Yuji's fist, wrapped in azure flames, ruthlessly smashed into Choso's arm.
BANG—!
Choso was knocked back by the strike, his feet skidding several meters across the ground before he finally came to a halt.
Strange...
While adjusting his posture and stance, Choso gathered the blood behind him once more. He frowned, looking down at his slightly trembling arm.
A strange feeling...
Something was not right.
The moment Yuji's fist struck him, an unprecedented sensation welled up in his heart.
What exactly is going on?
This feeling was especially intense when Yuji attacked him using blood.
Both of them were Blood Manipulation users. Through the Resonance produced by their blood, it was much easier for them to recognize each other than it was for ordinary blood-related brothers.
"What is your name?" Choso asked.
"Yuji Itadori."
Yuji lowered his fists. The young man stood in place, his amber eyes calmly looking at Choso.
"Did you feel it?"
"What are you trying to say?" Choso frowned.
"A certain connection between us... like we are connected by blood."
"...Who knows?" Choso's hostility faded slightly, but he still maintained his guard against Yuji. "Maybe you are just playing tricks."
"...Maybe." Yuji chuckled softly. "But I do know one thing. You are a very good older brother."
"...?"
Choso was puzzled by this sudden praise. He did not understand why Yuji—whom he was meeting for the first time—would make such a judgment about him.
"Do you know me? Could it be that we met one hundred and fifty years ago?" This was the only possibility Choso could think of.
"I don't know you," Yuji shook his head. "But I can feel that you are not a bad person."
"So—" Yuji raised both hands, clapping his palms together to form the hand sign for Piercing Blood. "Let's confirm it, shall we? Confirm the connection I just mentioned."
"..."
Choso was taken aback by these words, but upon seeing Yuji strike that familiar hand sign, he immediately understood. Choso clapped his hands together, scarlet blood gathering at his fingertips.
"Piercing Blood."
"Piercing Blood!"
The two voices rang out almost simultaneously. Two streams of scarlet blood shot from their fingertips, colliding in mid-air.
SPLASH!
The scarlet blood exploded in the air due to the mutual impact, splashing everywhere.
Blood Manipulation users can only manipulate their own blood. At this moment, Yuji and Choso were clashing using their respective blood.
Under the condition of their blood making almost zero-distance contact, the feeling of being "connected by blood" in Choso's heart grew stronger and stronger.
Right at that moment, Choso felt as if his brain had been struck by something. Countless images flashed through his mind, and his vision blurred.
A non-existent memory surfaced in Choso's mind.
Choso had a total of nine younger brothers.
He had three parents: a mother, the cursed spirit that impregnated her, and Noritoshi Kamo—the jujutsu sorcerer who toyed with his mother and mixed his own blood into her during the pregnancy.
That man was also one of Kenjaku's vessels.
After their father and mother passed away, Choso—as the eldest of the ten brothers—believed that his younger brothers' deformed appearances would face discrimination from humans. Therefore, he took his brothers to live in seclusion deep in the mountains, isolated from the world.
"Even though Yuji is the youngest brother, he is the most outstanding among us."
Although Yuji was his half-brother, they were still connected by blood. The care Choso gave him was no less than what he gave his other brothers.
Yuji also loved his older brothers very much. The young man was the most hardworking among them, doing everything to repay his brothers' kindness.
"Who said that? I am just an ordinary person."
"Yuji, the reason everyone likes you so much is that you are so humble and enthusiastic toward every brother. Who wouldn't like such a kind child?" Choso said with a smile, leaning leisurely against the dining table.
"Not at all—everyone is clearly just like me! On the contrary, I should be learning from you, big brother." Yuji scratched his cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Big brother, do you want some pasta?"
Hearing Yuji call him "Onii-chan," Choso instantly felt his heart melting.
Yuji twirled some pasta onto a fork and then reached out to bring it to Choso's mouth.
"Here. Ah—"
Choso cooperatively opened his mouth...
"..."
"So that's how it is..."
The momentum of the two blood arrows gradually slowed down, eventually dissipating into the air.
"So I... actually have a brother like you, wandering outside all this time..." Choso muttered to himself, then lowered his hands that were forming the Piercing Blood sign.
He looked at Yuji again and then slowly walked forward. The hostility and wariness in his eyes had almost completely vanished.
Suguru Geto, you bastard. You actually wanted me to kill my own brother...
No. Could it be that he is Noritoshi Kamo? I always felt that the stitches on their heads were very familiar... I see...
Choso shook his head to himself. He stepped forward and opened his arms toward Yuji.
"I'm sorry. I was only resurrected recently, so... I failed to fulfill my duty of taking care of you."
"..."
Yuji walked forward and hugged Choso.
It had been sixty-eight years since they last saw each other.
"There is no such thing as failing a duty. I am already very satisfied to have an older brother like you," Yuji said.
"Yes. Indeed." Choso closed his eyes, his arms tightening significantly around him.
"...Choso, you're hugging me too tightly. I can't breathe."
"..."
Not far away, Megumi and Junpei witnessed the entire brotherly reunion. The two looked at each other, completely speechless for a moment.
"Um, Fushiguro... did I... miss something?" Junpei could hardly believe his eyes.
These two were at each other's throats just a moment ago. How were they hugging now?
Megumi raised his hands and forcefully slapped his own cheeks to confirm he wasn't trapped in a previous illusion.
"It seems not."
"Then are they... acknowledging each other as family? Oh my god, I feel like I'm still caught in that curse's illusion."
"...I find it bizarre too."
"And they just finished fighting and now they're... hugging?" A drop of cold sweat slid down Junpei's face.
What on earth were these two doing?
"Fushiguro, Junpei—come over here for a second!"
Just as the two were standing awkwardly, not knowing what to do, Yuji raised his hand and waved at them.
Megumi and Junpei exchanged a glance and walked toward Yuji.
If even Yuji could be silently hypnotized, then there was no point in the two of them fighting either. They might as well skip the steps and have Megumi summon Mahoraga right away.
Both of their steps were hesitant. Approaching Yuji, Junpei cautiously asked, "Itadori, who is this?"
"Junpei, Fushiguro—let me introduce you." Yuji stepped aside and pointed at Choso. "This is my half-brother from my father's side... or maybe from my mother's side. It's a bit hard to explain. Anyway, he is a good person."
"...A good person?" Megumi's mouth twitched slightly.
Seeing their doubtful expressions, Choso shook his head.
"I know what you are thinking. I do look very much like a curse user."
"But I had no choice in the past. Now, I want to be a good person."
"...Alright." Megumi remained silent for a moment before accepting this explanation.
The situation was urgent. They could not afford to waste too much time here.
"Alright. Enough chit-chat." Yuji dropped his smile and looked at Choso, his tone becoming serious. "Choso, I have a comrade trapped by a Special Grade curse in this school. It's a curse with multiple cursed technique effects, and we haven't been able to find its exact location."
"Do you have any information on it?"
"..."
Hearing this, Choso fell silent for a moment. His brow furrowed slightly.
"In this school, besides the Special Grade curse you just exorcised that swallowed a finger, there is another Special Grade curse fed with Sukuna's finger, as well as a Special Grade Cursed Womb."
"There seem to be some curse users as well, but I don't know the exact numbers or their locations."
"As for the location of that last Special Grade curse, I couldn't find it either. I only know that this curse was acting alongside me. Other than that, no one told me any relevant information."
"...Is that so?" Yuji frowned.
Half of the curses in this school had already been exorcised by them.
That elusive Special Grade curse was definitely hiding using some special method. Otherwise it wouldn't have remained unseen for so long.
"Choso, I have a favor to ask of you."
"Speak."
"Leave that Special Grade curse to me. But Fushiguro and Junpei..." He turned his head and glanced at his two comrades behind him. "They are not strong enough and need someone to work with them. Could you help exorcise the surrounding low-level curses and keep an eye on these two for me?"
"Alright. I promise you." Hearing this, Choso agreed without a second thought. "From now on, your business is my business, and your comrades are my comrades. Leave it to me, Yuji."
Yuji paused for a moment, then smiled. "Thank you, big brother."
Choso nodded in gratification toward Yuji, then turned to look at Megumi and Junpei.
"You two, follow me closely. Do not leave my line of sight from now on."
"...We'll be in your care, Choso-san." Junpei and Megumi exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.
No matter what, they decided to trust Yuji's judgment for now. Even though it was absurd, both of them had a deep bond with Yuji.
"Then from now on, we split up."
"Itadori, will you be okay alone?" Megumi asked.
"Yeah. Trust me." Yuji nodded. "I can exorcise that Special Grade curse by myself."
"How confident are you? Even Nanami-san..."
Megumi was cut off mid-sentence as Yuji raised his hand.
The young man lowered his arm. His amber eyes looked calmly at Megumi.
"One hundred percent."
"Fushiguro, I am one hundred percent confident."
"..."
"Alright."
Megumi did not press further.
He exorcised a Special Grade curse on his second day of enrollment. Became a Grade 1 sorcerer on his fourth day. And now, he had even learned the Reverse Cursed Technique. Satoru Gojo had evaluated him as a once-in-a-millennium jujutsu prodigy.
Having spent so much time with Yuji, he understood the boy. Yuji would not act tough about something like this. If he said he was one hundred percent confident, then he truly was one hundred percent confident.
As for where this one hundred percent confidence came from—
Megumi did not want to dig into it.
"Let's go, Junpei." He turned around and patted Junpei's shoulder. "Let's not hold him back."
"O-Oh!" Junpei hurried to follow, taking two steps before looking back at Yuji. "Itadori, stay safe!"
"Yeah. You guys too."
Yuji stood in place, watching the figures of Choso and the other two disappear into the distance. The night breeze blew by, gently ruffling his pink hair.
He turned around, facing the dark small forest at the edge of the basketball court, his amber eyes staring straight into it.
"Come out."
"Stop playing tricks. You just wanted me to be alone, didn't you? Then I'll give you this chance."
"..."
The evening wind rustled the leaves.
A completely dark-red curse crawled out from the shadows of the woods. Its head resembled an octopus, with several tentacles squirming under its chin near the ground, but its body looked like a cicada pupa. The curse's body slid over the dirt and leaves on the ground, wriggling toward Yuji like an insect.
"Choso..." The curse muttered to itself in a sorrowful tone. "Why... why did you betray us?"
"Mahito... Jogo... Hanami..."
"Yuji Itadori... why did you turn Mahito and Jogo into that..." Dagon cried out to Yuji while crawling gloomily across the ground.
"They did so many bad things. For them, they brought it upon themselves," Yuji replied expressionlessly.
"No... Mahito and Jogo took such good care of me... especially Hanami... Hanami..." Dagon's voice suddenly became shrill and loud as it roared in anger.
"It was you! You turned Mahito and Jogo into that state!"
"It was you! You murdered Hanami!"
"Yuji Itadori! How dare you murder Hanami!"
Before it finished speaking, the curse's bloated body violently shuddered. The cicada-like outer shell split open from the middle, revealing a large gap at the top, and a muscular figure surged out from within.
Yuji looked up as the figure broke out of the shell and launched into the air.
Is this the Cursed Womb Choso mentioned? No wonder its cursed energy was so weak just now.
...It can actually fly?
Under the moonlight, a muscular figure over two meters tall hovered in the air. Its head was still that of an octopus, but its torso had become humanoid—with robust muscles exposed, and a pair of wings sprouted from its back.
"That's right. I killed him. So what?" Yuji said calmly.
"I want you to pay with your life, Yuji Itadori!"
"Domain Expansion—"
Dagon raised its hands to form a hand sign.
"..."
In his past life, Yuji had heard about Dagon's cursed technique from Maki. This Special Grade curse—one of the "Four Disaster Curses"—possessed the ability to control a nearly endless amount of seawater and shikigami.
And water was the exact counter to Blood Manipulation.
If he had kept Choso and the others here just now, they would have been in grave danger facing this curse.
"Horizon of the Captivating Skandha!"
Unlike Hanami and Jogo, Dagon's wind-up for its hand sign could not be easily caught. In the 0.2 seconds it took Yuji to blink, its Domain had already formed.
The basketball court, the school buildings, the moonlight, the night sky... everything vanished cleanly in the blink of an eye.
Yuji's vision blurred, and he immediately found himself standing on a beach.
Beneath his feet was soft golden sand. Above his head was a clear blue sky. The sunlight shone warmly upon him. The sea waves gently lapped against the shore.
An endless ocean.
With no end in sight.
"..."
"Prepare to die, Yuji Itadori." Dagon's eyes narrowed slightly. Without Sukuna's cursed energy as a foundation, Yuji could not currently expand his own Domain.
Domain Expansion was a skill that consumed an extreme amount of cursed energy. Although Yuji could use it, he couldn't maintain it for more than three minutes. If he forced a Domain Expansion, his Domain would forcefully collapse from cursed energy depletion before he could win the Domain clash.
"Falling Blossom Emotion."
Yuji took a half-step back, raising his hands and adopting a specific stance.
This was a secret technique passed down within the Big Three Families. Before the Shinjuku Showdown in his past life, Satoru Gojo had taught this skill to Yuji.
Azure cursed energy ignited like flames, enveloping Yuji's entire body.
Falling Blossom Emotion was different from Simple Domain. Its function was not to neutralize a Domain's sure-hit effect, but rather to automatically counter the damage from the Domain's sure-hit effect by covering the user's body with special cursed energy.
Against Domains that deal mental damage like Unlimited Void, Falling Blossom Emotion was completely ineffective. But against Domains like Malevolent Shrine or Horizon of the Captivating Skandha, Falling Blossom Emotion was much more useful than Simple Domain.
Ordinary sorcerers had to maintain a specific posture without moving when using Falling Blossom Emotion.
However, strong fighters like Satoru Gojo and Yuji could break this rule.
Yuji had long formulated a countermeasure in his mind for battling Dagon.
To Yuji, even though he defeated a Special Grade curse in two days and defeated three of the Disaster Curses in five days—achieving feats unmatched in a thousand years in such a short time...
He understood that these achievements were merely obtained through his "rebirth." Therefore, Yuji remained humble. He didn't think there was anything incredible about himself.
On the contrary, Yuji felt that his current growth rate was too slow. He could not afford to remain stagnant like this.
Yuji would eventually reclaim his pre-rebirth strength, become the strongest, and crush Kenjaku's conspiracy.
And to him, entities like Mahito, Hanami, Jogo, and now Dagon—were simply stepping stones.
Through a continuous stream of high-intensity battles, he could achieve a faster rate of progress than through normal training.
He was going to step on these stepping stones one by one, all the way to the absolute peak.
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