"Cough, cough... How strange, there's not a single trace of corrosion. Forget it, the priority now is to find Fushoku as quickly as possible and exorcise it. Otherwise, more people will die at its hands." Jotaro coughed a few times and then patted Naobito on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, people have already been sent to search the sewer hubs of Iwate Prefecture using a special Cursed Tool designed specifically for it. We'll find that fellow within ten hours." Naobito stroked his beard and smiled with an air of confidence.
Fushoku's Cursed Energy was very peculiar, ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers had no way of tracking it. Therefore, thirty years ago, Jujutsu Sorcerers used the marks left by Fushoku to create a Grade 2 Cursed Tool—the Cursed Corrosion Block.
This was a piece of animal meat that was passively being corroded at all times, and once it grew to a certain extent, a portion of it would be exorcised by the keepers at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Since Fushoku's special ability could spawn Cursed Undeads, those chunks of meat would automatically seek out the location of the main body. This was also how Naobito discovered that Fushoku had been resurrected.
"Now, get some good rest. I'll send a car to pick you up tomorrow morning."
Naobito and Jotaro jumped out of the window one after the other.
Before the three of them could even speak, the two old men had already gotten into the Zenin clan car and sped away.
"Do these two old men not know how to use a door? The door wasn't locked." Suguru's lips twitched slightly.
"Maybe it's performance art." Renji rubbed his chin.
"I'm more concerned about the wall of your house, Suguru." Shoko looked quietly at the white wall splashed with Suguru's blood, her eyes turning into simple dots.
Suguru: "..."
...
2:34 AM on the day of the Fireworks Festival.
A sewer entrance near a certain village outside Iwate Prefecture.
Splash!
Fushoku's massive rat head emerged from the sewage.
Its current state was not optimistic. Even though Renji had only severed one of its arms, it had instilled a fear originating from the soul in the creature, which had yet to adapt to the strength of this era.
"Jujutsu Sorcerer... Squeak, squeak..."
Fushoku's remaining arm covered the stump that was already blanketed in pustules, which still faintly emitted a rancid, corrosive stench.
Fushoku looked at the sky, memories continuously resurfacing.
"Thirty years ago... Squeak, squeak... Cursed Energy was nowhere near as dense as it is now. Squeak, squeak... I remember it all. I am a Cursed Spirit born from corrosion and plague. Squeak, squeak!"
Fushoku's body was enveloped by dense pustules, forming layers of transparent membranes.
Right there, at the sewer entrance about ten meters high, an emerald-green Meat Cocoon was frantically flickering with a faint light. A thumping sound, like a heartbeat, drifted through the air.
No one knew what was happening but on a secluded path not far away, a dead-drunk villager rubbed his eyes.
"Whoa! What is that thing? There's even light? Is it a treasure? Hehehehe... I'm... I'm going to be rich."
Greed filled the villager's eyes as he staggered toward the sewer entrance.
Below the sewer entrance was a pool of water, about three meters deep. The sewage flowed through the uneven currents toward the surrounding ocean.
The villager arrived beneath the sewer entrance.
"So beautiful." The villager rubbed his eyes, his intoxication clearing a bit.
Then, he looked at the ladder nearby and climbed up.
"Is this... alive?" The villager poked the Meat Cocoon with his finger.
He didn't know what it was, but his brain, clouded by alcohol and desire, immediately made a judgment—this thing might be worth a fortune.
Then, with ragged breath, he pulled out his phone from his pocket.
"Son, bring a knife quickly, our family is going to be rich."
He greedily licked his lips, already imagining how he would become a billionaire and spend money recklessly in the future.
Thump... Thump... Thump...
The originally heavy heartbeat gradually became faint.
About ten minutes later, an ordinary-looking young man, appearing to be around eighteen or nineteen, arrived dressed simply and holding a kitchen knife.
"Come up quickly! Look, this thing must be some kind of medicinal herb or an animal's cocoon! It's definitely worth a fortune!" The villager shouted, saliva flying in his excitement.
But...
"Dad? What are you talking about? There's clearly nothing here?" The young man looked up.
From his perspective, his father was standing at the sewer entrance, seemingly hugging thin air. The foul-smelling sewage beneath his feet had soaked his pants and clothes, and there was a faint, sour stench in the air.
The villager was momentarily stunned, then became anxious.
"What are you saying? Give me the knife, I want to take it home." He reached down.
Seeing this, the young man hesitated but climbed the ladder to hand the kitchen knife to his father.
The next second, the villager brought the knife down and the Meat Cocoon was peeled away layer by layer.
The light inside grew brighter and brighter. Finally, a person could be vaguely seen curled up inside. Judging by the shadow, it was likely a woman, though strangely, there were shadows of what looked like wings behind her.
"A woman?!" The villager greedily licked his lips.
He hadn't touched a woman since his wife passed away from illness.
The young man, who had climbed back down after handing over the knife, frowned. Although he couldn't see anything, he could vaguely sense an ominous aura gradually awakening.
"Dad... how about we go home? Let's not stand here at the sewer entrance." The young man pulled his clothes tighter, his voice trembling slightly.
The next second, he heard his father roar, "Don't disturb me! Get lost!"
The young man hesitated for a moment but eventually left alone.
The villager carefully peeled away the final layer of the Meat Cocoon's membrane.
A naked woman with long white hair and exquisite features gradually opened her eyes. Her body was engraved with dense markings, and white fur covered her private areas. A pair of wings that faintly emitted corrosive Cursed Energy fully unfurled behind her.
"Human... you should be honored to become the first nourishment after my transformation." The woman's voice was cold as she reached out an emerald-green hand to touch the villager's dark cheek.
Before the villager's lecherous laughter could even escape his throat—
Bang!
The villager's body instantly exploded.
The bright red blood was absorbed the moment it splashed onto the woman's body, and the black markings on her skin began to glow with a faint crimson light.
Then, she looked toward the sky. "In two hundred years, I have died four times and been resurrected four times. Finally, I have transformed from a Cursed Womb into a complete Cursed Spirit. Okkotsu... I will definitely make you my nourishment."
The woman's exposed body was covered by white fur, and her wings were retracted into her body.
"Squeak, squeak..."
Behind the woman, countless white-furred Cursed Spirit Rats swarmed toward the nearby village.