Of the three special grade cursed spirits, Mahito fled with the badly injured Jogo and the near-crippled Hanami, while Dagon quietly emerged from underground and stole Suguru Geto's body.
That scheming bastard Kenjaku had even brought out the special grade cursed object, the Prison Realm, just to stop Kamo Xu in his tracks.
Kamo Xu knew that if he chased them now, Mahito would do everything he could to keep him within the Prison Realm's sight.
One careless move and he would be sealed on the spot. Once that happened, God only knew when he would see daylight again.
Retreat...
That was his only option. He could not afford to be sealed here.
His gaze turned toward Mahito, who was racing away in the distance, and he gave him one final look...
Now everyone had left. Only the big-eyed Prison Realm remained, abandoned in the hundred-meter-wide crater.
Its user had to personally say [Close] to shut it. Otherwise, it would remain locked onto its uncaptured target forever.
"Heh... hahaha." Kamo Xu trembled all over as he laughed. What did it feel like to watch his mother's murderer leave without a scratch?
Bitter, of course. Painful. Agonizing.
What else could he possibly feel?
If he had to describe it, it was as though a fire had ignited in his chest. Hatred, loathing, resentment-all of it became fuel, turning Kamo Xu into a blazing furnace packed with the vengeful flames of his rage.
Only his enemy's blood could extinguish them. Otherwise, those damned flames would haunt him until they burned his soul dry.
"Mahito, we'll meet again..."
"As long as you're alive, I'll never stop hunting you..."
"Even if you die, someone will be waiting in hell to slaughter you!"
[I curse you]!
Far from the blasted crater, Kamo Xu slumped onto a mound of earth heaved up along its rim by the shock wave.
His cursed energy was almost exhausted. The terrifying cost of unleashing two enormous Domain Expansions in rapid succession was something an ordinary person could never withstand.
Not to mention that last full-power Maximum Technique, which had drained most of his cursed energy outright.
Then there was his constant use of Reverse Cursed Technique to heal after Jogo's attacks, along with all the other cursed techniques he had used...
If Kamo Xu had not cursed himself, all those moves combined could have drained his former reserves of cursed energy on the spot!
They could even have killed him outright!
The fact that he could still sit at the crater's edge and catch his breath was already a heaven-sent miracle.
He had barely sat down when a dazzling flash of white appeared before him.
Oh, it's Gojo... That bastard's hair is blinding even at night. How irritating...
"Yo, the strongest teacher, Gojo. Finished your heart-to-heart with your little Pokémon?"
Kamo Xu smiled, but Satoru Gojo's attention was not on him at all.
Even the ground Yuta Okkotsu had just plowed up with his Pure Love Cannon had not left a crater this big!
"What happened here... Who were you fighting?"
Kamo Xu lay down on his side, found a comfortable position, and lazily stretched his aching back, worn out by the fierce battle.
Only after a long while did he deign to answer Satoru Gojo, his voice still dripping with sarcasm. "Aren't you the strongest? Open your eyes and take a look."
Satoru Gojo
"Of course I know! There are three different kinds of cursed residue here, all of them left by special grade cursed energy. But you know that's not what I'm asking!"
"What exactly happened to you after the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons began?"
"Answer me!"
Satoru Gojo's hysterical roar brought no immediate response. The man lying some distance away, watching the stars, did not spare him so much as a glance.
"Is it because I killed Suguru Geto?"
His fingers twitched involuntarily. At last, Kamo Xu spared him a look.
Emptiness, numbness, and resentment...
He blamed him. He blamed Satoru Gojo for personally executing Suguru Geto, for killing their mutual friend.
"Heh... You really are clever. No wonder you're the strongest."
Kamo Xu smiled and rolled over, leaving Satoru Gojo staring at his back.
Satoru Gojo wanted to keep questioning him, but an answer came crashing down on him.
"Killed by a curse..."
"Huh? What do you mean, killed by a curse? Who?"
Kamo Xu lay quietly on his side on the bone-chilling ground, his arms wrapped around himself, his whole body curled up like... a bug.
Satoru Gojo did not know why he thought that, but the notion forced its way into his mind all the same.
Who could have changed Asahi this much?
Who was it?
Suddenly, something thundered through Satoru Gojo's mind. A possibility surfaced from his subconscious.
"Your mom... Was it your mom?" Although his question received no answer, Satoru Gojo saw the man curl up even tighter.
"That's impossible! Your mom left Jujutsu High yesterday. Even the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons couldn't have reached her. You must have mistaken-"
"I told you. She was killed by a curse."
Satoru Gojo was cut off, but he no longer had any reason to resent him for it.
Asahi... No, Kamo Xu.
He stayed far away from him, forcing the words out one by one.
"They planned it all... Their main target was Suguru Geto. They knew Suguru Geto would find a way to hold you up, so they focused on me."
Satoru Gojo's heart jolted. He immediately understood what Kamo Xu meant, and his whole body shook with rage.
"They weren't sure where I'd go to help. It might have been Shinjuku, or it might have been Kyoto. So they set up their ambush in advance and waited for the right moment to let the news slip."
"When I saw my mother... They were certain I'd break down and go on a killing spree. They wanted to slow me down that way..."
"And that's exactly what happened. Their plot worked beautifully."
"I personally slaughtered almost every cursed spirit in Kyoto and Shinjuku... And in the end, I made it to your handiwork here before they could take Suguru Geto's body."
Listening to him gave Satoru Gojo a headache. Kamo Xu always said things nobody could understand and left everything else unsaid. He never explained when they failed to understand him, either, then insisted on shouldering everything alone when something happened.
Like there was something wrong with him!
"So? With your strength, and your destructive power..." As he spoke, Satoru Gojo looked past Kamo Xu toward the enormous crater behind him, now completely shrouded in darkness.
It resembled an abyss, bearing witness to the ferocity of the battle.
"You should have killed them all... Hmm?"
Sensing something amiss, his Six Eyes immediately fixed on the damned thing at the very center of the hollow.
What is that?
Satoru Gojo saw the Prison Realm, and his Six Eyes swiftly told the white-haired man everything about it.
Lock on, remain, seal...
A special grade cursed object sat alone at the bottom of the crater. Taking Kamo Xu's current condition into account...
They got away...
Kamo Xu had been unable to pursue them. He could only watch as they brazenly left Jujutsu High.
What about the barrier? Why hadn't it reacted...?
The corner of Satoru Gojo's eye twitched. He guessed that Okkotsu's Pure Love Cannon might have broken the barrier with that one blast, or damaged it badly enough to stop it from transmitting information.
One moment of carelessness, and three special grade cursed spirits had slipped inside!?
"Surprised? Then I suggest you save it... They took Suguru Geto's body too. You'd better prepare yourself to see him again."
To see that [best friend] you killed with your own hands...
Before you continue