"Who is this person? He doesn't have any cursed energy fluctuations on his body, yet he can reach the speed of sound with just his physical strength?"
Jogo looked at Toji's back with curiosity.
Every movement the man made exuded an invisible sense of oppression.
If he fights him, can he win?
What kind of monster did Kazuma summon?
At this moment, four terrifying waves of cursed energy blanketed the entire sky above this barrier.
Far away, a cannon made of pure cursed energy suddenly fired.
Boom!
The devastating blast instantly razed all the buildings in its path to the ground.
At the last second, Jogo and the others pulled back, narrowly escaping annihilation.
As Jogo took in the massive trench left in the earth, excitement flashed in his eyes.
"Such a powerful cursed energy output! I didn't expect there to be such a strong opponent here!"
A figure suddenly came hurtling through the air in retreat.
Yuta stabbed his katana into the ground, sparks flying as he slid back, barely managing to stop himself.
"Hey, kid, need a hand?" Jogo grinned, eager for a fight.
"Ah, it's Cursed Spirit-san. Sorry for the commotion."
Yuta scratched his head awkwardly. At any other time, he'd have cut these special-grade curses down without hesitation. But for now, they were temporary allies.
"Stay back, those three are incredibly strong!"
Yuta stretched his shoulders and stared ahead, his expression grave.
Even from miles away, he could feel their overwhelming presence. He had narrowly escaped death several times already.
The three ancient sorcerers from centuries past were proving to be the toughest opponents he'd ever faced.
Of course, this was without Rika's help.
In a church not far from the battlefield, he had found a group of civilians, and Rika was guarding them.
Otherwise, just the aftermath of this battle would be enough to wipe those civilians out.
At that moment, a familiar voice called out behind him.
"Leave it to me."
Everyone turned.
Kazuma approached, idly twirling the Prison Realm that held Gojo in his hand.
Yuta's mouth twitched and he said, "Kazuma, if you keep tossing that around like a toy, won't Gojo get dizzy in there?"
"He won't."
Kazuma reached the group, completely unfazed.
After all, the Prison Realm was its own isolated space—solidified time and space meant Gojo wouldn't feel a thing.
"Jogo, you guys did well. Head back to the Tombs of Star Corridor. And remind Yuki not to listen to that old fool, Tengen!"
Kazuma still didn't understand what real use Tengen had beyond maintaining the barrier. His only real contribution seemed to be getting Yuki killed.
As a special-grade sorcerer, Yuki had enough power to manifest an imaginary black hole—potentially capable of wiping out an entire country in an instant.
With no upper limit to her technique, she should have been nearly unstoppable.
Yet she followed Tengen's strategy, leading to a fatal blunder.
She hadn't even been able to use her domain before being slaughtered by Kenjaku.
The first one to die… all thanks to Tengen's "wisdom".
And what about Choso?
Tengen had sent him to test Kenjaku's abilities right at the start, which led to Choso getting beaten half to death without gaining any useful intel.
A powerful ally was wasted.
Sure, Kenjaku was undeniably strong, but Tengen had been too cowardly.
Not only did he overestimate Kenjaku, but he also underestimated Yuki.
If she and Choso had worked together from the start, the battle's outcome could have been completely different.
At the very least, they could have escaped.
And as for Tengen?
Well, getting assimilated was probably his fate anyway.
It wasn't like Kenjaku lasted much longer—he got taken out by Yuta in a sneak attack right after.
What a waste of time!
But then again, if the Four Disaster Curses go back to the Tombs of Star Corridor now, they might have a chance against Kenjaku.
Maybe they could even bury him there.
"Ah? Why are we going back? I'm not done killing yet." Jogo complained.
He was itching to trade blows with those powerful opponents.
Of the Four Disaster Curses, Jogo was by far the most battle-hungry.
Kazuma smirked and said, "Just go. There's a surprise waiting for you in the Tombs of Star Corridor. Wouldn't beating up Kenjaku be more fun than fighting someone on your level?"
"This is a rare opportunity. If you miss it, it'll be gone."
Everyone except Toji, who remained disinterested, looked shocked.
Yuta's eyes widened and he said, "Wait, you mean Kenjaku is going to the Tombs of Star Corridor? He actually dares to attack Tengen?!"
Yuta quickly pieced it together. Kenjaku was too ambitious. He was actually aiming for Tengen?
And the Tombs of Star Corridor was still beingguarded by Yuki and Choso… so why was Kazuma sending the Four Disaster Curses back?
Yuta wasn't sure of Choso's full strength, but he knew exactly how powerful Yuki was.
She was a veteran special-grade sorcerer. And so far, she had never revealed the full extent of her abilities.
Jogo and the others stood frozen.
Beat up Kenjaku?
It was a tempting idea, but Jogo huffed stubbornly.
"Don't think you can manipulate us. We, the Four Disaster Curses, will never betray our former allies!"
Hanami, Dagon, and Choso also nodded firmly.
Kazuma chuckled and said, "Allies? You were just disposable pawns to him."
"Do you really think he saw you as partners? Or do you just not want to think about it?"
"Take Hanami, for example. When Gojo crushed him at the subway station, did Kenjaku even flinch?"
"He was watching from the tracks just a short distance away. If he had wanted to, he could have intervened at any time."
Kazuma then turned to Mahito and said, "And you—Kenjaku has been eyeing your Idle Transfiguration for a long time, hasn't he?"
"If you had been near death, do you really think he would have saved you? Or would he have just harvested you?"
A heavy silence fell.
Jogo and the others stiffened, their expressions darkening. They hated to admit it, but Kazuma had a point.
Kenjaku always had excuses—claiming Gojo was watching, claiming the timing wasn't right.
Yet in the end, they were always the ones taking the risks.
The Four Disaster Curses prided themselves on loyalty, but they weren't stupid.
Kazuma knew far too much about them.
Thinking back to the Shibuya Incident…
Every move had been under his control.
Nanami had nearly died, Nobara had almost been crushed yet Kazuma had intervened at the last second each time.
Was the entire Shibuya Incident orchestrated by him?
But how?
As they met Kazuma's knowing gaze, a chill ran down their spines.
It was as if he had been playing with the world the entire time.
Could that be possible?
Jogo took a deep breath and spoke in a low voice, "Is this the kind of psychological trickery you humans use to manipulate others?"
Kazuma didn't even try to deny it and said, "Of course. But think about it."
"You were used as pawns in life. Do you really want to be pawns in death too?"
"Are the Four Disaster Curses going to let their legacy become a joke?"
"Enough! We're leaving!"
The Four Disaster Curses couldn't hold back any longer.
Jogo's flames flared violently as he growled, "I've wanted to beat the crap out of that smug, squinty-eyed bastard for so long!!"