The city on the outskirts of Shibuya Ward, once brightly lit, was now devoid of life, silent and desolate like a ghost town.
A figure was moving rapidly between the buildings, traversing hundred-meter-tall skyscrapers as if walking on flat ground.
Since the city was full of his peers, Kenmyo chose not to fly through the air conspicuously, opting instead for a slightly more low-key parkour route between the skyscrapers.
However, slowing down allowed him to better observe the cityscape, and this led Kenmyo to spot something unusual.
"Holy crap, there's a Panda on the street."
Although it was only a fleeting glance, the sudden appearance of a large, black-and-white Panda standing upright like a person on the street was certainly bizarre.
Next to the two-meter-tall Panda was a Jujutsu Sorcerer wearing a brown coat; they appeared to be partners.
The sight of what was once his country's mascot was enough to make Kenmyo pause.
"A Cursed Spirit? No, it's not."
Kenmyo could tell that it wasn't a truly living Panda, nor was it a Cursed Spirit or a Shikigami.
"A living Cursed Tool? Not that either."
Instead, it resembled the product of some kind of Cursed Technique—if he had to guess, it looked a bit like a Cursed Corpse, something that had not been fully developed in Kenmyo's timeline.
Judging by its Cursed Energy reserves, it should be at the level of a Second-Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, decent but not overly powerful.
Kenmyo figured if he captured this Panda and gave it to Principal Principal Yaga of Tokyo Jujutsu High, the teacher would likely be interested.
As far as he knew, Principal Principal Yaga had always been secretly tinkering away, trying to conduct research in this area.
Yaga Masamichi was always hiding alone in a small room at the school, secretly conducting research related to Cursed Corpses.
Although he thought he was being very discreet, he had long been discovered by Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru.
After all, if those two wanted to know something, there were no secrets left for them.
Suguru Geto and Gojo Satoru simply pretended not to notice, but they had secretly told (and mocked) Kenmyo about it privately.
That bald guy was staying up so late he was practically losing all his hair.
Kenmyo always jumped to conclusions, forgetting that he was currently in the future.
So, was that thing down there—the Great Panda—possibly Teacher Principal Yaga's creation?
It was highly probable. This meant that the results of Teacher Principal Yaga's decade-plus of secret research had been witnessed by Kenmyo, who came from the past.
Well damn, that thick-browed, big-eyed teacher was secretly conducting this kind of research without a sound.
He actually managed to research and create a Panda, powered by Cursed Energy, which didn't even need replenishment—it could generate circulating Cursed Energy internally.
Kenmyo could only say, "Awesome."
If he possessed this set of technology, wouldn't he be able to continuously create an army of Cursed Corpses?
But that was thinking too small. What good are lots of ants?
This made Kenmyo think: what if the counterfeit EVA he possessed also had this technology?
Wouldn't that be equivalent to mastering eternal energy, eliminating the need for Kenmyo to personally supply the power?
He could then achieve something similar to what he saw in the anime from his previous life—the device known as the S2 Engine, which provides infinite power.
It probably wasn't that exaggerated, though, since the Panda below only had the strength of a Second-Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, far from the effect Kenmyo desired.
In fact, Kenmyo himself possessed a semi-automatic ability—the heavily worn red warrior, the ""scarab terminator"", which was created using the ancient, mysterious, and incredibly powerful Red Letter Sorcery.
But the Red Letter Sorcery was forbidden knowledge that even Kenmyo's mentor had not fully mastered. If he messed with it, he would surely die.
How was this any different from impractical speculation? Kenmyo wanted to modify his Ultimate Mechamaru into something resembling a Titan of the Imperium of Man.
Kenmyo hoped that his next Simulation would be as a high-level research scientist in the Imperial Army, preferably one who could access the Empire's highest technology: the Titans.
If he could fully replicate the Titan's core and combine it with Kenmyo's core technology, he could definitely create a Bio-Titan.
As long as the energy supply was solved, forming an entire Mecha Legion would be possible.
Similar to a Hive Ship, where machinery and life coexisted.
Although Kenmyo possessed a Life-Shaping Empress, raising her to the point where she could fully produce a Zerg Warship might require feeding her all the resources on Earth.
So, he should start with a low-spec, youthful version to test the waters.
"The Panda can talk, too. Teacher Principal Yaga is quite capable."
Kenmyo saw the Great Panda below talking animatedly to its partner, gesturing excitedly about something.
"Kusakabe, when are we going to the Curtain?"
Panda looked at his partner with resentful eyes, sighing and complaining.
His partner was a middle-aged man who liked to show off, named Kusakabe Atsuya, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
But Panda felt like this guy was just circling around the area, deliberately avoiding going toward the center of the Curtain.
"It's still early. Our duty as Jujutsu Sorcerer is to protect civilians."
Kusakabe Atsuya snorted, shook his head, and spoke righteously, looking at Panda with an expression that said, 'You're thinking too small.'
"How can we safely enter the Curtain before we've confirmed there are no more civilians left in the surrounding buildings?"
"What if, because our evacuation efforts were incomplete, one or two Cursed Spirits escape the Curtain later and happen to find civilians?"
As he spoke, Kusakabe Atsuya dutifully opened the lid of a large dumpster to check if anyone was hiding inside.
"Wouldn't that be our fault!"
After being lectured by Kusakabe Atsuya, Panda even felt like *he* was the one being inconsiderate, so he reluctantly continued searching with him.
In reality, despite Kusakabe Atsuya's smooth talk, he was just slacking off.
As mentioned earlier, Gojo Satoru's overwhelming strength led to a large number of Jujutsu Sorcerer becoming complacent, and Kusakabe Atsuya was one of them.
"Gojo Satoru is already inside, which means the incident will be resolved soon."
Kusakabe Atsuya's calculations were loud and clear: he figured there was zero danger out here on the far outskirts, distant from the Curtain.
"Does this great master even need to make a move?"
"All this great master needs to do is walk around the perimeter a few times with this simpleton, and the overtime pay for tonight is secured. How sweet is that?"
Just as Kusakabe Atsuya felt his lungs itching and was about to pull a cigarette from his pocket to soothe himself, he realized his lighter was gone.
"Fire, where's the fire?"
"I have fire. Here."
Perhaps the appearance of the crimson flame in his line of sight was so perfectly timed that Kusakabe Atsuya found it quite reasonable for a second.
He even leaned his head forward to light his cigarette and expressed his thanks.
"Thanks."
Only after Kusakabe Atsuya took a delightful drag from his cigarette did he realize the problem.
He and Panda were working together. Panda couldn't smoke or carry a lighter, and that voice wasn't the simpleton's.
"Hiss."
He'd hit the jackpot: a powerful figure, so strong that he hadn't even noticed when they approached, was standing right next to him.
Realizing his blind spot, Kusakabe Atsuya gasped sharply and his hand shot out to the Katana strapped to his waist.
"Shinkage-ryu."
But Kenmyo was faster. His turn and high-kick movement were so quick that not even an afterimage could be captured.
Before the kick landed, the sharp, knife-like wind made Kusakabe Atsuya's scalp tingle.
Unable to open his eyes, he didn't even have time to activate his Cursed Technique before his back neck was struck heavily by the blow, and his consciousness instantly plunged into darkness.
The air was shaken, letting out a "whoosh" sound, followed by a "bang" as gravel scattered, leaving a large crater in the ground that stretched ten meters.
Kusakabe Atsuya was stuck straight into the center of the spiderweb-cracked concrete like a large brown radish, his legs only dropping down after a long moment.
"Hmm?"
Kenmyo, who had easily taken down a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer using only basic physical combat skills, frowned.
"Are Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers in the future this weak?"
He didn't notice the danger right in front of him, and his reaction was so slow.
Kenmyo had used an attack with such a long wind-up, yet this old man couldn't react. The quality of future Jujutsu Sorcerer was truly concerning.
At this moment, Kusakabe Atsuya's cigarette, now broken in half, finally landed on the ground.
Dying was impossible; a Jujutsu Sorcerer's body wasn't that fragile. At most, his neck would be sore for a while.
Since he was already a slacker, Kenmyo didn't mind giving him a genuine reason to slack off.
Kenmyo shook his head.
At that moment, Panda, who was searching for possible survivors in the distance, suddenly heard a terrifying crash. Thinking it was thunder, he jumped in surprise.
"Kusakabe, what happened?"
Panda covered his ears and cautiously poked his head out, wanting to check on his slacking teammate.
But the miserable sight he saw caused visible astonishment even in Panda's beady eyes.
Only Kusakabe Atsuya's legs were visible; his upper body was stuck in the ground, looking extremely pathetic.
"Enemy!"
Panda was, after all, an elite who had been through the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, and his combat experience was truly rich. The moment he saw Kusakabe Atsuya lose his fighting capability, his normally smooth black and white fur immediately stood on end.
Cursed Energy permeated his entire body, covering Panda's surface.
Panda hadn't even clearly seen where the enemy was, yet suddenly felt a hand placed on his chest. Even though he was protected by fur and a tough Cursed Corpse shell, he inexplicably felt naked, much like his relatives in the wild.
"The texture of the fur is quite fuzzy, not bad."
Kenmyo reached Panda's side almost instantaneously, and the feeling of the plush toy texture in his hand was somewhat addictive.
"Don't worry, this will be quick."
Kenmyo pressed his palm onto Panda's chest. The contact point began to emit a red light; this was his Cursed Energy eroding the surface fur, intending to directly examine its core.
"Let me take a look at yours."
This time, even the fine hairs on Panda's neck stood up. He stopped holding back his strength.
"Mode conversion! Gorilla Mode!"
The Panda, who had looked silly moments ago, switched modes. His entire demeanor changed; his eyes became sharp, revealing a fierce glare, and his bulky body slimmed down, adapting for high-speed movement, growing from two meters to three meters tall.
Several long, slender tusks grew out of his mouth, exposed to the air.
"You've got a lot of nerve, daring to look down on me."
Gray-black Cursed Energy covered Panda's fist, intending to punch the human in front of him away.
"Drumming Beat!"
That was the martial arts skill used by Panda in Gorilla Mode. Its destructive power was immense and undefendable. Panda once used this move to destroy Ultimate Mechamaru's right arm in a single blow.
Yes, the very thing that Kenmyo had scavenged.
"The fuzzy one from before was better looking."
Kenmyo raised his hand. Psychic Power covered his left hand, forming a thin protective layer, blocking the attack in advance along Panda's trajectory.
Panda's "Drumming Beat" slammed down, bringing a fierce wind, but Kenmyo didn't even flinch.
A beast with only brute strength and no reason could not pose the slightest threat to him.
Instead, Panda looked into the human's eyes and fearfully took a few steps back. He felt a huge sense of danger surge in his heart, but it was too late to react.
Kenmyo stepped forward and delivered a direct elbow strike to Panda's thick chest. The furry guy immediately spat up blood, and his chest even caved in.
Panda hunched over. He felt as if the impact of that elbow had pierced straight through his body.
"Stupid Panda, why suffer needlessly?"
Panda's body involuntarily retreated a few steps. Half of his body had already lost sensation.
Kenmyo placed his hand on Panda's head. The Gorilla Mode, which had been so fierce just now, lost its Cursed Energy supply and reverted to its original lovable, simple appearance.
To prevent Panda from moving again, Kenmyo used several invisible Psychic Power chains to bind the fellow's body tightly, rendering him immobile.
His original intention was merely to make an incision on this stupid Panda to see how the Cursed Corpse core was driven.
For a Cursed Corpse, this kind of injury wasn't considered difficult to treat, not even a minor wound. If Kenmyo were to take Panda's core out to play with, that would be truly fatal.
After the incision, Panda only trembled like a sieve out of fear, experiencing no actual pain.
"I know Yaga Masamichi. Relax."
What Kenmyo saw were three dazzling rubies, shining like gemstones, which must be the core complex of this Cursed Corpse.
It was actually a Trinity.
Kenmyo hadn't expected three completely different cores could operate in such a seamless manner, without interfering with one another.
Teacher Principal Yaga is truly a genius to have conceived of this method.
In this area of research, he is probably the person who has delved the deepest within the entire Jujutsu Sorcerer Association.
But he was also a bit disappointed, as there was still a significant gap between this and his own S2 Mechanism. However, it wasn't unusable; it offered an alternative viable approach.
Kenmyo completely replicated this perfect trajectory using his Blood Manipulation.
"Are you from the Kamo Family?"
Panda recognized that Kenmyo was using Blood Manipulation; these days, only that family still messed with blood.
But Panda had met people from the Kamo Family, and even the next head of the Kamo Family wasn't this formidable, was he?
So, without comparison, there is no harm.
Panda didn't believe the Kamo Family had such a powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer, one who had practically instantly defeated Kusakabe, and whom even he couldn't escape, leaving him bound and unable to move.
Fortunately, the other party only seemed interested in Panda's core.
Wait, isn't that a huge problem?
Panda clearly knew how attractive his core and its manufacturing method were to those old geezers in the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association.
Although his creator, Yaga Masamichi, had never mentioned it, Panda had eavesdropped on their conversations.
People from the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association even offered the title of Special Grade Sorcerer to tempt Yaga Masamichi into handing over Panda's manufacturing method.
But Yaga Masamichi remained unmoved and directly refused.
Therefore, this person in front of him must be someone from the Kamo Family hiding in the shadows, waiting for Panda to be alone to perform a comprehensive physical examination, recover him, and take him back to lock him in a dark room.
So many Jujutsu Sorcerer disappear during missions every year and are never found; if Panda, who is just a Cursed Corpse, were to go missing, no one would ever find him.
Maybe Panda wouldn't even make it out the laboratory door, spending the rest of his life locked in a pitch-black cage, never to reincarnate, unable to see his classmates or Yaga Masamichi again.
Kenmyo was about to stitch the wound closed when he felt large teardrops seemingly splashing onto his hand.
He found it a bit strange, but when he looked up, he felt immediately dumbfounded.
This Panda was crying.
Seeing his mockery, the tear-stained Panda said discontentedly.
"What are you laughing at! Pandas can cry too."
Kenmyo patted the soft Panda, telling him to relax.
"I already told you, I know Principal Yaga. I won't do anything to you out of respect for him. Why don't you believe me?"
At this moment, Kenmyo suddenly sensed Nobara Kugisaki's Cursed Energy. Was she currently engaged in combat?
They only just found an opponent now? Kenmyo had already finished studying Panda in the meantime. Sure enough, this generation of Jujutsu Sorcerer wasn't very impressive.
Alright, then let's go check over there.
After speaking, Kenmyo gave the EMO Panda one last scratch, unbound him, and then vanished from the spot.
Meanwhile, the other side was far less optimistic than Kenmyo imagined.
Nobara Kugisaki was even caught in a bitter struggle, suffering from a concussion after being inexplicably struck on the chin by the enemy Jujutsu Sorcerer's sword.
She knelt weakly on the ground, her eyes vacant. At her feet was Ms. Nitta Akari, who had met Kenmyo once and was also sprawled on the ground.
This person's injuries were more severe than Nobara Kugisaki's; the tendons in both her feet had been severed.
Their enemy was the Curse User who had previously attacked Ijichi Kiyotaka severely. The blond man with the crooked ponytail smiled as he looked at the two women lying on the ground.
"As expected, I'm best suited for bullying the weak."
"Bastard!"
Nobara Kugisaki barely regained a sliver of consciousness, trying to pick up the hammer next to her to swing at the man.
"Little lady, don't rush. I'll deal with her first, and then I'll deal with you."
Shigeta Haruta, the Curse User, decided to target the unarmed Nitta Akari on the ground first.
But suddenly, the smile on his face froze. He inexplicably started trembling, hugging his arms in an extremely contorted posture.
"What... what is going on."
Fear inexplicably appeared on Shigeta Haruta's face, because his Cursed Technique was showing his luck decreasing at a visible speed.
It was as if some extremely terrifying entity was rushing towards them at breakneck speed. This fear made the blood in his entire body feel like it was freezing.
"What is this feeling?"
"Bad, bad! Damn it, I'm going to die, I'm going to die."
To describe it simply, this guy suddenly realized his Death Omen Star had lit up.
"No, I must escape, if I don't escape, I will die!"
Shigeta Haruta frantically tried to run away but crashed straight into a very tall, blond, buzz-cut man wearing a blue suit.
The blond, buzz-cut man wearing swimming goggles in front of him had a face as dark as water. The rage in his heart was like an awakening volcano about to erupt.
"Where do you think you're going?"
The blond man grabbed Shigeta Haruta's hair, preventing him from leaving.
"All the corpses of Assistant Managers along this route were your doing, right?"
But Shigeta Haruta's face still showed that bone-deep fear, and he kept saying aloud:
"Not that, not that."