"Clan Head... Mirai."
Meeting those cold, blood-red eyes, the dying Naoya opened his mouth, but uttered not a single word of his inner thoughts.
It was his ridiculous, ingrained pride that prevented Naoya from begging for help from the adult he admired most.
Looking down at the mutilated figure lying in the pool of blood, a slight smile appeared on Mirai's lips.
"You've grown up well too," Mirai said cryptically. "You'll make a perfect gift."
Without pausing to explain his cryptic statement, Mirai stepped out of the barrier entirely.
Naoya stared blankly at Mirai's retreating figure, his fading mind still pondering the meaning behind those words.
But then, he heard a series of chilling chuckles coming from behind him.
"Hehe... hehe..."
With her blood-red chin supporting her body, she moved forward little by little.
The American soldier who had previously been mutilated by Naoya for his own sick pleasure...
Rose. Her limbs were severed, but sheer madness burned in her eyes!
"Hehe! Hehe!"
As the blood-soaked figure, wriggling along the ground like a maggot, slowly approached, a look of absolute terror finally appeared on Naoya's face!
"What are you trying to do, you idiot?!" Naoya screamed, his voice cracking.
"Get the hell away from me right now!"
As the blood-red figure drew closer, Naoya panicked even more. "Don't come any closer! Get lost! You piece of trash, stay away from me!"
Faced with Naoya's fierce but utterly cowardly roar, Rose, still wriggling, simply looked up and responded with a blood-red smile.
"Hehe."
Thick blood spilled from his throat as he watched Rose, who was coughing up her own blood, smiling at him...
Naoya's scalp tingled with absolute horror!
In the Domain that Nobara Kugisaki had initially mastered, the effect of a guaranteed hit was indeed present. However, the rules for a guaranteed kill were not perfect. The damage dealt by the straw dolls was incredibly severe, but not instantly fatal.
Naoya, critically injured by the Domain and on the verge of death, was entirely unable to move. He could only watch helplessly as Rose slowly climbed onto his body.
The thick blood from both of them slowly intertwined and flowed together.
"Didn't you want me to come with you?" Rose whispered.
"Look how obedient I am. I even crawled all the way to your side."
Rose's tender words, tinged with blood and madness, reached Naoya's ears and struck pure terror into his heart!
"WAIT!!!"
Without functional hands or feet, Rose used her teeth to bite down directly on the soft flesh of Naoya's neck!
She wanted to drag this tormenting demon down with her to hell!
...
A Cursed Spirit cannot be exorcised by normal firearms. It requires a Sorcerer's Cursed Energy to strike it, or a Cursed Tool imbued with Cursed Energy. This is common knowledge in the Jujutsu world.
However, killing a Sorcerer or a Curse User also requires using Cursed Energy to deliver the final blow!
This is to prevent the Sorcerer's body from being used by others.
More importantly, if a Sorcerer doesn't die from Cursed Energy—if they are killed by mundane means or a normal human—their dying negative emotions can cause them to become a Vengeful Cursed Spirit after death.
Naoya Zenin, a Grade 1 Sorcerer harboring intense negative emotions, was just bitten to death by an ordinary human.
...
Sendai Colony.
A mechanical construct tens of meters tall!
Ultimate Mechamaru: Absolute Form - Mode: Albatross!
The light-blue metal shell was connected to a terrifying cannon barrel several meters wide on its back!
The legs and elbows were equipped with incredibly powerful flamethrowers!
The giant mechanical puppet was a human-machine integrated weapon that could also change form like a Transformer. Both hands could become Cursed Energy cannons, or even spinning blades!
White Zetsu Clone No. 2, piloting this behemoth, had been wreaking absolute havoc on the Sendai Colony for several days.
Having taken over the entire colony in Mirai's absence, White Zetsu seemed to want to have his fill of fun all at once!
He smashed and jumped around Sendai without any restraint, unleashing Mechamaru's stored Cursed Energy on buildings and Players alike!
In just a few days, Sendai became the most dilapidated of the ten Culling Game barriers.
The ground was completely covered in ruins, and the sight was one of absolute devastation.
After a while, White Zetsu finally crawled out of the puppet's cockpit.
Instead of his usual Akatsuki-style red cloud and black robes, White Zetsu now preferred the identity of a corporate executive.
He was dressed in a sharp suit and tie, and also wore a pure black trench coat draped over his shoulders. He casually took out a Cuban cigar from his pocket.
Dressed in a pristine secretary's uniform, Takako Uro quickly stepped forward to light the fire for him.
"—Exhale!"
White Zetsu blew out a thick cloud of smoke, complaining unhappily. "I thought the Mirai kid was really being kind-hearted by giving me this toy, but it turns out he was just preparing this for someone else's broadcast!"
"Forget it. I've had my fun this time, so losing it now won't hurt!"
"Let's go, Secretary Uro. Let's go somewhere else with President Zetsu."
After saying that, White Zetsu led Takako Uro step by step toward the outside of the barrier. The giant, Cursed Energy-depleted mechanical puppet was abandoned in the center of Sendai.
...
Tokyo Colony 2.
The Jujutsu High students who had successfully transferred between barriers reunited.
"Fushiguro, let's solve your sister's problem first," Yuji said urgently.
"Her score hasn't changed in nineteen days, so something terrible might happen to her Cursed Technique removal!"
Megumi Fushiguro's older sister, Tsumiki Fushiguro, was also one of the initial Players trapped in the Culling Game.
Initially, Megumi was worried that Tsumiki's body might be possessed by an incarnated Sorcerer. But after observing her for so many days from afar—with Assistant Manager Kiyotaka Ijichi hiding her safely in a hospital for ten days—Tsumiki still seemed to be that gentle and kind woman she always was.
The points acquired by Yuta Okkotsu, Maki Zenin, Yuji, and the others had all already been transferred to Megumi.
Megumi Fushiguro now had over 300 game points.
Megumi looked at the Shikigami floating by his shoulder. "Kogane. I want to add some rules."
"I'm here, Player. Please speak," Kogane replied cheerfully.
"Spend all three hundred points combined to cancel the operation of the Culling Game!" Megumi ordered.
"Additional rule rejected! It conflicts with Rule 7!" (Rule 7: Newly added rules cannot affect the long-term operation of the Culling Game).
Megumi had tried to disable the Culling Game by adding rules when he reached 100 and 200 points, but he failed every time. The loss of 300 points if he tried again made Fushiguro realize that this was no longer just a matter of accumulating a high score.
Having figured out the key point, Megumi looked at the little golden beetle again.
"An additional 100-point rule! Allow a Player to withdraw from the Culling Game!"
"Additional rule rejected again! It conflicts with Rule 7!"
The cold, mechanical sound of the rejection made Megumi frown involuntarily.
"This won't work, that won't work!" Yuji roared angrily at the Kogane. "Then what exactly is the solution?!"
After a brief pause, the Shikigami on Megumi's shoulder spoke coldly.
"From the perspective of the Culling Game's operation, I can propose a plan for you to add to the general principles."
"To allow a Player who has officially joined to leave the game, another Sorcerer from outside is needed to replace them within the barrier. This also requires 100 game points."
"In that specific case, it can be approved!"
As he listened to the little golden beetle's proposal, Megumi's brows furrowed even more deeply.
One hundred points was equivalent to killing twenty Sorcerers, or one hundred ordinary humans.
If Megumi added this general rule, other Players who wanted to break away from the game would definitely use this method as well to escape.
The American soldiers who were now flooding into the barriers were the absolute easiest points for the rest of the Sorcerers to obtain. Adding this rule was tantamount to encouraging Players to fight and slaughter the soldiers even more fiercely!
But the life of his older sister, Tsumiki... it was running out of time.
"Kogane, add the rule..." Megumi finally said.
At the exact same time...
All Players within the ten barriers received a global notification from their Kogane.
By spending 100 points and recruiting a new Sorcerer from outside to replace oneself, a Player can escape the Culling Game.
The slaughter had officially escalated once again!
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