One sentence that shatters even the strongest defenses.

“Smack—”
Elder Gojo’s palm, infused with cursed energy, struck Gojo Tetsuji’s face, sending him staggering back before he fell to the ground in disgrace.

Clutching his face, Gojo Tetsuji cried out in panic, “Father...”

Elder Gojo looked down on his foolish son with a shadowed gaze. “Go to the ancestral shrine and kneel. Don’t come out without my permission.”

“Fa-Father?!”

Without another word, Elder Gojo turned and walked away.

He didn’t care whether his son was an incompetent playboy or a prodigy of sorcery. After all, regardless of the path chosen, there was always the “Gojo Divine Child” to back him up this generation.

What he could not tolerate was that his son was a fool whose depths were plain to see at a glance.

For years, Elder Gojo had seen clearly—Gojo Satoru was a wild weapon beyond control, without any sense of belonging to the Gojo family.

If the Gojo family dared to interrogate his student...

A minute ago, the person had entered the Gojo family’s dungeon; a minute later, the entire Gojo estate would be reduced to rubble by a single blast from the fiercely protective Gojo Satoru.

It would be nothing short of digging their own graves.

The glory of the Gojo family rested solely on Gojo Satoru, and he would never “defy” any decision made by Satoru. With this in mind, Elder Gojo’s expression darkened.

“...”

But there was one thing that fool said correctly.

This attack was no ordinary matter.

Walking along, Elder Gojo recalled where the cursed spirit was discovered by the guards—was it trying to find something during its early concealment?

Lost in thought, a gentle smile appeared on his lips as a golden-haired youth appeared not far ahead in his line of sight.

Aside from some torn clothes, the youth was unharmed.

Elder Gojo lowered his eyelids and glanced at the hand resting on his cane — dry, wrinkled skin and a body heavy with age. He was no longer young.

Immortal curse...

How could one not envy it?

The aged face of Elder Gojo showed no unusual emotion, only the concern of an elder for the younger generation as he approached Yuji Ieiri with genuine care.

Yuji Ieiri smiled warmly, half his attention on the scrolling comments in the chat, though the livestream’s camera remained focused on Gojo Satoru.

[Finally, the old timers are catching on?]

[Forget the higher-ups, I feel like the sorcerer clans are becoming the backyard of Sukuna...]

[With more intersecting clues, it’s like finding a knot buried under the snow—grip one end and you can pull out the whole line.]

[Wow, so many people and families involved earlier; the higher-ups have finally realized the person with the stitched head is suspicious and have agreed to investigate!]

[I thought they would stall and dodge.]

[Because clan interests are involved. Just look at Sukuna’s infiltration; anyone with a conscience would say he’s definitely up to no good.]

[The higher-ups are holding their image steady.]

[Sigh, scene change.]

[—It’s Yuji, darling!]

The flowing comments greeted the boy warmly. [Long time no see, missed you so much!]

A faint smile tugged at Yuji Ieiri’s lips. It seemed the camera had shifted back to him. These enthusiastic, lovely viewers not only sent greetings but also warnings.

Or perhaps, a premonition?

After all, the storyline of the cursed spirit recognizing its kin had ended; there was no need to shift the camera back again, and the livestream wouldn’t waste meaningless shots. He was certain something was about to happen...

Boom—

Yuji blinked. “...Woohoo.”

A bit like magic in the air.

The ground beneath trembled, as if something was moving underground, bursting forth with incredible speed—a thick, gnarled giant tree root.

It pulsed with pure cursed energy—it was a cursed spirit!

Small clusters of white flowers bloomed atop the root, their fresh and pleasant fragrance sapping the will to fight from any sorcerer who inhaled it.

Though not offensive, it immobilized all present sorcerers.

With its goal clear, after controlling the area, several deep brown roots extended outward, engulfing Yuji Ieiri and dragging him underground.

The formation detected an unfamiliar special-grade presence again. The radiant Six Eyes hovered, but this time, it failed to lock onto the cursed spirit’s aura.

Flower, adept at concealing her presence and striking in one hit, emerged from deep within the mountains, kilometers away.

“Got it,” she said, tugging at a wooden root in her palm. Connected behind was a huge wooden sphere entwined with roots.

The volcano-headed cursed spirit emitted an old man’s voice, “Good! Let’s rendezvous with Dugon immediately.”

The wind whispered past their ears as the two cursed spirits sprinted through the mountains.

To the ordinary eye, it was merely an eerie, dangerous breeze.

While running, Flower emitted sound waves intelligible to cursed spirits, “We didn’t inform Geto in advance this time. Will that interfere with his plans?”

“So what?”

Volcano-headed cursed spirit clicked its tongue, “I’m not Geto’s dog; whatever I do doesn’t need his permission.”

Besides, that was the perfect moment.

“Mahito was bewitched after just one meeting with that human, calling him ‘father’!”

Mentioning this made Jogo furious to the point of steaming.

Cursed spirits share a strong sense of camaraderie; even though Mahito was newly born, they considered him part of their faction.

Who would have guessed—

A special-grade cursed spirit born from human curses, returning after a trip, declared,

“Jogo, Flower, Dugon, I have a mom and dad now!”

Father was human, possessing a translucent, pure soul; mother was a beautiful but fierce cursed spirit.

As for the mission?

Oh, forgotten.

Jogo: “...”

Flower: “...”

[Feels like losing your kid to a blond stranger... Wait, Yuji has golden hair too, so that’s off.]

[In a way, it’s a family of three.]

[Okay, it’s sorcery x Family!]

[LOL...]

Though speechless, Jogo immediately sensed the extraordinary influence that “the golden-haired human” wielded over Mahito.

It was dangerous.

Especially since Mahito, born to toy with humans, had broken his own “principles” for this person—his weakness was exposed.

Better to prepare than to ignore it.

A counterstrike!

At this moment, the Gojo family would be off guard. Utilizing Flower’s uniqueness—being a cursed spirit but with a pure aura, often mistaken by formations for a plant—they would kidnap Yuji.

Why not just kill him outright?

They needed to understand how this human had bewitched Mahito first.

Also, considering their comrade, outright killing might cause “unexpected” consequences for Mahito.

Meeting up with Dugon was also a way to keep Mahito at bay for now.

[This move by Jogo is impressive—bold, clever, and loyal.]

[Sharp, decisive, and able to plan and execute in such a short time, not bad.]

[Starting to admire him.]

[Admire!]

[Among the Four Calamities, I personally find his characterization the most well-rounded—not just a rigid villain tool.]

The Four Calamities were clearly the volcano-headed and tree-eyed spirits here, plus the previously encountered Mahito and the cursed spirit called Dugon.

The former two were born from the terrors of earth and forest; Dugon’s name suggested a marine origin.

Yuji Ieiri felt his guess was correct.

Looking up, chat called out for someone.

[Trash Boss, it’s your time to shine. Don’t chicken out, okay?]

[Other shikigami are in trouble; there’s always a cool rescue, but with Muzan, who knows what’ll happen.]

[Would you marry someone like Muzan?]

Watching the comments, Yuji adjusted his posture.

Though enclosed in an airtight wooden cage, it wasn’t overly cramped.

It even had shock-absorbing properties—Flower could jump outside without causing any bumpiness inside.

At least for the “kidnapped” Yuji Ieiri, this confined space felt somewhat comfortable, occasionally giving a sense of relief.

“Ha—”

Mid-yawn, dawn broke.

No, the wooden cage opened, spilling light inside. The golden-haired youth finished his yawn.

He squinted and blinked away the lingering eye drops.

[So cute.]

[This cage’s opening looks like a capsule toy, but it released the super adorable Yuji!]

[My destined wife! So perfect!]

Just as the golden-haired youth peeked out, he locked eyes with a huge single eye of a special-grade cursed spirit.

Acceptable in anime style, but seeing it in person was a shock to the senses.

[(Gasp)]

[It’s like staring into dead fish eyes—literally dead fish eyes; I can’t watch, I avoid fish stalls, it gives me chills.]

[I get it.]

[Mainly because Jogo’s eye structure is identical to a human’s, but the size and number defy common sense.]

“Please, stay away from me.” The two locked gazes as the golden-haired youth suddenly spoke.

The volcano-headed cursed spirit suppressed a flicker of strange closeness and sneered.

This human must fear him like everyone else...

“I don’t want to inhale secondhand smoke.” The golden-haired youth frowned beautifully.

Then he raised his hand, waving away the white smoke drifting from the cursed spirit’s head.

His dislike was obvious.

Yuji waved his hand while scanning the surroundings.

It appeared to be an abandoned old hospital, overgrown with weeds, but a nearby mound of earth showed clear signs of disturbance.

Someone had been here?

Yuji checked his pocket—his phone was still there but had mysteriously folded in half like a broken flip phone, unable to send messages.

The volcano-headed cursed spirit was momentarily stunned, then flushed red with anger.

Its eyes widened as white smoke billowed more intensely from its head, steam spraying from its ears.

“You ridiculous human, what are you saying?!”

Utter nonsense!

It had never been humiliated like this before!

[Precise, straightforward, objective, sharp as a needle, hitting the mark.]

[Secondhand smoke, hahaha!]

[LOL, it’s so funny its magma is about to erupt.]

[Besides Gojo Satoru, no one else has gotten it this mad, especially compared to the previous decisiveness.]

[Yuji should start a class: “How to make special-grade cursed spirits lose their cool in one sentence!”]

[Jujutsu World · Yuji · Anti-Smoking Ambassador.]

While the viewers laughed uncontrollably, battle erupted instantly!

The cursed spirit struck, scorching heat warping the air.

A talisman ignited without flame between the golden-haired youth’s fingers.

Three golden cursed energy threads shot from his fingertips, accurately binding the cursed spirit.

In the next instant, his wrist bent back as he extended his right hand; the golden threads connected to his left hand.

Crossing his arms, he pulled hard—the golden threads of cursed energy tightened like a drawn bowstring!

They restrained the cursed spirit, and if snapped, would unleash a wave of cursed energy shock.

Jogo sneered, “Too weak!”

Taking a step back, he stamped the ground, causing it to collapse with a roar.

Using the golden threads binding him, he twisted his waist and flung the human into the air, flames like serpents trailing upward!

The wind whistled past Yuji’s ears, followed by a blast of hot air, lifting his hair.

He quickly raised both hands, talismans flying out in rapid succession, drawn by cursed energy.

His ring and pinky fingers curled inward, and a cluster of cursed energy formed instantly at his fingertips.

Then, pressing his hands together and pulling apart, the runes on the yellow talismans glowed brightly.

A blinding orb of burning light expanded many times over, its power multiplied, crashing down on the cursed spirit.

A [normal attack].

But stacked with fifty layers of [normal attack].

Their attacks collided midair with tremendous force.

The ensuing shock shattered the already dilapidated glass windows nearby.

“Crash—crash—”

Shards scattered across the ground.

[This fight is awesome!]

[Every time Yuji forms a seal, it’s so pleasing to watch.]

[Being blunt—I think it’s cool!]

[Wait, why is someone here?!]

Not far away, the shattered glass reflected several terrified faces, broken and full of dread.