A flicker of crimson light, a sudden brightening of his surroundings, and Aomori found himself standing in what appeared to be an underground sewer.
The stench of sewage, the metallic tang of rust, and a cocktail of other foul odors assaulted his nostrils. Aomori immediately deactivated his sense of smell.
Aside from him, there were two others present. They stood a short distance away, staring at him in astonishment.
One was a thin youth with a long fringe that covered half his face; his exposed features were youthful, marking him clearly as a student.
The other was considerably taller, with long, pale blue hair and stitched scars crisscrossing his face and neck. He was clearly not human.
This non-human entity looked at Aomori with an excited grin and called out, "I didn't expect to find another highly intelligent Cursed Spirit besides us. Judging by your appearance, you don't look like a newborn. You must be an old-timer, right?"
'Me? A Cursed Spirit?'
Unprovoked insults right at the start. Aomori decided this kid's path in life had just become very narrow.
'Wait. A Cursed Spirit, a stitched face, and a student with long bangs. Could it be...'
Ignoring the non-human, Aomori turned to the student and asked, "Is your name Junpei?"
"Huh? Yes. How did you know?"
It really was Jujutsu Kaisen!
Ding!
[Dungeon Quest Initiated:]
[Main Quest 1/3: Heaven and Earth are Heartless; All Things are Straw Dogs]
[Quest Description: "Born" from humanity's fear and awe of "Heaven," you shall emerge as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit! Humans? Sorcerers? Cursed Spirits? Curses? Curse Users? Can you treat them all with equal indifference?]
[1. Kill one non-sorcerer human, one Sorcerer, one Cursed Spirit, one Curse, and one Curse User within 15 days. ☆]
[2. Kill one of each type within 10 days. ☆☆]
[3) Kill one of each type within 5 days. ☆☆☆]
[Main Quest 2/3: Throughout Heaven and Earth, I Alone Am the Honored One]
[Quest Description: As the incarnation of "Heaven," how can you tolerate others being stronger than you?]
[1. Defeat Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna (at least 15 fingers) within 90 days. ☆]
[2. Defeat both within 60 days. ☆☆]
[3. Defeat both within 30 days. ☆☆☆]
[Main Quest 3/3: ??? (Hidden Quest, content revealed after dungeon ends)]
"???"
He had actually turned into a Cursed Spirit? Forced to abandon humanity? The system even had a function for that?
Still, the premise was quite impressive. Being "born" from fear of "Heaven" gave him a level of prestige far beyond mere volcanoes, forests, or oceans.
He checked his body. There was no physical difference in sensation, but two new descriptions had appeared on his status panel:
[Cursed Energy: Can convert energy into Cursed Energy]
And…
[Cursed Spirit Physique (Active for current dungeon): Body composed entirely of Cursed Energy; invisible to ordinary humans; immune to physical attacks; vulnerable to Cursed Energy attacks].
Cursed Spirit Physique is only for this dungeon? Disappointing.
And why does my body feel exactly the same if it's made of Cursed Energy? Is it a bug? Unknown.
Aomori shook his head and looked at the first quest. "Sacrifice one of each type within five days? Doesn't look too hard."
Curses in this world were creatures formed from the negative emotions of humans. To protect the public, Sorcerers used innate techniques to exorcise them, while rogue sorcerers were known as Curse Users. Aomori knew exactly where to find them all.
The second quest was the real challenge. The difficulty lay in Satoru Gojo's troublesome abilities and ensuring Sukuna attained fifteen fingers.
Satoru Gojo was the ceiling of power in this world. Aomori had never fought him, so he wasn't sure if he could actually win. In terms of pure physical technique and destructive power, Aomori certainly had the edge, but his utility couldn't match Gojo's, especially that Domain Expansion.
Due to his meta-knowledge, Aomori knew everything about Gojo while Gojo knew nothing of him. If he could withstand a Domain, the odds were likely 60/40 in Aomori's favor. If he couldn't, it was an instant loss.
Thus, the priority was to understand Domains. It would be even better if he could learn one.
As for Ryomen Sukuna, the strongest sorcerer from a thousand years ago, he possessed four arms and twenty fingers. He was the "King of Curses." Since the plot was at this point, the protagonist, Yuji Itadori, had already eaten a finger. To get Sukuna to fifteen fingers, Aomori could either let the plot run until the Shibuya Incident or simply collect the fingers himself and feed them to the brat to summon the King for a beatdown.
The third quest was hidden, likely just a way to ramp up the difficulty at the end. He put it out of his mind.
While Aomori was thinking, the other two continued their conversation.
The student, Junpei Yoshino, a tragic youth who had skipped school due to bullying, saw that Aomori wasn't answering, so he turned to the "person" beside him. "Mahito-san, what exactly is a Cursed Spirit?"
"Cursed Spirits are creatures formed from the aggregation of Cursed Energy leaked from humans," Mahito explained. "Even if a terrifying image doesn't truly exist, if it has a foundation in collective consciousness, it can easily manifest as a powerful curse."
"Collective consciousness? Like famous monsters or urban legends?"
"Precisely. Beyond that, there are many things in nature that humans fear."
"Natural disasters?"
"Bingo. The Earth, the forests, the ocean, humans have feared them forever. They absorbed massive amounts of Cursed Energy and birthed highly intelligent spirits. They are my proud comrades."
"Then, Mahito-san, what kind of curse are you?"
Mahito narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Humans."
"I am a curse born from the hatred and fear humans feel toward one another."
"From real people?" For some reason, Junpei felt a sudden weight in the air. He looked at the contemplative Aomori and asked, "Then what kind of curse is he?"
He's wearing a tattered tracksuit... how strange. Though Mahito-san's taste is equally weird. Maybe he's just newly integrated into society? Junpei pondered.
"Hmm, I can't tell," Mahito said, stroking his chin. "I thought he was an old-timer, but right now he doesn't look very intelligent..."
BOOM!
Before he could finish, Junpei saw a blur. Mahito was instantly launched through the air, smashing a massive hole into the concrete wall.
"How incredibly rude. Did your little 'comrades' never teach you not to badmouth others?" Aomori slowly retracted his extended right leg. "Besides, your patched-up face is hideous. Sorry, I just couldn't help myself."
Cursed Spirits attacking each other? Aren't they on the same side? Junpei's jaw dropped. It took him two seconds to react. "Mahito-san?!"
"Ah... I'm fine." Mahito stood up from the hole, brushing off the dust. There was a deep footprint on his face, but it vanished almost instantly. He seemed genuinely unhurt. He didn't even seem angry. He giggled. "Could it be you're a curse born from humanity's hatred of ugliness? Is that why you're so handsome and hate ugly things?"
No effect? Aomori knew Mahito was a unique spirit. His technique, Idle Transfiguration, allowed him to touch and alter the shape of souls. Only attacks that hit the soul could truly damage him. Aomori had infused that kick with psychokinesis, but it had achieved nothing.
It seemed mental power didn't count as soul damage. He'd have to try other skills.
"Wrong answer. No prize." Aomori walked toward Mahito, cracking his knuckles.
"You want more?" Mahito met him without fear, taking the initiative to charge. "Don't let my looks fool you, I'm actually quite str—"
BOOM!
A simple, direct uppercut. Before Mahito could react, he was floored.
So fast, so strong! I thought the first one was a sneak attack, but even focusing, I can't see his movements. Is he a pure physical-type spirit?
While Mahito was thinking, Aomori had already landed dozens of punches. Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist, Exploding Heart Release Fist, and Ah Wei's 18 Forms were unleashed in sequence, turning Mahito into a pile of minced meat in an instant. Throughout the process, Mahito tried to transform and escape multiple times, but Aomori pinned him down at every turn, leaving him no room to fight back.
When he finished, Aomori stood with his hands retracted, looking perfectly composed.
"Mm. Much better."
Alright, Aomori admitted he had let a bit of personal bias slip in there.
Junpei was catatonic. "That... doesn't look like 'being fine.' Is this a revenge killing?"
"Of course he's fine. He isn't that fragile."
Sure enough, the meat on the ground began to squirm. Mahito's loathsome face reformed first.
"Hahahaha! Incredible! You're way too strong!" Mahito shouted with excitement. "Hey, why don't you join us? We could be great comrades!"
"Comrades?" Aomori raised his right foot, stepping on Mahito's face and grinding his Skateboard Shoes into it. "Have you misunderstood something? A low-level spirit like you wants to be my partner? Do you think you're worthy?"
"Huh? I admit you're strong, but calling me 'low-level' makes me a bit unhappy. I'm a highly intelligent spirit!" Mahito countered.
"Hmph. In my eyes, humans, Sorcerers, Cursed Spirits, Curses, and Curse Users are all low-level organisms."
Aomori spread his arms wide, his body radiating a soft, gentle light that enveloped Mahito and Junpei. Like one embracing the sun, he spoke clearly: "Because I am the aggregation of humanity's fear and awe of 'Heaven.' I am a being far above Cursed Spirits. I am a natural deity!"
"My name is Aosora!"
"Aosora..." (Blue Heaven)
With a thud, Junpei fell to his knees. In that warm light, the darkness in his heart seemed to be swept away. Driven by a sudden feeling, he slowly raised his right hand, trembling as he pushed back his long bangs to touch his right forehead.
"It's gone... it's really gone... waaaaaah!" Junpei covered his face and began to sob uncontrollably. The wounds disappearing didn't mean the events never happened, but it significantly lessened his internal agony.
"Aosora?!" Mahito was equally shocked, but he soon regained his playful expression. "Sounds very high-end indeed. If you don't want to be comrades, how about being our leader? With your leadership, we wouldn't even need that Curse User's help to wipe out humanity and usher in a new era for Cursed Spirits!"
"Heh." Aomori chuckled, grinding his foot down twice more. "You still don't understand. In my heart, Cursed Spirits and humans are of the same stock. No difference. If I had to distinguish them, it would be 'large ants' versus 'small ants.'"
Aomori was fully getting into character. His expression was perfect; his tone of absolute arrogance and indifference was so convincing he almost believed it himself.
"Ah?" Mahito really wanted to dig his ear out to check if he'd misheard. It seemed there really were stubborn, unyielding "old antiques" like this. He gave up on persuasion.
Having successfully established his persona, Aomori looked down at Mahito, wondering what to do with him.
To kill or not to kill?
Killing him would yield experience and points. Not killing him would allow Aomori to easily use his "fellow spirit" status to recruit the other four disasters. Then what? Gather the five elements, punch Tokyo High, kick Kyoto High, and blow away the Three Great Families?
That didn't seem very fun. And he'd just have to let them go when the dungeon ended anyway. Why bother?
Exactly. He should stick to the persona and become the God of the New World!
With that thought, his mind cleared. The "Patched Face" had to die.
As his killing intent flared, Mahito felt a prickling sensation on his back.
He actually wants to kill me?!
The exhausted Mahito didn't have time for self-pity. He immediately used Idle Transfiguration on himself to alter his soul and change his physical shape. But in the next second, he was hoisted into the air by an invisible force, as if a transparent bag had sealed him in, making escape impossible.
Having bound Mahito with psychokinesis, Aomori raised both hands, preparing to unleash Hado #63: Raikoho.
This move originated from Bleach. There was no doubt it could damage the soul.
"Escape this if you can."
A brilliant, glittering ball of light ignited in his palms. Mahito felt a terror rising from the very depths of his soul.
I'll die! If I get hit by that, I'll really die! I don't want to! I still have so much to do! I can't die like this!
Mahito unleashed a silent roar from his soul.
At that moment, the stone wall above Aomori shattered, drawing his attention for a mere 0.1 seconds.
In that tenth of a second, Mahito's body suddenly expanded, forcibly repelling Aomori's psychokinesis and filling the narrow tunnel to the brim.
0.1 seconds later, Hado #63: Raikoho fired.
A powerful lightning shockwave illuminated the entire straight sewer line. Every obstacle in its path was pulverized, and the surrounding sewage vaporized instantly. Finally, at the end of the tunnel, it triggered a massive, earth-shaking explosion.
When the dust settled, Aomori looked at the now-empty space where Mahito had been and shook his head. No experience notification from the system, he must have escaped. However, he had managed to kill several non-sorcerer humans, likely Mahito's experimental subjects.
Turning to face the uninvited guest, Aomori said coldly, "Are you looking for death?"
The pink spiky-haired boy wearing a black hoodie, the protagonist of this world, Yuji Itadori, swallowed nervously. He walked tremblingly over to the petrified Junpei and said with a forced laugh, "Sorry... I'm just here for my classmate. Can we... can we go now?"
"Heh. What do you think?"