Twenty minutes before that man arrived.
Inside the first curtain in Shibuya, on top of the most prominent building nearby, the Shibuya Tower.
Two old folks and a young man were chatting leisurely under the moonlight, watching the chaotic streets below like spectators at a circus show.
These people were the once-famous curse users Jiro Awasaka, Granny Ogami, and her grandson.
Although they were human themselves, the life and death of the civilians below amused them like monkeys dancing for entertainment.
Among them, a short old man with thick eyebrows, round eyes, and a curled W-shaped mustache stood near the edge of the rooftop. His doll-like face contrasted strangely with his muscular body as he spoke.
"Do you think those useless sorcerers will actually find this place?"
"Even if they do find us, it won't be easy for them to get up here. The floors below are packed with those transfigured humans that guy made…"
Ogami's Grandson, whose hair looked like a half-shaved mohawk, replied with disdain.
He had already destroyed the building's power system. The elevators don't work either. If they want to climb the stairs to the top, they'll have to get through hundreds of transfigured humans first.
"Hmm… what's that?"
Suddenly, Ogami's Grandson narrowed his eyes and pointed toward the sky.
Something like a giant bird had appeared out of nowhere and was flying high above them.
"Could it be…"
While they were still wondering, the "bird" flew directly above them, and two figures jumped down from its back.
"Hehehe… we just finished talking about it and they already found us? Looks like this might actually be fun."
Awasaka let out a sinister laugh. The muscles on his oddly bulky body twitched as if he were already getting excited.
"Kento Nanami. A powerful sorcerer who's been grade 1 for nearly ten years. Not some small fry."
Ogami's Grandson spoke slowly, clearly familiar with Nanami.
However, since he didn't mention Megumi at all, he probably only knew the famous sorcerers. Or perhaps he simply didn't consider Megumi, who was still only semi-grade 1, worth mentioning.
"Ten years? I've been a curse user for more than thirty." Awasaka snorted with disdain. "Back then, the strongest in the jujutsu world were only grade 1 sorcerers."
Before people like Satoru became special grade sorcerers, the concept of special grade barely existed in the jujutsu world. The highest level was simply grade 1.
And even back then, Awasaka had already been close to that level.
All because of them…
If that brat Gojo hadn't appeared and shattered the balance of the world, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
Satoru Gojo. Mukuro Fushiguro.
Why couldn't those two just wander around the world like the other special grades?
Because with those two sitting at the top of the jujutsu world, curse users like him were forced to live like rats in the shadows just to survive.
Now, after finally hearing that both of them had been sealed, no matter how long it lasted, Awasaka could no longer hold himself back.
He wanted chaos. He wanted to vent the hatred of being suppressed for over ten years.
Live until old age. Cause trouble until old age. Stay free until old age.
That was the true life of a curse user.
"Nue!"
With Megumi's shout, Nue, which had not yet disappeared, dived down from the sky. Its target was not the three enemies. Instead, it pulled a stake from the ground that clearly did not belong there.
"So that's it. A commissioned 'curtain.'"
When Nue dropped the stake into Nanami's hand, he immediately recognized what it was.
Someone had pre-woven a barrier technique into talismans and sealed them inside stakes. From that point on, anyone could activate the curtain simply by injecting cursed energy into it.
It was a rare and advanced method of barrier construction, though Nanami had heard Mukuro mention it before.
He crushed the stake easily. But when he looked ahead, the curtain that prevented sorcerers from entering remained unchanged.
That meant this was not the one.
"Pretty knowledgeable, aren't you?"
Awasaka waved his hand in front of them. Two more stakes just like the previous one were pinched between his fingers.
"How about it? If you beg me, I might consider giving you a chance to go save Satoru Gojo."
His voice dripped with mockery as he deliberately provoked them.
"I never expected curse users who have abandoned their humanity to understand the duties of sorcerers. And I have no intention of reconciling with you."
Nanami had already drawn his tonfas. Beside him, Megumi pulled a pair of smaller tonfas from the Ten Shadows storage, while Nue remained in the sky waiting on standby.
"Then let's begin."
Seeing this, Granny Ogami nodded toward her grandson. She clasped her hands together and closed her eyes, muttering strange incantations no one could understand.
"Megumi, take care of the other two."
From the flow of cursed energy, the short old man was clearly the strongest of the three. The other two were nowhere near his level.
The old woman could barely be considered combat strength, and the young man was only around grade 2.
So as Nanami moved forward, he had already decided the division of roles.
"Got it!"
The two split apart and rushed toward their respective opponents.
Bang!
One of Nanami's cursed-energy-wrapped tonfa swung toward Awasaka. The old man did not dodge at all. He simply raised his arm and blocked the strike head-on.
"My turn!"
Barely a blink after taking the hit, Awasaka's fist shot toward Nanami.
Whoosh!
But the next sound was only the wind. Nanami had already retreated several meters away.
'A counterattack? Hardening? Or does he nullify damage…?'
The first strike had only been a test, but a direct hit to the arm should have left at least some injury.
Nanami began analyzing the opponent's technique.
"What's wrong, young man? If that's all you've got, don't expect to break the curtain from my hands!"
Awasaka once again flashed the wooden stake in front of him, taunting Nanami with open arrogance.
This was exactly what he wanted.
Aside from special grade monsters or conceptual techniques, Awasaka believed no one could break through his powerful ability. Right now, this was the moment for the strong to humiliate the weak.
'Something feels… strange.'
Just then, Nanami sensed something off.
He charged forward again, both arms wrapped in even stronger cursed energy than before.
"Useless!"
The result was the same as before. But this time Awasaka crossed both arms to block Nanami's strike, then immediately lifted his right leg and swung it toward him.
Bang!
Nanami blocked the powerful kick with his other tonfa, and the two separated once more.
The second clash ended just as simply as the first.
**
**
**
Thank you for reading! If you'd like access to extra chapters and want to support my work, you can visit my P@treon:
P@treon/SilverShark769
Vote with Power Stones for Bonus Chapters!
Your support means a lot, thank you!