Suguru Geto Gets Fired Up

"It's way too ugly. I can't bring myself to do it. The guys in the comments who could actually go for it are real warriors."

Eiji looked at Kuchisake-onna after the bandages around her face burst apart, revealing a mouth stretched to her ears and filled with sharp fangs, skin like a withered tree, and eyes brimming with killing intent.

At that moment, Eiji felt the utmost respect for the warriors who could lay their hands on Imaginary Cursed Spirits like Kuchisake-onna and Hachishaku-sama.

Without wasting a second, Eiji pulled a Tang Dao from his shadow and swung it upward, knocking away Kuchisake-onna's massive scissors.

What surprised Eiji was that Kuchisake-onna immediately abandoned the large scissors, then pulled out a pair of miniature scissors even smaller than ordinary household ones and snipped toward the area below Eiji's abdomen.

"Come on, lady, what did I ever do to you? Why are you going for the kill?"

Imaginary Cursed Spirits were Cursed Spirits born from people's collective thoughts about a certain existence. The strange thoughts Eiji had about the real Kuchisake-onna while standing behind her naturally gathered onto Kuchisake-onna herself.

At that moment, even Kuchisake-onna, who had little intelligence, felt the emotion known as anger.

Eiji retreated several steps, then threw his scabbard at Kuchisake-onna.

Kuchisake-onna tilted her head to dodge the scabbard, opened her fang-filled mouth, and bit at Eiji.

At the same time, two massive pairs of scissors appeared beside Kuchisake-onna and snipped at Eiji's arms from both sides.

Eiji ducked forward, evading both pairs of scissors as his Tang Dao stabbed toward Kuchisake-onna's abdomen.

Kuchisake-onna grabbed Eiji's Tang Dao with both hands and bit down at his shoulder.

Bang.

Before Kuchisake-onna's fangs could reach him, Eiji rose first.

He drove his head hard into Kuchisake-onna's chin.

Kuchisake-onna, whose teeth were absurdly strong, failed to get a taste of Eiji. Instead, she got a taste of her own tongue.

Blood flowed from Kuchisake-onna's mouth.

Feeling somewhat dizzy, Eiji retreated to regain his bearings.

Kuchisake-onna covered her mouth and was just about to pursue him when she sensed a killing intent that made her skin crawl.

Kuchisake-onna leaped to the side as pitch-black claws struck out from the darkness.

Splat.

Though she had dodged immediately, Kuchisake-onna still failed to evade Little Black's attack.

Three wounds stretched across Kuchisake-onna's entire back, spraying large amounts of purple-black blood.

Meanwhile, Qiongqi, who had been sitting beside the research team, also flew over to Eiji's side.

Only a few seconds had passed from the Simple Domain being dispelled to Kuchisake-onna being driven into a desperate situation.

"Wait, Eiji."

Eiji turned his head.

The Special Grade Demon Cursed Spirit's body was covered in Black Mist. After piercing through the mist, the scissors lacked the force to do more than leave a few shallow wounds on her body.

Suguru Geto was much the same.

Several beetle- and centipede-shaped Cursed Spirits clung to Suguru Geto's body, blocking the scissors' attack.

For a moment, seeing so many bugs crawling over Suguru Geto gave Eiji goosebumps.

"What is it?"

Once the centipedes vanished, that feeling faded considerably.

"Give me that. This is a good chance to try it out."

Suguru Geto looked at Kuchisake-onna with interest.

This Cursed Spirit was perfect for getting some practice in.

"That? No problem."

After thinking for a moment, Eiji understood what Suguru Geto meant.

Eiji bent down and pulled a Cursed Tool from his shadow. It was entirely red, covered in black spiral patterns, with its middle sections connected by chains.

Special Grade Cursed Tool: Playful Cloud.

Suguru Geto's dream weapon.

After experiencing Playful Cloud's power, Suguru Geto had been extremely satisfied with the strong, forceful feeling it gave him.

For the past few months, he had constantly practiced using Playful Cloud.

Now was the perfect chance for actual combat.

Domains consumed an enormous amount of energy. An ordinary person could only deploy a Domain once a day, and even though Kuchisake-onna's was merely a Simple Domain, she probably could not use it consecutively.

Without her Domain, Kuchisake-onna was only a somewhat stronger Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. She was an opponent who could make Suguru Geto's blood boil without being too dangerous.

Besides, even if Kuchisake-onna could deploy her Simple Domain a second time in a short span, it would not matter. Eiji had already seen the Simple Domain's range.

As long as Suguru Geto did not speak after being caught in the Domain and waited for Eiji to break the Simple Domain from outside, everything would be fine.

"Catch."

With a one-handed toss, Eiji sent Playful Cloud flying through the air and into Suguru Geto's hands.

Suguru Geto gripped the short staffs at both ends of Playful Cloud and charged at Kuchisake-onna.

Seeing this, Little Black, who had been tangling with Kuchisake-onna, immediately withdrew from the battlefield.

The instant Suguru Geto clashed with Kuchisake-onna, Eiji and his Shikigami adjusted their positions.

Eiji leaped onto a nearby wall. It was outside Kuchisake-onna's Domain range while still allowing him to support Suguru Geto at any time.

Qiongqi landed on a rooftop where he could protect both the research team and Eiji at any moment.

Little Black went with the Special Grade Demon Cursed Spirit to recover the experimental equipment.

Watching Suguru Geto charge at her, Kuchisake-onna enlarged the scissors in her hands and faced him head-on.

Clang!

The sound of metal striking metal rang out.

The tremendous force coming from Playful Cloud forced Kuchisake-onna to stagger backward again and again.

Realizing close combat put her at a disadvantage, Kuchisake-onna tried to create some distance.

She turned sideways and hid her left hand behind her back. A second pair of scissors appeared in her hand.

Crack.

Whoosh.

The sound of breaking bone rang out. Kuchisake-onna's right arm fractured under Playful Cloud's blow, but her left hand shot out in an instant.

The slender, sharp scissors stabbed straight at Suguru Geto's heart.

Suguru Geto hurriedly raised one section of Playful Cloud to block.

Screech.

After being blocked by Playful Cloud, the slender scissors slid from Suguru Geto's heart toward his shoulder.

Suguru Geto immediately used the force of the strike to turn sideways and spin.

Kuchisake-onna's attack missed, while Suguru Geto used the spinning motion to release one end of Playful Cloud with his right hand.

His left hand swung Playful Cloud with all its strength.

After completing a full rotation, Playful Cloud lashed into Kuchisake-onna's freshly fractured right arm with tremendous force.

The immense power snapped Kuchisake-onna's right arm clean off, then struck her body without losing any momentum.

Kuchisake-onna's body instantly folded in half at the waist, and the entire Cursed Spirit shot into the depths of the alley like a cannonball.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Kuchisake-onna flew dozens of meters, smashing through three walls before finally stopping.

"Good thing nobody lives around here. It would've been bad if she hit someone."

Eiji helplessly shook his head as he watched Suguru Geto, who had clearly gotten carried away.

Since they knew their target's information, the two had deliberately lured Kuchisake-onna toward an uninhabited area.

That way, they could protect civilians while also ensuring the research team's work would not be discovered or disturbed.

Crack, crack.

Kuchisake-onna lay on the ground for quite some time before finally recovering.

Suguru Geto silently watched from the side as Kuchisake-onna restored her twisted body to normal.

Kuchisake-onna had not yet reached the point where she could be subdued, so there was no rush.

Watching Kuchisake-onna stand up, a faint smile appeared on Suguru Geto's lips.

Eiji noticed it but said nothing.

Swallowing Cursed Spirits, being surrounded by twisted monsters that looked like they would destroy anyone's sanity, and having to keep acting like a good boy outside all the time—there was no way that did not come with pressure.

So Eiji simply continued handling crowd control in silence. As for telling Suguru Geto to go easier on her?

The kid had built up so much stress. What was wrong with letting him blow off some steam?

The "curse" in Jujutsu Sorcerer was the same "curse" as in curse. Cursed Energy could only be gathered when Negative Emotions were present.

That was why Yuji Itadori had failed to use Cursed Energy when he struck Satoru Gojo with all his strength during Satoru Gojo's instruction.

At the time, Yuji Itadori held no hostility or Negative Emotions toward Satoru Gojo, so naturally, he could not use Cursed Energy.

That was a major reason why most Jujutsu Sorcerers were crazy.

How could anyone not go crazy? Much less Jujutsu Sorcerers, who constantly lived amid Negative Emotions and extreme feelings.