Mai lay in the dirt for a second. She gritted her teeth, grabbing her revolver from the grass. She checked the cylinder, snapped it shut, and stood up. Her legs felt heavy, but she started walking in the exact same direction.
Ren heard her boots crunching over the dead leaves behind him.
They moved through the dense woods quickly. The closer they got to the edge of the black veil, the louder the noise became.
A heavy, distorted electric guitar riff ripped through the trees. The soundwave carried actual physical force, shaking the branches and kicking up dirt.
Ren stepped into a wide clearing near the barrier's edge.
Principal Gakuganji stood thirty yards away. The old man held a red electric guitar. He struck the strings, sending another violent wave of cursed energy forward.
The attack hit a bald, shirtless man wearing a butcher's apron. Juzo Kumiya dug his boots into the dirt, holding up a massive, fleshy bone-axe to block the soundwave. The ground around him splintered, but he just laughed.
"Old man bones make terrible coat racks!" Juzo yelled, stepping forward. "I need Satoru Gojo's spine!"
Ren didn't wait. He drew Nightfall in a single fluid motion. The dark steel hummed as it cleared the scabbard.
Juzo noticed the movement. He turned his head, his crazy eyes locking onto Ren. "Who are you? Nice sword. You've got a good spine for a handle."
Ren didn't bother talking. He planted his back foot and launched himself forward.
His Heavenly Restriction speed carried him across the clearing in a fraction of a second. Juzo's eyes went wide. The curse user barely had time to raise his heavy axe.
Ren ducked under the clumsy horizontal swing. He pivoted, bringing Nightfall up in a tight, brutal arc.
The katana sheared straight through the thick bone handle of Juzo's axe. The weapon fell apart in the butcher's hands.
Before Juzo could step back, a loud gunshot echoed across the clearing.
Mai stood at the tree line. Smoke drifted from the barrel of her revolver. The rubber bullet slammed directly into Juzo's shoulder. It didn't break the skin, but the blunt force impact made the curse user flinch and drop his guard.
Ren capitalized instantly. He drove his boot hard into the side of Juzo's knee.
A loud snap echoed over the grass. Juzo screamed, his leg giving out. He crashed hard into the dirt.
Ren stepped over him. He reversed his grip on Nightfall and drove the blade down toward the back of the butcher's neck.
A massive, ringing guitar chord blasted the ground right in front of Ren's boots. The shockwave pushed Ren back a full step, forcing him to pull his strike.
"Halt!" Principal Gakuganji ordered. He walked forward, his grip tight on his guitar neck. He looked at Ren, his wrinkled face set in a hard scowl. "Stand down, boy. Do not kill him. We need him alive for interrogation."
Ren stared at the old man. He looked down at Juzo, who was groaning in the dirt and clutching his shattered knee.
Ren clicked his tongue in annoyance and sheathed Nightfall.
A sharp chime rang in his head. The blue holographic interface expanded in his field of vision, the text glowing bright gold.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: First Curse User]
[Detail: Defeat a Curse User for the first time.]
[Calculating Target Threat Level: Grade 1]
[Reward: +8,000 System Points]
Ren let out a slow breath. He checked the top right corner of the screen.
[Current Balance: 49,595 System Points]
He was incredibly close.
Ren dismissed the screen. He turned around and walked past Gakuganji without saying a word. Mai stood near the trees, her revolver lowered. She stared at him, still trying to process how fast the fight ended.
Ren walked right past her, his eyes scanning the dark woods for the next target.
Ren kept walking through the dense trees, leaving Mai and the principal behind.
A loud, deafening crack echoed across the sky.
Ren stopped and looked up. The massive black dome covering the forest splintered like a broken mirror. Huge chunks of the veil dissolved into ash, letting the bright afternoon sun flood back into the woods.
High above the tree line, a single figure floated in the air. Satoru Gojo.
Even from a distance, Ren could feel the heavy, suffocating weight of his teacher's cursed energy. Gojo raised a single hand, pointing his fingers toward the deep center of the forest.
A massive sphere of purple energy sparked to life. It shot downward at a terrifying angle.
The ground violently shook. A blinding flash washed over the trees, followed by a roar that sounded like a hurricane. The shockwave knocked leaves and loose branches down around Ren.
When the dust finally settled, Ren looked past the tree line. A gigantic, perfectly smooth trench had been carved straight through the earth, erasing everything in its path.
"Well," Ren muttered, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets. "That's one way to end an invasion."
He started walking again, stepping over uprooted roots and shattered stones. The woods were quiet now. The heavy, negative pressure from the invading curses was completely gone.
A few minutes later, he stepped into a clearing near a ruined shrine.
Utahime Iori stood near the broken wooden steps. She had a small scratch on her cheek and her red and white shrine maiden uniform was covered in dust. She was glaring intensely at the massive, smoking trench Gojo had just carved into the landscape.
"Rough day?" Ren asked, his voice calm.
Utahime jumped slightly and spun around. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword. When she saw him, her grip loosened. She let out a long sigh.
"You. The transfer student," Utahime said.
"Ren," he corrected.
She put her hands on her hips, her brow furrowing into a strict scowl. "Where is the rest of your team? You shouldn't be wandering around the forest alone. This isn't a training exercise anymore. We were under attack."
"I noticed," Ren said smoothly, walking closer. "I just helped your principal with a bald guy wearing a butcher's apron. He's tied up near the barrier edge."
Utahime blinked. Her strict expression faltered. "Juzo? You fought Juzo Kumiya?"
"I just kicked his knee," Ren shrugged. "The old man did the heavy lifting with his guitar."