By some confusing twist of fate, Yuji Itadori had officially become Aoi Todo's "best friend."
"Even though you are my best friend, I won't go easy on you. I am not a man so devoid of taste and romance!" Todo declared.
"We're still fighting? Good. I didn't want to pass this easily anyway," Yuji replied, his fighting spirit surging.
"My brother! To respond to your friendship, allow me to use my full power!" Todo's Cursed Energy billowed like the surging waves of the ocean, displaying the true caliber of a Grade 1 sorcerer.
Having witnessed the combat forms of top-tier powerhouses like Satoru Gojo, Ryomen Sukuna, Jogo, and Aomori, Yuji naturally wasn't intimidated by this level of pressure.
"I'm going to win!"
With that unwavering conviction, the next round of the battle between Yuji and Todo unfolded.
…
While Yuji and Todo were clashing, the others were far from idle.
Momo Nishimiya, a mixed-race girl with blonde pigtails, utilized her technique to manifest a flying broom. Soaring through the sky, her high mobility made her the initial target of the Tokyo school's concentrated fire.
However, attacking her exposed their positions, and the Kyoto students quickly closed in.
Megumi Fushiguro was pursued by Noritoshi Kamo; Ultimate Mechamaru squared off against Panda; Maki proactively intercepted Kasumi Miwa. Nobara Kugisaki had intended to take down the grounded Momo, only to be intercepted by Mai.
A grand melee erupted. Only Toge Inumaki remained stealthily hidden, sticking to the plan to track down the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
Soon after, Ultimate Mechamaru, Kasumi Miwa, and Nobara Kugisaki were defeated in succession.
As the fighting grew more intense, the villains lurking in the shadows finally made their move.
While tracking the spirit, Toge Inumaki encountered Hanami, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit representing the "Forest." He found himself running for his life from its relentless roots.
Megumi Fushiguro and Noritoshi Kamo, who were closest to the area, were swept into the chaos. Now, all three were in full retreat.
Indiscriminate in its hunger, the massive roots slaughtered every Cursed Spirit within the competition zone. Back in the conference room, Gojo and the others watched as the charms used to track kills were all incinerated by red flames.
"Eh? The match is over already?" Everyone in the room was stunned.
"Strange. My crows haven't been able to see a thing for a while now," said Mei Mei, who was only there for the commission.
"Red flames... did the Tokyo school kill them all?" Utahime Iori asked, confused.
"I'd love to say these spirits were all exorcised by the 'Super Teacher' Satoru Gojo's students," Gojo remarked.
"But unregistered Cursed Energy will also produce red flames upon killing a spirit," Masamichi Yaga added sternly.
"Outsiders? An invasion?"
"Did Tengen-sama's barrier fail?"
"Regardless, the intruders seem well-prepared." Yaga stood up. "I'll head to Tengen-sama's location. Satoru, go with Principal Gakuganji and Utahime to rescue the students. Mei Mei, stay here to track the students' locations and report to Satoru."
"Understood. I'll do my best, just don't forget my bonus."
"Alright, Old Man, time for a stroll. Didn't we just have lunch?" Gojo stood up and clapped his hands, speaking in the tone one might use to take a dog for a walk, earning a sharp glare from Principal Gakuganji.
"Move quickly. The students may be in grave danger," Utahime urged, sprinting out ahead of them.
The group split up according to the plan.
…
Juzo Kumiya, a curse user dressed like a bizarre butcher and clutching a heavy axe, appeared at the edge of the competition zone with a cruel smirk.
"Quite a commotion," he muttered, watching the thick smoke rising in the distance.
He swung the back of his axe, driving a nail into the ground.
"That should do it. Oh, one more thing." He held up two fingers and chanted: "Emerge from darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
As the incantation finished, a massive black barrier, a Curtain, shrouded the entire competition area.
Such a conspicuous sign was noticed not only by the students inside but also by Gojo's rescue party.
"A Curtain?" Gojo was the first to reach the barrier. He touched it, only to be repelled by a powerful force.
He looked at his hand, musing, "This feeling... something's not right."
Utahime, arriving behind him, also reached out, but to her surprise, her hand passed straight through without resistance.
"Eh? What's going to on? Why can I get in?"
Gojo pondered for a few seconds before realizing the trick. He flashed an intrigued smile. "I see. I get it now. The restriction on this Curtain is: 'Prohibit only Satoru Gojo from entering.'"
"A restriction for a specific person? That explains it."
"Premeditated. It seems the intruders only fear you," Principal Gakuganji remarked.
"No matter. You two head in first." Gojo stretched. "I'll be right behind you."
"That's our only choice."
Utahime and Gakuganji entered the Curtain and immediately encountered Juzo Kumiya.
"A curse user."
Seeing that Gojo wasn't there, the butcher grumbled dissatisfiedly, "Hey, hey, where's Satoru Gojo? I wanted to turn him into a human coat rack!"
"Utahime, you go on ahead. I'll handle him. Prioritize the students' safety and avoid unnecessary combat," Gakuganji said, taking up the responsibility of the duel.
"Understood!" Utahime didn't waste words; she bypassed the butcher and pressed forward.
"Wait a sec! At least let me kill a woman. This old man is all skin and bones; he won't make a good coat rack."
Juzo tried to intercept Utahime, but the sudden twang of a guitar stopped him in his tracks. He turned around, his expression shifting. "Old man... you're actually kinda trendy."
Principal Gakuganji had shed his cumbersome kimono to reveal a trendy T-shirt underneath. He pulled an electric guitar from the case he had been carrying and struck a chord.
Sensing the immense Cursed Energy stored within the old man's body, Juzo didn't dare make a reckless move.
Utahime took the opportunity to break through, but she hadn't gone far before she was blocked by another curse user.
It was a man with a baby face, white hair, and a ponytail named Haruta Shigemo. The very curse user whose name Aomori had remembered.
"Ah, looks like Juzo let you slip away. I guess I'll have to finish you. You don't look very strong, and I just love bullying the weak."
"Weak? You'll find out soon enough who the weak one is," Utahime replied, though she wasn't as calm as she sounded.
Worried for the students, she recalled a conversation she'd had with Gojo in private.
"Unregistered Special Grade spirits have been popping up lately. I feel a grand conspiracy brewing. I suspect someone in Jujutsu High is working with curse users, or even the spirits themselves. Investigate the mole on the Kyoto side for me."
Looking at the situation now, the invasion was perfectly orchestrated. Was there really a mole?
The students have to be okay...
Seeing the curse user lunge at her with a sword that had a hand for a hilt, Utahime suppressed her anxiety and prepared to deal with the enemy in front of her.
…
Near the barrier, as Gojo was preparing to dismantle the Curtain, he suddenly looked behind him. "I figured they wouldn't just let me work in peace."
Not far behind him, a pitch-black creature with piercing blue eyes emerged from the shadows.
"A Cursed Spirit? It looks like a Special Grade. But... it feels different from the others," Gojo thought, stroking his chin.
Darkrai raised its hands. Innumerable shadows extended from its body, taking on its own form until the sky was filled with copies.
Double Team!
"Ah, this is going to be a headache."
The opponent had a cloning technique and was intentionally keeping its distance. Was it trying to stay out of range of his Domain? It seemed determined to stall him here.
But it didn't matter. Fortunately, he had already placed a chess piece of his own.
Gojo grinned at Darkrai. "It's been a while since I had a real workout. Let's see how long you can last."
His answer was a barrage of black energy spheres.
…
Inside the competition area, everyone realized something was wrong when the Curtain dropped. They instinctively began to group up.
In a temple-like structure, Toge Inumaki, Megumi Fushiguro, and Noritoshi Kamo were fighting Hanami as they retreated.
Hanami was humanoid but lacked eyes, characterized by two branch-like horns on its head and a wrapped left arm. As a Special Grade, it easily overwhelmed the young sorcerers; they couldn't even scratch its armor.
Toge Inumaki's technique was Cursed Speech. His words carried a curse that forced reality to obey—a literal "word made flesh." To avoid accidentally cursing people, he usually only spoke in rice ball ingredients.
It was only through his support that the three of them managed a desperate back-and-forth.
They leaped out of a window onto the roof, but Hanami caught up instantly.
"Careful!"
"Nue! Don't be afraid, go in! Senpai will freeze it!" Megumi ordered his owl-like shikigami to attack.
"Stop—" Toge pulled down his collar and shouted at Hanami, but before he could finish the command, he coughed up blood and collapsed. The strain was too great; he couldn't shake a Special Grade and suffered a backlash.
"Inumaki-senpai!"
Slash!
Hanami's hand tore through Nue. Megumi's strongest shikigami was gone.
"Are we the first to break?" Kamo worried. He used the Kamo clan's inherited Flowing Red Scale to draw Hanami's aggro, only to be swatted away a moment later.
"Damn it!" Megumi was at his wit's end.
At the critical moment, reinforcements arrived.
The arrival of Mai, Maki, and Momo allowed Megumi a brief sigh of relief. But that relief was short-lived. Even with their combined strength, they were no match for Hanami.
A typical Special Grade might be as strong as one of Sukuna's fingers; Hanami was easily equivalent to three. The gap was insurmountable.
Before long, Maki was grabbed by the throat and hoisted into the air. Everyone else was wounded to varying degrees.
"Is this it? Do I have to use that?" Megumi thought, preparing to use his final trump card, a suicidal move to take the enemy down with him.
Fortunately, someone stopped his self-destructive impulse just in time.
A man Megumi had never met suddenly appeared. With a sharp blade, he effortlessly severed Hanami's arm and rescued Maki.
"So strong!" Hanami clutched its stump, growing wary of this newcomer.
"You're back?" Maki, heavily injured, squinted to see the face of the person holding her. She smiled weakly.
"Sorry I'm late," the man said apologetically.
"No... you're just in time." Maki felt completely at ease and promptly lost consciousness.
"You... could you be..." Megumi said, uncertain.
"I'm Yuta Okkotsu, second-year at Tokyo Jujutsu High," Yuta introduced himself with a squinty-eyed smile.
The God of Pure Love had returned!
"Yuta Okkotsu, Special Grade Sorcerer..." Hanami felt a surge of unease. He's back? This is bad.
"It really is Okkotsu-senpai?!" Megumi was overjoyed. "Weren't you on a mission overseas?"
"Yeah. Gojo-sensei asked me to come back a few days ago, so here I am."
Yuta handed the unconscious Maki to Megumi. "You're Megumi Fushiguro, right? Please take Maki and the others and leave. I'll handle this Cursed Spirit."
"Got it!" Megumi nodded. He had heard much of Yuta Okkotsu's exploits and knew he had the strength to exorcise the spirit that had just thrashed them all.
"We'll leave it to you, Okkotsu-senpai."
After watching Megumi and the others depart, Yuta turned to Hanami. "Gojo-sensei mentioned there have been a lot of Special Grades causing trouble lately. You must be one of them. Tell me, what is your objective?"
Hanami remained silent.
"No answer? I guess I'll have to capture you first."
"You are not Satoru Gojo. You cannot catch me," Hanami finally spoke.
"I might not be on Gojo-sensei's level, but as for you... I think I can manage," Yuta said seriously.
"Is that so? Then let us fight." Through the previous battles, Hanami had slowly begun to enjoy the sensation of combat, something it had previously been indifferent to.
"Fine by me!"
The words had barely left his mouth when Hanami was suddenly seized by a Cursed Spirit with even more terrifying energy.
"This is..."
"Rika-chan, take it easy. Don't kill it. We still need to get information out of it."
The God of Pure Love wore a gentle expression.
…
Megumi, carrying Maki, moved toward the boundary with the other wounded students. He didn't expect to encounter yet another unforeseen enemy.
"Itadori... Todo-senpai..."
Seeing Yuji and Todo lying on the ground, their status unknown, Megumi's pupils dilated. He noticed the enemy who had appeared behind him without a sound.
"Megumi Fushiguro, I've been waiting for you for a long time." Aomori patted his head like a kind, generous elder.
"..."