"This axe isn't bad… but I think I dulled the edge. Next time, I'll get you a new one."
Jinsuke returned to the group, handing Mei Mei the now-blunted weapon.
For a moment, everyone just stared in silence. Then Mei Mei waved dismissively.
"Don't bother. It's just an axe." She liked money, sure, but not everything could be measured in it.
"Then thanks" Jinsuke replied bluntly. He wasn't about to admit he couldn't afford a replacement cursed tool anyway.
"Uh… so, can we finally go back now?" Utahime asked cautiously.
Truth be told, she was a little afraid of Jinsuke at this point — but far more shocked. His way of exorcising spirits was brutal, even cruel, but the ease with which he had annihilated so many showed beyond doubt he wasn't even in the same league as them.
"We should be done, right? Mission's complete. Of course, if the budget covers a few extra days of vacation, I wouldn't mind sticking around." Jinsuke, uncharacteristically, cracked a rare joke.
"Haha… I don't think that would look very good" Kusakabe said, still suppressing his own disbelief. After all, he hadn't contributed much this mission. Taking a free vacation felt… dishonest.
"Yo. Looks like you wrapped things up nicely. Knew I could trust you guys" Gojo finally arrived, leisurely late as always. Only after the Geto faction retreated was he free to come.
What could he do? They hadn't fought him directly, only stalled him, and it had been irritating.
"Gojo! You couldn't have shown up earlier? Do you realize Mei Mei almost—" Utahime glared at him, fuming. With his speed, he could've come the moment he got word.
"Ah… sorry, sorry. I got tied up with the enemy." Gojo scratched his head, feigning sheepishness. "But since you're all fine, that means the problem's solved, right?"
"Mm. To be precise, it was all Jinsuke. We couldn't even step in." Kusakabe quickly explained what had happened.
Once Gojo heard the details, regret flickered across his face. If he'd known the cursed spirit was this strong, he shouldn't have wasted time toying around with Geto's pawns. A simple Domain Expansion would've cleared them out, and he could've rushed over immediately.
All because of Geto, he'd hesitated. Next time, he couldn't afford to be soft — hesitation like that would get people killed.
"Well, well. You're as strong as I thought. All the more reason we should have a proper match!" Gojo grinned, eyes lighting up as he looked Jinsuke's way. Clearly, he hadn't gotten his fill of fighting.
"Idiot." Jinsuke ignored him, took the broken Playful Cloud back from Kusakabe, and walked toward the edge of the barrier.
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? Does he not want to test himself against the strongest sorcerer alive?" Gojo muttered, genuinely puzzled.
"Khm. Maybe — just maybe — Jinsuke isn't interested in you" Kusakabe said with a pat on Gojo's shoulder. "From what I've seen, he seems to prefer fighting cursed spirits."
"Oi, oi, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying cursed spirits are more fun than fighting me?" Gojo's composure cracked. That was a low blow. Jinsuke was eager against curses, but uninterested in him?How could he not take that as an insult?
"We're leaving, 'Strongest Sorcerer'" Utahime helped Mei Mei along, following after Jinsuke.
"..." Gojo.
No one cared if he was better than a cursed spirit. The mission was over. Time to go home. Cleanup would be left to the remaining Grade 2 sorcerers.
A few days later, a new nickname spread through the school.
"The Curse Killer."
No one knew who coined it, but paired with his reputation, it stuck. Before long, everyone accepted it.
And so it was. One brother, the Sorcerer Killer. The other, the Curse Killer.
In the Zenin estate courtyard, Jinsuke lounged lazily in a grand recliner, basking in the warm orange morning sun.
Training was yielding little at this point, so he had shifted focus to hunting stronger and stronger curses. But for now, there simply weren't enough worthy ones around. He wasn't worried—give it a few years, and there would be plenty. Then, leveling up would be effortless.
"Look! I'm about to do it!" Nearby, Mai strained with all her might, face flushed red. With both hands pressed together, she forced cursed energy to gather between her palms. Slowly, it condensed into a pebble made of pure cursed energy.
"I really did it!" Mai's eyes lit up with joy as she spun to show him the tiny cursed-energy stone.
But the moment she turned, weakness overtook her body. Her vision darkened, and she collapsed forward.
Thud.
Luckily, Jinsuke caught her before she hit the ground. The pebble in her hands crumbled, dispersing into thin cursed energy.
"Tch." He laid her gently onto the recliner, then glanced toward Maki, who was still training hard beneath the tree, sweat pouring down her brow.
"You two sisters really are hopeless" he muttered, sighing. "Both cursed by being twins."
They shared the talent of only one person between them. To become strong would be nearly impossible — unless they both pushed themselves together. But as it stood, each dragged the other down.
Mai had too little cursed energy. Maki had too much. Mai's Constructed Technique couldn't reach its full potential, while Maki's Heavenly Restriction gave her only the weakest physical enhancement.
There was only one way to break such a curse: one twin had to die.
Still… if he could somehow transfer Maki's faint trace of cursed energy into Mai, it might resolve their flaw without such a cost.
As for whether Maki could cultivate life force like him? Who knew. Blood Qi and Cursed Energy were extremes—only one could exist in a body at a time. But her cursed energy was weak. Maybe, just maybe, it could work.
"Eh… what happened to me?" Mai stirred awake, confused to find herself lying in her cousin's recliner. Wasn't she just practicing her technique?
"The first time's always like this. Train more, and you'll get used to it." Jinsuke brushed it off casually.
"Alright then. Guess I need to work even harder!" Mai puffed her cheeks and clenched her fists. She didn't suspect a thing. After all, her brother would never lie to her.
Watching her, Jinsuke ruffled her hair. Honestly, it didn't matter whether she worked hard or not. A flaw that deep might never be overcome—sometimes, effort alone wasn't enough.
If he hadn't been blessed with a "cheat" he'd probably still be drifting aimlessly, sponging off life wherever he could.
For efforts with no results, he preferred to take another path — A lighter one.