Now You Can't Run

"Ha-Hanami...!"

Mahito couldn't believe his eyes.

Jogo... was dead?

Hanami... was dead?

The sight before him made him completely unable to believe what had happened.

In the span of a single instant, his two companions had died without warning, so quickly that there had not even been time to react.

Special Grade Cursed Spirits were supposed to be the strongest, most extraordinary, most troublesome group of Cursed Spirits in this world.

Ordinary Special Grade Cursed Spirits were one thing—Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers could handle them—but Mahito, Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon were different.

They were born with highly developed intelligence.

They were born far stronger than other Cursed Spirits.

Because they had been born from humanity's fears.

Though ordinary Cursed Spirits were likewise born from humanity's Negative Emotions, human negative emotions came in many forms, strong and weak alike, causing their powers and characteristics to differ as well.

Mahito, Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon, however, had been born from humanity's most unusual, most unique, most intense Negative Emotions.

Mahito had originated from humanity's fear of humanity.

Jogo had originated from humanity's fear of the earth.

Hanami had originated from humanity's fear of forests.

Dagon had originated from humanity's fear of the sea.

These four fears had run through nearly all of human history.

Humanity's fear of nature—the earth, forests, oceans, and the like—had existed since ancient times and was ever-present. Those fears had practically been carved into human instinct, making Jogo, Hanami, Dagon, and the others born from them both extraordinary and powerful.

And humanity's fear of humanity needed even less explanation.

Fear of strangers...

Fear of evil people...

Fear of enemies...

All of those fears were even greater than humanity's fear of nature.

For that reason, Mahito, Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon had been exceptionally powerful from birth, far surpassing ordinary Special