Morning sunlight spilled gently through the wide windows of the Kurotsuki mansion, painting gold across the pristine white floor. The faint aroma of roasted coffee and toast floated in the air.
Kurotsuki Tenkai lounged on a sleek gray sofa, legs crossed, wearing a loose white shirt and black pajama pants. His eyes were half-closed, lost in the serenity of a rare peaceful morning.
"Beautiful morning, isn't it?" he murmured, sipping his coffee.
"Too beautiful," Alice Nakiri replied, setting a tray on the table. "That usually means the world's about to catch fire again."
Tenkai smiled lazily. "You're becoming prophetic, Alice."
"Experience," she said with a wink, then grabbed the remote. "Let's see what chaos awaits us today."
The TV flickered to life, showing the familiar emblem of NHJ World News. The anchor's face was tense, her voice grim.
"We interrupt regular programming for breaking international news. A special-grade curse has appeared in Iraq, obliterating the city of Al-Basrah overnight. Satellite imagery confirms the entire region is now engulfed in an unnatural, shifting black mist — identified as the curse's Domain Expansion."
Tenkai froze mid-sip. Alice's eyes widened.
"The curse is estimated to have killed over seventy thousand civilians within hours. It now occupies the city as its territory. Fear has spread throughout the country, rapidly birthing new curses. The Iraqi government has formally requested Japan's aid through diplomatic channels."
Alice put down her teacup slowly. "That's… horrifying."
"Expected," Tenkai muttered. "Once fear reaches critical mass, the world's negative emotions synchronize. It's exponential."
The broadcast shifted — now showing the NCA Headquarters in Tokyo. A secret meeting was underway.
Inside, Gojo Satoru, Kurotsuki Tenkai, Yuki Tsukumo, and a group of high-ranking intelligence officials sat around a holographic display table. The NCD AI Core, AION's global counterpart, projected files into the air.
"Candidates for international dispatch: Yuta Okkotsu, Hiromi Higuruma, and Yuki Tsukumo. All possess the necessary adaptability and cursed technique potential," the AI announced in a calm tone.
Gojo leaned back, sunglasses glinting. "Yuki's better used for containment ops here. Hiromi's too valuable for domestic trials. That leaves Yuta."
One of the officers frowned. "He's young. Only recently certified as Special Grade."
Tenkai tapped the holographic screen, pulling up Yuta's file. "That's precisely why. His cursed technique — Copy. In the right environment, he'll gain multiple techniques from cursed spirits. Iraq's domain will be a treasure trove for him."
Gojo grinned. "Besides, we can't send me or Tenkai. The world might explode from overexposure to perfection."
Tenkai gave him a deadpan look. "You're not wrong, but you're insufferable."
Laughter rippled across the room, breaking the tension briefly.
Finally, the NCA chief nodded. "Very well. Division 0 will dispatch Yuta Okkotsu to Iraq under international cooperation protocol."
The news anchor's voice returned on-screen.
"Japan's decision has sparked global discussion. Yuta Okkotsu, the prodigy sorcerer once known for taming Rika Orimoto, has officially joined NCD Division 0, led by the renowned Kurotsuki Tenkai and Gojo Satoru."
"Japan now stands as the only nation with four active Special Grades: Gojo Satoru, Kurotsuki Tenkai, Yuki Tsukumo, and Yuta Okkotsu. The announcement has boosted national morale, with citizens calling them the 'Four Pillars of Humanity.'"
Alice smiled faintly. "They're calling you the Pillars now."
Tenkai chuckled. "Pillar, huh? Sounds heavy. I prefer 'Chairman of Chill.'"
She laughed. "You're ridiculous."
Across the globe, reactions poured in.
In America, panic had replaced arrogance.
The broadcast switched to CNN, where the screen was split between footage of burning cities and pale-faced officials.
"Just hours ago, a unique Special-Grade Curse Spirit appeared in Nevada. The U.S. Department of Sorcery deployed their elite unit — forty-two trained Grade 1 sorcerers."
The reporter's voice trembled.
"They were annihilated."
Grainy combat footage flashed on-screen — beams of cursed light, screams, and a shadow moving with unnerving elegance.
"Survivors describe the curse as humanoid… capable of speech… and radiating an aura of intense lust. Its presence alone drove some to insanity. Experts believe it could embody one of the Seven Deadly Sins — specifically, Lust."
The anchor turned to a traumatized survivor, her voice shaking. "Can you tell us what happened?"
The man's eyes were wide, unfocused. "It… it looked like an angel. And when it spoke—" he broke down sobbing, "—it said… 'I am what humanity desires most.'"
Social media ignited instantly.
"Bro America spawned the Sin of Lust, we're doomed 😭💀"
"Can someone call Tenkai or Gojo? Japan solos again!"
"USA can't handle one curse, Japan's out there collecting them like Pokémon!"
"Imagine dying because a curse was too hot 💀💀💀"
Memes flooded the internet — Gojo photoshopped wearing shades, saying 'Should I go solo the U.S. too?', while others showed Tenkai reclining on his sofa with captions like 'Watching humanity self-destruct in 4K.'
Even celebrities joined in.
"We need a crossover. MCU x NCD when?" — @ElonMusk
"Someone tell Japan to patch the real world; ours is bugged." — @MrBeast
Alice scrolled through the chaos, laughing. "You're a meme again, Tenkai. Congrats."
"Of course," he said smugly. "I was born to trend."
Then the broadcast cut to an emergency world summit, live from Geneva.
Leaders from multiple nations were gathered, their faces grim.
"Japan's success proves that special grades can be produced with proper training and cursed energy management," the U.S. ambassador declared. "We must cooperate."
Gojo appeared briefly on screen via hologram, grinning. "Cooperate all you want, but don't expect a manual. We're still figuring it out ourselves."
Tenkai's voice followed, calm and analytical.
"Curses are the manifestation of negative human emotions — fear, hate, jealousy, desire. Most are born naturally, but some, especially Rule-Type Curses, arise from collective human anxieties. And in very rare cases, certain curses are born from filtered emotions, shaped by humanity's deepest fears — water, fire, death… or sin."
The room fell silent.
"These," Tenkai continued, "cannot be born accidentally. They require global resonance. Humanity itself must feel the same fear, together. Only then does something like Lust emerge."
The broadcast went viral instantly.
"He basically said we manifested Lust ourselves 💀 humanity down bad."
"So we made Lust because we're too horny?!"
"Tenkai explaining cosmic horror like he's teaching philosophy while sipping tea."
"I want him to lecture me about curses."
Even the UN Sorcery Board released a statement:
"Japan's insights on global curse genesis mark a new era of supernatural studies."
The world buzzed with debates, podcasts, and analysis videos titled things like:
"Are the Seven Deadly Sins Real?"
"Tenkai vs Lust: Who Would Win?"
"Gojo & Tenkai — Gods in Human Skin?"
The news suddenly returned with breaking footage.
"We interrupt with an update from the United States — the Special Grade Curse Lust has vanished. Entirely."
The screen showed chaos in Las Vegas — abandoned vehicles, shattered buildings, sorcerers searching through ruins.
"The curse disappeared moments before U.S. officials finalized their request for Japanese assistance. All traces of cursed energy have vanished. Authorities are calling it a strategic retreat. Others… fear it's evolving."
Alice's smile faded. "…It disappeared?"
Tenkai placed his cup down, eyes narrowing. "Interesting."
She turned toward him, uneasy. "You're not planning to intervene?"
He leaned back, gaze distant. "Not yet. Let the world taste its own fear for a while."
"Tenkai—"
He smirked slightly, the morning light reflecting in his eyes like molten silver.
"When the world's truly in dire need, they'll come to me. Until then…" he reached for the remote, lowering the volume, "…I'll just watch."
Alice exhaled, half exasperated, half amused. "You're terrifying when you're calm."
He chuckled softly. "That's the point."
The camera panned on the TV — flames still rising over Nevada, headlines screaming:
"THE CURSE OF LUST VANISHES — WHERE WILL IT STRIKE NEXT?"
"IS HUMANITY ITSELF THE ENEMY?"
Alice looked out the window, the peaceful morning now feeling heavy with unseen dread.
Tenkai smiled faintly, murmuring, "The Age of Curses has just begun."
—End of Chapter 33—