The group quickly arrived at the curtain that had already enveloped the entire forest, so thick they couldn't even see what was happening inside.
"Well, it's already been deployed, but we can just destroy it, totally…"
Gojo Satoru spoke as he reached a hand toward the black curtain, his Cursed Technique already swirling in his palm. But the moment it struck the barrier, it rebounded right back, hitting his own hand instead.
Thanks to his Infinity, he wasn't hurt—but the situation left everyone stunned.
Amber, however, knew exactly what was going on. She reached out toward the curtain.
Just as expected, her hand slipped right through without any resistance.
"What's going on…?"
Utahime eyed the situation, her question hanging in the air even as her mind began piecing it together.
Gojo, of course, understood instantly—not only understood, but found it so infuriating he let out a sharp, humorless laugh.
"I see. In exchange for allowing anyone to freely pass through, it enforces an absolute blockade on 'Gojo Satoru'."
He had laid bare the curtain's true nature.
"So that's it, then…"
Utahime's expression darkened completely. For a curtain to possess this level of specificity, the curse user behind it had to be incredibly skilled. And what's more… Cursed Techniques don't discriminate.
If everyone else could enter, and only one person was barred, that kind of binding vow would generate immense opposing force against the restricted individual.
With Gojo effectively banned, the only one they could rely on was…
Utahime's gaze shifted to Amber. "Seele comes in with us! Gojo, find a way inside as soon as you can!"
"Of course. Besides, I'm very curious about the sorcerer who put up this curtain."
A smile played on Gojo's lips, but his voice carried a deep, ocean-like undercurrent of rage.
Amber was aware that the higher-ups at Jujutsu HQ were likely under attack by Jogo at that moment, but… she didn't bring it up.
It wasn't that she'd forgotten the plot—she just never thought to mention it.
After all, even if the curses got their hands on Sukuna's fingers, it didn't really matter. She had no intention of letting Ryomen Sukuna return.
Either she'd keep him sealed away forever, or later, she'd have "Little Senti" deal with him permanently. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn't survive if his consciousness was erased, right?
As for the Jujutsu officials who might die in Jogo's attack… Amber didn't even register that possibility.
Deaths that didn't happen right in front of her felt distant and abstract—so much so that the thought never even crossed her mind.
As the three of them stepped inside, a stagnant, viscous wave of Cursed Energy immediately clung to them. The sensation made Amber instinctively uncomfortable, though it didn't actually harm her.
Utahime, however, broke out in a cold sweat. "This level of Cursed Energy… Could there be a Special Grade…? How is that possible…?"
"Hey, hey, hey! Why didn't Gojo Satoru come in?"
A loud, disappointed voice rang out from ahead. A bald man slowly descended the stone steps, his face a mix of letdown and displeasure.
But the moment he spotted Amber, his expression brightened. "Haha, but with a top-tier piece like this here, I can let that gluttonous monk slide."
His naked, burning stare made Amber both uneasy and irritated. Utahime stepped in front of her. "What are you all planning?"
"Woman, you really think I'd just tell you if you asked?"
The bald man was amused by her question.
"You two go find the students. Prioritize protection and retreat—avoid combat if possible."
Gakuganji stepped forward, positioning himself in front of the two women. "With this vessel's technique, a retreat shouldn't be difficult."
His words weren't exactly pleasant, but his desire to protect the students was genuine.
Amber had no intention of arguing with him. She planned to deal with the curse user in front of them first so the three of them could act together.
But just then, a towering column of fire erupted in the distance. Amber, who had been relatively calm until now, felt her heart drop.
Why is Jogo here?!
Gakuganji and Utahime saw it too. The terrifying Cursed Energy emanating from the flames made them both shudder, their eyes wide with disbelief as they stared into the distance.
"Seele Vollerei! Hurry and support the students!"
Gakuganji shouted, but before the words left his mouth, Amber had already vanished from the spot.
Why was Jogo here? The original plot had already changed—Amber knew that. But she never expected the alterations would be severe enough to put her classmates in life-or-de-danger.
Thanks to Jogo's attack, Amber didn't even need to figure out which direction to go.
Phasing through space, she arrived at the heart of the fiery explosion in the blink of an eye. The scene before her, however, stirred anger and panic in her usually gentle heart.
Even back in her old world, she had rarely gotten truly angry. In fact, aside from occasionally coming across idiotic comments online, she'd hardly ever felt real rage.
"Finally, the other vessel."
Where there should have been a dense forest, now there was only a charred clearing filled with smoke and ash. At its center, the volcano-headed curse, steam continuously rising from his head, grinned.
Beside him stood a white curse with no eyes—instead, two branch-like extensions grew from its eye sockets—gazing sorrowfully at the dead plants around them.
Jogo, aware of Hanami's mood, quickly wiped the smile off his face. "You've arrived just in time, unknown curse, our comrade. I wonder, how satisfied are you with our welcome?"
Amber's face was ashen as she stared at the body on the ground—a gaping, heat-bored hole through its chest. The hammer in its hand and the chestnut-colored short hair still made its identity clear.
Fushiguro Megumi and Itadori Yūji stood on either side of Kugisaki's corpse, their bodies covered in burns of varying severity. Tōdō stood in front of them, one of his arms completely gone.
Finally, two other figures lay on the ground, their features burned beyond recognition into blackened husks.
"Seele… chan…"
Itadori's previously dazed expression flickered with a spark of hope, fighting hard to hold back the tears welling in his eyes. "Kugi… Kugisaki, she…!"
"Leave it to me…"
Amber's own expression was stiff.
The darker Amber had once mentioned that reviving someone in this world wasn't particularly difficult, but the raw panic of seeing a comrade die before her eyes, coupled with a dawning reverence for life, made her forget, for a moment, even to maintain Seele's usual demeanor.
'Other me… what… what should I do?'
Amber rushed to Kugisaki's body, a white light blooming in her hands.
Kugisaki's body rapidly regenerated, her flesh restoring itself to a perfect state. Her heartbeat returned—but she didn't wake up.
This wasn't normal. The power of Creation should restore the body to its peak condition, and since the body influences the spirit, she should have woken up naturally.
'Don't rush. You've actually already done it.'
Dark Amber's tone was calm and measured.
'This world has souls. So the Herrscher of Life and Death's power can even revive the dead. But souls have their own strength and integrity. You don't need to do anything else now—just wait for her soul to reintegrate with her body.'
'More importantly…'
Dark Amber's voice dripped with killing intent. 'You can revive the other two as well, and then… we'll properly deal with these two reckless insects.'
She had felt Amber's earlier emotions keenly. And because of that, Jogo and Hanami—the ones who caused this outcome—were now firmly etched onto her list of targets marked for death.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.