When Renji opened his eyes again, the remnants of the Cursed Spirit rats around him had vanished without a trace, not even a hint of Cursed Energy remained. Only the foul-smelling liquid flowing through the sewer and the dark green moss on the walls were left.
"This thing is fun. I'll have sensei make more when I get back. With a few hundred thousand, it might be able to blow up Sukuna." Renji said as he walked deeper into the sewer.
In a section of the sewer far from Renji, twenty minutes earlier.
Naobito was in a defensive stance. Behind him was Jotaro, who had lost an arm, the stump of which was rotting.
"Jotaro, can you still hold on?"
Naobito was currently using Falling Blossom Emotion, which automatically repels and nullifies attacks imbued with Cursed Energy.
"Don't worry about me. Keep Fushoku occupied. Wait for that kid to come and exorcise them. I'm staking what's left of my life on that kid. I told you we should have left markers for him." Jotaro gritted his teeth.
A faint crystalline membrane was visible over the wound on his severed arm. This was his Cursed Technique, used to prevent corrosion from worsening and to shield the wound from further attacks by Cursed Spirits.
"My fault. I never imagined that the Fushoku we saw thirty years ago was actually..." Naobito let out a heavy breath.
Unable to get close, he couldn't use Projection Sorcery to restrict the enemy's movements.
"A Cursed Womb." Naobito stared intently ahead.
Before the two of them, Fushoku was wearing a white dress of unknown origin and extended her palm. "Human Jujutsu Sorcerer, though you are not the one I seek, you are qualified to become my nourishment. I will kill more people to grow stronger. No one can stop me."
Behind Fushoku, a Toad Cursed Spirit covered in eyes opened its wide mouth and spat out a few white bones. "Hungry. Me. Go. Find food. For me. Quick."
The Toad Cursed Spirit suddenly emitted Cursed Energy at the level of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Naobito gave a bitter laugh and thought to himself, 'This era is truly troublesome. If I'm not mistaken, that Toad Cursed Spirit is probably also a Cursed Womb. After all, they are twin Cursed Spirits. One Cursed Spirit emerging from its cocoon is manageable, but two...'
In the instant Naobito was thinking, Fushoku seemed to sense something and instantly raised her hand, aiming at Naobito.
Acid Torrent!
Sploosh!
A dark green 'laser' of acid shot instantly from Fushoku's fingertip, its terrifying Cursed Energy aimed directly at Naobito's forehead. By the time Naobito reacted, the attack was already upon him.
Boom!
As the smoke cleared, Naobito's Falling Blossom Emotion formed a faint glimmer of light that flickered. Then, he violently spat out a mouthful of blood, the stark crimson clashing with the surrounding dark green.
"Old man!"
Jotaro slammed the ground with his remaining hand. Instantly, a thick, pale red crystalline barrier surrounded the two of them.
Crystalline Wall Reforging!
Boom! Boom...
The sound of impacts echoed from the surface of the crystalline wall.
The Toad Cursed Spirit was frantically licking the semi-circular crystalline wall that had abruptly risen from the ground with its corrosive tongue, as if licking a lollipop. With each attack from the toad, the wall thinned slightly.
"Old man, in a moment, I'll seal off this path with the crystalline wall. Take this chance to escape quickly. You are the head of the Zenin clan. With you alive, many more non-sorcerers can be saved."
Jotaro knew his Cursed Technique couldn't withstand attacks from two Special Grades, so he had no choice but to resort to this last-ditch plan.
It's not uncommon for Cursed Spirits to display power during their Cursed Womb stage, but most of those are Grade 4 or Grade 3 Cursed Spirits. For them to transform from a Cursed Womb into a full-fledged Cursed Spirit, all they need is the negative emotions of humans.
Of course, a very few Special Grade Cursed Spirits are also like this.
Like Dagon, one of the Disaster Curses from the original story, who was born from humanity's fear of the ocean. Because the ocean has always been feared by humans, he absorbed an excessive amount of Cursed Energy, resulting in an intelligent Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
But Naobito never would have imagined that for the past few hundred years, every appearance of Fushoku had been in its Cursed Womb form. That meant Fushoku had already reached the level of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, while still a Cursed Womb. After breaking through the Cursed Womb stage, it would only become even more terrifying.
"Hahaha, I never thought you had such a righteous side. It's truly surprising. However..."
Naobito looked at the nearly shattered crystalline wall and instantly flashed forward.
"I'm no coward either."
Boom!!!
Naobito's fist, wrapped in Cursed Energy, smashed into the crack in the crystalline wall that had just been broken, striking the Toad Cursed Spirit's head squarely. For a moment, the toad was forced back several steps, a blue-black residue of Cursed Energy visibly lingering on its forehead.
"Pretty hard bones. But one more round, and you'll die." Naobito said with a smile, making a provocative gesture by slightly clenching one hand.
Before Naobito could finish, he saw Fushoku's leg already raised high.
Boom!
A terrifying force slammed into Naobito's palm. Instantly, the moss-covered stone bricks beneath his feet shattered, and his entire body was driven down thirty centimeters.
"I want Okkotsu. Give him to me. I want to eat him." Fushoku's tone was icy, clearly not yet fully accustomed to controlling a human body.
"That won't do. That kid is a promising first-year. How could I hand him over to a Cursed Spirit to toy with? A Cursed Spirit like you should just play with toads." Naobito revealed a mocking smile.
Then, he flashed forward, instantly touching Fushoku's pale abdomen. His fingertips immediately turned black—that was the corrosive Cursed Energy.
Projection Sorcery!
Click!
A camera shutter snapped.
Naobito suddenly threw a punch aimed at Fushoku's face. Fushoku instinctively raised her arms to block, but in an instant, she was transformed into a life-sized photograph. In the picture, Fushoku still maintained her defensive posture with crossed arms.
"How could a mere Cursed Spirit understand my Cursed Technique? Just think of it as watching a movie." Naobito chuckled, then drove his knee upward.
Crack! Boom!
The photograph shattered like a mirror. Fushoku was sent flying backward, crashing heavily into the wall.
If Naobito's ordinary attacks could only reliably subdue Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, then his attacks enhanced by his Cursed Technique could go toe-to-toe with a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Of course, that was only in terms of offensive capability. In defense and other aspects, Naobito was still inferior to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. But against ordinary Cursed Spirits without self-awareness, it was enough.
Then, Naobito, in a very thunderous sliding tackle posture, slid under the Toad Cursed Spirit and arrived in front of Fushoku, who was embedded in the wall. A series of twenty-four attacks was completed within a single second.
This was not only a testament to his deep understanding of his Cursed Technique but also to his masterful control over it. Compared to the still half-baked Naoya, his Projection Sorcery was countless times more terrifying.