HRU: Chapter 359/360

Chapter 359: Two Groups, Uraume Attacks

Toji turned his head and looked toward the explosion of Cursed Energy. It was exactly in the direction of the Zenin family residence he had just left.

He frowned. Something was wrong. The density of this Cursed Energy was far beyond that of an ordinary Grade 1 sorcerer.

It hadn't reached the level of a Special Grade sorcerer like Yuki, but it was at least on par with a Semi-Grade 1.

In other words, a Semi-Grade 1 level of Cursed Energy had appeared in the Zenin family. What could that mean?

He remembered what Jinichi had told him before, that the Kamo family had been attacked by a Curse User. This was no coincidence.

With Toji and Jinichi leaving the Zenin family, the family's strength had clearly weakened.

Is this the Curse User's plan?

Under these circumstances, the reason the Zenin family would attract Curse Users was obvious. The Star Plasma Vessel was hidden within their clan.

Toji looked a little helpless. Although he didn't want to get involved in the Zenin family's internal affairs, he couldn't simply ignore the current situation.

After all, Satoshi still placed great importance on the Star Plasma Vessel.

Toji didn't know exactly what had happened between Satoshi and Tengen, but since he accepted the mission, he naturally needed to pay attention.

"Guest, the food you requested is here!"

The pastry chef who was packing food looked up in surprise. The middle-aged man in the black T-shirt was gone.

He hadn't heard a single sound of him leaving.

Was he avoided?

But these things are still in my hands?

The pastry chef looked helpless. After confirming Toji had disappeared, he quietly placed the packaged daifuku back into the display cabinet, reminding himself of the first-in-first-out rule.

...

At the same time, within the Zenin family residence.

The heavily injured Zenin Ogi could only watch Naobito and Naoya struggle against the strange woman who had suddenly appeared.

What was happening? Why would this woman attack the Zenin family?

And he had never seen her before.

Where did this Curse User, whose strength far exceeded a Grade 1 sorcerer, come from?

Ogi was completely confused. Two young girls stood beside him, silently protecting him.

"Father, are you okay?"

Maki glanced at Ogi, wanting to drag him back inside the room.

But Ogi, wounded and unable to move, was struck directly by Uraume's ice cone attack. His legs were frozen to the ground, and Maki and Mai had no way to pull him away.

Am I going to die here?

Panic flickered in Ogi's eyes. The woman in front of him was overwhelmingly strong. He could feel clearly that both Naobito and Naoya were no match for her.

Could it be that I, Zenin Ogi, will die in the crossfire of this battle?

Ice cones rained down like a storm from the sky. Uraume wasn't even targeting Ogi or the sisters. She was simply too lazy to search for the Star Plasma Vessel and instead chose to destroy the entire Zenin family outright.

"Stop it!"

Naobito glared at Uraume, his beard bristling.

If such massive Cursed Energy wasn't stopped, the Zenin ancestral estate would surely be annihilated. No one else in the clan would be able to escape.

At this moment, Naobito regretted. If Toji and Jinichi were still here, perhaps he and Naoya would not be in such dire straits.

He no longer had the luxury of caring about Ogi's life, nor about Maki and Mai. They would have to fend for themselves.

In an instant, Naobito activated his Projection.

He had to prioritize protecting the entire Zenin family. He needed to interrupt Uraume's spellcasting.

"Naoya, block those ice cone attacks. I'll use Projection to stop her."

Naoya nodded. Cursed Energy surged out of him, the aura of a Grade 1 sorcerer, as he continuously shattered the ice cones falling toward them.

Naobito seized the opportunity and closed in on Uraume.

The Projection Sorcery took hold. In Naobito's vision, Uraume's movements slowed, broken into 24 frames per second, with clear trajectories laid out.

If his palm touched an object that didn't follow its predetermined path, it would freeze for one second.

Naturally, Uraume had come prepared when attacking the Zenin family.

Seeing Naobito use his technique, she didn't forcefully unleash her ice to destroy everything. This was merely a probing attack.

She hadn't expected him to use Projection Sorcery so directly.

It seems I gave you modern sorcerers too much credit.

Uraume shook her head. If Sukuna appeared in this world, he would quickly make the entire sorcery world submit.

The Zenin family and the Kamo family, supposedly two of the Big Three along with the Gojo family, were far too weak.

If all of Sukuna's opponents were like the Zenin clan, why bother with strategy at all? Just crush them outright.

But Uraume knew things wouldn't go that smoothly. After all, the two Six Eyes heirs of the Gojo family were immeasurably powerful.

Especially Satoshi, who had forged the Zanpakutō. Facing him directly was impossible.

For now, she would represent Sukuna and erase the trash of the Zenin family.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 360: Ugly

Naobito and Naoya were already well-known for their strength in the jujutsu world, but compared to someone like Uraume, who had lived for an unknown amount of time, the gap was enormous.

Projection Sorcery barely interrupted Uraume's attack.

But Uraume had far more techniques at her disposal.

With a swift shift in her ice manipulation, Naobito was instantly frozen into a block of ice.

No matter how powerful Projection Sorcery was, to an experienced Curse User like Uraume, it was nothing more than the Zenin family's hereditary technique.

If not for the Ten Shadows Technique, Uraume would never have even considered the Zenin family worth acknowledging.

If she had any real concerns, she would not have come to the Zenin estate alone.

In truth, Uraume felt a slight regret.

She wielded mastery over ice techniques, and she also knew that Satoshi held a Zanpakutō capable of controlling ice and snow, one that could even unleash Bankai.

If possible, she wanted to test her power against Satoshi's Zanpakutō, Sode no Shirayuki.

But Uraume understood the gulf in power between herself and Satoshi. She could only suppress that desire, prioritizing the task of killing the Star Plasma Vessel.

"Sakura Storm."

As her voice fell, frost spread over the entire Zenin residence.

Naobito shattered the ice encasing his body, his eyes filled with shock. This vast ice barrier was not an ordinary Cursed Technique.

"This is Domain Expansion!"

Naoya's body trembled at Naobito's words.

The harmless-looking woman before them actually possessed Domain Expansion.

What did that mean?

It meant that within this Domain, the Zenin clan had no chance of resisting.

Uraume exhaled, and the air temperature plummeted. In no time, every ordinary person in the Zenin estate would be frozen solid inside her Domain.

She had no patience to search for the Star Plasma Vessel.

Killing everything within the Zenin residence was simpler, and that alone was enough to complete her mission.

Ogi clutched his folding fan to his chest while Maki and Mai shivered beside him.

At this moment, the entire Zenin family was overcome with despair.

They had long boasted of being one of the Big Three Sorcerer Families, claiming to be the strongest in the jujutsu world. Yet now, a single Curse User had left their clan head and even their Grade 1 sorcerers helpless.

No one could understand why a Curse User capable of Domain Expansion would target the Zenin family.

After all, news about Amanai Riko had been tightly suppressed by Ogi and Naobito.

If it weren't for the family's upper echelons, no one else would have known.

"Can anyone save us?"

Mai hid behind Maki.

Her father was gravely injured, her cousin Naoya was being crushed by this strange Curse User, and Naobito himself was powerless.

Everything showed clearly that the Zenin family had no ability to resist.

The temperature kept dropping. It would not be long before Maki and Mai were frozen into sculptures within Uraume's Domain.

It's all coming to an end.

Although Maki was strong-willed, in the face of such an overwhelming disparity, what could a child's determination change?

Perhaps it would be better if I died. Then Mai and I wouldn't have to struggle anymore, right?

Such thoughts flickered through her mind.

It was a moment of release before death, though in truth, she still clung to survival.

"Maki, Mai, drag me into the inner room! The defenses there are stronger, they'll hold out longer! Hurry, don't just stand there! Do you want me to die?"

Ogi barked at his daughters, ignoring the fact that their lips were blue and their bodies frozen stiff. They could hardly move, let alone drag him anywhere.

But Ogi didn't care. Faced with death, he still cursed his daughters.

He wanted to live. As long as he reached the inner chamber, perhaps he could last a little longer.

The Gojo family would hear of this attack. If he could just survive long enough for Satoru or Satoshi to arrive, he might yet be saved.

At this moment, all of his hopes rested on the Gojo family.

He completely forgot how he had once humiliated Yagyū Hidetsugu, the Gojo family's representative, during the general directorate meeting.

The arrogance he once displayed was gone, replaced only by fear.

He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die at the hands of an unknown Curse User.

Within Uraume's Domain, countless ice cones fell like heavy rain once more.

This time, with their movements restrained by the Domain, Maki and Mai could not protect Ogi.

Suddenly, Ogi grabbed both daughters and dragged them in front of him.

If they shielded his vital spots, he might survive.

As long as he didn't die, Ieiri's Reverse Cursed Technique could heal him.

I must not die!

Ogi's actions were ruthless. To survive, he was willing to sacrifice his daughters.

Maki and Mai looked at him in horror. Watching his movements, they realized what was about to happen.

If nothing unexpected intervened, they would be skewered into hedgehogs by the next wave of icicles.

Is it over?

Maki felt a deep weariness. Life with such a father was unbearably empty.

Perhaps death was a kind of release. At least she and her sister would be free of Ogi, who never cared for them.

In these final moments, the only thought that remained was of her mother.

How heartbroken would she be when she learned her daughters had died?

"Sister, don't be afraid!"

Maki pulled Mai into her arms, pressing her face into her chest, shielding her from witnessing their deaths.

Though still young, her life was already flashing before her eyes.

She didn't have many memories worth cherishing. The happiest times had been before her frailty and lack of talent were discovered.

She had been carefree then.

And now, in her last vision, a man appeared before her eyes, the very image of the heaven-defying tyrant she longed to become and surpass.

"How ugly..."

Maki's body trembled as a male voice echoed in front of her. The figure she had imagined was suddenly standing there in reality.

(To be continued.)