Hoshimi Shrine

"Religious infighting, I guess."

Satoru Gojo spoke first, hands in his pockets as his toe kicked aside a charred stone fragment on the ground.

"When I was handling cursed spirit missions out in the countryside, I saw plenty of religious groups beating each other up. Donations from believers, land, and that little bit of reputation—they were all worth fighting over.

"An organization like the Pan Star Religious Group is, bluntly put, just a bunch of lunatics who want to monopolize the faith market. Whenever someone became more popular than them, they went and smashed the place up."

"Satoru, don't be so naive."

Suguru Geto sighed and helplessly cut off Satoru Gojo's casual remarks. "This shrine is tiny. Apart from gathering a little attention during its annual festival, its gates are basically shut all year round. The Pan Star Religious Group had no reason to deploy a Grade 1 Curse User over such meager offerings.

"I looked through Jujutsu High's classified archives. This place is called Hoshimi Shrine, a remnant passed down through generations by the Hoshimi Family, who possess shrine maiden blood."

Beside them, Ieiri Shoko shed her usual lazy demeanor and took the initiative to continue. "Once, while sorting through logistics records, I came across an ancient book classified as top secret. I flipped through a few pages and saw something related."

She paused, as though recalling the exact wording.

"Hoshimi Shrine appears to be divided into two layers: the 'outer' and the 'inner,' with the Killing Stone behind the mountain serving as the boundary. Circle the Killing Stone three times to the left and three times to the right, and you can open the barrier and enter the true shrine."

"Incidentally, Killing Stones are rocks found near volcanic craters. Having been exposed to sulfurous acid and hydrogen sulfide gases for long periods, they possess a degree of toxicity and cursed energy. Some shrines worship them as sacred stones, so remember not to touch one directly."

Satoru Gojo looked around, pushing his sunglasses up. "Two layers, inner and outer? So this rundown dump we're seeing now is just a shell?"

Lu Ping keenly caught the crucial point and reminded them, "Their objective appears very clear. They prioritized sending the stronger Grade 1 Curse User to search the shrine's storeroom. That means they were not simply trying to destroy the place. They were most likely looking for something."

At Lu Ping's prompt, the blue Six Eyes in Satoru Gojo's eyes narrowed slightly, as though he had remembered something.

He rubbed his chin and snorted. "Now that you mention it, I remember. The old fossils at home did mutter that Hoshimi Shrine stored one of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers as a 'sacred ward.'"

"Ryomen Sukuna..." Suguru Geto's expression grew more solemn. "The terrifying being with four arms and four eyes, later known as the King of Curses? The one who became twenty Special Grade cursed object fingers after death, and could cause a massive disaster with just one of them?"

"Yeah, that infamous bastard." Satoru Gojo nodded. "They say that as long as its seal remains stable, that finger releases a unique cursed energy fluctuation that drives away nearby cursed spirits and protects the area."

After thinking for a moment, he added, "But once the seal is removed, the Special Grade cursed object known as Sukuna’s Finger becomes a powerful 'curse' that draws cursed spirits toward it."

Ieiri Shoko gazed toward the gloomy mountain behind the shrine and said worriedly, "Since a Semi-Grade 1 Cursed Spirit appeared in the shrine just now, does that mean the seal has already cracked? If we don't retrieve and reinforce it in time, the people nearby will suffer."

Satoru Gojo nodded at once. His Six Eyes activated instantly, his gaze piercing through layers of shadows cast by the trees to precisely lock onto the Killing Stone concealed by a barrier deep in the mountain.

The four slowly made their way toward the mountain behind the shrine. Along the way, Suguru Geto pondered aloud, "The Pan Star Religious Group... the chances are high that these fanatics are acting against Sukuna’s Finger because of their doctrine of 'maintaining Tengen's absolute singularity.'"

However, before they could approach the Killing Stone, Lu Ping's brow suddenly furrowed.

The Three Corpses within him became exceptionally active at that moment, sharpening his five senses to their limits.

"Stop." Lu Ping called out in a low voice, his expression turning ugly. "There's a smell... something sticky, revolting, like thoroughly rotten and soured food scraps left out for a long time. It's constantly drifting over from the Killing Stone."

"This smell doesn't seem like it came from a cursed spirit. It's more like... a curse?"

Hearing that, Satoru Gojo raised an eyebrow. "Not bad. You sensed it too?"

"This nauseating smell originates from the cursed energy fluctuations of the King of Curses' finger. The fact that we can sense it now means there are two possibilities."

Satoru Gojo held up two fingers, seemingly waiting for someone to ask further.

On the other side, Suguru Geto picked up the thread irritably. "First, the barrier Hoshimi Shrine used to store the Special Grade cursed object was dismantled from the outside by a sorcerer proficient in Barrier Technique."

"Second, the Special Grade cursed object, Sukuna’s Finger, has already been taken out of the shrine within the barrier. It is continuously releasing cursed residue into the real world and constantly attracting cursed spirits!"

Having been cut off, Satoru Gojo pulled a face before continuing, "Though I don't know how they did it, the current situation is undoubtedly the latter. At least, I can't see any signs that the barrier was damaged."

"So their operation already succeeded?"

Lu Ping frowned, rapidly connecting the clues as the deduction in his mind gradually became clear.

He knew there was a strong chance this was the work of Toji Zenin, who shared his Zenin Clan bloodline and bore the title of Heavenly Tyrant.

Toji Zenin's Heavenly Tyrant was an exceedingly rare special Binding Vow. He had been born with zero cursed energy in exchange for extraordinary physical and physiological abilities.

Because it had not been acquired later in life but had been established from the moment of birth, it was called "heavenly bestowed"—a gift from heaven.

The greater a sorcerer's innate potential, the stronger the boost in abilities gained through the Binding Vow.

The greater the amount of cursed energy one was born with, and the higher the performance of one's innate technique, the more powerful the Heavenly Tyrant abilities became after conversion through the Binding Vow.

In other words, without the special constitution of the Heavenly Tyrant, Toji Zenin would still have been an outstanding sorcerer.

Perhaps because of that, he seemed born knowing how to devise detailed plans that effectively targeted sorcerers, earning him the title of "Sorcerer Killer."

Even Satoru Gojo, hailed as the strongest Limitless sorcerer in a thousand years, had suffered badly at Toji's hands before fully awakening.

This was bad... If Toji came into contact with Jujutsu High's strongest duo ahead of time, it might bring unforeseeable consequences to the upcoming Star Plasma Vessel Escort Incident.

The four continued forward as they discussed the matter, soon arriving beside the Killing Stone Satoru Gojo had located, hidden along the passageway.

A cold bead of sweat slid down Lu Ping's temple. The pressure from the uncontrollable chain reaction caused by future events was even greater than when he had fought the Grade 1 Curse User!

The negative emotions were quickly devoured by the Three Corpses within him and transformed into cursed energy that nourished him, but his concern for the future undoubtedly surged to its peak at that moment.

It was not that he feared being unable to win, but that he worried about the consequences caused by the unknown. After all, he did not yet possess the ability to control the overall situation.

Just then, a fair hand reached out from beside him and wiped away the sweat. Ieiri Shoko tilted her head in confusion. "Is this summer really so depressing?"

Lu Ping gave a soft hum, but his pupils suddenly contracted.

As Satoru Gojo led the way around the Killing Stone three times to the left and three times to the right, an invisible barrier opened, and a refreshing night breeze slowly drifted in from another space.

What came into view was a distinct footprint on the ground, completely devoid of any cursed energy fluctuations.