By the time Shin received news of the missing cursed object, it was already the next morning.
Along with the news came an Investigation Order issued by the Higher-Ups.
The Investigation Order wasn't just sent to him, everyone who had seen him hand over the cursed object to the Assistant Supervisor yesterday received one. They were also ordered not to leave Jujutsu High without permission.
Upon learning the news, Satoru immediately called Shin to give him some instructions.
"Don't pay them any mind. As for the Investigation Order... just use it to wipe your ass. Tell Yuji and the others too, whatever those Higher-Ups say should just go in one ear and out the other. I'll be back in Tokyo in three or four days. I'll handle this little matter for you then."
Hanging up the phone, Shin looked up helplessly at the three people in front of him and said, "You heard him. That's what Gojo-sensei said. With Gojo-sensei keeping the Higher-Ups in check, they won't actually dare to do anything to us."
Yuji curled his lip helplessly, while Megumi and Junpei sighed and slumped onto the table, exhausted.
The feeling of being suspected made all four of them very unhappy, but they had to give the Higher-Ups some face until Satoru returned, so they could only accept it with resignation.
As for Kenjaku, who had snatched the cursed object...
He had already tested that cursed object on five or six Curse Users, but without exception, every Curse User exploded into a pile of minced meat. He even tried stuffing the cursed object into the Special Grade Cursed Spirits stored within his Cursed Technique, but that also ended in failure.
However, the more it failed, the more he felt this cursed object was special. But since he lacked a suitable vessel, he could only temporarily give up on continuing the incarnation process for this cursed object.
"Mahito, you've already learned Domain Expansion and Domain Amplification, right? I have a mission for you but remember, even if you have to abandon the mission, do not die. We can't afford the death of any more companions."
That was a lie. Kenjaku didn't consider them companions at all. He was merely afraid that if Mahito died outside, he wouldn't be able to absorb Mahito's Cursed Technique, which would affect his plans.
Mahito said, "Oh, this mission looks a bit difficult. Do I have to capture this many ordinary people? Such a big move will definitely be noticed by those annoying Jujutsu Sorcerers."
"The mission targets aren't ordinary people. They are all humans who possess Cursed Techniques but lack the corresponding circuits in their brains. In other words, they all have the talent to become Jujutsu Sorcerers. But when humans suddenly discover they possess great power, will they really use it for good?
"I'm curious to see how chaotic human society will become when a group with special powers suddenly appears. And with such a large number of new Jujutsu Sorcerers, even those people in the Jujutsu World won't be able to handle it quickly."
Furthermore, Kenjaku had bribed several news agencies. As soon as a violent incident caused by a new Jujutsu Sorcerer occurred, these agencies would publicize it extensively, making it impossible for the Jujutsu World to suppress the news. Ultimately, it would plunge society into panic.
'The Cursed Energy generated by the fear of hundreds of thousands or even millions of humans should be just enough to activate the Barrier.'
—
During the three short days while the group at Jujutsu High were confined and Satoru was out of the country, about a hundred Jujutsu Sorcerers suddenly cropped up in the Tokyo area like mushrooms after rain.
Although the Higher-Ups immediately ordered their tracking and containment, due to the sheer number, some still abused their power, resulting in over a dozen violent cases.
Including but not limited to:
A pitiful office worker, bullied by their boss and colleagues, snapped and used a Cursed Technique to commit a random massacre within the company.
Delinquent high school students misused Cursed Techniques, causing a school building to collapse.
Using Cursed Techniques to rob banks, theft, and so on.
Several news agencies disregarded costs to publish relevant newspapers on a massive scale. Some newspapers that originally required payment even became free items, quickly spreading the news across the country. At this point, even the government could no longer cover it up and had to resort to various lies for concealment.
An unknown serial killer broke into the company.
The collapse of the school building was a quality issue, and those responsible have been held accountable.
The bank robberies and thefts are just ordinary crimes, supernatural powers absolutely do not exist.
The public might believe one or two explanations, but when the number of incidents reached a certain level, some people were bound to believe the truth. For a time, all of Japan was in a state of anxiety, and a massive amount of negative emotion filled the entire nation.
—
Kenjaku was standing on a tall building in Tokyo, placing a cursed object at that location.
"Alright, this is the last one. Now, let the game begin."
As Kenjaku injected his Cursed Energy, the cursed objects he had placed all over Tokyo were activated. A massive Barrier capable of covering the entirety of Tokyo expanded instantly. The powerful suction could even reach across all of Japan, drawing Cursed Energy from the entire country toward Tokyo to serve as fuel for the Barrier.
Similarly, due to the influence of Cursed Energy on electronic devices, all electronics in Tokyo turned into piles of scrap metal at that moment. Tokyo was cut off from the outside world.