Shizuoka Prefecture, deep within a certain eerie, abandoned Western-style mansion.
The dim corridors seemed endless, winding like the intestines of some gargantuan beast.
The vintage European wallpaper had long since peeled away, revealing dark red mold patches beneath that squirmed like rotting flesh.
The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood, stale rot, and negative emotions so dense they were almost palpable.
Utahime Iori, clad in her traditional red-and-white miko attire, leaned against a cracked pillar, gasping for breath.
Sweat beaded on her forehead, and her once-neatly kept hair was now a disheveled mess. Her white tabi socks were stained with dust and dark red blotches.
"Damn it... what the hell is this place?"
Utahime gritted her teeth, her hand trembling as she reached for the talisman pouch at her waist; her supplies were nearly exhausted.
She turned her head toward the woman beside her, who still maintained an air of elegance.
Mei Mei.
The tall, mature woman with silver hair braided over half her face leaned leisurely against the wall, toying with a coin.
Even in this desperate situation, her uniform remained pristine.
"Miss Mei, we've been trapped here for two whole days!"
Utahime's voice betrayed her impatience and exhaustion.
"The structure of this barrier defies all logic."
"No matter which way we go, up or down, we always end up back in this hall!"
"If this keeps up, we'll run out of stamina and cursed energy!"
Mei Mei sighed, flipping the coin with a distinct clink before catching it and sliding it back into her pocket.
"It is a bit of a predicament, Utahime."
"I thought this was just a standard Grade 2 mission—a quick job for an easy paycheck."
"Who would have thought the mansion itself was a semi-autonomous Grade 1 earthbound spirit?"
"It swallowed us into its stomach and created this infinite loop barrier, slowly wearing us down like frogs in a boiling pot."
Mei Mei's tone remained calm, as if she were discussing dinner plans rather than a life-or-death crisis.
"However, what hurts more than the danger to my life is..."
She narrowed her eyes, a calculating glint flashing within them as a hint of genuine emotion finally surfaced in her voice.
"Being stuck here for two days has cost me at least three high-paying designated missions."
"I haven't even been able to check the stock market. I missed a perfect opportunity to buy the dip."
"The old fogies at General Headquarters are going to have to reimburse me for this, with interest."
Utahime stared at the money-obsessed woman, nearly coughing up blood from sheer exasperation.
Her fear was momentarily eclipsed by her utter disbelief.
"Is this really the time for accounting?! What good is money if you're dead?!"
"If we don't break this barrier, forget reimbursement—we're going to die here and become fertilizer for this mansion!"
Utahime looked despairingly at the squirming walls.
She could feel the concentration of cursed energy within the barrier rising sharply; the air was becoming increasingly viscous.
The Grade 1 cursed spirit lurking in the shadows had clearly lost its patience and was ready to begin its final digestion.
"Don't be so pessimistic, Utahime. In this world, there is nothing that can't be broken—except maybe a solid bank account."
Mei Mei smiled slightly and looked up at the dim ceiling.
"According to Jujutsu High regulations, if there is no contact for over forty-eight hours, the mission is classified as a missing person case. Rescue should be on the way."
"I just wonder who Masamichi-sensei will send."
"If it's those two problem children, things might actually get worse."
Meanwhile.
A black Jujutsu High vehicle sped down the highway toward Shizuoka Prefecture.
In the driver's seat.
Yoru was dressed in a sharp set of black casual clothes, his hands steady on the steering wheel as he calmly watched the road.
As the new external combat instructor for Jujutsu High, this was his first field mission, even if he was only serving as the driver.
Normally, the atmosphere in a rescue mission concerning the lives of comrades should have been tense and somber.
However...
Yoru glanced in the rearview mirror at the disaster in the back seat and sighed.
Satoru Gojo was slumped across the leather seat like he didn't have a bone in his body.
His round sunglasses had slipped down his nose, revealing bloodshot eyelids, and a large, transparent snot bubble grew and shrank from his nose as he snored.
Suguru Geto was slightly better off, though he was still slumped against the window with zero regard for his appearance.
His head bobbed with every bump in the road, the dark circles under his eyes making him look like a panda.
In the passenger seat, Shoko Ieiri had an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth, staring boredly out the window.
"Those two."
"They dragged Yoru into an all-nighter just to try and beat him at a fighting game."
Shoko glanced back at the mess in the rear, her voice dripping with disdain.
The result was Yoru dismantling them with starter characters all night long. By the time Masamichi Yaga's mission notification arrived in the morning, their mental states were on the verge of collapse.
"Hey, you two."
Yoru tapped the steering wheel, the sharp sound echoing through the cabin.
"We're almost at the site. Wake up and get ready for combat."
"We're here to rescue Utahime and Mei Mei. Don't embarrass yourselves as Special Grade sorcerers in front of your juniors."
Gojo's snot bubble popped with a soft snap.
He rubbed his eyes blearily and let out a massive yawn that brought tears to his eyes.
"Huh? Rescue? Who are we saving again?"
"That weakling crybaby, Utahime?"
"A Grade 1 spirit like that? I could crush it into dust with one hand and my eyes closed. Seriously, bothering me for something so trivial when I need my beauty sleep..."
Suguru Geto forced himself upright, his voice raspy.
"Satoru, don't be careless."
"We're strong, but our condition is terrible. Our cursed energy flow might not be as smooth as usual."
"If the mansion's barrier is complex, it might take a moment to dismantle."
Yoru hit the brakes, bringing the car to a smooth stop in the middle of the wilderness.
He looked at the abandoned mansion, which was wrapped in layers of dense black cursed energy like a cocoon.
"We're here."
"You two, if you're really too tired to keep your eyes open, just sleep in the car."
Yoru unbuckled his seatbelt and picked up the standard-issue Jujutsu High katana from the center console.
"I'll go bring them out myself. Consider it my first demonstration as your combat instructor."
Shoko opened her door and stepped out, stretching her arms.
"I'll go take a look too. Utahime-senpai has been missing for two days; I'm actually a bit worried."
At those words, Gojo was instantly wide awake.
"Huh? Who are you looking down on, Instructor Yoru?!"
Gojo hopped out of the car and cracked his neck loudly.
"I'm the strongest!"
"Think a mere Grade 1 curse is going to steal my thunder? Watch me tear this whole dump down along with it!"
Suguru Geto followed, hands in his pockets, as the faint silhouette of a massive winged cursed spirit flickered behind him.
"Instructor Yoru, we'll admit defeat when it comes to hand-to-hand combat and gaming."
"But when it comes to exorcising curses, we're the professionals."
Yoru looked at the two problem children, who were desperately trying to save face despite their exhaustion, and a smile touched his lips.
"Then show me your 'professionalism'."
Inside the mansion's main hall.
The vibrations of the infinite loop intensified, feeling like a localized earthquake.
The mold on the walls spread rapidly, transforming into dark red tentacles that pulsed like blood vessels, surging toward Utahime and Mei Mei in the center of the hall.
"It's launching a full-scale attack!"
Utahime bit her finger and smeared blood across her last few talismans, her eyes full of resolve as she prepared for a final stand.
Mei Mei pocketed her coin and reached into thin air, manifesting a massive black battle-axe. Her lazy gaze sharpened into a lethal edge.
As the tentacles were about to reach them, the shadow of death loomed over the pair.
BOOM—!!!
A deafening roar, like a thunderclap from the heavens, erupted from above.
The entire mansion shuddered as if struck by a meteorite, the floor splitting into countless fissures.
The barrier's function seized up under the impact of such absolute violence.
Utahime and Mei Mei looked up in shock.
The mansion's ceiling—reinforced and fortified by cursed energy—had been blasted open, leaving a massive hole forced by a terrifying surge of azure cursed energy.
Dust, rubble, and splinters rained down from above.
Piercing sunlight streamed through the hole like a sword, cutting through the gloom of the hall.
Along with that long-awaited light...
A face wearing round sunglasses, sporting a smirk so punchable it could only belong to someone who felt invincible, peered through the hole in the ceiling.
His white hair shimmered brilliantly in the sun.
"Yo."
Gojo looked down at the soot-covered Utahime.
His voice was thick with mockery, as if he were teasing a lost kitten.
"Utahime, are you crying?"
The hall fell into a deathly silence; even the dark red tentacles seemed intimidated by his sheer arrogance.
Utahime stared blankly at her savior.
The tiny spark of gratitude she felt for being rescued vanished instantly, obliterated by his mockery.
Her face turned from white to red, then to a livid shade of blue.
A fire of pure rage burned above her head, nearly manifesting physically.
The Grade 1 cursed spirit hidden deep within the ruins let out a shrill, infuriated roar.
The real battle—or rather, a one-sided slaughter—was about to begin within the mansion.