The experience she was proud of did not help much against Gardevoir’s overwhelming strength and Akira’s calm caution. In the end, aside from setting up the Curtain at the start and keeping things hidden, there was nothing for her to do. Her sense of presence also kept dropping.
Akira doted on Gardevoir in a way that was far from normal. Every time Gardevoir showed a bit of progress, he would praise her, pat her head, hold her hand, or hug her, and Gardevoir would be very happy, often forgetting her mother was even there.
A good relationship between son and daughter was fine, but at least spare a thought for the mother’s feelings. Standing next to them made her seem completely unnecessary.
In any case, her technique, barrier attachment, allowed her to prepare a barrier in advance and release it when needed. Limited by her level as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, she could not deploy high grade barriers, and their scale and duration were restricted. Still, since Akira was not someone who stayed away from home for long periods, preparing before he went out was enough.
Akira fully supported this decision. Bringing his mother along while clearing areas still felt a bit awkward, and some questionable tactics were hard to use with her watching. This showed that his skin was not thick enough yet.
That said, his legs were more than capable. He rode like crazy, pedaling his bicycle. Before getting a motorcycle license, this was the most convenient way to get around, and it even gave the feeling of taking a girlfriend out for a ride.
The speed was seventy kilometers per hour. His mood felt light and free. The important point was ahead.
A school?
There was a bit of disappointment, but it was not strange. Student pressure in Japan was famously high, and negative emotions gathering at a school was completely normal. After finishing visits to those famous haunted locations, Akira planned to turn his attention to schools next anyway.
What really struck Akira as odd was the undisguised fluctuations of Cursed Energy inside the school, along with clear sounds of fighting.
“It seems I’m not the only Jujutsu Sorcerer who doesn’t follow the rules. Or maybe it’s a reckless curse user.”
A few concepts needed to be made clear. The existence of Cursed Energy was similar to chakra or battle energy in other stories, and anyone who mastered Cursed Energy was beyond ordinary humans. Across all of Japan, the number of humans who could use Cursed Energy had only just crossed into four digits.
Cursed Spirit could not be seen by ordinary people, nor harmed by them. Only attacks containing Cursed Energy could damage Cursed Spirit, and it had always been the Jujutsu Sorcerer who protected humanity from them. With such a power gap and a protector’s status, it was easy to understand why some Jujutsu Sorcerer viewed ordinary people as animals or insects and acted without restraint.
That was how curse users came to be. Understanding it was one thing, agreeing with it was another.
“The freedom of the weak should be the boundary of the strong.” That was a saying Akira liked very much. You did not have to be a hero, but at least do not become a villain without limits.
“If it really is a curse user, then I’ll kill them. That’s how the Jujutsu alliance handles it anyway, at least on the surface. It’ll also be a good test to see if killing people drops loot.”
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Akira muttered to himself, his expression growing fierce. Gardevoir was not afraid, because his intent was rooted in goodwill.
He parked his bicycle by the nearest wall. After some thought, Akira gave up on sneaking directly into the campus and took out a wedge made by Akemi Aki from his pocket, slapping it into the wall.
“Born from the dark, darker than black. Impure and defiled, all shall be cleansed.”
A dusk colored Curtain descended from the air. Anyone with eyes would realize a third party had intervened, and their actions would change accordingly.
“So what’s next, wait like a hunter for them to come out, or charge in head on? The first is safer, but the second is obviously more fun.”
Just as Akira was hesitating, a voice came from inside the Curtain.
“Don’t move!”
And then Akira really could not move at all.
“Is this Cursed Speech?”
Akira’s body froze, but his heart jolted. He recognized it at once and understood what kind of technique it was.
Cursed Speech was a high level form of Jujutsu. By channeling Cursed Energy into speech, it gave words forced authority, roughly a weaker version of Words Become Law. It was a very practical technique and the signature ability of the famous Inumaki Clan among Jujutsu Sorcerer families.
Judging by the voice and tone, Akira could basically confirm the user. It was the heir of the current generation of the Inumaki Clan, a popular supporting character from Jujutsu Kaisen, Toge Inumaki.
“So it is not a Curse User, but that reckless and famous Protagonist Team.”
Akira relaxed, a smile appearing on his face. He knew they would meet eventually since the world of Jujutsu Sorcerer was not large, but he did not expect it to happen so soon.
As Gardevoir had sensed, this was a good thing. Thinking that, Akira glanced at Gardevoir, and she was already looking back at him. Her large eyes were full of concern, as she could feel that Cursed Speech was not normal.
“That’s bad.”
Akira realized the problem at once. Cursed Speech was powerful, but that power came at a price.
The stronger the Cursed Speech, the greater the strain on the user’s throat. The stronger the target, the heavier the backlash on the speaker.
With Akira, Gardevoir, and the enemy inside the Curtain all affected, the backlash on Toge Inumaki would be severe. Even if his throat was not ruined, it would not be in good shape.
Since Cursed Speech was used after the Curtain fell, Akira felt responsible. He did not hesitate any longer.
“Little Sha, move!”
“Sha~”
Wait-and-Ambush was rejected, Peerless Infiltration was chosen. The effect of Cursed Speech came fast and faded just as fast.
In less than two seconds, Akira and Gardevoir returned to normal. He vaulted over the wall with practiced ease and followed the trail of cursed energy forward.
Very soon, Akira saw a Cursed Spirit unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was big, extremely big.
Its height alone was close to two stories, its body round like a gigantic caterpillar. Faced with such size, all other traits felt secondary.
Just the raw force and impact from its mass surpassed every Cursed Spirit Akira had encountered before. The vast amount of Cursed Energy stored inside made it feel like standing in a sea of malice, where weaker beings could barely breathe.
A Cursed Spirit was a lump of curses, an aggregate of Cursed Energy. As long as its energy was not depleted, it could keep regenerating, and at a certain level, its health and endurance were practically endless.
At first sight, Akira made his judgment. This was at least a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, and even if it was not Special Grade, it was among the strongest of its rank.
“To breed something like this, just how much pressure did this school put on its students?”
Born from pressure and filled with negative emotions, the Cursed Spirit did not stop for his complaint. It smashed through the school building and squeezed its massive body outside, then swung a stubby but thick arm and slammed Panda into the ground.
The concrete surface cracked and sank from the blow, showing its terrifying strength. Its huge body then writhed, clearly trying to roll over Panda.
At the critical moment, another voice rang out. “Don’t move.”
Words filled with strong will and Cursed Energy slowed the Cursed Spirit’s movements. Seizing the opening, another Cursed Speech followed at once.
“Run!”
Panda, who had been lying on the ground with his fate unknown, was suddenly filled with energy. He scrambled up and sprinted backward with all his strength, his speed and agility enough to pass for a hunting cat.
By then, the massive Cursed Spirit had already shaken off the effect of Cursed Speech. Its huge body undulated as it gave chase.
