In other words, if Chingetsu struck it again and its injuries accumulated too much, its regeneration would most likely fail to keep up. A trace of apprehension surfaced in Hannya's eyes.
It slowly began backing away, instinctively wanting to distance itself from this terrifying boy. "A sp... a special grade curse was actually afraid?"
Seeing the special grade cursed spirit Hannya's actions, Utahime Iori covered her mouth with both hands in shock. This special grade cursed spirit had made her feel as though she had plunged into an ice cellar through its presence alone.
Such a terrifying being had actually been frightened by a single punch from Chingetsu. Utahime Iori felt as though the world had played an enormous joke on her. "I'm dreaming. I must be dreaming."
"Yes, yes, that must be it!"
With an utterly serious expression, Utahime Iori pinched her thigh. "That hurts!"
Tears instantly misted Utahime Iori's beautiful eyes, and she finally confirmed it. Facing this mysterious boy, this special grade cursed spirit...
It was afraid!
As unbelievable as it seemed, this special grade cursed spirit really was afraid.
Hannya kept its eyes fixed on Chingetsu as it edged backward, step by step. A large number of ordinary humans were gathered there.
Tap!
Chingetsu slipped both hands into his pockets and took a step forward.
Facing the terrifying special grade cursed spirit, Chingetsu strolled leisurely as though walking through his own backyard. His expression was indescribably relaxed and carefree.
"I never said you could leave."
Chingetsu advanced step by step, an eerie smile on his lips.
"You're a special grade, at least. Let me get a good look at what you can do."
Hannya could not understand human speech, but it understood the mockery and amusement in Chingetsu's smile. Gurgle... gurgle.
A series of strange noises came from Hannya's body.
Under Chingetsu's gaze, Hannya's massive body gradually grew faint and transparent. Then, almost completely transparent, Hannya merged into a floor-length mirror in the Supermarket. "It disappeared?"
"No, that's not right..." "Interesting..."
Chingetsu stood still, closing his eyes to sense his surroundings.
Hannya's presence had not disappeared, which meant it must still be inside this Supermarket. He had injured it earlier.
Given the rudimentary intelligence a special grade cursed spirit already possessed, it certainly would not let the matter rest.
In other words, Hannya was now watching his every move from some corner of the Supermarket, waiting for an opportunity to ambush him.
Considering how Hannya had merged with the mirror earlier, its ability definitely had something to do with mirrors. In other words...
Chingetsu abruptly opened his eyes, his gaze as cold and sharp as lightning. Killer Queen leaped out from behind him and punched toward the television screen overhead.
Chapter 34: I've caught you...
Under Chingetsu's control, Killer Queen punched through the television screen. "Caught you."
A faint smile lingered on Chingetsu's lips as Killer Queen slowly withdrew his hand.
Killer Queen slowly dragged Hannya's body out of the television screen like a dead dog.
With Killer Queen gripping its throat, Hannya clawed at his arm with both hands, struggling nonstop. "Merging your body into reflective surfaces, then carrying out an ambush-is that your cursed technique?"
"What a devious cursed technique. If it had been anyone other than me, your ambush would probably have succeeded." Chingetsu controlled Killer Queen, bringing Hannya before him.
"Who gave you permission to look me in the eye, you bastard?"
Before his words had faded, Chingetsu slammed Hannya's head down. Crash!
An enormous crater instantly formed in the hard floor, followed by dense, spiderweb-like cracks spreading in every direction.
The powerful impact made Hannya's body go rigid. Its formerly ferocious demonic face became a bloody mess, its outline almost unrecognizable.
Ooh... ooh...
Hannya let out an unconscious whimper.
Chingetsu slowly withdrew his hand and planted a foot on Hannya's head.
Hannya's ability was indeed powerful, but against someone with a Stand like him, half its effectiveness was immediately lost. The special grade cursed spirit Hannya desperately tried to resist, but the foot pressing down on its head was too powerful. At this moment, something called regret welled up within Hannya.
It regretted provoking this monster.
In terms of methods and brutality, this boy was the real cursed spirit wearing human skin. Intense resentment and unwillingness brewed within Hannya.
It was a special grade being. It had only just been born into this world, and it had yet to make the world experience its malice and hatred. Yet it was being trampled beneath a human's foot, groveling like a dog.
This wasn't right...
The story shouldn't go like this...
Utahime Iori watched blankly as Chingetsu displayed his overwhelming might. One move, or two?
This could hardly even be called a battle. It was a one-sided crushing.
Throughout it all, Chingetsu had worn a slightly irreverent smile. It was the confidence that belonged solely to the strong.
Perhaps for other jujutsu sorcerers, encountering a special grade curse almost inevitably meant a fight to the death. But for this boy, it might have been nothing more than a game to pass his spare time. Utahime Iori clenched her delicate fists, her throat feeling somewhat dry.
After one shock after another, only numbness remained in Utahime Iori's heart. Her beautiful eyes shimmered as she repeatedly glanced at Chingetsu. She had never met anyone like him.
Whether her classmates at Jujutsu High or its other personnel, everyone paled at the mention of special grade curses. It was not as though Jujutsu High had no one capable of defeating a special grade cursed spirit.
Among those Utahime Iori knew alone, Masamichi Yaga was a grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer capable of defeating special grade cursed spirits. However, according to Mr. Masamichi Yaga himself, his battles against special grade cursed spirits were all grueling struggles.
Unless there was an enormous disparity in strength, a battle would never become one-sided. Cursed spirit.
In other words, even Mr. Masamichi Yaga would not dare claim he could easily crush a special grade in battle. Utahime Iori had always firmly agreed with Masamichi Yaga's assessment.
But Chingetsu's appearance had shattered her understanding.
Right before her eyes, this enigmatic boy had subdued a special grade cursed spirit with such effortless ease. Throughout the entire process, Utahime Iori had not seen even a trace of panic appear on Chingetsu's face.
Could this guy be even stronger than Mr. Yaga? And what's his relationship with Satoru Gojo?
Utahime Iori's feelings were somewhat complicated.
Naturally, Chingetsu had no idea what Utahime Iori was thinking at that moment. All his attention was focused on the special grade cursed spirit Hannya. The birth of a special grade cursed spirit was no easy matter.
Judging by Hannya's circumstances, it had most likely been transferred into the Supermarket by some ill-intentioned curse user. Cursed spirits were monsters produced by human cursed energy-negative emotions or stress.
For example, fear, resentment, and the like all generated cursed energy.
Because ordinary people did not know how to control their cursed energy, when it leaked out uncontrollably like this, it gave rise to things called cursed spirits.
Cursed spirits were adept at healing themselves and generally stayed where they were born, much like earthbound spirits, but they typically had negative effects on humans.
Most disappearances and bizarre deaths in Fusang were caused by cursed spirits.
The more abundant and powerful the cursed energy in a place, such as a densely populated city, the stronger and more intelligent its cursed spirits became.
Generally speaking, ordinary people could not see cursed spirits with the naked eye, but those near death or with unusual constitutions could see them. Certain tools could also allow people to see cursed spirits.
Chingetsu's situation was somewhat unusual.
A Stand was itself a manifestation of mental power given substance, so in a certain sense, a Stand's power also fell within the scope of cursed energy.
Yet Hannya, a special grade imaginary cursed spirit, had been born from a Giant Egg. This meant someone had deliberately brought about Hannya's birth.
In other words...
Chingetsu looked at Hannya, which seemed to have given up resisting beneath his foot, and an inscrutable look flashed through his eyes.
Chapter 35: A sudden change
An inscrutable gleam flashed through Chingetsu's eyes. Something was wrong with Hannya's presence.
It was not that it was too strong. Rather, it was too weak!
Although it was indeed at the special grade level, Hannya gave him a very strange feeling. As a special grade imaginary cursed spirit, Hannya did not even have a domain.
Even its use of its cursed technique was extremely unpracticed, as though it were acting purely on instinct. That was somewhat strange.
It was like the difference between a wild lone wolf and a domesticated husky.
The gap between a cursed spirit with a domain and one without was like the difference between heaven and earth. By rights, a special grade cursed spirit should not have performed like this.
Then there was only one explanation for Hannya's condition.
It was a special grade imaginary cursed spirit brought into being through some kind of cursed object and an evil ritual!
A cursed object was an object containing cursed energy or serving a jujutsu purpose, an item that could, to some extent, "ward off evil."
However, the seals on sealed cursed objects weakened over time, instead attracting cursed spirits to feed on them, so they needed to be retrieved regularly.
If a cursed spirit consumed a cursed object, it would give rise to an even more powerful being. The most famous examples were Ryomen Sukuna's fingers.
Of course, in Chingetsu's eyes, the greatest use of cursed objects was absorption. Absorbing the cursed energy within cursed objects could also provide cursed energy points for the system.
Chingetsu had discovered this by chance.
But cursed objects were not cabbages lining the street, something he could pick up just by stepping outside. So Chingetsu had not made a point of collecting them.
After all, with that time and effort, exorcising a few high-level cursed spirits would yield the same thing. Still, when something came right to his door, he might as well take it.
Before you continue