“Ding-dong, ding-dong!”
After Itadori sent a cursed spirit flying with a single punch, the Kogane bug beside him materialized once again like a lingering ghost.
“A player has added a new rule to the Culling Game. Rule 10! Players can now view the information of other players, including their names, scores, number of rules added, and their current colony location!”
Bam!
Itadori threw a punch right at the Kogane, but it evaded the strike by dissipating its own body.
“What is up with this cursed spirit!? It just won’t go away!”
Itadori and Choso had been lingering in Shibuya for quite some time.
Endlessly exorcising cursed spirits had left Itadori somewhat exhausted, while Choso beside him looked thoughtful.
“Yuji.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you remember that thing Noritoshi Kamo mentioned… the Culling Game?”
The Kogane had already appeared twice, and both times Choso had heard this “cursed spirit” speak of the Culling Game that Noritoshi Kamo had declared.
“Was that cursed spirit just now related to that?”
“I think it might be.”
As he spoke, Choso casually threw a vicious punch, turning a half-dead cursed spirit trying to creep up on him into ash.
“Yuji, is there any way you can call that cursed spirit out?”
“I’ll try…”
Choso watched Yuji Itadori, who was currently waving his hands around at the empty air.
“Hello? Transponder Snail? Little white bug? Toad Sage? If you’re there, answer me?”
He spat out several names in a row, but the Kogane didn’t appear.
Itadori hung his head in dismay.
“…You can’t call it out?”
“Maybe it’s like a Zanpakuto from Bleach—the kind of thing you can’t summon if you don’t know its name.”
“What’s that?”
“A super popular serialized manga that used to run in Jump.”
Itadori seemed to barely manage to let out a breath amidst the heavy atmosphere, but the crushing weight of Sukuna’s actions still pressed down on his chest, suffocating him.
Even if he could joke around, once the joke was over, Itadori was still the same…
engulfed by guilt and self-blame.
“There’s no way that all-white thing is actually called Kogane, right?”
Poof!
Itadori and Choso stared at the Kogane, which had suddenly appeared and remained completely silent.
“Detected player has not yet declared participation. Please proceed to the nearest colony to declare your participation in the Culling Game. Failure to comply with Rule 1 will result in the removal of your cursed technique in accordance with Rule 2.” Read the latest chapters at g.com.
“An all-white thing?”
Caw— Caw— Caw—
A crow flew past at the exact right moment, letting out a cry that perfectly encapsulated the current speechless atmosphere.
At this moment, Itadori still clung to a sliver of hope.
“There’s no way that…”
Choso silently turned his face away, his eyes resting in the distance.
Clasping his hands together, he fired a Piercing Blood, blowing up the crow cursed spirit that had just flown past.
Itadori stood stunned for a moment before speaking again.
“Kogane?”
“Detected player has not yet declared participation. Second reminder: please proceed to the nearest colony to declare your participation in the Culling Game. Failure to comply with Rule 1 will result in the removal of your cursed technique in accordance with Rule 2.”
“Your name actually IS Kogane!!!!”
Itadori shouted in exasperation, while Choso walked over and looked at the Kogane.
“That’s enough, Yuji… Our current goal is to figure out exactly what Noritoshi Kamo is trying to do. Kogane, could you explain the rules of the Culling Game to us?”
“I can.”
The Kogane flapped its wings, introducing the rules in its somewhat childish voice.
“Rule 1: Players must declare their participation in the Culling Game at a colony of their choice within 19 days of awakening.”
“Rule 2: Any player who breaks the first rule shall be subject to cursed technique removal.”
“Rule 3: Non-players who enter a colony become players at the moment of entry and shall be considered to have declared participation, subject to Rules 1 and 2.”
“Rule 4: Players score points by ending the lives of other players.”
Itadori’s expression gradually darkened as the Kogane spoke.
Choso turned his head, looking at his brother whose mood had plummeted to rock bottom, and silently patted his shoulder.
“Rule 5: Points are determined by the Game Master and indicate the value of a player’s life. As a general rule, sorcerers are worth 5 points and non-sorcerers are worth 1 point.”
“Even ordinary people count for points?!”
Itadori looked up, flames seemingly leaping and dancing within his eyes.
“Yes. As a general rule, non-sorcerers are only worth one point. If you wish to acquire more points, you must still kill other players.”
“That’s not what I’m talking about!!”
“Alright, Yuji.”
Choso patted Itadori’s back.
“This cursed spirit doesn’t control this game… The person behind it is Noritoshi Kamo. Kogane, continue the explanation.”
“Rule 6: Excluding the point value of a player’s own life, players may expend 100 points to negotiate with the Game Master to add a new rule.”
“Rule 7: In accordance with Rule 6, the Game Master must accept any proposed new rule unless it has a long-lasting effect on the Culling Game.”
“Rule 8: If a player’s score remains the same for 19 days, they shall be subject to cursed technique removal.”
“Rule 10: Players can view the information of other players.”
“That bastard… is he treating human lives like a game…?”
The “bastard” Itadori spoke of was, of course, Noritoshi Kamo.
He gritted his teeth, anger rushing from his heart straight to his head.
If only I had finished Mahito off faster back then…
If only I hadn’t been defeated so easily by that guy, if only I hadn’t lost consciousness, if only…
“Hey, Yuji.”
Just as Itadori was about to sink into self-condemnation, Choso gave his back another firm slap.
“I… I’m fine.”
Itadori leaned silently against the wall, staring blankly into the distance.
After taking a few deep breaths, as if further solidifying his belief that he was merely a “cog,” he straightened up once more.
Meanwhile, Choso was looking at the player information list, focusing on the only two people who had added rules.
Kinoshita, Score: 20 points, Rules Added: 1, Location: Tokyo No.
2 Colony.
Hajime Kashimo, Score: 5 points, Rules Added: 1, Location: Tokyo No.
2 Colony.
Though it was unknown which of them had added the first rule, there was no doubt that these two were about to clash.
“Choso, let’s go. We can’t stop.”
Their silence was broken by the roar of a cursed spirit, and by Itadori’s voice as he looked up.
Immediately after, Itadori and Choso resumed clearing out the remaining cursed spirits in Shibuya.
Although they had just taken in a lot of information, they still needed to deal with the immediate threats first.
At Itadori’s call, Choso quickly matched his brother’s pace.
“Coming!”
———Tokyo No.
2 Colony———
Amidst a burst of lightning, Kinoshita stood before Hajime Kashimo.
Their gazes collided, followed immediately by Kashimo’s voice ringing out first.
“Hey! Judging by your cursed energy… you must be ‘Kinoshita’, right?”
Standing opposite Kashimo, Kinoshita, who had drawn Caduceus—now transformed into a massive scythe—tilted his head up.
“Hey, your gender looks a bit ambiguous, doesn’t it? Are you a guy or a girl?”