WARNING : I am not a native speaker. One of my reasons to re-write this fict is because I want to practice my English even just a little. So, read it with a grain of salt and please enjoy yourself.
—OoOoO—
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
Oregairu by Wataru Watari & Ponkan8
Genre : Supernatural, Action, Freindship, Slice of Life, and Little Bit Romance
Summary : Not the romantic comedy of youth that he experienced, not the quiet and normal life of youth he had. He never missed his day-to-day cursing his strange and annoying life. He is Hikigaya Hachiman and this is all his complaints as a jujutsu sorcerer.
Chapter 10 : The Deadly Night at Chiba Folk Museum Part 1.
—OoOoO—
Finding Sukuna's finger was not easy. They had to go here and there to collect the fingers like antique collectors. In fact, what often happened was that the Sukuna's finger they got turned out to be a fake. Therefore, even after 1000 years, the association only had two of the total twenty Sukuna's fingers.
Sukuna's finger can be categorized as a cursed object. The fingers were even said to be the worst of any cursed objects that had ever existed. In another sense, those fingers were highly sacred by sorcerers. Except for the madman who wanted the world to be destroyed, no one wanted to resurrect Sukuna through those fingers.
"Hey, this is the real deal, right?" said a girl with short brown hair.
"I am not so sure. Besides, this is the first time I have seen this thing," replied the black haired boy.
The boy looked at the shabby lump of cloth, which contained a Sukuna's finger. That was if the information they got was correct.
"Shall we open it, Fushguro-kun?" said the girl as she took the object from Fushiguro Megumi's hand.
"Are you crazy?"
Fushiguro Megumi and Isshiki Iroha stood face to face at the bus stop while looking at the object Iroha was holding now. The two teenagers wore dark blue uniforms, the pride uniforms of the sorcerers from the jujutsu school. Especially for Iroha, apart from the girl's uniform, the girl also carried a katana sheathed on the right side of her waist.
Generally, Iroha would put her katana in the bag she used to store her katana. However, since it was already night and no one else was around, she decided to leave her katana alone. After all, it wasn't long before their driver would also come.
Megumi was relieved that their two-day search for Sukuna's finger was finally over. To be honest, he was a little nervous. Because this was the first time for him to do such a mission. He had heard a lot from Satoru that the search for Sukuna's finger was always peppered with clashes against powerful cursed spirits.
Megumi looked around him, where there were many cursed spirits of the second-grade level and below hanging around. He can be said to be still young in this job. However, from his experience, he had never encountered this many cursed spirits in one place.
"Gojou-sensei said high-level cursed spirits will attack you immediately if you break the seal," Megumi explained.
"Hiratsuka-sensei said that too, though," replied Iroha.
Megumi paused and asked, "Is that woman called Hiratsuka that great?"
Iroha spontaneously raised her face and looked at Megumi. The girl was curious why the boy before her suddenly asked her teacher.
"She is a bit unique but really extraordinary," Iroha replied and paused for a moment, "Are you interested in training under Hiratsuka-sensei too, Fushiguro-kun?"
"Not really. I am just curious how Hachiman-san is doing and what kind of person training him is now."
Iroha only let out an "oohh" sound with her mouth rounded.
At the same time, a bus stopped right before the bus stop they were at. The bus door opened and from inside emerged a girl who was younger than the two sorcerers.
The girl had a slender build with a cute face. Her hair was cut short with a hairpin that pinned her bangs. She wore knee-length shorts and a black and white horizontal striped hoodie. The shoes she was wearing dark green Onitsuka shoes with black stripes on the sides.
What stood out the most about her—and hardly anyone noticed it—was the existence of a black cursed spirit with the shape of an upside-down eggplant, which circled the length of her right upper arm to her shoulder.
To Fushiguro Megumi, that girl was very familiar to him. Likewise, with the girl who had just gotten off the bus, Fushiguro Megumi was someone she had known for years.
With synchronized timing, they both spoke at the same time.
"Megumi-san? / Komachi?"
Of course, Iroha, who saw the interaction between the two, became confused. Moreover, with a cursed spirit tightly coiled around the girl's right shoulder, she thought that that girl was being cursed or something. However, seeing the girl—whom she only knew was named Komachi—had no pain or discomfort from the existence of the cursed spirit made Iroha have to clear her speculations.
"You know her, Fushiguro-kun?"
Megumi turned to Iroha, and a few seconds later, he turned his gaze back to Komachi.
"She is Hachiman-san's little sister."
"Eeeeh? Are you serious? This cute girl is Senpai's sister? Senpai who seems to have no zest for life has such a sister?" said Iroha with the surprise she bluntly expressed.
"Wow, this is even more amazing than the seven wonders of the world," added her again.
Komachi just smiled awkwardly at that response.
"My name is Hikigaya Komachi," she said, bowing slightly.
"Ah, I am Isshiki Iroha. I am Senpai's junior who coincidentally came under Hiratsuka-sensei's tutelage."
Komachi nodded and smiled broadly.
"Nice to meet you, Isshiki-san."
Iroha raised her index finger forward and wiggled it left and right.
"You can call me 'Iroha-senpai', Rice-chan!"
"Ra- rather than that …, 'Rice-chan' is …, what is that supposed to mean?"
"That is …, you know Akita Komachi, that famous brand of rice?" replied Iroha with an innocent face, "So, I gave you that nickname because your name is similar to that brand. Doesn't that sound cute?"
"Then, I will call you 'Mineral Water-senpai' instead, how about it?"
Iroha choked slightly upon hearing Komachi's reply.
'I got called 'Irohasu' quite often, especially by Tobe-senpai, a guy that good for nothing. However, this is the first time anyone has called me 'Mineral Water'.'
"If you mean that top tier mineral water product, then you can just call me Irohasu-senpai."
The two young girls talked quite intensely about their respective nicknames. However, in the midst of it, the only boy among them uttered a sentence that managed to catch the girls' attention.
"Yes, Komachi is here. You want to talk to her directly, Hachiman-san?"
Komachi suddenly broke out in a cold sweat when she heard the name called the man in front of her. She even wanted to run away immediately. However, the girl knew it would be a waste because her older brother would definitely tell Megumi to follow her.
Without waiting for Komachi's approval, Megumi handed over his phone with his usual flat expression. Then, with great compulsion, Komachi received his smartphone.
"Onii-chan?" squeaked Komachi.
"So, where are you now? I will go there. Besides, what the hell are you doing, that your residual energy feels all the way through? And, why didn't you pick up my phone?" Hachiman immediately bombarded Komachi with questions.
Saying the Komachi's residual energy felt along the way was a bit of an exaggeration. In fact, Komachi's energy was only felt as far as Makuhari Station. After that, the rest was not felt at all. Maybe because not much residual energy was left behind after Komachi took the train. However, from the traces of energy that Komachi had last left on a particular train line at Makuhari Station, Hachiman could at least deduce which way his little sister had gone.
"Eh, that …, I actually had business with my friend," Komachi squeaked while glancing in all directions for an excuse.
Like his mother had told him, Komachi had been at a friend's house before, but not to stay at night. Komachi realized that her friend had always been depressed lately. Apart from that, she also felt a trace of cursed energy sticking to her friend's body. So, out of curiosity, she went to her friend's house with the excuse of wanting to stay overnight.
The reason for staying over was an excuse that Komachi only spoke to her mother because she didn't know how long she would be at her friend's house. However, because her business was finished early, Komachi immediately rushed home.
There was a sigh from the other end of the phone, "Whatever. You can tell me later. Now, where are you?"
"I am at the Inohana bus stop."
"That one near Chiba University?"
"No, the one near the Chiba Folk Museum," Komachi replied as she moved the phone from her right ear to her left ear.
"Alright. I have arrived at the Miyako River now. Wait for me and don't go anywhere."
Before Komachi could reply, Iroha, who was nearby, snatched up the conversation.
"Is Senpai going here? Is Senpai also worried about your junior who—"
However, before the girl finished saying her words, she suddenly felt a hot breath blowing against her neck. Not only Iroha, Komachi and Megumi felt the same way. A feeling so intimidating that it made their hairs stand on end.
"ChiLDrEn sHOulD nOt bE OuT uNTiL nIgHT."
The three teenagers suddenly turned their gaze back and saw the figure of an old woman—who was shorter than them with messy white hair—behind them.
'Cursed spirit? Since when?' the three of them thought at the same time.
They immediately acted as fast as possible, with minds still filled with shock. However, before they could do anything, the cursed spirit in the form of a granny wearing a tattered white negligee flung her hands into the empty air.
The blow imbued with the cursed energy produced a mighty blast of air. Due to the crash, the three bounced up to twenty meters in different directions.
Iroha reflexively drew the sword from its scabbard and plunged it into the ground to stop its advance. A line that divides the asphalt and the ground is clearly imprinted along the path Iroha bounced off.
"What … the hell … with … that power output?" Iroha said breathlessly, "There is no mistaking, … it must be ... a special grade cursed spirit."
It was not until she balanced her body that Iroha saw something approaching her at high speed. From the back of the cursed spirit, it looked like its clothes were torn apart and gave a blast of energy that thrust forward like a turbo.
Despite being unprepared, Iroha quickly mounted her stance. She sheathed her katana back and leaned forward slightly. Her left hand tightly gripped the sword's hilt and prepared to slash her sword at the right time.
"Natural Spirit's Comprehension Style, … Simple Domain."
After chanting the spell, an imaginary blue circle with a radius of about 2.5 meters appears.
Natural Spirit's Comprehension Style was a sword technique used by the elite group of the past, the Shinsengumi. Of course, this sword technique was not initially used by jujutsu sorcerers. However, after the fantastic performances by the Shinsengumi in the late Edo Period, some sorcerers adapted the sword technique to the simple domain.
Turbo Granny—the name of the cursed spirit—began to set foot into Iroha's simple domain territory. That was very fast. However, because the girl's adrenaline was at its peak, things seemed to slow down.
'Dummy Draw!'
As Turbo Granny entered the simple domain and was about to thrust her claws into Iroha's face, the girl pulled the katana on her right waist.
However, not until it came out completely—only about three-fourths of the scabbard—Iroha lowered her stance. Instead of continuing her iai technique, Iroha raised the sword and scabbard vertically forward. It made the sharp edge of her sword directly face Turbo Granny's attack, which was only less than a meter away.
'Got it!' Iroha thought excitedly.
It was the fundamental difference between the New Shadow Style and Natural Spirit's Comprehension Style. Iroha's technique was not aimed at countering the opponent's momentum but at following the opponent's momentum and using it to her own advantage. Therefore, this technique was very suitable for use on opponents who were much faster or stronger than her.
With high speed aiming for the blade, Turbo Granny's hand should be split in two starting from her palm.
Unfortunately, Iroha's opponent was not a petty cursed spirit.
"aBsOLuTelY NaIVe."
Turbo Granny realized Iroha's intentions. With incredible flexibility, Turbo Granny withdrew her hand and lowered her head very low before she was hit by Iroha's blade.
She stomped her foot on the ground to provide a firm foothold with her hand clenched into a fist. Turbo Granny aimed a powerful punch coated with cursed energy. But it didn't stop there. At her elbow, a turbo appeared that gave a powerful boost to her punch so that it would do damage many times over.
Iroha, who realized that her attack had failed, couldn't help but glare at Turbo Granny's impending blow. Even though this was still in her simple domain, her reaction wasn't fast enough to repel the attack.
She was forced to be willing to let her stomach become a punchbag. The attack successfully flew Iroha tens of meters to the west.
Not satisfied with her action, Turbo Granny was about to continue looking for the two remaining youths. However, just as she was about to leave her place, suddenly her feet were grabbed by a large hand. The two hands pulled Turbo Granny to the ground, leaving only the upper chest to the head.
"Now!"
Utilizing Turbo Granny, whose movement was restricted, Megumi summoned a shikigami shaped like an owl.
"Attack her, Nue!"
The bird's body flashed in purple lightning and charged towards Turbo Granny, whose lower body was buried.
Several lightning-clad attacks landed multiple times on the cursed spirit in the form of an old granny. However, that alone was not enough to inflict a fatal wound on her.
About five meters above Turbo Granny flew a small piece of paper shaped like a human with a pentagram symbol in the centre. Komachi—who was also responsible for the buried underbody of Turbo Granny—returned to summon one of the cursed spirits of her collection again.
"Juuno!"
A dark blue vortex appeared from the talisman paper and spewed out a cursed spirit four meters long. The creature was filled with tough muscles and a huge body. With the help of gravity, the cursed Spirit slid freely towards Turbo Granny.
An intense, ground-shaking thud was created when Juuno—the name of the cursed spirit—smacked the ground, crushing Turbo Granny mercilessly.
Megumi and Komachi, who worked together to trap Turbo Granny, finally came out of hiding. While observing the situation, Megumi's palms intertwined to resemble the shape of a snake's head. As for Komachi, behind her had flown at least ten talismans that she was ready to use to summon her other cursed spirits.
Juuno's body that hit Turbo Granny experienced a slight tremor. Gradually, the vibration grew stronger, and on Juuno's back, a mound appeared. The mound on the cursed spirit's back cracked and spurted a thick purple liquid only a second later. Turbo Granny pierced and flew with the palms of her feet and hands that issued a turbo that gave an upward thrust.
"What the heck with that cursed technique? Is she an Iron Man or something?" Megumi chirped.
Turbo Granny, who was still flying six meters from the ground, looked in the direction the pair of teenagers were. She clenched her teeth and rubbed them so hard that they heard an ear-piercing whirring sound.
Meanwhile, high in the sky—about 30 meters—a black slime-like object appeared, gradually descended and formed a giant dome with a radius of 40 meters.
"A curtain? Is it Isshiki?"
As if answering Megumi's question, a voice sounded in the heads of the two opposite genders.
"Fushguro-kun, Rice-chan, listen to me," Iroha said breathlessly through telepathy, "That cursed spirit is Turbo Granny, the special grade level. The first time it appeared and exorcised was about 60 years ago. She was born from the human fear of a weak and fragile old body. So, including her turbo, all of her abilities are the antithesis of all old body incompetence."
How did Iroha survive? The answer was simple. Because when she was hit by Turbo Granny, she was still within her simple domain. It was true she didn't have time to withstand Turbo Granny's blow. But because of the simple domain effect that can protect against cursed energy-based attacks, Iroha also automatically flows her cursed energy into the stomach area to reduce the damage from Turbo Granny's attacks.
Even though the pain she felt was still excruciating, at least the girl could survive the fatal wound.
"So, she is the speed, strength, and agility type?" asked Megumi.
"Wait, why is your voice in my head?" said Komachi incoherent.
"This is my technique and I marked you earlier, Rice-chan," Iroha replied, "More importantly, please hold on to her as long as you can. I will seek help as soon as possible."
Iroha cut off her connection with Megumi and Komachi with that last sentence.
"Saying to restrain that grandma is easy, but …."
In any case, Komachi and Megumi were no match for her. However, they had no other choice but to endure.
Turbo Granny—who was still annoyed at being pressed down—looked fiercely at Komachi, the main culprit. The skin, which was exposed due to the holes on her negligee's back, shrivelled up and swelled to form a downward-facing vortex. Turbo in her palms now disappeared and was replaced on her back. With each thrusting technique on both the soles of her feet and back, a powerful explosion occurred, and Turbo Granny shot towards Komachi at a speed that was hard to imagine.
The youngest Hikigaya, who could not react, had to let her head get hit hard and cause it to bounce up to a dozen meters. However, Komachi didn't just stay still. Before the attack hit her, she managed to leave a talisman right beside Turbo Granny without her knowledge.
The talisman spawns a cursed spirit that looks like a spider but has ten legs and eyes like slugs. The spider-like creature was twice the size of an adult human's finger. When the creature saw its target, suddenly its jaws opened very large and engulfed almost the Turbo Granny's entire body, from her shoulders to the waist.
Megumi's shikigami—Nue—whom he still hadn't cancelled his summons, flew up with Komachi standing on the bird's back. Her appearance was terrible, and her head was bleeding.
"Great Serpent!"
Before Turbo Granny finished releasing her body from the spider-like creature, a giant snake suddenly bit and carried Turbo Granny up. The giant snake was twirling its head in the air as if it wanted to make Turbo Granny dizzy.
"Ten, take out all the talismans holding Henka."
Following its master's orders, the cursed spirit encircling Komachi's right shoulder spat out dozens of talismans. From the talismans, cursed spirits resembling a mosquito the size of a human finger came out with the tip of its mouth long and pointed.
Megumi, who saw that, threw Turbo Granny at the cursed spirit that Komachi had just released. As for Komachi, she orders her mosquito-like army to attack Turbo Granny.
The cursed spirit in the form of an old grandmother was undoubtedly not staying still. As if the spin the Great Serpent had given her was nothing, she let out a turbo from the soles of her feet and back and sped up at Komachi, breaking through all the mosquito-like cursed spirits.
Not wanting to be attacked a second time, Komachi preferred to jump off Nue's back and freefall from about 18 meters.
"Why does she keep on targeting me, duh?" said an irritated Komachi.
Turbo Granny, whose attack was evaded by Komachi, deactivated the turbos on her legs and back. Then, she shifted her turbo into her palms and aimed it forward so that she could slow down her flight speed. Turbo Granny turned around. Using a brief manoeuvre, she returned to her full speed towards Komachi.
The girl couldn't do much this time because she still hadn't landed on the ground. The only thing she could do was strengthen her body using the cursed energy to minimize the damage.
Turbo Granny crashed into Komachi's body and kept pushing it until it hit the asphalt. A loud bang and a wide crater were created with Komachi at the centre. Dust and smoke flew around the crash site of Komachi and Turbo Granny.
Megumi ran as fast as he could towards Komachi and was about to summon his two divine dogs. Too bad for Megumi, Turbo Granny rushed towards him. In the blink of an eye, his head was grabbed by Turbo Granny. She carried Megumi flying up to a height of 20 meters.
Megumi told Nue to come over to him through a bond of mind connection. However, Turbo Granny was much faster. She threw Megumi onto the asphalt with insane strength. A loud crash was heard. Without giving Megumi a chance to react, Turbo Granny shot down and slammed her foot into Megumi's still supine.
No doubt, thick blood came out from Megumi's mouth, and his eyes bulged while enduring the excruciating pain.
The crater, which previously only had a radius of two meters, now increased in size and width. The dust was flying even more and more.
It didn't stop there. Turbo Granny dragged Megumi's body at high speed. A deep ditch with Megumi's body being the cause was formed. 10 meters later, Turbo Granny threw Megumi's body. His body crashed into the trees around the Chiba Folk Museum until finally stopped.
'A special grade cursed spirit…, how can people defeat such a strong creature?' Megumi thought that he had given up.
The blurry vision in his eyes and his various bloody bodies indicated that the future successor to the head of the Zen'in Clan was almost at his limit.
Turbo Granny scanned the entire area, ensuring no more pests were left. However, her gaze caught the figure of Komachi. She struggled to stand up despite limping and the blood that was already soaking her clothes and head.
Turbo Granny sauntered towards the girl. Every step she took showed confidence. She was the victor, showed her invincibility, and confirmed that sorcerers like them were nothing but dust to her.
After arriving in front of Komachi, the old granny grabbed the girl's hair. Clearly shows an old face with wrinkled skin and missing teeth to Komachi.
"ChiLDrEn sHOuLd NoT AgAInSt AdUlT," Turbo Granny said with arms stretched upwards and palms open.
Turbo Granny slapped Komachi on the head with a firm slap, intending to slowly torture the little girl until she understood that it was not appropriate for a child to fight an adult.
However, what happened was not what she expected. Komachi's head that she slapped turned into five bluebirds and flew into the sky. As if following the first bluebird, Komachi's remains turned into dozens of bluebirds and flew around Turbo Granny.
The cursed spirit didn't know what was really going on. But for sure, the bluebirds' sight was very pleasing to the eye.
However, letting her guard down was a fatal mistake for Turbo Granny. Because next, what happened was that her back was stabbed. Not only that, the black flashes that appeared along with the sudden attack inflicted even more pain on her.
Turbo Granny quickly turned around and was about to attack whoever stabbed her. And yet, there was no one behind her. There was only the remnant of the knife stuck in her back.
Turbo Granny sensed an attack from her right. Not wanting to be missed anymore, she immediately drew her sharp claws at anyone who tried to attack her. However, the slash hit only empty air. At the same time, a hard blow accompanied by black flashes hit the left side of her stomach hard, making her spit out purple liquid from her mouth.
"That is the second one."
The assailant then disappeared again, leaving Turbo Granny scanning her surroundings furiously. A voice and pain that was still very strong was proof that it wasn't her imagination.
That person was here! Someone she didn't know the existence was attacking her in a cowardly manner.
"GoD dAMn iT! HOw DaRe YoU mESsInG tO tHe ADuLt!"
Now, from in front of her, a dark blue mist appeared. Within the fog emerged a young man who dashed towards her. Not staying still, Turbo Granny sped up and stabbed her pointed claws into the young man's head. Unfortunately, the young man's body again turned into a thin blue mist when her attack hit him.
'Behind!'
By instinct, Turbo Granny turned around when she sensed someone's presence. Again, nothing, no one there. However, there was one change. The unique knife that stuck in her back was now gone.
The distractions kept coming back like a chain effect as if they were toying with her mind. When she was really annoyed, a pair of legs suddenly pinched her head, and someone was now sitting on her shoulders. Before Turbo Granny could react, she felt another stab accompanied by black flashes stabbing the back of her head sharply.
"Third."
The youth quickly drew his jagdkommando knife and thrust it back into her head with a black flashes effect, but this time into Turbo Granny's crown.
"Fourth."
Once again, he pulled out the knife and stabbed it back in her temple with explosive black flashes.
"Fifth."
"For the final touch," he said, pulling out the knife again and lifting it high.
"Sixth," he added and stabbed his knife right over Turbo Granny's skull.
Feeling the black flash six times in a row made Turbo Granny, which was initially 100% fit, now reduced by more than three quarters. Her head was almost crushed and shapeless. She might be finished if she received one or two more such attacks.
However, the young man's figure disappeared again into a thin blue mist without finishing his work.
—OoOoO—
Megumi blinked a few times to regain focus. From Turbo Granny's one-sided massacre, his whole body was very sore. Fainting during battle was not something he could be proud of and grateful for. However, knowing that his soul was still within his body even though he had lost consciousness for a while, Megumi couldn't do anything but breathe a sigh of relief.
'I thought I was going to die.'
He rose from his sleep. The first time he realized this wasn't where he had been massacred by Turbo Granny earlier. Now, he was on the grass in the courtyard area of the Chiba Folk Museum.
He looked around, finding Komachi and Iroha, who were seriously injured. Especially Komachi, who is also the butt of Turbo Granny.
"What happened?" asked Megumi.
Iroha and Komachi, sitting next to him, looked at Megumi simultaneously.
"He is coming …," Komachi replied tremblingly, "Onii-chan …, he is coming."
"Senpai moved you and Rice-chan here," added Iroha.
Obviously, one or two tears had escaped from the corner of the middle school girl's eyes. However, they were not tears of a sign of her giving up and surrendering, but tears of happiness and hope. In fact, the black cursed spirit with the shape of an upside-down eggplant that was now in her lap growled following the relief his master showed.
Megumi followed where the two girls were looking before. There, he found someone who fought against—or perhaps toyed with—a figure who had battered the three to the point of almost death.
'Three… four… even up to six black flashes?' Megumi thought in amazement at the sight of Hachiman, who emitted delicious black flashes in succession.
However, after the sixth black flash, what happened was that the cursed spirit regenerated its wounds and started attacking blindly at something that didn't even exist.
'There is no mistaking, she must have been affected by Hachiman-san's illusions,' Megumi thought.
"You guys are in pretty bad shape, huh?"
They gasped when they heard a boy's voice that sounded hoarse and lazy from behind them. Simultaneously, they looked back and found Hachiman crouching right behind them.
Seeing that, Komachi couldn't hold back the tears she had held back all this time.
"Onii-chan!"
Komachi lunged at Hachiman and hugged him tightly. She didn't care about the pain. She also didn't care about the blood that might stain her older brother's clothes. Komachi's tears were already wet almost all over her brother's chest. Hachiman returned the hug with a warm embrace. He rubbed the back of his sister's head slowly and affectionately.
"Calm down. Everything will be fine. Your onii-chan is here, after all."
Komachi nodded slowly in her brother's arms. Inevitably, the fear and helplessness she had felt earlier had now evaporated and been replaced by the feeling of security and comfort her brother gave her.
At this moment, Komachi realized one thing. Even though she inherited a powerful cursed technique from her ancestor, Abe no Seimei, she was still too naive. She hadn't really gotten to know the world she had lived in since the first time her cursed technique had awakened.
"Don't forget, you still have to explain everything to Mother. She is really worried, you know?" Hachiman said, "And for that one, I won't help you."
Komachi nodded slowly again in Hachiman's arms without uttering a word.
Of course, seeing his sister, who was scared and almost died, made Hachiman's blood boil. In fact, he really wanted to finish off the cursed spirit right then and there. However, he knew very well that it wouldn't be good for Komachi's mental state… as well as Megumi's and Iroha's.
"Do you guys want to finish her? Well, I won't be helping on the front lines anyway, if you will."
The three teenagers who were almost dead were suddenly shocked and looked into the eyes of their senior in the jujutsu society.
"Are you serious, Senpai? I mean, really? You saw for yourself that we almost died if you didn't come!" Iroha sprayed Hachiman.
"What Isshiki said is true. We don't even know how to handle her speed."
Well, their doubts were reasonable. They had lost confidence. Meeting a strong opponent and being made into a punching bag, no wonder great doubts arose in their hearts.
However, that was what Hachiman wanted to fix. He had been in the same situation as them, being slaughtered one-sidedly by an opponent much stronger than him. The defeat indeed destroyed his confidence. He, as well as his friends, took a very hard effort just to rebuild that mentality.
Hachiman knew Komachi wouldn't stop wanting to be a jujutsu sorcerer just because Turbo Granny was being bullied. However, he also realized that letting his sister mentally lose self-confidence was not good.
As such, as an older brother, this was the thing he could do to support his only little sister.
"You forgot one thing. I may not help directly. However, with Isshiki's technique, I will guide you to defeat Turbo Granny."
'That damn cursed spirit's energy is also less than a quarter of the way left, though. However, I can't tell them that to keep their morale in good shape.'
"You want to use my technique to communicate with the two of them?"
"Not only that," replied Hachiman while shaking his head slowly, "I want you to be Komachi and Megumi's third eye."
The three of them still doubted Hachiman's offer. Plus, they were already in pretty bad shape, let alone Komachi and Megumi. If the two were fatally hit one more time, their lives would be at stake. However, they also knew that getting direct direction from a powerful sorcerer like Hachiman was rare.
"Onii-chan is the worst in many ways. However, I know, you always do your best for Komachi. You wouldn't offer this if you didn't believe we could do it, would you, Onii-chan?"
Hachiman nodded and smiled slightly in response to Komachi's question.
Megumi finally became the first to express his determination with the last sentence and careful consideration.
"Then please guide me, Hachiman-san."
"Me too, Onii-chan," said Komachi as she put Ten on her right shoulder again.
"I refuse. I still need to maintain the curtain. On other hand, my cursed technique is constantly used to connect you with Fushiguro-kun and Rice-chan via always-on telepathy. If I do more than that, I am not sure if I will be able to."
Hachiman looked dryly at Iroha, who rejected his proposal. Actually, he thought that Iroha could still do more. However, he wouldn't push if she wasn't ready. After all, his main goal was to fix Komachi's mentality. Megumi and Iroha were just passengers who happened to be with Komachi here. If the two accepted Hachiman's offer, he would help them. However, if they refused, Hachiman wouldn't bother with that either.
" Okay," replied Hachiman, who then turned his gaze to Komachi and Megumi, "For both of you, I will teach you how to defeat an opponent who is stronger than you."
—OoOoO—
Turbo Granny was annoyed because she had always been stuck with opponents who suddenly disappeared and came, then turned into bluebirds, blue mist, and many more. It all left Turbo Granny utterly clueless about where her opponent was. She even had time to check the place of the two teenagers she had previously slaughtered. As a result, both of them are no longer there.
"AAARRGGHH!" Turbo Granny shouted furiously.
As if answering her prayer, the dozens of bluebirds and the thin blue mist that enveloped her suddenly disappeared. They all vanished without a trace, as if they had never existed in the first place. Even so, the pain and energy drained after receiving six black flashes in a row felt very real.
There were dozens of mosquito-like cursed spirits from all directions with long and pointed mouths surrounding Turbo Granny. In perfect synchronization, the entire mosquito-like cursed spirits shot toward the fearful embodiment of the old body. As Turbo Granny's senses were still slightly dulled by the effects of the illusion and Hachiman's chain attacks, Komachi's mosquito-like cursed spirits successfully rained down on Turbo Granny.
Even though the stab wound wasn't that deep, Turbo Granny received dozens of similar damages at one time. This made the pain that should have been trivially accumulated into a pain that bothered her. The mosquito-like creatures disappeared and turned back into talismans after completing their duties.
It didn't stop there. Megumi's frog shikigami's long tongue caught Turbo Granny's leg. Then, the frog threw Turbo Granny up.
"Great Serpents."
Megumi summoned his giant snake again. The snake caught Turbo Granny, which was thrown with its mouth. The giant reptile then carried Turbo Granny up into the air then slammed it to the ground making a loud crashing sound.
Finished with its work, Megumi let go of the Snake and let him return to his shadow realm.
Turbo Granny quickly got up. She glared furiously at Megumi, who was standing 15 meters before her. And quickly ran towards Megumi to teach the boy a lesson. However, when she had only darted seven meters away, her body suddenly felt like it had hit something. No, "hit" was not the right word. It was as if Turbo Granny had plunged into a thicker liquid than oil, making it difficult for her entire body to move because of the high density of the liquid.
As if trying to answer Turbo Granny's confusion, the scenery around her began to change now. A murky purple creature similar to slime now appeared from nothing. The creature has no eyes, nose, or other body parts. All he had was a mouth.
The creature was huge, its height could reach eight meters, and its body diameter could be more than seven meters.
"WhAt iS tHIs?"
Turbo Granny struggled to get out of the creature. Unfortunately, Turbo Granny's movements were severely restricted due to the creature's thickness. Moreover, she could no longer use her turbo freely due to a lack of energy after being badly beaten by Hachiman.
Nue flew down from the sky and headed to where the slime was with Komachi on its back. The girl jumped down from the bird-like creature. Behind her was a flying talisman, which she was ready to use to summon a cursed spirit at any moment. Komachi walked up to the slime-like creature and touched its surface.
"I gave him the name Pororin. Cute name, isn't it?" said Komachi, "The cursed technique is camouflage. He can mimic like a chameleon. His camouflage technique can also hide his cursed energy to a very low level. On the other hand, he can also trap opponents by taking advantage of his very thick body structure."
Showing One's Card. That was the binding vow that Komachi was currently making. However, if the binding vowel was generally used to reveal one's own technique and gets a power increase in the cursed technique instead, what Komachi was doing was slightly different. What she revealed was her cursed spirit's cursed technique.
The slime-like creature's body thickness increased using the binding vows, and Turbo Granny's movements were further restricted.
Feeling that she had no other choice, Turbo Granny activated her cursed technique with the remaining cursed energy, which was not much. The turbo on her back appeared, and it gave her a boost forward. The thrust was strong enough to free Turbo Granny from the slime's body.
"Now, Megumi!"
Following Hachiman's instructions, Megumi dashed forward to the place where Turbo Granny was about to emerge from Komachi's slime. The boy held the jagdkommando knife he borrowed from Hachiman in his right hand.
Newton's 3rd Law. Every time there is action, there is always a reaction with the same force and opposite direction. When the first person goes to point B at high speed and the second person goes to point A at different speeds, if the two collide, it will create an imperfect resilience.
In this case, when Turbo Granny came out of the slime at full speed and in front of her was Megumi running with a knife at her, no matter how strong Turbo Granny's defence was, her body would definitely be pierced through by the stab. In addition, due to the low light at night and the cloudy structure of the slime's body, Turbo Granny couldn't see well what was outside the slime. This made it difficult for her to dodge the sudden attacks.
Moreover, when the tip of the knife pierces Turbo Granny's chest, it creates black flashes, which automatically increase the damage received by Turbo Granny.
"AAARRRGGHH!"
"Komachi, your turn," Hachiman instructed again via Iroha's telepathic.
Komachi nodded and then summoned one of her cursed spirits.
"Baku!"
The talisman, flying behind her, now emitted a large blue vortex. From the vortex emerged a creature with a menacing stature.
His body was large, and he stood on four legs like a polar bear. His long and very thick black fur almost covered his entire body. Although his body resembled a bear, his head was far from it. It had two mouths, the first mouth being a mouth in a normal position and had no teeth, while the second mouth was at the end of its long trunk with teeth like a herbivore.
In short, his head was similar to an elephant but without tusks. He had dog ears and a trunk with a mouth.
Komachi touched the surface of the cursed spirit fur and gently rubbed it.
Unfortunately, the cursed spirit was a cursed spirit who was deaf and blind, so he could neither hear nor see his master. Because of that, Komachi used the mind connection that the master and slave relationship had to give orders.
'Baku, eat that creature's dream.'
Following his master's orders, the creature walked over to Turbo Granny, who was stabbed by Megumi. With his long trunk, he pointed at the cursed spirit in the form of the granny. The mouth at the end of the trunk was wide open. With one gulp, the mouth in the trunk swallowed Turbo Granny's head.
"AAARRRGGGHHHHHH!" Turbo Granny shouted from inside the trunk in great pain.
Megumi, who witnessed that, immediately summoned his divine dogs just in case.
However, seeing how Turbo Granny's body gradually got weaker, he thought it was no longer needed.
Baku was arguably Komachi's ace, but its use was complicated and required special conditions. The cursed technique possessed by the cursed spirit in the form of a hybrid between strange bear and elephant was Dream Eater.
Even so, what he actually ate wasn't a real dream. Dreams are a manifestation of human emotions and thoughts. Whether it was a bad dream or a good dream, it all comes from emotions. Meanwhile, emotions were the source of the cursed energy. So, what Baku was actually eating was not a dream but the cursed energy and the life force within living beings.
Judging from the cursed technique alone, Baku can be categorized as a special grade cursed spirit. Unfortunately, because Baku was deaf and blind, his mobility was limited. The only way he could know the existence of creatures around him was to feel the vibrations in the ground. This allows him to know the location even with very minimal vibrations. On the other hand, Baku was completely useless if the target was in the air.
Not to mention he doesn't have high speed or agility, making this creature easy to target. In addition, if the target to be eaten by the cursed energy was still in a pretty good condition, it will allow the target to escape from Baku's probosci's mouth at any time. That was the reason Komachi didn't take out Baku from the start.
"How about you make Turbo Granny your collection?" blurted Hachiman.
Komachi and Megumi suddenly looked away. The two found Hachiman and Iroha, who were now near them.
"What? Is it okay?" asked Komachi.
To be honest, Hachiman still didn't want Komachi to have a special grade cursed spirit. The reason was simple, Hachiman felt that his sister was not ready. In the hands of the cursed spirit manipulation, the cursed spirit has become like a weapon. If the person holding the weapon was a beginner, no matter how powerful the weapon was, its potential would not be able to come out to its full potential.
In this case, Komachi was a rookie. Letting her have a special grade cursed spirit would only make her be someone with a formidable weapon. However, she still couldn't unleash that special grade cursed spirit ability to its full potential in terms of abilities.
Possibly, it was Komachi who was dependent on Turbo Granny's power. And that would interfere with the development of Komachi's individual abilities.
"I will let you have the Turbo Granny as long as you promise to only use her in moments of life and death like right now."
"That is not fun," Komachi replied, pursing her lips.
Even though she was a little sulky, she realized why her brother had put such a condition.
Komachi sighed. She immediately corrected her attitude after recalling the crushing defeat she had just suffered.
"Well. I promise not to depend on Turbo Granny and will train even harder."
Hachiman nodded in agreement. Seeing that reaction, Ten—the cursed spirit on Komachi's shoulder—opened his mouth as Komachi did and took out a talisman. The talisman flew and followed Komachi, who was walking towards Baku. The girl stroked Baku's fur again, giving him orders to release Turbo Granny from his mouth proboscis.
As per his master's wish, Baku did as Komachi ordered. Turbo Granny's head started to pop out of Baku's trunk, followed by disgusting green slime.
Turbo Granny looked at the sorcerers who surrounded her with hatred, especially at Komachi, standing in front of her.
"From today onwards, I will grant you a more decent life and guide you into a more useful being."
After Komachi said those words, the talisman behind her flew swiftly and circled the Turbo Granny from head to toe. After that, the talisman started to fly slightly higher than Turbo Granny's head. Simultaneously, a blue energy vortex appeared and surrounded her. Like a suction machine, the human-shaped talisman with a pentagram symbol in the centre sucked up the energy vortex.
It didn't take long for the talisman to suck it all up. After the ritual was over, the pentagram symbol on the talisman glowed blue, and at the same time, Komachi's eyes also emitted a fiery blue light.
"So, your cursed technique is cursed spirit manipulation?" Iroha chirped, "This is the first time I have seen such a ritual. Not what I thought. I guess your method will be the same as people said about Geto Suguru."
Komachi turned to Iroha and smiled kindly. With her mind controlled, Komachi aimed the talisman into Ten's mouth. The same thing she did to Baku and the slime-like cursed spirit. The two cursed spirits were sucked into the talisman and stored back in the belly of the cursed spirit like an upside-down eggplant that wrapped around her shoulder.
"The only thing that my technique is similar to that guy is that we can both control cursed spirits without any conditions or complicated rituals. Well, maybe my technique looks more inefficient since I can't keep my cursed spirits inside my body. However, I still think my technique is better. At least, I don't have to eat a cursed spirit to control it."
Komachi stuck out her tongue slightly in disgust after she said her last sentence just now. She might never directly eat a cursed spirit, but she could imagine how it tasted.
"From my point of view as a shikigami user, whether it's your technique or Geto Suguru, sometimes envy me. You can directly give master and slave bonds to cursed spirits who are weaker than you. As for the stronger cursed spirit, you don't need to defeat it alone as the main condition to control it."
Hearing Megumi's reply, Komachi couldn't help but laugh awkwardly. She also admitted that her technique might sound like something cheated in the eyes of the other summoners. Even so, as a cursed spirit manipulation, Komachi also had her own problems with her cursed technique.
Before Komachi could reply, Hachiman chirped first when he saw the two people who finally appeared.
"How is it? Got something good for you to report to that bald old man, Kamo-senpai and Nishimiya-senpai?"
Hearing this remark, the other three teenagers followed Hachiman's gaze. Not far from them, the three could see two teenagers of different gender walking closer.
The first teenager was a boy with relatively long hair and slanted eyes. He combed his black hair neatly in the middle, and his sideburns that almost touched his cheeks were tied with a white cloth.
"I don't understand what you mean, Hikigaya. The only reason we're not helping you is that you left us already," replied the boy named Kamo Noritoshi.
Actually, before Hachiman beat Turbo Granny, he came along with Noritoshi and Momo. In fact, the three of them entered the curtain Iroha made simultaneously. However, both of them were reluctant to step in to help Hachiman because they felt it was the right moment to evaluate that rotten-eyed boy.
'Like I would believe your bullshit,' Hachiman thought.
Seeing who it was, Komachi reflexively hid behind her brother. The Hikigaya family's relationship with the Kamo Clan was terrible, making Komachi uncomfortable whenever she met a clan representative.
"The damage was very severe," said Nishimiya Momo, trying to change the subject, "The place where Turbo Granny ran amok was in the shopping area until it entered the museum grounds. Even the initial location of the three of you being attacked is also close to the highway. Were there no fatalities?"
Iroha, who was in charge of guarding the curtains and checking the surrounding area, spoke up after hearing the blonde-haired girl's question with the two odd buns.
"I made sleep for whoever wasn't a sorcerer who was inside the curtain. Since the original location was a shopping area and now it was almost midnight, there were no people outside. I managed to break the lock and go into their shophouses and saw that several people were living in the shophouses. It seemed they were about to go out to see how things were going. However, I was lucky because my timing was so precise that they fell asleep before they could get out of the shophouses."
"Have you contacted the association?" this time, it was Noritoshi's turn to ask.
"I contacted Nitta-san because Fushiguro-kun and I had a mission here from the start. So, Nitta-san must have told Tokyo Jujutsu High about this."
Hearing Iroha's reply, Noritsohi and Momo nodded slowly. Both agreed that the girl had done the correct procedure. Even though there was a lot of damage, such as potholes, split asphalt, messy museum grounds, and such, it was all beyond their control, and the damage should be understandable.
"Well, we will let the adults take care of that," said Hachiman.
"I agree with Hikigaya. There is nothing we can do about this damage," Noritoshi added.
Iroha heaved a sigh of relief. A second later, she spoke again.
"I can lift the curtain, can't I? I am so exhausted, seriously."
Hachiman—who indirectly became the impromptu leader of the three battered teenagers—nodded in agreement to Iroha's question.
Iroha could no longer hide the exhaustion on her face. She lifted the curtain with a strong sigh, and a fresh breeze came in to replace the gloomy atmosphere inside the curtain.
However, it didn't last long. Hachiman, who had never lowered his guard, felt something very fast approaching them. The young sorcerer wasn't sure about the object. But one thing he knew, whatever it was, it wasn't anything good.
While tugging at Komachi's arm and dragging her down, Hikigaya Hachiman shouted.
"EVERYONE, RUN AND—"
However, before the teenager who had eyes like a dead fish finished his sentence, a spurt of fresh blood had preceded him.
Kamo Noritoshi's eyes could only widen when he felt a hot lead pierce his chest. His mouth could only gasp while holding back the pain when he saw fresh blood coming from his chest.
Just like Hachiman, he also felt something bad coming toward them. However, unlike Hachiman, who reacted faster, Noritoshi only had time to strengthen his body with his cursed energy.
However, that alone was not enough because the defence could be penetrated by a bullet fired from nowhere. As a result, a 6.7 mm calibre bullet had pierced his heart.
"Megumi, use your rabbits!"
Following Hachiman's orders, he, who hadn't spoken much, linked his hands together to form a symbol similar to a rabbit.
"Rabbits Escape!"
With a single shout, hundreds of rabbits came out randomly and in overlapping positions. Taking advantage of the nature of that one shikigami, Megumi and the others sprinted towards the stone fence belonging to the museum, a place they believed could protect them from the sniper who was aiming for them.
Especially for Hachiman, he helps Momo lift Noritoshi's body and carry him away after ensuring Komachi can leave properly.
With a gasping breath, Iroha said, "What the hell was that? Snipers? Why did the sniper shoot us?"
"Calm down, Isshiki," replied Megumi, also out of breath.
On the other hand, Momo looked at Noritoshi, very frightened. The reason was the girl witnessed for herself how the chest of her classmate was pierced by a bullet that they couldn't even realize where it was coming from.
"It's okay, Momo. … It really hurts…, but … I can still use my cursed technique … to prevent bleeding … and keep my heart … beating even in a critical state."
Kamo Noritoshi's cursed technique was blood manipulation. He could manipulate his own blood freely, even when the blood was outside his body. Taking advantage of the nature of his technique, Noritoshi tried his best to keep no more of his blood wasted from his body. He also made sure his heart kept pumping even though a 6.7mm calibre bullet lodged in it.
"Still, how could—."
"He will only get worse if you keep talking to him," Hachiman interrupted quickly, "The person who shot Kamo-senpai was a sorcerer. You can definitely feel the residual energy in Kamo-senpai's shot area, right? That's the reason why I had the feeling that an object was pointing at us earlier. Even so, the bullet's speed was extremely abnormal."
Except for Noritoshi, who had difficulty speaking, everyone there fell silent at Hachiman's words. Upon closer inspection, there were indeed traces of the remaining cursed energy used by the shooter.
"So, what are we going to do, Hachiman-san?" asked Megumi.
Before answering, Hachiman looked at all the people who were now with him.
'Kamo is not in a state of being able to fight. Komachi and Megumi had already reached their limit after fighting Turbo Granny. Iroha was still in a not-so-bad state even though she was battered. Other than that, Nishimiya is still in good shape, but I doubt she'll be of any use against a sorcerer whose attacks I can't even anticipate perfectly.
Judging from the timing, the sniper was outside the area of the curtain Ishhiki made. Because if he had been in the curtain, he could have shot us in the first place. However, how could he shoot right after the curtain opened? Unless there was proper coordination—.'
The words in Hachiman's mind stopped for a moment, and Hachiman's eyes fell on the short, brown-haired girl. He looked at the girl with a probing gaze as if all his suspicions fell on the girl named Isshiki Iroha.
'No, don't jump to conclusions, Hachiman! Isshiki, who was in charge of making and lifting the curtain, could be their accomplice. However, Hiratsuka-sensei was a very selective person. She would not have given Isshiki a special sponsorship to become an assistant manager if Isshiki's background was not clean.
If I had eliminated Isshiki from the possibilities, there was only one answer. This sniper must have had a tracer-type cursed technique. Or at least, he wasn't alone, and there were people by his side who could even see something through the curtains.'
Before Hachiman made a decision, a black mud-like in the sky appeared. It quickly flowed downwards and formed a dome that encircled them.
"A curtain?" said Komachi.
The curtain was bigger than Iroha's. In addition to enclosing the shopping area and the Chiba Folk Museum, the curtain also covered several surrounding buildings.
"Oh, I see. The sniper must be in one of those buildings," Hachiman paused and continued, "Komachi and Megumi, and Nishimiya-senpai, the three of you watch over Kamo-senpai while preparing for the worst. Nishimiya-senpai, please go around those building after i give you a signal. there must be at least more than two sorcerers. But don't do anything unnecessary, just make sure where their location were. And for Isshiki, go to the curtain wall and find a way to contact outsiders. I'm sure this curtain must be blocking our phone signal. So, your cursed technique is very important to reach the person outside the curtain."
"My cursed technique only works for people I've marked. If not, it won't work," Iroha retorted.
"Your technique works with the reflection of the cursed energy as the signal. People that you mark are just like the phone numbers you have saved on your smartphone. In essence, try to change your perspective from telepathy to communicate, into radar to receive signals. With that, you should located their locations based on their cursed energy."
Iroha fell silent hearing Hachiman's short explanation. To be honest, she never thought her cursed technique could work in such a way. However, the one speaking in front of her was Hikigaya Hachiman, a person with a very high understanding of his own cursed technique. So, there is no harm in taking her senior's words as a suggestion.
"Okay. Just being a radar, right?" replied Iroha firmly.
"How about you, Hikigaya?" Momo asked then, "Don't tell me you're going to face this sniper alone?"
Hachiman shook his head slowly.
"Well, yes. Where we are right now is the worst place for a sniper. We are protected by the thick walls of the castle and behind us is the museum. Unless that sniper has a partner inside the museum, he won't be able to shoot us. If the sniper's aim was us, he would have immediately appeared because he didn't get the right spot to shoot us."
After expressing his opinion, Hachiman then looked at the people around him.
"And after whoever this sniper appears, you and Isshiki will go do the task I gave. As for me, I'll finish this bullshit and go home as soon as possible."
—OoOoO—
A Few Moments Before.
Chiba City was appointed as the capital of Chiba Prefecture for no reason. Although geographically, Chiba City was not directly adjacent to Tokyo—unlike Yokohama City, the capital of Kanagawa Prefecture—Chiba City was a city that holds the title of the busiest port city in Japan. Having the largest port in Japan, the city's economy was always on the right track. That was what made this city later become one of the metropolitan cities in the land of the samurai.
As a metropolitan city, it was certainly not surprising that there were many skyscrapers in this city. However, the Chuo and Inohana areas were quite far from the hustle and bustle of Chiba City. Moreover, if you counted the tall buildings around the Chiba Folk Museum, you could count them using your fingers.
In one of the buildings, there were also two women aged around 25 years. Both have more or less the same ponytail. The only difference was the colour of their hair. One woman had white hair while the other was raven.
Apart from their hair, their facial expressions were also very different. The black-haired woman looks cute with a wide smile. Meanwhile, the white-haired woman looks very calm with a minimal expression. Her right eye, covered by the blindfold, indicates that the woman was not a typical woman you can touch carelessly.
"Their battle has reached its final stage. Unlike what we thought, they won. It seems the boy who just came in really made a difference. He might become an obstacle to our mission, Quanxi," said the black-haired woman.
The woman's hair tied now seems to float forward. The ends formed a circle with a hole in the middle, a hole only the size of an eye. True to its size, the hair formed a circle of holes floating in front of the woman's right eye, thus giving her an extraordinary vision.
"What about his abilities, Pingtsi?"
The black-haired woman, named Pingtsi, kept her eyes on the sight of a black dome through the ring of holes in her hair. With her cursed technique, Pingtsi could see things right through the curtain. In fact, she was also able to dissect the cursed technique that others had used when she activated her cursed technique,
"He … has tons of tricks in his pocket. Broadly speaking, his cursed technique is related to the brain. As long as the necessary conditions are met, he can trap the opponent's brain and create an illusion that feels very real."
While listening to her girlfriend's explanation, Quanxi took out something from the long bag she carried with her. She took things out and assembled them into a long-barreled rifle, a sniper rifle.
"Only that?"
Pingtsi shook her head and continued, "No. Apart from giving illusions to his opponent, he can also give illusions to his own brain. And that allows him to issue black flash whenever he wants."
Quanxi, which initially assembled the gun that she bought from the Russian manufacturer, stopped its activities. Before she could finish attaching the silencer to the sniper rifle's tip, she turned her attention to Pingtsi to demand further explanation.
"When he joined the fight, he emitted black flashes six times in a row and it was no coincidence."
"Six black flashes in a row, you say?" repeated Quanxi.
Pingtsi nodded slowly.
"More or less, he implanted illusions into his own brain and cast an imaginary perspective of a countdown in his head. And when the countdown reaches 0.000001 seconds before hitting the target, the brain will automatically give orders to the body to activate its cursed energy. In a simple analogy, the boy writes something like script code in his brain and creates an artificial consciousness in his brain, which will automatically carry out the commands written in the script."
Quanxi was speechless at Pingtsi's explanation. To be honest, she didn't want to believe something that sounded like bullshit. Unfortunately, the one who spoke was Pingtsi, who could dissect the techniques a person used when she saw them.
"Hey, that's crazy. That boy is really crazy. Even Gojou Satoru wouldn't think that way," she said as she covered her mouth using her right palm, trying to hide the various emotions that welled up inside her.
However, Quanxi could regain control of all her emotional turmoil a second later.
"Then, what about his cursed technique's weakness? Or rather, how did he instil illusions into his opponent? Is there an event to avoid it?"
"It's a little tricky," Pingtsi replied, "as long as he can make you aware of the object he wants to use as an illusion, you will automatically fall into his illusionary influence."
"Automatically? How about the activation? Is it really unavoidable?"
"The main trigger for its activation is the target's cursed energy. It utilizes the residual energy released by his target to enter the brain and create illusions on the target."
"So, you're saying, if I don't want to be trapped by the illusion, I can't use my cursed energy at all? It's tantamount to suicide, damn it," Qunxi muttered.
Pingtsi was silent for a moment to sort out her words. She also knew that the target on the page was not just a random sorcerer.
It was bad timing for Quanxi and her harem. The appearance of Turbo Granny and the damage it causes will make the association send people to secure the surrounding area. At least, it would last for a few days until the area was completely confirmed to be clean.
During that time, if the Quanxi group took action and broke into the museum to steal Hijikata Toshizo's sword, it was inevitable that there would be clashes between them and the Japanese Jujutsu Association. If that happened, their mission would fail, but their lives would be in danger.
If they waited any longer, Hijikata Toshizo's sword, now on display at the Chiba Folk Museum, might soon be returned to Tokyo, where it originally belonged. As such, the chances of stealing the sword will be even smaller because Tokyo was one of the two cities where powerful sorcerers in Japan gathered.
Therefore, the only moment that could best be used was right now, when there were still not many sorcerers from the association appeared. However, a teenager with extremely troublesome cursed techniques was their biggest obstacle at the moment.
Quanxi took a deep breath. Take out all the burden in her brain with one long exhalation.
She is a professional, one of the best in China. The only one who scared and traumatized her about Japan was Gojou Satoru. Apart from that person, there should be nothing for her to fear in this land of the rising sun.
"To keep his illusions effective against his opponent, the boy has to be good at creating momentum."
Putting the muzzle of her sniper rifle into the two-legged support, Quanxi smiled confidently.
"Momentum, huh? That means, I'm a bad match for him," Quanxi said as she placed her left eye behind the scope.
"Are these coordinates correct?" Quanxi asked Pingtsi.
"Yes."
Pingtsi's cursed technique was Cursed Energy Stalker, which allows her to identify many things based on the cursed energy that a person emits. With her technique, she could track the cursed energy with great precision. In fact, her level of accuracy almost matched the accuracy of the legendary eyes belonging to the Gojou Clan, The Six Eyes.
However, the ability that looks great was not accompanied by adequate fighting skills. That was why, Pingtsi could only act as a third eye for Quanxi, the woman she loved so much.
"Let's see, can my friction break your illusion, you illusionist boy?" said Quanxi, who had marked her target.
Not long after, the black dome-shaped curtain was lifted and quickly revealed all the teenagers inside. Quanxi smiled as she aimed at the head of the youth who was in her way now. Holding her breath and with incredible composure, Quanxi pulled the trigger.
"Cursed Technique Shift : Zero Friction."
—To Be Continued—
Author's Notes : Hello, see you again. How are you guys?
Since this chapter was too long, I don't want to say much. If anyone has question, feel free to ask me directly through the review column.
So, what do you think about this chapter? And thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. Please leave your review for this chapter because your review is my encouragement. See you in the next chapter and stay safe.