Chapter 58: Yuki Tsukumo
Whoosh—
Three Magatama tore through the air, carrying ear-splitting shrieks and trails of distorted space, like three Scythes of Death from the Underworld, shooting with incredible precision into Kuuran's most unstable energy core, exposed by the suction of Cursed Technique Blue.
Time seemed to stand still for an instant.
Immediately after—
Rumble rumble rumble!
An indescribably violent explosion erupted between the sea and the sky.
Blazing white light instantly swallowed everything, as if a second sun had risen from the sea.
Terrifying energy shockwaves spread wildly in all directions in a ring, forcefully pressing the sea surface below into a giant bowl-shaped depression with a diameter of several kilometers, pushing away the surrounding seawater, even briefly revealing the seabed's silt.
At the core of the explosion, Kuuran's body, composed of wind and water, rapidly melted and evaporated under this ultimate power like ice and snow in the sun, letting out an extremely mournful wail.
The aftershocks of the explosion slowly subsided, and the displaced seawater surged back with a thunderous roar, stirring up monstrous waves.
The dark clouds in the sky were completely dispersed, and sunlight shone down once more; although the sea surface was still turbulent, the suffocating Special Grade Cursed Energy pressure had completely vanished without a trace.
Gojo Satoru lowered the hand blocking his eyes and whistled, "Wow, that was a big commotion."
He looked at Toho Hiroshi, especially his eyes which had returned to their normal black but seemed even deeper than before, "But, that move of yours was powerful, Toho. Do I sense you secretly got stronger again?"
Toho Hiroshi slowly descended, standing on the turbulent sea as if on solid ground.
He closed his eyes, carefully feeling the lingering, scorching afterglow in his eyes, and the surging Cursed Energy within him, as if it had formed a deeper connection with the entire world.
That feeling was very strange, as if he could glimpse more of the world's "truth."
He opened his eyes and slowly said, "Let's go back."
...Tokyo Jujutsu High School.
Geto Suguru returned to Jujutsu High, dragging his exhausted body. The continuous exorcism of Cursed Spirits, the physical and mental torment from swallowing cursed spirit orbs, and the scene earlier in the day that completely shattered his beliefs, pushed him almost to his limit.
He numbly walked into his dormitory, took a cold shower. The icy water temporarily suppressed the churning nausea in his throat and the inner agitation, but it couldn't wash away the bone-deep fatigue and emptiness.
After changing into clean clothes, he inexplicably didn't return to his room immediately, but instead walked towards the 24-hour self-service convenience store on campus, perhaps wanting to temporarily fill the void in his heart with food or sweetness.
Right at the convenience store entrance, he met Yu Haibara, who was full of energy and carrying a pile of snacks and drinks.
"Geto-senpai!"
Haibara saw Geto Suguru, immediately displayed a bright, sunny smile, and greeted loudly, "Did you just get back? You must be tired!"
Looking at Haibara's unclouded, enthusiastic, and purely believing eyes, Geto Suguru felt a flash of irritating annoyance, but also a faint trace of envy that he himself detested.
He forced a smile: "Yeah. Still going on a mission this late?"
"Yes!"
Haibara nodded vigorously, his eyes sparkling, "Nanami is already waiting for me. It's a mission involving a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit; although it might be a bit dangerous, it's alright. Protecting the weak and exorcising Cursed Spirits, that's our duty as Jujutsu Sorcerers! I'll do my best!"
"Duty... protecting the weak..."
These were once tenets Geto Suguru deeply believed in, but now, coming from Haibara's mouth, they sounded like the sharpest irony, piercing deeply into his heart.
He looked at Haibara's simple and passionate face, and the question, "Does any of this really have meaning?"
almost escaped his lips, but he swallowed it back in the end. He just nodded, his voice a bit dry: "Be careful."
"Yes! Thank you for your concern, Senpai!"
Haibara smiled, bowed, and quickly ran off with his snacks, humming a song.
Geto Suguru stood rooted, watching Haibara's retreating back, the sense of emptiness and fatigue in his heart growing heavier.
Will such a junior, who simply believes in "righteousness," also be swallowed by this desperate cycle in the future?
He walked into the convenience store, grabbed a bottle of water at random, and walked to the window, looking at the silent night scene of Jujutsu High outside, remaining quiet for a long time.
Just then, a uniquely magnetic female voice sounded behind him: "Are you Geto? What kind of woman do you like?"
Geto Suguru slowly turned his head.
Under the cold white lights of the convenience store stood a tall, voluptuous woman with long golden hair.
She was wearing a fashionable tank top and leather boots, a lazy yet confident smile playing on her lips, openly scrutinizing him with eyes full of curiosity and assessment.
"You are?"
Geto Suguru frowned slightly; he didn't know this woman, but the unfathomably deep Cursed Energy fluctuation emanating from her, like a dormant volcano, instantly put him on alert. This was definitely no ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer.
"Yuki Tsukumo."
The woman readily stated her name, leaning against the nearby beverage cooler, "One of the Special Grade Sorcerers. However, unlike you guys who obediently stay within the system, I'm a free agent."
"Yuki Tsukumo..."
Geto Suguru had heard this name before; a legendary Special Grade, whose whereabouts were a mystery, rarely participating in missions for Jujutsu High and The Higher-Ups.
He hadn't expected to meet her here.
"Your question just now, what's the point of it?"
"Well, just curious."
Yuki Tsukumo shrugged, "What exactly is an honor student like you troubled by inside? You look... terrible."
Her gaze was sharp, as if it could see through Geto Suguru's barely maintained calm exterior to his crumbling inner state.
Geto Suguru was silent for a moment, not answering her question, but instead asked, "As a Special Grade, why do we rarely see you exorcising Cursed Spirits? The Higher-Ups' evaluation of you doesn't seem very high."
He recalled Principal Yaga's slightly helpless tone when occasionally mentioning this person.
"Evaluation? Heh."
Yuki Tsukumo scoffed, her tone clearly disdainful, "Because I fundamentally don't get along with them, with Jujutsu High's ideology of 'endlessly exorcising Cursed Spirits.'"
These words were like a needle, accurately piercing Geto Suguru's deepest confusion.
He suddenly looked up, staring at Yuki Tsukumo.
Yuki Tsukumo seemed pleased with his reaction and continued, "Jujutsu High's approach is like frantically wiping the floor when there's a leak, but never turning off the leaky faucet. Cursed Spirits originate from Non-Sorcerers' negative emotions; as long as Non-Sorcerers exist, Cursed Spirits will continuously be produced. Exorcise, exorcise, and exorcise again... This is fundamentally desperate, futile work, a war of attrition with no end in sight. I'm unwilling to waste time on this kind of'symptomatic treatment' that doesn't address the root cause."
Geto Suguru's breathing quickened slightly.
These words were almost a replica of his own dark thoughts, even clearer and more directly hitting the core.
"Then... what do you think should be done?"
His voice was somewhat dry.
"My goal is to create a perfect world without Cursed Spirits."
Yuki Tsukumo's voice was calm, yet carried an astonishing power, "To solve the problem from its root."
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