Chapter 143: Chapter 143: The Beginning
Tokyo, Shinjuku.
Several figures appeared on the rooftop of a high-rise building, overlooking the city glowing with neon lights.
The cool night wind howled, and the deep darkness seemed to be brewing something. The sky was pitch black, with no stars in sight, and even the moon was hidden behind thick clouds.
Even without stepping into the city, one could feel its endless liveliness. The wind carried the distant echoes of luxury and indulgence.
Suguru Geto, dressed in his usual priest-like robe, had his black hair tied up in a bun. His half-lidded black eyes glimmered with a deep, unreadable light, as if he were always scheming.
"You all know the plan, right?" he asked in a calm voice. "Your main job is to buy time. The barrier won't hold Gojo Satoru for long. Once the curtain is broken, retreat immediately."
"Hanami isn't here, so no one will be able to save you. If we lose people now, it'll have a big impact on the next phase of our plan."
"Hmph, you don't need to tell me that."
A curse with a head shaped like Mount Fuji crossed its arms and let out a cold snort. Ever since escaping death at Gojo Satoru's hands, Jogo had fully understood the gap between himself and that monster.
An unbridgeable gap.
"But the other sorcerers are a different story." A twisted grin spread across his face. As if responding to his emotions, flames shot out from the crater on his head, and hot steam hissed from the sides of his skull.
"Don't get careless and end up dead. There's another sorcerer whose true identity is unknown. For all we know, they could be stronger than you," Geto reminded him, almost kindly.
"Then let them try. We'll see if I get killed by them or if they get burned to ashes by me!"
Jogo clenched his fist tightly, as if he already had the city beneath him in his grasp.
"Seriously, do whatever you want, just don't cause me any trouble."
Geto shook his head in exasperation, then formed a hand seal and quietly chanted, "Born in darkness, darker than darkness, filth and impurity, be completely cleansed."
As soon as he spoke, a thick, liquid-like veil spread across the sky above Shinjuku, expanding rapidly outward until it completely covered the city.
Immediately after, a second curtain descended inside the first one.
The first barrier's effect: ordinary humans inside could not leave.
The second barrier's effect: in exchange for allowing free entry and exit for everyone else, Gojo Satoru was completely barred from entering.
"Now then, everyone, let's begin."
He spread his arms wide, a slight smirk forming on his lips, as if embracing the entire city.
"Our Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
Behind him, black curtains unfolded in midair, sending ripples through space. One after another, curses emerged, eager to spread chaos and fear.
And the first target—was the brightly lit office building beneath Geto's feet.
It wasn't long before screams echoed from below. Blood splattered against the glass windows, and the once-steady lights flickered wildly.
The overworked office workers burning the midnight oil became the first sacrifices of this night parade of a hundred demons.
One after another, cursed spirits crawled out of the black ripples. After five minutes, Suguru Geto finally stopped his technique, no longer summoning more.
He had to keep some for himself—for protection.
"Alright, let's part ways again." The black-haired man in a monk's robe walked up to a plant-like curse. "Hanami, let's go."
Thick tree roots suddenly burst through the ground, wrapping around the two of them. Then, they slowly sank into the earth, disappearing before the remaining crowd.
Only a whisper faded into the wind.
"If this plan succeeds, I'm sure Suguru Geto would be pleased... hehe..."
After Geto and Hanami left, Jogo turned around and gave orders to the curse users left behind.
"There are no rules, no plans. Kill whoever you want. Just kill."
"And what about you?" asked a bald curse user wearing a mask,
"I'll wait for the sorcerers to arrive—then I'll hunt them down one by one." A vicious glint flashed in Jogo's eyes before he waved his hand and disappeared in an instant.
The octopus-headed cursed spirit beside him, with its clumsy and heavy body, slowly waddled down the building.
With all the special-grade curses gone, only the curse users remained.
"Guess I'll get to work too. Ordinary people aren't worthy of becoming materials for my creations anymore," Kumiya Juzo said arrogantly. "What I really want… is Gojo Satoru's spine!"
But not all curse users were as delusional as him. Some were much simpler—like the blond ponytailed boy, who was thrilled at the idea of slaughtering humans without restraint.
"This is how it should be!"
The two left one after another.
"Alright then, grandson, let's go."
An elderly woman, frail and hunched over, slowly walked away with the help of her cane. Behind her, a sickly-looking man with sunken cheeks—her grandson—silently followed.
Now, only a pair of young sisters remained on the rooftop.
Unlike the others, they didn't look excited. Instead, there was a hint of reluctance on their faces.
The blonde girl with a high bun, dressed like a flashy gal, pouted and complained.
"Mimiko, I don't want to keep working with that bastard who stole Lord Geto's sacred body."
Her younger sister, a short-haired girl with a youthful face, tried to calm her down.
"Nanako, this mission is about finishing what Lord Geto couldn't. We're not doing this for that bastard—we're doing it for Lord Geto's will."
"Even if we have to turn against him, now's not the time."
"Fine." Nanako still looked annoyed but reluctantly agreed. "Then let's kill as many monkeys as we can. That was Lord Geto's will too."
With that, the sisters left the rooftop.
But unknown to anyone, atop the rooftop's water tower, a slender, androgynous figure stood at the tip. With white bobbed hair, they gazed coldly at the city below—a city about to be drenched in blood.
A faint breeze blew past, and in the next moment, the figure was gone, as if they had never been there at all.
—
Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The stone steps winding up the hillside.
Ijichi Kiyotaka was sprinting up, gripping his phone tightly.
He had never hated these stone stairs as much as he did now. It was also the first time he realized just how long this climb really was.
His phone kept vibrating non-stop, with new calls coming in every second. But he had no time to answer.
He knew they were all about the massive curtain that had suddenly appeared in Shinjuku.
Right now, he was on his way to report the situation.
"Damn it! I get that Gojo-sensei's phone won't go through at a time like this, but why can't I even reach Principal Yaga?!"
The ever-dedicated office worker finally reached the top of the long staircase. Slowing down, he caught his breath, panting heavily as he walked.
"Huh? Isn't that Ijichi-san?"
A bright, cheerful voice suddenly reached his ears like a blessing from the heavens.
Looking up, he saw Itadori Yuji and Yoshino Junpei walking together.
Itadori grinned and asked, "Junpei and I were just heading to class. What's up with you, Ijichi-san? You look exhausted."
"I-Itadori-kun, I'm on my way to see Principal Yaga. I have something important to report." Ijichi Kiyotaka panted as he spoke.
"Oh." Itadori looked at the breathless man for a moment before suddenly suggesting, "Want me to take you there?"
"Huh?" Ijichi froze.
"Sorry, Junpei, go on ahead. I'll catch up later."
After saying that, Itadori turned back to Ijichi, squatted down, and hoisted him onto his back.
By the time the rushing wind brought Ijichi back to his senses, he was already being carried at full speed down the hallway.
"W-Wha—?!"
The rapid footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Fushiguro Megumi had just stepped out of his dorm when the door was suddenly slammed back by the wind, hitting him square in the forehead.
Rubbing his now-red forehead, he peeked out from behind the door, his face darkened.
"…What the hell is going on?"
"Sorry, Fushiguro! It's an emergency!"
But all he saw was the blur of Itadori's back disappearing down the hallway, followed by a delayed apology.
Fushiguro frowned, confused.
Was that… Ijichi on Itadori's back?
Did something happen?
"What's going on?"
Even while carrying a grown man on his back and running at full speed, Itadori Yuji still had enough energy to speak. He didn't seem tired at all, which was a sharp contrast to Ijichi Kiyotaka, who was being carried.
"The thing is, the surveillance team spotted an unregistered large veil descending over Shinjuku. It's highly likely the work of curse users," Ijichi Kiyotaka explained, adjusting his glasses.
"That sounds really bad!?" Itadori's expression changed as he got serious. "I'm speeding up, hold on tight, Ijichi-san!"
The next second, he ran even faster, shooting forward like a cannonball, crashing straight into Principal Yaga Masamichi's office at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Yaga's office didn't look like an office at all—it was more like a little girl's room, filled with all kinds of weirdly cute and ugly plush toys. Right now, he was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sewing another doll.
He was startled by Itadori and Ijichi suddenly bursting in, and in his surprise, he pricked his finger with the needle.
"Tsk… Itadori, remember to knock next time." Even indoors, Yaga kept his sunglasses on, trying to stay calm.
"Urgent report, Principal Yaga." Ijichi didn't give him a chance to scold Itadori and immediately started briefing him. "A massive unknown veil has covered all of Shinjuku. All surveillance points inside have lost contact, and we have no idea what's happening inside."
"Goddamn!" Yaga jumped to his feet. "Why didn't you say so earlier!?"
A terrorist attack on Tokyo Shinjuku by curse users—it brought back terrible memories, shaking him like a PTSD trigger.
"We couldn't reach you or Gojo-san on the phone."
"…My bad."
Yaga's energy deflated in an instant. He glanced around the room, rummaged through a pile of plush toys, and finally found his phone.
"Just Shinjuku? Kyoto hasn't been attacked?" he asked.
"No."
"Then we're sending everyone! Get Satoru over there, and contact Kyoto Jujutsu High for backup! They can't use the 'Kyoto is under attack too' excuse this time!"
"Also, reach out to Mei Mei and the special-grade sorcerer we have under contract. Tell them we'll negotiate their payment."
"I'll stay here at Jujutsu High to prevent this from being a diversion."
After his initial panic, Yaga quickly regained his composure, issuing orders clearly while dialing Gojo Satoru's number.
"I understand. What about the students?" Ijichi nodded and asked.
"The first-years—"
Before Yaga could finish, Itadori cut him off with a determined look.
"I'm going."
"If I didn't know, it'd be a different story. But now that I do, I can't just sit here, knowing bad guys are launching a terrorist attack. I can't just stay at school, watching my friends and teachers fight for their lives."
The tall, broad-shouldered man was silent for a moment. Then, after thinking it over, he nodded.
"Everyone moves out!"
The pink-haired boy's face lit up with excitement. He clenched his fist and bumped it against his palm.
"Alright!"
Just as the call to Gojo Satoru was about to go to voicemail, it was finally answered. His lazy, carefree voice came through the speaker.
"Principal? What's up? Another mess you need me to clean up?"
"It's more than that."
Yaga's voice was deep and serious.
"Shinjuku is under attack. You know what that means…"
"It's just like last time—with Suguru Geto."
There was a brief silence on the other end.
Then, a voice, carrying a hint of exhaustion and sorrow, finally responded.
"Geto is already dead. You know that, Principal."
"I never said it was him… Anyway, the students will be involved in this mission too. With you there, their safety will be guaranteed."
"I got it. I'm heading over now."
Gojo took a deep breath and collected himself.
"So Ijichi really did have something important to say this time, huh?"
With that, he hung up.
Standing nearby, Ijichi Kiyotaka and Itadori Yuji both twitched slightly, their expressions stiffening.
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