Chapter 192: It Is Time for the Students to Stand on Their Own
"What did you say? Emiya-sensei has gone missing, and might even be trapped by someone?
You've got to be joking. How is that even possible!"
Back at Jujutsu High, Itadori Yuji's face was a mask of sheer disbelief upon receiving the news.
Setting aside the fact that they had just parted ways with Emiya less than a few hours ago, their understanding and trust in Emiya were enough to make them believe he would never be troubled by any "simple" problem.
Emiya-sensei was their provider, their mentor, and their rock!
He was not only someone with peerless combat strength who guided their growth step by step, but he could also forge countless types of incredible Cursed Tools... and most importantly, he was the teacher whose cooking was mind-blowingly delicious!
To Itadori Yuji, believing Emiya was troubled by an enemy was less plausible than being told the moon was going to crash into the Earth tomorrow, causing a "Third Impact" level extinction event.
As the saying goes: "Justice lies in the hearts of the people."
Indeed, Emiya-sensei's reliability was as deeply ingrained in everyone's hearts as Gojo-sensei's unreliability.
It wasn't just Itadori Yuji; almost all the students summoned there shared the same sentiment. It was just that their "Belief on Emiya" attributes weren't quite as severe as Itadori's.
"No, I didn't exactly mean it that way... It's just that the current situation is: a few minutes after Emiya-san entered the Shibuya District, almost the entire area was sealed off by a mysterious barrier."
Ijichi, responsible for delivering the news, looked around at the students staring at him with a hint of embarrassment. He pushed up his glasses and continued his report: "At the very center of Shibuya, a [Curtain] with a radius of approximately two kilometers has been deployed, encompassing almost the entire downtown area.
Conservative estimates suggest there are about 200,000 non-sorcerers trapped inside."
In other words, not long after Emiya's communication signal vanished, half the city was taken "hostage."
The idea of someone holding half a city hostage single-handedly was a truly niche concept.
"Wait, wait, wait. A two-kilometer radius... how big is that exactly?" Itadori Yuji insisted on asking a serious academic question despite the circumstances.
Facing this, Fushiguro Meguro covered his face with his hand and explained: "The entire Shibuya District is only fifteen square kilometers, and this massive [Curtain] covers twelve. That means the range of this barrier technique is nearly three times larger than Jujutsu High."
More importantly, barriers aren't something that can just be as large as one wants.
Normal auxiliary supervisors require the assistance of [Tengen] even to release a [Curtain] with a radius of less than a hundred meters. They may be weak in combat, but their expertise in barriers is still stronger than that of average sorcerers.
"..."
Upon hearing this, Itadori Yuji nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly cried out a moment later: "Isn't that super huge?!
But doesn't this still have nothing to do with whether Emiya-sensei is trapped? Maybe if we wait a few more minutes, he'll have the whole thing solved?"
Itadori was full of confidence, but since he didn't apply this confidence to himself, it was a "correct" kind of confidence.
Fushiguro Megumi: "..."
'Has this guy still not grasped the main point?'
Fortunately, Ijichi had a sudden flash of inspiration and explained from an angle Itadori could understand: "Emiya-san can likely handle the main opponent, but the 200,000 trapped citizens are in constant danger. In a situation like this, even the most mediocre curse user could become a serial killer."
"..."
Ijichi looked down at his phone and presented an image to the group: "According to the personnel on the front line, massive red gates, dozens of meters high, have appeared at the four corners of the barrier, looking like some kind of special ritual."
The photo was quite clear. The students could easily see a tall, classical pillar gate standing in the center of a crossroad. Just looking at the image, they could inexplicably feel waves of chilling, eerie air.
"...Rashomon?" Nobara Kugisaki murmured the name while staring at the photo.
"What?"
Everyone turned to look at her. Nobara pinched her chin and explained: "It just feels like it. Standing at a crossroad, painted that ghastly red... doesn't it look like the legendary gates of hell?"
"Well, regardless, we cannot allow so many citizens to be held hostage. No matter what the enemy plans to do next, you must all arrive at the scene as soon as possible to perform prevention and evacuation work," Ijichi concluded, taking back the lead.
"Then, what about Gojo-sensei?" Fushiguro Megumi asked.
He absolutely did not believe that the General Headquarters wouldn't immediately notify Gojo Satoru, the "Strongest," to solve an incident involving so many civilians.
"Ah, about that...
Yes, yes~ step back please. I'll take over to explain the key points from here."
Before Ijichi could finish, a palm pressed against his shoulder and pulled him back.
Undoubtedly, this was the Gojo Satoru Fushiguro was looking for.
"In fact, we received news several days ago that the enemy was planning to attack Shibuya."
As soon as he spoke, Gojo Satoru revealed the matter that had previously been known only to the three of them.
"Eh?!"
Hearing this, Ijichi's eyes widened as if he wanted to say something, but Gojo didn't give him the chance, speaking in full: "It's just that since this news was seized directly from the enemy by Emiya-kun, its original accuracy was no longer guaranteed.
But just in case, Principal Yaga arranged for sorcerers to perform a carpet-style exorcism of curses in Shibuya. However, they still accidentally fell into the enemy's trap—resulting in the vast majority of high-grade sorcerers near Tokyo being trapped in an unknown barrier.
So, the simplest conclusion is: you few are the undeniable mainstays of the current Shibuya incident, and you must shoulder the most difficult tasks."
Gojo Satoru naturally believed in the strength of his students and Emiya's teaching skills. Never mind the fact that the Grade 1 and Grade 2 sorcerers were currently trapped; even if they were all present, Gojo believed his students would easily come out on top.
"You mean... we are the only ones currently below your combat level, Gojo-sensei?"
To ensure he hadn't misinterpreted, Fushiguro Megumi refined the key information and asked again.
"Exactly! In this battle, even I might have to stay out of sight. You are the main force for dealing with the enemy—
So I ask you: do you have the confidence to give it your all and show those old fossils in the jujutsu world just how vibrant you are?"
Much like Emiya's initial mindset, Gojo Satoru didn't feel that the current trouble could truly do anything to him. His "seriousness" was focused on how to let his students showcase their skills and announce the arrival of a new era.
They were indeed full of confidence! The students had faith in their teachers, and the teachers naturally had faith in their students!
Gojo Satoru believed his students could solve this problem perfectly—far more perfectly than any arrangement the General Headquarters could make, because those decaying old men could never represent the future.
At the same time, he believed that Emiya, like him, was filled with confidence in their shared students.
'Letting them be the main players to solve this problem?'
The six students looked at each other, and then Fushiguro Megumi gave an affirmative answer: "We have no problem, Gojo-sensei."
"Yes, that's the kind of confidence you should have!
Then let us set out for Shibuya immediately! Don't worry about any orders from above; just act according to the abilities Emiya-sensei taught you and your own hearts
Go, resolve the enemy beautifully, and save everyone!"
With his unique personal charisma, Gojo Satoru delivered a perfect pre-battle mobilization.
"Osu!!!"
Read ahead (60 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting