"Nice to meet you, Okkotsu. My name is Suguru Geto!"
Without warning, Suguru Geto vanished like a phantom, then appeared before Yuta Okkotsu like a ghost. He clasped Yuta's hands in an iron grip and spoke in a gentle voice.
His lightning-fast movements left Maki and the other two staring in shock!
Standing nearby, Yuanfang couldn't help thinking, If I hadn't read the original, I'd have thought Suguru Geto had some peculiar fetish!
"H... hello!"
Yuta Okkotsu greeted Suguru Geto in a fluster, like a startled deer.
"You possess a wonderful power. I believe great power should be used to achieve great goals. Have you ever questioned the world we live in?
I mean this world where jujutsu sorcerers maintain social order from the shadows..."
Holding Yuta Okkotsu's hands as though he had discovered a priceless treasure, Suguru Geto launched into a torrent of lofty principles.
"Don't do that, Suguru Geto. You'll scare Yuta!"
Yuanfang had always presented himself as a warm, gentle young man. Seeing his companion so uncomfortable, he had to step in and help him out!
"Oh, Yuanfang. It's been a while. How is Ms. Yuki Tsukumo's research coming along?"
Suguru Geto wasn't annoyed by Yuanfang's interruption. Instead, he released Yuta Okkotsu's hands and raised a hand in greeting.
"Heh, it's going well. Go take a look yourself when you have time!"
Yuanfang greeted him like an old friend, not remotely worried that Suguru Geto might attack him.
Maki and the other three looked utterly bewildered, unable to make heads or tails of what they were talking about.
"All right. I'll go when I get the chance!"
They had actually made progress. Suguru Geto couldn't help feeling curious now, and wanted to go see for himself.
He had encountered Yuanfang's cursed technique before and knew that researching him was next to impossible. That was why he had eventually given up.
Putting those thoughts aside, Suguru Geto turned his gaze back to Yuta Okkotsu and continued:
"You know, in this world, the strong accommodate the weak. What a contradiction. It's truly tragic!"
At that, Suguru Geto threw an arm around Yuta Okkotsu's shoulders, his emotions running high.
"The supposed pinnacle of all living beings refuses to move forward or evolve. How utterly foolish..."
Yuanfang nodded slightly at his side, agreeing with Suguru Geto's words.
"What do you want me to help you do?"
Yuta Okkotsu looked thoroughly confused. After everything Suguru Geto had said, he still didn't know what help the man wanted from him.
"Kill every non-sorcerer and build a world for jujutsu sorcerers alone!"
Suguru Geto delivered that earth-shattering declaration with a perfectly calm expression.
Maki and the other two took up fighting stances, their wariness deepening.
"If you're interested in my path, Yuanfang, you're welcome to join me anytime!"
Seeing that Yuta Okkotsu was too shocked to answer, Suguru Geto smiled and turned to Yuanfang.
"We'll see when the time comes!"
With the hint of an ambiguous smile on his lips, Yuanfang gave a noncommittal answer.
His answer left Maki and the other three feeling uneasy.
They didn't want the gentle Yuanfang to become someone so deranged.
Just then, Satoru Gojo's voice came from behind Suguru Geto, edged with anger.
"They're my students. Don't fill their heads with those twisted ideas!"
Everyone turned to see Satoru Gojo and Masamichi Yaga approaching with a group of people.
"Satoru, it's been a while!"
Suguru Geto showed no fear at all, greeting Satoru Gojo with a smile as bright as sunshine!
If he opened his eyes just a little wider, he would have looked like a cheerful, sunny young man.
"Please keep your distance from them, Geto!"
Satoru Gojo's voice was icy enough to freeze someone solid.
He paid no attention to Suguru Geto's sunny smile. A note of warning entered his voice, like the calm before a storm.
"How cold of you."
Suguru Geto grumbled in mild annoyance. Then, as though something had occurred to him, his eyes narrowed to slits and his lips curled into a mischievous grin.
"I heard this year's first-years were a gathering of elites. So you're the one teaching them! A Special Grade cursed human, a suddenly mutated cursed corpse, a descendant of cursed speech users, our young friend Yuanfang..."
At that point, Suguru Geto suddenly cast a disgusted glance at Maki.
"The Zenin Clan's bottom of the barrel!"
"Bastard!"
Maki hated being called the "bottom of the barrel" more than anything. Her anger flared instantly, and she prepared to attack Suguru Geto.
"Watch your tone. My world has no need for monkeys like you!"
The smile vanished from Suguru Geto's lips. His voice was like a sharp sword, cold and merciless.
Yuta Okkotsu, whose shoulders were still draped with Geto's arm, grew furious at hearing him speak about his companion that way.
He was about to shake Suguru Geto's arm off his shoulders, but before he could move, a gentle voice rang out again.
"Heh, Suguru Geto, I really have to set you straight this time. Your judgment has gotten terrible! She's..."
"I understand. She's your companion. Sorry, I did go a little too far!"
Because of Riko Amanai, Suguru Geto still treated Yuanfang fairly well, even after turning to darkness.
So although he despised Maki for being a monkey, he was still willing to show Yuanfang some respect.
Still angry, Maki also felt a little touched.
"No, don't get the wrong idea! You remember that man, don't you? In the future, Maki will be every bit as strong as he was!"
The moment Yuanfang mentioned that man, Suguru Geto thought of Toji Fushiguro. He was the only man who had been so powerful despite possessing no cursed energy.
He immediately turned to Maki, much of the contempt gone from his eyes.
Toji Fushiguro's strength had remained branded into his mind.
And if Toji Fushiguro, the man who had defeated him, was a monkey, then what did that make him?
"If that's really the case, then I owe you an apology!"
Suguru Geto had been utterly disgusted with Maki only moments before, yet now he was apologizing to her with a smile.
For a moment, they desperately wanted to know just who the man Yuanfang had mentioned was.
Satoru Gojo knew Maki well, however, so he knew that man was Toji Fushiguro.
"Enough. What exactly did you come here for?"
Worried that Suguru Geto might do something to Yuta Okkotsu, Satoru Gojo approached, pulled Yuta aside, and asked in a serious voice:
"I've come to declare war!"
Even with Satoru Gojo standing right in front of him, Suguru Geto kept smiling calmly, utterly unconcerned for his own safety.
Instead, he turned his back on Satoru Gojo, faced Masamichi Yaga, and announced loudly:
"Everyone here, listen closely. On the coming December 24, after sunset, we will begin the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
The locations will be Tokyo's Shinjuku, that great melting pot of curses, and Kyoto, the sacred ground of jujutsu.
I will unleash over a thousand curses in each location. Their orders, needless to say, will be [kill everyone you see].
If you don't want those places to become hell on earth, then do everything in your power to stop us! Let's curse each other to our hearts' content!"
As he finished, his lips curled into an evil, ferocious grin!
Before you continue