Togawa Sakiko had always kept one secret.
She was a jujutsu sorcerer.
That was not entirely accurate.
She had received a proper education in jujutsu, but she never intended to involve herself deeply in the jujutsu world.
At best, she was only a half-trained sorcerer.
The Togawa family had been a prestigious jujutsu clan since ancient times, and Sakiko’s ever-burning golden eyes were proof of that heritage.
As a powerful conglomerate capable of influencing Japan’s economy, it would have been stranger if the Togawa family had no ties to the jujutsu world.
Unlike the declining Shinomiya family, the Togawa family placed great importance on preserving its jujutsu legacy.
However, Sakiko had never believed she needed to become anyone important, nor had she shown much interest in jujutsu.
She simply had no reason to become a full-fledged sorcerer.
After her father was expelled from the Togawa family over his 16.8-billion-yen debt, Sakiko left alongside him.
Since then, she had barely remained connected to the jujutsu world.
Aside from occasionally seeing cursed spirits and exorcising a few that annoyed her, she had spent most of her life as an ordinary young lady.
The Culling Game shattered that peaceful existence.
Aside from modern sorcerers marked by Kenjaku and ancient sorcerers who had contracted with him, most people had the freedom to choose whether they entered a barrier.
Naturally, Sakiko had not wanted to participate.
She had refused to make money as a sorcerer in the first place because the profession was far too dangerous.
“But Mutsumi…
was registered as a player too.” The image of a delicate, doll-like girl surfaced in her mind.
Wakaba Mutsumi was her childhood friend, someone who had grown up beside her.
Modern people who awakened cursed techniques were required to participate in the Culling Game.
If they failed to do so, their techniques would be removed after nineteen days, resulting in death.
Sakiko could never abandon Mutsumi, so the two entered the nearest Tokyo barrier together.
Unfortunately, the damned barrier included random teleportation.
It separated them the instant they entered, and Sakiko immediately found herself facing a special-grade cursed spirit.
The spirit appeared to have only recently emerged from a cursed womb.
However, the terrifying volume of cursed energy it possessed from birth unquestionably placed it at special grade.
Sakiko had received orthodox jujutsu training as a child, but her actual strength was nothing remarkable.
After becoming obsessed with bands, she had stopped focusing on jujutsu.
During the past year, she had lived like an exhausted corporate slave, working customer service and accumulating more stress than she could count.
When would she ever have found time to study her technique?
There was no way she could defeat a cursed spirit like this.
Her only option had been to run.
However, she never expected to encounter people she knew.
Konoe Mayoru and Shirogane Kei had been friendly neighbors.
They often helped her find part-time jobs, and the three of them got along quite well.
Sakiko would have been delighted to meet them under normal circumstances.
Unfortunately, she was currently being chased by a special-grade cursed spirit.
‘Talk about terrible timing, desuwa!’ Sakiko could not accept that she had accidentally led such danger toward her friends.
She rarely acted arrogant, but she possessed a great deal of pride.
Even while working customer service, she had never considered returning to the Togawa family and reclaiming her life as their young lady.
How could she allow other people to suffer because of her?
Resolve filled Sakiko’s golden eyes.
Judging by the cursed energy around Mayoru and Kei, both had likely awakened only recently.
Sakiko might have distanced herself from the jujutsu world, but she still occasionally exorcised cursed spirits that caught her attention.
She should at least be stronger than those two.
The best solution was obvious.
She would tell them to escape while she held back the special-grade spirit.
“Guh…” Sakiko swallowed nervously.
The instant she made that decision, an ominous shadow drew near.
The special-grade cursed spirit finally revealed itself.
Its body was not especially large, yet the cursed energy surrounding it felt almost solid, like a mountain collapsing upon them.
It looked as though it had stepped directly out of a nightmare.
Now, the spirit observed everyone present with visible interest.
Cursed spirits possessed a natural instinct to torment humans.
They were born from humanity’s negative emotions, so they naturally sought to return that suffering to the people who created them.
In other words, abusing humans was part of their nature.
This spirit was especially pleased with the three “humans” before it.
It had only been born moments ago, but it was already confident in its ability to judge strength.
All three could manipulate cursed energy, yet all of them were weak.
Their reserves were unimpressive, and they could barely control the flow of their energy.
They were perfect toys.
More durable than ordinary humans, which meant tormenting them would bring even greater pleasure.
Sakiko understood why the spirit had not killed her immediately.
It merely wanted to play with her.
Like a cat refusing to kill a mouse right away, the cursed spirit viewed them as toys to be slowly broken.
‘Can I win?’ Sakiko did not need to think about the answer.
‘I’ll die.’ Even so, she refused to retreat.
She had never truly considered herself a sorcerer, but she could not stand by and watch others die.
“I’ll…
hold it back.
Use that chance to run!” Sakiko did not even know how long she could delay it.
She did not want to die.
Her family’s debt remained unpaid, and Ave Mujica had yet to stand upon the stage.
How could her life end here?
Still, running away and abandoning them was impossible.
That pride was precisely what made her Togawa Sakiko.
She regretted entering the barrier so recklessly, and terror gripped her entire body.
Even so, she summoned her cursed energy without taking a single step back.
Before she could move, a sigh reached her ears.
At some point, Mayoru had already stepped past her.
He glanced back and gently patted her shoulder.
“You don’t need to force yourself.
Leave this to me.” Standing before Sakiko, Mayoru faced the cursed spirit and began to smile.
“Besides, this is such excellent prey.
I don’t feel like sharing it with anyone.” Sakiko stared at him in disbelief.
‘Seriously?
You’re acting this fearless?’ He needed to understand the situation.
This was a special grade.
Mayoru’s cursed-energy control was so ugly that even Sakiko could barely stand watching it, yet he intended to fight that monster?
‘Stop joking around!’ She instinctively tried to warn him, but the words never left her mouth.
At that moment, the special-grade cursed spirit turned its gaze toward Mayoru.
Its undisguised killing intent spread alongside its cursed energy.
Even as a special grade, the spirit did not appear particularly intelligent.
However, it sensed the contempt coming from the boy.
It was genuine contempt, as though Mayoru regarded it as something insignificant that could be crushed beneath his foot.
‘Someone with such crude cursed-energy control dares to look down on me?’ The spirit had planned to toy with its prey, but now its mouth stretched into a vicious grin as its cursed energy erupted.
That simple action alone made Sakiko and Kei tremble uncontrollably.
Their bodies felt frozen, leaving them unable to move.
This was special grade.
This was the overwhelming violence such a being could impose upon ordinary sorcerers.
Its malice even surpassed that of the ancient sorcerer who had slaughtered people for points.
The special-grade spirit raised one hand without hiding its hostility.
Perhaps it wanted to prove that Mayoru was nothing more than an insect it could crush at will.
Its posture remained casual as it swung its arm.
Even such a simple movement became terrifying when reinforced by that much cursed energy.
‘It’s over!’ Despair filled Sakiko’s mind.
She could already imagine Mayoru’s head being torn from his shoulders.
“GUGAAAH!” A miserable scream rang out.
However, the cry did not come from Mayoru.
It came from the cursed spirit.
Even a body formed from cursed energy could experience pain, especially when its entire arm had been twisted into a grotesque shape.
Sakiko stared blankly at the special-grade spirit’s furious and frightened expression.
Its cursed-energy reserves and control should have far surpassed Mayoru’s.
Yet after a single exchange, the spirit’s arm had been violently broken, forcing it to howl in pain.
The special-grade cursed spirit was the one at a disadvantage.
‘How did he do that?’ ‘How does any of this make sense?!’ Sakiko could not suppress her shock.
Then she heard footsteps moving forward.
Although Mayoru possessed far less cursed energy than his opponent, he advanced directly toward it.
“Is that all you’ve got?” He approached the special-grade cursed spirit one step at a time, openly displaying his hostility and excitement.
Facing the creature in the chilly wind, Mayoru gave a cold smile.
“You’d better show me something impressive next.” “Otherwise, you’re going to die, third-rate.” …