What really caught Akira's attention was the undisguised fluctuation of Cursed Energy coming from inside the school, along with the unmistakable sounds of fighting.
"It seems I'm not the only Jujutsu Sorcerer who doesn't follow the rules. Or maybe it's some reckless curse user."
There were a few things worth explaining here.
The existence of Cursed Energy was similar to chakra or battle energy in other stories. Anyone capable of controlling it had already stepped beyond the limits of ordinary humans. In all of Japan, the number of people who could use Cursed Energy had only recently reached four digits.
Cursed Spirits were invisible to ordinary people, and ordinary attacks could not harm them. Only attacks containing Cursed Energy could damage these creatures. For that reason, Jujutsu Sorcerers had always been responsible for protecting humanity from Cursed Spirits.
However, having power far beyond ordinary humans, along with the status of their protectors, inevitably affected how some Jujutsu Sorcerers viewed the world.
To them, ordinary people were no different from animals or insects. They could do whatever they wanted, and those weaker than them had no way to resist.
That was how curse users came into existence.
Akira could understand why such people existed, but that did not mean he agreed with them.
"The freedom of the weak should be the boundary of the strong."
This was a saying Akira had always liked. He believed that having extraordinary power did not mean someone had to become a hero. However, there should at least be a limit to how far they were willing to go.
You did not have to save everyone, but there was no reason to become a villain who could do whatever they pleased.
"If it really is a curse user, then I'll just kill them. That's how the Jujutsu alliance handles these things anyway, at least on the surface."
Akira paused, then added with a rather dangerous smile, "Besides, this is a good opportunity to test whether killing people drops loot."
His expression gradually grew fierce as he considered the possibility.
Gardevoir, who was standing beside him, showed no fear. She could sense the emotions behind his words, and she knew that his intentions were rooted in goodwill.
After parking his bicycle against the nearest wall, Akira considered his next move.
He could sneak directly into the school and investigate the situation without anyone noticing. With Gardevoir accompanying him, doing so would not be particularly difficult.
However, after thinking about it for a moment, he abandoned that idea.
Instead, he reached into his pocket and took out a small wedge that Akemi Aki had prepared for him.
He pressed it against the wall and began chanting.
"Born from the dark, darker than black. Impure and defiled, all shall be cleansed."
As the final words left his mouth, a dusk-colored Curtain descended from above, gradually covering the school grounds.
With this, the situation inside had undoubtedly changed.
Anyone capable of sensing Cursed Energy would immediately realize that a third party had intervened. Whether they were Jujutsu Sorcerers or curse users, they would have to reconsider their next actions.
As for Akira, that was precisely what he wanted.
"So, what should I do next? Wait here like a hunter for them to come out, or charge straight in?"
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"The first option is obviously safer, but the second one sounds much more fun."
While Akira was still considering his choices, a voice suddenly came from inside the Curtain.
"Don't move!"
The next instant, Akira froze.
His entire body stiffened without warning. Even though his mind remained perfectly clear, his limbs refused to obey him.
"Is this... Cursed Speech?"
Akira was startled.
He recognized the technique almost immediately.
Cursed Speech was a high-level form of Jujutsu that allowed its user to channel Cursed Energy into spoken words, forcing the target to obey the command.
To put it simply, it was a weakened version of the concept of Words Become Law.
Although the technique had several limitations, its usefulness in combat was undeniable. A single command could restrain an opponent, force them to retreat, or create an opening that would otherwise be impossible to obtain.
It was also the signature technique of the Inumaki Clan, one of the famous families in the Jujutsu world.
And judging from the voice he had just heard, Akira could already make a fairly accurate guess about the person responsible.
Toge Inumaki.
The current generation's heir to the Inumaki Clan, and one of the popular supporting characters from *Jujutsu Kaisen*.
"So it's not a curse user after all. It's that famous group of reckless protagonists."
Realizing who he was dealing with, Akira gradually relaxed.
A smile appeared on his face.
He had always known that he would eventually encounter the main characters of *Jujutsu Kaisen*. After all, the Jujutsu world was relatively small, and there were only so many active Jujutsu Sorcerers in Japan.
As long as he continued moving around in this world, their paths were bound to cross sooner or later.
He simply had not expected their first meeting to happen this soon.
Still, this was good news.
Gardevoir had already sensed that there was something beneficial about this encounter, and now Akira understood why.
With that thought, he turned his eyes toward her.
Gardevoir was already looking at him.
Her large eyes were filled with concern. Although she did not understand exactly what had happened, she could sense that the power restraining their bodies was unusual.
Seeing her expression, Akira suddenly remembered something.
"Ah, that's bad."
There was one important problem with Cursed Speech.
Although the technique was extremely powerful, that power came with a corresponding price.
The stronger the command, the greater the burden placed on the user's throat. And the stronger the target being affected, the more severe the backlash would become.
In other words, using Cursed Speech against a powerful opponent was a dangerous gamble.
Under normal circumstances, Inumaki would already have to be careful when using his technique.
But this time, there was an additional problem.
Akira and Gardevoir had entered the range of his Cursed Speech.
And judging from the amount of Cursed Energy coming from inside the school, there was also a powerful enemy involved.
That meant Inumaki's command had affected Akira, Gardevoir, and the enemy at the same time.
The backlash from restraining all three would be enormous.
Even if his throat was not completely ruined, it certainly would not be in good condition.
"Tch. Looks like I caused trouble."
The timing made it obvious that Inumaki had used Cursed Speech after Akira lowered the Curtain.
Since his interference might have contributed to the situation, Akira felt that he should at least take some responsibility.
He immediately abandoned his previous hesitation.
"Little Sha, move!"
"Sha~"
Gardevoir responded at once.
The decision had been made.
Wait-and-Ambush was rejected.
Peerless Infiltration was chosen!
Fortunately, Cursed Speech had another important weakness. Although its effects activated almost instantly, they also tended to disappear quickly.
Less than two seconds later, Akira regained control of his body.
Without wasting another moment, he ran toward the wall, placed one foot against it, and vaulted over with practiced ease.
Gardevoir followed closely behind.
Once inside the school grounds, Akira immediately followed the trail of Cursed Energy toward the source of the fighting.
He did not have to search for long.
Very soon, he saw the Cursed Spirit responsible for all the commotion.
And the first thought that came to his mind was simple.
*It's huge!*
Extremely huge!
The creature was nearly two stories tall, with a massive, rounded body that resembled an oversized caterpillar.
Its enormous bulk occupied a large portion of the school grounds, making the surrounding buildings appear strangely small in comparison.
Compared to its sheer size, all its other physical characteristics seemed almost insignificant.
Even without considering its abilities, the destructive force that such a gigantic body could produce was already terrifying.
In fact, judging from its size and the pressure it released, this creature was far stronger than any Cursed Spirit Akira had encountered before.
More importantly, the amount of Cursed Energy contained within its body was astonishing.
The surrounding air seemed saturated with negative emotions. Anyone with insufficient strength would probably find it difficult to even stand in its presence, much less fight against it.
Akira narrowed his eyes.
A Cursed Spirit was essentially an aggregation of curses, a being formed from accumulated Cursed Energy.
As long as its Cursed Energy was not exhausted, it could continuously regenerate its damaged body.
And once a Cursed Spirit reached a certain level, its regenerative ability and endurance became so ridiculous that fighting it through ordinary means was practically hopeless.
Looking at the enormous creature before him, Akira quickly made his judgment.
"At least Grade 1."
Even if it had not reached Special Grade, it was undoubtedly among the strongest Cursed Spirits within the Grade 1 category.
However, what interested Akira even more was the place where this monster had appeared.
"Seriously, just how much pressure did this school put on its students to breed something like this?"
After all, Cursed Spirits were born from the negative emotions of humans.
An ordinary school might accumulate resentment, anxiety, fear, and frustration from its students. But producing a monster of this level was still rather ridiculous.
Unfortunately, the Cursed Spirit had no intention of stopping to listen to his complaints.
**BOOM!**
A deafening crash rang out.
The enormous creature smashed through part of the school building, sending broken concrete and debris scattering across the ground.
Its gigantic body squeezed through the damaged structure and emerged into the open.
Then, without hesitation, it raised one of its short but incredibly thick arms.
And slammed it downward.
**BANG!**
A black-and-white figure was struck directly.
It was Panda.
Despite his sturdy body, he was smashed into the ground with terrifying force.
The concrete beneath him cracked and sank, forming a large depression around his body.
The impact alone was enough to demonstrate the monster's physical strength.
However, the Cursed Spirit was far from finished.
Its enormous body began to writhe, and it slowly shifted its weight forward.
Judging from its movements, it intended to roll directly over Panda and crush him beneath its massive bulk.
With Panda still lying inside the crater, there was almost no time left to escape.
At that critical moment, another voice rang out.
"Don't move!"
The command carried a powerful surge of Cursed Energy.
The Cursed Spirit's movements suddenly slowed.
Its enormous body stiffened, resisting the invisible force that had seized control of it.
However, even against such a powerful creature, the command managed to create a brief opening.
And Inumaki immediately seized it.
"Run!"
Another command followed.
Panda, who had been lying motionless on the ground just a moment earlier, suddenly sprang into action.
It was as though his body had been forcibly filled with energy.
He scrambled to his feet and ran backward with everything he had.
Despite his large and rather bulky appearance, his movements were surprisingly fast. His speed and agility were comparable to those of a hunting cat.
In the blink of an eye, he had already covered a considerable distance.
Unfortunately, the Cursed Spirit was not going to let him escape so easily.
The effect of Cursed Speech quickly wore off.
Its enormous body trembled, then began moving again.
With an angry roar, it turned toward Panda and gave chase.
This was one of the greatest limitations of Cursed Speech.
Its effects were almost immediate, but unless the user was overwhelmingly stronger than the target, the duration of those effects was usually extremely short.
Against a monster of this level, even a successful command could only buy a few precious moments.
And although the Cursed Spirit was not particularly fast, its enormous size more than compensated for that weakness.
Each movement of its massive body covered an absurd amount of ground.
The distance Panda had desperately created was disappearing at an alarming rate.
One step from the monster was practically equivalent to ten of Panda's.
At this rate, it would catch him in another moment.
Just then, a sharp shout came from above.
"Hah!"
A figure leapt down from a higher position.
It was a girl wearing glasses, with her hair tied into a single ponytail.
In her hands was a long polearm.
Using the momentum of her fall, she swung the weapon with all her strength, aiming directly at the Cursed Spirit's enormous head.
The timing was excellent.
The target was also impossible to miss.
Unfortunately, the result was far from ideal.
**Slash!**
The blade struck the monster's head and tore through its outer surface.
However, that was as far as it went.
The Cursed Spirit's body was simply too thick.
Beneath the damaged surface were layer upon layer of dense, elastic flesh and fat.
Although the polearm managed to split open the outer layer, it could not penetrate much deeper.
Instead, the thick mass of flesh suddenly rebounded.
The force traveled back through the weapon.
The girl's hands were violently shaken, and before she could adjust her grip, the polearm was sent flying.
Her eyes widened.
She was still in midair.
With nothing to support her body and her weapon gone, there was no way for her to change direction.
And directly beneath her, the Cursed Spirit had already opened its mouth.
It was an enormous opening, nearly five meters across.
The inside was so dark that its depth could not be seen.
At that moment, it looked as though the monster intended to swallow her whole.
"Maki!!!"
Panda, who had been running for his life, immediately stopped.
He turned around and shouted in panic.
A short distance away, Inumaki also saw what was happening.
His expression changed drastically.
He forced his mouth open, desperately trying to issue another command.
However, before he could finish speaking, a violent cough escaped his throat.
"Cough! Cough!"
Blood spilled from his mouth.
The repeated use of Cursed Speech had already pushed his throat beyond its limit.
Even though he wanted to save his companion, his body could no longer withstand another command.
Meanwhile, Maki was still falling.
The enormous mouth beneath her was getting closer.
Her weapon was gone, and there was nothing nearby that she could grab to stop herself.
For the first time since entering the fight, Maki's face turned pale.
She knew exactly what would happen if she fell into that mouth.
However, even in this seemingly hopeless situation, there was no trace of surrender in her eyes.
She gritted her teeth, desperately searching for some way to escape.
She refused to give up.