Early the next morning.
An ear-piercing alarm tore through the tranquility of Jujutsu High without warning.
A flash of blue light flickered.
Satoru Gojo appeared out of thin air on the rooftop, his face unprecedentedly solemn.
"Special Grade alert."
"A massive [Curtain] has covered all of Shibuya."
"A large number of civilians have been taken hostage."
Kenjaku's millennium-long plan had finally begun.
The curtain had already risen.
...
Tokyo Jujutsu High, main conference room.
A giant translucent screen broadcasted live satellite footage of Shibuya.
Several massive, impenetrable [Curtains] covered the area like black bowls inverted over the mortal realm, dividing Shibuya into several isolated zones.
Within those pitch-black barriers, countless ordinary citizens were trapped like lambs to the slaughter, crying and screaming in panic.
Their fear and despair, however, became the nourishment feeding the cursed spirits.
Meanwhile, in a corner of the [Curtain].
Several figures exuding ancient and evil auras looked disdainfully at the chaotic scene on the screen.
They were ancient curse users who had just awakened from a long seal.
"Hmph, making a fuss over nothing."
A tall, thin man with bizarre tattoos all over his face yawned in boredom.
His name was Ryuuko Yanagi, a terrifying existence who had once stirred up storms of blood and carnage in history.
"They're just a bunch of brats raised in a greenhouse."
"I alone could slaughter them all."
His tone was utterly arrogant, completely disregarding Satoru Gojo and the others.
However, Kenjaku, sitting at the head of the table, merely smiled and shook his head.
On that face belonging to Suguru Geto, which always wore a gentle smile, no emotional fluctuations could be seen.
Yet, his millennium-old brain was frantically calculating every possibility.
His thousand years of wisdom told him that the enemies this time were different from any before.
They were unprecedentedly troublesome.
He even suspected that the unsealing and birth of a massive number of cursed spirits this time might be related to that side.
...
On the other side.
Satoru Gojo's figure appeared on the training field of Jujutsu High.
Behind him stood the absolute pinnacle of combat power that the entire Jujutsu society could currently muster.
Yuta Okkotsu.
Yuki Tsukumo.
And that man with a blade of grass in his mouth, exuding the dangerous aura of a wild beast—Toji Fushiguro.
Behind them were the Grade 1 sorcerers and students of Jujutsu High.
"The battle plan is simple."
Satoru Gojo's voice pulled everyone's attention back.
"I will personally break into the center of the [Curtain] and draw all the enemy fire."
"The rest of you are responsible for rescuing the civilians and purging the cursed spirits and curse users on the perimeter."
His plan was as simple, brutal, and filled with absolute confidence as always.
Maki Zen'in stepped forward, resting a Special Grade cursed tool radiating an ominous aura on her shoulder.
Her entire body exuded a terrifying presence that was in no way inferior to Toji Fushiguro's.
"Don't worry, Gojo-sensei. I'll chop anyone who gets in our way into pieces."
Her voice was cold, devoid of any emotion.
Golden light flickered in Nobara Kugisaki's eyes.
She confidently raised her chin.
"No enemy can escape these eyes of mine."
Megumi Fushiguro stood silently to the side, not saying a word.
But from the churning shadows beneath his feet, a low growl that could make all of creation tremble faintly echoed.
The strongest shikigami, [Mahoraga], was already thirsting for battle.
Looking at this group of students who were confident to the point of arrogance.
Utahime Iori, standing in the distance, felt a familiar headache coming on.
These brats were cut from the exact same cloth as that bastard Satoru Gojo.
"Operation start!"
At Satoru Gojo's command.
Several figures dashed toward the Shibuya curtain from different directions.
The Shibuya Incident had officially begun.
At the same time.
Inside the [Curtain], amidst the most crowded throng of people at Shibuya Station.
A man in an ordinary suit and glasses, looking like a terrified salaryman, was curled up in a corner, his body trembling in "fear."
He blended in so inconspicuously among the panicked hostages.
No one noticed.
That the corners of his mouth, hidden behind his lenses, were slowly curling upward.
This person was none other than the new generation Special Grade Cursed Spirit, [Inner Demon].
Yuta Okkotsu was the first to arrive near Shibuya Station.
This was one of the areas with the highest concentration of hostages.
Right now, this area was completely enveloped by a scorching barrier radiating terrifying heat.
Inside the barrier, the earth was already cracked, the air distorted from the baking heat, and all moisture completely evaporated.
This place had practically become a desert.
Countless ordinary people collapsed in agony from severe dehydration, their skin shriveled, lips cracked, and life force draining away.
In the very center of the barrier, a humanoid creature radiating blinding golden light slowly hovered in midair.
Like a sun god descending upon the mortal realm, it looked down with apathy, relishing the agony of the mortals struggling beneath its brilliance.
It was the newly born Special Grade Cursed Spirit—[Drought God].
Several Grade 1 sorcerers tasked with advance reconnaissance were struggling to withstand the terrifying heat.
They tried to launch attacks.
But the moment their cursed techniques approached the [Drought God], they were instantly evaporated by the horrific temperature, dissipating into nothingness.
Yuta Okkotsu looked at the purgatory-like scene before him, a trace of compassion flashing in his usually gentle eyes.
He slowly drew the long katana from his back.
"Rika."
BOOM—!!!
Terrifying cursed energy erupted from his somewhat slender frame like an endless, roaring ocean.
This cursed energy was so massive and pure that the moment it appeared, it completely suppressed the scorching technique of the [Drought God].
The suffocating heat in the air plummeted instantly.
A ferocious, terrifying, yet bizarrely divine white cursed spirit appeared behind Yuta Okkotsu.
The fully manifested cursed spirit, Rika.
She opened her massive, razor-sharp maw and let out a deafening roar at the [Drought God] in midair.
The [Drought God] was drawn by this massive cursed energy.
It frantically gathered the cursed energy within its body into its palms, compressing it into a miniature sun.
That sun radiated endless light and heat, and was ruthlessly hurled down at Yuta Okkotsu.
Facing this terrifying strike that could wipe the entire Shibuya Station off the map.
Yuta Okkotsu raised the katana in his hand.
He poured his vast, ocean-like cursed energy entirely into the blade, and then, stepping forward, swung it lightly.
A cursed energy slash that spanned heaven and earth silently surged forward to meet it.
It actually bore some resemblance to Sukuna's slashes.
The moment the miniature sun, capable of destroying everything, came into contact with the slash, it was directly cleaved in half.
Then, a massive amount of cursed energy seemed to be swallowed by the slash, ultimately vanishing into nothingness.
The [Drought God]'s body, composed of pure light and heat, violently shuddered.
It let out a mournful wail.
It knew it was going to die. Unfortunately, it had just been born and hadn't absorbed enough cursed energy. If only...
Yuta Okkotsu didn't give it any more chances.
His figure flashed, instantly appearing right in front of it.
He and Rika behind him threw a punch simultaneously.
The [Drought God]'s body was pierced through by the punch.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit [Drought God] was exorcised.