With a tremendous crash, the main gate of the Zenin clan residence was blown open, and a figure was thrown with immense force through the wind and rain into the residence's reception hall.
Naoya Zenin tumbled several times across the hall before coming to a stop.
He gasped for breath, a distinct wound visible on his chest.
The tip of Kirigiri hadn't cut him in half directly; instead, it had gently caressed his chest like a lover's hand.
His heart was nearly exposed, its thumping echoing in Naoya's ears.
He was still alive in this moment.
He looked up at the head seat, where the Zenin clan head looked down at him.
Naoya pressed hard on his chest, but blood continued to seep out.
He uttered his final words as the clan head's son: "Projection Sorcery... it's useless against him!"
The clan head rose from the main seat and shuffled over to Naoya.
He extended a hand and gently placed it over Naoya's face, taking a deep breath.
The wind and rain suddenly intensified, causing the reception hall to creak.
Thunder boomed in the sky, as if some great entity were descending upon this place with the might of the heavens.
Sure enough, someone limped in from outside the door.
The Immortal Master bypassed all obstacles and arrived at the very heart of the Zenin clan, where the head of the house awaited him.
The clan head removed his hand from Naoya's face; as he did, Naoya's previously open eyes were now closed.
He slowly exhaled and rose from his crouching position, looking up at the Immortal Master.
Despite having fought his way through the Zenin clan, the Immortal Master's clothes were still immaculate.
He walked out of the wind and rain, lightning flashing behind him, carrying a long-bladed greatsword.
The wooden clogs on his feet made a crisp sound with each step, a sound even the thunder in the sky couldn't drown out.
The Immortal Master looked up, his heterochromatic eyes glowing silently like a demon god's glare, an overwhelming pressure seeping into the clan head's heart.
—This was the Cursed Spirit that had slaughtered the Zenin clan.
"The legendary King of Curses," the clan head murmured.
"Indeed. Your reputation precedes you."
"I didn't expect the first compliment I'd receive upon coming to the Zenin estate would be from the last remaining Zenin head," the Immortal Master said.
The clan head's heart stirred slightly.
He was certainly not the last person in the Zenin clan.
In the Zenin underground training ground, the remaining elderly and weak members were still sheltering.
These people were the seeds of the Zenin clan; even if they lost their status as one of the Big Three Families, as long as these people were not annihilated, the Zenin clan would not be destroyed.
The rest would merely be a matter of finding a patron to rise again.
The clan head suddenly thought that with the King of Curses' current excellent state and perception, it was impossible for him not to know that a large number of people still existed in the underground training ground.
Yet, the Lord of Curses had explicitly stated that the clan head was the last person in the Zenin clan.
The clan head wondered, could it be...
"Do Cursed Spirits... also have compassion?" the clan head sighed.
"We shouldn't have been like this," the Immortal Master said calmly.
"My method of eternal life isn't something I consider worth keeping secret."
"In fact, I've even told others the principles of eternal life and openly sold it."
"If the Zenin clan had the intention, they could have sent Jujutsu Sorcerers to inquire with me."
But you didn't; you insulted me.
"I won't naively believe that you insulted me because I am a Cursed Spirit."
"You have been high and mighty for too long, so long that you no longer understand reverence."
"And I am your executioner."
The clan head chewed on the Immortal Master's words and found he couldn't refute them.
As the Immortal Master said, this wasn't a matter of being a Cursed Spirit or not.
Currently, Cursed Spirits were also imprisoned in the underground training ground; those Spirits were specifically captured for Jujutsu Sorcerers to practice killing.
In fact, the act of utilizing Cursed Spirits was not new to the Big Three Families.
Let alone the Big Three Families, even the entire Jujutsu world had instances of utilizing Cursed Spirits.
If it wasn't a spirit problem, then what could it be?
It was 'power'.
The Zenin clan, as one of the Big Three Families of the Jujutsu world, inherently possessed a kind of arrogance.
The entire world should revolve around the Big Three Families, and everyone else must obey their commands.
The Immortal Master was a Cursed Spirit, so they commanded him.
But if the Immortal Master wasn't a Cursed Spirit, would the Zenin clan not command him?
This really was a genuine case of hitting a brick wall.
Compared to the spirit before him, the Zenin clan actually seemed more like Cursed Spirits without reason.
How ridiculous, how... tragic!
The clan head, wearing a light-colored haori over a dark kimono, now removed the outer haori and casually threw it onto Naoya, covering his corpse.
He continued forward, one hand retracting into the wide sleeve of his kimono, then emerging from the front, stripping off half the garment to reveal his bare upper body.
"My Cursed Technique is called Projection Sorcery," the clan head said, activating his Cursed Technique!
Since you were born in modern times, you should know about movies.
When filming a movie, the film reel rolls—that is the principle of Projection Sorcery.
"When used, the user divides one second into 24 frames, using their field of vision as the angle of view, and then imitates pre-designed actions within that field of view."
The pre-designed actions cannot be corrected midway.
If actions that excessively disregard physical laws and movement trajectories are performed, the user themselves will be 'frozen'.
"Anyone touched by the user when the Cursed Technique is activated must also perform actions in units of 1/24th of a second."
"If they fail, their movements will become disordered and they will be frozen for one second."
In the original work, Naoya was defeated by the clan killer in this way.
Naoya, using Projection Sorcery, had clearly touched the killer and assumed the killer would definitely be frozen for one second, so he made no defenses.
On the contrary, the killer was already prepared and immediately punched him upon contact.
The original Naoya never anticipated this counterattack and was directly defeated.
The clan head strode forward, arriving in the middle of the reception hall.
Though he was also a middle-aged man, there were almost no wrinkles on his face.
He combed his white hair into a slicked-back style, possessing slender eyebrows and two upturned English-style mustaches.
"Cursed Spirit, well done; you have awakened the Zenin clan from this day forward."
"I once heard someone say that ignorance is never an obstacle to survival, but arrogance is."
Never before had I understood the meaning of this sentence so clearly.
The clan head's voice was like thunder.
He had finally completed all his preparations.
He half-shed his kimono, revealing half of his bare body.
He stood tall, his muscle lines so clear they looked specially sculpted.
He deliberately styled his hair into a slicked-back look with two English-style mustaches, showing no hint of a samurai, yet at this moment, he looked more like a samurai than anyone in the Zenin clan.
Usually, he was always jovial and unrestrained, but at the moment of life and death, he stood up with an overwhelming aura, bearing all the deaths on his back.
The Immortal Master smiled: "I thought you would be more enraged because I killed the Zenin clan."
"It seems you still don't understand Jujutsu Sorcerers," the clan head said.
"I'm all ears."
"A Jujutsu Sorcerer's Cursed Energy originates from negative emotions."
"Our negative emotions will be refined by the cursed energy core and flow into our limbs and bones."
"The more excellent a Jujutsu Sorcerer, the more sufficient Cursed Energy they can extract from negative emotions."
"This Cursed Energy is with us; the more enraged, the more fearful, the more burdened by pressure, the stronger a Jujutsu Sorcerer becomes, the more... invincible!"
The clan head's voice was originally as calm as a lake, but the more he explained, the louder his voice became, until finally, his voice was like thunder, exploding in the Immortal Master's ears!
"Cursed Spirit, do you think I am calm now?"
"No, I am more enraged and more fearful now than ever before!"
"I am furious that you treated my clansmen this way; you slaughtered my clansmen, scattering them, and you threw my son's corpse before me."
"At the same time, I am also afraid."
"I am afraid of what will happen to the Zenin clan's future if I die."
"I am afraid of how the other Big Three Families will treat the Zenin clan without the protection of its elite Jujutsu Sorcerer group."
"I am even more afraid that after me, the Zenin clan will never return to its current status."
"But listen carefully, Cursed Spirit."
"A so-called Jujutsu Sorcerer is a being who can utilize this rage and fear!"
"To transform this anger and fear into tangible Cursed Energy—that is what a Jujutsu Sorcerer is!"
The clan head extended a fist, pointing it directly at the Immortal Master.
Although he was extremely enraged at this moment, he curled his lips into a smile.
His voice, which had been a roar, returned to calmness, articulating each word clearly and deliberately:
"Zenin Clan Head, Naobito Zenin! Presenting—!!!"
Outside, thunder boomed in the sky, and for a moment, it was as bright as day.
The lightning, accompanied by earth-shattering thunder, illuminated the world as if it were broad daylight.
Projection Sorcery!
Naobito did not hesitate, activating Projection Sorcery.
His time in this second was divided into 24 movements.
He started, stepped, ran; one movement after another was compressed into integrated images.
The Immortal Master's perception was maximized at this moment.
He clearly saw Naobito's movements, which were not like normal running motions, but 24 separate movements, as if the entire world's time had paused, and one frame after another appeared before his eyes.
The Immortal Master gripped his sword with both hands, imagining how Naobito would attack him.
Naoya's Cursed Technique was the same as Naobito's, but there was a clear difference in their proficiency.
Naoya deeply believed in his own Cursed Technique, so as long as he touched the Immortal Master, he would subconsciously assume the Immortal Master would also be frozen, allowing him to attack at will.
However, Naobito would never make such a mistake.
Naoya died due to this self-confidence, so Naobito, how about you?
Naobito's answer was—a direct frontal impact!
The Immortal Master's pupils widened, because Projection Sorcery's preset actions are completed during movement, so the preset actions always consider the target's counterattack.
Using a direct frontal impact is the most conventional approach, as it's the most suitable position for a counterattack.
How dare Naobito do this!
The Immortal Master did not hesitate; Kirigiri slashed diagonally downwards.
Kirigiri was originally a long-bladed greatsword, and its attack range combined with the Immortal Master's arm span exceeded three meters.
Now, with Kirigiri's diagonal slash, all the space in front was covered.
Naobito could only collide with Kirigiri, and with Kirigiri's sharpness, it would easily cut Naobito in half like a hot knife through butter... right?
A streak of black appeared on Naobito's fist—Black Flash!
Setting the preset action as a frontal impact is indeed the most conventional approach, but what if this frontal impact carries a Black Flash?