Rin looked down at the Goblin Cursed Spirit, which was about to lose its breath, and a faint blue Cursed Energy glow emanated from his fingertips. The subjugation ritual of Cursed Spirit Manipulation instantly activated.
The Cursed Spirit's remains rapidly contracted under the pack of Cursed Energy, eventually transforming into a round, greenish bead that floated in Rin's palm.
He raised his hand and swallowed the bead. Although it was only a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, it could replenish his Cursed Energy reserves, which was better than nothing.
The real focus was the sukunas finger at his feet.
Rin bent down, his fingertips about to touch the dark finger, when a crisp clapping sound suddenly reached his ears, piercing through the noise like an arrow and stabbing into his eardrums.
"Clap!"
Rin paused, and before he could react, the Sukuna's Finger in front of him suddenly transformed into a black crow! The crow flapped its wings, cawing, and flew straight out of the temple.
"Boogie Woogie?" Rin instantly reacted, recognizing it as Aoi Todo's Cursed Technique.
He abruptly turned to look outside the temple. Beyond the broken wooden door frame, two figures were slowly approaching, their steps steady, exuding an undeniable pressure of Cursed Energy.
It was Mei Mei and Aoi Todo.
What made Rin's heart sink even more was that Aoi Todo's left hand was holding a person. That person was covered in injuries, dangling like a limp rag in mid-air. It was Negi.
At this moment, Negi's face was pale, blood stained his lips, and his limbs were so weak he could barely move, yet he was still desperately trying to lift his head, his gaze fixed on Rin, his eyes full of anxiety, as if signaling him to run.
The two soon carried Negi to the temple entrance, their shadows stretching long and enveloping Rin.
Rin looked at the situation before him and secretly gritted his teeth. He hadn't expected Negi to be caught so quickly. If he had just a few more seconds, he could have left with Sukuna's Finger, and the mission would have been successfully completed.
Aoi Todo still held Negi with his left hand, and with a flick of his right, he threw the real Sukuna's Finger to Mei Mei.
The finger arced blackly through the air. Mei Mei raised her hand and caught it steadily, her fingertips tracing the patterns on its surface, a triumphant smile on her face:
"I told you this mission was worth it. With little effort, the Cursed Spirit died, and I even got a special grade cursed object. Plus, two Curse Users from the Star Plasma Cult, one of whom Gojo Satoru specifically mentioned to watch out for. Three rewards for one mission, I really am lucky."
As she spoke, she turned to look at Rin in the temple, her eyes filled with a calculating smile.
Then, she raised her hand and summoned a larger crow, handing the Sukuna's Finger to its claw.
The crow cawed twice, flapped its wings, and vanished into the sky.
Aoi Todo, standing beside her, snorted coldly, his gaze like a torch fixed on Rin, his muscles taut beneath his sportswear:
"Hmph, kid, I didn't expect you to be so fast, stealing my prey. Since the Cursed Spirit is dead, you can spar with me! Your companion was too weak and I caught him in just a few moves, I hope you can last a bit longer."
"Calm down, Aoi Todo."
Mei Mei raised her hand to stop Aoi Todo, her tone a bit flippant. "Don't scare this little friend." She turned to Rin, a sharp edge hidden in her smile:
"Hello, Rin. I've heard much about your reputation. In this situation, how about we go for coffee? If you come with us obediently, I'll release your companion. What do you say?"
Rin's gaze fell on Negi, carefully observing his condition. Although seriously injured, his breathing was stable, and there was no danger to his life.
Negi seemed to sense his gaze and desperately shook his head, his eyes full of signals to "don't agree."
Rin put his hands in his pockets, not answering Mei Mei's invitation, but instead asked, "You actually know me? I remember we've never met before."
Mei Mei nodded, her fingertips twirling a strand of white hair by her ear:
"I haven't met you, but I've seen your file. You were one of the main figures in the school Cursed Spirit murder incident last time. I saw the on site photos. Later, Gojo Satoru posted a bounty mission about you at Jujutsu High with generous rewards, so I specifically looked up your information, just in case I met you and could exchange you for money. I didn't expect that a casual glance back then would actually come in handy today."
"Gojo Satoru's bounty?" Rin raised an eyebrow, a little surprised. He hadn't expected to be targeted by the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer.
But he quickly composed himself and pressed on:
"Even if you know me, how did you find Negi so quickly? I sent three Cursed Spirits to help him create chaos, and those Cursed Spirits didn't send death signals. How did you do it?"
His Cursed Spirit Manipulation could not transmit messages remotely with Cursed Spirits; he could only perceive their status through the Cursed Energy fluctuations upon their death.
He hadn't received any death signals from the Cursed Spirits, so he had assumed Negi's progress was smooth, which made him lower his guard.
"Hey, brat, we're not here to play a Q&A game with you!" Aoi Todo growled impatiently, his left hand tightening slightly, making Negi groan in pain. "Hurry up and come with us, or I'll break your legs!"
"Aoi Todo, don't be so impatient." Mei Mei stopped him again, then turned to Rin and said:
"I can tell you, but on the condition that you first agree to come with us."
Rin did not explicitly agree, merely nodded slightly, signaling her to continue.
Mei Mei chuckled softly and slowly began:
"At the snack shop, I noticed your small movements at the back door. I sent my crows to check, but couldn't find anyone. However, I didn't lower my guard; that Cursed Energy fluctuation was too deliberate, not like an ordinary Cursed Spirit.
So I had my crows set up a surveillance net around the area. Unexpectedly, right after leaving the restaurant, I found the Cursed Spirits you sent to help this person, so I had Aoi Todo use Boogie Woogie to swap them with crows.
Your Cursed Spirits weren't killed; they were just transferred elsewhere by me, so naturally, they couldn't transmit a death signal."
She paused, watching Rin's thoughtful expression, and continued:
"I originally thought this was a conspiracy between the Cursed Spirits and you, trying to lure us in. It wasn't until I caught Negi that I realized you were here to steal Cursed Spirits and Cursed Objects. I had planned to wait until you finished dealing with the Cursed Spirit before making a move, but I didn't expect you to be so quick."
Rin understood. So, Mei Mei had used her Cursed Technique to transfer his Cursed Spirits, making him mistakenly believe Negi was safe, which led him to drop his guard.
This was not Negi's fault; he himself had underestimated Mei Mei's caution.
"Now that you know, can you come with us?" Mei Mei extended her hand, her tone brooking no refusal. "Little brother, don't think about resisting, you don't stand a chance."
Rin suddenly let out a soft laugh, his voice full of mockery: "Sorry, but no thanks. I'm not interested in invitations from older women, and your sense of style for hairstyles is truly ugly."
As soon as he finished speaking, he instantly adopted a battle stance, black and red Cursed Energy converging in his palms.
Mei Mei's smile vanished instantly. She sighed, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in her eyes:
"Ah, I wanted to be polite, but it seems you prefer the hard way."
The next second, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind Rin! Rin instinctively dodged sideways, but he was still a step too late. A crow, like a Kamikaze plane, violently crashed into his left waist and exploded. In an instant, a large gash was torn open on his left abdomen, blood instantly staining his black training uniform, and warm liquid streamed down his pant leg.
Black Bird Manipulation - Kamikaze.
Mei Mei's voice came from behind him, with a hint of coldness, "I told you not to resist."
Rin knelt on one knee, clutching his wound tightly with his left hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead from the pain. He hadn't expected Mei Mei to suddenly ambush him, and for her Cursed Technique to activate so quickly.
Aoi Todo, beside her, was also a little surprised: "When did you set up the Cursed Technique?"
"While I was talking to him, I used crow feathers to place Cursed Energy marks around him. The reason I talked so much was to distract him."
Mei Mei walked over to Rin, still holding her large, gleaming axe, its blade glinting coldly:
"I can attack anytime I want. But it would also be good if I could take someone away without having to fight."
She extended her left hand and gently pinched Rin's chin, slowly lifting his lowered face, her tone light and teasing:
"If you were a little more obedient, you wouldn't have to suffer like this, little brother."
But when Rin's face was lifted, the triumph on Mei Mei's face instantly froze. What she saw was not fear, not pain, but the eerie cold smile at the corner of Rin's mouth, and the blood-red light flickering in his pupils.
Three black tomoe slowly rotated in Rin's pupils, exuding a heart-pounding sense of oppression.