Chapter 22 – Twenty-Two Punch
"Pop—"
The Special Grade curse looked like a newly emerged insect crawling out of its cocoon, its eyes resembling those of a dead frog. The lower half of its body was still wrapped in a deep-purple chrysalis, but its upper half had fully developed. With both hands cupping its cheeks, it writhed in apparent ecstasy.
In stark contrast, the three on Megumi Fushiguro's side were covered in injuries. The worst off was Yuji Itadori—one of his arms had already been severed by the curse.
"Damn it…" Nobara Kugisaki wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, gripping a nail through clenched teeth. "We already saw the bodies of three juvenile inmates on the way here… No, calling them 'bodies' isn't accurate. They were more like human-shaped stains. And they'd been dead for a while. That means out of the seven energy signatures Genos detected earlier, at most two were living humans. The other five were curses…"
Out of the corner of her eye, Kugisaki glanced at Yuji Itadori, who was enduring the pain while clumsily tying a tourniquet around his wrist. The extra pair of eye-slits beneath his eyes—belonging to Ryomen Sukuna—had begun to open slightly, the crimson pupils within peering out from the shadows.
I tried to get Sukuna to help, but he threatened that if he gained control of the body, he'd kill both me and Fushiguro instead… This is the worst possible situation, she thought bitterly.
No matter how you looked at it, whether the curse before them or Ryomen Sukuna within Yuji, they were ultimately curses. Curses were malevolent beings born from humanity's negative emotions and ugliness—never something to be trusted. The three of them felt that truth more clearly than ever.
Aside from Kugisaki's muttering, the only sound was the curse's grotesque noise. Then, suddenly, Yuji Itadori, tightening the belt around his wrist to stop the bleeding, spoke up.
"You two go. I'll hold it off."
"Huh? Yuji, what are you saying?" Kugisaki demanded in shock. "You want us to leave you behind?"
"…It's strategy." Yuji replied, pale-faced. "We can't all die here. Someone has to stay and buy time. I've got Ryomen Sukuna inside me—I'm the most suitable rear guard. But he plans to kill you two, so I can only release him after you've left."
"..."
Megumi Fushiguro fell silent for a moment, clearly weighing the feasibility of the plan.
What Yuji proposed was, without a doubt, the safest strategy.
Even after reaching that conclusion, however, Fushiguro shook his head.
"No. With all three of us here, this is when our combat strength is most concentrated. This is our best chance to defeat this curse. If you're left alone, the situation will only get worse."
"And remember what Saitama said earlier." Fushiguro continued. "If sorcerers run away just because they think they can't win, then who's left to fight?"
"We defeat this curse with everything we have. After that, we'll decide whether to keep going or retreat. That's the captain's order."
After saying that, Fushiguro's thoughts drifted briefly.
If I make it back alive… next month's regular evaluation, I'll challenge the Semi-Grade 1 test, he thought.
This time, Fushiguro chose not to run.
Just as they steeled their resolve, the curse suddenly grabbed the purple chrysalis encasing its lower body and tore at it with both hands.
With a ripping sound, the chrysalis was shredded into pieces.
Two fully developed legs stepped out from within, its feet landing on the ground with two sharp slaps.
The curse twisted its body, its exposed gums chattering grotesquely, red flesh glistening as though smeared with blood. Then, as if finally bored of playing cat and mouse, it kicked off the ground with its powerful hind legs and lunged toward the three of them.
—Too fast. As a Grade 3 sorcerer, Kugisaki definitely won't be able to respond in time. Can I block it?
Fushiguro could feel the presence of the shikigami he had tamed lurking within the shadows. But any shikigami he summoned now would surely be destroyed by the curse, which had just completed its evolution and was at full strength. And yet, he had no other choice.
Gritting his teeth, Fushiguro clasped his hands together and shouted, "Great Serpent, and Nue—"
Before he could finish, a flash of pure white cape streaked past his vision.
"So this is where you are."
A familiar voice rang out. Startled, Fushiguro looked up to see a figure suddenly appear before them.
At some point, Saitama had already arrived in front of the group. Facing the charging Special Grade curse, he slightly drew back his arm and clenched his fist.
"This makes the second one, right?" Saitama said calmly.
Compared to the flashy techniques of jujutsu sorcerers, Saitama's utterly plain punch shot forward—
—and struck the Special Grade curse squarely in the chest.
Crack—
With a shattering sound, the once-arrogant Special Grade curse had its entire upper body obliterated by Saitama's punch, instantly reduced to dust.
Not just Fushiguro—even Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki unconsciously held their breath, their eyes widening slightly.
What remained standing on the spot were only the two legs that the Special Grade Cursed Spirit had just developed after tearing free from its cocoon. Everything above its waist was gone, leaving only a small section of shattered spine protruding from the mass of mangled flesh.
Two seconds later, the remaining pair of legs abruptly dissolved into black smoke. Nothing at all remained where the cursed spirit had stood—only an empty stretch of floor.
At the same time, the rust-corroded Innate Domain cracked with a sharp "ka-cha," shattering like a fragile eggshell into countless fragments that vanished before they could even hit the ground.
With the Innate Domain gone, the normal interior of the dormitory finally reappeared. The group now found themselves standing in the middle of the second-floor corridor.
Watching the Special Grade Cursed Spirit disappear, Saitama lowered his head blankly and looked at his fist, his expression gradually turning dejected.
"Ah… ended it with one punch again…"
He stared at his fist for a few seconds before turning around—only to see the three of them staring at him in stunned silence.
"Whoa, why are you all hurt so badly?" Saitama exclaimed in surprise. When his gaze fell on Yuji Itadori, he suddenly froze.
"Huh? Wh-what's wrong?" Having taken off his shirt and even removed his belt to bandage his wounds, Yuji Itadori looked utterly confused as he met Saitama's eyes.
"You…"
Saitama fell silent for a moment. Then he slowly raised a finger and pointed at Yuji, his expression turning solemn.
"You're half-naked right now. Could it be you're… that, um…"
As if struck by lightning, Saitama's brows lowered sharply and he declared in a deep voice, "Ramen sauna?"
"No! I just took off my shirt to bandage my wounds!" Yuji Itadori panicked as Saitama stepped closer, retreating several steps in alarm. "And it's Ryomen Sukuna, not Ramen Sauna!"
"Oh, is that so?"
The serious expression instantly vanished from Saitama's face, reverting to his usual simplistic look. His gaze shifted to Yuji's severed arm.
"With injuries this bad… you guys had it rough too."
"Ah, my hand was cut off by that cursed spirit just now…" Yuji said blankly.
"Yuji's injury isn't a problem. A severed hand can be reattached, and with Ieiri-sensei's Reverse Cursed Technique, he'll recover instantly—just like before he was injured…" Megumi Fushiguro cut in, though his thoughts were still somewhat dazed. "Also… Saitama, why are you holding Divine Dog on your head?"
"…"
Hearing that, Saitama instinctively glanced upward. The white Divine Dog, clinging to his bald head, also looked down at him.
Their eyes met.
The next second, the Divine Dog barked, "Woof!" and leapt off Saitama's head, wagging its tail as it bounded back to Megumi's side.
Saitama: "Ah."
Megumi dispelled the Divine Dog technique and picked up Yuji's severed arm, storing it carefully so it could be reattached later. Then he suddenly remembered the remaining cursed spirits inside the juvenile detention center and quickly asked Saitama, "Saitama, you took down two cursed spirits, right?"
"Yeah… that's right." Saitama scratched his head.
"Then there could still be three cursed spirits left in this building!" Megumi calculated rapidly. "And there are also two people whose status we haven't confirmed…"
At that moment, a broadcast voice suddenly rang out from outside the building:
"Sensei Saitama! Sensei Saitama, are you there? I've returned to the exit and am with the guy in glasses."
"Ah, that's Genos's voice!" Saitama brightened immediately. "So he's over there."
At the entrance of the Second Dormitory of the juvenile detention center, Genos stood holding a loudspeaker he had taken from Kiyotaka Ijichi, broadcasting with a serious expression.
"We have confirmed the corpses of five individuals inside the detention center. There are no survivors in the Second Dormitory," he announced. "The bodies have been severely damaged and cannot be transported out. There are no remaining survivors in the detention center, Sensei!"
"I repeat: confirmed…"
Genos's broadcast echoed over and over. Hearing it, Yuji and the others fell silent, their moods growing complicated.
The juvenile delinquents they had risked their lives to rescue—despite being pressured by the higher-ups—had already all been killed?
Then what had all their efforts been for?
"Let's withdraw," Megumi said quietly. "Since there are no survivors, let's end the mission before someone among us dies."
"Yeah, that makes sense," Nobara Kugisaki nodded.
"…You guys go ahead."
Suddenly, Saitama spoke.
"Huh? You're not leaving with us?"
"No."
With his back to them, Saitama's white cape fluttered in the air, his bald head gleaming faintly.
"Since there are no survivors left in the building, I don't have to hold back anymore," he said. "Fushiguro mentioned there are still a few cursed spirits left, right? Then I'll just take care of all of them."
"But Saitama, our mission was only search and rescue," Megumi reminded him. "If the juvenile inmates were already killed before we arrived, then there are at most five cursed spirits left in this building—and none of them are weak. There might even be something stronger than the Special Grade we just defeated hiding somewhere…"
"Yeah, I know."
Saitama still didn't turn back. Adjusting the red gloves on his hands, he stepped forward.
"But if we just leave them alone, they'll still pose a danger to the nearby residents, right? The police are still on standby around the area. Anyway, you guys head out first. I'll be back in a moment."
His cape fluttered as his figure gradually receded into the distance. He turned the corner and disappeared completely from the three of their sight—yet his departing silhouette remained deeply etched into their retinas.
That was the back of a hero.
"Fushiguro, Kugisaki," Yuji Itadori said blankly, forgetting the pain of his severed arm, "I really respect Saitama."
"He may be bald, but sometimes he says some pretty cool things," Nobara Kugisaki admitted, nodding despite a trace of unwillingness.
Megumi Fushiguro lowered his head and let out a sigh.
"Let's stick to the original plan and withdraw first," he said. "What comes next isn't a battle we can take part in yet."
—To become stronger. To become stronger than they are now. After this mission, that was the shared wish of all three.
...
Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki supported the one-armed Yuji Itadori between them as they exited the Second Dormitory and regrouped with Genos and Kiyotaka Ijichi. Almost immediately, a thunderous crash erupted from within the building.
The battle had begun.
Boom after boom followed in rapid succession. The entire dormitory building—and even the surrounding ground—trembled faintly. They couldn't help but turn back to stare at the Second Dormitory, imagining what kind of fight was unfolding inside.
Soon, an abrupt stillness fell over the area.
"Wh-what's happening in there now?" Ijichi Kiyotaka asked bravely, though clearly terrified. "Is… is it over?"
Before anyone could answer, a roar even louder than any previous explosion detonated from the center of the Second Dormitory. The gray building shook violently before their eyes, cracks spreading rapidly across its surface. The shockwave shattered every window with explosive force, sending sharp shards of glass raining down to the ground.
"The building's going to collapse!"
Genos grabbed Ijichi Kiyotaka by the back of his collar, while Megumi summoned Divine Dog to carry Yuji Itadori. Without hesitation, the group bolted in the opposite direction of the dormitory.
A split second after they moved, the entire Second Dormitory exploded. Massive chunks of debris rained down like a storm. A single fist's shockwave blasted straight through the structure, tearing through the rooftop and continuing its momentum until it slammed headfirst into the hemispherical black "Curtain."
"Ah!" Ijichi screamed at a volume entirely inconsistent with his usual demeanor as Genos held him up by the collar. "This is bad—its going to—"
Before he could finish, the "Curtain," which blocked ordinary people's sight and hearing, was effortlessly torn apart by the overwhelming punch that had pierced the dormitory. It vanished into the sky like a scrap of torn cloth.
Outside the Curtain stood several police cars and an ambulance. Beside them were Inspector Megure, Takagi Wataru, and other officers. A few anxious parents of the juvenile detainees were also present, held back behind the yellow line by the police.
Their view had originally been obstructed by the Curtain enveloping the detention center. But now, with the Curtain ripped apart by that punch, the scene inside was laid bare before their astonished eyes.
Sunlight poured down.
The Second Dormitory had been reduced entirely to rubble.
Standing atop the ruins was a bald man dressed in a yellow jumpsuit.
His white cape was now stained in patches with gray-brown dust, and his red rubber gloves and boots were dulled with grime, no longer bright. Covered in dust but completely unharmed, Saitama stood in the wreckage, lowering his fist as the sunlight gleamed brilliantly off his bald head.
"With that, I guess it's all taken care of. Yeah." He nodded to himself, his glowing scalp shining under the sun.
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July 2018, Juvenile Detention Center Incident concluded with the complete death of the juvenile detainees in the Second Dormitory, the total exorcism of all cursed spirits, and the collapse of the dormitory building.
The residual cursed energy at the scene was destroyed along with the collapse of the Second Dormitory. Therefore, based on the first-year students' grade levels and their reports, the recorder classified the detention center's cursed spirit as Grade 1. The primary credit for the exorcism was attributed to Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer Megumi Fushiguro.
Afterward, auxiliary supervisors entered the ruins to conduct an investigation, but nothing was discovered, nor was any item recovered.
In addition, Yuji Itadori and the others did not notice that Ryomen Sukuna—who had remained conscious the entire time—had not spoken a single word after Saitama defeated the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
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100 power stones= 1 Bonus Chapter
23 advance chapters available on {P@treon/Zynos}