Morioka Station was ablaze. The heart of Iwate Prefecture, a landmark that had stood since the days of the Japan Railway long before the nationalization, was burning to the ground, taking many lives with it.
Amidst the inferno, the perpetrators—the Bitz—found themselves confronted by veteran sorcerers. They were battle-hardened warriors sent by the hand of Satoru Gojo, men who carried his absolute trust.
The private investigator known as "The Man Stronger Than a Special Grade in a One-on-One," Grade 1 Sorcerer Kento Nanami.
The physical education teacher from Jujutsu High known as "The Monster Who Mastered the Basics," Grade 1 Sorcerer Yu Haibara.
And the veteran teacher from Jujutsu High who was constantly annoyed by rumors calling him "The Strongest Man in the New Shadow Style," Grade 1 Sorcerer Atsuya Kusakabe.
To an informed observer, it was clear at a glance: this was the "Elite Generation" plus their former teacher. According to Gojo's assessment, these three were "rare, truly kind people of integrity in the twisted world of jujutsu."
Faced with such a massacre, there was no way these three would not be filled with righteous fury.
"Indiscriminate terrorism in broad daylight? You're mocking us."
"Yeah, this is a joke. It's unforgivable!"
"I get how you guys feel, but don't get too tense, okay? I'm not as strong as you two. I'd hate to die from the collateral damage."
"...Teacher, it's not very convincing when you say that while gripping your sword so hard your knuckles are turning white."
"Exactly! Besides, you're the strongest man in the New Shadow Style! There's no way you're weaker than us!"
"You guys are the only ones spreading that damn rumor! Besides, I taught Haibara the New Shadow Style, so why can't you just be the strongest!?"
"No way! I can only use Simple Domain and Batto!"
Exchanging words to ease the tension, the three moved through the burning streets of Morioka without lowering their guard.
Suddenly, a massive blast of cursed energy was fired at them, intended to wipe them all out at once. With a sharp CLANG, Kento Nanami swung his fist and neutralized the blast, dispersing it into nothingness.
"It seems we have entered the enemy's range. Let us proceed as planned."
"Disperse and annihilate the curse users! Got it!"
"Sigh... Fine. Let's do this."
The sorcerers treated the abnormal interception as if it were a mundane task, leaving the Bitz bewildered and unable to comprehend what had just happened.
In the midst of the confusion, the Bitz frantically fired cursed energy cannons at the three as they charged while splitting up, but the results were far from successful.
First, Kento Nanami. Every shot aimed at him was deflected with a CLANG, vanishing without leaving a scratch. When a Bitz attempted to close in for melee combat using reinforcement, it was met with a slash from the Blunt sword in Nanami's right hand.
The strike was delivered precisely to divide the body at a 3:7 ratio relative to its height. The blow cleaved through the Bitz's torso like butter. With a fluid return stroke, Nanami struck the head at the 3:7 point near the temple, instantly destroying both the brain and the heart.
Of course, for a Bitz that could regenerate from a single cell, such a death was not permanent, but it was far from trivial since they could do nothing while dead.
There was a slight lag as the meat hit the ground with a wet thud before regeneration could begin. If an additional attack landed during that window, the time until resurrection would be extended even further.
Nanami delivered a powerful stomp to the fallen Bitz. It was a simple strike—no technique, just high-density cursed energy reinforcement—that crushed the chest at the 3:7 point. The body sprayed a violent mess of blood across the pavement.
"Tch, how tedious. I don't have many means of dealing sustained damage."
As he spoke, Nanami drew a knife from a holster inside his jacket. Its sheath and handle were covered in numerous charms. This weapon, one of Nanami's sub-weapons, was a Grade 1 Cursed Tool he had received as an opening gift from his strongest senior. It had undergone the 'Bath' using the cursed energy of a certain cursed spirit, and a fragment of a 'Stone' related to that spirit was sealed within the core of the handle.
Its name was the Cursed Blade: Sesshomaru. Shrouded in the cursed energy of the Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Spirit, Keshin Tamamo-no-Mae, and embedded with a fragment of the Killing Stone, its curse was extremely simple: 'Inject the target with countless toxins upon stabbing.' It was a powerful technique that served as a vital support for Nanami, who relied primarily on physical force.
Though the blade was small at only ten centimeters, it was the perfect finishing tool. Gripping it in a reverse hold, Nanami drove it into the regenerating skull. The Bitz's eyes rolled back as it writhed in agony, its system flooded by the toxin.
Even Gojo had to desperately pore over medical books and study—despite his dislike for it—to master the Reverse Cursed Technique to a degree where he could remove toxins. Such a high-level technique was far beyond the reach of a Bitz. Soon, the head stopped regenerating, leaking nothing but a strange fluid.
"Very well. It seems the poison is effective."
Holding the Cursed Blade: Sesshomaru in a reverse grip and his Blunt sword in the other, Nanami took a dual-wielding stance. He began blocking flamethrowers, bombardments, Piercing Blood, and cursed energy blasts with terrifying combat sense, charging toward the next Bitz to carve its body into a 3:7 ratio.
---
Meanwhile, Yu Haibara was rampaging through the city using a rather unfair application of the New Shadow Style. He utilized his refined barrier skills to maintain a Simple Domain while running, intercepting cursed energy cannons and other techniques, then ruthlessly delivering Batto strikes to any Bitz caught within his territory.
The most peculiar thing about his style was his waist. Haibara was equipped with an absurd total of six wakizashi—three on each side. He would draw a blade from the left, use the momentum of the swing to grab and draw a blade from the right, and then use that twist to grab the next one from the left. It was a drawing-loop designed by a madman.
Furthermore, the swords themselves were unique. Due to the nature of the loop, Haibara would release and throw away each wakizashi after use. However, the swords and their sheaths were actually Shikigami. As a result, the discarded blades would move on their own, flicking off the blood and returning to their sheaths, allowing the loop to continue indefinitely.
It was a literal storm of blades. Any Bitz caught in Haibara's path was sliced into mincemeat, falling into an infinite loop of being slaughtered again the moment they regenerated.
The most problematic aspect was that while these blades were Shikigami, they were also legitimate Cursed Tools.
The six blades were named Chuo Line, Joban Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line, Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line, and Tobu Tojo Line. As their names suggested, they were forged from the 'rails of the railway,' the most blood-hungry steel of the Heisei era.
Each blade shared the classic traits of a cursed sword, growing in power as they drank blood and devouring the cursed energy of those they cut. Their sheaths were carved from corresponding 'sleepers,' creating an inseparable bond that allowed the blades to return to their homes automatically.
As the blades repeatedly struck and drained their cursed energy, the Bitz faced total depletion.
"If I just keep cutting them until they die, they'll die, right!"
Living out the simple truth found by a simple man, Haibara's absolute slaughter zone tore through the Bitz and the burning ruins alike as he raced through the flaming streets of Morioka.
---
Unlike the other two, Atsuya Kusakabe was moving in a much more grounded and subtle manner.
Like Haibara, Kusakabe had diligently practiced barrier techniques and was capable of maintaining a Simple Domain while moving. However, unlike Haibara, who focused entirely on defensive strength, Kusakabe's Simple Domain was highly customizable. For instance, by expanding the range and downgrading the interception function in favor of detection, it could be used to find people.
"...Good, the kid is still breathing. Your mother... she did a good job protecting you."
He spoke with a dark expression as he took a dying infant from the arms of its deceased mother. He applied treatment using the Magical Mai-chan Cologne he had received from Mai. Despite having already rescued several people, the furrow between his brows only deepened.
Kusakabe had called Mei Mei and requested the dispatch of Ui Ui to recover the victims. He internally joked that his sour mood was because his savings were vanishing into Mei Mei's pockets, but in reality, his heart burned with a righteous indignation that made him grit his teeth.
"This is ridiculous. While Nanami and Haibara are making a scene, I'll keep playing it low-key. Survival is the most important thing, after all."
Making excuses to no one in particular, he continued his work—digging out an elderly woman, pulling a child from the rubble, and carrying a man to safety. From his back, cursed energy fueled by his boiling anger rose like a heat haze. He used that concentrated energy to expand his Simple Domain even further, searching for more survivors.
As he continued to save the citizens, a few Bitz spotted him.
They were instantly pulverized, subjected to an infinite number of slashes designed to destroy them at the cellular level.
Atsuya Kusakabe was the strongest in the New Shadow Style. He proved those words true with his Hazy Moon, a technique of multiple simultaneous slashes that reduced his enemies to dust.
Yet, despite having just obliterated enemies equivalent to Special Grade threats, Kusakabe ignored the feat as if it were a triviality and hurried back to his search for survivors.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]