“So there really is someone camping this place.”
Julian frowned, stepping around a heavy smear of crimson near the wall.
A body lay crumpled against a display case, showing clear signs of a violent, high-impact struggle.
He took a slow, quiet breath.
As a modern civilian, seeing an actual corpse up close still made his stomach churn slightly, but he pushed the discomfort down and kept moving.
He rounded a second corner and paused.
This wasn’t an isolated kill.
Three more bodies were scattered along the main corridor of the west wing, each brutally mangled.
Limbs were torn, torsos crushed, and none remained intact.
Julian reached the edge of the west atrium and stepped onto the tile.
The liquid beneath his boot yielded with a wet, sticky drag.
Fresh blood.
The killer was right nearby.
Under normal circumstances, any sane sorcerer at Grade 4 would turn around and sprint in the opposite direction.
But Julian wasn’t playing by normal rules.
He was functionally immortal.
Gathering intelligence on a high-tier threat cost him nothing more than a temporary reset.
Julian pushed open a heavy metal fire door leading to the outdoor rooftop plaza.
Standing directly in the center of the rooftop was a single figure with his back turned.
A mutilated corpse lay at his boots.
The man squatted low, ignoring the blood soaking his trousers as he bit furiously at his own thumbnail, muttering beneath his breath.
“Where are you hiding, Sukuna?!”
The name made Julian’s heart jump.
He stared at the man’s distinct blue hair tied in twin ox-horns and the heavy, iron-like staff resting across his shoulders.
The identity clicked instantly.
“Hajime Kashimo…”
The figure froze, then slowly turned his head.
Sharp, electrified eyes locked onto Julian, scanning him from head to toe with cold suspicion. This story is hosted at g.com.
“You know my name?”
In Kashimo’s mind, no modern sorcerer in this barrier should have recognized him.
He was an ancient sorcerer incarnated into this era through Kenjaku’s binding vows.
Aside from old acquaintances from four hundred years ago or Kenjaku himself, his face was unknown to the modern world.
And the kid standing at the door had no forehead stitches and zero ancient aura.
Julian scratched the back of his neck awkwardness, raising his hand to pinch his thumb and index finger together.
“Let’s just say my intelligence network is pretty solid.”
Kashimo observed Julian’s weak cursed energy signature for a long second, his expression turning to pure disdain.
“Is this what modern sorcerers look like nowadays?
Pathetic.”
Julian let out a dry laugh.
He wasn’t going to argue.
Compared to a monster from the Edo period, a Grade 4 rookie was barely worth noticing.
Kashimo had no interest in slaughtering a bug, but the mention of an “intelligence network” caught his attention.
He took a step forward, his voice dropping into a low, threatening growl.
“Hey.
Where is Sukuna?”
Julian hesitated, then nodded.
“I know where he is.”
“Where?!
Speak!” Kashimo’s eyes flared with intense blue sparks.
He had accepted Kenjaku’s contract for one reason only: to challenge the strongest entity in history and release his single-use technique, Mythical Beast Amber.
Julian felt no loyalty toward keeping Sukuna’s location secret.
In fact, he was curious.
If Kashimo somehow managed to kill Sukuna before Julian reached Special Grade, how would the System handle his clear condition?
“Sukuna should be…” Julian paused, realizing he was missing a crucial detail.
He summoned his shikigami.
“Kogane!” New chapters come out on g.com first.
Pop.
The winged creature burst into view, fluttering happily around his head.
“How can I assist you, Player?”
“What’s the exact date today?”
Kashimo watched silently, his hand resting lightly on the shaft of his iron staff.
Kogane spun in a tight circle before answering.
“Today is November 1, 2018.”
Julian nodded slowly.
The Culling Game had just begun.
The Shibuya Incident had ended on October 31.
Kenjaku had absorbed Mahito, extracted Idle Transfiguration, and marked his chosen vessels on that very night.
Julian looked back up at Kashimo.
“Sukuna hasn’t fully taken over a body yet.
He’s currently dormant inside his vessel, a high schooler named Yuji Itadori.”
Kashimo’s brow furrowed.
“Yuji Itadori?
Where is he?”
“Tokyo.”
Kashimo’s face darkened instantly.
Tokyo was a sprawling metropolis covering hundreds of square kilometers.
“Are you playing games with me, kid?” Kashimo stepped closer, the air around him crackling with static charge.
Julian raised his hands defensively.
“I’m giving you the facts!
Right now, Itadori is still in the main city area hunting down curses with his older brother, Choso.
He won’t actually step inside Tokyo Colony No.
2 until November 12.”
Julian truly didn’t know Itadori’s exact street address on November 1st, but the timeline was absolute.
Kashimo was eleven days too early.