"Banquet of Fated Remnants"

The moment Jianxia formed a link with the "Grade 2 Cursed Spirit," his soul left his body and entered a pitch-black space.

There were no boundaries here, no way to distinguish up from down or left from right. Wherever he reached, he found only emptiness.

After what felt like only a few seconds here, Jianxia felt his sense of direction fall into disarray.

After an unknown amount of time, a red door appeared before him.

Beyond the door, Jianxia could clearly hear a crowd. Warm light spilled through the cracks, seemingly inviting him inside.

He reached out and pushed the door open.

Then light flooded out.

By the time he came to his senses, he was standing in the middle of a festival.

The old woman calling to customers from her stall, the young man walking beside his lover, even the court nobles presiding over the rituals...

They were all smiling.

They were all filled with regret.

Everything around him was veiled in the faint glow of late summer, indistinct, making it all seem like something that had truly happened in his memories.

In modern terms, it was something like dreamcore.

Countless people and countless fragments of the past flashed past Jianxia like fleeting reflections.

Cursed spirits were anomalous life-forms born when the negative emotions spilling from humans accumulated and took shape.

And Jianxia realized that the "Grade 2 Cursed Spirit" had not been born from fear, resentment, or emotions like those.

It had been born from regret.

Regret that the festival would eventually end.

Regret that beautiful things would eventually end.

The scenery around him changed again. The festival flattened into a plane, then vanished entirely into a single point, and everything returned to darkness.

This time, however, Jianxia caught the change.

-I don't want it to end.

-Just a little longer.

-I still don't want to go home alone.

Negative emotions as numerous as stars poured in from every direction, like fireworks glittering in the night sky, illuminating the entire dark space.

They gathered and merged, becoming cursed energy, until they finally formed a glowing sphere.

Jianxia recognized it. This was the cursed energy core that sustained the "Grade 2 Cursed Spirit."

"Fes... festival..."

The "Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's" voice came from within the core, but this time, it was no longer harsh and grating.

Instead, it was the collective voice of countless people who had once wished the festival would never end-men and women, young and old.

Jianxia placed his hand on the cursed energy core and said softly, "...You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?"

The cursed energy core flickered, as if answering him.

"From now on, live without regrets."

Jianxia sensed the core inviting him inside. It had no defenses whatsoever, trusting him without reservation, like a dear friend.

"So that's how it is... Thank you for telling me your name. You're not just a 'Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.'"

As Jianxia poured cursed energy into the core, it dissolved into motes of light in turn, and the cursed energy that had originally belonged to the cursed spirit flowed into him.

"Your name is..."

"'Banquet of Fated Remnants.'"

"Task ③ completed"

"Rewards delivered"

In the real world, Shinji Zenin, who had been watching the fight, quickly erected a barrier to keep the fallout from Jianxia and Megumi Zenin's battle from affecting the surrounding houses.

Fun and games were one thing, but they had better not actually blow the roofs off during a spar.

The intense light kept him from seeing what was happening inside the barrier, but a surge of cursed energy stronger than before suddenly erupted from Jianxia's position. Shinji keenly picked up on it.

So that's it. He was holding back all along.

Shinji thought this as he increased his cursed energy output to maintain the barrier.

Of the many criteria used to judge a jujutsu sorcerer's talent, total cursed energy reserves were undoubtedly a very important measure.

Both cursed energy control and physical fitness could be improved through training.

Only total cursed energy reserves were fixed at the moment a jujutsu sorcerer was born, with absolutely no possibility of changing them afterward.

The mighty Ryomen Sukuna was said to possess cursed energy reserves beyond what ordinary people could imagine. That was also one of the reasons he had become the King of Curses.

One could say that at least eighty percent of a jujutsu sorcerer's strength was determined from birth.

Yet when Shinji had examined Jianxia during their first meeting, the cursed energy in his body had clearly been only at the level of a Grade 4 Sorcerer.

He had even been at the very bottom among Grade 4 Sorcerers.

Now, however, the total cursed energy Jianxia unleashed inside the barrier had already surpassed Grade 4 Sorcerer level and reached the average for a Grade 3 Jujutsu Sorcerer.

Shinji Zenin could only conclude that Jianxia had been hiding his strength until now.

Shinji Zenin, who had initially thought his daughter had been duped, began to waver.

Could this man really be an expert?

As the light inside the barrier faded, the battle reached its conclusion. Shinji Zenin immediately released his Barrier Technique, allowing the dust kicked up by the fight to disperse fully.

On the battlefield, Jianxia still held the pose he had used to release his cursed energy. He stood in front of the cursed spirit, a wisp of white smoke rising from his fingertips.

Megumi Zenin, on the other side, looked far more bedraggled. Her shikigami, "Nue," had disappeared, her clothes were in tatters, and all her skin had been charred black. She looked like a roast duck.

Even so, she still held the pose she had used to pour cursed energy into "Nue," as though she could launch into another exhilarating beam clash at any moment.

"That was a blast, Megumi. I doubt I'll ever forget you."

Jianxia, the culprit responsible, showed not the slightest concern. He rolled his shoulders and delivered his victory speech.

When Shinji saw what had happened to his daughter, his eyes went wide. He rushed forward and gathered her into his arms.

"Megumi, Megumi! Stay with me!"

He shook the unconscious Megumi Zenin and carefully examined her ravaged body... Injuries this severe could probably only be healed with a skill like "Externalized Reverse Cursed Technique."

And an ordinary version would not suffice. It would have to be exceptionally pure.

Shinji turned to Jianxia, but there was no anger in his eyes. Instead, they held an almost abject plea.

"Please, Master Jianxia. Save Megumi."

He no longer had the heart to demand why Jianxia had struck so hard during a spar. Shinji only hoped Jianxia truly was the powerful man Megumi had described. That was her only hope of surviving.

"What else is there to say? We're fucking bros. Of course I'll save her for you."

Jianxia showed no sign of panic. After successfully winning over "Banquet of Fated Remnants," not only had his total cursed energy reserves increased, but he could also feel that "Banquet of Fated Remnants" had grown stronger.

That enhancement went beyond its base stats. It had also successfully gained an innate cursed technique.

Although he had failed to control his strength during that sudden power boost, giving Megumi Zenin the same charred-black sunbathing treatment as Ryu Ishigori.

Knowing the effect of "Banquet of Fated Remnants'" innate cursed technique was his trump card, leaving him completely unruffled.

Jianxia commanded "Banquet of Fated Remnants" to grab Megumi Zenin with its hands [the GOAT manifests]. Several pieces of charcoal-black skin flaked off, nearly causing further injury.

Then, under Shinji Zenin's incredulous gaze, a miracle occurred.

"'Light Returns at Dusk'!"

As "Banquet of Fated Remnants" activated its cursed technique, Megumi Zenin's body began recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye while held in its hands.

The charred skin covering her body quickly vanished, replaced by fair skin exactly as it had been before. Her black, sea-urchin hairstyle also returned to her head.

Before long, Megumi Zenin's body was no different from how it had been before the battle began.

With her injuries gone, Megumi Zenin naturally regained consciousness, and "Banquet of Fated Remnants" set her back on the ground.

But she did not get up immediately. Instead, she looked up at the evening glow on the horizon and remained silent for a long time.

Only after a while did she speak again.

"Ugh! Just my rotten luck!"