Zephyr said, "Because I promised Junpei earlier that I'd show him what Mahito really looks like."
"Eh! Big Sis, I want to go too!"
"We already have enough people. If you come along, not only will we get distracted, but there'll be no space left to unleash big moves."
Itadori Yuji was stunned for a moment. He glanced at the narrow space around them, and after thinking about it, realized it was true. If he went, not only would he be unable to help, he might even become a burden.
"Sigh, alright then. But next time, I'll definitely be useful! I won't drag you down again, Big Sis!"
"Let's hope so. Come on."
The group slowly stepped inside.
The underground passage was dark and dimly lit. Not long after they started walking, a battle BGM began playing.
"Looks like we've been discovered."
Nanami Kento said calmly, "As expected."
With one clean strike, a cursed spirit was cut down. But as soon as that one was defeated, more misshapen cursed spirits emerged from the shadows.
"Die…"
"Save… me…"
"I… don't… want… to die…"
"It… hurts… so much…"
Junpei gasped, his voice trembling in shock. "These are cursed spirits too?"
"That's right. Stay behind us, and don't go too far."
Zephyr exhaled slowly and said, "Don't worry. I'll set you all free."
One sword strike, then another, then another… The speed of his blade had already surpassed the limit of the human eye.
He once believed that everyone in this world was just an NPC, but seeing so many humans turned into monsters like these made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
Nanami said, "I feel the same."
It wasn't long before all the cursed spirits were wiped out. Zephyr wiped the blood from his blade and said, "This kind of killing no longer brings me any satisfaction. Could you come out already?"
A man slowly stepped out from the shadows.
"Well, well… I've been found, huh."
> Special Grade Cursed Spirit – Mahito, Level 46 <
As expected, his level was roughly what they had anticipated!
Paimon said, "So that's Mahito? His whole body looks stitched together…"
Mahito smiled and said, "Perfect. I was just thinking of conducting an experiment. If the ones who came were too weak, I wouldn't be able to. But people of your level? Just right."
Then, he turned his gaze to Lumine.
"So you're the girl rumored to possess a special cursed object. Just as I thought, I can't sense the slightest aura of strength from you. He was right about you after all."
Nanami Kento frowned and said, "_He_?"
Mahito replied, "Oh, don't mind that, don't mind that. It has nothing to do with you."
Then he looked toward the back—at Junpei.
"Eh? Junpei, you're here too?"
"Mahito… sensei…" Junpei's expression was full of conflicted emotions.
"I see now. So, Junpei, you've betrayed me."
Mahito was still smiling, as if it didn't bother him in the slightest.
"No, it's not betrayal! I just want to see the _real_ you!"
"The real me, huh? Alright then. Since I had a pretty good impression of you, I'll let you see it for yourself!"
Nanami interjected, "Mind if I cut in for a moment? I'm not a fan of overtime, so let's wrap this up quickly."
With that, Nanami Kento charged forward!
He really is similar… This guy is just like Gojo Satoru—spouting flippant lines, while hiding an unfathomable power beneath the surface.
Ratio Technique!
Mahito's blocking arm was instantly shattered.
Mahito looked visibly shocked—and just then, Zephyr made his move.
A dash brought him right in front of Mahito. Without hesitation, he unleashed a flurry of sword strikes, followed by a perfectly executed _Rasengan_, and finished with a powerful _Wind_ slash.
Nanami adjusted his glasses and said, "Powerful moves, but don't you think using those here is a bit… ill-suited for the environment?"
"No choice. I don't know any other skills."
"I see. Well, if that's the case, it can't be helped. A jujutsu sorcerer's technique is something they're born with. How strong a sorcerer becomes entirely depends on their innate talent."
Paimon chimed in, "Enough with the lecture—he's getting back up!"
Mahito's body was riddled with tattered wounds, some even missing large chunks of flesh.
And yet, despite those severe injuries, he still stood up, defiantly.
"How strange… I should've blocked that first strike."
If the first attack had been blocked, the rest wouldn't have been a problem. But because it landed, he couldn't evade the following hits either.
"How did you do it?"
Paimon scoffed, "You really think we'd tell you?"
"Well, fair point. In that case… doesn't matter how you did it—now I'm a little angry."
With that, Mahito's injuries instantly regenerated.
Paimon gasped, "His wounds… they're healed?! How did he do that?!"
Nanami explained, "Cursed spirits are different from humans. They cheat. When injured, they can endlessly regenerate using cursed energy.
But even that kind of regeneration burns through their cursed energy. That last recovery must've cost him quite a bit."
Mahito laughed, "Hehe, take a guess—did I use ten percent of my cursed energy… or just one percent?"
Zephyr snapped, "Guess, guess, guess—guess your damn sister! Nanami, get in there and hammer this guy!"
Nanami Kento adjusted his glasses and said, "Even though I'm an adult and you're a child, even though I'm slightly stronger than you, your tone is still incredibly annoying."
"I'll tell you about a shampoo brand—it helps grow hair."
"Something that unscientific? Do you really think I'd believe it?"
Despite the banter, Nanami still stepped forward.
Zephyr thought to himself, _Nice—got myself a frontliner! I'll just stay in the back, toss out some skills, and snag a few kills._
With Mahito's level being so high, Zephyr had no interest in fighting him head-on.
However, Mahito didn't seem all that eager to fight Nanami either. Instead, he asked a question.
"Hey, what do you think came first—the soul or the body?"
"Huh?"
"You know, like the old question: which came first, the chicken or the egg? Does the soul reside inside the body, or is the body wrapped around the soul?"
Nanami replied, "I believe it's the former."
"Too bad, wrong answer! It's the latter. No matter what, the soul always comes before the body. The shape of the body is influenced by the shape of the soul."
Mahito smiled as his wounds completely regenerated.
"This isn't healing. I'm simply maintaining the form of my soul with absolute precision.
You get it now, don't you? My technique manipulates the soul through direct contact, altering its shape at will. You're quite impressive. I'd _love_ to see what your soul looks like."
"Hmph, what nonsense."
Nanami acted indifferent on the surface, but in truth, he was extremely cautious.
"No need to worry, I'm not going to kill you right away. I still want to play with you a bit. Let me tell you a little secret—storing humans? Super hard to do. Once their shape changes, they usually die pretty quickly. But what about sorcerers, I wonder?"
As he spoke, Mahito casually tossed out a few "trinkets," which suddenly expanded and launched an attack.
"Are those… cursed spirits?!"
On the cursed spirits' forms, human-like faces emerged.
"Save… me…"
A tear even welled up at the corner of one of their eyes.
Mahito said, "Oops, sorry, sorry—I've practiced this a lot. I've figured out how to change their size without them dying right away. But the brain… or rather, the _consciousness_ part? Still not precise enough. So sometimes this happens. Don't mind it—let's keep going."
Behind them, Junpei stood in stunned silence.
"They… were originally human? Why would you do this…"
"Why? Junpei, did you know? Humans don't have hearts. Life has no value or weight.
It's like water flowing through the world—life is just part of the endless cycle of reincarnation. You and I are the same: meaningless and worthless.
And because of that, we can do whatever we want. Live however we please.
So, if you're asking _why_ I did it, the answer is simple—because I _wanted_ to. That's all."
Junpei asked, "So everything you told me before… it was all a lie? Why lie to me? Why not just kill me from the start?"
"Because…"
Mahito's face twisted into a cruel smile.
"I thought it was _hilarious_—watching someone like you, Junpei, who looked down on everyone around him, come to realize in despair that _you're_ the real idiot. That's what made it fun."
Junpei was on the verge of despair—but then he looked toward Zephyr, and toward Nanami Kento.
"…No, I won't give in to despair! Because now, I have comrades! I have friends! I won't fall into hopelessness, and I won't yield to you!"
"..."
Mahito's expression turned cold, his voice suddenly emotionless.
"How disappointing. I thought you were interesting at first, Junpei. But turns out you're just like the rest of them. In that case, why don't you become a cursed spirit too?"
"Wind Blade!"
Mahito said, "Why resist? Human life is clearly meaningless and worthless."
"That's complete _bullshit!_"
A split-second verbal takedown!
"If life is so meaningless and worthless, then why aren't _you_ dead yet? Why are you even fighting us?"
"If humans have no hearts, then why am I standing here, fighting you with mine right now?"
"You say human life is meaningless and worthless—no, _you're_ wrong!
It's your cursed spirits that are meaningless and worthless.
You were born from humanity's negative emotions, yet instead of gratitude, you only bring slaughter.
Humans can live on just fine without you. But without humans and their negative feelings, could _you_ even survive?"
Mahito's expression began to twist and distort with fury.
"No! _We're_ the ones with meaning! We're the ones with value!! We are the rulers of the world to come—the new humanity! AHHHHHHHH!!"
"And if you really do have value, then doesn't that contradict what you said earlier? That life has no value?
Which is it? Which of your beliefs is the lie?"
"I—I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!"
Mahito finally snapped and went berserk!
Paimon yelled, "Your verbal skills are insane! Paimon's gonna hide for a bit!"
The battle broke out again—fierce and evenly matched on all sides.
Zephyr watched Mahito's health bar and frowned. _Seriously? After all that fighting, it's only gone down _this_ much? That doesn't make sense!_
Then suddenly, he noticed something strange—Mahito's health bar was slowly rising.
"_The hell—he's healing?_"
With Mahito's level, even _without_ healing, it was already a struggle for both him and Nanami to fight him—at best, they were evenly matched. If anything, they probably had a higher chance of losing.
But now he could heal on top of that?
"Nope. I'm done. Not doing this."
He pulled out his phone and said,
"Calling backup. Calling the human-shaped tool…"
//END
------------
❇❇❇
Support me on Patreon - Read Up to 25+ Advanced Chapters There!
patreon.com/RedX43
❇❇❇