This Is Not the End

Although Kabukicho First Avenue was more bustling than most areas, the deeper one went, the more desolate it became, with fewer and fewer people around. The street where the abandoned bar stood was practically deserted.

Before long, everyone arrived at their destination. The moment they got there, they immediately sensed that something was off.

"Even from outside, I can sense rather dense cursed energy fluctuations. This really is probably that guy's lair."

Looking at the abandoned bar faintly emanating cursed energy, Geto Suguru's eyes turned vigilant.

Gojo Satoru smiled as well, seeming eager to deal with that cursed spirit at once and leave this place that made him uncomfortable.

Dongfang Che instructed the assistant supervisors to follow from far behind.

Without realizing it, their formation became Gojo Satoru at the front, Geto Suguru close behind him, Shoko Ieiri in third position, and Dongfang Che himself at the rear.

They all understood that Shoko Ieiri, the crucial person capable of healing them, had to be protected.

Gojo Satoru possessed the Limitless technique. As long as he activated it, he did not need to worry about most attacks, so he took the initiative to walk at the front.

Geto Suguru, following behind him, could release cursed spirits to control the field should anything go wrong.

Dongfang Che, at the very back, could keep watch behind them and prevent the group from being ambushed from the rear.

This unspoken coordination made Shoko glance at the three of them in surprise before entering the abandoned bar with them.

Inside the bar, traces of the fire and accident from years ago could still be seen. Everything was charred and withered. As they stepped inside, they stirred up dust that had been lying dormant on the ground.

"Cough... Why is there so much dust?"

Walking at the front, Gojo Satoru coughed while cautiously using the Six Eyes to analyze his surroundings. Only after finding no unusual fluctuations or signs did he relax his guard.

"Not here... But the cursed energy fluctuations here are obviously very distinct."

Geto Suguru, following behind him, also sensed that there was no cursed spirit inside the bar, and an puzzled expression appeared on his face.

In his view, Dongfang Che's analysis should not have been wrong. This place should have been that cursed spirit's nest, so why was it absent?

"Maybe it went out hunting again?"

When it came to a mission, Shoko Ieiri put away her usual aloof attitude and offered her own thought.

Dongfang Che merely turned his gaze toward a corner. His expression changed slightly, and he quickly walked over.

"There's something here."

As he spoke, he beckoned the three over. Hearing that he had found something, they hurried to the corner and saw what he had discovered.

A male and female corpse lay there. The reason they could tell the two were dead was that all of their blood had been drained, leaving only shriveled skin clinging to their skeletons.

What was strange was that their faces bore expressions of joy and smiles, as though they had been experiencing some uncontrollable ecstasy until the moment of death and had lost the ability to control their expressions.

"Ugh... That's really kind of disgusting."

Seeing the corpses' bizarre appearances, Gojo Satoru made a comment while Geto Suguru began analyzing the scene.

"So, the cursed spirit we're looking for should have the ability to suck blood. If that's the case, it probably didn't abduct those hostages merely for amusement. It was treating them as food and resources."

As the only medic on the team, Shoko Ieiri crouched down to examine the corpses. After studying them for a while, she reached a conclusion.

"These two corpses died at different times. One died three days ago, while the other died seven days ago. That means the cursed spirit... killed them here at different times."

Although she had seen many dead sorcerers and ordinary people before, this was the first time she had seen such bizarre corpses, and it made her feel a chill in her heart.

After discovering the bodies, they immediately notified the assistant supervisors waiting outside.

There was no sign of a cursed spirit here, and the concentration of cursed energy was not high enough for one to hide itself, so the situation from Dongfang Che's first mission would not happen again.

Soon, the assistant supervisors began searching the bar under their direction.

More than ten minutes later.

"So... there are only four bodies here?"

Looking at the other two corpses found in the corners, which were nearly identical in condition, Geto Suguru fell into thought.

More than a dozen people had gone missing so far. If this really was that cursed spirit's nest, they should have found all the bodies. Yet there were only four... What was the reason for that?

Perhaps because the increasingly unbearable distorted cursed energy was agitating him, Gojo Satoru frowned and spoke impatiently.

"Why don't I just blast this place apart with a maximum-output Blue? We only need the assistant supervisors to lower a Curtain, and we can force that guy out this way."

Hearing this reckless idea, Dongfang Che had not even said anything before Geto Suguru looked at him as if he were an idiot.

"How could that work? This obviously isn't its base either. Even if this place is destroyed, it'll only put it on guard and make it stay away from here."

After hearing that, Gojo Satoru calmed down, though he still looked at him with displeasure.

"Then what do you think we should do now?"

"..."

Though he had stopped Gojo Satoru, Geto Suguru did not have any good suggestions either. He had considered sending cursed spirits out to search, but Kabukicho was so large, and there was so much distorted cursed energy around that he did not dare release them.

If he could not control them, those cursed spirits might harm ordinary people under the influence of the cursed energy. That would be putting the cart before the horse.

In the end, he could only place his hopes on someone else.

"Dongfang, do you have any ideas?"

Everyone present turned their eyes toward Dongfang Che. Though no one said it aloud, based on the judgment and analytical ability he had shown before, he had already become something like their temporary leader.

Dongfang Che, who had been looking at the four corpses, withdrew his gaze and offered his suggestion and thoughts.

"This place is undoubtedly connected to that cursed spirit, but it isn't a base. In my view, it's more like a transit point, or rather... a feeding spot it used before finding a suitable place."

As he spoke, he walked over to the two corpses found in the corner. After Shoko's examination, they had been confirmed to have died roughly over twenty days ago.

Normally, corpses left for so many days in early spring should have rotted, but because the cursed spirit had drained their blood, they had instead been preserved as mummies.

"After comparing them, these two corpses seem to be the earliest missing persons. That also means the cursed spirit did stay here for some time."

"That is indeed very possible... But how do we explain these two newer corpses?"

Although he felt Dongfang Che's analysis made sense, Geto Suguru still raised the question. Dongfang Che walked to the other two corpses and, after pondering carefully, offered his speculation.

"I think it may have regarded this place as its territory, so it often comes here to patrol. Sometimes, it might suddenly get hungry on the spot and start feeding, leaving these two... here."

Hearing this, everyone nodded.

This was currently the most reasonable explanation. Otherwise, there was no way to explain why there were only four corpses, with the first two having died at the same time and the latter two separated by several days.

"So even if that cursed spirit isn't here, it should be nearby, right?"

Having gathered so much information, Geto Suguru gave his own deduction. Dongfang Che nodded.

"Yes. So our next step is to search the surrounding area and see whether there are places with faint cursed energy fluctuations or anything unusual.

"We already searched this bar. There's no basement or related entrance here, so we can only start with the surrounding area."

With a new plan of action, they split up again and began searching around the abandoned bar.

Not long after, one of the cursed spirits Geto Suguru had sent out discovered something unusual.

When everyone regrouped, they were standing before a sewer entrance.

"According to the report from the cursed spirit I sent out, there are fluctuations here very similar to the cursed energy inside that bar. And look..."

He pointed at the opening as he crouched down, showing them the traces of blood along its edge.

"There's some blood here. It may have been left by someone being dragged, or by someone who was injured. Gojo, what does your analysis say?"

Since the Six Eyes could see through cursed energy fluctuations and properties, Gojo Satoru was the most reliable person for this task. But Geto Suguru knew that the environment here had put him in a bad mood, so he had not asked him to track it until now, only asking him to take a look.

After looking at the lingering cursed energy, Gojo Satoru gave a definite answer.

"That's right. This is the place. These cursed energy fluctuations are exactly the same as the abandoned bar and those crime scenes. That cursed spirit should have entered this underground passage."

Now that they had confirmed where the cursed spirit had gone, the next steps were much easier.

The assistant supervisors continued standing guard around the perimeter and lowering a Curtain to prevent anyone else from approaching, while Dongfang Che cleared away the rubble on the surface and revealed a deep, dark entrance.

Looking at the pitch-black opening, Geto Suguru knew that sending someone like Shoko Ieiri, who had little combat ability, down into such an environment was dangerous. He hesitantly said, "Ieiri... How about you stay—"

Before he could finish, the girl shook her head.

"I'll go with you. Some of those hostages may still be alive. If they're injured, my ability can help treat them and stabilize their condition."

Hearing that, not only Geto Suguru but even Gojo Satoru gave her another look.

Because they did not know her well enough, they had assumed that this classmate would not care about such things and only cared about herself. They had not expected her to make such a suggestion on her own at a time like this.

But Dongfang Che knew that Shoko Ieiri had never been a cold or distant person. There was gentleness and kindness hidden in her heart; it simply was not easy to notice.

"In that case, we'll stick to the previous formation. Gojo, you'll take the lead. Geto, you'll be in the middle. Ieiri will be third, and I'll bring up the rear."

"Mm."

"Got it."

"Everyone, be careful."

After arranging the plan and asking the assistant supervisors to watch the surrounding area, they each jumped into the sewer, their figures gradually disappearing into the darkness. Only the cold moonlight remained, shining upon the entrance.