The Curse Body wouldn't devour Sukuna's Finger, but it could absorb the dissipating Cursed Energy from one, using it to grow stronger.
It could essentially function as a barrier that attracts Curses—perfect for him to hold onto.
After placing the Sukuna Finger, Sōjun Minamoto didn't pay it any more attention.
From then on, he started visiting the Kenjaku household periodically.
Kenjaku wasn't just focused on reviving ancient sorcerers—he was also studying the fleshification process of Cursed Objects.
So before long, he came looking for him again.
Their shared goal at this stage was to awaken the innate sorcerer talent in ordinary people through fleshification.
The real challenge was maintaining the subject's autonomous consciousness.
Unlike the artificial sorcerers created by the Church of the Stars, this was a forced awakening—a true emergence of a naturally-born Cursed Technique, not something derived from a source or external technique.
And unlike members of the Church, these individuals weren't dependent on anything.
Still, the Church of the Stars had one advantage: rapid power growth. As long as the user had value, their strength could continue to grow—and the pinnacle of that power was Sōjun Minamoto.
Right now, he stood at the absolute limit below the heavens, the highest peak above the earth. Round it all up, and he might as well be the heavens himself.
At this point, was there even a difference between Sōjun Minamoto and the heavens?
If he could just ascend one more step…
Sōjun Minamoto snapped out of his thoughts.
His body turned sky blue as he entered his full soul state, walking the streets and alleys of Sendai, testing the parameters of different forms.
Every time he finished his research and left Kenjaku's place to return home, he would do this.
Time passed in a rhythm of research and experimentation.
On this particular day, Sōjun Minamoto said goodbye to Kenjaku and once again walked the streets alone.
There weren't many pedestrians around—just a few students walking in small groups, probably heading home a bit late after club activities.
A few kids were still playing in the park, waiting for their parents to call them in for dinner.
It was only a little past 5 PM, and the ease of this carefree upbringing made him reflect on how comfortable such an education was.
In his soul state, Sōjun Minamoto walked along the roadside. When he reached a red light, he didn't cross—he stopped at the zebra crossing and waited.
The street was quiet, with few cars or people. When the light turned green, Sōjun Minamoto was just about to step forward when he caught a car speeding toward the intersection in the corner of his eye. He halted instantly.
...
Bang~, screech~
"Stop the car! Help her!"
"You idiot, look closely! It's too late—her head's been crushed!"
"...Wh-What do we do now?"
"There's barely anyone here. We need to run, now..."
The van slowed for a moment. Two voices came from inside before it roared away again, leaving behind the body of a girl lying in a pool of blood.
Passers-by began to gather in ones and twos.
At the side of the road stood a young boy, clearly her companion. Staring at the bloodstained road and the friend who had just been laughing beside him, he called out instinctively:
"...Rika?"
...
Sōjun Minamoto watched as the car sped through the intersection, just barely missing the green light. From the scattered pedestrians nearby, he heard a few muttered curses.
Thankfully, there hadn't been an accident.
He continued crossing the street.
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks and looked up at the distant sky. A massive surge of black Cursed Energy burst upward, instantly isolating the entire area.
The sky, which had been fairly bright, darkened in patches. A swirling black vortex slowly expanded, consuming everything around it. Occasionally, arcs of light flashed within.
None of the people on the street reacted—they couldn't see the gloom overhead.
The next moment, Sōjun Minamoto vanished.
...
"Rika?"
When he reappeared at the center of the vortex, he heard that voice. He glanced at the stunned little boy, then quickly scanned the area and saw the girl lying in the road. He shook his head.
There was clearly no saving her.
His eyes stayed fixed on the girl—or rather, on the shadow beneath her.
A small crowd had begun to gather, murmuring among themselves, but no one dared to approach.
Out of their sight...
A deformed head slowly emerged from the pool of blood. Hair like tendrils draped down its back. Then came its chest—ghastly white, bones stark and defined. Two long, slender arms covered in the same pale flesh propped it up at the blood's edge as it tried to force its upper body from the shadow. But something held it back. No matter how it strained, it couldn't break free...
It soon gave up. Or maybe it had something more urgent to do.
Instead, it reached out with its narrow arms and grabbed the boy's ankle. Its mouth stretched wide open:
"Yuta! Yuta! When you grow up… you have to marry meeeee…"
"This is our promise."
"Aaaaaah—aaaaah—aaaaah—aaaaah!"
Its body trembled violently, flailing in exaggerated, meaningless motions.
The boy could clearly see it. Fear filled his face, but there was also a trace of relief—maybe even joy.
'She's not dead? That's… good.'
Then the fear hit harder. Whatever this was, it definitely wasn't a good sign.
As confusion overwhelmed him and he struggled to react...
"Need some help?"
A large hand landed suddenly on his shoulder, making him flinch.
His body froze. Then the voice said, "I've already called emergency services. Don't be scared."
There was something calming in the voice. It made him feel... less afraid.
"...Th-thank you."
He relaxed slightly and turned his head, trembling a little. At first, he saw just a pair of legs. Then he looked up—way up—and saw the face.
It was Sōjun Minamoto.
"Don't be afraid of her," Sōjun Minamoto said, crouching down.
He had returned to his physical form. A barrier stood between them and the—Great Vengeful Spirit.
A Great Vengeful Spirit possessed boundless Cursed Energy. It couldn't be exorcised—far beyond ordinary curses.
As for the "Vengeful Spirit," part that was simpler—it was a soul consumed by hatred for death.
Such spirits only formed through overwhelming obsession and unmatched Cursed Energy.
They were extremely rare. Usually, neither the obsession nor the energy was strong enough to sustain one.
But this girl's obsession—and the boy's Cursed Energy—had met the conditions.
The spirit was relentlessly attacking Sōjun Minamoto.
Its obsession was with the boy. Whenever he was threatened, it would act to "protect" him—in its own warped way.
At the moment, that meant attacking whoever it perceived as a threat.
But Sōjun Minamoto had no intention of hurting the boy.
In that case, there was another trigger—it sensed overwhelming danger. That fear of death had reawakened its hatred.
"Don't be afraid," Sōjun Minamoto said again, calmly fending off its attacks as he looked gently at the boy.
"You can try to accept her."
Despite his words, the boy still looked hesitant.
Understandable. He was just a kid. Staying conscious after all this was already impressive. Even most adults couldn't handle a scene like this calmly.
Sōjun Minamoto turned toward the spirit.
'But now's not the time for you to appear.'
He prepared to temporarily seal it away.
Right now, the boy had only just awakened to his power. He knew nothing of the Jujutsu world. His Cursed Energy was immense—easily the strongest Sōjun Minamoto had ever seen.
Even Satoru Gojo had been surpassed.
But the boy didn't know how to control it.
The Vengeful Spirit couldn't take full form. It couldn't tell friend from foe. With its extreme disposition, its actions would only become more violent.
The fact that it tried to kill Sōjun Minamoto just for getting close to the boy said enough—any interaction provoked aggression.
The Vengeful Spirit kept attacking wildly.
Sōjun Minamoto raised his hands, palms facing each other, ready to activate his technique.
Suddenly, the boy stepped forward.
"Ri... Rika?" he called out cautiously, edging closer. "Please don't hurt anyone... okay?"
The spirit's movements slowed.
Hmm?
Sōjun Minamoto paused, intrigued.
The boy slowly reached out. The spirit trembled but softened its motions. Their hands touched.
The spirit went completely still.
Then—
"Aaaaaahhhhhh—aaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"
A violent surge of Cursed Energy erupted, darkening the sky even more and cracking the barrier Sōjun Minamoto had casually constructed.
The boy collapsed on the spot. The spirit slowly sank back into the shadows.
Sōjun Minamoto caught him. It was just backlash from his energy being drained too quickly. Nothing serious.
He smiled faintly.
This was far more valuable than a Sukuna Finger.
Easily equivalent to a dozen of them.
...
Sōjun Minamoto helped the boy onto the ambulance and tapped the ring on his left ring finger.
The doctors also collected the girl's remains.
It was unfortunate, but what had happened couldn't be undone. Her body was destroyed, her soul transformed into a Cursed Spirit—there was no coming back from that.
He looked once more at the bloodstained road and turned to leave.
"Sir, our condolences. Please get in the vehicle," a doctor said stiffly.
"Me?" Sōjun Minamoto pointed to himself, then chuckled. "I'm not their guardian."
"Then...?" the doctor asked, confused.
"I just happened to pass by," Sōjun Minamoto replied. "Saw what happened, so I stepped in."
As a police car pulled up nearby, he pointed at it.
"But I also called the police. You can talk to the officers from here on."
"Oh—thank you, really," the doctor said, quickly bowing.
Sōjun Minamoto waved a hand. "It's nothing."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
p@treon com / PinkSnake