Found you, [curse]!

With the immediate crisis over, Megumi Fushiguro worked up the courage to ask Kamo Xu for Sukuna's Finger again. That blast of Piercing Blood seemed to have left the boy traumatized.

This time, however, Kamo Xu readily tossed it to him.

Not to the spiky-haired boy, though, but to the pink-haired one.

Finding a disgusting severed finger inexplicably landing in his hands, Itadori instinctively pinched it between his fingers and held it up to the moonlight, disgust spreading across his face.

"Ew, what is this... a human finger?" Yuji Itadori asked in confusion. "So this is that Ryomen-whatever-Sukuna guy's finger? It looks like a prop from Lizard Man 3. Ugh... it's hideous."

Megumi Fushiguro thought nothing of it, assuming Kamo Xu had simply thrown wide. "Hey, hurry up and hand that over. It's dangerous."

"Oh, here." Itadori held out Ryomen Sukuna's finger. He had only wanted to see what the Special Grade Cursed Object Fushiguro mentioned looked like and satisfy his curiosity. Now that he had seen how disgusting it was, he returned it to Megumi Fushiguro, the one actually responsible for it.

However...

Boom!

A cursed spirit suddenly burst through the wall, its mouth stretched into a grin, and lunged wildly for the finger between them.

This thing! It's that Grade 2 Cursed Spirit!

Did it approach under cover of the cursed energy in Ryomen Sukuna's finger? Damn it, I didn't notice at all!

Megumi Fushiguro reacted first, but the sudden attack still caught him completely off guard!

Damn it! No, Itadori!

Unlike in the original story, the two boys stood side by side. The cursed spirit lunged for Yuji Itadori first, intending to swallow him along with the finger!

Fushiguro had no time to shove Itadori away. The cursed spirit was already upon them!

It's over...

Boom!!!

Dust billowed again as the cursed spirit slammed headfirst into the wall on the opposite side of the corridor, finally bringing its charge to a complete halt.

The crash was even louder this time. It slowly pulled itself free, its two crimson eyes turning toward Kamo Xu...

Why?

Because he was holding both boys by their collars, of course!

Yes, Kamo Xu had intervened. He had detected that faint fluctuation of cursed energy just before the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit broke through the wall. Its ambush had been under his control all along.

So, the moment it burst through, Kamo Xu grabbed both boys' collars at a speed no ordinary person could follow, dangling them like kittens caught by the scruffs of their necks.

He had not forgotten the two Divine Dogs, either, kicking them both out of the attack's range.

"Huh? Wh-wh-what?!" When Itadori caught up with what had happened, his first reaction was not relief at surviving, but amazement at Kamo Xu's speed. "So fast! I couldn't see a thing! You're really strong, mister!"

He wriggled around as he exclaimed, every bit the goofball.

Megumi Fushiguro, on the other hand, was much calmer, his face still stern as he focused entirely on the cursed spirit.

"Mr. Kamo... thank you for helping. Please put me down. I have to exorcise this cursed spirit!"

Before Kamo Xu could let go, he crossed his hands and hooked his thumbs tightly together, forming the shape of a great bird spreading its wings.

"Nue!"

Crackle!

Lightning emerged before the shikigami itself. Determined to redeem himself, Megumi Fushiguro unleashed its ability at maximum output, filling the entire corridor with electricity.

Lightning flared, and the cursed spirit screamed under the attack. But it was a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, after all, with thick hide and plenty of health.

It forced its way through the electric shocks from Megumi Fushiguro's shikigami, Nue, charging straight for Yuji Itadori. It had to eat that finger!

Aaaaargh!

Piercing howls rasped intermittently from the cursed spirit's throat, like torn bellows pumping out foul, rotten air.

It lunged wildly toward the three of them!

Its enormous body barreled forward like a dump truck, but its desire proved its undoing.

"Divine Dogs!"

The two dogs, which had just been kicked a short distance away, clamped their jaws around the cursed spirit's legs in unison. After the electric shocks, its massive body could barely sustain a charge at that speed. Attacked by the black and white Divine Dogs, it immediately lost its balance and crashed down.

It rolled relentlessly toward the three of them.

"Well, well. Still a little short on combat experience, kid..."

Seeing this, Kamo Xu immediately kicked through the wall beside him and leaped outside. It was too cramped in here for Megumi Fushiguro to fight freely. They were better off outdoors.

With that light leap, Itadori and Fushiguro felt the chill of the night wind against their bodies.

At the same time, Kamo Xu released both their collars. He had no intention of fighting monsters for these two kids.

He might have stumbled across two plot characters while grinding monsters out in the open world, but he did not want to rob Itadori of his chance to grow.

After all, this was when the boy's will and resolve were at their strongest. The Itadori who overcame his fear of death and still chose to help Megumi Fushiguro was the one who would become that gifted young fighter later on.

He could not guarantee that, without this opportunity, that bastard Kenjaku would not take the boy away and forcibly turn him into an unpredictable variable.

Better to let him swallow the curse and follow Satoru Gojo to Jujutsu High...

Having made his decision, Kamo Xu no longer hesitated, smiling as he mercilessly abandoned the two boys.

Megumi Fushiguro had plenty of combat experience. The moment he realized Kamo Xu had released him, he adjusted his balance and landed firmly on both feet, still holding the hand sign for summoning Nue.

As for Itadori...

Though he tried to adjust his balance too, his lack of combat experience got the better of him, and he landed on his backside.

"Why is it always me?!"

Aaaaaah!

The cursed spirit's piercing howl rang out again. Itadori and Fushiguro immediately turned toward the monster, which had gotten up but remained where it stood.

"Itadori, hurry up and give me that finger! That's what it's after! It wants to eat it!"

"Huh? Why? Does it taste good?"

"It's the cursed energy. Eating it will give it a huge amount of cursed energy. Toss it to me or Mr. Kamo, either one. Just don't keep it..."

Suddenly, ripples appeared in the ground beneath them. Under Megumi Fushiguro's gaze, a hand rose from the solid stone surface as though it were liquid!

Oh no, it's that cursed spirit's ability!

Smack!

Megumi Fushiguro shoved Itadori away, but the rising arm pinned him to the ground!

"Gah!"

Megumi Fushiguro had let his guard down. He had never expected this recklessly charging creature to use its ability at a moment like this. No wonder it had chosen to stand still...

It extended its arm through the space underground?!

Damn it... my head...

The strike slammed the boy down, his head making the same intimate acquaintance with the ground that Itadori's had.

But the damage was far worse than what Itadori had suffered!

The cursed spirit's merciless blow left the fragile Megumi Fushiguro dazed on the spot. The Divine Dogs dissolved into streams of black liquid, vanishing into his shadow.

The cursed spirit leaped from the wall, wrenching its elongated arm free along the way. Its landing shattered the wall again. Danger closed in from every side!

"Fushiguro!"

After being pushed away, Itadori quickly recovered and ran back to rescue Megumi Fushiguro. But he had been the cursed spirit's target from the start. Why would it waste time on someone who could no longer fight?

If I swallow that finger... I'll get stronger!

Then I can come back and swallow the other two...

The Grade 2 Cursed Spirit's simple brain made its choice. Keeping one arm pressed down to trap Megumi Fushiguro in place, it launched its entire bloated body at Itadori.

Itadori jumped in alarm. The thing might have been terrifyingly large, but it was not slow!

Its remaining five legs churned as it sped along like a passenger car!

[You're strong... protect others!]

Argh, what a damn troublesome curse!

The cursed spirit slapped a hand down, trying to pin Itadori to the ground just as it had Megumi Fushiguro. But Itadori's superhuman reflexes sent him leaping high into the air, and the attack missed completely.

Before the cursed spirit could react, Itadori punched it down from midair!

Another ear-splitting crash rang out. Itadori's punch knocked the cursed spirit to the ground with such force that even the hand pinning Megumi Fushiguro came loose.

Yet its remaining momentum sent its enormous body rolling straight toward Kamo Xu, threatening to crush him.

"Mr. Kamo! Get out of the way!"

Itadori was certain Kamo Xu had heard him, but the man showed no intention of dodging.

Instead, he moved toward the cursed spirit?

Oh no!

Itadori had no idea how strong Kamo Xu really was. All he knew was that the man looked to be in danger. The instant he landed, he charged toward the cursed spirit again, heedless of anything else.

Able to run fifty meters in three seconds, he was far faster than the rolling cursed spirit. Going all out, he caught up in a blink, grabbed the arm it had stretched out to pin Fushiguro, and leaped off the building. The thick arm instantly bent the railing!

"Stop!"

The move actually worked!

Marveling at Itadori's superhuman physique, Kamo Xu walked over to a spot and stopped.

With Itadori holding it back, the rolling cursed spirit exhausted the last of its momentum and came to rest directly in front of Kamo Xu!

"Hello there~"

"You certainly don't look human, but you're still a cursed spirit born from a dead human..."

"I'll give you a chance."

Kamo Xu stared directly into the cursed spirit's crimson eyes. His figure was reflected within them, but... something even more crimson was appearing in that sea of red.

Kamo Xu's Cursed Eye!

[There are three questions...]

Not far away, the badly injured Megumi Fushiguro suddenly felt a chill. This was only the second time he had heard Kamo Xu's declaration, yet this time the fear came from instinct itself!

What happened next finally let him witness true power with his own eyes...

A blinding light suddenly burst from the crimson eye. Killing intent, curses, and cursed energy steeped in countless strains of malice surged forth!

Graaaargh!

The cursed spirit writhed uneasily, but Kamo Xu did not stop, as though conducting some important ritual.

[First, would you stake your life for someone important to you?]

Kamo Xu smiled...

Only the cursed spirit's incomprehensible howls answered him.

[Second, do you hate curses?]

His smile grew ever more sincere...

Still, there was nothing but howling.

[Third: have you ever killed a "human"?]

Roar!!!!

Howling, the cursed spirit swung its arm at Kamo Xu so fast that it dragged the surrounding air along, violently compressing it into a blast. Fierce wind carried immense force toward him!

Yet faced with this, Kamo Xu... merely stretched his smile into something incomprehensible, like a hideous devil!

At that same moment, the baleful star gleaming beneath the night sky became the flames of judgment!

Kamo Xu unleashed his cursed energy completely. Compared with the terrifying quantity from earlier, this was a heavenly torrent spilling forth without restraint! Laden with boundless hatred, it crashed toward the cursed spirit! Like a bomb...

Found you, [curse]!!!