What's got you curious about that little punk all of a sudden?"
Gojo turned dramatically toward her.
"Shoko, don't tell me... you've awakened some twisted kind of kink?"
"For real?"
"That kid's only eleven, you know?!"
Gojo raised both hands and pointed at her, face exaggerated in mock horror.
He gave a thoughtful nod.
"No wonder you've never confessed to either of the two handsome guys around you... Turns out you're into the toddler type~"
Shoko rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful and shot back coldly,
"Scumbag."
Gojo Satoru, scumbag that he was, continued fiddling with cursed energy in minute detail.
Geto Suguru, for reasons unknown, had grown quieter with each passing day. His dark circles were becoming impossible to ignore.
As the "balancer" between two of the strongest sorcerers, Shoko had picked up on this heavy mood, and deliberately tossed out a random topic to break the silence.
After all, the moments when the three of them were together were becoming more and more scarce...
And Zenin Mirai, the boy who had become clan head at just ten years old, remained a major topic in the jujutsu world even after half a year.
Whether it was his age or his steadily rising bounty on the black market, he drew attention like a black hole.
"Hey, Suguru, have you lost weight?"
Having teased Shoko, Gojo now turned his attention to his other close friend.
But just as he was about to follow up, the sharp trill of a phone cut him off.
"Moshi moshi~"
After hanging up, Gojo waved playfully to his friends.
"Mission call. Guess I'll catch you two later~"
He pushed up his sunglasses and walked off, leaving only a relaxed silhouette fading into the distance.
Geto Suguru leaned against the back wall of the school building, avoiding the sun, cloaked in shadow. Slowly, he lifted his head.
Cursed Spirits kept appearing,
Like maggots that never stopped multiplying.
Exorcise. Absorb.
Exorcise. Absorb.
Over and over.
The taste of a Cursed Spirit was like a rag soaked in vomit,
Disgusting.
Watching Gojo disappear down the path, a flicker of something complex passed across Geto's face.
There was a time when we were "the strongest."
But now...
Gojo alone stood at the top.
The fog in Geto Suguru's heart only grew heavier.
...
Zenin Clan – Outside the Forbidden Vault
Zenin Maki and Zenin Mai carried two meal boxes as they stepped into the darkness beyond the vault's heavy door.
From deep within, monstrous howls echoed through the air.
Nervously, Mai edged closer to her sister's back.
"It's been half a year. Still not used to it?"
Maki glanced sideways, a little helpless at how tightly Mai clung to her.
For over six months now, Zenin Mirai, the nominal head of the clan, had spent nearly all his time in the depths of the Forbidden Vault.
The task of delivering his meals had been forced on them by their mother.
But as daughters of the Zenin Clan, both girls were mature enough to understand the intention behind that assignment.
Which was why they always arrived when Mirai was too absorbed in his work to notice them.
"Grade 2 sorcerer... and you only managed to capture a single Grade 2 Cursed Spirit?"
"I wasn't expecting you to punch above your level, but you couldn't even catch a few more of your own tier?"
Just as the sisters reached the entrance to the underground holding chamber, a cold voice echoed upward.
"Clan Head, I, "
The frightened response was immediately cut off.
Sensing outsiders, the two girls stopped in their tracks, then carefully tiptoed down the stairs.
Besides their mother, there was only their half-brother Mirai,
And neither of them were welcome among the other Zenin family members.
As their eyes adjusted to the dim light, both girls' pupils shrank in horror.
Before them stood the elite unit of the clan, Hei, every single member standing stiff, hands behind their backs, heads bowed in fear.
They looked nothing like the proud warriors of the family, more like servants awaiting punishment.
And lying in a pool of blood were the mangled remains of a body Maki recognized,
A Grade 2 sorcerer she'd seen training before.
Standing atop the corpse, face expressionless, was Zenin Mirai.
The image instantly dragged Maki back to that horrific night six months ago.
She felt a tug at her back.
Turning around, she saw Mai trembling, head lowered, her pale hand clutching at Maki's clothes with desperate force.
Understanding, Maki gently set down the meal boxes and pulled her sister into her arms.
She didn't blame Mai for being scared.
After all, Mai could see what Maki could not, the room teeming with Cursed Spirit corpses.
Brains, organs, limbs, even grotesque disfigured faces... the basement was completely filled.
From Mai's perspective, the spacious room looked like something straight out of hell.
And the sorcerers standing in silence?
They saw the same thing.
No one mourned the fallen comrade.
Over the past six months, they had come to understand their new clan head well.
Fail a mission, die.
Catch him in a bad mood, get maimed.
Try to resist or run, wish you were dead instead.
Beside Mirai, the air tore open into a yawning void.
A pair of gnarled hands reached out, scooping up the remains of Cursed Spirits and pulling them into the darkness.
Moments later, two withered fingers punched through space again, skewering the sorcerer's corpse at Mirai's feet and dragging it away.
The wet sound of chewing filled the chamber.
It was sharp and unbearable.
Even the seasoned sorcerers visibly trembled.
For little Mai, it was overwhelming.
Even Maki, who couldn't hear the gnawing, could still see the body vanish into thin air.
"My pet doesn't just like Cursed Spirits," Mirai said coldly.
"Sorcerers with strong cursed energy... it finds them just as tasty."
He swept his icy gaze over the room.
"If you don't bring me enough next time, I'll use your flesh to make up the difference."
There were even Grade 1 sorcerers in the group, yet not a single one dared meet his eyes.
Each kept their head lowered, fear etched into every feature.
"Get out."
"A bunch of useless trash. Don't ruin my appetite."
Mirai's voice cut through the air like a blade, but to the terrified group, it was like music to their ears.
They suppressed their trembling, walking out as carefully as if treading on a frozen lake.
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200 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter