Chingetsu watched the charging Centipede Cursed Spirit, extended his right hand, and grasped. A chunk of air seemed to be caught in his hand, twisting into shape. A silent thunderclap erupted.
The Centipede Cursed Spirit let out a strange shriek of pain and was blasted backward. A flicker of surprise crossed Chingetsu's eyes.
He had never expected the two Stands, Killer Queen and Bites the Dust, to work so well together.
First, Bites the Dust cut out a chunk of air, then Killer Queen turned the severed air into a bomb. This created an invisible air bomb.
As for its power...
Chingetsu looked at the large, bloody hole the air bomb had blasted in the Centipede Cursed Spirit's abdomen. After taking that one air bomb, the Grade 1 Centipede Cursed Spirit had been left half crippled.
If a Cursed Spirit below Grade 1 took an air bomb like that, it would probably be exorcised on the spot. More importantly, this was a ranged attack that required no external objects.
As long as there was air, he could create an endless supply of bombs. In theory, as long as Chingetsu's mental strength had not run dry.
He could keep using this move without limit. At that thought, Chingetsu raised his hand again.
Several chunks of air were instantly sliced into thin discs the size of a bowl's mouth.
The air bombs shot through the air, heading straight for the junction between the Centipede Cursed Spirit's body and Mei's. As the silent explosions erupted.
The Centipede Cursed Spirit was blasted in two.
Its exposed upper half twitched feebly on the floor. Chingetsu approached impassively.
He planted one foot on the Centipede Cursed Spirit's upper half. "Kill... I'll kill you!"
Bleeding from all seven facial orifices, Mei raised his head eerily, his eyes rolled white as a chilling growl escaped his mouth.
"Kill... kill... I'll kill you!"
"Looks like you've been completely reduced to a puppet beast!" "What a disgusting Cursed Technique."
Undisguised revulsion flashed in Chingetsu's eyes. Something this disgusting.
He did not want to dirty Killer Queen's hands.
With a light flick of his toes, Chingetsu kicked the Centipede Cursed Spirit's upper half like a ball toward the combined form of Mei and the Centipede Cursed Spirit. The instant they touched.
The surrounding space distorted. Explode!
Killer Queen!
Under Masamichi Yaga's uncertain, startled gaze.
The Centipede Cursed Spirit and the parasitized Mei were engulfed in a dazzling blaze. Scorching waves of fire greedily licked at the Centipede Cursed Spirit's body.
The blazing light reflected off Chingetsu's cool face.
In the blink of an eye, only a pile of gray residue remained on the floor. "What a... terrifying Cursed Technique."
Masamichi Yaga could not help comparing himself to the Centipede Cursed Spirit. The result left him in a cold sweat.
Even he might not emerge unscathed against such a bizarre Cursed Technique.
Ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers chose to reveal their Cursed Techniques during battle to strengthen their power. But in Masamichi Yaga's eyes, Chingetsu's Cursed Technique had absolutely no need to be revealed.
If the gap between an enemy's strength and Chingetsu's was too great, they would probably be dispatched cleanly before they could even get close to him.
"What a terrifying Cursed Technique."
"So was the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Hannya destroyed with this Cursed Technique too?"
Looking at Gojo Chingetsu's retreating figure, like a god of war, Masamichi Yaga could not help murmuring. By then, Utahime Iori could no longer take in a word.
At that moment.
Her attention was entirely fixed on Chingetsu.
This boy, whose strength knew no bounds, whose personality was somewhat eccentric, yet who was extraordinarily dependable at critical moments, drew her in like poison.
Chapter 43: Bait
A gray stream of Source Essence, invisible to others, gathered where the Centipede Cursed Spirit had been exorcised. Absorb!
Chingetsu commanded silently. Open the system panel.
First Stand: [Killer Queen (unlocked)], current development: 70%. Stand ability: "First Bomb," turns objects it has touched into bombs. There are two ways to detonate the bombs. One blows up the person who touches the bomb while leaving the object turned into a bomb unharmed; the other makes the object turned into a bomb itself explode. Note: Anything touched by Killer Queen's hands becomes a "bomb" and can be detonated. The explosion has two possible outcomes: the "bomb" itself remains intact, or the "bomb" itself is destroyed. It is also possible to destroy part of the "bomb" while leaving the rest intact. Stand ability: "Second Bomb," Sheer Heart Attack, automatic tracking type. Produces a bomb tank from the back of Killer Queen's left hand that automatically tracks heat sources and explodes when it approaches its target. Highly defensive and difficult to destroy. Second Stand: [Bites the Dust (unlocked)], current development: 10%. Stand ability: Can scrape away all matter, including water, fire, and stone, and can even scrape away space itself. Third Stand: [Crazy Diamond (locked)]. Unlock condition: Cursed Energy value of 20,000. Current Cursed Energy value: 12,300/20,000. Fourth Stand: [Unknown].
According to the system's feedback, Killer Queen's abilities had reached 70% development. Moreover, unlocking the Stand Bites the Dust had surprised Chingetsu somewhat.
Beyond its ability to erase objects, the Stand Bites the Dust had considerable potential left to explore.
Aside from the teleportation effect produced by erasing space, Chingetsu could also use [Bites the Dust] to make precise cuts and create an environment resembling a vacuum.
In short.
As long as he made good use of [Bites the Dust]'s properties.
He could achieve an effect similar to the Gojo Clan's Limitless. Chingetsu stretched lazily.
The Supermarket was a wreck.
The police would soon discover the unusual situation here.
He did not want to get involved with those cops again and cause a string of unnecessary complications. After all, his current status was somewhat sensitive.
At that thought.
Chingetsu took a step and crossed dozens of meters through the air, arriving at the Supermarket's entrance. "Bites the Dust's ability really is handy. Now I can teleport too."
The corners of Chingetsu's mouth rose uncontrollably. "Gojo Chingetsu!"
Watching Gojo Chingetsu suddenly disappear and reappear at the Supermarket's entrance, Masamichi Yaga could not help calling out. "Hm?"
Chingetsu turned back in puzzlement.
"Remember what you said."
"I'll be waiting for the day you become orthodox!"
Masamichi Yaga stood ramrod straight, his eyes blazing as he looked at Chingetsu. "Then keep waiting, old man."
"Who knows? Depends on my mood."
Chingetsu waved casually behind him and left with an easy stride.
Just as he had said before, he did not dislike people like Masamichi Yaga. "All right, Utahime, he's already gone."
Utahime Iori watched reluctantly as Chingetsu's retreating figure grew indistinct, snapping out of her daze at Masamichi Yaga's slightly teasing tone.
"Teacher, I'm sorry. I dragged you down again." Utahime Iori hung her head dejectedly.
Her voice was full of self-reproach.
First came the birth of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Hannya, then the Curse User's ambush and hostage-taking. If Chingetsu had not been there today, they would probably have been left in an extremely disadvantageous position.
Moreover, as a Jujutsu Sorcerer, she had failed to fulfill a Jujutsu Sorcerer's duty when facing a Cursed Spirit. This filled Utahime Iori's heart with guilt.
"It's all right, Utahime. As things stand, most of the people in the Supermarket are still alive and well, and so are you. That's already a very good outcome. You don't need to blame yourself so much. This wasn't your fault."
"Leave the rest to me. Go back to school and meet up with Satoru Gojo and the others." By then, Chingetsu had already returned to the bar.
With the help of his Stand [Bites the Dust]'s ability, Chingetsu had traveled almost entirely by teleportation.
Because of the incident involving the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Hannya, the area around the Supermarket had been cordoned off. Therefore.
The shopping would have to be put on hold for now.
Chingetsu lay lazily on the sofa, took out the mirror he had pulled from Hannya's body, and examined it closely. Special Grade Cursed Objects generally had extraordinary origins.
This mirror should be no exception.
It could give rise to a Cursed Spirit like Hannya.
The Cursed Energy this mirror could provide certainly would not be meager. Chingetsu nodded in satisfaction.
However.
He had no intention of absorbing this Special Grade Cursed Object right away. This Cursed Object was bait.
Bait he would use to fish.
Whether they were wandering Cursed Spirits or those rats in the shadows.
If they could not resist the temptation of a Special Grade Cursed Object, they would surely pounce and take a vicious bite. When that happened.
It would be time for him to haul in the net.
Before you continue