Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki moved cautiously through the massive structure.

Suddenly,

They came across several blood-soaked corpses.

The scene was gruesome.

So much so that, at a glance, they couldn't even tell if it was two bodies… or three.

Their expressions darkened immediately.

Yuji quickly rushed over to check the situation.

As he got closer, he noticed that the relatively intact body was still wearing a name-tagged uniform.

It was the same boy, the one whose mother had come looking for him at the gate earlier.

Yuji Itadori: "I want to take this body out with us.

That was her son…"

But both Fushiguro and Kugisaki opposed the idea.

The boy, according to the intel they received, was a complete delinquent.

He had previously driven without a license and killed a young girl walking home from school.

And this was his second offense.

Fushiguro held a strong distaste for people like that, he didn't want to give that boy any dignity, even in death.

Yuji's expression twisted when he heard this.

The two began to argue.

Nobara Kugisaki: "Will you two knock it off already!?

You think this is the time or place to bicker?"

And just then,

The ground beneath Nobara's feet suddenly collapsed into a pit.

Caught off guard, she fell straight through.

Yuji and Fushiguro froze for a second, stunned.

Yuji Itadori: "Kugi…saki…?"

Yuji hadn't even figured out what was happening yet,

But Fushiguro's face had already shifted.

With his experience, he immediately recognized this as a curse attack.

(No way…! My Divine Dogs didn't even sense it!)

Then he saw it.

His summoned Divine Dog had been impaled against the wall, bleeding profusely.

(!!!)

Fushiguro: "Yuji, we have to run!"

Fushiguro: "Once we escape, we'll find Kugisaki and, "

Before he could finish, he noticed something,

A figure had suddenly appeared next to them.

It was humanoid, yet its body was unnaturally split between black and white. Its wide eyes stared unnervingly, its lower half wrapped in some grotesque, dark matter.

Yuji and Fushiguro stared, eyes wide with horror.

They felt it instantly,

A pressure like a mountain bearing down on them.

Their bodies… wouldn't move.

(No doubt… This is Special Grade…)

Fushiguro was stunned.

Yuji tried desperately to will his body into motion, but it was useless.

Then, his grandfather's dying words flashed in his mind.

Yuji: "RAAAAHH!!"

He screamed and charged forward, drawing his cursed tool,

A weapon designed to carry and amplify cursed energy, lethal against curses.

But,

His vision blurred.

The next thing he knew, his hand had been severed and sent flying through the air.

Blood spurted everywhere.

His hand… and even his weapon… had been sliced clean in half.

(???)

Yuji and Fushiguro were too stunned to even speak.

For a moment, they couldn't process what had just happened.

Yuji took a second to gather himself before quickly wrapping a cloth around his bleeding arm.

Just then, the curse opened its mouth,

And spat out cursed energy.

A deafening explosion erupted around them.

The ground shattered beneath their feet like a war zone had erupted.

Fushiguro froze in place.

(That… that wasn't a technique… It was just raw cursed energy… And it caused that much destruction?)

The curse stood there, laughing maniacally.

Yuji (shouting): "Fushiguro! Take Kugisaki and get out of here!"

Yuji: "I'll hold this thing off!"

Yuji: "Don't worry, I've got a way to beat it!"

Fushiguro: "Are you nuts?!"

Fushiguro: "You've only got one hand! How can you fight a Special Grade?!"

Fushiguro: "This thing is playing with us like we're toys!"

He looked toward the curse,

Sure enough, it hadn't even attacked again.

It was just… watching them. Laughing.

Fushiguro: "No. I'm not letting you, "

Yuji: "Fushiguro."

Yuji locked eyes with him.

Yuji: "Trust me. I really do have a way to defeat it."

Fushiguro stared back for a moment, then turned and ran.

Because he knew Yuji was right.

And because Yuji could switch places with Sukuna, the King of Curses, at any moment.

If Sukuna took over, that Special Grade curse wouldn't stand a chance.

Fushiguro knew,

If he stayed here, he'd only be a burden.

But,

Yuji wasn't planning to switch with Sukuna.

Instead, he immediately opened the chat group.

『Pink-Haired Vessel』: Everyone in the group, please, I need help!

『Pink-Haired Vessel』: There's a Special Grade curse in front of me right now!

『Pink-Haired Vessel』: Its power is on par with a cluster bomb, like full-scale aerial bombardment!

『Pink-Haired Vessel』: I'm offering all of my points as reward, please, anyone who can help!

『Pink-Haired Vessel』: @Everyone @DivineBeing @PassingKamenRider

Yuji (thinking): "Yes! It worked!"

He clenched his fist as the system notified him the task had been posted.

(This was my first time using the mission system… I was worried it wouldn't go through.)

He sighed in relief.

As for tagging Carl and Hokama Yukio,

That was intentional.

Yuji had heard stories from the chat members,

Carl could resurrect the dead, and Hokama Yukio could travel across worlds.

In Yuji's estimation, those two were the only ones powerful enough to deal with a Special Grade.

He even made sure to clearly explain the curse's power level, so no one would walk in unprepared.

If they couldn't do it…

He'd use Sukuna as a last resort.

『Hot-Blooded Spider-chan』: (oДo*) Huh huh huh?!

『Hot-Blooded Spider-chan』: What's this?? A mission??

『Hot-Blooded Spider-chan』: ( ˙o˙ ) First time I've seen one of these! Kinda exciting~

『Hot-Blooded Spider-chan』: But… cluster bombs and carpet bombing??

『Hot-Blooded Spider-chan』: That's a little extreme, isn't it?

『Hot-Blooded Spider-chan』: I think I'll sit this one out… Too dangerous for me!

『Blade King』: Another mission, huh… I'd love to take it, but I can only tag others.

『Blade King』: @DivineBeing

『Middle Schooler Syndrome Girl』: Carl-senpai, this one's yours.

『Middle Schooler Syndrome Girl』: @DivineBeing

At that moment, Carl was also in the group chat.

But before he could accept,

He saw the next system message.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com