Chapter 59: An Unexpected Windfall
As mentioned before, Abe no Seimei, the legendary grand Onmyoji, was an idol to countless people.
Now that this idol wanted to wipe out the entire human race, it naturally caused a deep sense of disappointment.
Asuna was one of those who felt that way.
Fortunately, she wasn't a fanatic fan, so she could still maintain a rational mind. If it had been one of his die-hard followers, they would probably be trying to clear his name by now.
Yumesaki simply replied, "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"I really don't." Yumesaki shrugged. "There's nothing I can do about it. The guy is hiding way too deep. Right now, I'm just casting a line and hoping to fish him out, but unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be biting."
Several days had passed since Yumesaki captured Hagoromo Gitsune, yet Abe no Seimei had never shown his face once.
Yumesaki couldn't help but suspect that Hagoromo Gitsune might not actually be that important to him.
Perhaps, after turning into a yokai, he no longer viewed Hagoromo Gitsune as his mother, but merely as a convenient tool.
Asuna fell silent. Even Yumesaki, a Transmigrator, couldn't find Abe no Seimei?
"Then what's your next plan?"
"Just keep fishing," Yumesaki said casually. "Besides, his goal is to wipe out humanity. He can't stay hidden forever; he'll have to make a move sooner or later."
"Also, I suspect the leader of the Star Religious Group is Abe no Seimei. You can ask Satoru Gojo to look into it."
Hearing this, Asuna couldn't help but raise her voice. "Are you sure?"
She hadn't expected Yumesaki to actually have a lead on Abe no Seimei. Why on earth hadn't he mentioned something this important sooner?
"I'm not completely certain, but the probability is quite high."
"I'm going to see my teacher right now." Asuna impatiently bid Yumesaki goodbye and immediately went to find Satoru Gojo.
This concerned the safety of all humankind, so she didn't dare delay for even a single second.
Watching Asuna's retreating figure, Yumesaki smiled.
Barring any surprises, Asuna would report this to Satoru Gojo upon her return, and Gojo would likely pass the word along to the government authorities.
As long as the government wasn't completely foolish, they would start taking action.
Once the full machinery of the state began to move, Yumesaki didn't believe Abe no Seimei could remain hidden.
As long as the man still had goals to achieve, he would eventually get caught.
Therefore, all Yumesaki had to do now was sit back quietly and wait for Abe no Seimei to be uncovered.
However, another dozen or so days passed by. The state machinery, just as Yumesaki predicted, had moved into action.
Not only Satoru Gojo's faction, but even the Supernatural Disaster Countermeasures Division had begun mobilization, turning the earth upside down in search of Abe no Seimei.
Yet, from beginning to end, they still couldn't find a trace of him. The guy was truly impressive to be able to hide this deeply.
Of course, Japan's thorough, nationwide dragnet wasn't completely fruitless.
For instance, many hidden members of the Star Religious Group were rooted out, including a certain high-profile figure who had been brought down by Asahi Tanaka, who was immediately arrested and thrown into prison.
Aside from that, plenty of other covert members of the Star Religious Group were captured one after another.
The assets and influence of the Star Religious Group suffered a devastating blow in an instant.
But it was all useless, because the core figure, Abe no Seimei, never showed up.
Because of this, no one dared to relax, fearing that Abe no Seimei would take advantage of their lowered guard to trigger a massive catastrophe.
Right in the midst of this tense, vigilant atmosphere, Yumesaki's Golden Gate sent another piece of information.
The great door had connected to a brand-new world once again.
However, Yumesaki didn't go to explore it right away. He planned to put it on hold for now and only venture into the new world after settling the matter with Abe no Seimei.
Since the government couldn't find Abe no Seimei's whereabouts after all this time, Yumesaki was forced to think of another way.
He decided to try using the Evil Spirits that filled the streets to search for him.
Thus, Yumesaki utilized his Soul Manipulation ability, turning the countless Evil Spirits roaming the streets into his eyes and ears.
Aside from Evil Spirits, he used Cursed Spirits as well.
With Yumesaki's level of power, he could alter hundreds or even thousands of Evil Spirits and Cursed Spirits in a single day.
Once these modified spirits were released, they looked no different from normal ones on the outside, but they actually possessed a consciousness of their own.
They made excellent spies for Yumesaki.
By the third day, the number of spirits Yumesaki had modified exceeded three thousand, scattered across every corner of Tokyo.
Then, a miraculous turn of events occurred.
Yumesaki finally found a clue.
Interestingly enough, though, this clue wasn't discovered by those three thousand modified spirits.
Rather, it was found by the very first Cursed Spirit he had ever modified.
Back then, after Yumesaki obtained the training methods to become a Jujutsu Sorcerer from Asahi Tanaka's memories, he easily achieved that status and awakened his Innate Technique, Soul Manipulation.
The very next day, he used his Soul Manipulation technique to fuse all the Cursed Spirits that had attacked Asuna at school.
He then created a beautiful female Cursed Spirit, whom he named Number One.
Afterward, Number One was set free by Yumesaki to roam at will.
Number One possessed the ability to devour her own kind to strengthen herself. After being released, she gradually grew more powerful by continuously consuming other spirits.
During this process, Number One came into contact with a finger belonging to Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses.
Then, without hesitation, she swallowed the finger.
Anyone who had read Jujutsu Kaisen knew that Sukuna's fingers didn't just contain massive Cursed Energy; they also housed fragments of Sukuna's soul.
After Number One devoured the finger, the fragment of Sukuna's soul entered her body and attempted to seize control of it.
The two sides erupted into a fierce battle inside Number One's body.
Sukuna was incredibly powerful.
However, the Number One that Yumesaki had modified was even stronger.
Furthermore, the version of Sukuna fighting Number One was only a tiny fraction of his peak strength.
In the end, Number One crushed Sukuna's soul fragment, devoured it completely, and her power experienced an explosive growth.
This success gave Number One a taste of the benefits.
Knowing that even a Special Grade Cursed Spirit couldn't compare to Sukuna's finger, she began to actively search for the remaining fingers.
Because she had absorbed Sukuna's power, Number One had developed a certain sensory ability to locate his fingers.
With the help of this sense, she actually managed to find a second finger, and eventually even a third.
She devoured them in sequence.
Each time she swallowed one, she would fight a soul fragment of Sukuna, but as Number One grew stronger, dealing with the fragments became easier and easier.
Before long, Number One had devoured five of Sukuna's fingers. Her strength had long since surpassed that of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, entering an entirely new realm.
Even if the real Sukuna were to resurrect and restore his peak power, he wouldn't necessarily be a match for Number One.
The current Number One could be called the new generation's King of Curses.
Even so, Number One still craved devouring Sukuna's fingers, wishing to consume him entirely, turning him into her own nourishment to make herself even more powerful.
But right at that moment, Number One ran into someone.
The vice leader of the Star Religious Group—Suguru Geto!
However, the current Suguru Geto not only had a ring of stitches around his head, but even his neck now bore a similar ring of stitches.
Upon finding Number One, Suguru Geto claimed that he possessed even more of Sukuna's fingers. If Number One was willing to help him, he could give all of these fingers to her.
Naturally, Number One agreed.
Suguru Geto then took Number One to meet the leader of the Star Religious Group.
After easily overpowering Number One, the leader permitted her to join the Star Religious Group and rewarded her with even more of Sukuna's fingers to help her grow stronger.
Number One asked the leader what she needed to do.
The leader of the Star Religious Group calmly replied, "You aren't strong enough yet. Once you become more powerful, I will naturally tell you what you must do."
Thus, Number One stayed within the Star Religious Group, refining Sukuna's fingers day after day.
As everyone knew, the entity named Sukuna possessed four arms and twenty fingers.
And by now, Number One had devoured ten of Sukuna's fingers, growing remarkably powerful.
After some time passed, Suguru Geto suddenly approached Number One, telling her that the Star Religious Group was currently facing a minor issue and needed her assistance.
Number One agreed without a second thought.
"What do you want me to do?"
Suguru Geto said, "Right now, many people are causing trouble for the Star Religious Group. I want you to go out and kill the strongest person among the Jujutsu Sorcerers, a man named Satoru Gojo."
"No problem."
Number One nodded, then left the hideout of the Star Religious Group, preparing to head toward Tokyo Prefectural Jujutsu High School to assassinate Satoru Gojo.
However, before she could even reach the school, she noticed that the streets were filled with the Cursed Spirits and Evil Spirits that Yumesaki had modified.
As the very first Cursed Spirit to be altered, Number One was incredibly familiar with Yumesaki's methods and aura.
So she stepped forward to communicate with these modified spirits, and from them, she learned that Yumesaki had been looking for the Star Religious Group all this time.
Number One instantly abandoned her mission to kill Satoru Gojo and went to find Yumesaki instead.
In Number One's heart, no matter how important the mission to kill Satoru Gojo was, nothing mattered more than Yumesaki.
Because Yumesaki was her creator.
To be completely honest, when Number One came to visit and informed Yumesaki that she knew the location of the Star Religious Group, Yumesaki was genuinely taken aback.
Though it felt a bit bad to admit, ever since he had released Number One, Yumesaki had actually forgotten all about her.
Who would have thought that the thousands of spirits he had gone through so much trouble to modify hadn't found the Star Religious Group, while the forgotten Number One had managed to walk straight into their nest instead?
What was this called?
It was a classic case of planting a flower intentionally only for it to fail to bloom, while a casually dropped willow branch grows into a thick shade.
This surprise came entirely out of nowhere, proving to be an unexpected windfall.
Yumesaki immediately checked Number One's memories, learning about everything she had experienced since leaving his side.
Naturally, he also saw the current Suguru Geto in her memories—someone he had personally killed before.
However, the current Suguru Geto could no longer truly be called Suguru Geto. From the stitches on his forehead and neck, it was easy to deduce that this person was now possessed by Kenjaku.
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