JJK: Chapter 22/24

Chapter 22: Totality

A little while back, Suguru, carrying his newly acquired long-staff cursed tool and accompanied by a host of Cursed Spirits, began a thorough search of the school after leaving the gymnasium.

The long-staff cursed tool was bought with Eichi. Among blade-type weapons, Suguru was only interested in hammers, clubs, and long-handled weapons that conveyed a sense of power.

However, long-handled weapons were too large and inconvenient to carry. After all, the two were not always together, and Eichi could not constantly act as Suguru's storage.

Light, short-handled weapons felt uninteresting to Suguru. After much deliberation, he chose a retractable long-staff cursed tool.

The staff could shorten to half a meter and extend to three meters. When striking an enemy, injecting Cursed Energy could generate a powerful impact, making it full of power.

"There is a cursed tool that suits you quite well. If you save enough money, you can buy it from Satoru, but you need to be quick, or someone else will buy it."

After fully understanding Suguru's preferences, Eichi offered a suggestion.

"What cursed tool?"

Hearing there was a cursed tool suitable for him, Suguru became interested.

"The Special Grade cursed tool, Playful Cloud. It is currently the only known Special Grade cursed tool not imbued with a Technique. When attacking, it grants powerful physical destructive force based on the wielder's arm strength."

"Oh? How much?"

Suguru was intrigued. This kind of powerful-sounding cursed tool was right up his alley.

"Five hundred million."

Suguru's mouth fell open.

Although exorcising Cursed Spirits brought quick money, that was five hundred million. Even dozens of Grade 1 Cursed Spirits would not be enough to save up for that.

But if he worked alone…

Suguru stroked his chin.

He had always teamed up with Eichi to exorcise Cursed Spirits before, with Eichi taking the lion's share. If he worked alone, a dozen or so should be enough.

"After this is over, I need to save money quickly."

With that, Suguru walked into the teaching building.

The High School Division buildings were arranged in a two-three-two distribution.

On the upper left were outdoor sports facilities and club activity areas, and below that was the gymnasium.

In the middle, above was the old school building, and below were two teaching buildings. On the right were two laboratory buildings.

Home economics, physics, chemistry, and other courses were conducted in these two laboratory buildings.

There is strength in numbers, and the same applies to Cursed Spirits.

With the help of hundreds of Cursed Spirits, Suguru found all body parts except the head in less than an hour.

However, the final head could not be found no matter what.

"Is the only remaining place the broadcasting room?"

The Cursed Spirits sent to search the broadcasting room had not reported back, and he could not contact them now. Regardless of whether the final head was in the broadcasting room or not, Suguru had to investigate.

"The Crimson Being has appeared in the auditorium."

The familiar broadcast voice reappeared, and Suguru frowned.

"Strange, should the Crimson Being not be watched by Max Elephant? Why is it broadcasting again that the Crimson Being is in the auditorium?"

A second clone? Or the main body?

Never mind, it is just a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. Eichi can handle it. What he needed to do now was ascertain the situation in the broadcasting room.

Soon, Suguru arrived at the entrance of the broadcasting room.

Today was not cloudy. The moonlight outside was bright, but the broadcasting room's windows were pitch black, as if there were no lights inside.

Click, click.

Suguru tugged at the door a few times, discovering it was locked from the inside.

Holding the long staff in his hand, Suguru prepared to break in directly.

Just as he was gathering strength to attack, the door to the broadcasting room opened a crack.

A scarlet pupil inside the door stared at Suguru.

His heart trembled, and he immediately prepared for battle.

"Come in."

Suguru, who was about to attack, froze. This was the first time he had seen a Cursed Spirit that could speak clearly.

He had seen some Grade 1 Cursed Spirits that could utter words before, but their speech was always disjointed and unclear.

The broadcasting room door fully opened, and a girl's figure appeared before Suguru's eyes.

"Who are you?"

At the same time, inside the auditorium.

Black mist surged out, and a Cursed Spirit, about six meters tall, slowly materialized within the black mist.

The Cursed Spirit's body resembled an ordinary fat person, but its neck was a full four meters long, continuously spewing black mist from both sides. Its gigantic head had a mouth that opened and closed like a four-petaled flower, and its dark, easily overlooked eyes stared at Eichi.

Cursed Spirit.

When the Special Grade Cursed Spirit appeared, this thought arose in everyone's mind.

A cold sweat dripped from his forehead. The pressure brought by the Special Grade Cursed Spirit made Eichi tremble slightly.

Should I summon Mahoraga?

Mahoraga's adaptation to the Command Spells was not completely finished yet. If all three Command Spells were used together, he should be able to control Mahoraga temporarily.

But what then?

How long would it take for Mahoraga to fully adapt to the Command Spells?

A few minutes? A few seconds?

There was also the possibility that Mahoraga had already fully adapted to the Command Spells.

After all, Mahoraga's ability was to adapt to all phenomena. It could start adapting after enduring just one attack, and he had used three Command Spells on Mahoraga before.

At this moment, Eichi suddenly realized that his mindset somewhat overlapped with Megumi's.

Megumi always believed that summoning Mahoraga could solve everything, and in the first six months of the story, he nearly self-destructed eight times.

He seemed to have developed the same idea.

"How unsightly."

He was actually afraid.

Yes, Eichi noticed that the moment the Cursed Spirit appeared, he was actually afraid.

Afraid of what? The Cursed Spirit opposite him was Special Grade, but was he not a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer?

Although not officially recognized by the Jujutsu World, would Satoru's Six Eyes be worse than the Jujutsu World in assessing strength?

Before Satoru and Suguru rose to prominence, Special Grade Cursed Spirits were exorcised by Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers. So what was there to be afraid of? Fight.

A hint of madness gleamed in Eichi's eyes. Suguru did not know when he would arrive. No, he could not always rely on others.

Assuming Suguru could not make it back, he would put everything on the line and win.

"Divine Dogs. Tiger Funeral."

Tiger Funeral in front, Divine Dogs on the side, the two Shikigami began probing attacks.

The next moment, black mist permeated, and the entire auditorium was instantly enveloped in it.

"No sensation of poisoning or weakness. Is it purely a means to obstruct vision?"

Eichi thought.

Suddenly, a gaping maw appeared before him.

"Die."

Eichi was startled and immediately swung his sword down.

The Cursed Spirit's head instantly split in two under Eichi's attack, but he felt something was off.

"Too light. It does not feel like cutting into a Cursed Spirit's head. It feels more like cutting into a plush toy."

The next moment, another Cursed Spirit rushed out from behind the Cursed Spirit.

Eichi parried with his horizontal blade, and the immense force sent him flying.

"Puh-ha."

He crashed violently against the auditorium wall, spiderweb-like cracks spreading outward.

Canceling the summoning of the Black Divine Dog, Round Deer appeared beside Eichi and began healing him.

"Tiger Funeral. Blow away this black mist for me."

Eichi shouted. Hearing his voice, the swirling Qi around Tiger Funeral transformed into a storm and scattered, immediately dispersing most of the black mist.

The next moment, Eichi's eyes widened.

He saw the Crimson Being constantly entangling Tiger Funeral's movements beside him, while the Special Grade Cursed Spirit not far away held a body broken in two.

It was the corpse of the White Divine Dog.

"You bastard."

His injuries healed, Eichi immediately charged into the black mist toward the Special Grade Cursed Spirit with his long blade.

At this moment, Eichi seemed to enter a strange state. Half of his mind was filled with rage like an erupting volcano, while the other half was as cold as an ice cavern, terrifyingly calm.

After rushing into the black mist, Eichi swung his blade at the Cursed Spirit's neck. The next moment, the Cursed Spirit again broke apart as if it were mist.

Behind Eichi, a gigantic figure appeared.

He reversed his grip, placing the sword behind his back, adopting a defensive posture similar to Su Qin carrying his sword.

Clang.

Indeed, it was solid.

The moment Eichi was sent flying, a figure appeared behind the Cursed Spirit with lightning speed, its sharp claws leaving huge gashes on the Cursed Spirit's body.

It was Divine Dog: Totality.

When a Shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique is killed, its Cursed Energy does not disappear into thin air but is inherited by other Shikigami. After the White Divine Dog's death, its Cursed Energy was successfully inherited by the Black Divine Dog, evolving into Divine Dog: Totality.

If the Cursed Spirit had not dodged in time, this attack would likely have severed its neck.

"Indeed, your ability is to create illusions in the black mist."

Divine Dog: Totality stood beside Eichi, spitting out two golden chess pieces from its mouth.

Those were the Assassin and Rider class Heroic Spirit chess pieces.

Then Eichi took out the Berserker class chess piece and placed it into Divine Dog: Totality.

Instantly, its muscles swelled, and a hint of scarlet gleamed in its eyes.

Divine Dog: Totality charged the Cursed Spirit, swinging its claws, and a series of wide-ranging slashes appeared.

The wide-ranging attacks meant that even if an illusion was hit, the true body of the Cursed Spirit, if it wanted to counterattack, could only do so from the small areas not covered by the slashes.

And the opening exposed by Divine Dog: Totality was naturally covered by Eichi.

Pfft.

The katana sliced into the Cursed Spirit's body. Its long neck bent down, snapping at Eichi.

But before it could, Divine Dog: Totality bit it first.

"Piercing Ox."

Piercing Ox materialized behind Eichi. The short run-up of over ten meters was not long, but it successfully rammed the Cursed Spirit out of the auditorium, moving the battle to the sports field.

"Nue."

Piercing Ox disappeared, and Tiger Funeral reappeared from Eichi's shadow, swallowing the Rider class Heroic Spirit chess piece.

Divine Dog: Totality turned and rushed into the auditorium, launching a fierce assault on the Crimson Being, striving to defeat the Grade 1 Crimson Being in the shortest possible time.

Tiger Funeral arrived at the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's battlefield, carrying a strong wind.

"Shadow Servant, Caster."

To maintain suppressive power against the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Eichi used the Caster class chess piece to summon a Shadow Servant.

At the same time, the strong wind around Tiger Funeral intensified, and the black mist around the Special Grade Cursed Spirit could only be maintained within a range of less than ten meters.

Eichi held his long blade, his gaze coldly fixed on the Special Grade Cursed Spirit shrouded in black mist.

The next moment, magic bullets, strong winds, and Eichi's long blade simultaneously attacked the Cursed Spirit.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 23: Reversal

First to arrive were the Shadow Servant's magic bullets.

A large number of magic bullets completely covered the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, its body dissipating into black mist.

Next came Tiger Funeral's wind pressure bullets.

The wind pressure bullets exploded upon reaching the area covered by black mist, instantly dispersing most of it, forcing the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's true form to be exposed.

Following closely, Eichi swung his sword at the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's legs.

Their figures crossed, and waiting for the Cursed Spirit was the Shadow Servant's prepared Cursed Energy cannon blast. Because its injured leg slowed it by a beat, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit was hit directly by the Shadow Servant's attack.

"We can win."

Eichi turned, and Tiger Funeral also let out a blast of wind to assist his attack.

Magic bullets, slashes, wind blasts.

Countless attacks continuously landed on the Cursed Spirit, and its aura continuously weakened.

The Cursed Spirit would not sit idly by.

Facing Eichi's katana, this time it did not assume a defensive posture, but swung its hand and grabbed the blade.

Eichi was startled, then immediately let go and retreated.

The next moment, the gaping maw bit fiercely into the spot where he had stood a second before.

Just as Eichi was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he saw the Cursed Spirit kick him in the head.

To Eichi's surprise, the Cursed Spirit's head, driven by its long neck, became like a meteor hammer, knocking him flying.

"Pfft."

A mouthful of blood spurted out, and intense pain shot through Eichi's chest.

"Damn it, at least three ribs are broken."

Feeling the pain, Eichi knew it was bad.

Because it happened suddenly, he was unable to mobilize enough Cursed Energy for defense.

Should I summon Round Deer to heal?

No, I cannot. A single Shadow Servant cannot suppress the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

Once Tiger Funeral's wind stops dispersing the mist, even if Shadow Servant Caster has powerful attack capabilities, it will be difficult to hit the Cursed Spirit within the black mist.

If I dismiss Divine Dog: Totality, the people in the auditorium will be in danger, and it would be very troublesome if the Crimson Being rushed over here.

"Damn it."

If that is the case, then I will heal myself.

Quickly remember the feeling when Round Deer heals, that fluctuation of Cursed Energy.

Eichi's mind spun frantically, recalling the Cursed Energy fluctuations Round Deer emitted when summoned before, and the feeling of Reverse Cursed Technique flowing through his body when healed.

Faster, even faster.

As Eichi attempted Reverse Cursed Technique, the situation on the field changed.

Deprived of Eichi's restraint, the Cursed Spirit began to advance toward Tiger Funeral.

Dragged into close combat, Tiger Funeral could no longer maintain the strong winds that dispersed the black mist.

The black mist began to spread widely.

Fortunately, Tiger Funeral itself was very strong in combat and had the Shadow Servant providing aerial support.

Tiger Funeral gathered a vortex of Qi around itself, making it difficult for the mist to approach its body.

Whenever the Cursed Spirit's figure appeared next to Tiger Funeral, the Shadow Servant attacked immediately.

If the figure dissipated, it was an illusion formed by black mist. If it did not, it was the main body.

Although the main body would not sustain much damage from a magic bullet, its movements would definitely be hindered, and Tiger Funeral would seize the opportunity to counterattack.

The situation was deadlocked again, but if the stalemate was not broken, Eichi's side would definitely be the first to lose combat capability.

Divine Dog: Totality did not quickly resolve the Crimson Being and come to support as Eichi had expected.

A huge sense of crisis enveloped Eichi, and his potential was continuously stimulated at this moment.

Cursed Energy flowed within his body. Suddenly, a surge of Cursed Energy paused, then shot in the opposite direction, colliding with another surge.

Instead of exploding, the two surges produced a completely new surge of Cursed Energy.

"So that is it, this is what Reverse Cursed Technique feels like. It really is a 'whoosh' then a 'whoop,' haha."

Feeling his injuries recovering, Eichi laughed wildly and charged back into the battlefield with his sword raised.

Inside the auditorium, Ise, Asuka, and the others watched the battle inside and outside the hall, mustering their courage to place the head that had fallen onto the ground into the coffin.

Soon, the figure in the coffin opened her eyes.

"We have helped you find all your body parts. It is time to let us go, isn't it?"

Ise shielded Asuka behind him, looking at the girl rising from the coffin and speaking.

"It is your turn."

"What?"

The girl's words made Ise and the others feel a sudden sense of dread.

"It is your turn to lie down and start the next round of the game."

"What do you mean?"

Asuka trembled all over, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Decide quickly, who is going in next?"

The girl, with a pale face, looked at everyone in the auditorium.

"Do not panic, Asuka, we still have a chance."

After speaking, he looked at the Crimson Being, who was being suppressed by Divine Dog: Totality.

"As long as they finish off the Cursed Spirits, we can all go back."

Ise's comfort had a very good effect.

The panic on the others' faces lessened considerably.

At this moment, Kenji, who had been silently standing by, suddenly stepped up and forcefully grabbed Uranishi Shota, who was hiding at the back.

"What are you doing? Let go of me."

Uranishi frantically hit Kenji, but the thin Kenji burst out with a strength that he could not break free from.

A phantom figure vaguely emerged behind Kenji.

If Eichi were here, he would definitely say, "I knew that anyone who is alone in a horror movie and still fine is definitely problematic."

Ise and the others immediately moved to help.

Ise quickly reached Uranishi's side, trying to pry open Kenji's hands.

Asuka and Rie had just moved when they were grabbed by the girl behind them. The immense strength made it impossible for the two to break free.

The chaos by the coffin attracted Divine Dog: Totality's attention.

The order to protect ordinary people had not been lifted, but the current situation made the Divine Dog's brain unable to comprehend.

Because in its perception, everyone on the field was an ordinary person, all of them objects it should protect.

But the people who needed protection were attacking other people who needed protection.

That was right, the girl in the coffin also became a living person after her body was pieced together.

Divine Dogs, already not particularly intelligent, had an even less effective brain after being enraged by the Berserker chess piece.

Dog brain overloaded.

Because of this, the Crimson Being got a breather.

"Stop it."

A female voice sounded in the auditorium, attracting everyone's attention.

The girl in the coffin, Kenji who was suspected of being possessed, and the Crimson Being all stopped.

Divine Dog: Totality, seeing that the ordinary people were not in danger, intended to continue exorcising the Crimson Being, but the Crimson Being's figure disappeared and appeared at the auditorium entrance.

Two people were walking in there.

"You can control the Crimson Being?"

"In this barrier, I can influence the Crimson Being's actions, but I cannot influence 'it'."

"As long as we deal with it, everything will be over?"

In the auditorium lights, Ise and the others clearly saw the newcomers' figures.

One was Suguru, in whom they had placed their hopes, and the other was a girl who was completely ethereal like a ghost, and whose appearance was very similar to the Crimson Being.

"That is right, as long as 'it' is dealt with, my sister and I can be free."

"You are the Crimson Being's older sister?"

Suguru was not particularly surprised. The first time he saw her, he felt she resembled the Crimson Being.

It was not surprising if they were sisters.

"Mm."

The ghost-like girl nodded, then stroked the Crimson Being's head and turned to walk toward the sports field.

"Finally, can we be free?"

The ghost-like girl murmured softly.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 24: First Special Grade Pokémon

When Eichi joined the battle, the situation changed immediately.

Previously, out of fear of injury, he would disengage as soon as he touched the Cursed Spirit while restraining it, with the primary goal of disrupting its movements.

Now it was different.

Having mastered Reverse Cursed Technique, Eichi no longer worried about getting injured, and his attacks became increasingly fierce.

Under the siege of one person and two Shikigami, new wounds constantly appeared on the Cursed Spirit's body.

A rough, hoarse sound rang out as the black mist around the Cursed Spirit converged, then suddenly burst apart.

The sudden change made Eichi wary.

As he retreated, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Suguru?"

Suguru's sudden appearance caused Eichi's movements to pause for a moment, but he quickly continued to swing his blade.

Eichi knew Suguru would not suddenly rush in front of him in such an unclear situation, nor would he attack him like this.

Pfft.

To Eichi's surprise, the katana pierced through "Suguru's" palm before being firmly grasped by the other party.

Then "Suguru" delivered a whip kick toward Eichi's waist.

Eichi blocked with his arm and was kicked away by "Suguru's" immense strength, and the katana was flung far away.

As Eichi warily looked at "Suguru," "Suguru's" body became dark and distorted, then transformed into Eichi himself, standing in front of him.

The black mist came and went quickly, and Tiger Funeral and Nue, who were about to attack, stopped with confused expressions.

The Cursed Spirit in the field had disappeared, leaving only two "Eichis" exchanging blows.

The two had identical figures and appearances, identical attack methods, and even identical Cursed Energy auras.

Very quickly, Tiger Funeral and Shadow Servant distinguished the real Eichi.

They identified their master through the connection from the Heroic Spirit chess pieces Eichi had used to strengthen them earlier.

The Eichi conjured by the Cursed Spirit was almost identical to the real one. Even the closest people would be unable to tell them apart in a short time.

But it was still a fake. It had not formed a contract with Eichi's Shikigami, nor did it have the connection brought by the Heroic Spirit chess pieces.

As the enemy became smaller, to avoid accidentally harming Eichi, Tiger Funeral and Shadow Servant switched from long-range spell bombardment to close-quarters combat.

Tiger Funeral's sharp claws, imbued with wind blades, repeatedly tore through the Cursed Spirit's defenses.

Shadow Servant lowered its altitude, changing from large-area bombardment to precise sniping, which forced the Cursed Spirit to constantly dodge.

Unlike the utterly disheveled Special Grade Cursed Spirit, Eichi felt incredibly good, better than ever.

Every move he had learned before was executed, and the originally ornamental moves became increasingly concise and lethal.

In Eichi's eyes, everything in the world seemed to slow several times, and every movement of the enemy was seen with extreme clarity.

The bent body, the fist thrown from behind, the corner of the clothes blown by the wind, and the distorted face of the Cursed Spirit that had transformed into Eichi.

At this moment, Eichi felt that nothing could escape his perception. He seemed to have become the center of the world.

Black Flash.

His clenched right fist swung toward the Cursed Spirit's chest.

Dark Cursed Energy flashed in his hand.

Pfft.

The Black Flash, arriving later but striking first, pierced through the Cursed Spirit's chest.

The Cursed Spirit let out a hoarse, miserable cry.

Heavily wounded, it could no longer maintain Eichi's appearance and reverted to its ugly, six-meter-tall form.

Eichi did not pursue but looked down at his right hand.

"Is this Black Flash?"

Black Flash, a critical hit delivered when a Jujutsu Sorcerer's physical attack and Cursed Energy impact differ by less than 0.0000001 seconds.

It is an attack that occurs when physical and Cursed Energy strikes land almost simultaneously, causing 2.5 times the original damage.

The immense power of a Black Flash can even distort space.

Having landed a Black Flash, Eichi felt better than ever. The Cursed Energy that usually required careful control now flowed as smoothly as breathing, every wisp moving according to his will.

He could even perceive the "taste" of Cursed Energy.

The Cursed Energy within him exuded the taste of anger, while the purplish-black blood of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit remaining on his hand revealed a malicious sense of satisfaction.

"A taste of falsehood and deceit."

A painful cry came, and the Cursed Spirit's broken body began to tremble. Cursed Spirits were released from its body one by one, and soon nearly a hundred low-grade Cursed Spirits appeared on the playground.

Almost all were humanoid Grade 4 Cursed Spirits, with a few at Grade 3.

Each distorted face bore an eerie smile.

As if immensely satisfied before death.

"Is this your true nature, to delude humans with false illusions and enslave their souls within your body?"

"Useless struggle."

Even with a large number of enemies appearing, Eichi's calm expression remained unchanged.

A group of offal Cursed Spirits posed no threat to the current Eichi.

Tiger Funeral and Shadow Servant began to attack.

One by one, the humanoid Cursed Spirits turned to ash in the gale and magical projectiles.

Eichi walked expressionlessly to the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, dodged its attack, and punched its head.

Straight punches, jabs, whip kicks. Attacks continuously landed, while the Cursed Spirit's counterattacks all missed.

Black Flash.

The second Black Flash landed, and another large hole appeared in its body. Its broken form finally collapsed.

Ignoring the Cursed Spirit struggling to crawl away, Eichi tilted his head and looked behind him.

"Too slow. If you were any later, your Special Grade Pokémon would be gone."

Perhaps because victory was already in hand, or perhaps because of Suguru's arrival, Eichi slowly withdrew from that peculiar state.

"Are you alright, Eichi?"

Suguru looked at him with concern.

Eichi was covered in blood, his clothes heavily damaged.

"I am fine. I have mastered Reverse Cursed Technique, and my injuries have already healed."

After speaking, Eichi turned to the Cursed Spirit struggling to crawl on the ground.

"Let us deal with this guy first, then we can talk about the two behind you."

With that, his gaze fell on the Crimson Being and the Cursed Spirit beside her who resembled her.

Tiger Funeral stood behind Eichi, and Divine Dog: Totality had, at some point, blocked their retreat.

"Understood."

Suguru wasted no words, passed Eichi, and activated his Technique to transform the Cursed Spirit into a black-purple Cursed Spirit Orb, then swallowed it with his back to Eichi.

Still retaining that omnipotent sensation, Eichi vaguely perceived Suguru trying to control his body and suppress the urge to vomit.

"It is over."

A few minutes later, Suguru, who had completely controlled the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, turned and stood beside Eichi.

"Are you going to tell us about your situation?"

Suguru looked at the two sisters surrounded by Shikigami, as well as Kenji, who had been escorted by his Cursed Spirits, and the girl in the coffin.

(To be continued.)