Due to the gradual unlocking of someone's power, a vast number of cursed spirits across Japan had grown stronger, causing the entire jujutsu world—including the three great families—to begin dispatching sorcerers to eliminate cursed spirits.
And some of those cursed spirits, though powerful—first-grade and even special-grade—were born in uninhabited locations and did not leave their birthplace, so they were categorized as "low-priority" tasks.
However, these originally "low-priority" targets, after the strengthening, became more powerful cursed spirits and expanded the range of their innate domains, turning half of the cursed spirits into priority targets.
So who was the only one who could work and quickly deal with special-grade cursed spirits?
The strongest of the modern era—Gojo Satoru.
"So that's the situation, Megumi. You'll have to get used to it. I can't come to you today. Ijichi is also very busy and can't pick you up. Figure something out for yourself. 88~~"
"Ew~ That's disgusting. Don't call me that."
"Haha, I'm a very strict teacher too, my dear student. Don't overthink it. Anyway, I have at least four special-grade cursed spirits to deal with in the next hour, so hang up first. We'll talk tomorrow."
After the noisy sound from the other end of the phone, Megumi Fushiguro, standing beside the ruins, put down his phone and shifted his gaze to the newcomer to the jujutsu world before him.
"It seems I won't be able to go back today. Otherwise, we can talk about this tomorrow. I don't know why, but cursed spirits all across Japan have started rampaging."
Hearing about the Japanese cursed spirit rampage over the phone, the culprit habitually rubbed his stubble and asked:
"When did the cursed spirit rampage start?"
Megumi Fushiguro thought for a moment and answered matter-of-factly:
"It seems like ten minutes ago."
"Right after I pushed Sukuna back."
"That must be the reason."
"It seems I know why the cursed spirits are rampaging. To protect you, Nishida Kagetatsu regained his power."
"?!"
No, what do you mean, regaining his power caused a nationwide cursed spirit rampage? Does that even make sense?
Seeing Megumi Fushiguro looking at him with disbelief, Locke, feeling a bit guilty, scratched his face, averted his gaze, and explained:
"Don't look at me like that. Do you think reincarnation can regain all its power without side effects? I have to pay a 'small' price too."
Hearing Locke say that regaining power came at a price, Megumi Fushiguro expressed doubts, but he couldn't confirm whether what the other party said was true or false, let alone question him.
After all, the other party was a powerful person capable of sealing the King of Curses, and he had just saved their lives.
"...Alright, to end this topic, I'm in a difficult situation right now. I've notified other auxiliary managers, but it will take them at least four or five hours to free up time. Unless you can help with some tasks now."
"Then why don't we help with a task? Losing money is a small matter. But my identity isn't suitable for dealing with people like the police, so let you people from the jujutsu world handle that."
With that, Locke pointed to the school behind them, which was now in ruins. The half of the school building that had been standing let out a deafening crash.
Steel bars twisted and collapsed. Cement walls crumbled layer by layer. Smoke and dust rose into the sky and finally settled over the ruins.
Megumi Fushiguro was momentarily stunned, then quickly realized Locke was right. He took out his phone again and called another auxiliary manager he knew—Akira Nitta.
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
Sendai City, Aoba Ward—the ruins of the Seven Kitan Execution Grounds. This place of death, which had been dormant for hundreds of years, was now completely enveloped in a thick, black, indissoluble field, isolating all light and sound between heaven and earth.
Deep within the domain, masses of condensed cursed energy, wrapped in centuries of blood and resentment from the execution grounds, boiled in a wild explosion, fusing layer by layer. The outline gradually became clear through the evolution, slowly condensing into a vague humanoid skeleton.
And within this body, the nascent chaotic consciousness was heavily infected and torn apart by endless fear, resentment, and despair, wrapped in cursed energy.
Every inch of the awakening consciousness was reinterpreted by the darkness of this land and the source of cursed power. In the end, the chaos would be stripped away and transformed into the most primitive form, which originally belonged to the night.
Cold penetrates. Darkness envelops. Boundless confusion squeezes the chaotic consciousness—what is cold? What is black? What is the cause of this confusion?
Who am I? Where are you? Why does it exist? A strange feeling surged into the depths of consciousness—was this fear? Is this a human emotion? The weakest emotion?
In the long nights of ancient times, the cave-dwelling people huddled together, curling up in the depths of stone caves. The roar of predators outside the cave shook the barbaric wilderness. The thick, inky darkness devoured the last trace of light between heaven and earth. They were suffocated by the most primitive fear of the unknown. Even their breathing stagnated, and they could hardly move. They were completely crushed and subdued by this instinctive fear.
And here, hundreds of years ago, as the Seven Kitan Execution Grounds in the Sendai domain, every dying person in chains and hoods would be tightly wrapped in the dying despair at the intersection of yin and yang, experiencing the fear that penetrated deep into the bone marrow and gnawed at the soul, like a thousand cuts.
Do you long for warmth? Do you long for light? Do you long for a hint of false guidance?
How disgusting. But to fight against the night and fear, so-called gods are created from nowhere, trying to fix a path forward with the light of emptiness—and using this ridiculous vanity to fight against me?
Curses, fear, night, the unknown, strangeness, death...
I understand. I finally know who I am.
I am the primordial curse of night and fear, the natural enemy of false gods.
Humans should worship me and give me all their faith!
I was born a cursed spirit, but in the end, I will shed my body and return to the heavens, so that the eternal night may return to the world!
I am the Skeleton of the Dead!!
A pure white sword beam cut through the black field, illuminating this dark world, causing the skeleton, which had just recognized its essence, to feel genuine disgust.
Instinctively forming a defense with immense cursed energy, the skeleton, trying to withstand the external attack, looked at the sword beam and thought with disdain.
"These humble people are truly afraid of me. They can't wait to think of this before I'm even fully born..."
Before it could finish speaking, the seemingly simple sword beam suddenly pierced through the air, easily tearing through the layers of defense of the corpse and the underworld, splitting it in half from top to bottom. The source of its curse was instantly purified, completely cleansed and dispersed.
And in its final moment of death, as an enemy of the gods, it heard an exclamation from the outside world after the barrier was torn open:
"Huh? It didn't die from the first strike. The foundation is solid. Given time, it would have made a fine weapon."