Underground, deep within the Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Far from the daily teaching areas and dormitories, the walls here were half a meter thick, made of special concrete mixed with cursed energy suppression materials. The lighting relied on cursed lamps embedded in the ceiling, emitting a constant, cool white light. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant, stale metal, and an indescribable, faint hum like a bio-static field. This was a special isolation and observation area with the highest level of confidentiality at the Jujutsu High.
In the largest isolation room, the scene at that moment seemed strange and heartbreaking.
Dozens of specially made crystalline life-support capsules were neatly arranged, like silent coffins. Each capsule was filled with pale green, slowly circulating nutrient solutions and tranquilizers. And suspended in these liquids were distorted, inhuman bodies of various shapes, all without exception—victims brought back by Kento Nanami from the cinema and the sewers, those transformed by Mahito's "Idle Transfiguration," or rather, their remaining empty shells.
Some of their limbs were bent backwards, some heads were abnormally swollen, some had skin and muscles fused into a root-like texture. Some occasionally twitched slightly within the capsule, a fingertip or eyelid trembling, indicating that deep within these twisted bodies, faint sparks belonging to "life" or "soul" might still remain.
The life-support capsules were connected to complex pipelines and monitoring instruments. The vital sign curves on the screens were mostly weak and erratic, and the cursed energy readings showed stagnant, low-level fluctuations mixed with the unpleasant residual soul contamination characteristic of Mahito.
The entire isolation room was enveloped in several layers of sturdy isolation barriers, maximizing the prevention of cursed energy interaction between inside and outside, preventing unknown mutations in these modified bodies, and deterring external investigation.
Under the internal light, three figures stood.
Kento Nanami had already changed out of his soiled suit into a dark green one, but still stood upright. His face was expressionless; he just silently looked at the unfortunate beings in the life-support capsules through his frameless glasses, his gaze behind the lenses colder and heavier than usual.
Shoko Ieiri leaned against a metal table holding various medical cursed tools, her white coat casually unbuttoned, revealing a simple t-shirt and trousers inside. She held a thin cigarette between her fingers but didn't light it, just unconsciously twirled it. This leading doctor in the jujutsu world, who had mastered "Reverse Cursed Technique," currently had obvious fatigue on her face, as well as a deep depression after witnessing such tragedy. She was responsible for receiving and initially processing these "samples," ensuring they didn't die instantly, and maintaining the minimum viable state for possible future "treatment."
The air was a bit stagnant, only the faint sound of instruments operating breaking the silence.
Then the thick, sealed door of the isolation room made a soft hydraulic sound and slid aside. A figure slowly walked in.
He was tall, with medium-length black hair, a distinctive fringe on his forehead, and wore a modified dark clerical robe. A soft, almost compassionate smile was on his face. It was Suguru Geto.
His arrival subtly changed the atmosphere in the room.
Nanami's gaze turned to him, and he nodded slightly. Ieiri stopped twirling her cigarette, lifted her eyelids, and looked at him with those always tired eyes.
"Sorry I'm late. Had some... family matters to attend to," Geto's voice was soft and calm. He approached, his gaze sweeping over the rows of life-support capsules, the compassion on his face seeming a bit more genuine. "These... are the victims? A tragic sight."
"Yeah, they are," Ieiri finally put the cigarette in her mouth, snapped her fingers, a small flame of cursed energy flaring to light it. She took a deep drag and slowly exhaled gray smoke, which rose in the cold light, blurring her slightly irritated expression. "The 'souvenirs' Nanami brought back. Their bodies were completely distorted by that disgusting technique, even their souls shattered, like Play-Doh that had been mixed up and thrown away by a hedgehog. Keeping them alive like this is the limit for now."
She tilted her head to look at Geto, her tone direct. "Nanami wants you to give it a try. Use your 'Cursed Spirit Manipulation' to swallow that cursed spirit called Mahito. Take his 'Idle Transfiguration' technique. Maybe... with the ability to directly touch and change the shape of the soul, there's a small chance of 'restoring' the souls and bodies of these poor souls back to their original form. Although the hope is as slim as finding a needle in Tokyo Bay, it's better than now, just watching them rot here like spoiled meat."
Geto listened quietly, his gaze slowly moving away from the life-support capsules, lingering on the glass surface, sweeping over Nanami, and finally falling back on the distorted forms. The soft smile on his face remained unchanged, but deep in his eyes, some dark, indescribable light seemed to flicker slightly.
"A technique to transform the soul..." Geto repeated in a low voice, with a tone of perfect curiosity, as if hearing it for the first time.
However, deep within his heart, beneath layers of soft disguise, a cold, clear, even slightly burning excitement was emerging, like a giant beast swimming in the deep sea.
Idle Transfiguration... The ability to directly touch, define, and transform the shape of the soul...
Isn't this... one of the most crucial abilities needed for the blueprint of that 'new world' I've conceived countless times? No, perhaps not just one, but the core! To eliminate all cursed energy and create a world where everyone evolves into Heavenly Restriction users...
This cursed spirit named Mahito, his technique is like a tool born for my ideals! This is fate, this is a revelation, this is the key destined to be in my hands!
Of course, these seething thoughts were perfectly contained deep within his soul, not a trace leaking onto his compassionate face. He simply slowly nodded, as if after careful consideration, and said in his characteristic persuasive, soft tone:
"I see. If I can obtain that technique, there is indeed a theoretical possibility of reverse-analyzing it and attempting to reverse the damage. Although it would be extremely difficult... for the sake of these innocent lives, it's worth a try. I will try to find that cursed spirit."
Ieiri glanced at him, saw nothing unusual on his face, just took another drag of smoke, and asked casually, "By the way, what have you been up to lately? You've been hard to find. Gojo's been complaining he can't reach you."
Geto smiled and explained in a natural tone, "I've been busy with something, actually. Mostly related to the Naraku Sect."
"The Naraku Sect?" Nanami frowned slightly and took over the conversation. "That cult that was destroyed by Lord Zen'in Genji in the South China Sea, the one believing in the 'Immortal God'? Its leader hasn't been confirmed to be..."
"She was 'dealt with' by Lord Zen'in Genji with thunderous means, and even the entire stronghold was erased from the map," Geto continued, with the appropriate amount of emotion and solemnity in his tone. "However, it was a long-established sect, and its doctrines involve the fundamental concepts of 'immortality' and 'death.' Its roots are deep, and a centipede doesn't die even when dead."
"Recently, I've received fragmentary information that there seem to be remnants of believers, curse users, and cursed spirits associated with the Naraku Sect that haven't completely disappeared after the South China Sea incident... Their activities are more hidden and targeted. It seems they're planning something or searching for something."
He looked at Nanami and Ieiri. "I suspect that the woman Naraku might not have died as 'completely' as we think. After all, the form of existence for a cursed spirit tied to the concept of 'death' is hard to measure by common sense. Even... in the face of an attack capable of destroying a small island, it wouldn't be surprising if something remained."
When the phrase "attack capable of destroying an island" was mentioned, the air in the isolation room suddenly became a bit colder and heavier. Nanami, Ieiri, and Geto all instinctively glanced at each other, each seeing a clear, undisguised emotion in the other's eyes—not fear, but a kind of awe-inspiring, almost nature-disaster-respecting feeling beyond ordinary thinking.
"Hmph." Ieiri exhaled a sharp stream of smoke, stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray on the nearby table, and quietly muttered with impatience. "A monster. Through and through a monster. An attack like that... isn't a 'cursed technique' at all, is it? To put it politely, it's a humanoid natural disaster."
She paused, her tone becoming even more irritated, with undisguised sarcasm. "I heard those old men at the Headquarters were still thinking about how to test, how to balance, and how to incorporate this 'god' into their ridiculous rules. And then, as soon as the 'fireworks' went off in the South China Sea, the satellite imagery came back... Heh, now they're all so scared they don't dare to fart. The previous 'monitoring,' 'contact,' and 'exchange of terms' have turned into scrap paper. I bet now they just want this lord to be in a good mood and not come to Tokyo like that."
Nanami was silent, pushing up his glasses. He had met Zen'in Genji in person and could sense the unfathomable depth even more clearly. But he said nothing, only his tightly pressed lips showing he was also unsettled inside.
The gentle smile on Geto's face also faded, and an extremely complex light flickered in the depths of his eyes. The existence of Zen'in Genji was also a huge, unpredictable variable for him, both a potential tool and an unprecedented obstacle, and perhaps... an "east wind" that could disrupt the chess game and allow him to take advantage.
"Anyway," Nanami finally spoke, his voice regaining its calm, bringing the topic back to the matter at hand. "Please take charge of the Mahito matter, Geto-san. These victims... probably don't have much time left." He glanced again at the life-support capsules and added, "I will continue to track Mahito's whereabouts, as well as any other 'work' he might have left behind. I'll sync any information with you as soon as possible."
Geto nodded, his smile regaining its compassionate and reliable quality. "Leave it to me. For the sake of 'justice'... and for these innocent lives."
Ieiri waved her hand, lit another cigarette, turned to the monitoring console, and began checking the data from the life-support capsules, her back looking somewhat tired.