Megumi Fushiguro was surprised to notice that Kugisaki didn't seem to have entered this place with him.
When he turned around, he saw that the entrance to the room was covered by a pitch-black curtain.
No way… this is just like a Veil…
Megumi reached out to touch it, and, as expected, he was immediately repelled by the Veil, which clearly refused to let him leave.
"Could it really be a Veil? Divine Dogs!"
At his command, Divine Dog: Totality attacked with its razor-sharp claws—claws capable of injuring even a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Yet the result was the same as Megumi's attempt just now; it, too, was directly repelled by the Veil.
Megumi realized something was off. If this was indeed a Veil, then the culprit behind the incident might not be a Cursed Spirit at all, but a Curse User.
Moreover, judging by the Veil's ability to withstand Divine Dog: Totality's attack and prevent his exit, the opponent's technique in this area was extraordinarily refined, and their strength could not be underestimated.
He said this because he was certain he was still inside the building itself, not within someone's or a Cursed Spirit's Innate Domain—he remembered the incident at the Juvenile Detention Center all too clearly.
"Could it be completely invisible from the outside?" Megumi murmured, still skeptical of the Veil.
Though Veils are inherently designed to conceal from ordinary humans who cannot sense Cursed Energy, the fact that even a Jujutsu Sorcerer or assistant officer could completely miss it indicated how serious the situation was.
Facing such an opponent, Megumi couldn't help but worry about Nobara Kugisaki's current condition. If she had been simply repelled by the Veil and couldn't enter, that would be the best-case scenario.
The worst case would be if she had entered the building but had been secretly separated from him by this Veil—then things would be extremely dire.
Furthermore, since Divine Dog: Totality's attack failed to break the Veil, Megumi realized he might need to locate the caster or wait until the Veil's Cursed Energy dissipated on its own.
Considering the time that had passed since the disappearances were discovered until their arrival, there was a high chance that the Veil could persist for a long duration. Waiting for it to disappear naturally was not a rational option.
Besides, if the Veil merely shrouded the building, their earlier entry would likely have already caught the opponent's attention.
Ultimately, Megumi decided to continue the investigation, locate the culprit, and force them to lift the Veil.
As he began, Divine Dog: Totality kicked open the door to the first room and immediately pinpointed the culprit's location.
But before that, as the door opened, a barrier identical to the Veil outside the building instantly expanded from inside the room.
"What?"
Megumi was instantly shocked. He had never heard of a Veil being cast this way. Was this really a Veil?
The pitch-black barrier pierced through the walls and spread at an alarming speed. Divine Dog: Totality had no time to react before being knocked back by the Veil's powerful repulsive force.
Before Megumi could even process what was happening, the Veil had already reached his face. He had no time to defend himself as it passed directly through his body.
"It didn't affect me?" Megumi stared at his hands in disbelief. How could the Veil that had injured Divine Dog have no effect on him? Perhaps the isolation conditions of this second Veil were different.
He felt that Divine Dog: Totality seemed caught between two layers of Veils, being crushed from both sides. The repulsive force intensified as the dog failed to break free.
Divine Dog: Totality let out a howl, blood spraying from its mouth. Megumi decisively ordered it into the shadows to escape the crushing pressure.
His decision proved correct. Once Divine Dog: Totality sank into the shadows, the pressure from the two Veils completely vanished.
Sensing the overwhelming Cursed Energy emanating from the room, Megumi didn't dare waste a moment. He rushed to the doorway at full speed.
Having witnessed Divine Dog's struggle, he knew he couldn't rely on luck a second time. He needed to confront the caster and end this mysterious disappearance.
Could the one using the Veil actually be a Cursed Spirit…?
Megumi's eyes fell upon a humanoid Cursed Spirit, devouring a human sitting upright at a table with closed eyes. The scene was gruesome, sending a jolt of shock through him.
Judging by the Cursed Energy, the spirit was at least Grade 2, and its ability to manipulate that strange Veil suggested First Grade-level power.
He sensed that the humans around, not yet devoured, were likely still alive. He immediately formed a hand sign.
"Toad!"
Three giant frog Shikigami sprang forward, shooting out their tongues to rescue the unconscious humans. Simultaneously, Divine Dog: Totality emerged from Megumi's shadow to launch a surprise attack on the Cursed Spirit, its bloody maw aimed at the spirit's neck, which looked burned and damaged.
The Cursed Spirit noticed the intrusion. From its mouth came a terrifyingly fast chant, sounding like a video sped up four times:
"Emerge from darkness, blacker than black. Purify that which is impure."
The pouncing Divine Dog: Totality was knocked away, along with the three Toads. Megumi, however, did not hesitate and dove into the shadows, avoiding this layer of the Veil's attack.
Clearly, this was not a complete Veil—Veils themselves cannot expand in this way. But this imperfection allowed movement and expansion, though it could not completely isolate the space.
In particular, it couldn't block entry into shadows. Megumi used this discovery to avoid the attack.
He didn't have time to question why a Cursed Spirit could manipulate a Veil.
Reemerging from the shadows, he drew Playful Cloud and charged at the Cursed Spirit, swinging it toward its neck.
Seeing the twisted face of the Cursed Spirit, Megumi's pupils dilated in disbelief.
"Senior Ijichi…?"
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