Countless plastic fragments, twisted wires, and remnants of corrupted Cursed Spirit energy littered the battlefield.
Itadori landed and shook out his hand, catching his breath.
"Done!"
Megumi released his technique, and the Divine Dogs sank back into his shadow. Nobara let out a relieved sigh, resting her hammer on her shoulder.
"Not bad, Itadori," Nobara said.
"The teamwork was decent," Megumi added.
However, the moment the Cursed Spirit's core was destroyed and its cursed energy should have dispersed completely, something unexpected happened.
The shattered remnants of cursed energy did not fade away.
Instead, they were forcibly drawn inward by an invisible force, rapidly compressing into a single point.
A moment later, a surge of cursed energy erupted from the center of the explosion.
It was colder, more sinister, and far more malicious than the semi-grade 1 Cursed Spirit they had just defeated.
Bzzzz!
The air itself seemed to scream under the pressure.
A faint black cursed mark flashed through the air, so subtle it was nearly impossible to see, before vanishing.
The ground trembled violently.
Centered on that cursed mark, a far more complex and sinister barrier unfolded instantly, trapping the three sorcerers inside before they could fully lower their guard.
"What?!" Itadori shouted.
He instinctively punched the barrier wall.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed through the area.
The barrier did not move.
Instead, a chilling force rebounded through his arm, leaving it numb.
"It's a trap!" Megumi immediately realized.
His expression darkened as he attempted to summon his Shikigami, only to discover that the barrier was severely interfering with his connection to them.
Nobara drove several nails into the barrier.
The strikes created only a few ripples before disappearing without effect.
"Hahahahaha!"
A shrill, piercing laugh rang out from above.
A Cursed User wearing a wide black robe appeared overhead. His face was covered in grotesque paint, and he floated in the air while holding a bizarre human-shaped doll that dripped black liquid continuously.
"It worked! It worked! Sukuna's vessel, and the successor to the Ten Shadows Technique! What a bountiful harvest!"
His voice overflowed with greed and excitement.
"Be good and become my nourishment!"
With a violent squeeze, he crushed the doll in his hand.
A torrent of foul cursed energy poured down from above the barrier like a black waterfall, crashing toward the trapped trio.
The power far exceeded semi-grade 1 and approached the threshold of special grade.
Even worse, it carried a corrosive effect that targeted both the soul and the source of cursed energy itself.
"Ugh!"
Itadori took the brunt of the attack.
The pressure felt like an invisible mountain crushing him from above. His cursed energy became sluggish, and Sukuna's presence stirred within him. A mouth formed on his face and clicked its tongue in irritation.
Megumi and Nobara were no better off.
Both dropped to one knee as they desperately circulated their cursed energy to resist the overwhelming pressure.
Their faces turned pale, and cold sweat soaked their clothes.
This had never been a beginner-level mission.
It was a carefully prepared death trap aimed specifically at Itadori and Megumi.
"Bastard!"
Itadori roared and tried to force more cursed energy through his body.
It was useless.
The thick cursed energy surrounding him felt like a swamp. The harder he struggled, the deeper he sank.
Outside the barrier, Sol watched the sudden development in silence.
His gaze moved from the cackling Cursed User to the barrier's core, which continuously released waves of cursed energy.
A trap.
One designed to target Itadori and Megumi's potential, or more accurately, what they represented.
The barrier had barely reached the edge of special grade.
Its concealment and activation methods were somewhat interesting.
For Itadori and the others, this was undoubtedly a crisis beyond their current capabilities.
But only somewhat interesting.
Sol took a step forward.
His movements remained unhurried, as though he were merely approaching for a better look.
The Cursed User immediately noticed him.
A sinister grin spread across his face.
"Another little bug slipped through? Don't worry. Once I deal with these two main targets, I'll immediately..."
His arrogant words suddenly stopped.
Because Sol raised his right hand.
Extending a single finger toward the seemingly unbreakable barrier, he casually drew a line through the air.
There was no surge of cursed energy.
No grand display.
It looked no different from someone tracing a finger across the surface of a calm lake.
A faint tearing sound followed.
Shhhhk.
A perfectly smooth crack appeared across the barrier from top to bottom.
The crack spread instantly.
Then the entire barrier shattered and vanished.
Silently.
As though it had never existed.
The torrent of cursed energy pouring downward suddenly lost its support and violently rebounded onto its caster.
"Pfft!"
The Cursed User's laughter turned into a scream.
Blood erupted from his mouth as the backlash struck him directly.
The shattered doll in his hand crumbled into dust.
The immense pressure crushing Itadori, Megumi, and Nobara disappeared instantly.
"Haah... Haah..."
The three collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
Their expressions were filled with shock.
What just happened?
How had the barrier vanished?
Itadori looked up abruptly.
He saw Sol lowering his hand.
At the same time, the heavily injured Cursed User fell from the sky.
"Sol?" Itadori called uncertainly.
Sol did not answer.
His attention remained fixed on the Cursed User, who was coughing blood while desperately trying to stay conscious.
The man clutched his chest and stared at Sol with overwhelming terror.
"You... What exactly are you?! How is this possible?!"
Sol walked toward him.
His dark red eyes looked down calmly.
"Who sent you?" he asked.
His voice was level and unhurried, yet it carried an oppressive weight that made it difficult to breathe.
The Cursed User trembled violently.
Fear overwhelmed even his injuries.
"I... I can't say. If I tell you, that Lord..."
Sol did not press him verbally.
Instead, he lifted a foot and stepped lightly onto the man's wrist.
Crack.
The sound of bone breaking echoed through the area.
"AHHH!"
The Cursed User screamed.
"Who sent you?" Sol repeated.
His tone remained unchanged.
"It was... it was..."
Tears streamed down the man's face as his mental defenses completely collapsed.
"It was..."
He was just about to reveal the name.
Suddenly, his eyes bulged.
Bizarre black cursed marks instantly spread across his pupils.
A frigid and malevolent surge of cursed energy erupted from inside his body, attempting to destroy him from within.
Sol appeared to have anticipated it.
His foot shifted slightly.
An invisible force instantly entered the man's body, suppressing the destructive cursed energy at its source while simultaneously stabili
zing his rapidly deteriorating life force.
The Cursed User's body stiffened.
The black marks in his eyes flickered violently several times before gradually fading away.
His head slumped to the side.
He lost consciousness completely.