As he spoke, Kento Nanami casually locked the door, and the two walked into the elevator side by side. The metal doors slowly closed, hiding Kento Nanami's signature Sunglasses and the thoughtful look in his eyes.
Less than five minutes after they left, a segment of surveillance footage was sent out. The long-haired man who received it showed a cold smile and passed the phone to the hooded man beside him.
"Hmph. Satoru Gojo's student, arrogant just like him." "That is normal for that age, but we should still be careful. It could be a trap meant to lure us out."
"Relax. Suguru Geto has completely broken with Tokyo Jujutsu High, and Satoru Gojo, our so-called partner, is being watched all the time. As long as it is not a Special Grade, there is nothing to fear. There are far more ways to deal with a Jujutsu Sorcerer than with a Cursed Spirit."
Behind the long-haired man was a dense array of rifles and heavy weapons. The firepower was enough to arm an entire platoon.
"Exactly. Ten years ago, we were not prepared. If we had been, even a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer might not have gone from one to three." The hooded man waved his hand, and pairs of hollow eyes opened silently in the darkness, lifeless and still.
"First, deal with that arrogant student. Then kill Kento Nanami." "Anyone who comes to help gets killed too. Should we blow them into pieces, or leave behind a strip of skin?" "No. I want to tie their corpses into strange shapes and dump them at the gates of Tokyo Jujutsu High. The look on Satoru Gojo's face will be priceless."
Hatred flickered deeply in both of their eyes.
Ten years ago, they had not only failed their mission and tasted defeat, but their dignity had been utterly trampled. One of them had begged no matter what, only to be ignored, and then had a legendary kissing maniac Cursed Spirit unleashed on his face. Worse still, that thing was unbelievably ugly, and since then he had been scarred mentally, wearing a hood and wrapping himself even tighter than Satoru Gojo, never letting a bit of skin show.
The other had been mocked by Satoru Gojo before the battle even started, and afterward had been posed into a shape too shameful to be seen, with photos taken for good measure. If such humiliation was not repaid, they would not deserve to be called human.
Even knowing they were being used as expendable pawns did not matter. The higher-ups were using them, and they were using the higher-ups in return.
Satoru Gojo was the common enemy of both Cursed Spirit and Curse User. Besides, as a Curse User, if one did not curse others, there was no meaning in existing at all.
The night was dark and windy, perfect for curses and even more perfect for killing. Coincidentally, Akira was thinking the same thing.
On the surface, this looked like revenge from enemies of ten years past, but the truth was far more complex. This was a warning and a weakening move from the conservative higher-ups who disliked Satoru Gojo.
Satoru Gojo sought reform in Jujutsu World, and that was bound to shake the interests of those who already benefited from the system. If they could, the old powers would love to eliminate Satoru Gojo entirely, but unfortunately they could not. In fact, Satoru Gojo was the one with the ability to wipe them out instead.
Doing so, however, would cause a total collapse of order. No matter how strong Satoru Gojo was, he was only one person and could not rebuild the order of Jujutsu World alone.
So he chose to play along with the higher-ups, restraining and compromising with them while secretly cultivating his own people. The upper ranks of Jujutsu Society were not fools either, and they could see through Satoru Gojo's intentions. If they could not win openly, they would play dirty. Being invincible yourself did not mean everyone under you was invincible.
Without people, a lone commander could do little beyond destruction.
As long as the conflict remained and Satoru Gojo refused to cross the line of mutual destruction, incidents like this would happen again and again. This time it was the third-years, next it could be second-years or first-years. Satoru Gojo could not split himself to protect the students at all times.
To prevent the conservatives from pushing further and for the sake of future safety, this mission not only had to succeed, it had to succeed beautifully. They had to make the conservatives understand that it was not only Satoru Gojo they could not provoke.
The revived ashes of "Curse User Organization Q" would be used as the leverage.
No one knew exactly where Satoru Gojo stood among the higher levels, but since Akira was here, there was no room for people unfit for their positions to act recklessly.
Intelligence showed that aside from the one base already destroyed, Curse User Organization Q still had two more bases in Tokyo. Normally, once startled, a snake would quickly relocate.
But after putting on such a show of "going separate ways," the snake might do the opposite, opening its mouth wide and waiting for prey to walk in.
At this moment, Akira stood in front of the base closest to Nanami's apartment building. This base was larger than the first one, and according to Gardevoir's perception, there were more people inside.
None of that mattered. What mattered was the clear fluctuation of Cursed Energy within.
Not even bothering to hide it anymore? Then I will not either.
Akira grinned. He lifted his leg, kicked the door open, and charged in one smooth motion.
"Open up, water meter inspection!"
The classic Japanese exclamation had only gotten halfway out when the person closest to the door was already knocked down.
Akira did not slow his steps and struck anyone he saw. Thanks to the over-the-top outfits of Curse User Organization Q, there was no need to worry about hitting the wrong person. He used the boxing style he had been training these past few days.
Because he did not need to attend classes and had no other assignments, Akira had thrown punches more than ten thousand times. Coordination between Cursed Energy and his body had become instinctive, without any need for conscious thought. As soon as his body moved, Cursed Energy naturally followed.
Every lift of his hand and every step carried tremendous force. Anything in his path, whether person or object, had only one outcome, being sent flying. In the blink of an eye, the not-small Hideout was smashed to pieces, and more than a dozen outer members lay on the ground, their condition unknown, without even drawing their guns.
One of the requirements for Black Flash was total focus and full commitment, and in this state, Akira was far beyond what ordinary people could react to. The only one who avoided disaster was a Curse User. This was also the most practical method Akira had come up with to tell a Jujutsu Sorcerer apart, the so-called Jo-style identification.
The overly violent approach made the remaining enemy abandon any plan of using Revealing One's Hand and silently release Jujutsu. What appeared was a mass of Purple Mist.
Akira did not rush in blindly. Instead, he carefully grabbed a grunt and threw him into it. The instant the body touched the mist, the clothes and exposed skin showed obvious corrosion.
"An acid mist type ability?" Akira judged.
"That's right, my Jujutsu is called—"