The four exhausted men sprinted through the darkness without stopping, pushing their bodies to the absolute limit. The moment they reached the capital, emergency ravens were dispatched across the city. Within the hour, the most powerful figures of the Heian era were rushing into the Obsidian Chamber — some still pulling on robes, others half-dressed, all of them tense.
When Fujiwara no Teika finally entered, the heavy stone doors slammed shut behind him. He didn't sit. He stood at the head of the black table, eyes burning.
"From the very beginning," he ordered, voice like a blade. "Leave nothing out."
Gojo no Kenji stepped forward, still breathing hard.
"On the first day, the Porcelain Onryo marched on Akatsuki Village with her swarm. We arrived ahead of her and warned the villagers. Most fled into the forest. Only a handful stayed behind. She slaughtered them without mercy and fed their bodies to her fly curses."
Kamo no Jiro continued, voice hoarse.
"After the massacre, she returned to the Sando Estate and slept for nearly two full days. When she woke… she had evolved. The grotesque, multi-limbed monster was gone. She now looks like a true queen — tall, elegant, with long black-and-white hair, a spinning crown of black shards, and mismatched eyes. One crimson, one silver-black. She sits on her throne with perfect regal poise."
The Zenin scout took over.
"Three days later, she recruited the Fly King at an abandoned temple in the northern mountains. They fought brutally. After the battle, he submitted and became her general."
Gojo no Kenji finished the report, tone grim.
"Two days ago, Kurosawa attacked the estate. He landed a Black Flash on the Fly King, nearly killing him. But the queen awakened her domain in that moment — an incomplete domain with no barrier. It spills outward, turning everything it touches into white porcelain while jagged black shard pillars erupt from the ground. She trapped Kurosawa inside it and chained Fracture after Fracture into him until he was forced to destroy a high-grade cursed tool just to escape."
He took a final breath.
"And tonight, just before sunset, she trained that same domain deliberately for the first time. The Fly King asked how she had beaten Kurosawa. She showed him. He described the sensation as feeling… judged. Like something was weighing his very soul. She admitted the domain is still incomplete… and that she can only hold it for under thirty seconds before it drains her heavily."
The Obsidian Chamber was completely silent.
Fujiwara no Teika slowly sank into his seat, face ashen.
One of the elders whispered it first, voice barely audible.
"…The Queen of Curses."
Fujiwara no Teika closed his eyes for a long moment, then spoke, voice heavy with dread.
"She has earned it. A vengeful spirit who slaughtered an entire village, evolved into a regal form, recruited a special grade general, awakened a domain that judges the soul, and is now deliberately training it…"
He opened his eyes, staring at the four observers.
"We are no longer dealing with the Porcelain Onryo."
"We are dealing with the Queen of Curses."
The words landed like a hammer.
The entire Obsidian Council sat in stunned silence for several long seconds.
Fujiwara no Teika slowly sank back into his seat, face ashen. His hands gripped the edge of the black table so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Gojo no Michizane, who had once again brought his ten-year-old son Haruto into the council chamber despite it being strictly against protocol, slowly sat up straighter. The usual arrogant smirk was completely gone from his face. Haruto sat quietly on his father's lap, six eyes glowing faintly as he processed everything.
Zenin no Takumi's massive fists were clenched so hard the obsidian table beneath them creaked dangerously.
Kamo no Yasunori's crimson eyes had narrowed to slits, his expression colder and more calculating than anyone had ever seen.
Abe no Hiroki clutched his wooden talisman like a lifeline, his face pale.
Yuki no Amaya let out a long, bitter sigh and shook her head slowly.
Inumaki no Ren simply stared ahead, his translator remaining completely silent — his face said everything.
Kusakabe no Goro stared at the floor, jaw locked tight, saying nothing.
Fujiwara no Teika finally spoke, his voice low and strained.
"…She slaughtered an entire village, slept for two days, evolved into a regal form, recruited a special-grade general, awakened a domain that judges the soul, and is now deliberately training it like it's just another technique."
He looked around the table, eyes heavy with dread.
Fujiwara no Teika looked around the table, his expression grave.
"Speak. All of you. What are your thoughts?"
Zenin no Takumi slammed his fist on the table again, cracking the obsidian further.
"This is unacceptable! We gave her seven days to grow and she used every single one of them! She's not just a curse anymore — she has a special-grade general, she's rebuilding an entire estate like she's building an empire, and now she's training an incomplete domain?! Even if it's weaker than a true domain, the fact that she can use it at all is insane!"
Kamo no Yasunori spoke next, voice cold and precise.
"The domain itself is… strange. No barrier. It simply spills outward and freezes everything in porcelain. The Fly King said it felt like he was being judged. That sounds like a corrupted version of Soul Sentencing mixed with her Soul Fracture. She has taken her clan's two techniques and fused them into something new. That alone makes her far more dangerous than any normal special grade."
Gojo no Michizane, unusually serious, looked down at his son Haruto before speaking.
"My boy was right from the start. The Six Eyes tipped the balance too far toward humanity… and the world is correcting itself by creating something like her. She evolved after sleeping for two days. She recruited the Fly King. She awakened a domain that can judge souls. Even if it's incomplete and drains her heavily, the fact that she's already training it means she's only going to get stronger."
Yuki no Amaya shook her head, voice bitter.
"We should have killed her the moment we learned of her existence. Instead, we watched her grow into a queen. She's earned the title 'Queen of Curses'. And if we don't act soon, she's going to start collecting more than just fly curses."
Abe no Hiroki clutched his talisman tightly.
"The stars have been screaming about imbalance for weeks. I thought it was political unrest… but this? A vengeful spirit evolving into a ruler with a court and a domain? This is the beginning of something far worse than we imagined."
Kusakabe no Goro grunted, arms crossed.
"We gave her time. She used it. Now we have a queen with a special-grade general, an incomplete domain that judges souls, and an ego big enough to match her power. The longer we wait, the more dangerous she becomes."
The chamber fell quiet again as everyone absorbed the weight of what had been said.
Fujiwara no Teika finally spoke, his voice heavy.
"Then the question is simple."
He looked at each of them in turn.
"Do we declare war on the Queen of Curses now… or do we wait and risk facing something far stronger than her?"
Zenin no Takumi didn't wait for anyone else to speak.
"We hit her now," he growled, eyes blazing. "She's still weak. She can only hold that incomplete domain for under thirty seconds. Her general is still injured. We send every Grade 1 we have — strike tonight, burn that entire estate to the ground, and end this before she gets any stronger."
Kamo no Yasunori shook his head coldly.
"Too reckless. She already survived a Black Flash and nearly killed Kurosawa. If we rush in and fail, we'll only feed her more grudge shards. She'll evolve again. We need a proper strategy."
Gojo no Michizane glanced down at Haruto, then spoke with rare restraint.
"My son's Six Eyes see further than any of us. Haruto… what do you see?"
The ten-year-old boy looked around the table, his six eyes glowing faintly.
"She's not done evolving. The domain she's using now is still incomplete… but it's growing. If we attack now, we might win. But if we wait too long, the next time she uses it… It might not be incomplete anymore."
Yuki no Amaya leaned forward.
"I agree with the boy. We cannot afford to wait. But a blind charge is suicide. We need to draw her out. Force her to use that domain, drain her, then strike when she's exhausted."
Fujiwara no Teika rubbed his temples, clearly exhausted.
"We stand at a crossroads. Strike now while her domain is still unstable and her general is wounded… or take the time to assemble a proper extermination force and risk her becoming something we can no longer stop."
The chamber fell into another heavy silence.
No one had an easy answer.
The Queen of Curses had only been alive for a few weeks… and she had already forced the greatest powers of the Heian era into an emergency council meeting, debating how to kill her before she became unstoppable.
Zenin no Takumi's face twisted in frustration.
"We're sitting here like cowards! She's not even a proper curse anymore — she's a queen with a court and a domain that judges souls! Every day we waste is another day she grows stronger. I say we strike before she finishes rebuilding that estate!"
Kamo no Yasunori shot back, voice sharp.
"And if we fail? She'll harvest every soul we throw at her. She'll evolve again — stronger, smarter, more dangerous. You want to create the very monster you fear?"
Gojo no Michizane, unusually quiet, looked down at Haruto on his lap.
"My son's Six Eyes have never been wrong. If he says she's still growing… then we're looking at something that could one day threaten the entire balance of this era. We cannot afford to be reckless… but we cannot afford to be slow either."
The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on.
After several long minutes of heated back and forth, Fujiwara no Teika finally raised his hand, silencing everyone.
"We will not strike tonight."
He looked around the table, his voice heavy with authority.
"We will take the time to assemble a proper extermination force. Every clan will contribute their strongest. We will study her domain, prepare countermeasures, and strike only when we are certain we can end her in a single, overwhelming assault."
He paused, letting the decision sink in.
"The Queen of Curses has earned her title. Now we must ensure she does not live long enough to keep it."
The tension in the room eased slightly, but it didn't disappear.
Zenin no Takumi leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, still scowling like a caged beast.
"While we're busy planning how to kill this porcelain bitch, that bastard the Hollow Blade is still out there carving through our outposts. Three more scouts went missing last week. No bodies, no blood, no cursed energy residue… just gone. Vanished into thin air. We don't even know what the hell he's doing with them."
Kamo no Yasunori's crimson eyes gleamed coldly in the dim light.
"He's building something. An organisation. Every week more rogue sorcerers vanish from the minor clans and flock to him. He's not just killing anymore — he's recruiting. Testing something. Maybe his own powers, maybe a new weapon. Whatever it is, that shadow is growing in the dark, and we're blind to it."
Fujiwara no Teika raised a hand, cutting the conversation short for a moment. He turned toward the representative from the smaller clans with measured respect.
"From the previous meeting, we acknowledge your point. For generations, the great clans have hoarded our strongest techniques while you bled and died for us. That ends today. Your cooperation is noted and deeply appreciated. The Queen of Curses has forced our hand — the big clans will share our techniques openly from this moment forward."
The Kumamoto representative gave a firm, satisfied nod. His voice carried the weight of decades of resentment finally being heard.
"About damn time. We smaller clans will send our best sorcerers to train alongside yours. We'll share our scouts, our cursed tools, our knowledge — everything we have. This Queen of Curses has you lot properly shook… and for once, that fear is working in our favour. We stand with you."
Yuki no Amaya sighed deeply, her voice heavy with concern.
"It's not just the clans. The land itself is angry. Earthquakes have been increasing… and they're all centred around the same dormant volcano to the north. My scouts say the mountain is rumbling more violently with every passing day. The cursed energy beneath it is building to a breaking point. That volcano will erupt soon — and when it does, it won't just be lava and ash. It will birth something far worse."
Abe no Hiroki nodded grimly, fingers tracing protective runes on his talisman.
"The stars have been screaming warnings for weeks now. The balance is breaking in more ways than one. These quakes are not random. They are a warning… something ancient is stirring deep beneath that mountain. Something that should have stayed buried."
Fujiwara no Teika's expression darkened, the lines on his face deepening as he took in every word.
"So we have a Queen of Curses building her empire in the east, the Hollow Blade forming some kind of assassin organisation in the shadows, the smaller clans finally standing with us, and a volcano ready to erupt right beneath our feet."
He slowly rose from his seat, voice heavy with the weight of the entire era.
"We are fighting too many fires at once… and the flames are closing in from every direction."
The chamber fell into a deep, suffocating silence. The flickering torchlight cast long shadows across the black obsidian table, making every face look haunted.
Fujiwara no Teika exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples with the weariness of a man who could feel the weight of an entire era crushing down on his shoulders.
"We've said enough for one night."
His voice echoed through the Obsidian Chamber, low and final.
"The Queen of Curses. The Hollow Blade's shadow organisation growing in the dark. The earthquakes centered around that cursed volcano ready to erupt. The smaller clans finally standing with us. There is nothing more to discuss tonight."
He pushed himself up from his seat with visible effort, the black obsidian table reflecting the flickering torchlight across his aged face. His voice carried the gravity of a man making a decision that could shape the next century.
"The decision stands. We will not strike yet. Every clan — great and small — will begin assembling their strongest sorcerers immediately. We will forge a true extermination force the likes of which this era has never seen. We will study her incomplete domain. We will create every countermeasure possible. And when the time comes…"
He paused, letting the silence stretch, his eyes burning with cold determination.
"…we will end her in one overwhelming, decisive blow. No hesitation. No mercy. No survivors."
The council members sat motionless, the weight of his words settling over them like a funeral shroud.
Fujiwara no Teika slowly swept his gaze across every face in the room — from Zenin no Takumi's clenched fists, to Kamo no Yasunori's icy stare, to young Haruto's glowing Six Eyes still watching everything in silence.
"This meeting is adjourned."
He raised his hand in a sharp, commanding gesture.
"Go. Rest while you still can. The storm is coming, and we must be ready to meet it."
The sound of chairs scraping against cold stone filled the chamber as the most powerful figures of the Golden Age rose to their feet. No one spoke. The air felt thick, charged, like the moment before lightning strikes.
Zenin no Takumi stormed out first, his heavy footsteps echoing like war drums. Kamo no Yasunori glided after him in deathly silence. Gojo no Michizane lifted his son onto his shoulder, the boy's six eyes still faintly glowing as they disappeared into the corridor. The Kumamoto representative followed with quiet, determined steps, the first time in decades a smaller clan left this room as an equal.
One by one they filed out until the heavy stone doors groaned shut behind the last of them with a deep, resounding boom that vibrated through the entire chamber.
Silence swallowed everything.
Only a single shaft of cold moonlight remained, slicing across the cracked obsidian table like a silver blade. The faint torchlight flickered and died, leaving nothing but that pale beam illuminating the empty seats and the deep fissures left by Zenin no Takumi's fists.
The Golden Age of Jujutsu had spoken.
And it had chosen war.
The heavy stone doors of the Obsidian Chamber had barely closed when, far away at the Sando Estate, the first light of sunrise was just beginning to paint the sky in soft pinks and golds.
Himiko sat perfectly poised on her throne, long legs crossed, one elbow resting elegantly on the armrest. Her crown of black shards spun in slow, lazy circles above her head, catching the warm morning light like a dark halo. She looked every bit the untouchable queen.
Across the courtyard, Kuro was already hard at work despite the early hour. The massive wound in his chest from Kurosawa's Black Flash had healed remarkably well overnight — it was now just a deep, jagged scar that ran from his collarbone down to his abdomen. It still looked nasty, but at least he wasn't leaking green blood everywhere anymore.
Kuro straightened up, wiping stone dust off his claws with a satisfied buzz. His wings flared with clear pride.
"Oi, Queen! Stop pretending to read that dusty scroll and come look at this!"
Himiko didn't even glance up from the ancient text in her hands. Her voice drifted over, cool and regal.
"A queen does not 'come look.' If it is worth my attention, you will bring it to me."
Kuro clicked his mandibles in annoyance but dragged the contraption over anyway. He had clearly put real effort into this one. The new sled was massive — easily twice the size of his first attempt. Thick reinforced wooden runners, a wider platform, and most importantly… a completely redesigned harness system.
"Behold!" he announced dramatically, throwing his arms wide. "Upgraded Swarm Sled, version two! I call it the Royal Freight Hauler!"
Himiko finally lowered her scroll, one elegant eyebrow arching.
"You gave it a name. How… precious."
Kuro ignored the sarcasm and kept going, clearly excited.
"Look at the harnesses. The old version was trash — the fly-heads kept slipping off the ropes mid-flight and the whole thing would crash. So I made these." He held up a thick wooden bar with deep grooves carved into it. "Each fly gets its own bite-bar. Solid wood, custom shaped so their mandibles lock in perfectly. No more slipping. No more chaos."
He pointed to the front of the sled.
"Twenty bite-points on the main harness so a full swarm can pull together like a real team. Then I added two steering harnesses on the sides — smaller groups can bite onto those and actually steer the damn thing instead of us just crashing into walls all the time."
He gave the main harness a proud tug. A coordinated swarm of fly-heads immediately swarmed the sled — dozens of them clamping onto the wooden bite-bars in perfect rows. With a loud, unified buzz, they lifted off in perfect formation and dragged the massive sled forward smoothly, loaded with five huge stone blocks that would've been impossible the day before.
Himiko watched the entire display with genuine interest, her crimson eye gleaming.
"Not bad, General. You actually improved it."
Kuro puffed his chest out, wings buzzing louder.
"Told you I'm a genius. Soon they won't even need me — they'll just build the whole palace themselves while I sit on my ass and give orders."
Himiko leaned back on her throne, a small, evil smirk playing on her lips.
"So you finally made yourself completely obsolete. How noble."
Kuro's wings stuttered mid-buzz.
"…Wait. That's not what I—"
Himiko's soft, elegant laugh rang out across the courtyard — light, mocking, and way too pleased with herself. The sound was surprisingly beautiful, like wind chimes made of glass.
Kuro just groaned, slumping dramatically against the half-built wall, covering his face with one clawed hand.
"I should've stayed in my damn temple…"
The sunrise continued to rise behind them, bathing the half-rebuilt estate in warm golden light as the Queen of Curses continued to laugh at her long-suffering general.
The sunrise continued to rise behind them, bathing the half-rebuilt estate in warm golden light as the Queen of Curses continued to laugh at her long-suffering general.
Himiko's laughter finally faded into a soft, regal chuckle. She leaned back on her throne, crossing her legs once more, and fixed Kuro with a cool, expectant gaze.
"Enough theatrics, General. Give me a status report."
She gestured lazily toward the half-rebuilt courtyard, the new stone walls, and the swarm still buzzing around the structures.
"How close are we to completing everything? The main hall, the outer walls, the defensive perimeter… where do we stand now?"
Kuro scratched the back of his head, still a little flustered from being laughed at. He looked around the estate, wings giving a tired buzz.
"Well… the outer walls are about seventy percent done. The main gate is reinforced and the eastern wall is fully repaired. The western side still needs another day or two of work."
He pointed toward the main hall behind her.
"The hall itself is coming along faster than I expected. Roof's mostly patched, the throne platform is solid, and we've cleared out almost all the rubble from the old massacre. The fly-heads are finally starting to work together properly thanks to the new sled."
Kuro rolled his shoulders, the scar on his chest pulling slightly.
"Give us another four or five days and the entire outer perimeter will be finished. Maybe a week after that and the main hall will be fully restored — good enough for you to actually live in without the roof leaking every time it rains."
He gave her a tired but proud little smirk.
"Not bad for a bunch of flies and one half-dead general, right?"
Himiko tilted her head slightly, her mismatched eyes scanning the progress with quiet approval.
"Acceptable."
She paused, her gaze drifting toward the dwindling piles of timber and stone near the gate. Her expression shifted, one elegant brow arching.
"But we are running dangerously low on materials. At this rate we will run out long before the main hall is finished."
Himiko tapped one porcelain finger against the arm of her throne, eyes narrowing in thought.
"Kuro. You will design a new gadget. Something the fly-heads can use themselves — a tool they can bite onto and operate. One that allows them to chop down trees and mine stone directly, without you having to supervise every single cut."
She leaned forward slightly, her voice carrying clear command.
"Make it efficient. Make it strong. When it is finished, material acquisition will increase dramatically. I expect a working prototype by tomorrow."
Kuro stared at her, wings frozen mid-buzz.
"…You want me to invent a tree-chopping, stone-mining gadget that a bunch of brainless flies can use… by tomorrow?"
Himiko simply smiled, cold and regal.
"Precisely. A proper general should be capable of such things."
Kuro's entire body sagged. He dragged a clawed hand down his face and let out a long, miserable groan.
"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
Himiko's smirk widened just a fraction.
"Immensely."
She leaned back on her throne, looking thoroughly satisfied with herself.
"Get to work, General. The Queen expects results."
Kuro muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "sadistic porcelain tyrant," then turned and shuffled off toward the supply pile, wings drooping in defeat.
Himiko watched him go, a rare hint of amusement still dancing in her crimson eye.
The morning sun climbed higher, casting long golden rays across the half-rebuilt estate… and the exhausted Fly King who now faced an impossible deadline: inventing an entirely new gadget before the next day's sunrise.