Outside the Jujutsu High shrine.
Waves of cursed energy fluctuated in the air.
Shigemo Haruta, the curse user supposedly "blessed by the goddess of fortune," was currently rolling on the ground in a pathetic state.
His body was covered in fine lacerations, marks left behind by the lashes of Moon Dregs' tentacles.
More terrifyingly, his face had turned pale green and his lips were purple.
It was a sign of poisoning.
"How is this possible..."
Haruta clutched his throat, his eyes filled with terror.
"My luck... where did my luck go?!"
He had always relied on his accumulated "miracles" to evade fatal blows.
"That last hit clearly should have missed!"
"Why..."
"Why am I poisoned?!"
He tried to stand up, but his legs felt like jelly.
Yoshino Junpei stood not far away, his gaze icy.
Behind him, a massive jellyfish shikigami squirmed slowly, purple venom dripping from its tentacles.
Junpei didn't attack blindly.
Under Boss Hayashi En's guidance, he had learned the true purpose of Moon Dregs—not for direct lethality, but for "attrition."
Every seemingly weak touch, every attack Haruta "luckily evaded," was actually draining his cursed energy reserves known as "miracles."
In other words, using high-density, lethal attacks repeatedly was the best way to handle Haruta.
That was why Hayashi En had sent Junpei.
"Your luck has a limit."
Junpei's voice sounded exceptionally clear in the night air.
"And now."
"That piggy bank is empty."
"Nonsense!!"
Haruta screamed hysterically; he couldn't believe he was being cornered by a bunch of brats.
"I'm the one who's loved!!"
He lunged toward Junpei.
"As long as I kill you! If I kill you, my luck will return!!"
This sudden burst of explosive power clearly caught Junpei off guard.
After all, Junpei hadn't awakened his technique for very long, and he was still inexperienced in combat.
He hadn't expected Haruta's counterattack to be so fierce.
Whoosh!
The sword with the purple hand-shaped hilt was already aimed straight at Junpei's throat.
But Junpei didn't have time to react.
His hand-to-hand combat skills weren't his strong suit.
However...
In that split second between life and death.
"Where do you think you're going, you creep?"
A defiant female voice rang out from the side.
Kugisaki Nobara held her hammer, a devilish grin on her face.
She tossed three nails shimmering with cursed energy into the air.
"Straw Doll Technique!"
Bang!
As the hammer slammed into the nails...
The nails, imbued with cursed energy, shot forward.
Haruta's expression shifted as he turned to deal with Nobara's attack.
He barely managed to dodge two, but one nail struck his shoulder.
It was clear that his stored luck had been whittled away by Junpei.
"Pffft—!!"
Haruta spat out a mouthful of dark blood and collapsed to the ground as if hit by a sledgehammer.
"Damn it... I can't move..."
He tried to crawl up, only to find his limbs had lost all sensation.
It was a double blow: Junpei's toxins and Nobara's Resonance.
"It's over."
Atop the treetops.
Zenin Mai raised her revolver.
The muzzle was aimed right between Haruta's eyes.
Haruta jerked his head up, his eyes wide with terror.
"I really didn't want to work with you guys, but this guy... is truly disgusting."
A flicker of disgust passed through her eyes.
This kind of person—someone who survived on luck and preyed on the weak—was exactly the type she despised most.
Bang!
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet tore through the night.
Haruta's eyes bulged.
He prayed frantically in his mind.
'Miss! Please miss! Jam! Please jam! Let there be a gust of wind!'
However...
No miracle occurred.
The bullet pierced his skull with precision, bringing forth a spray of blood.
The curse user who had survived in the jujutsu world on luck finally met his long-fated end.
The body slumped to the ground.
His eyes remained open in death.
"Whew..."
Junpei breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew his shikigami.
He looked at Nobara and Mai, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Um... thank you."
"If it wasn't for you both..."
"Shut it."
Nobara clicked her tongue, put away her hammer, and walked over to pat Junpei's shoulder.
"Don't thank me. We're classmates."
"Besides, that was a good hit."
Mai jumped down from the tree, glanced at the corpse on the ground, and snorted coldly.
"Don't misunderstand. I just didn't want garbage like this to stay alive."
...
Meanwhile.
Outside Jujutsu High, at the edge of the Curtain.
Gojo Satoru stood in mid-air with his hands in his pockets, his expression casual.
He looked at the massive black barrier before him; there wasn't a hint of anxiety on his face, only a trace of playfulness.
"A Curtain with this kind of priority... looks like someone really doesn't want me coming in."
"However..."
Gojo Satoru pulled down his blindfold, revealing his azure Six Eyes.
Those were the divine eyes capable of seeing through all techniques and perceiving the flow of all cursed energy.
"It's about time to end this."
Just then.
A mechanical bird no larger than a palm flapped its wings, flew through the woods, and stopped in front of Gojo Satoru.
It was one of Mechamaru's miniature puppets.
"Gojo-sensei."
Muta Kokichi's slightly anxious voice emanated from the mechanical bird.
"This is Mechamaru."
"To make a long story short, I just received some intelligence."
"The cursed spirits' real goal isn't attacking the students or sabotaging the exchange event."
"It's... the Sukuna fingers in the storehouse and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings."
Gojo Satoru's movements paused for a moment.
The corners of his mouth curled into a dangerous arc.
"Oh?"
"A diversion?"
"How interesting."
"Actually daring to pull these petty tricks on Jujutsu High's home turf."
"But since I'm already here, I might as well help out my cute students first."
Gojo Satoru extended a finger, pointing it at the supposedly indestructible Curtain.
Terrifying cursed energy began to converge at his fingertip.
This wasn't a standard reinforcement of cursed energy.
It was the concept of "Infinity" compressed and reversed, creating an absolute repulsive force.
The surrounding air began to shriek, unable to withstand the pressure of this power.
"Now that I know the objective..."
"There's no need to play hide-and-seek with them anymore."
A cold glint flashed in Gojo's eyes.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
Boom!!!
A crimson shockwave, like a divine punishment, slammed into the surface of the Curtain.
The barrier that supposedly "denied Gojo Satoru entry" was as fragile as tissue paper before such absolute power.
Crack.
Crack.
The sound of shattering echoed through the skies.
The Curtain broke.
The black veil disintegrated like shattered glass, revealing the original blue sky.
Gojo Satoru surveyed the battlefield.
Hanami was being held back by everyone, even showing signs of being overwhelmed.
Utahime's side had already concluded.
In an instant, the strongest of this era had made his decision.
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