Hung Hing Garden!

October 31, 8 p.m.

A massive barrier spanning a radius of over five hundred meters unfurled around the Shibuya subway platforms.

Having received reliable intelligence, Jujutsu High's forces swiftly assembled.

To the east of the barrier stood a Jujutsu High squad led by Mei Mei.

Itadori passed through the barrier without any resistance. "Why are there still so many ordinary people inside?"

"We did everything we could to warn them."

Ijichi, the assistant supervisor stationed there to keep watch, explained, "The barrier only affects non-sorcerers. They can enter, but they can't leave."

"Was that necessary?"

Mei Mei raised an eyebrow at the barrier, twirling a strand of hair beside her ear. "They warned us ahead of time to evacuate the civilians, then put up a barrier specifically targeting them. Isn't that contradictory?"

"My sister is right."

The young boy in overalls, whose hair was as pure white as Mei Mei's, nodded as he held a massive axe in both hands.

"We still don't know the specifics, but..."

Ijichi adjusted his glasses. "Judging by the cursed residue on the outermost barrier, there's no trace of Jiahao's cursed energy in it."

"There are currently three layers of barriers covering Shibuya. Only the innermost one has clearly identifiable fluctuations of Jiahao's cursed energy."

"I get it!"

Itadori's eyes lit up as he declared confidently, "Jiahao must be undercover, verifying the information on the curses and warning us in advance!"

"The outermost barrier was obviously put up by evil curses. Yeah... that has to be it!"

Itadori stretched his arms, brimming with enthusiasm. "So our job is to break through the two outer barriers and rescue the civilians inside, right?"

"Nope!"

"Our job is to rescue the Jujutsu Headquarters higher-ups trapped inside the second barrier."

Mei Mei's eager gaze swept past the non-sorcerers dressed as monsters in the street and settled deeper within the barrier.

"I thought the higher-ups were all dead, but it turns out they were only captured and imprisoned. They probably kept them alive deliberately to force Jujutsu High to send in a large number of jujutsu sorcerers to rescue them."

"But as long as they're alive..."

Mei Mei slowly licked her lower lip, greed burning in her eyes hotter than cursed energy. "Rescuing one living higher-up should earn us at least a hundred million yen!"

According to the information Jiahao had posted on his social feed, there was at least a full seven hundred million yen inside the second barrier!

At the thought, even Mei Mei's breath grew hot. "Just hold on a little longer. I'm coming to save you... my precious seven hundred million!"

"Elegant. Truly elegant!"

Ui Ui, dressed in overalls, tossed the massive axe to Itadori and applauded the frenzied Mei Mei.

Watching the money-crazed siblings, Itadori's mouth twitched. He had nothing to say.

Before the three left, Ijichi solemnly reminded them once more, "Unlike the outermost barrier, the second barrier has quite a few high-level curses roaming inside. Please be careful, all three of you."

Mei Mei waved a hand as she sashayed away, her eyes fixed on nothing but her precious seven hundred million.

Ui Ui followed, clapping, his eyes full of admiration.

Holding the massive axe in both hands, Itadori looked at Ijichi. "Can I request different partners?"

To the west of the barrier.

Maki carried a spear over her shoulder, Kugisaki held the Steel Hammer, and an old man stood with them, his hair, beard, and eyebrows all white.

His slicked-back hair reached past his shoulders, and he had thin eyebrows and two long strands of mustache.

He was Naobito Zenin, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer and head of the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Families.

"Our job is to destroy the barrier and exorcise the trash curses wandering around, right?"

Kugisaki tightened her grip on the Steel Hammer and entered the barrier alongside Maki.

"A Grade 4 Sorcerer and a Grade 3 Sorcerer..."

Following the two girls, Naobito Zenin stroked his long mustache and sighed. "Is Jujutsu High really this short on manpower?"

"They actually sent two low-grade sorcerers like you to die on a mission of this level."

"Hey, you booze-soaked old geezer!"

The hot-tempered Kugisaki snapped, "If you don't want to work, go home yourself!"

"Come to think of it..."

Maki turned to Naobito Zenin, suspicion in her eyes. "With all those Jujutsu Headquarters higher-ups gone, a clan head like you doesn't have to follow Jujutsu High's orders and come help, does he?"

"You doubt my motives?"

Naobito Zenin stroked his chin and smiled. "Satoru Gojo, a fellow head of one of the Three Great Families, might die. The least I can do is come see him off on his final journey."

The Three Great Families naturally knew about the prophecy Jiahao had announced in front of everyone on the Goodwill Event's tennis day.

But Naobito Zenin hadn't come solely to witness the Gojo Clan's decline. He was also here for the higher-ups imprisoned inside the second barrier.

Naobito Zenin had no intention of letting the Jujutsu Headquarters higher-ups who had targeted the Zenin Family leave alive.

"Tch!"

Kugisaki snorted. "Even if you died, that blindfolded bastard probably wouldn't!"

"Achoo!"

At the southern entrance to the barrier, Satoru Gojo suddenly sneezed.

"Who's thinking about me now?"

Beside him, Fushiguro rolled his eyes. "Could you stop being so full of yourself? I bet someone's wishing you dead."

On Fushiguro's other side, Nanami wore a serious expression as he looked down through the intelligence in his hands.

"Jiahao updated his social feed."

By now, almost all of Jujutsu High's latest intelligence came from Jiahao's social feed.

The latest entry had been a text-only post sent at six in the evening: The missing Jujutsu Headquarters higher-ups are inside Shibuya's second barrier.

Satoru Gojo, Fushiguro, and Takuma Ino, the junior sorcerer Nanami trusted, all took out their phones.

The photo showed the underground subway entrance inside the innermost barrier.

Dressed as a priest and holding a Bible, Jiahao stood in the middle of the group.

On either side of him, special grade cursed spirits in black suits held machetes, some crouching and others standing, striking poses at God's request-under duress.

The caption read: Hung Hing Garden.

"Shouldn't it be called Meteor Garden?"

Ino scratched his head in confusion. "Are they cosplaying F4? But why is there an extra tomboy?"

Nanami said, "There's no need to analyze these irrelevant details."

"Our mission is to exorcise the cursed spirits and eliminate the group of curse users inside the second barrier."

The second barrier contained not only cursed spirits, but curse users as well.

That intelligence had also come from Jiahao's social feed.

"But come to think of it, is Jiahao really undercover?"

"Looking at the photo, I feel like Jiahao looks more like the boss of the Disaster Cross Society."

"Can someone go undercover and end up becoming the boss?"

Ino didn't understand, but he was deeply shaken.

"Enough questions. Let's go."

Nanami urged them onward and stepped into the barrier.

"Gojo... sensei?"

Fushiguro paused and looked at Satoru Gojo, who was still standing there in a daze. "What's wrong?"

"Ah... nothing."

"It's just that the tomboy in the photo looks a little familiar."

Satoru Gojo slipped his phone into his trouser pocket and entered the barrier.

"Maybe I mistook her for someone else."