"What's that?"
Maki, who was rushing through the forest, suddenly stopped and jerked her head toward the sky.
The originally bright sunlight was swallowed as if by some massive wave of black ink.
A black barrier, resembling flowing pitch, was descending from the sky at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In an instant, the entire Goodwill Event venue was completely shrouded in darkness.
It wasn't just the light.
Even the temperature in the air seemed to drop several degrees.
A suffocating sense of pressure descended along with the black canopy, instantly permeating everyone's hearts.
Waaaah—!!!
Almost simultaneously.
A shrill alarm echoed throughout the Jujutsu High campus.
The sound was sharp and urgent, carrying an undeniable sense of crisis like an air-raid siren, instantly tightening everyone's nerves.
"Not just a Curtain, but an intruder alarm too?!"
Maki gripped her polearm tighter, her gaze instantly becoming sharp.
While sudden incidents occasionally happened during large-scale events like the Goodwill Event, an alarm of this level was definitely not a drill.
This was a true Code Red state of emergency!
Meanwhile.
In the monitoring room outside the arena.
All the monitors flickered into static in an instant before going completely black.
Only a large red warning symbol remained, flashing frantically accompanied by a piercing buzz.
"What's going on?!"
Satoru Gojo stood up abruptly. His usually nonchalant face—he had just been joking with Utahime Iori—showed a look of gravity for the first time.
Although he had confidence in his students, a large-scale barrier intrusion like this was clearly a well-prepared attack.
Furthermore...
The aura of this Curtain was familiar and very targeted.
"Utahime, you felt it too, didn't you?"
Gojo turned to Utahime Iori, his voice tinged with a hint of coldness.
"This cursed energy... it's a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
Utahime paled and nodded.
As a semi-Grade 1 sorcerer, her perception was far from weak.
The malice seeping through the barrier was so thick it was nauseating.
"And it's not just one."
"Besides the one who cast the Curtain, there's something even more terrifying inside."
Principal Gakuganji frowned, his cane thumping heavily against the floor.
"To dare cast a Curtain at a place like Jujutsu High... have these curse users gone mad?"
"I'll go check it out."
Gojo didn't waste any words. With a flicker of his body, he vanished from the spot.
A second later.
He appeared at the edge of the Curtain.
The black, fluid-like barrier was like an insurmountable wall, completely isolating the inside from the outside.
Gojo reached out, attempting to touch the barrier.
Sizzle!
A powerful repulsive force erupted instantly.
As if set by some absolute rule, no matter how he tried—even using Limitless to force his way in—the Curtain would repel him in an eerie fashion.
"As I thought..."
Gojo adjusted his sunglasses, a cold smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"A Curtain specifically designed to keep me out?"
"With this level of rejection, it seems they've sacrificed defense against everyone else just to keep the single card named Satoru Gojo off the board."
Interesting.
It seemed the rats this time were quite well-prepared.
They knew very well that as long as Satoru Gojo couldn't get in, the students inside would be in a desperate situation.
"However..."
Gojo looked up at the pitch-black sky, his azure eyes shimmering slightly beneath his blindfold.
"Did you forget about someone...?"
...
At this moment.
Inside the Curtain.
In a corner of the forest.
Yoru, Yuji Itadori, and Aoi Todo stood together.
The three, who had been discussing Black Flash techniques, now stopped their movements and looked up at the pitch-black sky with grim expressions.
"This is going to be a problem."
Though Todo said it was a problem, the fighting spirit in his eyes hadn't diminished at all; instead, it burned even hotter.
"A Curtain of this caliber, and such a nauseating concentration of cursed energy..."
"It looks like this Goodwill Event is turning into a real combat exercise."
"And a hell-level one, at that."
Yuji looked around with concern.
"Fushiguro and the others are over there... will they be okay?"
The oppressive pressure reminded him of the fear he felt when facing Sukuna's finger at the juvenile detention center.
It was even stronger than that.
This was definitely no ordinary cursed spirit; this was a Special Grade!
And a sentient one!
"Yoru, what should we do?"
Yuji turned to look at the silent Yoru.
Yoru stood there with his eyes closed, seemingly sensing something.
Total Concentration: Breathing.
The air was thick with the smell of vegetation and scorched earth.
It was the unique stench of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
While it might just seem odd to an ordinary person, in Yoru's perception, it was like a drop of ink in fresh water—extremely pungent.
And.
Under the cover of that botanical scent, there was another, more subtle and malicious aura.
It was Mahito.
And that cursed spirit covered in eyes.
"Finally here..."
Yoru slowly opened his eyes. There was no trace of panic in his red pupils; instead, they held a flicker of anticipation.
He had been waiting for this moment.
From the moment he entered the Goodwill Event, he knew this day would eventually come.
Although the original plot had changed slightly due to his intervention, the general direction hadn't deviated much.
Hanami.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit representing the fear of the forest had come after all.
And this time, it was coming for Yuji—and for him.
"Todo, Yuji."
Yoru's voice was calm and powerful, instantly steadying the other two.
"We split up."
"Todo, take Yuji and go support the others, especially Maki's side."
"There's a strong cursed energy presence over there as well."
"What about you?"
Yuji asked instinctively.
Yoru turned to face the deepest part of the forest.
That was where the cursed energy fluctuations were most violent.
It was the direction of Megumi Fushiguro, Toge Inumaki, and Noritoshi Kamo—and where Hanami's aura was thickest.
"I'm going there."
Yoru's hand slowly rested on the hilt of Shiranui.
A scorching heat surged from the hilt into his palm, as if the blade itself were thirsting for blood and battle.
"There's a big one over there."
"I'm going to..."
"Cut it down."
With that.
Before the two could react, Yoru's figure vanished instantly.
Only a gust of wind remained, swirling fallen leaves into the air.
Looking in the direction Yoru disappeared, Todo's mouth pulled into a wild grin.
"As expected of my best friend."
"Such confidence, such dominance..."
"Let's go, Yuji!"
"We're going to raise some hell too!"
"Don't lose to that guy!"
"Oh!!!"
Two figures also dashed into the forest, heading in the other direction.
At this moment, deep in the forest.
A true battle for survival was about to begin.
And the storm that could change the very structure of the jujutsu world was brewing.
Under the black Curtain.
Everyone would face a test of life and death, and at the heart of that darkness.
A red light was quietly beginning to glow.
That was the flame of Sun Breathing.
And...
The light of hope that cuts through all despair.