Above Akihabara, a massive canopy resembling an inverted black bowl blocked all outside sight.
The Curse User Mitarai Shizuru, could no longer suppress the upward curve of his lips.
This exceptionally Jujutsu High genius from a prestigious university was ultimately destined to die in their meticulously planned ambush.
The old man from the Deep Sea Church hovered in mid-air, looking down at the dilapidated theater sealed off by a barrier, but he felt little joy in victory.
What drew his attention was not the theater beneath his feet, but the vast barrier above his head, which no one knew who had erected it.
"Don't worry about reinforcements from the Jujutsu High." The old man stroked his thinning beard, his tone calm. "Once we confirm the boy's body, we'll retreat directly to Tokyo Bay. Other bishops from the Deep Sea Church will be there to meet us."
Mitarai Shizuru a sigh of relief, glancing at the darkness above. "This 'treasury' is suspicious. Could it be that the Jujutsu Headquarters is helping to cover it up?"
The old man shook his head slightly, his brows furrowed.
The caster's skill in creating a barrier of this scale was absolutely unparalleled.
If he were to confront a barrier master of this caliber head-on, he would not hesitate to run away.
The gods worshipped by the Deep Sea Church were forcibly sealed away by a barrier master in ancient times.
Although the seal did not completely suppress the original body, but only cut off the channel for the god to descend into the real world, it can still be described as a Miracles that defies common sense.
For this reason, the entire church has painstakingly studied the Barrier Technique in order to break the shackles on God, and every bishop has a high level of skill in enchanting barriers.
When faced with peers who are more skilled than themselves, they feel an instinctive sense of awe.
Let's rewind to a dozen minutes before Lu Ping was attacked.
On a train leaving Akihabara, Kamo Chitsubaki and Ieiri Shoko sat side by side in a corner.
Not long after saying goodbye to Lu Ping, that eerie black curtain rose over the area.
The two sensed something was wrong and quickly made a decision.
Shoko took out her phone and skillfully dialed Suguru Geto's number, who was on a field mission.
Qian Chun bypassed the usual procedures and sent a request for support to Naobito Zenin, the head of the Zenin Clan, who was in a semi-retired state.
Upon receiving the message, the two immediately changed trains and headed towards Akihabara.
Even if the intelligence was wrong, they wouldn't dare gamble with Lu Ping's life.
Suguru Geto listlessly looked at the location information sent by Shoko on his phone. He was riding on the back of the flying Rainbow Dragon, and the wind was blowing his long black hair into a mess.
In their recent interactions, he had already come to regard this steady yet surprisingly insightful junior as a companion.
Last time in Snakebone Village, the other party could even be considered to have saved his life.
Satoru Gojo had also mentioned privately that he wanted to bring this kid into their strongest team in the future.
Today, it's his turn to lend a hand.
Meanwhile, Naobito Zenin, who was drinking sake in an izakaya, smashed his sake cup.
Then, with a flicker, he vanished without a trace.
The old patriarch's idea was even simpler and more straightforward.
Since Lu Ping is my handpicked next head of the family, although I haven't officially announced it to the world in writing, the internal signals have already been sent out.
Daring to jeopardize the future of the Zenin Clan is tantamount to slapping that old fox in the face.
He's retired and takes on odd jobs just to earn some money for drinks; it's no harm for him to stretch his muscles now.
Inside the theater, in a dark, Shadow Space.
Lu Ping leaned back against a pile of clutter, breathing in the pure gas supplied from the industrial oxygen cylinders.
He discovered that through the circulation of the Three Corpses within his body, he was able to penetrate the physical barrier of the shadow and vaguely sense the fluctuations of Cursed Energy and negative emotions from the outside world.
This means that even while hiding in a safe house, he can still maintain control of the battlefield.
After more than twenty minutes of rest, the physical overload caused by forcibly entering the [Infinite Cursed Energy] state has subsided by more than half.
The negative effects, which nearly caused his blood vessels to burst, served as a wake-up call for him.
This trump card must be saved for the very last moment. Once the player enters the weakened state after the overload, their combat power will decline drastically, making it difficult to deal with strong enemies of the same level.
Lu Ping gently flexed his wrist, thinking to himself.
If it were Naobito Zenin standing here today, the situation might have been resolved much more gracefully.
The old patriarch's [Projection Cursed Technique] was a devastating blow against human Curse User; with the right Cursed Tool, he could charge into enemy lines as if they were empty.
Unless facing an opponent with exceptionally unique Cursed Technique rules or an enemy who controls a domain, the old patriarch is virtually unbeatable.
However, through objective evaluation using the absolute rationality gained after absorbing negative emotions from the three households, Lu Ping knew that his overall combat strength was not far from that of the old patriarch.
Moreover, from beginning to end, he hadn't even used the Ten Shadows's most core ability—summoning Shikigami.
With just physical skills, archery, and shadow manipulation, he forced several level-one Curse User to the point of using all their trump cards.
It seems that the plan to tame the Shikigami must be put on the agenda immediately.
Originally, I planned to finish the exorcism task assigned by the Jujutsu Headquarters and then Hoshimi Shrine to see if I could retrieve the second Ten Shadows Memoirs.
Unexpectedly, at this critical juncture, they were ambushed by a mole within the Jujutsu Headquarters, remnants of the Pan Star Religious Group, remnants of the underground research institute, and madmen from the Deep Sea Church.
Someone like Miwa Seigen was once badly beaten by Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto Seiji, losing three Shikigami before fleeing in a sorry state; Mitarai Shizuru was so frightened by the presence of Kamo Chitsubaki, one of the Three Great Families elite families, that he didn't even dare to fight; and this old man who called himself "the Gate Beast" only dared to show his face when he had the perfect timing and location.
Ultimately, in the eyes of these forces, he, a "Semi-Grade 1" who has not yet fully realized his talent, is just an easy target to manipulate.
Otherwise, why don't they go and challenge those official Grade 1 Sorcerer?
The Jujutsu Headquarters probably wants to take advantage of the fact that they haven't yet secured their position as head of the family, and suppress the new generation of talent.
Those conservative old fogies within the Zenin Clan might also be involved in this mess.
The only way to break out of this passive situation where we are being schemed against by all sides is to complete the certification of Grade 1 Sorcerer as soon as possible, put our strength on the table, and make these guys never dare to extend their claws again.
Just as he had sorted out his thoughts, Lu Ping suddenly received feedback from the Shadow Wolf outside his mind.
A source carrying an immense aura of curse forcefully pierced through the tents of Akihabara!
Have the enemy reinforcements arrived?
Lu Ping's heart sank slightly as he carefully discerned the fluctuations emanating from the Shadow Wolf.
The next second, he froze.
That familiar surge of Cursed Energy... it's Suguru Geto?
Could it be that this senior student has already been completely controlled by the Cursed Spirit at this point in time?
Or perhaps, that ancient demon who Faso for a thousand years had already succeeded?
If the plan of the Faso succeeds at this stage, the [Star Plasma Vessel Incident], which will have a significant impact on the world order, will inevitably bring about earth-shattering changes!
Outside, a black Shadow Wolf lurks in the shadows of a building.
A gigantic Rainbow Dragon descended from the sky, and Suguru Geto leaped off its back.
He keenly sensed the movement in the corner, turned his head, and saw the dog-shaped creation exuding an aura of darkness.
Suguru Geto recognized it as one of the Ten Shadows' Shikigami.
He strode forward, squatted down, and reached out to ruffle the Shadow Wolf's hair.
"Lead the way, let's find him."
Lu Ping finally breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing what was happening.
It turned out to be just a false alarm.
This guy swaggered around town with an aura of Cursed Spirit, almost causing people to misjudge him.
Suguru Geto, led by Shadow Wolf, was rushing over at full speed, but it was clear that they were running out of time.
Only two minutes remained until the "half-hour" deadline mentioned by the old man.
Lu Ping glanced at the large-capacity oxygen cylinder at his feet; the pointer indicated that there was still plenty of oxygen left.
He helped the unconscious Midou Taki put on a brand new breathing mask, then stood up straight and began to adjust his breathing rhythm and the flow of his Cursed Energy.
On a whim, he raised both hands to his chest.
Interlace your fingers and clench them tightly, then straighten and bring your index fingers together, forming a shape resembling a sword's edge.
The Acala Hand Seal).
Lu Ping closed his eyes and entered a brief state of meditation.
This is not some profound religious practice; it is simply to visualize the flow of Cursed Energy within the body in one's mind, adjusting this body, which has just undergone overload, to its optimal state as much as possible.
The countdown has begun; this is merely the calm before the storm.
Two minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
The old man above the theater glanced at his pocket watch and coldly brandished the short-handled trident in his hand.
"Cursed Technique discontinued."
The lockdown rules of the Solitary Prison vanished at that moment.
With a deafening roar, the giant octopus-shaped Cursed Womb, spewing poisonous mist, seemed to encounter some irresistible suction force and was instantly pulled back into the bronze giant door.
The dark green poisonous fog that filled the entire space, along with the ancient door covered in verdigris, vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye, like a phantom.
After confirming that the Cursed Technique had been completely dispelled, the old man then controlled the Birdman Curse Spirit to slowly descend.
He followed behind Mitarai Shizuru, cautiously entering the dilapidated ruins of the theater.
He knew all too well the properties of the poisonous mist spewed by the miasma.
This kind of highly toxic substance that directly corrodes the Cursed Energy is so potent that it's impossible for anyone to withstand it for more than ten minutes.
He waited for more than half an hour entirely out of caution.
The Ten Shadows Sorcerer mastered the Taming Ritual the Mahoraga.
In the event that the other party forcibly drags them down with them before dying, activating the inevitable summoning circle, he must also take into account the time it takes for Mahoraga to kill the Cursed Womb and the summoner, causing the ritual to end automatically.
The two stepped onto the wooden floor of the stage, trudging through the mess on the ground.
The surroundings were so quiet that the only sound was the creaking of the wooden planks breaking.
Mitarai Shizuru looked around, trying to find the corpse that should have died a gruesome death.
The moment they stepped into the center of the stage, Lu Ping, who was lurking in the shadows, had already accurately detected the approach of these two familiar Cursed Energy fluctuations.
Twenty meters.
Ten meters.
That's enough.
The viscous black mass in the center of the stage suddenly boiled over.
A tall, slender figure emerged silently from the shadows, as if breaking the surface of water.
Lu Ping's eyes snapped open, his gaze turning icy.
His hands had already firmly maintained the Acala Hand Seal of Fudo Myoo) with his index fingers together inside the shadow.
Without any casting animation, he started with zero frames and unleashed a massive surge of Cursed Energy!
The old man's pupils dilated in shock, and every hair on his body stood on end.
You've been infected.
A cold, clear voice echoed through the empty ruins.
Lu Ping's lips twitched as he uttered the last four words.
"Domain Expansion!