Late at night in Tokyo, the air after the rain carried a hint of damp earth.
Satoru strolled along a winding mountain road on the outskirts of Chiyoda Ward with his hands in his pockets.
The intelligence he had just obtained at Yamada's villa caused his heart to quicken its pace for a moment.
That man named Yamada acted with extreme arrogance, yet his methods were so solid that not a single flaw could be found.
Healing Yuji's severed hand, suppressing Toji, and even claiming he would overturn the entire chessboard of the Jujutsu World.
"The world is getting more and more interesting." Satoru's lips curled upward, his white hair fluttering slightly in the night breeze.
Suddenly—
Satoru stopped in his tracks.
Even though his Six Eyes were covered by a blindfold, they still clearly captured the violent changes in the flow of Cursed Energy in the surrounding environment.
The originally damp air became exceptionally scorching within a few seconds. The leaves by the roadside quickly withered and curled, and a strange sheen began to appear on the surface of the asphalt road—a sign that it was melting under high heat.
"Cursed Energy density of this level... A Special Grade?"
Satoru looked up toward the steep mountain wall on one side of the road.
Boom!
Without a single word, a thick pillar of fire, accompanied by a deafening explosion, poured down from the top of the cliff, completely engulfing the entire section of the road where Satoru stood.
Dazzling flames soared into the sky, lighting up half the night sky as if it were day. The high temperature instantly vaporized the surrounding rainwater, sending up a vast cloud of white steam.
"Is he dead?"
At the edge of the cliff, a short Cursed Spirit wearing a vintage kimono poked his head out.
His head was shaped like an active volcano, with wisps of white smoke still drifting from the crater at the top. A single eye stared down at the magma-covered road.
As a Special Grade Cursed Spirit born from the fear of volcanoes, Jogo had received a suggestion from Suguru (Kenjaku)—if they wanted Cursed Spirits to replace humans as the masters of the earth, the first step was to eliminate Satoru.
'Geto is too cautious, saying we must use the special grade cursed object, prison realm, to seal him.' Jogo exhaled a breath of turbid air..
'Before my fire, even the so-called strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer will be turned into nothing but charcoal.'
"You seem quite confident in your firepower." A voice filled with amusement pierced through the rising steam without warning and reached Jogo's ears.
Jogo's single eye suddenly widened, staring fixedly at the sea of fire below.
The heatwave dissipated. Satoru stood unharmed in the middle of the melting asphalt. The magma, hot enough to melt steel, seemed to hit an invisible absolute barrier ten centimeters from his body and was forced apart.
Forget burns, not even a corner of his clothes was singed.
"How is this possible?!" Jogo gritted his teeth. "My attack clearly hit you head-on!"
"Hit me? No. You didn't even graze me."
Satoru wagged a finger, his tone as relaxed as if he were critiquing a junior's homework. "Your heat is far from enough, it's not even fit to grill a saury for me. Coming out to block the road late at night... are you some kind of Mount Fuji spirit?"
Jogo, having been poked in his sore spot, instantly flew into a rage.
As a Special Grade Cursed Spirit representing the wrath of the earth, what he hated most was the lofty arrogance of humans.
"Arrogant monkey! I'll rip out your tongue!"
Jogo's legs suddenly exerted force, and the rocks beneath his feet shattered. He transformed into a burning meteor and lunged straight at Satoru below.
In mid-air, he spread his hands, and the crater atop his head let out a sharp hiss.
Ember Insects!
Several large, bizarre insects shaped like mosquitoes were spat out. They vibrated their wings, surrounding Satoru at speeds breaking the sound barrier.
This was Jogo's unique two-stage attack method: first, using the insects' sound waves to interfere with the opponent's hearing, followed by a series of powerful explosions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Violent explosions rang out one after another, and flames and thick smoke once again enveloped Satoru.
Taking advantage of the obscured vision, Jogo lunged to Satoru's side, his right fist— covered with high-density Cursed Energy—smashing toward the other party's temple.
"Die!"
However, the fist stopped once again a few centimeters from Satoru's cheek.
An eerie sensation appeared, like punching into a mass of thick glue that could never be penetrated. The more force he used, the slower the speed became, until it came to a complete standstill.
The smoke cleared.
Satoru, with his hands in his pockets, tilted his head to look at Jogo, who was right in front of him, a wicked smile forming on his lips.
"Haven't you figured it out yet? Your attack stopped."
Satoru pulled out his left hand, grabbed Jogo's wrist, and interlaced their fingers.
"Come, feel it. This is Infinity. You can't touch me because there is an infinitely divisible space between us. It's the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise. I've brought infinity into reality."
Listening to this explanation that sounded like a physics lecture, Jogo tried desperately to pull his arm back, only to find that Satoru's strength was staggering.
"Let me go!"
"I won't. Since you've come to me of your own accord, I should return the favor."
Satoru's eyes turned cold. He clenched his right fist and delivered a clean, sharp uppercut right to Jogo's chin.
Crack!
The sound of bone shattering rang out as Jogo's jaw was smashed askew.
The massive impact sent him flying backward, but his wrist was still held tight by Satoru, who pulled him back and slammed his knee hard into Jogo's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Jogo coughed up a mouthful of purple blood, his internal organs in turmoil.
Satoru let go and kicked Jogo over ten meters away.
Jogo smashed through the roadside guardrail like a ball, plowing a deep furrow into the mountain forest.
In the woods, Jogo crawled miserably out of the rubble, the volcano on his head frantically spewing black smoke, indicating its owner was on the verge of going berserk.
"I'll kill you... I'll definitely kill you!"
Satoru stood on the road, watching the exasperated Jogo from a distance. He rubbed his chin, and the image of Yamada insta-killing a Special Grade Cursed Spirit at the Eishu Juvenile Detention Center not long ago, along with his mockery, suddenly flashed through his mind.
"The old man said my teaching level is poor, so today I'll use you as a practical teaching aid."
Satoru snapped his fingers, and his figure instantly vanished from the spot.
Jogo looked at the empty road and froze for a moment. "He... he ran away?!"
***
40 Advanced Chapters on
patreon.com/alex_1000