Chapter 31: [31]: Storm Approaches
"Most of those people died on the spot. The few who were hospitalized will likely be disabled for life. Even though you didn't directly cause it, their testimony claims you deliberately left them to die. They're accusing you of murder."
Shin Shuichi watched Gojo Satoru speak with an almost indifferent expression. Scratching his head innocently, Shin replied, "How could that be? I saved them and handed them over to the police. I didn't expect them to start fighting afterward, which was beyond my control."
Gojo leaned back on the couch and shifted the conversation. "Shin, you know about the conflicts I have with the higher-ups in the Jujutsu world, right? Those old geezers are corrupt and heartless. They're targeting you because of me. Once they catch a whiff of a mistake, they swarm like flies to rotten meat."
After a moment of silence, Shin asked, "Aren't you going to ask me why I did it?"
Gojo smirked, his eyes hidden behind his sunglasses as he looked at Shin. "I know what kind of person you are, Shin. After all, I watched you grow up. You're not someone who fights for grand ideals, but I bet you can't help but act when you see something disgusting, right?"
"The higher-ups have backed off for now. After all, technically, all you did was drag those people down some stairs, which resulted in their injuries. But your promotion to Grade 1 might be delayed a bit."
"Oh, and one more thing, Shin."
As he reached the door, Gojo paused. "What's your take on the idea of strength and weakness between sorcerers and ordinary people?"
Shin blinked, caught off guard. He thought for a moment before replying, "In terms of individual power, sorcerers are the strong ones. But I think it's similar to the differences among regular people—there are varying levels of strength, some of which are insurmountable. The gap between sorcerers and ordinary people is just wider."
"As for other aspects, I think sorcerers and regular people are the same. Sorcerers can have descendants without inheriting cursed techniques, turning them into ordinary families. And sometimes, gifted sorcerers are born to regular people. It's not just about strength or weakness. If it were, then what's the difference between most sorcerers and regular people compared to you, Gojo-sensei?"
Shin snapped his fingers as if recalling something. "There's a saying: 'With great power comes great responsibility.' I believe that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. For example, the higher-ups have a lot of power, so they're responsible for eliminating curses in the country."
"Someone like me, who's just an ordinary salary-earning sorcerer, only needs to complete my assigned missions. And what about Yuki Tsukumo? She's also a Special Grade sorcerer like you, but she rarely even bothers with curse elimination because she didn't take on those responsibilities."
Gojo didn't say anything at first. Then, his expression shifted as he looked off into the distance, sensing something ominous. His voice turned serious. "Enough of that. There's trouble. An intruder has entered the school."
Shin's expression changed, and he quickly moved to the door. Sure enough, in the sky, a shadow resembling a bird was rapidly approaching. Gojo disappeared in an instant, leaving only the words "Head to the front gate" behind.
Shin immediately activated his technique and arrived at the gate, where he saw a black-haired man in a monk's robe with his arm around Yuta Okkotsu, speaking to him. Nearby, Maki, Panda, and Toge Inumaki stood by.
On the opposite side of the stone path stood a massive bird-like creature with four wings, alongside a group of men and women. Shin caught part of the monk's sentence: "Kill all non-sorcerers and build a world for sorcerers alone."
'What a lunatic.' Shin thought silently.
Before Shin could react, Gojo arrived and interrupted the monk's speech. "Stop feeding my students your twisted ideas, Suguru."
'So, this is the Special Grade curse user, Suguru Geto…'
Geto turned to Gojo, flashing a smile. "It's been a while, Gojo. I've heard this generation of students is quite promising. No wonder, since you're the one teaching them."
"Stay away from them, Suguru." Gojo said coldly.
Ignoring the gathering group of sorcerers from Jujutsu High, Geto turned his attention to Shin. "You must be Shin Shuichi. I've heard a lot about you. Have you seen the ugliness of the monkeys yet? Come, join us. Let's build a better world together."
Shin chuckled, his tone light but firm. "Sorry, old man, but I'm not interested in cults. And neither are my friends. Could you stop bothering them?"
One of Geto's followers, a man with exposed muscles and two heart-shaped tattoos on his chest, growled, "How dare you speak to Lord Geto like that, you brat!"
Shin glanced at them lazily, then turned to Gojo. "Sensei, they're all curse users, right? Should I just kill or subdue them here?"
Geto's smile froze for a second, but Gojo quickly dispelled Shin's notion. "He's already prepared for that. The moment you attack him or his followers, his curses will swarm, attacking everyone here. Some of them are quite tricky."
Shin said nothing more, realizing it was likely a situation where a fight wouldn't break out immediately. He decided to observe for now.
When Geto began to show disdain toward Maki—whom he didn't consider a true sorcerer—Yuta Okkotsu firmly rejected his ideas. Gojo stepped between them in an instant, demanding, "Suguru, why are you really here?"
Geto, turning to the gathered sorcerers, smiled wickedly. "Everyone, listen closely. I'm here to declare war! On December 24th, at sunset, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons will begin!"
"The locations? Tokyo's Shinjuku, the center of curses, and Kyoto, the holy land of jujutsu! Thousands of curses will be released, and their only command will be to kill without mercy!"
His twisted grin widened. "If you don't want hell to descend, you'll have to fight with everything you've got. Let's curse and kill each other with all we've got!"
As Geto finished his declaration, one of his followers—a young girl—cut in. "Lord Geto, we need to hurry! The store's closing soon!"
Returning to his calm demeanor, Geto smiled at Gojo. "Sorry, Gojo. They're impatient to get some crepes. We'll take our leave now. I don't know what's so special about this city of monkeys…"
"Don't make any rash moves, Gojo. All your students are within my reach. I've grown stronger over the years, you know," Geto warned, as terrifying cursed spirits materialized around him, some exuding Special Grade level energy.
"See you soon, everyone," Geto waved as he climbed onto the giant bird's talon, which then took off. The curses disappeared with him, leaving the scene.
"Is everyone okay?" Shin asked as he approached Yuta and the others. Yuta smiled and nodded, "I'm fine."
Shin patted Yuta's shoulder. "Don't worry about that guy. He's… lost it."
In Shin's eyes, Geto was clearly mad, clinging to nothing but a delusional ideal. Killing all non-sorcerers to create a world only for jujutsu sorcerers was an absurd fantasy. Many sorcerers had non-sorcerer family and friends, and what would happen if a sorcerer had a child with no cursed energy? Kill them too?
The idea was riddled with contradictions. Even if sorcerers got rid of all curses, without the balance between sorcerers and non-sorcerers, society would collapse. It wasn't a solvable equation, just an unhinged dream.
---
"Geto Suguru, Special Grade curse user. His technique allows him to absorb naturally occurring curses and manipulate them to his will—he uses this power to gather curses through his religious organization."
"From what we've gathered, he wasn't bluffing when he said he commands over two thousand curses," Ijichi reported gravely to the senior members of Jujutsu High. Principal Yaga followed up, "That may be true, but most of his curses are Grade 2 or lower. His actual number of curse users doesn't exceed fifty."
Gojo, leaning against the wall, sighed. "That actually makes things worse. Geto wouldn't start a war he knew he'd lose. He must have some kind of ace up his sleeve…"
"Damn it!" Yaga muttered, realizing the severity of the situation.
"We need to alert former students and the three great clans. We should also send a request for aid to the jujutsu alliance. This is a full-scale war, and we have to eliminate Geto Suguru once and for all."
---
Meanwhile, Geto smiled at the group of curse users gathered before him. "Are you all ready? Your only task is to keep Gojo Satoru occupied. They probably still believe in the lies I told back when we were students. Once I kill Yuta Okkotsu and take control of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit, the tide of this war will turn in our favor!"
"Without the restraints and limitations on the Special Grade Cursed Spirit... and combined with my technique... I can already see it. The world we've been striving for is almost here!"
Across from him, a burly man with dark skin, dressed in white, spoke up. "Geto, if you know how to revive that Special Grade Cursed Spirit, why don't you absorb it yourself? I hear it's pretty famous in your country's legends too."
Geto's gaze shifted to the sword lying on the table—Dojikiri, the blade said to have once been used to slay the demon Shuten-dōji. His eyes became distant. "Miguel, this one is different. It's not a simple curse. Its will is far too strong, and there are too many variables. It could end up being more trouble than it's worth."
"That's why I'm leaving it to you all to revive it on the battlefield. It should make things easier for you. And take those other two swords with you—they're connected after all."
Miguel stroked his chin thoughtfully. "So we really have to use the girl's life to bring it back? It's fascinating how the demon that was once slain now needs the blood of its enemy's descendants to revive. Sounds like it's worth researching."
Geto spread his arms wide, his voice filled with fervor. "Everyone, let's move forward to the new world together!"
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