The instant Mei Mei saw that face, her pupils contracted.
Suguru Geto.
She knew Suguru Geto, the man once hailed as the strongest alongside Satoru Gojo, the Curse User who had defected, the Special Grade whom Satoru Gojo had personally executed during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
But the person before her.
Was not Suguru Geto.
Mei Mei swept her eyes over him. The quality of his Cursed Energy was different.
"Who are you?"
"Suguru Geto is dead."
"Satoru Gojo killed him himself."
The man smiled.
"Very observant."
His voice came from Suguru Geto's mouth, but his intonation was not Suguru Geto's.
"As expected of Mei Mei, one of Jujutsu Society's finest independent Jujutsu Sorcerers."
He took a step forward.
"Seven Grade 1 Cursed Spirits, and you dealt with them all in under three minutes."
"Beautifully done."
Mei Mei did not reply.
Her fingers shifted lightly on the axe handle, her eyes tracking his every movement.
"You released those Cursed Spirits."
She spoke.
"You deliberately put them in that mall for me to clear out."
"Yes."
The man nodded.
"I needed a sufficiently powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer."
"And you were the most suitable target."
Mei Mei narrowed her eyes.
"Target?"
The man tilted his head, looking at Mei Mei, the smile on his lips deepening.
"Your life is of very high quality, Mei Mei."
"A Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer with extensive experience on independent missions. Your Cursed Energy reserves, Cursed Technique precision, and mental strength are all of superior quality."
"You alone are worth a thousand ordinary people."
He raised his hand.
Suguru Geto's hand, slender and pale, with Cursed Energy gathering at the fingertips.
"I need forty thousand lives."
"But gathering them all from ordinary people would be too slow, and too much trouble."
"So I was thinking."