Shimane Prefecture, coastal area.
A sedan sped down the road toward the shoreline.
Inside were three people, two Jujutsu Sorcerers and one Assistant Supervisor from Jujutsu Headquarters, heading to handle a recent curse incident.
"Haaah."
One of the Sorcerers yawned loudly.
"How long has it been? We're still not there."
The speaker was Yamamoto Kuma, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer leading the mission.
Name: Yamamoto Kuma
Technique: Blazing Cursed Method
Moves: Incineration, Pillar of Flame, Flame Blade
Hobbies: Smoking, exercise
Dislikes: Water, cold
"It has been a long time indeed, but we should be close. This Cursed Spirit can't possibly leave Japan, can it?"
The man sitting in the back seat, dressed in a priest's robe, picked up a telescope and peered into the distance.
The speaker was Kanzaki Shingo, a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer assigned to assist Yamamoto Kuma.
Name: Kanzaki Shingo
Technique: Song of Baptism
Moves: Baptism, Blessing, Judgment
Hobbies: Watching movies
Dislikes: Monks
Kanzaki's Technique was better suited for support, which was why he had been paired with Yamamoto. The mission was to track a Cursed Spirit capable of spreading curses. Kanzaki's role was to ensure Yamamoto didn't get infected or cursed during battle.
The Cursed Spirit that Headquarters had captured had reached full Cursed Energy accumulation by midnight the day before. Soon after, it began violently resisting its restraints, trying to escape.
Jujutsu Headquarters released it under controlled monitoring, and the three of them were tasked to follow it and discover the truth behind its strange behavior.
"Oh, something's happening."
Kanzaki suddenly spoke, keeping his eyes on the telescope.
"Where? Let me see."
Yamamoto immediately snatched the telescope from him.
Kanzaki sighed and pointed toward the direction he had just been observing.
A black figure was moving rapidly across the sea surface, heading in the same direction as the Cursed Spirit they were tracking.
"That direction is... an island?"
Yamamoto adjusted the telescope, focusing on the distance behind the Cursed Spirit.
That must be where it came from, he thought, the source of all this.
"Just in case, go prepare the boat."
He ordered the Assistant Supervisor, then got out of the car with Kanzaki and rushed toward the shore.
"Following it for hours finally paid off."
"Alright, alright, stop complaining. Headquarters is paying well for this mission."
Kanzaki chuckled, trying to calm his impatient senior.
Soon, they reached the beach.
To their surprise, the Cursed Spirit didn't continue following the black figure on the sea. Instead, it froze in place.
The next moment, the shadowy figure surfaced, coming ashore before them. It lunged and bit into the Cursed Spirit's shadow.
A sharp, sickening tearing sound echoed through the air.
Even though only the shadow was bitten, the Cursed Spirit's body reacted as if physically struck.
Before their stunned eyes, the creature's body dissolved, leaving only a severed foot behind before it vanished completely.
"Kanzaki, what was that?"
"I don't know. At first, I thought it was a fish-type Cursed Spirit, but now... it looks like a shadow."
Kanzaki's voice was uncertain.
"Yeah, it's almost as if a shadow turned into a monster."
"A fish-shaped Cursed Spirit that hunts shadows? That reminds me of a legend."
"What legend?"
Yamamoto glanced at him, intrigued. Kanzaki often traveled for his missionary work and knew many old stories.
"It's said that long ago, there was a man-eating yokai called the Shadow Crocodile. It was pitch-black like a giant fish and lived in the sea. It devoured the shadows of fishermen, and when their shadows vanished, their bodies disappeared too."
Kanzaki's tone grew more serious as he spoke.
"I see. No wonder they sent me here."
Hearing that, Yamamoto smirked confidently.
Jujutsu Headquarters had mentioned that this creature feared light. That made perfect sense.
A shadow would naturally be vulnerable to brightness and heat.
And his own Blazing Cursed Method was the perfect counter.
A small boat soon arrived, piloted by the Assistant Supervisor. The two Sorcerers climbed aboard and set out toward the nearby island.
"This must be the place."
Yamamoto stomped out his cigarette, unstrapped the katana from his back, and led the way into a dim cave.
"These are... talismans?"
Kanzaki frowned at the shredded paper charms and broken shimenawa scattered across the floor.
"So, it really was man-made. Let's finish this quickly and get our pay."
"You're confident as ever."
"Of course. I'm a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer. What are the chances I'd run into a Special Grade on a random mission? If anyone's unlucky, it's you."
Kanzaki smirked. "I'm blessed by the Lord. If misfortune strikes, it'll hit you first."
He pulled a Bible from his robe, holding it like a charm.
"It's here."
Yamamoto's tone dropped low, his gaze locking onto a large well at the back of the cave.
From within it, the Shadow Crocodile slowly emerged.
Cursed Energy rippled violently through the air. Yamamoto's katana flared with crimson flames.
Sensing danger, the creature began circling the two Sorcerers, wary to strike first.
"Stop wasting time. If you won't come to me, I'll come to you."
Yamamoto charged forward, his blade igniting brighter.
The Shadow Crocodile, with multiple fins and a tail resembling a blooming flower, darted through the darkness, dodging the incoming strikes.
Clang.
Yamamoto's blade hit the ground, but the edge grazed the creature's form.
A pained hiss erupted from it, like a snake's cry.
A piece of its inky flesh was burned away.
Yamamoto grinned.
"Haha, no matter how weird it looks, it's still just a Cursed Spirit. If it bleeds Cursed Energy, it can die. Burn!"
He lunged again, flames flaring from his sword in a blazing arc.
Boom.
The sword strike formed a fiery ring, and from the ground erupted a Pillar of Flame that consumed the creature.
The Shadow Crocodile's body dissolved in the fire.
"Done and dusted."
"Yamamoto, behind you!"
"Huh?"
Before he could react, Kanzaki's alarmed voice rang out.
Splash.
"Ahhh!"
Another Shadow Crocodile erupted from the darkness, biting off Yamamoto's right arm, the one that held his blade.
"Die, Incineration!"
Yamamoto roared, thrusting his left hand forward. Flames burst outward, engulfing the creature in a sea of fire until it was reduced to ash.
"Ugh... ah."
He clutched the stump of his arm. A gray-black curse began spreading from the wound.
Kanzaki rushed to his side.
"Abyss... Heavenly Light... Divine Blessing!"
As he chanted, his Cursed Energy surged, and his Baptism Technique began to purify the spreading curse.
Slowly, the black corruption receded.
"Damn it... what was that just now?!"
Yamamoto gritted his teeth.
"It must have been a second one."
"Huh?"
"That one attacked from the rock's shadow. There's more than one Shadow Crocodile here."
The next moment, a massive wave of Cursed Energy erupted from the well.
Both men turned toward it in horror.
From the depths of the darkness, countless Shadow Crocodiles began crawling out.
(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.)