The night was pitch-black, as though boundless, thick ink had been smeared heavily across the sky, without even a glimmer of starlight.
At night, inside a private villa on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt.
Dressed in a white bathrobe hanging open at the chest, Igarashi Amaha sat lazily on the balcony, gazing at the faint outline of a pyramid in the distance.
He stubbed out the cigarette in his hand and stared blankly at his broad palm.
The next second, a purple flame ignited out of thin air, swaying in the wind in Igarashi Amaha's hand.
Watching the flickering flame, he slowly closed his eyes and willed it.
The flame dissipated, and a cold current slowly traveled down his arm, gathering in his palm.
Crack!
The sound of freezing rang out as a diamond-shaped ice crystal slowly formed in his palm. Igarashi Amaha slowly opened his eyes and studied the crystal thoughtfully.
"The General's Body Shikigami, the Barbarian Lord..."
Bang!
Just as he tried to develop it further, the ice crystal in his palm suddenly shattered, turning into specks of starlight that vanished into the air.
"Still no good... Just where am I going wrong?"
Igarashi Amaha rubbed his palm, lit a cigarette, and sank into thought.
Reverse Cursed Technique, Cursed Technique Reversal, multiplying negative energy-how exactly did it work...
For the past year, he had taken no missions and hunted no cursed spirits, all to truly master Reverse Cursed Technique. But no matter how hard he tried, he was always just a little short. Just that tiny bit.
Basic cursed techniques, Reverse Cursed Technique, Maximum Technique, Domain Expansion-he had only mastered his basic cursed technique and a half-baked Maximum Technique. Though it was a little embarrassing to admit, he could still easily slaughter Special Grades without expanding a domain.
As for Satoru Gojo? As luck would have it, Toji Fushiguro's Inverted Spear happened to be in his possession. Heh.
With a turn of his wrist, a Chinese chess piece bearing the character for "Pawn" appeared in his hand.
He set the chess piece on the table facing the moon. Propping his cheek on one hand, he stared at it somewhat absently and murmured, "I forgot to tell you some good news. Dragon and the others sent me a message a few days ago. They said they've found a lead on that cursed spirit I've been looking for. It should only be a little while before they catch it. Happy? I can avenge Tokikawa and the others for you now. Don't get so excited you can't sleep."
"Once this is settled, the plans in Northern Europe can move forward too. But my strength is stuck here, and I still can't take that next step. Is my talent really not that good? Satoru Gojo can do it, but I can't. It's really... hard not to feel a little disappointed. Heh, how sentimental."
"All right, I'm done chatting. Tomorrow I still have to take the little brat out..."
Suddenly, Igarashi Amaha sprang to his feet, put away the chess piece, then hurried inside to grab his clothes and put them on.
Once he was dressed, cursed energy surged around him, and he flew off the balcony in a streak of light.
High in the sky, Igarashi Amaha frowned deeply. He couldn't have been mistaken. That had been a human figure. My five senses are dozens of times sharper than a human's. There's no way I saw it wrong.
A jujutsu sorcerer? Or a cursed spirit... With a presence like that, I have to find out what it is.
Whoosh!
Like a purple meteor, he left a brilliant trail across the black curtain of night.
Ten minutes later, in a stretch of desert a few dozen meters from the pyramid.
Hovering high in the air, Igarashi Amaha scanned the ground with a serious expression.
"It didn't leave any traces. Could it be human? No, that's not right. A human couldn't possibly have that kind of presence. Just what is it?"
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Suddenly, three golden chains tipped with spikes shot straight out from beneath the desert, stabbing viciously toward Igarashi Amaha's head!
Igarashi Amaha frowned. An oppressive force born of cursed energy erupted from his body, shattering all three chains.
"Get out here," he said flatly, staring coldly at the desert below.
Rumble! Rumble!
The earth shook, as though an enormous cavern had opened underground, and countless streams of sand poured down into it!
A gale abruptly rose. The center of the sinking sand below gradually widened, and a tornado of yellow sand spread unchecked, with wails occasionally coming from within.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
The tornado burst apart with a crash, and a towering figure slowly walked out.
"Human, to offend a god is a crime punishable by death!"
A majestic voice rang out in Igarashi Amaha's mind.
The windblown sand dispersed, revealing the indistinct figure before Igarashi Amaha's eyes.
His upper body was bare, while a dark gold skirt covered his lower body. A black tail swayed gently behind him, and he held a golden scepter in his hand. His well-developed muscles seemed to contain limitless strength, and his black skin gleamed even in the night. Of course, most striking of all was his jackal-like head!
Once Igarashi Amaha got a clear look, he froze for a moment and blurted out, "A dog... a dog-headed man?"
Though that was what he said, inwardly he had immediately prepared to fight for his life. With features like those, if his guess was right, this fellow should be Anubis, the god of death from Egyptian mythology!
What was hard to believe, however, was why such a being would take shape as a cursed spirit. Normally, Egyptians revered their local gods, while the formation of cursed spirits was the exact opposite, requiring the accumulation of sufficient fear and resentment, especially for something from mythology like this.
Going by the myths, the Egyptian god of death, Anubis, was the nightmare of the most vicious and wicked. In that case...
Boom!
While Igarashi Amaha was brainstorming, Anubis raised one hand. Countless grains of yellow sand surged upward, forming an enormous jackal that swallowed Igarashi Amaha into its belly in one gulp.
"Hmph. Filthy one, accept purification."
Rumble!
Boom!
In less than two seconds, the imposing jackal exploded. Fire flared, and Igarashi Amaha stood in midair, wearing a feathered half-mask. In a grim voice, he said to Anubis, "You piece of shit. Keep putting on airs, and I'll rip out that dog cock of yours."
Anubis's expression changed at once. In an icy voice, he said, "Human, you will pay for your wor-"
Whoosh!
Time froze. Seeing the figure above disappear, Anubis's expression changed, and he instantly charged forward. Suddenly, he stopped short and looked back with an ugly expression.
Igarashi Amaha was gripping his tail tightly.
"Human, do not presume to seek..."
Before he could finish, he felt his body become weightless.
Below him, Igarashi Amaha slowly extended a hand as he watched Anubis fly through the air after being flung away.
-Piece Summons: "Director"
Boom!
A black beam of destruction struck him with unerring accuracy!
Though he did not believe Anubis could survive taking that blow without offering any resistance, the cells throughout his body were still restless, showing no sign of settling down. And... he had not captured a piece, which meant the dog-headed man was still alive.
Could that not have been his real body? Besides, he did not believe a cursed spirit born from mythology would be dealt with so easily.
Squelch!
Igarashi Amaha's body suddenly sagged. In disbelief, he stared at the enormous hole that had appeared in his chest out of nowhere.
"Human, I told you, you would pay the price."
Across the desert, countless Anubises emerged from underground, their eyes regarding Igarashi Amaha with indifference.