"Its strength is probably around Grade 1, so it's not much of a threat. Shuji, cast the Curtain."
As Eichi spoke, he prepared to order Qiongqi to attack.
However, to his surprise, the large fish-shaped Cursed Spirit ahead suddenly turned and swam rapidly into the distance.
"Why did it stop attacking all of a sudden?"
Eichi frowned in confusion.
"Is there something in that direction?"
Watching the creature retreat without looking back, Eichi asked Shuji curiously.
"Please wait a moment, Young Master Eichi."
Shuji quickly pulled a map from the car, marking their current location before drawing a line in the direction the Cursed Spirit had gone.
"Young Master Eichi, in that direction there's a village, and beyond that, a small island."
A village? Was it heading there?
No. If humans were its target, it should have attacked them first.
Could it be that its Cursed Energy had already reached its limit?
Eichi suddenly remembered the swarm of flea-like Cursed Spirits he had seen earlier inside the creature's body.
Could the energy released after those Cursed Spirits were destroyed have been enough to trigger something?
He wanted to pursue it and see what it was planning, but since there was a village ahead, he decided against it.
"Mahoraga!"
Mahoraga's massive form materialized beside him.
"Go."
At Eichi's command, Mahoraga leapt forward like a cannonball, instantly closing the distance and catching up to the giant fish Cursed Spirit.
The Sword of Exorcism in its right hand swung once, and the Cursed Spirit was instantly annihilated.
"Next location."
"Yes, Young Master Eichi."
At the same time, on a deserted island far away, Satoru stepped off a small boat.
"Where are you? Come out already."
He strolled across the beach arrogantly, calling out in a tone that made it sound like the Cursed Spirit was late to its own execution.
"Don't hide. Come out!"
He had arrived full of excitement. According to the Assistant Supervisor, the Window's report described the target as a sea monster-like Cursed Spirit with the form of a dinosaur.
A dinosaur. He'd seen dragons before, but a dinosaur was new.
So Satoru ventured into the island's dense forest with great anticipation.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, a chubby man in glasses was running for his life.
"Damn it, what's happening? Why did someone die?"
He was a self-proclaimed expert on mysterious creatures who faked cryptid videos for fame and profit.
But this time, he had stumbled across something real.
"Ah!"
He tripped over a rock and fell hard, his glasses flying off. His vision blurred immediately.
"My glasses, where are my glasses…"
He scrambled blindly, finally finding them. When he put them on, even through cracked lenses, he froze.
A pair of human legs stood before him.
Just the legs.
As an ordinary person, he couldn't see the Cursed Spirit chewing on the upper half of his companion's body.
"God, what… what am I looking at?"
He had never imagined he would truly encounter something this horrifying.
Just as despair overtook him, a voice echoed through the forest.
"Found it. So this is where you were hiding."
A tall, white-haired man descended from midair, then punched something invisible.
The half-eaten man suddenly reappeared—whole again.
"Huh. Not dead yet."
Satoru glanced down at the now-unconscious man, then looked up at the creature in front of him.
Its form had a massive, bird-like beak.
"Shoko once said birds don't have teeth in their beaks. I wonder if the same applies to Cursed Spirits?"
He tilted his head, studying it with casual curiosity.
It really did look like a dinosaur, something between a bird and a Brontosaurus.
"Interesting. A Brontosaurus with a bird beak, huh?"
But the Cursed Spirit didn't appreciate being analyzed.
It lunged forward, thrusting its sharp beak straight toward Satoru, only for the attack to stop inches away.
Limitless.
"I've decided," he said cheerfully, "I'll call you Bird-Beaked Brontosaurus."
The Cursed Spirit screeched and attacked again.
"Boring."
Once the novelty wore off, Satoru lost interest completely.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Blue."
A small sphere of Blue appeared in the path of the Cursed Spirit's charge.
The creature's head slammed into it. The next moment, its skull twisted and imploded, fragments scattering through the trees.
Satoru extended his hand, and Blue expanded forward, erasing what remained of the Cursed Spirit.
"So weak."
He sounded disappointed but not surprised. If every fight required his full power, the Jujutsu World would have fallen long ago.
"Truly, I'm just too strong."
He nodded to himself in satisfaction.
"Now then, was this one cursed?"
He glanced down at the man still barely breathing in his grasp.
"Forget it. The Assistant Supervisor can deal with that. Hey, you, come along."
With that, Satoru turned and casually strolled back toward the shore.
Meanwhile, at sea, Suguru sat astride a Pelican Cursed Spirit gliding over the waves.
The Cursed Spirit he had sent out earlier reported the target moving toward a fishing boat.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
Since he had no Assistant Supervisor with him, Suguru cast the Curtain himself.
"Found it."
He quickly located the fishing boat ahead.
Onboard were two young people, a boy and a girl, both in swimsuits and holding harpoons, preparing to dive.
"This won't do."
Watching from an unseen angle, Suguru observed silently.
Under his command, the Cursed Spirits beneath the surface began to stir, churning the water violently.
The sudden waves made the small boat rock uncontrollably.
"Haruka, be careful!"
"Kenta!"
The two panicked, clinging to each other as the boat pitched wildly. Their planned dive abandoned, they hurriedly started back toward shore.
"Now for the Cursed Spirits. Rainbow Dragon."
A silver-white dragon emerged from the Cursed Spirit space, diving into the sea below.
Moments later, several massive shapes were forced to the surface—Cursed Spirits resembling giant jellyfish.
Under Suguru's control, the Rainbow Dragon lunged, ripping through the jellyfish with fierce precision.
In retaliation, the jellyfish wrapped their long tentacles around the dragon, striking and constricting it.
But their efforts were futile. The Rainbow Dragon's scales were too strong, its defense impenetrable.
Within moments, it tore their translucent bells apart, revealing the grotesque shapes of distorted human faces within.
"The missing fishermen…"
Suguru's eyes hardened.
His hatred toward the one responsible for creating these curses deepened.
As if resonating with its master's anger, the Rainbow Dragon roared, its attacks growing even more ferocious.
One after another, the jellyfish Cursed Spirits were shredded apart until none remained.
"Alright. I'll regroup with the Assistant Supervisor first, then head to the next location."
With that, Suguru urged the Pelican Cursed Spirit to take flight, heading toward the distant shore.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)