As I stepped out and gave a thumbs-up once again, the shock in Shigenori's eyes was unmistakable.
Isn't the time getting shorter and shorter?
The question was written plainly on his face.
But at this point, he no longer had the energy to ask, he was clearly starting to go numb.
We both entered the car.
Only then did Shigenori finally speak, his voice carrying genuine concern.
"Inumaki-kun… I think this is enough for today. We shouldn't head to the next location right away. According to the information I received, there's a high chance the curse at the riverside shrine is semi-Grade 1… perhaps even stronger."
I glanced at him from the side.
Really?
Just moments ago, I had instantly killed two semi-Grade 1–level curses, each incomparably stronger than ordinary Grade 2s.
Whether this one was stronger or not made little difference to me now.
I typed calmly on my phone:
It's okay, Shigenori-san. I'll be fine.
Reading the message, Shigenori let out a long, helpless sigh and started the engine, driving toward the final location.
The car stopped in front of an abandoned riverside shrine.
It was small and weather-worn, its wooden structure warped and darkened by constant moisture.
The torii gate leaned crookedly, half-rotted and tangled in creeping vines.
Moss blanketed the stone steps and altar, and the air felt damp, heavy, and unsettling, as if the place had been abandoned not only by people, but by the gods themselves.
Standing nearby was another person.
A man in his early thirties, with tired yet sharp eyes and neatly combed black hair streaked faintly with gray.
He wore the standard black Jujutsu High uniform, perfectly pressed, along with thin rectangular glasses.
His posture was rigid and disciplined, radiating a strict, no-nonsense aura.
However, the dark circles beneath his eyes betrayed relentless overwork.
"Sorry, Morita-san," Shigenori said politely.
"Did we make you wait?"
"No," the man replied calmly.
"I arrived early. You're exactly on time."
From Shigenori's tone alone, it was clear this man held a higher position.
There really are many people in Jujutsu society who never appeared in the anime, I thought silently.
Morita noticed my gaze and spoke.
"You must be the famous prodigy of the Inumaki clan. Nice to meet you. My full name is Morita Kazuhiro."
I nodded politely in return. He seemed older and more experienced than Shigenori.
I wanted to scoff at the remark about me being a prodigy.
I didn't even know when it started, but before I realized it, they had already labeled me a genius for some unknown reason.
After that introduction both of them went to do their work.
For the fourth time today, the same process repeated.
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
As the veil descended, sealing the area, I stepped inside the shrine grounds.
Just before I moved out of sight, I heard Morita's voice behind me.
"Please be careful. If you find yourself unable to handle the situation, retreat immediately."
Inside the veil, I quickly found traces of cursed energy and followed them.
But the trail ended abruptly, not inside the shrine.
It stopped at the murky river flowing beside it.
The water was thick and black, reeking of rot and stagnant cursed energy.
The surface barely reflected light, as if swallowing it whole.
I halted at the riverbank, eyes narrowing.
Something was wrong.
The trail hadn't vanished, it had sunk.
"Show yourself."
The moment the words left my mouth, cursed energy erupted outward like a shockwave.
The river's surface violently rippled, then exploded upward.
SPLAAASH—KRRRRSHHH!!
A distorted, choking screech followed:
"SKREEE—GRAAASH—HSSSSK!!"
From the river emerged a grotesque fox-shaped curse.
Its entire body was pitch black, slick as if drenched in oil.
There were no eyes on its face, only a gaping mouth packed with jagged, and overlapping teeth.
Three long tails writhed unnaturally behind it, dragging through the water.
Massive claws dug into the riverbank, cracking stone as it hauled itself free.
Its presence flooded the area with suffocating malice.
The moment it surfaced, it attacked, without even a heartbeat of hesitation.
The murky river behind it surged violently.
Several thin streams of compressed water shot straight toward me at terrifying speed.
"Stop."
Cursed energy surged from my voice like invisible tidal waves, rippling through the air.
The rushing water froze midair, suspended as if time itself had been halted.
At the same time, the curse locked in place, its grotesque body completely immobilized.
Even so, those two simple commands alone consumed nearly five percent of my current total cursed energy.
Just like the curses in the tunnel, this one possessed an overwhelmingly oppressive presence. dense, heavy, and suffocating.
Without question, it was at least semi-Grade 1.
But I wasn't going to use my instant death ability this time, not unless it became absolutely necessary.
Low, unintelligent curse noises echoed around me, vibrating through the frozen air.
"KRRR—GYAGYAGYA—SHRRRK…"
"Twist."
Another powerful wave of cursed energy surged outward the moment the word left my mouth.
The curse's body began twisting violently, contorting at impossible angles.
Bones or whatever passed for them ground against each other with a horrific, creeping sound.
KRRR—GYAGYAGYA—SHRRRK!!
Purple fluid burst from its body, splattering outward.
It wasn't blood, not in the human sense but condensed cursed energy, thick and viscous, mimicking the appearance of blood.
"…!"
Before I could even register what was happening, that purple fluid shot forward in a straight line, compressed into a razor-thin stream.
It moved faster than sound.
There was no warning, no buildup of cursed energy, no hesitation, no time to react.
The attack reached me before my mind could process it.
I felt the impact first.
A dull, hollow shock traveled up my arm and then nothing.
"Huh—?!"
Something warm splashed across my face.
I looked down.
Where my right arm should have been, there was nothing.
Empty space.
A stump remained, torn open, with blood and cursed energy oozing out in thick streams.
For a moment, my thoughts went blank.
How…?
What just happened?
The curse should have died from Twist.
There was no way it should have been able to counterattack.
Then it clicked.
The purple fluid, the moment it appeared, I had instinctively poured an insane amount of cursed energy into my arm for defense, but midway through its trajectory, the liquid had solidified.
Not hardened, solidified, compressed to an unimaginable density.
It pierced straight through my reinforced flesh and severed my arm from the sheer impact.
No way…
Realization slammed into me like a hammer.
This curse possessed a technique that not only allowed it to manipulate liquids, but also to solidify them to an unimaginable degree whenever it wished.
This curse in front of me wasn't semi-Grade 1.
It was Grade 1.
The twisted body of the curse, despite its mangled appearance, began to straighten.
Its legs pushed against the ground as it slowly stood upright, letting out distorted, giggling noises.
"Kih… kih… kih…"
My vision sharpened despite the pain.
"Stop."