Chapter 113 – Tsumiki's First Battle
The moment Zen'in Shinsuke stepped through the barrier, the world around him dissolved into the wreckage of a ruined city. Empty streets, cracked buildings — no signs of life anywhere.
Which could only mean one thing.
Tsumiki had been teleported somewhere else.
He, however, hadn't been moved at all. In fact, when he took a single step forward, he found he could walk out of the barrier entirely.
"…So they didn't register me as a new player, huh?"
His face was expressionless as he muttered to himself.
Because he possessed no cursed energy, the system of the Culling Game had mistaken him for part of the scenery — a structure, not a sorcerer.
That meant he occupied a very strange, almost glitched role in this deadly game.
No cursed energy meant no player registration.
No registration meant no points.
And no points meant no personal "golden beetle" to manage his stats.
"Whatever. I'll just find Tsumiki first."
He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he started walking toward the heart of the ruined city.
---
On the other side of the barrier—
Tsumiki had appeared in a completely different area, teleported at random.
Ahead, several figures were already waiting for her.
One man waved a flag in her direction, calling out cheerfully, "Over here! Hey, new player! Come this way!"
The other two smiled kindly, standing beside him like friendly guides welcoming a lost tourist.
They looked harmless—too harmless.
Tsumiki's eyes narrowed slightly. "Sorry," she said politely, "but I have somewhere I need to be. Don't let me bother you."
With that, she turned on her heel to leave.
She wasn't naïve. She knew where she was: inside the Culling Game.
Everyone here was a sorcerer, and every sorcerer here was, by definition, an enemy.
This wasn't the time to think like an ordinary person anymore. She had to start thinking like a fighter.
The three men's smiles instantly vanished.
"Stop right there!" the man with the flag barked. "Did I say you could leave?"
The trio moved fast, surrounding her before she could take another step.
The flag-bearer sneered. "Leave your points and maybe we'll let you walk."
Tsumiki paused, a faint smile forming on her lips as she clenched her fists.
"So… my first fight's about to start?"
She'd only been a sorcerer for a few days — long enough to learn the basics, but she hadn't yet tested herself in a real battle.
Now, it seemed, fate was offering her that chance.
Blue cursed energy flared around her fists, swirling like small flames. A spark of determination flashed through her eyes.
She didn't have a cursed technique yet — all she could use was basic reinforcement. But under Toji's brutal, no-nonsense guidance, she'd learned how to channel cursed energy into her body and strike with deadly precision.
"A jujutsu sorcerer, huh?" one of the men snorted. "Looks like we've hit the jackpot."
The three exchanged knowing glances, grinning wickedly.
By now, the rules of the Culling Game had turned the place into an unspoken battle royale.
The strong hunted alone.
The weak formed packs.
And Tsumiki had just stumbled across one of those packs — scavengers who specialized in ambushing isolated newcomers.
"Get her!"
At the leader's command, the three lunged at once.
Tsumiki didn't panic. She steadied her breathing, reinforcing her body with cursed energy, her eyes tracking every movement.
One of them swung a kick; she parried. Another aimed for her ribs; she slipped aside.
Then she spotted an opening.
Her right fist, wrapped in glowing blue energy, shot forward — a clean strike toward the flag-bearer's throat.
He raised an arm and blocked it easily, smirking. "Heh. Amateur move. You're still just a rookie—"
He didn't finish.
Two fingers jabbed straight for his eyes.
"Ahhh!"
He screamed as blood sprayed. In that instant of carelessness, Tsumiki's fingers had driven into both his eyes like knives.
She took a half-step back, her heart pounding — a little shock, a little excitement — and then she grinned.
"Dad's move really does work!"
"Boss!" shouted one of the others, eyes wide with rage.
The two remaining men froze when they saw their leader's eyes explode in a spray of blood. Shocked into action, they roared and lunged at Tsumiki, swinging their fists and weapons wildly.
But Tsumiki didn't back down. She cloaked her entire body in cursed energy, letting their strikes crash harmlessly against her hardened aura. Her focus remained locked on the blinded man clutching his face and screaming in agony.
She raised her leg—and kicked.
Crack.
"AAAAAHHH!!"
A sickening snap echoed through the ruins, followed by a howl that could make even hardened killers wince.
At the same moment, a heavy blow from the other two attackers sent Tsumiki flying backward. She crashed into the ground, rolled several times, and spat a mouthful of blood before she finally came to a stop.
Her body ached everywhere. Still, she simply wiped the blood from her lip and smirked.
It had been reckless to take their attacks head-on—but she'd crippled one of them. Worth it.
"Boss! You okay?!"
The two remaining fighters panicked as their leader fell to his knees, blood pouring from his ruined eyes, his entire frame trembling violently.
That kick had probably… destroyed more than just his vision.
"You bitch!" one of them snarled. "You'll pay for that! We'll make sure you die slowly!"
Weapons in hand, they charged at her again, intent on ending her.
Tsumiki ignored the pain coursing through her body, muttering to herself, "I guess… I still can't do it alone."
She had hoped to handle all three enemies herself—to prove she could fight as a sorcerer. But the difference in experience was too vast. One solid hit from them had already left her struggling to move.
No hesitation this time.
In an instant, she switched.
Her eyes sharpened, her expression hardened, and a cold, predatory aura surged from her body.
The one inside had taken over.
Yorozu had logged in.
Without a word, Yorozu raised her hand. Around her, shimmering silver liquid appeared out of thin air—mercurial and alive. It surged forward, wrapping around the two attackers like serpents.
BOOM.
With a simple squeeze of her hand, the liquid imploded—reducing both men to a red mist that hung in the air for half a second before dispersing.
Yorozu lowered her hand, expression unreadable. "Didn't expect you to actually take one of them out yourself," she said dryly. "Not bad. You're adapting faster than I thought."
She had assumed Tsumiki would summon her immediately when the fight began. Instead, the girl had taken down one enemy on her own—with no hesitation and no mercy.
He wasn't dead, but he was done. And that ruthless precision pleased Yorozu greatly.
This vessel really isn't bad, she thought with satisfaction. If only it belonged entirely to me.
Inside, Tsumiki didn't feel pride—only quiet determination. She used the chance to observe carefully, studying every detail of how Yorozu fought, every movement of cursed energy. If she wanted to survive in this world, she'd have to learn.
"Until we find my uncle," she said within their shared consciousness, "I'll let you handle the fighting. But remember—if you try anything, I'll take the body back immediately."
It was a pragmatic choice. She was still inexperienced, and the barrier was crawling with killers. Constantly switching control would only make things worse. Better to let Yorozu handle combat while she learned.
"…Really?" Yorozu's tone softened, her irritation melting into a pleased chuckle. "You're not so bad after all. Much better than that uncle of yours."
She flicked her wrist, and the half-blind man who was still screaming suddenly went silent—his body collapsing limply to the ground.
After that, Yorozu began wandering through the area, scanning her surroundings. "Let's see if I can find a decent vessel nearby… something worth keeping. Even if I can't use it yet, I can always mark it for later."
Tsumiki frowned from within. "My uncle's a good man. If it weren't for him, I probably wouldn't even exist as myself right now."
She meant it. If Shinsuke hadn't intervened, she would've brought nothing but pain to her father and to Megumi.
Especially Megumi—if a stranger had taken his sister's face and hurt the people he loved, that would've broken him completely.
"Tch."
Yorozu clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes. She didn't bother replying.
Sure, maybe that was how it looked from Tsumiki's perspective—but from hers? She'd been the one trapped inside this body, forced into submission by that smug man.
And she hadn't forgotten the one truly responsible for it all—
Kenjaku.
That conniving, centuries-old bastard.
Her fury simmered just beneath the surface, cold and poisonous.