Special Mission

Another month passed in the blink of an eye. The weather gradually turned colder, and everyone had started wearing scarves. Shen Yuanyi occasionally went out on missions, but he never encountered any Curse Users trying to attack him again.

Dojigiri proved exceptionally useful during missions. With it in hand, there was no defense Shen Yuanyi could not cut through. Honestly, he wanted to test whether it could similarly slice through the defenses of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Unfortunately, while Special Grade Cursed Spirits were no longer as rare as they had once been, they were not something one could simply run into either.

During this period, Gen Naine gradually figured out part of her technique through constant practice. Its name was temporarily decided as the "Soul Spirit Curse Method," and its simplest manifestation was the "out-of-body soul" she had mentioned before.

Ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers did not truly have an accurate understanding of souls, because they could not be seen. Most people could not even touch upon the existence of their own souls, but Cursed Energy served as a medium.

Even if they could not sense the exact existence of their souls, some Jujutsu Sorcerers would occasionally protect their souls as well when they wrapped themselves in Cursed Energy for defense.

Gen Naine had also demonstrated her technique to everyone. Unfortunately, souls were not normally translucent humanoid figures or anything of that sort as people imagined. Under normal circumstances, they could not be seen, but Gen Naine seemed able to make them observable to others in some way.

Panda immediately started shouting about ghosts and got smacked by Maki. It was not really Panda's fault for acting silly—anyone who saw a faint, smoke-like humanoid figure would think they had encountered something supernatural.

But according to Gen Naine, souls had no shape from her perspective. They could not even be described using visual impressions alone, and could only barely be compared to certain symbolic things.

"Gojo-sensei is like a mountain. The really tall kind, with snow covering its peak, and sunlight spilling down over it..."

"What about me? What about me?"

Panda asked curiously. Gen Naine hesitated before describing him. "Maybe... like three scoops of ice cream?"

"What about Maki?"

"Maki is like a tree."

Gen Naine could not accurately describe how everyone's souls appeared to her. For example, she did not know how to describe Inumaki Toge or Okkotsu, only offering vague and uncertain impressions.

As for Shen Yuanyi, in her words, he was like "a lake without the slightest ripple." He looked serene and beautiful, yet for some reason, he made her skin crawl.

Besides that, the true practical use of Gen Naine's technique was also demonstrated in battle. When she further activated her technique, her Cursed Energy took on its properties, allowing her to directly attack an enemy's soul.

Gojo Satoru had arranged a mission for her to test that effect in practice. If Shen Yuanyi remembered correctly, Nanami Kento had led her on that mission.

With Mr. Nanami, a First Grade Sorcerer, holding the line, the Cursed Spirit from that mission had met a truly miserable end. Gen Naine exorcised it quickly with her soul-damaging attacks, and apparently Mr. Nanami had given her quite a high evaluation.

That technique reminded Shen Yuanyi of that villain. Was his name Mahito? His technique was also related to souls. Thinking of that face with stitches across it, Shen Yuanyi's hazy memories began surfacing. That was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit too, and its recovery ability was very strong. If he ran into it later, he could probably cut it a few extra times without it dying immediately, right?

"Eating ice cream in weather this cold, Yuanyi?"

Just as Shen Yuanyi took a box of ice cream from the Vending Machine, Gojo Satoru's voice sounded behind him. Shen Yuanyi took another box, then turned and handed it to him. "Doesn't eating ice cream in cold weather give you a feeling you can't experience when it's hot?"

Gojo Satoru accepted the ice cream with a faint smile and opened the box. Shen Yuanyi took a large scoop for himself, then looked at the unfamiliar man behind Gojo Satoru. "Sensei, who's this? I haven't seen him before."

Gojo Satoru spoke indifferently. "You don't need to know him. He's from the Higher-ups, here for Dojigiri."

The man bowed and said, "I am Iwai Sa-mu. I have come for this Special Grade Cursed Object. To prevent the Imaginary Vengeful Spirit Shuten Doji from reappearing due to unforeseen circumstances, I ask that you hand this Cursed Object over to the Higher-ups for safekeeping and removal."

Shen Yuanyi exchanged a glance with Gojo Satoru. The latter shrugged, and Shen Yuanyi tried another angle. "This belongs to the Gen Family—"

Iwai Sa-mu maintained his polite smile. "The Higher-ups have already discussed the matter with the Gen Family. The head of the Gen Family has also agreed to the Higher-ups' request. Strictly speaking, Dojigiri is now the property of the Higher-ups."

With things having reached this point, Shen Yuanyi naturally had nothing else to say. He raised a hand and tossed Dojigiri over. Iwai Sa-mu carefully caught it, took out several talismans, and wrapped them around the blade before bowing and taking his leave.

After he left, Shen Yuanyi said regretfully, "It was pretty handy."

Gojo Satoru tossed his empty box through the air in an arc and into a nearby trash can, then strolled ahead at an unhurried pace. "It's fine. Once the curse on it has been completely removed, you can still apply to use it. This isn't the kind of Cursed Object that exists on its own. Strictly speaking, the curse is merely attached to that blade, so there's still a chance it can be cleansed completely."

"I mainly came to see you this time because there's a mission. It's a little special, and I need you to go with Nanami."

Shen Yuanyi grew curious. What kind of mission could make Gojo Satoru call it special? Then Gojo Satoru explained the details. "A criminal organization somehow gave birth to a curse, and they have formed some bizarre symbiotic relationship with it. We can't just eliminate those people outright."

"So we'll be working with the police. We'll exorcise the curse first, and leave the rest to them."

Shen Yuanyi thought about it and felt a headache coming on. "So we can't take out the criminals, and we have to fight in front of them? We also have to be careful not to make too much of a commotion. Now I know why you came to me, Sensei."

This mission looked as though it had been tailor-made for Shen Yuanyi. With his technique, he was confident he could deal with it in an extremely short time, perhaps before those people could even react. But why add Nanami-senpai as well?

"Because our investigation suggests that this Cursed Spirit was very likely catalyzed by a Special Grade Cursed Object, and an extremely dangerous one at that. In other words, there may be unexpected variables, so Nanami will go with you."

"Okay~ I'll take the mission. By the way, Sensei, what about the First Grade evaluation you promised me?"

Gojo Satoru turned and smiled. "This is it. So do a good job, Yuanyi."

"Nanami-senpai."

Nanami Kento looked at Shen Yuanyi, who had politely bowed to him, and nodded inwardly in satisfaction. Although he was Gojo Satoru's student, he did not seem as unreliable as his teacher. That dark red hair, though... Was it a personal preference? Nanami remembered that his hair had not been that color before.

Noticing Nanami Kento looking at his hair, Shen Yuanyi chuckled and explained, "I went to a convention and cosplayed Himuro Kenshin during my last break."

Nanami Kento nodded without saying anything, then called Shen Yuanyi into Ijichi's car. On the way to their destination, Nanami Kento sat in the back seat with his blond hair neatly combed back, pince-nez sunglasses on his face, and a beige suit on his body. He looked every bit the business elite, completely unlike Shen Yuanyi beside him.

"I'll call you Yuanyi. Have you already learned about this mission?"

After Shen Yuanyi roughly explained the mission, Nanami Kento spoke evenly. "This is your evaluation mission. Considering the difficulty and other factors, if you perform exceptionally well, this one mission may be enough. I will try not to intervene during the operation, so you need to be especially careful."

They soon arrived at their destination. The target was a compound in the suburbs, surrounded by high walls topped with coils of barbed wire. It looked like a giant hand of iron thorns, tightly gripping the "cage" in its palm.

In a patch of woods overlooking the place, a group of fully armed police officers stood ready with real guns and live ammunition. After Nanami Kento got out and showed them some form of identification, a leading officer walked over.

"I'm Kobashi Nobuhide, responsible for liaising with you two this time. I know some of the details. Once you complete the mission, just notify us using this radio. Leave the rest to us. As for the criminals inside, if they resist, please try to keep them alive."

After taking the radio, Nanami Kento and Shen Yuanyi headed toward the target. Only then did Shen Yuanyi ask the question that had been on his mind. "Nanami-senpai, do they all know about the Jujutsu World?"

Nanami Kento kept his eyes forward. "No. Only that officer knows. I've heard of him. Among ordinary people, he is one of the rare few who can see Cursed Spirits. Unfortunately, he does not possess enough Cursed Energy to exorcise them. He is also one of the people in charge whenever the Jujutsu World cooperates with the police."

Shen Yuanyi looked up at the large rust-stained iron gate, then turned back and asked, "Nanami-senpai, are we just going in like this?"

Nanami Kento had already taken out his short cleaver wrapped in talismans. As he set up a Curtain, he said, "According to intelligence, these criminals use religion as a cover for fraud and other crimes. It would be best if we could infiltrate, but given their activities, they are probably highly vigilant."

As he spoke, he tilted his head, signaling Shen Yuanyi to look at the surveillance cameras flashing red from concealed locations. Shen Yuanyi drew his sword. "So they noticed us the moment we came near. Fine, it doesn't matter. Nanami-senpai! I'm moving out."

With that, Shen Yuanyi infused his blade with Cursed Energy. Several dazzling arcs of sword light flashed forth, and the heavy iron gate crashed down in response. Shen Yuanyi stepped inside first, only to see the main building's doors burst open as more than a dozen vicious-looking men carrying handguns rushed out.

"Oh-ho, they've even got guns!"

Shen Yuanyi had initially wanted to put on a show by cutting bullets out of the air, but he suddenly remembered the mission requirements. Slightly disappointed, he activated his technique. Transforming into the Time Ghost, Shen Yuanyi knocked the guns from their hands and rendered them unconscious.

Watching Shen Yuanyi vanish in an instant and those enemies lose consciousness just as quickly, Nanami Kento could not help sighing inwardly. Young people these days. He then stepped over the scattered bodies on the ground and walked inside.

Though Shen Yuanyi held a sword in hand all the way, it barely got any use. The people who occasionally rushed out shouting and trying to attack him lost consciousness before they could see what had happened.

Beyond the armed criminals who clearly did not look like good people, Shen Yuanyi finally encountered some people who were not criminals as he went deeper into the building. Their eyes were dull. Even upon seeing Shen Yuanyi barge in, they said nothing, merely squatting on the ground with their hands clasped over their heads.

Shen Yuanyi looked around the dark, filthy room that resembled an underground warehouse. Rows of tables held computers tangled in a mess of cables. These people had apparently been working at those computers before. Curious, Shen Yuanyi walked over and casually looked at them. The screens were filled with chat windows labeled "Believer XXX" or simply with people's names.

"Oh, fraud. And a cult too."

Ignoring them, Shen Yuanyi continued upstairs. As he passed a surveillance camera, he even grinned and waved at it without the slightest concern.

The top floor was entirely different from the slum-like scene below. It could practically be called resplendent and magnificent. One might have thought this was some high-end venue.

At that moment, a group of suited men sat around the room in an oppressive atmosphere. Several computer screens displayed the key surveillance feeds leading to the top floor.

When they saw the red-haired, sword-wielding boy on the screen grin and wave at them, a middle-aged man smoking a cigar flew into a rage. His fat palm slammed hard onto the table, making the exquisite ashtray atop it jump twice.

"Where did this ignorant bastard come from? Where are Longzhi and the others? Why haven't they dealt with him yet? They're letting some little brat who hasn't even grown all his hair run wild in here!"

Though he raged like a lion, his bluster could not conceal the fear beneath his appearance. Their men had all collapsed without even seeing what had happened. That inexplicable method had clearly begun to break their spirits.

If not for the existence of the Upper God, they would have scattered long ago. After the man vented his fury, everyone looked toward the man seated at the head of the long table, yet his expression remained calm.

His knife-like gaze swept over the room. "What are you panicking for? The Upper God hasn't even acted yet! No matter where this person came from, the Upper God will tear him to pieces..."

Grinding his teeth, he thought for a moment before ordering the man beside him, whose colorful tattoos reached all the way up his neck, "Pick out five sacrifices and offer them to the Upper God..."

The man nodded and turned to leave. The people present reacted differently upon hearing about the sacrifice. Some sighed in relief, while others revealed fearful expressions. A few even looked excited, licking their lips as they watched the tattooed man leave.

No matter what, everyone's emotions settled somewhat because of it. Some even poured themselves glasses of red wine and began watching the surveillance footage with expressions as though everything were under control.

As Shen Yuanyi followed the direction where the cursed aura was strongest, his expression grew increasingly ugly. Earlier, he had seen a floor covered in iron cages in a dim hall.

He remembered that cages like those were generally used to hold large dogs or other beasts, but each one had contained a living person. Most of them had been young women, some even underage.

At a glance, they had all looked numb and terrified. The wounds on their bodies and the dark red stains on the ground made Shen Yuanyi unable to bear looking for more than a moment.

But he did not release them immediately. Those criminals and that curse had not been dealt with yet. This was not the time to rescue them.

Then Shen Yuanyi suddenly heard several agonized screams. Judging from the sound, they were nearby on the same floor!