The Modified Cursed Spirit

Inside an abandoned apartment building in a remote area, Brain led Hanami and Jogo, who was reduced to nothing but a head, through a door.

Yet the door did not lead to a dim rental apartment, but to a vast, sunlit beach.

Out on the boundless sea, an octopus-like cursed spirit drifted about freely.

On the beach, a humanoid cursed spirit with a stitched face lay comfortably in a chair, basking in the sun.

Aside from their appearances, they were no different from humans, as if they were truly enjoying life.

"You're back. You look like you're in pretty bad shape," Mahito said with obvious mockery in his voice.

Veins bulged on Jogo's head as Brain held him in hand. "Bastard, what did you say?! Believe me, I'll kill you!"

Mahito merely gave a disdainful smile without replying. Brain spoke up then. "So, how strong is Satoru Gojo?"

Jogo hesitated for a moment before grudgingly admitting, "He really is terrifyingly strong!"

"Let's proceed according to your plan. Seal Satoru Gojo!"

Brain said, "There's someone else I'm concerned about—the student beside Satoru Gojo."

"It looked like you had quite a hard time dealing with him earlier?"

Jogo suddenly became agitated. "What nonsense are you talking about? His ability is just a little unusual, that's all."

"The next time we meet, I'll kill him within three moves!"

Brain only smiled without speaking. He knew Jogo cared about saving face. From his observations, that student's ability was unlike anything he had ever seen.

He had survived from Sukuna's era until now. What cursed techniques or special abilities had he not seen before?

Yet he had no impression whatsoever of the exoskeleton on that student's body!

One thing was certain: his ability definitely did not come from some powerful cursed technique family, but was a newly born cursed technique.

"This is a bit troublesome. It seems the plan will need to be adjusted slightly."

Brain still wore that smiling expression, his scheming hidden incredibly deep!

In a movie theater somewhere in the city, three high school students had died inside the screening room, their deaths grotesquely strange.

Their heads had all undergone varying degrees of mutation—some swollen up like balls, others split down the middle...

Besides them, Lin Mu, Nanami, and Itadori were also there.

This was also the first mission Nanami had led them on.

The moment he entered the screening room, Lin Mu sensed the presence of a curse. If nothing unexpected had happened, this was the cursed residue Mahito had left behind.

He secretly activated his Sharingan. The barely noticeable cursed residue became as clear as if it had been highlighted, revealing the direction Mahito had gone.

After examining the specific situation inside the screening room, Nanami also noticed the faint cursed residue lingering in the air, drifting about like gossamer threads.

"Did you notice the cursed residue?"

Itadori looked completely confused. "No. What is that, anyway?"

After Nanami gave him a simple explanation and some instruction, Itadori gradually began to notice the cursed residue in the air as well.

"Oh! I see it, I see it!"

"Lin Mu, look!"

As he spoke, Itadori grabbed Lin Mu by the sleeve.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes, looking at him like he was an idiot.

Itadori immediately gave an awkward laugh, remembering Lin Mu's ridiculous strength. "Right, of course you saw it already."

Satoru Gojo had informed Itadori himself of his decision to have Lin Mu stay by his side, and had specifically told him not to publicize Lin Mu's strength.

Otherwise, there would be no point in protecting him from the shadows.

So Nanami did not know Lin Mu's exact strength. He only knew that Lin Mu seemed far more composed than that airheaded Itadori.

Once Itadori could see the cursed residue, Nanami continued, "Seeing it is easy, but only sensing it in advance makes someone truly strong."

"Let's go. We'll follow the traces and see if we can find him."

After leaving the theater, the group followed the lingering cursed residue to the vicinity of an outdoor stadium.

Rain poured down in torrents. Walking at the back, Lin Mu keenly sensed the presence of a cursed spirit.

However, this presence differed from the cursed spirits they had encountered before. It was mixed with a human presence!

Realizing something was wrong, Lin Mu immediately recalled the relevant events. These were not cursed spirits.

They were humans whose souls had been altered by Mahito!

Not long after, Nanami also sensed the presence of a curse and instinctively shielded the two students behind him.

"Uweeeeh—b-bento, want one?"

The moment Itadori saw the cursed spirit, he prepared to attack, but Nanami held him back with one hand.

"I'll take this one. You and Lin Mu deal with the one over there." After assessing the strength of the two cursed spirits, Nanami gave his orders.

In a nearby corner stood a fat, white cursed spirit. "Uweeeh, laundry service—"