While Ronova focused on growing stronger in peace.
The wheels of fate began to turn.
It started with her Death Feather.
Satoru Gojo had sworn that he had exorcised the newly born Special-Grade Curse.
But the Jujutsu Higher-Ups clearly had no intention of taking his word for it.
Gojo had a history of defying them.
They did not need to look far. Yuta Okkotsu was proof enough that Gojo did not follow orders.
The Special-Grade Curse Rika resided within Yuta Okkotsu.
That power was enough to overturn the existing order of Jujutsu Society.
A Special-Grade Curse of that caliber should have been exorcised.
Instead, Gojo had chosen to protect Yuta Okkotsu.
Never mind the potential danger.
Yuta Okkotsu's very existence as an uncontrollable factor put the Jujutsu Higher-Ups in a difficult position.
After all, nothing frightened those in power more than something they could not control.
And now Gojo had shown them the Death Feather and claimed he had exorcised the Special-Grade Curse.
How could the Jujutsu Higher-Ups simply believe him?
Especially after they learned what power the Death Feather held.
That only made them more uneasy.
Without Ronova holding it, the Death Feather had lost much of its power.
Yet the power lingering within it, a power that seemed capable of killing any living being, still sent chills down the Jujutsu Higher-Ups' spines.
They did not even need to see it in action. A brief sense of it was enough.
That alone let them imagine how terrifying its owner, the newly born Special-Grade Curse, must be.
With stakes this high, how could the Jujutsu Higher-Ups accept Gojo's word alone?
They had to investigate it thoroughly.
And when the Jujutsu Higher-Ups committed themselves to an investigation, little could stay hidden from them.
For instance, they discovered that Gojo had recently rented a small house in a remote area.
A young woman no one had seen before was living there.
The Jujutsu Higher-Ups knew Gojo well enough not to think he had fallen for someone and set her up in a house for his amusement.
They could only wonder whether she was the Special-Grade Curse that should have been exorcised.
Soon, they began investigating and testing Ronova.
And as everyone knew, secrets did not stay secret in Jujutsu Society.
Once the Jujutsu Higher-Ups sent people to investigate Ronova.
Word quickly leaked out.
More people began to take notice of her.
Suguru Geto, for one!
Ronova had no idea she had attracted anyone's attention.
Of course, this was not really her fault.
Gojo's credibility was simply that bad.
No one believed a word he said.
"Strange. Where is everybody?"
As usual, Ronova left for the hospital, ready to feed again.
But the street, which normally had a few people on it, was eerily deserted.
Only a handful of people remained.
And they kept glancing at her.
Ronova was vain enough to think it perfectly natural for people to sneak looks at her.
Even she realized something was wrong now.
Sure enough, the few people checked something on their phones.
Then they swiftly moved to surround her.
They looked ready to take her down on the spot.
That settled it. They were after her.
Ronova cursed Gojo for being unreliable and braced herself.
She could not beat Gojo, but that did not mean she could not beat anyone else.
Did these random Jujutsu Sorcerers think they could just exorcise her?
Not a chance!
Just then, a roar erupted from nearby.
A massive Cursed Spirit tore through a building and charged into the street.
The sudden turn of events stunned Ronova and the Jujutsu Sorcerers closing in on her alike.
Before they could react, the Cursed Spirit roared and attacked them.
The two sides immediately clashed.
A faintly amused voice sounded behind Ronova. "What a surprise. The rumors were true."
"Gojo really has some nerve, protecting a Cursed Spirit as dangerous as you."
"Isn't he afraid you'll kill him someday?"
If anyone in the world understood Cursed Spirits best.
It was Suguru Geto, without question.
With Cursed Spirit Manipulation as his Cursed Technique, he understood them better than anyone else alive.
So although Geto could not identify the source of Ronova's power at a glance.
He could sense how dangerous she was.
One wrong move, and that danger could kill him outright!
Yet Gojo had not snuffed out such a dangerous Cursed Spirit while he had the chance.
He had protected her instead.
From the look of things, he even intended to help her grow stronger.
To Geto, that was sheer madness.
But when he thought about how Gojo usually behaved.
It seemed perfectly normal.
That was Gojo for you. No one could ever guess what went on in his head.
Geto still had the leisure to joke about it.
Ronova, meanwhile, had broken into a cold sweat.
Of all the people in the world she least wanted to meet right now.
Suguru Geto topped the list.
Because Geto really did eat Cursed Spirits.
"You're nervous. Gojo must have told you about me."
"But don't worry. I won't do anything to you."
Geto tried to reassure Ronova.
Ronova did not believe a word.
Men's promises were made to be broken.
Trust him, and I might never know what killed me.
Seeing how wary she was, Geto explained, "I like controlling Cursed Spirits, but I won't use Cursed Spirit Manipulation on you."
"Eating you now would waste your potential."
"I'm hoping you'll help me carry out my plans someday."
Geto's Cursed Spirit Manipulation had one drawback: a Cursed Spirit stopped growing the moment he ate it.
However strong it was when he ate it, that was how strong it would remain afterward.
Eating Ronova now would be a complete waste.
Better to let her grow stronger.
Only then would Geto's plans have a better chance of succeeding.
At the thought, Geto's eyes gleamed as he looked at Ronova.
He seemed almost impatient to have her come with him.
But Ronova still did not trust him.
"I see. I look forward to working with you, then," she said.
All the while, her eyes darted around, searching for an escape route.
Geto noticed, of course, but he did not care.
He was a Special Grade Sorcerer. Surely he could handle one little Cursed Spirit?
Ronova might be a Special-Grade Curse herself.
But she had only just been born and had yet to grow into her power.
The advantage is mine!
By then, the Cursed Spirit Geto had released had already subdued the Jujutsu Sorcerers sent to capture Ronova.
At that instant, Ronova sprang forward and rushed straight at Geto.
At the same time, she activated her Cursed Technique, All Things Die.
Its terrifying power made every hair on Geto's body stand on end.
He knew that if the technique struck him directly, he would die.
He was about to respond when Ronova vanished from right in front of him.
That was right. Geto had never been the target of Ronova's All Things Die.
Unless Geto stood there like a fool and took All Things Die head-on, killing him outright would be difficult.
And if her first attempt failed, Ronova would never get a second chance to use All Things Die on him.
So her target had been clear from the start.
All Things Die had never been meant to kill Geto.
It was meant to kill the distance!
As the distance vanished, Ronova appeared far away.
She fled without looking back.
If she waited for Geto to recover, escaping would not be nearly so easy.
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