"That's right, that's right! I know you're jujutsu sorcerers! You don't need to remind me!"
Ko-Guy seemed completely unaware of the two men's fury. What bothered him was that the words he had not remembered yet were said by someone else first, which made things awkward.
"So it's you, the curse guarding the barrier."
Yuji tightened his fists as cursed energy flowed through both of them. The anger inside them was ready to explode.
"Huh? The barrier... that's right! I'm the one guarding this barrier! Because I'm very smart, and also very strong! The others are too stupid, so they have to rely on me..."
Under the station lights, Ko-Guy's eyes gleamed.
But it took several seconds for his brain to react after Yuji asked the question. While hurriedly answering, he could not resist showing off his supposed high intelligence, proudly explaining why he had been placed here.
"Guarding it?"
As an experienced grade 1 sorcerer, Haibara quickly noticed something strange.
The curse in front of him did not seem very intelligent. He did not look like someone capable of using barrier techniques.
Barrier techniques were difficult. It was not something one could create just by chanting a spell and releasing cursed energy. Without systematic training in a clan or at Jujutsu High, even some well-known sorcerers might not know how to use them.
Especially a directional curtain like this. There was no way this creature could have created two completely different ones.
Also, the holes in what he said were suspicious.
"Haibara-sensei... look behind it."
Beside him, Yuji quietly nudged him and signaled with his chin.
Behind the locust, a nail-like wooden stake wrapped in talismans was firmly nailed into the floor near the wall. Half of the stake stuck out of the ground, clearly out of place with the surrounding environment.
"What are you two whisper... whispering about... whatever it was! Just looking at you I can tell you're definitely not smart!"
Seeing them ignore him, the curse shouted loudly, trying to attract their attention.
"In this world, people who aren't smart can't... can't live long! If you want to become strong, you have to be smart like me! You definitely—"
He pointed toward the nearby corpse as if warning them that this would be their fate for daring to ignore him.
Bang!
Before Ko-Guy could finish speaking, Haibara attacked.
His fist, wrapped in cursed energy, slammed directly into the curse's armor-like shell and sent him flying into the wall.
"Y... you didn't even let me finish talking... you really aren't smart... you probably don't even know what kind of curse I am..."
The wall collapsed.
Ko-Guy jumped out from the rubble.
There was no anger on his face from being hit. Instead, he showed the contempt of a "high intelligence creature" looking down on lower life forms.
"A locust, right?" Yuji answered without hesitation.
"Huh?!"
Ko-Guy was stunned.
Locusts devoured everything. In some eras, even houses and humans became part of their diet. Wherever they passed, nothing survived. Life itself disappeared.
That was the origin of his existence. Human hatred, disgust, and fear.
Because of this, from the moment he was born, he believed he was a life form superior to humans.
But now his identity had been seen through so easily by a lower life form.
"I see... looks like you two are actually pretty smart."
After a fierce storm of thoughts in his head, Ko-Guy finally reached a conclusion.
Since he had never once considered the possibility that he himself might not be smart, he had no choice but to admit that the two humans in front of him might actually be intelligent.
"Smart people don't keep saying that they're smart."
Haibara and Yuji rushed forward together.
"Oh... so that's how it works?!"
Ko-Guy froze in confusion and hurriedly waved its four arms, trying to block the incoming attack.
"Mirror Binding Technique!"
Ignoring the curse's rambling, Haibara took a deep breath and brought his palms together toward the enemy.
Whoosh!
A gust of wind sounded.
It felt as if a mirror suddenly appeared between him and Ko-Guy.
As Haibara's body became completely still, the curse was suddenly frozen in place. His entire body was locked and unable to move.
"Divergent Fist!"
Taking the opportunity, Yuji pulled back his fist and gathered strength. Sky-blue cursed energy wrapped around it.
The terrifying physical strength supported by his powerful body made his punch roar through the air as it slammed into Ko-Guy's face.
First came the impact of pure physical strength.
Then, because the cursed energy did not arrive at the same time, a second wave of damage followed immediately after.
The two strikes stacked together in an instant. Wave after wave of force crashed down, causing cracking sounds to echo from Ko-Guy's face.
Boom!
With just that one hit, the curse that had already gained the ability to speak like a human felt as if he had been struck by a train.
He flew down the corridor and slammed into the wall at the far end, embedding himself inside.
"As expected of Itadori."
Haibara did not hesitate to praise his student.
Even though he had already become a grade 1 sorcerer, he still could not surpass Yuji in pure offensive power.
"Not really."
Yuji scratched the back of his head shyly. Then, he casually pulled the wooden stake out of the ground nearby.
"What should we do with this thing... break it?"
"Stupid human... don't touch that thing! It has nothing to do with the barrier!"
Just as Yuji was thinking about how to deal with the wooden nail covered in talismans, Ko-Guy suddenly flapped his wings and rushed toward him.
Nearly half of his head had already been destroyed, yet his momentum had not weakened at all.
While flying toward Yuji, he even shouted loudly, which only made him seem more suspicious.
Ko-Guy's speed was terrifying. In only two blinks, he had already reached Yuji's back. Several clawed arms stretched toward him.
"Sorry about this... could you let me look a little cool in front of my student?"
In a flash, Haibara appeared behind Yuji and blocked the attack.
As one of Nanami's closest friends, his physical ability might not rank among the strongest in the jujutsu world. However, his solid fundamentals had still allowed him to reach grade 1 sorcerer.
And...
"Black Flash!"
The space around them seemed to twist.
Black and red cursed energy, like lightning, burst out and slammed directly into the curse's already half-destroyed face.
Bang!
With a thunderous explosion, the semi-grade 1 curse had his entire head blown apart.
Dark green blood splattered across half the corridor.
Yuji stared with wide eyes.
"Let's go, Itadori."
Haibara casually shook the blood from his knuckles and hooked his finger toward the stairs below. His face carried the bright spirit of youth.
His seniors had taught him and protected him. Now he taught students and protected them. That was the inheritance of jujutsu.
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