"We need to leave imme—" Megumi started to say something important, but his words got stuck in his throat, as if someone was squeezing his larynx.
At that moment, it became unbearably difficult to breathe in the room. The space in front of me seemed to thicken, saturated with a menacing aura and terrible cursed energy. The curse standing before me radiated power and horror, causing my companions to tense up like cats whose tails had been stepped on. But instead of angry hissing and raised fur, their skin was covered in goosebumps, and their hearts began to beat so intensely that it seemed as if they were fighting Dagon, not just standing on the sidelines. Their bodies were tense from the feeling of an invisible threat, each of them frozen in anticipation...
Kneeling before Dagon's ashes, the cursed spirit slowly scooped a handful of ash into its palm, symbolizing its bond with the fallen comrade. The ash began to trickle through its fingers, like sand.
"Farewell, Dagon," the cursed spirit spoke, paying no attention to me or the others. "Our souls will continue to revolve in the circle of life and death regardless of human fate, and we will meet again in the wasteland... A hundred years from now, in the ruins of human civilization. Leave the rest to me. And now..." The curse raised its head and looked at me with its single eye.
"How dramatic," I said, grinning widely and nastily at it, staring into its single eye. "It's a pity I smashed that mollusk's head; otherwise, I might have shed a tear."
High-level provocation was a power that even Satoru couldn't resist. Therefore, my words, imbued with spiritual energy, tugged, or rather, tore apart the emotional strings in the heart of this curse. An uncontrolled torrent of cursed energy burst out of it, causing the air around us to shake from the rising heat. Maki, Megumi, Nanami, and Naobito immediately retreated, feeling the curse's power, but I stood still, smiling even wider at the curse.
I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air that burned my throat. At that moment, it would have been unbearable for any other Sorcerer to be near Jogo, but I felt only anticipation, as if I had found a kindred spirit... The meeting of a fire-wielding Sorcerer and a curse symbolizing fire. Hell, I would have been trembling if I weren't keeping myself in check.
"Bastard," Jogo growled in a furious voice, as if the very earth trembled under his rage.
Immediately after that, my "Heightened Senses" detected a slight distortion in the column to the side and a brief surge of cursed energy. I instantly understood what was happening. However, I didn't panic or try to dodge; I simply activated the "Second Aspect," creating a "Flame Armor" to protect my body, just in case. Being someone who relied on "Spirituality" and "Sense of Danger" during battles, I clearly understood that this attack did not pose a real threat to me. But as Satoru's example showed, it's better to be safe than sorry and avoid ending up under "prison" arrest.
Less than a second after realizing Jogo's intentions, a stream of concentrated flames shot out from a mini-volcano created on one of the columns, instantly enveloping me. Burning everything in its path, the fire stream was short but intense, melting everything around me.
"How fragile we are," I muttered, dispersing the smoke with a simple wave of my hand. "And I haven't even started explaining what it's like to squeeze your comrade's neck until his head, with a nasty crack, separates…"
My words were interrupted by another "volcanic eruption." Or rather, twelve mini-volcanoes flared up on the nearest columns, ceiling, and support walls, all aimed at me. This time, my "Sense of Danger" buzzed so loudly it felt like it would tear my ears apart.
The note "high rank" next to "Provocation" was clearly not just for show.
At that moment, I had captured all of Jogo's attention. He was focused on me, as if I had become the matador waving a red cape, provoking his "bullish" rage. By directing all his anger at me, I ensured that the curse no longer recognized the presence of Maki, Megumi, Nanami, and Naobito, meaning I only had to do one thing to ensure they could get away unscathed... Funny, unscathed...
Gathering my thoughts, I further strengthened my legs with cursed energy and then stepped forward. At that moment, my image should have disappeared from Jogo's field of vision because I moved so quickly that I didn't even leave scorched footprints on the ground. The instant the fiery volley from the mini-volcanoes converged where I had just been, I was already beside Jogo, delivering a powerful strike with the "Playful Cloud." The cursed spirit, true to its reputation, reacted faster than Dagon and jumped back, trying to block. But even with his exceptional reaction and speed, it wasn't enough—he was too late! One section of the "Playful Cloud" struck Jogo's block with destructive force, grotesquely distorting his arms, and then his body flew back, breaking through the sound barrier and the glass ceiling, disappearing outside.
Instantly appearing beside Maki, I took her hand and placed the "Playful Cloud" in it. After a brief pause, I looked at everyone present and spoke:
"The next ten minutes will turn this place into hell. You'd better leave as soon as possible."
"Are you suggesting that Sorcerers abandon the mission?" Nanami frowned.
"We're no strangers to risking our lives, kid," Naobito chuckled, cracking his neck. "Besides, I'm just getting warmed up."
Sometimes I think that even these two, notorious for their dissatisfaction with the work of a Sorcerer, are nothing but fools! Just a few seconds ago, you were trembling like autumn leaves in the wind, and now you're spouting nonsense like this!?
"Risking your life is one thing, but acting thoughtlessly and losing it for nothing is pointless and absurd," I responded to the old man first, then turned to Nanami. "Mahito and his army of altered humans are still in Shibuya. The baby monitor will guide you... Just don't split up this time, like those two idiots."
Already preparing to chase after Jogo to avoid hearing their complaints again, I stopped, remembering something.
"Take care of yourself," I said, handing Maki a talisman I made just a few hours ago.
Only then did I rush after Jogo, who had been out of sight for some time.
"Baby monitor?" Megumi's words were the last thing I heard before dashing out.
"I hate you," Kokichi yelled into my earpiece.
When I jumped outside, the first thing that struck me was the silence, broken only by occasional rustles. My gaze swept across the street, noting the crater in the middle of the road – Jogo's landing site. The empty shops on either side of the road only heightened the sense of emptiness and threat.
In the next moment, my "Sense of Danger" pierced my nerves. I reacted instantly, turning and raising my arms to block the curse's fist. Thanks to my own reinforcement, the blow didn't harm me, but its impact still sent my body flying a dozen meters, leaving two deep grooves behind me.
Immediately after, with no time to catch my breath, I had to dodge, bending my back flexibly to avoid a powerful blast from a mini-volcano that suddenly erupted on the wall of a building to the right. Following this, I had to push off the ground with my hands, quickly evading the next shot that came from the other side of the street.
However, there in the air, Jogo was already waiting for me, his hand raised for another strike. But I didn't panic. Smiling broadly at him, I clapped my hands together, using my "cursed technique" against him for the first time. In the next instant, Jogo unleashed a powerful stream of flames at me with a mighty punch. Simultaneously, a one-meter-diameter fireball formed above my clasped hands. Before either of us could blink, there was a loud explosion, and the shockwave blasted us both backward.
Skillfully rolling to the side, I quickly got to my feet, focusing my "Spiritual Vision" on the figure slowly emerging from the building it had crashed into a second ago.
"How's Itadori?" I asked, seizing a free moment.
Judging by how things were unfolding, the fight between my junior and his newly minted elder brother should have ended by now...
"What are you talking about?" Kokichi's voice came through the earpiece.
Unfortunately, the response to my question was a sudden surge of incredibly toxic and malevolent cursed energy, unmistakable in its origin.
"Sukuna…" Kokichi muttered.
"Sukuna," Jogo echoed simultaneously.
"It's just a finger for now, but…" I initially addressed their concerns, then turned to Mechamaru. "Judging by your tone, you don't know what's happening around Itadori."
"These devices transmit sound, not video! This isn't a spy movie! I had to sacrifice some features to maintain constant and reliable communication with all the Sorcerers in Shibuya! Besides, I was just in touch with Itadori Yuji half a minute ago... I thought he was silent because he was in the midst of a fight, so I didn't want to distract him. I didn't know things would turn out like this," Kokichi started rambling, clearly running through all possible scenarios and fixating on the worst ones.
"I'm not blaming you for anything," I noted calmly, shifting my gaze to the frozen curse. "So, we have a new variable. What will you do now?"