"What do I think of Ryuya?"
"Well... that guy has outstanding looks, an elegant demeanor, and broad knowledge."
Counting Ryuya's merits on her fingers, Eriri's reaction wasn't fast, honestly and straightforwardly sharing her impressions of Ryuya.
After speaking for a while, the golden-haired loser, suddenly realizing something, came back to her senses.
"Did I... just say something wrong?"
Imagine, an extremely brother-con friend asks you what you think of her brother, and you end up expressing your full admiration… in such a situation, would an explanation even help?
Feeling she must have said something wrong, Eriri looked at Yukino while trembling with fear.
"Ah, so Eriri, you also think Onii-chan is great, right?"
Contrary to Eriri's expectations, Yukino wasn't the least bit angry. That sincere look simply shocked her.
"Yukino, aren't you angry?"
Staring dazedly at Yukino, Eriri's mind replayed what she just said. Right, she was praising Ryuya.
Although the Brunestud Princesses' actions today made Eriri subconsciously ostracize Ryuya, thinking he was a playboy, she still remembered Ryuya's care for her in previous days and his evaluations of her drawings.
Having spoken her true feelings, she was met with her good friend's excited expression.
Pondering the signs of a certain special type of person awakening, she feared Yukino had contracted some serious mental illness.
"Angry? Why would I be angry?"
The refreshing voice made Eriri's face grow even paler. Gazing at Eriri, Yukino's voice showed no trace of bitterness, frustration, or other negative emotions.
She was like a kitten that had made up its mind, cleanly and neatly placing her face in her hands, her tone full of energy, "Eriri, are you interested in seeing what the real world is like?"
Meanwhile, at the front, Ryuya, Arcueid, and Altrouge… the Sun-Crowned King was accompanying his daughters shopping.
Whatever they encountered that they hadn't touched before, Arcueid and Altrouge would pull Ryuya forward to experience it. They were especially seriously experiencing the days spent with their father.
Buying clothes, trying out cosmetics, eating foods of different flavors, playing games like 3D experience rooms… they tried almost everything they could see.
Finally, the four girls finished exploring the mall and started looking for afternoon tea.
Noticing Eriri seemed somewhat distracted for some reason, Ryuya gently tapped her head; "Sawamura, are you feeling unwell?"
"Ah... No, no, no, no! I'm not!"
Her mind still processing the shocking 'stories' Yukino had told her, realizing Ryuya had touched her, Eriri's reaction was extremely intense.
Jumping back several steps, she looked at Ryuya, her exquisite face showing a trace of embarrassment, as if remembering something.
"Hmm?"
Finding Eriri's behavior strange, but it wasn't really his business, Ryuya shook his head. Just as he was about to find a good place to rest...
Boom!
A magical explosion erupted at the end of the street. Along with it came the panic and screams of the crowd. Watching the people running towards them, fear like a tidal wave surged through the ordinary street.
Looking at the panicking people around, Ryuya shrugged helplessly and said to Arcueid and Altrouge, "Well then, it seems some unforeseen events won't let us continue playing."
Reaching out, sensing the flow of magical energy and cursed energy passing his fingertips, Ryuya tilted his head and smiled, "Jujutsu sorcerers? Cursed Spirits?"
"Jogo, we've already obtained the Prison Realm. This thing can seal Gojo Satoru, you know."
In a café on the commercial street, because it wasn't a holiday, there weren't many customers today.
Sitting alone in a secluded corner, a man who hadn't ordered any food or drinks was speaking to the empty space before him.
"Manager, that person has been sitting there for a while. He seems really strange."
"Yeah, Manager. And that person looks really fierce. Could he be some kind of criminal?"
"Wait a moment, I'll go check."
Hearing the staff's comments, the café manager cleared his throat softly and walked over to the man, "Respected guest, may I ask if you'd like to order something?"
Long, narrow eyes, earrings resembling ear expanders, long black hair, with an exaggerated strand of bangs on the left forehead.
Looking at the man in monastic robes, the café manager's eyes inevitably scanned the sutured scar on his forehead that looked like a split skull—almost like a robot having its brain replaced.
Feeling a chill while speaking, before the manager could finish, flames instantly erupted from his body, burning the living person into charcoal.
"Dea... dead! Someone died!"
"What happened? What's going on?"
Seeing the manager suddenly burned to charcoal, the café instantly descended into chaos.
But before they could react, surging flames sealed the entrance, and everyone inside perished.
"Jogo, your ability is really quite convenient."
Seeing the restaurant become a sea of flames, the man previously discussed by the waiters suddenly spoke.
"Geto Suguru, let me ask you, how many of Sukuna's fingers is my current strength equivalent to?"
Appearing within the flames, a short Cursed Spirit with only one eye, grayish-white skin, and a crater-like magma vent on its head was the culprit behind the flames.
"Well... Let me think. Probably equivalent to 7 or 8 fingers."
Smiling lightly, the man called Geto Suguru didn't look at Jogo but gazed outside the café, where a young man was walking.
"Tsk tsk, didn't expect to see this guy here. What a coincidence."
Cursed Spirits… they are conceptualized manifestations based on human fear of the unknown.
Since ancient times, humans have feared any unknown existence.
Mountain torrents, tsunamis, storms, rain… whether natural disasters or man-made calamities, they are all entities named fear.
And Cursed Spirits are the embodiment of this fear. Like humanity's Counter Force Alaya, the purpose of Cursed Spirits' birth is to destroy humanity.
However, unlike Counter Forces like Alaya and Gaia, Cursed Spirits have limited strength.
Most are merely emotions of fear and cannot compare to the two Counter Forces representing all of humanity and the entire Earth.
Of course, even so, Cursed Spirits far surpass humans' combat capabilities.
For example, human fear of volcanic eruptions, fear of typhoons, fear of various unknown disasters, etc.
And Jogo, the Cursed Spirit who burned the entire café, is the embodiment of human fear of the earth, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
As one of the many supernatural entities in the real world, Jogo's strength is undeniably powerful. Even against other beings like Ghouls, Magi, Flame Hazes, etc., he remains undefeated.
To destroy humanity, the Jujutsu Sorcerers targeting Cursed Spirits must be eliminated first.
If asked who Jogo's primary target is, it would naturally be Gojo Satoru, hailed as the strongest among Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Hearing that Suguru had obtained the Prison Realm, a sealing artifact, Jogo didn't hide his excitement, urging him to hand it over quickly so he could kill Gojo!
"Don't be impatient, Jogo."
Suguru, a human, was once a Jujutsu Prodigy known as the strongest alongside Satoru Gojo, but his twisted ideals led him to part ways with his friend.
In the days that followed, wanting to change the world, he ultimately died pursuing his dream.
After that, Geto's corpse was taken over by the thousand-year-old Special Grade Cursed Spirit, the 'Most Evil Sorcerer in History', becoming the entity that now superficially appeared as Geto Suguru revived, but was actually a monster named Kenjaku.
Meeting Jogo at this café to discuss cooperation, their shared goal was ultimately to seal Satoru.
Watching the excited Jogo slaughter all the humans in the café, the Kenjaku possessing Geto's body naturally didn't care about these ordinary people's lives.
What he cared about was that young man walking outside, the one with pink hair and remarkable physical prowess.
"You... are Cursed Spirits!"
A rookie Jujutsu Sorcerer, Itadori Yuji, was today thinking about buying some newly released Yu-Gi-Oh! cards.
Sensing Jogo's immense power, his expression tightened. First notifying his companions via phone, he then charged forward with a leap.
"Everyone, run! It's a Cursed Spirit!"
Thud!
With a powerful tremor, the buildings themselves shook violently, accompanied by the sound of cracking and shattering stone.
Glass along the entire street shattered instantly. The ground shook as if an earthquake and typhoon had erupted simultaneously… an apocalypse.
"What's happening?"
Somewhat unsteady on her feet, Yukino asked nervously.
"I don't know, but something dangerous seems to have arrived. Yukino, let's leave quickly."
Grabbing Yukino's hand, Eriri spoke while proactively looking at Ryuya, clearly knowing who the real decision-maker was.
"It's fine, no rush."
"Arcueid, Altrouge, protect Yukino and Eriri."
Waving his hand, as soon as Ryuya finished speaking, the crowd had mostly fled, leaving only their five figures.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Yuji, with two deep marks on his face, covered in blood, was kicked over by Jogo as if playing around.
Although possessing the power of the Special Grade Curse, Sukuna, Yuji was, after all, still just a child.
Having just become a Jujutsu Sorcerer, how could he be Jogo's match?
If not for Jogo holding back and treating it as play, Yuji would have died long ago.
Even so, Yuji, determined to protect ordinary people, showed remarkable fearlessness.
Struggling to buy time, when he was sent flying and saw Ryuya's group of five, he instantly erupted with powerful cursed energy.
"Get back!"
Divergent Fist… this was a skill Yuji mastered under Gojo's guidance.
It involves coating his fist with cursed energy to attack the enemy, then using a special technique and physical strength to create a secondary impact.
Shouting for Ryuya and the others to run while putting all his strength into a punch against Jogo, Yuji's strike successfully forced Jogo back a few steps.
"Oh? So this is the Divergent Fist? Doesn't seem that impressive."
Kicking Yuji away with a backhand, Jogo smiled and patted non-existent dust off his body, then looked at Ryuya's group, a bloodthirsty smile appearing on his face, "Tsk tsk, ordinary people scared stiff? I'll barbecue you all in a bit."
Unable to see through the true power on Ryuya, Jogo thought they were just ordinary people paralyzed by fear.
"Jogo, be careful. I think these people aren't quite right."
As a Special Grade Sorcerer existing for a thousand years, Kenjaku... no, the being now named Geto Suguru had seen far too many powerful individuals.
Magi, Heroic Spirits, Youkai, Ghouls, CCG's investigators, Flame Hazes… these were all powerful beings of the current era.
But if speaking of the truly strongest, it was the man who single-handedly sealed Rashomon over two hundred years ago.
In that chaotic Bakumatsu Era, facing the invasion of Oni, even Kenjaku avoided them, as he had no conflict of interest with the Oni.
He had also been to the place where Rashomon was born. He deeply understood the evil and darkness contained within that gate… a world where no one could survive, a paradise for countless Oni.
Yet, such a terrifying hell was, he heard, sealed by the founder of the Shinsengumi.
Since then, Kenjaku had become much more cautious, because he knew this world truly had existences powerful enough to change everything.
As for Yuji, this child's true identity was actually created by Kenjaku, a tool specifically made to deal with Sukuna.
He never wanted Jogo to kill Yuji. In Kenjaku's view, this was just a test for Yuji.
But now, looking at Ryuya, his instincts screamed wildly. The gene named fear reminded him to flee, quickly, to flee this place.
Having never experienced this feeling before, thinking he might be hallucinating, Kenjaku shook his head, wanting to confirm if his thoughts were mistaken.
Wanting Jogo to attack first, as even if there was a problem, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit could buy time, and he could still escape… that's why he warned Jogo.
"Ah? Careful? Geto Suguru, what are you talking about?"
"You want me to be careful of these humans? Don't joke around."
After a brief moment of astonishment, Jogo revealed a crazy smile, his face full of the pride of a top-tier being, followed by contempt for humans.
Not bothering to look at Yuji, whom he had kicked into a shop, he clenched his fist and aimed it towards Ryuya's direction, preparing to use a major eruption to show Suguru his worry was unnecessary.
However...
The moment the flame-summoning technique activated, it might be 0.0000001 seconds or an even smaller gap, as if time had frozen on the street, that man's figure instantly vanished.
"Where did he go?"
The disappearance of the figure from his field of vision left Jogo completely stunned. The connection between his consciousness and body broke at this moment.
Before he could react, a tremendous force sent his entire body flying.
"Urgh..."
With a mouthful of blood, Jogo swore this was the fiercest blow he had ever received. That seemingly completely unstoppable force destroyed him like a violent storm.
Struggling to stand up with all his might, he saw the human man standing in place with a mocking expression.
As if saying...
Is that all?