The idols' faces turned pale as they instinctively huddled together. Their managers tried to shield them and retreat backstage, but the surging crowd made movement nearly impossible.
At that moment, a dark figure slipped silently toward the rear of the stage like a ghost.
Its target was clear.
The terrified group leader standing at the center of the formation.
A cold gleam flashed from the Cursed Spirit's hand. A curse-infused short blade shot toward the young woman's back.
The attack was vicious, precise, and perfectly timed. Amid the chaos, almost no one noticed.
Just as the blade's tip was about to touch her clothing...
Pfft.
A nearly inaudible sound echoed.
The wrist holding the knife twisted violently at an unnatural angle and snapped.
Clang.
The blade fell to the floor.
The Cursed Spirit grunted in pain, horror flashing across its face. It hadn't even seen who had attacked it.
Without hesitation, it abandoned the assassination attempt and retreated rapidly, trying to disappear into the panicked crowd.
It only managed two steps.
Then it stopped.
An invisible force blocked its path.
The next instant, a precise chop struck the side of its neck.
Its vision went dark.
The Cursed Spirit collapsed limply to the ground, unconscious.
The entire exchange lasted only a moment.
Neither the terrified idols nor the surrounding civilians noticed what had happened.
Only the targeted group leader caught a brief glimpse from the corner of her eye.
Not far away stood a black-haired young man in a dark blue tracksuit.
Sol.
He casually lowered a hand as though he had done nothing at all.
Amid the screaming, crying, and stampeding crowd, he stood completely out of place.
Like the eye of a storm.
His dark red eyes remained utterly composed as they briefly settled on her.
The instinct to survive overrode everything else.
Stumbling forward, she pushed through several frantic staff members and grabbed Sol's sleeve tightly, as though it were the only thing keeping her grounded.
"H-help... please help me..."
Her trembling voice was barely above a whisper.
Looking up, she found herself staring at Sol's expressionless profile.
Sol glanced down at her.
Her delicate face was deathly pale, tears having smudged her makeup. Yet the hand gripping his sleeve refused to loosen.
He neither pushed her away nor offered reassurance.
Instead, he simply returned his attention to the unfolding chaos.
Nearby, Itadori and Megumi were directing civilians away from danger.
Nobara guarded another section of the crowd, swinging her hammer to crush several low-level Cursed Spirits that had been drawn to the panic and were preying on isolated victims.
"Itadori, Megumi, Nobara. Prioritize civilian evacuation. Eliminate any low-level Cursed Spirits."
Sol's voice wasn't loud.
Yet it cut through the chaos with remarkable clarity.
The concise command instantly steadied the others.
The anxiety they had been suppressing seemed to ease as they shifted into a more organized response.
Itadori planted himself against the tide of people, using his body to create safe routes through the crowd.
Megumi directed Nue to fly low overhead, using gusts of wind and its intimidating presence to guide civilians toward safer exits.
Meanwhile, Nobara moved along the perimeter, precisely eliminating every emerging Cursed Spirit she encountered.
Sol remained where he was.
The idol group leader still clung tightly to his sleeve.
Her two fellow members and their managers had unconsciously gathered nearby as well, treating the area around him as the safest place in the atrium.
His perception swept across the entire mall like a finely tuned radar.
The attacker from earlier had merely been the opening move.
The real threat had yet to reveal itself.
Several stronger sources of Cursed Energy were rapidly approaching.
Their purpose was obvious.
They intended to create even greater chaos.
As expected, three figures suddenly appeared along the second-floor railing overlooking the atrium.
Each wore identical black combat clothing and an oni mask.
At the same time, all three formed hand signs.
Dense, blood-red Cursed Energy gathered before them, merging into a massive crimson formation aimed directly at the crowd below.
"It's a combination technique!" Megumi shouted. "Stop them!"
But it was too late.
The distance was too great, and the crowd too chaotic.
No one could reach them in time.
The crimson formation blazed brighter and brighter as it neared completion.
Then Sol casually lifted his gaze.
He looked at the three masked Cursed Users.
Nothing more.
A thread of telekinesis, so subtle it was nearly impossible to detect, precisely targeted the finger joints maintaining their technique.
Crack.
Crack.
Crack.
Three faint sounds disappeared beneath the roar of the crowd.
The three Cursed Users simultaneously grunted in pain.
Their hand signs instantly collapsed.
The partially formed technique destabilized, trembling violently before imploding.
Pfft!
All three coughed up blood.
The backlash hurled them backward, sending them crashing into the wall behind them before they fell unconscious.
Below, Itadori, Megumi, and Nobara only saw the ominous crimson light flicker unnaturally before collapsing on itself.
The three attackers were suddenly thrown backward.
The crisis ended as abruptly as it had begun.
"What happened?" Nobara asked between breaths after crushing another Cursed Spirit.
"I have no idea," Itadori admitted while helping direct civilians. "Maybe they messed up their own technique?"
Megumi said nothing.
His eyes shifted toward Sol once more.
Throughout the entire incident, Sol had barely moved from his position.
The idol group and their managers still stood nearby.
The chaos continued, but the greatest threats had already been eliminated without anyone realizing it.
Eventually, mall security and assistant supervisors managed to push through the congestion and take control of the scene.
Evacuations began.
The injured received treatment.
By then, Itadori, Megumi, and Nobara were exhausted. Their Cursed Energy reserves had been significantly drained, and each had picked up minor injuries during the rescue effort.
Once the situation was largely stabilized, Ijichi came rushing over.
He was drenched in sweat, his face filled with guilt and anxiety.
"My deepest apologies!" he said. "The intelligence was wrong again..."
"It's fine, Ijichi," Megumi interrupted tiredly. "Let's focus on handling the aftermath."
At that moment, the idol group approached under the protection of their managers and security staff.
Their makeup was slightly smeared, and their faces remained pale, but they had regained some composure.
The group leader, the same girl who had grabbed Sol's sleeve earlier, looked over the four sorcerers before her gaze settled on Sol.
Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Th-thank you very much!"
Her voice still shook slightly despite her efforts to remain composed.
"If it weren't for all of you... we don't know what would have happened."
===
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