JJK: Chapter 19/21

Chapter 19: The Barrier Covering the Campus

Time quickly advanced to late night, and Suguru and Eichi had already prepared to exorcise the Cursed Spirits.

"It's almost time, isn't it?"

Watching the hour hand on the alarm clock spin, Suguru stood and walked over to Eichi.

Knowing he would be exorcising Cursed Spirits late at night, Suguru had told his parents in advance that he would be staying at Eichi's house. His parents, already used to this, readily agreed.

"Yes."

Eichi placed the cursed tool that resembled a katana into his shadow and began to stay alert.

"What method do you think that Cursed Spirit will use to take us to the school?"

"Probably just come and grab us directly."

Suguru stroked his chin and answered.

"But if that is the case, the timing does not match. Every night at 12, the Crimson Being appears in the rooms of Ise and the others, then drags them to the school."

"But there is one strange thing. They are captured at the same time and wake up at the same time."

Eichi voiced his confusion.

"So, the Crimson Being has means similar to Clones or instantaneous movement?"

"Hmm, that girl named Asuka mentioned the Crimson Being seems to have a Technique that allows it to teleport under certain conditions."

Suddenly, the bright indoor lights dimmed to a faint yellow.

"Is it here?"

Both of them stood and looked toward the door.

"Eichi, have you ever bought a doll?"

"No, why?"

"Look at this."

Following Suguru's gaze, an ugly but cute rabbit doll appeared on the table.

"It seems the Cursed Spirit has already entered the room."

At first glance, Eichi recognized its true form. It was the doll held by the Crimson Being, as described by Ise and the others.

Click.

The sound of a turning doorknob echoed.

Both looked toward the door while also watching the doll on the table.

Through the crack in the door, a girl appeared, covered in blood red, with pitch-black eyes and a bizarre smile on her face.

This eerie scene sent a chill down Eichi's spine.

"Divine Dogs."

One of the two Divine Dogs stared at the rabbit doll, while the other lunged at the Crimson Being.

Suguru did not waste any time either. A dark rift opened behind him, and a small squid-like Cursed Spirit shot out like a bullet.

Thwack.

The Crimson Being, who had dodged the Divine Dog's pounce, was hit in the head.

The impact snapped its forehead back. Then it confusedly plucked the squid Cursed Spirit from its head. After staring at it curiously for a moment, the Crimson Being suddenly threw the squid Cursed Spirit into its mouth.

Just as it was savoring the taste, a tall figure appeared behind it.

It was an Oni Samurai, a Cursed Spirit over two meters tall, clad in armor.

Upon appearing, the Oni Samurai immediately unleashed a sword strike, and a huge wound appeared on the slow-reacting Crimson Being.

The Crimson Being had no choice but to retreat further into the room to avoid the katana's slashes.

The Divine Dogs also seized the opportunity and bit down hard.

"Ah."

Trapped by the Divine Dogs and unable to break free, the Crimson Being was struck several times.

Just as it prepared to retaliate, a huge suction force came from behind.

Suguru aimed his right hand at the Crimson Being, activating his Cursed Spirit Manipulation.

The Crimson Being ran forward, from pushing off with its feet to finally going on all fours, trying to break free from Suguru's Technique.

In just a few seconds, it was captured by Suguru, but an unexpected event occurred.

Just as the Crimson Being was sucked into Suguru's hand, his hand was repelled by a powerful force.

"Hmm?"

Rubbing his right hand, Suguru looked at the Crimson Being with curiosity.

Just now, he had confirmed one thing. The Crimson Being was a mastered Cursed Spirit.

Eichi, standing nearby, also understood.

The repelled Crimson Being's eyes lost their playful glint, and its red peeled away, instantly covering the entire room like fresh blood.

"Round Deer. Toad."

Although he did not know what was happening, it certainly was not good.

Eichi immediately summoned Round Deer, and Suguru, who already had a tacit understanding with him, also summoned two shell-like Cursed Spirits to protect them both.

The Toad shot its tongue at the Crimson Being, and Suguru prepared to attack.

As the Toad's tongue wrapped around the Crimson Being, the room was completely filled with blood red.

Both of them felt a momentary mental disorientation, and then they appeared at the school gate.

"Is this a Domain? Is the Crimson Being's Domain a school?"

Suguru looked around in confusion.

"No, something is not right."

This feeling was very strange, different from the Domain of the Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit, the half-bodied vengeful spirit, that he had encountered a few years ago.

Eichi clenched his fists, ready to summon Mahoraga if the situation became critical.

"If it were a Domain, Ise and the others could not have been safe for several consecutive days, unless this Domain has special conditions."

After speaking, Eichi looked back. The road was still there, brightly lit.

After a moment of thought, Eichi acted.

"Divine Dogs."

The Divine Dogs emerged from his shadow and ran toward the outside of the school.

Soon, they seemed to hit an invisible wall.

"Sure enough, we are at the school again."

"Asuka, are you alright?"

"Yes, I am fine, Ise-kun."

While Eichi was thinking, the people lying on the ground also woke up.

"Who is he?"

Eichi looked over them, noticing that in addition to the four from the infirmary during the day, there was an extra person with a gloomy expression.

If this were a horror movie, this extra person would definitely be a problem.

"Ah, his name is Kenji. He is usually very introverted. I invited him to join before, but he refused."

"Are you sure he is not a problem?"

Eichi was still uneasy.

"Well, I guess he should be fine."

Ise also became unsure, since he was not really familiar with Kenji.

Seeing this, Eichi kept a hint of wariness toward the boy named Kenji.

"Suguru, could you have your Cursed Spirits scout ahead?"

After saying that, Eichi continued examining the transparent wall in front of him.

"Understood."

As his voice faded, hundreds of various Cursed Spirits walked toward different parts of the school.

"I have been wanting to ask, what are these?"

Asuka pointed to Round Deer and the Divine Dogs, then to the dense crowd of Cursed Spirits entering the campus.

"As you can think of it, these are our Shikigami. Both I and Suguru are Jujutsu Sorcerers skilled at using Shikigami."

"Is that so?"

Although they did not know the specifics, the scene reassured Asuka, Ise, and the others considerably.

After all, these two had real abilities.

"The range is very large. The entire school is sealed off."

"The entire school? What about above?"

"That is also sealed off. The height is about thirty meters. We are essentially in a box."

"I see, it is a Barrier."

"A Barrier?"

Suguru was thoughtful. Not yet having entered High School, he was not familiar with Barriers.

"Yes. After entering the High School Division during the day, I always had a sense of unease, but I could not find the source. Now I can finally confirm that someone set up a Barrier around the school."

"So the Crimson Being's actions are being manipulated by someone behind the scenes. No wonder my Cursed Spirit Manipulation could not capture it. What is this person's motive? It cannot be just to scare them, can it?"

Suguru turned to look at Ise and the others.

"Motive, huh? We will just grab the person and ask."

After confirming that they were trapped in a Barrier and not a Domain, Eichi also breathed a sigh of relief.

"The Crimson Being has appeared in the gymnasium."

A sudden broadcast interrupted their thoughts.

"Since that is the case, let us go deal with that Cursed Spirit first."

"Okay, you all stay close behind us."

Suguru finished speaking and turned to look at Eichi.

Compared to his own frightening Cursed Spirits, Eichi's Shikigami were more suitable for protection.

Eichi nodded in understanding, and then two Divine Dogs came behind the group to protect the ordinary people.

Seeing the two fluffy big dogs wag their tails and follow them, the group's nervousness eased considerably.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 20: The Unkillable Crimson Man

No matter who was behind the scenes, whatever he intended was carried out through the Crimson Being. So instead of aimlessly searching, it was best to deal with this Cursed Spirit first.

Perhaps by exorcising the Crimson Being, they could even force the person behind the scenes to show themselves.

The group quickly arrived at the gymnasium.

"Leave it to me."

Suguru stepped forward, one Cursed Spirit after another emerging behind him.

Eichi did not object. On one hand, he trusted Suguru's strength. On the other, the two Divine Dogs were protecting several ordinary people, which limited his combat power.

"Oni Samurai, Old Hag Fire."

The Oni Samurai, over two meters tall, and a ball of fire that continuously emitted eerie laughter appeared to Suguru's left and right.

The Oni Samurai was a Cursed Spirit born from people's fear of the vengeful spirits of defeated samurai, a very common traditional Cursed Spirit.

Old Hag Fire, as its name suggested, came from folklore where a pair of unfilial children, instead of caring for their elderly parent, drove them into the mountains. Eventually, the elder transformed into a ghost fire to seek revenge.

"Hands, faces, all stained crimson…"

Sensing movement at the entrance, the Crimson Being stopped its chilling song, turned its head to look at everyone, and smiled, its mouth almost reaching its ears.

"Go."

At the command, the Oni Samurai launched the first attack. The Crimson Being ducked, dodging the slash, then charged toward Suguru.

"Much faster than before."

Suguru was somewhat surprised but did not stop moving.

An old woman's face faintly appeared in Old Hag Fire. Balls of fire flew toward the Crimson Being, completely blocking its path.

Boom.

The sound of explosions rang out. The Crimson Being was hit by over a dozen fireballs.

Previously, at Eichi's house, Suguru had been constrained, wary of demolishing the place.

Now it was different. The gymnasium was spacious, and Eichi was protecting the ordinary people, so he could unleash his full power.

A charred figure rushed out of the smoke. The Crimson Being used its legs to leap toward Suguru's head.

Suguru did not flinch, meeting the attack with a clenched fist.

Fists and feet met, and the Crimson Being found no advantage in close combat.

Whoosh.

As the two exchanged blows, the Oni Samurai had already returned, striking at the Crimson Being's waist with its sword.

The Crimson Being immediately pulled away, escaping the encirclement.

But no sooner had it retreated than it was surrounded by dozens of fireballs.

Boom.

A massive explosion sounded, the intense impact shattering the gymnasium windows.

"Continue."

Realizing it was not dead, Suguru ordered Old Hag Fire to keep attacking.

The burned Crimson Being desperately dodged around.

"So that's it. Within this barrier, the Crimson Being is enhanced across the board."

Its speed and strength were greater than in Eichi's house. Before, it was heavily wounded by a few slashes from a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit like the Oni Samurai. Now it could still move after taking dozens of fireballs from Old Hag Fire, and its injuries were recovering quickly.

"Hair Demon."

A female figure whose face was completely covered by black hair appeared in front of Suguru. Her waterfall-like hair spread across the floor the instant it touched down.

Soon, the entire ground was covered by black hair.

Sensing something was wrong, the Crimson Being jumped onto a basketball hoop. The Oni Samurai immediately followed and chopped the hoop down.

The moment it landed, countless black hairs crawled up its body from its ankles.

"Ah ah ah ah."

The Crimson Being let out a piercing scream, constantly tearing at the hair. Each time it broke a strand, more hair entangled its body.

"Eye Competition."

A giant skull appeared and bit half of the Crimson Being's body. It struggled desperately.

At this moment, the Oni Samurai stepped forward and delivered a full-power slash.

Heavily injured, the Crimson Being lost the ability to resist and was swallowed whole by Eye Competition.

The parts that fell to the ground were taken by the Oni Samurai, Hair Demon, and Old Hag Fire.

"It worked."

"We really dealt with the Crimson Being. That's amazing."

"It's finally over."

After the Crimson Being was swallowed by Eye Competition, the people behind Eichi cried with relief.

However, neither Eichi nor Suguru relaxed, because the barrier had not lifted, and the person behind the scenes had not appeared.

Suddenly, Suguru spotted a figure in a corner.

"How is this possible? My Cursed Spirit definitely ate the Crimson Being just now."

The figure in the corner, covered in blood with an eerie smile, was the Crimson Being.

As Suguru pondered, the Crimson Being suddenly charged toward the people behind him.

"Oh no."

Realizing its objective, Suguru turned, wanting to return to Eichi's side.

But a blood-red figure abruptly appeared in front of him.

Puncture.

To Suguru's surprise, the Crimson Being's right hand pierced into his abdomen.

Noticing something was wrong, Eichi immediately pulled his katana from his shadow, forcing the Crimson Being back.

After dodging Eichi's attack, the Crimson Being sniffed its blood-stained right hand, then put its fingers into its mouth.

"Round Deer."

After forcing it back, Eichi did not pursue. He immediately formed a hand seal to summon Round Deer to heal Suguru.

Suguru was not idle either. Black hair and fireballs attacked the Crimson Being at once.

"Are you alright?"

Looking at the slowly healing wound, Eichi breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was enough height difference between them. It would have been troublesome if his heart had been gouged out.

"I'm fine. It's that Cursed Spirit."

Suguru slowly stood.

"She should be able to teleport in front of anyone who turns their head."

"Hmm, it seems so."

Earlier in the infirmary, Asuka had mentioned that the distant Crimson Being suddenly appeared in front of her. Combined with what Suguru just experienced, they deduced the conditions for its teleportation.

The problem now was how to exorcise this Cursed Spirit.

Suguru was certain the Cursed Spirit he controlled had indeed killed the Crimson Being. So what was the deal with this second one?

"What do you think?"

Suguru stepped forward and asked.

"There are three possibilities I can think of right now, clones, regeneration, and it must meet certain conditions to be exorcised."

Eichi shared his thoughts.

The first is easy to understand. If you do not eliminate the main body but only clones, it is useless. The second is that this Cursed Spirit has some kind of core. As long as the core is not destroyed, it can recover even from a piece of flesh.

The third is the most troublesome, it must meet certain conditions to be exorcised.

While thinking, Eichi remembered the comedian Takaba. Even Kenjaku could not forcibly defeat that guy's Technique. In the end, Kenjaku relied on experience to put on a satisfactory comedy show with Takaba, and only then did it defeat him.

If it was the third situation, what conditions would need to be met?

Must it be exorcised outside the barrier?

Probably not.

At this moment, Eichi recalled the scene when they were cursed.

"Please help me find my body."

The prerequisite for being pulled into this barrier was being asked by that strange girl to find her body. Rie had said there was a coffin in the auditorium holding a body.

Asuka, on the other hand, found a hand.

A hypothesis emerged in Eichi's mind.

The coffin held the Crimson Being's main body, and the Cursed Spirit in front of them was a clone.

Only when the body parts were all found would the main body appear. Before that, killing any number of clones would be useless.

Thinking this, Eichi immediately made a decision.

"Suguru, let's catch the Crimson Being together. Then I will stay and guard it, and you take the others to gather the body parts. We will meet at the auditorium."

"No problem."

Understanding Eichi's plan, Suguru summoned several more Cursed Spirits.

Unlike the previous ones, which each had their own strengths, these Cursed Spirits all had restraint abilities.

Black hair, spiderwebs, hanging ropes. The wide-ranging spiderwebs and black hair continuously compressed the Crimson Being's movement space. Whenever it tried to leave, a hanging rope appeared and looped around its neck.

Soon, the Crimson Being was cornered.

"Max Elephant."

A pink elephant appeared behind it. Its two pillar-like legs lifted and then stomped heavily.

The Crimson Being's screams mingled with the sound of breaking bones.

Seeing it had lost the ability to resist, Max Elephant curled its trunk around the Crimson Being, restraining it, then set off toward the auditorium.

"I will go to the auditorium and wait for you first."

"No problem, leave it to me."

As his voice fell, hundreds of Cursed Spirits that had been recalled earlier once again surged from the dark crack behind Suguru, their number noticeably greater than last time.

Large Cursed Spirits searched outdoor areas like the playground, while smaller ones entered the teaching building, meticulously searching every room.

For a time, the entire campus became a night parade of a hundred demons, like falling into Hell.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 21: Special Grade Cursed Spirit

Their plan went smoothly.

With the efforts of hundreds of Cursed Spirits, the search progressed very quickly.

Arms, legs, waist... As the body in the coffin in the Auditorium gradually came together, Eichi's expression grew more solemn.

The body in the coffin was similar in build to Asuka and other humans. It was the body of a High School Division girl, not the Crimson Being's body that Eichi and Suguru had speculated.

Moreover, the body was wearing a High School Division uniform.

"So that's it, it is that girl from earlier."

Another body fragment was placed into the coffin, and Eichi finally confirmed the identity of the person lying within.

It was indeed the girl who had fallen from the building earlier in the day and asked them to help find her body.

"Only the head is left, then."

Looking at the body in the coffin, which only needed a head to be complete, Eichi began to consider what might happen next.

Since the body in the coffin was not the Crimson Being's, their earlier conclusion that finding all the body parts would solve the Crimson Being problem could not be true.

Now he needed to consider other possibilities and prepare countermeasures.

Clap, clap, clap.

Strange footsteps sounded, and Eichi turned toward the sound. A figure, entirely blood red and carrying a rabbit doll, appeared in his sight.

"It seems we will not need to go through all that trouble."

The aura emanating from the figure in front of him was even more terrifying than it had been in the Gymnasium, and it was holding the doll that Asuka and the others had mentioned earlier. It was clearly the true form of the Crimson Being.

The Crimson Being stopped at the entrance, its mouth stretching into a wide, eerie smile that appeared on its equally blood-stained face.

The Crimson Being's clone, wrapped around Max Elephant's trunk, slowly dissipated, and the aura of the true form at the entrance intensified again.

"Well then, I will exorcise you first."

He dispelled the Max Elephant summon, formed a hand seal, and the roaring Tiger Funeral appeared behind Eichi.

After retracting its clone, the Crimson Being charged at Eichi without hesitation.

After summoning Tiger Funeral, Eichi crouched down, drew his Katana from his shadow, and met the charge.

The first to arrive was the wind blade swung by Tiger Funeral.

The Crimson Being twisted its steps, dodging all the wind blades with a zig-zagging movement, then curled its five fingers like five small knives and lunged at Eichi.

Eichi swung his blade from bottom left to top right, blocking the sharp claws. Taking advantage of its arm being knocked aside and its guard wide open, he raised his Katana high and brought it down.

Pfft, clink.

The sharp blade cut into flesh, then got stuck on hard bone.

In pain, the Crimson Being raised its leg and kicked Eichi.

"So hard," Eichi frowned, pulling out his Katana and holding it horizontally in front of him to block the kick.

Screech.

Eichi slid several meters, his feet pressed firmly against the ground.

In that instant, Eichi felt that the Cursed Spirit opposite him was not a girl but a muscular strongman over two meters tall.

No, a muscular strongman would not have this much strength. This power was like being hit by a small car.

"So that's it. Although its appearance is different from those big, ugly ones, its essence is still a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit that at least requires a tank to deal with."

Looking at the Crimson Being currently fighting Tiger Funeral, the smile on Eichi's face grew more expansive.

Behind him, two Divine Dogs were protecting the ordinary people, one in front and one behind, while Tiger Funeral was in front. The three Shikigami had already reached the maximum number Eichi could currently summon, so he did not need to consider summoning others for now. He could just go in with his Katana.

Tiger Funeral was a Shikigami capable of exorcising a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit alone, so it naturally was not afraid of the Crimson Being, which was only Grade 1.

"And I am not weak either."

After speaking, he raised his Katana again and advanced.

Eichi's physical combat skills were very strong. With two physical combat geniuses by his side, it was hard for his hand-to-hand skills not to be strong.

Satoru had his family's inherited physical combat skills, while Suguru was a true all-around genius.

When Suguru first awakened to Jujutsu, he did not have many Cursed Spirits he could manipulate. He relied entirely on his fists and wits to subdue Cursed Spirits.

After several months of boxing, sanda, karate, and other classes, he developed a very practical set of close-quarters skills, which Eichi often asked him to teach.

Moreover, Eichi was full of motivation to cultivate physical combat skills.

Back to the battlefield.

Because it was two against one, Tiger Funeral attacked while the Crimson Being had not yet regained its footing after Eichi kicked it away, holding a firm advantage. With Eichi joining in, the Crimson Being retreated even more.

Eichi noticed something strange.

The Crimson Being kept fighting while holding that ugly-cute doll.

At first, Eichi thought the doll had some special purpose, but now the doll not only did not help, it actually affected the Crimson Being's combat power.

It constantly had to divert attention to protect the doll.

This strange scene piqued Eichi's curiosity.

Under Eichi's command, the Black Divine Dog silently concealed itself near the battlefield.

Seizing an opportunity, Eichi stepped forward and threw a punch, which the Crimson Being dodged by tilting its head.

The next moment, Eichi pulled his arm back with force, his elbow striking its head hard.

This was a move Eichi and Suguru learned from a boxing coach. It was said this move was banned from competitions because it was too underhanded and too likely to cause fatalities. That time, the boxing coach, drunk, used the move to show off, and Eichi and Suguru naturally took it in.

However, because Cursed Spirits are mostly large and distorted, there are not many opportunities to use it.

The most recent use was in a friendly match with Satoru, the kind without Jujutsu.

When this move hit Satoru's head, it had just the right force. Dazed, but no brain damage.

The Crimson Being's head was struck, and its body swayed. The Divine Dog, which had been waiting, rushed forward, opened its large mouth, bit the doll, and pulled, trying to snatch it away.

The Crimson Being immediately grabbed the doll with both hands, even disregarding Eichi beside it.

Eichi, of course, did not hold back. He chopped off its arm with a single strike.

"Ah ah ah ah."

Like a flashbang exploding in front of his face, a huge roar, like both a bellow and a wail, shook Eichi, making him cover his ears and retreat repeatedly.

Fortunately, Tiger Funeral, as a Shikigami, did not react much to it.

Tiger Funeral stepped forward and slammed the Crimson Being into the ground with a palm, interrupting the deafening roar.

"Then, next is this doll."

Under Eichi's gaze, the Divine Dog sniffed the doll, then pressed one paw on its body, bit the head with its large mouth, and began to tear.

Rip, roll.

The sound of tearing fabric was heard, and then a spherical object rolled onto the ground.

"Is this a head?"

Looking at the body in the coffin, which only lacked a head, and then at the head that rolled out of the doll, Eichi finally understood why Suguru had not found the last body part for so long.

Just as Eichi was about to place the head into the coffin, a cloud of black mist erupted from the doll and the Crimson Being's body.

The terrifying Cursed Energy made a drop of cold sweat run down Eichi's temple.

Eichi remembered this feeling. A few years ago, on a pedestrian bridge, he had directly faced such terrifying Cursed Energy.

"Woah, woah, really? A Special Grade Cursed Spirit."

Within the black mist, a Cursed Spirit with a fat body and a neck three or four meters long slowly emerged.

Black mist continuously spewed from its long neck and gaping mouth.

(To be continued.)