The corridor in the VIP area on the second floor was covered with a thick crimson carpet, making every step silent.
Lynn and Junpei had just stepped onto the last stair.
The owners of those piercing gazes from before "coincidentally" blocked their path.
They were four men dressed in dark Montsuki Haori Hakama.
In this chaotic underground black market filled with suit-clad thugs and oddly-dressed Curse Users...
Their solemn and old-fashioned attire looked completely out of place, like a group of Showa-era relics who had wandered into a nightclub by mistake.
The leader had a buzz cut and a sinister look in his eyes.
As Lynn approached, he didn't step aside to make way but instead stared intently at Lynn.
"Is it this guy..."
The buzz-cut man, Zenin Shinrō, gritted his teeth inwardly.
He had witnessed with his own eyes at the Goodwill Event how that "failure" Maki had crushed everyone with pure physical strength.
That kind of power, that forbidden radiance that should have belonged to the 'tyrant of heaven', had actually appeared in a woman who was supposed to rot at the bottom of the family.
The family had discovered that Maki's change originated from this mysterious merchant named Lynn.
"That failure started acting all high and mighty because she gained power, even threatening Lord Naoya's position... The source of all this is this man who doesn't know his place."
If it weren't for the fact that this was the Pure Land Hall, and if it weren't for the special grade cursed object they had to bid on, he would have loved to draw his sword and cut Lynn down right now.
"Out of the way."
A follower behind the buzz-cut man suddenly stepped forward, his tone cold as ice.
Without even glancing at Lynn, he reached out with crude Cursed Energy, intending to shove Lynn aside like trash.
However, before that hand could even touch the corner of Lynn's clothes...
"Clack."
A crisp sound of impact rang out.
The black cane [golden law] in Lynn's hand rose without warning, its tip precisely and lightly tapping the pressure point on the follower's wrist.
"Hiss—!"
The follower cried out in pain, his hand instantly losing sensation and jerking back as if struck by lightning.
"The path is narrow and slippery here; it's quite dangerous to be so handsy."
Lynn smiled as he withdrew his cane, his tone as warm as jade, and adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.
"If you were to fall, a broken bone would be a minor issue compared to the loss of face, don't you agree?"
Lynn looked at these people, feeling somewhat bewildered in his heart.
"Are these people crazy?"
He asked himself if he had offended anyone these past few days besides doing business; why were they looking at him as if he had dug up their ancestral graves?
"Hmph, sharp-tongued."
The buzz-cut leader sneered and finally spoke.
"Don't think that just because you gave a monkey a stick, the monkey can become a human. In this world, there are gaps in bloodline that an opportunistic merchant like you will never understand."
"Meddling in others' business will shorten your life."
After saying those nonsensical words, he waved his hand and led his subordinates past Lynn with their heads held high, even deliberately releasing the Cursed Energy pressure of a First-Grade Sorcerer to slam into Lynn.
Lynn stood his ground, motionless, like a coastal reef weathering the crashing waves.
Until the group walked away and entered the private box opposite them.
"Boss... what were those guys talking about?"
Junpei looked completely confused and adjusted his sunglasses.
"What monkey? What stick? Did they mistake us for someone else?"
"Who knows."
Lynn shrugged and lightly flicked some non-existent dust off his collar.
"Probably some lunatics from a big family who like to say incomprehensible things to show off their nobility."
Though he said that, Lynn kept it in the back of his mind.
That sentence just now... "Giving a stick to a monkey"?
Lynn narrowed his eyes.
"Since they're here to pick a fight and are such wealthy clients... that's perfect."
He pushed open the door to the private box and sat elegantly on the red velvet sofa.
"Junpei, the auction later might be quite interesting."
...Ten minutes later, the auction officially began.
The massive circular venue was packed.
The host was a Curse User wearing a clown mask, his voice sharp and crazed.
The first few items were all nauseating things; Lynn lacked interest and only occasionally observed the activity opposite him. The buzz-cut man hadn't made a move yet, clearly having a specific target.
Until the final item was pushed onto the stage.
It was a glass display case covered in talismans, inside of which floated a piece of dried, purple-black human skin that looked like a mask.
[special grade cursed object · Soul-Returning Face]
Even through the seal, the massive outpouring of resentment and Cursed Energy still caused all the Jujutsu Sorcerers present to feel a pang of dread.
"This is the grand finale treasure! The legendary special grade cursed object that can return a soul to the dead!"
"Starting bid, thirty million yen!"
"Fifty million!"
Almost the instant the host finished speaking, the buzz-cut man in the opposite box raised his paddle.
His voice was loud, carrying an overbearing confidence that he would win, directly doubling the price.
Several Curse Users below who were originally eager to bid were instantly intimidated by this aura.
"Sixty million!" a black-robed person in another corner tentatively raised a paddle.
"Eighty million!" The buzz-cut man raised his paddle again without blinking an eye.
The whole venue broke into an uproar.
Is this the foundation of an ancient family? Eighty million yen treated like throwing away scrap paper?
The buzz-cut man gave a victor's sneer, his eyes contemptuously scanning the room before looking provocatively at Lynn's box.
However...
Lynn didn't even glance at them, looking down boredly and picking at his fingers.
Because Lynn hadn't planned on obtaining that cursed object through normal means from the start.
With Special Grade strength, one could naturally do whatever they pleased.
"Congratulations to this gentleman!"
The clown host on stage excitedly struck the gavel.
However, the next second...
The originally warm lights suddenly turned an eerie crimson.
"Clack—Boom!"
Massive iron bars dropped without warning, sealing all exits. A layer of dark red "Veil" instantly rose, enveloping the entire underground space.
"That's..." Junpei stood up abruptly.
On stage, the clown host took off his mask, revealing a hideous face covered in scars.
"Thank you for your generosity; we'll take the money."
He spread his arms, and the curtain behind him fell, revealing countless pairs of crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness.
"To celebrate the completion of the deal, please everyone... leave your lives behind as well!"
"As sacrifices we will offer to 'God'!"
Roar—!!!
Accompanied by rising roars, hundreds of long-starved Cursed Spirits surged from backstage like a tide, pouncing on the panicked wealthy guests.
Screams and sounds of tearing instantly filled the venue.
The Pure Land Hall transformed from a den of luxury into a slaughterhouse in an instant.
And in the very center of the chaos...
The buzz-cut man in the opposite box drew the Cursed Tool longsword from his waist; with a flash of the blade, a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit pouncing on him was instantly sliced in two.
"You think such low-handed tricks can trap us?"
He looked at the tide of Cursed Spirits swarming around, his eyes showing no fear, only the violence that had no outlet after being provoked by Lynn.
"Everyone, listen to my command! Kill all these Cursed Spirits!"
His followers behind him also drew their swords, their movements uniform and their swordplay sharp, clearly having undergone extremely rigorous training.
Inside the second-floor box...
Lynn looked at the group of men in kimono wreaking havoc below, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Ho, they're quite skilled. Is this the source of their arrogance?"
"Boss, what should we do?" Junpei asked nervously. "Should we break out?"
"Break out?"
Lynn set down his wine glass, picked up the black cane, and walked to the railing.
He looked down at the "wealthy clients" who were surrounded but still fighting hard, and at the [Soul-Returning Face] left unattended in the center of the display stage.
A merchant's greedy light flickered in his eyes.
"Those people are all walking points."
With that, Lynn stepped out and jumped directly from the second floor.