"By the way," Gojo Satoru said, "I heard that while I was away, you soloed a special-grade curse? Though… it was one that had just been born from a cursed womb."
Paimon muttered, "That last part was unnecessary."
Gojo replied, "Oh no, Paimon, that part definitely wasn't unnecessary. Even among special-grade curses, the differences can be massive—like, bigger than the gap between an ant and an elephant."
"Huh?"
Gojo turned to Zephyr, his expression suddenly serious. "The curse you encountered, strictly speaking, was the weakest kind of special-grade. It's not much stronger than a Grade 1 curse.
So don't let it get to your head just because you killed a special-grade. That kind of mindset can get you killed."
"I understand. Thanks," Zephyr said.
He didn't expect Gojo Satoru to actually be this… reliable.
Then suddenly, something felt off. "Wait a sec—why has your level dropped?"
Gojo Satoru: Level 85.
He used to be maxed out at level 90. It had only been a few days, so how had his level decreased?
"Ah, you noticed. Travelers from other worlds really are amazing. I even went out of my way to completely suppress my presence."
"I didn't sense your presence to figure it out," Zephyr said.
After all, he couldn't sense anything across dimensions—not from Lumine, not from Gojo.
"Then how did you…"
"I looked at your level."
"My… level?"
"For example, the first time I met you, you were level 90. But now, you're down to level 85. So, what exactly happened while you were away these past few days?"
Gojo shook his head. "Honestly, nothing major. I just got into a few fights. But then I noticed something strange—my power was weakening.
So I started running tests. And sure enough, the more power I use, the weaker I become overall.
The more strength I exert, the more my total power diminishes. Then I tried using my Domain… and boom, lost an entire level."
Zephyr frowned. "So what you're saying is, you can't fight at all now—or you'll just keep getting weaker?"
Gojo spread his hands. "Exactly."
Zephyr's brows furrowed even deeper. If Gojo couldn't fight, then what good was his power?
"I'm guessing… this is probably the price that my past self—or maybe my future self—mentioned before."
Zephyr nodded slightly. That… probably was the case.
He let out a long sigh, his expression a mix of exasperation and fury.
"What's wrong, Zephyr?" Gojo asked. "Why do you look even more upset than I am?"
Are you kidding me?! I still have a main story quest to complete! I was planning to rely on Gojo's power for it—now that's completely off the table. So much for that plan.
"Gojo Satoru, there's something I need to tell you. In the next few days, you might be attacked by cursed spirits."
"You mean the group of cursed spirits you mentioned before?"
"That's right. This organization's ultimate goal is to wipe out humanity and make cursed spirits the new rulers of the world. We can't take them lightly."
"In the next few days, they're likely to target you directly. I know four members of the group: one has a volcano for a head and attacks with fire and magma. Another is named Hanami, an expert at hiding and uses a technique that saps your will to fight. There's also one called Mahito—he's my target. My mission is to eliminate him."
"And the last one… looks like some kind of fish-man."
"They've also made a deal with a human, but I don't know who that is."
Zephyr had read the original manga, but the content from season one was limited, and over time he had forgotten most of the details.
"Also, I can't guarantee these intel are 100% accurate—you'll need to investigate more on your own."
"A cursed spirit alliance working with a human… now that's seriously dangerous," Gojo muttered.
"Oh, by the way, Lumine," he turned to her, "have you noticed anything strange with the Sukuna fingers recently?"
"Strange?"
Zephyr shook his head. "I've just kept it in my inventory, haven't really paid attention."
"Is that so? That's odd… I could've sworn I sensed a strange cursed energy fluctuation from it. But in the very next moment, it completely vanished. Maybe I imagined it…"
"Hmm?" Zephyr was a bit suspicious. I don't remember this part happening in the anime…
He opened his inventory and took out the Sukuna Finger. "Huh?"
To his surprise, a new function had appeared on the finger: Soul Sense.
"Soul Sense? What's that?" Zephyr muttered, deep in thought.
He tapped on Use—and in that instant, the world around him completely shifted!
> "How bold… You actually dare to enter my domain?"
The scenery changed—he was now in a pitch-black space. At the center stood a massive skeleton, and on top of it sat a man with a wicked, devilish smile.
> "Since you're here, let me give you a proper welcome. Domain Expansion—Malevolent Shrine!"
The surroundings twisted again, becoming even more sinister and indescribably eerie.
Zephyr's heart jumped. "Ryomen Sukuna?!"
Manifestation of Sukuna's Power – LV: ???
Zephyr's pupils shrank. This was the first time the system had ever shown a question mark instead of a level. Even Gojo Satoru, with all his strength, had his level clearly displayed.
This manifestation of Ryomen Sukuna—why couldn't even his level be displayed?
Sukuna sat high upon his throne, glancing down at Zephyr with an air of disdain.
"Oh? Looks like you've recognized me. That's right—I'm exactly the one you're thinking of."
At this point, Sukuna hadn't possessed anyone, so his appearance was not that of Itadori Yuji. Instead, it was an unfamiliar face—one that wore a twisted, sinister grin.
"Woman," he said, voice dripping with malice, "tell me—what method did you use to hide my three fingers? I can't even sense where they are."
Three fingers… One had been fed to her weapon as fodder, used to level up her 5-star Windfeather to level 20. Another was used to break through its upgrade cap. The last one was kept as a backup.
Zephyr frowned. "Hide them? You're overthinking it. I literally fed your fingers to my weapon."
"…What?"
"I said—I used your fingers as dog food for my weapon."
In an instant, the sky darkened and the earth trembled. Sukuna's expression twisted into something monstrous.
"How interesting… You dare compare my fingers to animal feed? And you actually dared to devour my power? Woman, do you even realize what the consequences of that are?"
"Oh? What consequences?"
"You've permanently erased the power of two of my fingers. For over a thousand years, you're the first sorcerer to have ever done that."
"So what? You gonna kill me?"
"No. I won't kill younot yet.
"I'll first destroy both of your arms… but I won't take your power. I'll let you run. You'll escape, again and again, and every single time, I'll drag you back.
"Each time, no matter who you turn to for help, I'll kill them right in front of you.
"You'll run and run, and lose hope again and again—until one day, you'll give up on escaping entirely.
"And then, I'll erase your memories, turn you into my slave. Hah! A sorcerer—once proud, once sworn to purge evil—reduced to nothing more than my obedient dog beneath my feet.
"And once I've had my fill of playing with you… I'll kill you."
He laughed wildly, eyes gleaming with bloodlust. "So go ahead—use everything you have, your body and soul, to serve me until that day comes."
Lumine clenched her fists tightly.
Zephyr's brow furrowed deeply. "You're just a manifestation. What the hell are you acting all arrogant for? You think you've already got me in the palm of your hand?"
//END
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