"Our window verified the curse womb three hours ago. Once 90 percent were successfully evacuated, they made the call to seal off the center. Citizens within a 500-meter radius have been evacuated as well." the Assistant Director Kiyotaka Ijichi says to the trio while the rain poured down over them.
"Ijichi-san, question. What's a 'window' here?"
Nobara looks when Itadori asks.
"A window is a member of Jujutsu High who can see curses. They aren't sorcerers though," is Kiyotaka's reply.
"Oh, okay…"
Nobara hears Itadori mutter almost to himself.
"Let's continue," Kiyotaka tells the trio.
Soon, Nobara and the others are walking into the facility.
"Detainee Block 2. At present, five detainees remain there with the curse womb," Kiyotaka says to them. "If this curse womb is the type that metamorphoses, we predict it will become a special-grade cursed spirit."
"Special grade…" Nobara thinks in mounting dread.
This won't be the first time that she has encountered one after years of searching for Sukuna's fingers, but this will be the first time of facing a special-grade with two other people, who might end up dead if she doesn't act wisely.
"Hey, so…I still don't really understand what 'special-grade' means." Itadori admits.
Nobara lets out a sigh of exasperation and listens to Kiyotaka as the bespectacled man explains everything to her classmate.
"Then allow me to explain it so even idiots can understand," Kiyotaka says. "First, there's Grade 4. A wooden bat is enough for them. Grade 3. If you have a handgun, you can rest easy. Grade 2. It'll be a close call with a shotgun. Grade 1. Even a tank may be insufficient. Then, there's special-grade. Let's say you might be on even footing if you carpet bomb it with cluster bombs."
"That's really bad!" Itadori remarks loudly.
"Normally a jujutsu sorcerer on par with the cursed spirit would take on the mission," Fushiguro says. "On a day like today, that would be Gojo-sensei."
"I see…" Itadori states, "So where is Gojo-sensei?"
Nobara watches as Itadori looks around the place in search of Gojo.
"Away on business," is Fushiguro's response.
"Huh?" Itadori says.
"He's not someone who should be loafing around at school in the first place." Fushiguro remarks.
"Unfortunately, we are constantly short-handed in this business. You'll often have to undertake missions beyond your power," Kiyotaka tells them. "The current case, however, is an abnormal one, and most urgent. Do not fight under any circumstances. If you encounter a special-grade, your options are to either run or die."
Nobara watches as Itadori's face pale after hearing Kiyotaka's words.
"Please just listen to your fears. Do not forget that your mission here is strictly the verification and rescue of survivors." Kiyotaka reminds them.
Thereafter, the trio proceed carefully while Ijichi puts a veil around the facility. Nobara observes as Fushiguro calls out his divine dog to scent if the curse is nearby.
They continue further into the facility and soon find out that the interiors have been distorted by a curse – an Innate domain. When they look back, the door has disappeared.
Fushiguro reveals it's a juvenile detention center, and these men are delinquents. While they argue, Nobara is suddenly sucked into the floor and separated from the others.
Now, Nobara faces a bunch of Grade 3 curses with floating masks around her.
"You made a mistake in separating me from the others," Nobara tells the curses as the multitude of floating masks laugh and circle around her.
With no other sorcerers nearby, Nobara can use her magic to exorcise the curses with a simple vanishing spell. She won't waste her nails on these curses, not when she can easily utilize the magic inside her.
So she does exactly that and begins to launch a vanishing spell after vanishing spell at the curses.
"Evanesco! Evanesco! Evanesco! Evanesco!" She thinks repeatedly while pointing her hands at the surrounding curses, who pounces on her simultaneously.
She watches as most of the floating curses burst into light one by one before vanishing completely while she evades the others that try to attack her.
Still more appear before her. From Grade 4 to Grade 2 curses.
"Reducto! Reducto! Evanesco! Evanesco!" Nobara starts using the reducto curse on the Grade 2 curses, which burst into fine mist or a flurry of ashes while she uses only the vanishing spell on the lower grade curses.
"Come and get me, you damn curses!" She yells at the curses as they converge on her at once.
She raises her hand and shouts, "Reducto!"
Nobara watches as the curses that are converging on her burst into fine mist to her utmost relief.
She continues to run and evade the other curses who are now desperately trying to catch her off guard, but Nobara doesn't let them.
She ducks and weaves as some curses try to leap on her. She also feints to the right and then left to keep the curses confused and disoriented. At the same time, she raises her hand to cast spells to turn the curses into nothing.
She has already reduced their numbers by the time ten minutes have elapsed and only a few have survived her limitless attacks.
Soon, fifteen minutes have passed when Nobara finally can breathe as the last of the stragglers vanishes from existence. She can rest easy now that she has exorcise all of the curses around her.
She bends down and places her hands on her knees while standing on top of a pile of ashes from the exorcised curses.
Nobara lets out a sigh. Her uniform is clinging to her figure after she has exerted so much effort in bringing down those curses around her.
"Now, all I have to do is search for Itadori and Fushiguro," Nobara mutters to herself.
She doesn't wait long before deciding to cast a locator spell.
"Point me," she thinks while she allows her senses to expand around her and is not disappointed when she feels the familiar tag in her chest to direct her where her classmates are currently at.
Nobara follows the tagging sensation in her chest, which is pointing her towards North.
She keeps on thinking, "Point me," until it leads her somewhere where she finally hears the sound of someone running in her direction.
She hears the sound of barking as well and instantly knows that she has found Fushiguro first with his divine dog.
A moment later, Fushiguro appears at the end of the hallway and Nobara watches as the look of relief washes over the boy's face when he sees her.
"Kugisaki, we are leaving!" Fushiguro says as he runs towards her.
"What about Itadori?" Nobara asks as the boy nears her.
"Sukuna is out. Itadori doesn't want us to be nearby as Sukuna deals with the curse womb. So we are getting out of here," Fushiguro responds as he pauses in front of her.
"Alright," Nobara replies and they begin to run.
"My dog will lead us out of here," Fushiguro informs her and Nobara simply nods her head.
They run for a while, where the two can hear the sound of explosions in the distance. They can also feel the tremors on the ground when they hear the explosions, which can only mean that Sukuna is probably still fighting the curse womb.
It takes them about half an hour before the two finally find the exit to the Detention Center. Once outside, Nobara nearly collapses in exhaustion on the bench while the rain drizzles down on them.
"Let's wait here for Itadori," Fushiguro says.
"Okay," is Nobara's only reply as she leans on the bench to look up at the darkened sky.
A few minutes later, they are joined by Kiyotaka, who asks where Itadori is.
"He's still inside. Itadori asks me to get out alongside Nobara while he unleashes Sukuna on the curse womb," Fushiguro explains to Kiyotaka.
Nobara is half-listening as Fushiguro and Kiyotaka converse. However, she suddenly perks up when she senses a familiar curse energy approaching them at an incredible speed.
Nobara shoots up from the bench just as a familiar figure appears in front of them.
Without thinking, Nobara uses her body to shield the others from the figure while at the same time the figure's malicious eyes lock into hers.
"You–!" The King of Curses says right before something happens.
Almost at once, Nobara feels the familiar sensation of being sucked into somebody else's subconscious and she instantly finds herself in Sukuna's malevolent domain.
She staggers forward while feeling a bit disoriented.
"Who are you?"
Nobara slowly looks up and meets the King of Curse's curious stare.
Sukuna appears to lounge on his skeletal throne while Nobara stands on a pile of bones in front of him.
"My name is Nobara and I have some of your fingers hidden away," Nobara says, simply cutting to the chase and admitting to Sukuna that she is more useful alive than dead.
"That's why you feel familiar…I gather that you have converse with the other fragment of my soul?" The King of Curses inquires with interest.
"Yes and he told me to give the fingers to your vessel when the time is right," She tells him honestly.
"Good," comes Sukuna's drawl. "Once my vessel ingests all my fingers, I will have more power over his body and I can resurrect myself."
Nobara doesn't say anything else as she regards the King of Curses with a nonchalant expression.
"Do you have more to say?" This different Sukuna asks her.
"Please don't harm the people with me when you get out of here," is Nobara's request.
"And why would I listen to you?" The King of Curses asks with narrowed eyes.
"Because I won't help you at all if you don't agree to my request," Nobara threatens softly.
Nobara notes the way Sukuna's face darkens right before his face becomes stoic again.
"You forced me back into my own domain, little sorcerer when our eyes met. I can no longer harm anyone in the real world while I am here," Sukuna says to her while he props a hand under his chin.
"Does it mean that Itadori has control over his body now?" She asks.
"Yes, the brat has taken control over his body. So I suggest you go back to the real world before I find you something to do while you are here," Sukuna suggests in a dangerous tone.
"Oh believe me. I am going," Nobara replies in an airy tone.
"Then, what are you waiting for? Do you want a proper send off?" Sukuna asks sarcastically.
Nobara rolls her eyes at him right before she closes her eyes and forces herself back into the conscious world.
It doesn't take long for her to do so, considering she is used to it when she is speaking to her own Sukuna. One moment she is in the other Sukuna's domain, the next thing she knows, she is standing in the real world with the rain still pouring down on her.
"Kugisaki, are you alright?"
Nobara opens her eyes and is met by the sight of Itadori standing in front of her with concern in his eyes.
"I'm fine, Itadori," is her reply as she straightens up to face the others.
It looks like no time has passed during Nobara's conversation with Sukuna. A sense of relief overcomes her when she realizes that Itadori has no idea about Nobara's conversation with Sukuna.
She can only hope that Itadori doesn't suspect a thing about her deal with the King of Curses.