14 Chapter 14: Special-grade Curse

Gotou Hitori.

The "ghost", or to put it more aptly, the only person in her class without any friends. Whenever she tries to make one, she thinks about all sorts of random stuff such as… well, buying band merch in hopes of someone starting a conversation with her.

Although, she still doesn't give up. After all, it's only her first year in middle school. There's a lot of time left to make some friends.

(A/N: Equivalent to 7th Graders.)

Upon joining the "going home" club, her will was challenged again.

'It's alright. It's alright. I am not who I used to be..!' She thought. '... No! It's already the second semester and I'm still the same old loner from Elementary!'

She hurt herself with her self-realization. Somehow, she's not even trying to delude herself. Aside from her daydreaming of having many friends, she always chooses to face reality.

This is the unique characteristic that only Gotou Hitori has.

"Did I forget something?"

The thought of forgetting her lunch box back in school went through her mind, but she erased it just as it appeared. It is simply impossible for her to do so because… she always held her lunch box whenever she ate lunch in a desolate place.

She actually tried sneaking into the rooftop one time, but she passed by a teacher who found out that the door's open. In the end, she saw a group of students being scolded by the teacher.

Seeing their downcast looks, a feeling of schadenfreude appeared in her mind. After all, those groups of students are couples–the most hated pair by anyone like her.

That's according to recent studies by JIA (Japan Introvert Association).

Just as she opened the door, her ears are deafened by a loud explosion.

BAM-!

"Wha–"

Her sight became a sea of colors as the confetti started falling. Her brain could not follow what had happened, but she was greeted by a familiar greeting that she receives once every year.

"Otanjoubi Omedetou!" (Happy Birthday!)

Right. It is her birthday today, February 21. It is 16 days apart from Nobu's which is February 5.

"A-ah…"

*****

The evening that should have only lasted for a few hours became longer… or that's how it felt to me. After that surprise greeting, Bocchi's mother brought out the cake before eating dinner. It is a sumptuous feast, I might say. The Gotou household pulled no restraints to make her birthday this time around more memorable.

It took a few hours before it ended, which led to me walking into the streets at 7 PM. Unlike other countries, Japan has a better public security. More so, our neighborhood has good security. It is completely different from Kabukicho—the famed crime street in Japan.

Anyways, I got to play with my guitar. Aside from the party solos, I decided to play some amazing ones–the ones that could amaze her. It included one of my favorite songs that I recalled from my past life, "God Knows".

As far as I remember, it is something that came from a unique anime. Well… "Infinite eight", was it? That's the term that I remember from it. Unfortunately, I forgot everything else…

What's important is that everyone's happy. Even now, I could remember Bocchi's face as she forgot her sad school life.

"I'm glad… I became her friend."

Bringing someone into happiness is an inexplicable feeling, more so when it's my friend. There's this warm and fuzzy feeling that I feel every time I help her.

Suddenly, I remembered one of her quotes. "Loners should stick with each other," she said before she realized that I chose this path myself. Her reaction is quite funny whenever I think of it.

Boom-!

Suddenly, I found a blur approaching my surroundings. It seemingly fell from the sky. The next moment, I found myself propelled in the night skies. The force that crept from the ground reached my head, shocking my entire body. My sight began to darken due to the shock that almost knocked me down.

"Kuk…"

Blood. That monstrous impact damaged at least my internal organs. I could feel my breathing becoming rough all of a sudden and my sight turning completely black. My… wake… need…

"Con…cussus." (Shock.)

Jolts of electricity passed through my entire body. My failing organs and fading consciousness received a sudden reaction, causing me to be fully awake. I was woken up by the strong stimulus. The magic that I prepared to become my future defibrillator worked wonders. Still… am I falling… down.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

SHIT!

Having no time to react as I fell, I hastily chanted:

"Firmus!" (Robustness!)

BAM-!

I don't know how high I fell, but it must have been more than twenty meters at the very least. My already damaged body was further punched with holes.

I'm going to fucking die.

This familiar feeling of coldness started enveloping my body. This is ridiculous. Out of nowhere, I am sent into this state of near death. Is it… Is it because I'm in Kyoto? Since this is the former capital of Japan and is the most prosperous, getting into fights with curses and demons is inevitable.

It's just that…

I took everything for granted.

Cutting off my thoughts, I used up one of the chances and reversed my current state to that of a few minutes ago.

'Modify the body's state to three minutes ago?'

That familiar itchiness appeared once more. Though, I can better control it now with just a thought.

'Confirm.'

There were no flashy effects but I felt my body going back to normal in an instant. My internal injuries disappeared while my fatigue was reset to zero.

"A human?"

I heard the voice of an old man from the center of the crater. With my enhanced eyesight, I saw his silhouette. As expected, it is a demon… or a curse.

The street lamp illuminated the curse's figure. It took the form of an old man with a volcano head.

The old man did not have any ridiculous amount of mana, but the feeling of strangeness around him is extremely strong.

Taking out my sword, <Azure>, I then proceeded to chant:

"Wardrobe." (Outfit Change)

A magic circle envelops my entire body. After sweeping through me, I changed into my combat suit. It is made of an alloy that conducts magic well. My enhancement spells are enhanced with it. Unfortunately, my main suit is amid its upgrades.

By the time my thoughts went back to normal, I found myself pre-emptively casting a lightning spell. It is a mixed attribute spell of fire and water and works by generating friction. I love this spell type as it has enough destructive power as well as the speed that no other elements have.

My suit assisted me, finishing the spell within a second.

"Hoh? A human?"

Hearing these words, I felt a chill coming up from my spine. I didn't notice it as everything went too fast, but now… I could feel the searing heat in my surroundings. Had I not changed into this suit and reversed time to my peak state, I might be suffering from third-degree burns now.

Thump-!

The pulse in my neck noticeably became stronger. I feel stricken with fear.

"Huff…"

My breathing became a little more laborious as I am reminded of the sensation that I felt when facing that dragon: Helplessness. One born out of the huge gap in terms of power.

The cloud of dust cleared up, revealing someone with a small stature. He has a volcano-shaped head and a matching red eye. His back is hunched up akin to the elderly's. He is wearing strange clothing made up of yellow polka dots and black shorts.

He looks like someone who lives in Hokkaido…

'..!'

An image flashed in my mind.

'The special-grade curse Sukuna killed!'

That special-grade curse was said to be the incarnation of humans' fear of volcanoes.

"You do not possess any cursed energy, but you are different."

I heard the old man say nonchalantly.

"What are you talking about?"

The chill that I felt became even stronger. My heart skipped a beat just from my dangerous intuition alone.

I did not encounter nor fought against him in all seven iterations. He was always killed by Sukuna. Even so, I am aware of his status as a special-grade curse.

I swiftly changed the visualization and computation in my mind. I was about to fire off a lightning field that works on biological creatures, but I know it won't work on curses. Knowing that he would not let me go, evident from his malintent, I decided to prepare myself for the decisive attack.

Destructiveness… I need it!

"Miku. Are you there?"

I called out to my virtual assistant.

{What type of assistance do you need, goshujin-sama?}

"I need Judgement's small-scale attack."

{Understood ETA: One Minute}

"Also, help me in completing this spell."

{Affirmative. Assisting in the lightning-type spell: Raiju}

A phantom of a divine tiger appeared in my mind. It overlapped with everything that I am thinking up until now. I held Azure in a middle stance. It is the most neutral sword stance that allows my posture and arms to react against attacks immediately. I can swiftly switch to an attacking stance with a trick that I have learned in my years of experience.

It is the strongest single-type spell that I have—which is not destructive.

We are currently in a residential area. It is not similar to the ruined world in the future.

"You are similar to the jujutsushi yet different." He commented. "You have that–"

Now!

"Kaminari no Kouka. Raiju." (Lightning's Descent: Raiju)

Boom-!

Zap-!

Bzzt-!

Clap-!

A symphony of sounds assaulted my ears. I did not mind the deafening noise made by my spell. My sight is filled with lightning that surrounded me–to be exact, the blade that I held. Lightning sparked continuously from it. My speed also reached its peak as I am being pulled over to my target. Imposed further is the myth surrounding the companion of the god of lightning.

"Ha!"

Psst-!

The air around my blade whistled as it went straight to the curse's head.

Bam-!

Bzzt-!

Another magic circle popped up on top of the curse. It contained the energy that seeped out during my movements. With this, the attack reached its peak.

Boom-!

Bzzt-!

I felt the hard impact on my right hand, sending it into a state of numbness in an instant. But then, I noticed an arm grasping the blue blade. Before I could even process what happened, a swift blur was sent to my stomach.

Boom-!

I was blown away by its sheer impact. My combat suit was easily pierced through.

{Emergency.}

{Activating first-aid module… Failed.}

Bam-!

I found myself crashing down into a wall. A small indent was made when it did. My vision is still blurry, but I forced myself to stand up. I felt a pang of migraine in my head as well as pain all over my body. My eyes are giving up due to the speed that it was previously subjected to. I could feel a hot and murky fluid in my stomach.

With my suit pierced, I felt the searing heat in my surroundings.

"Huff…"

It became more laborious to breathe. Every time I do so, I felt a tinge of pain appearing in my lungs. Though, I did not notice anything else. I don't feel… the pain. My mind is clearer than ever.

"Da…mn."

From that one attack, I was incapacitated. I could feel a hole in my stomach, mixing bits of what I could sense as my intestines together. If I could only use my mana furnace… or even complete the body-strengthening project.

Fuck.

For some unknown reason, I could not. The same went for the attempts of me trying to strengthen my body with mana. Faced with these, I could only rely on magic tools to strengthen my combat power.

If… If I could use at least one of them…

"Heuk!"

An overwhelming force pressed down on me. It is akin to a dragon's stare filled with bloodlust.

My mind with clarity was shaken to its core. The numbness all over my body disappeared, resulting in me sensing the immense pain that made my mind blank out.

"ARGH!"

{Self-defense modules activated.}

Psst-!

Sou-!

Several cartridges popped up on my suit. Bit-sized missiles locked onto the special-grade curse. All of them are engraved with an individual spell. Production is a tedious job. Nevertheless, it is destructive.

Boom-!

White light flashed before a loud explosion was set off. Walls crumbled down while the ground is cratered.

{Activating the second batch…}

The same thing happened for a second time. Miku could process everything faster than I. She knows the severity of this situation.

Boom-!

{Stopping upgrades for the unit [Arbiter]. It will be sent out within two minutes.}

"Start the escape module."

{Starting…}

I found myself flying into the sky. The suit twisted the magnetic field around us. It is an efficient way of flying outside of fueled thrusters.

Bam-!

Just as the magnetic field around us got twisted, a figure came crashing at me. Moments later, I found myself brought to the ground while choked by the old man.

Screech-!

The suit which was supposed to protect me is now killing me. Its neck area tightened. It is now turning into a sharp weapon that would kill me.

{Vital signs dropping.}

{Searching for available measures… found. Abandoning the current suit gives the highest survival rate. }

{Good luck, Goshujin-sama.}

Miku's voice floated in my ears. I am losing consciousness—

{Activating the ejection module.}

I found myself flung into the air. I could immediately feel the hot temperature around me, waking me up. I was brought back to reality. I recalled the defensive spell I was casting with Miku's help three seconds ago.

It is now completed.

"Mili…taris For…tali…tia!" (Military Fortress.)

Dozens of magic circles surrounded me. The overwhelming heat around him is blocked by it.

"Ho… You, humans, are always impulsive every damn time. Even though you are nothing but weaklings, you still pull these kinds of stunts off."

"...Fuck. Keuk..!"

Bits of my flesh dropped down from my throat. Huge amounts of blood threatened to spill into my mouth. The drops of blood colored the concrete floor red. I could feel some wounds on my neck.

His fingers nearly crushed my throat. My suit did not protect me fully.

'I…'

At this moment, I felt my impending doom.

My empty mind then became filled with my lifetime's worth of memories.

My childhood.

My fascination with magic.

My dream to have a better life.

Then, what followed is the truth. I did not see this broken future until I decided to choose "combat experiences" out of the single aspect I could learn within the future.

A future wrought with destruction. The curses broke free from their restraints. The barrier keeper 'Tengen' merged with the vilest sorcerer since ancient times.

What followed next are the dragons' awakening in Europe, the Demons' outbreak in America, and the subsequent descent of Curses and Youkais in Japan.

What followed next is my realization. I might have lived peacefully for four years straight, but my luck soon ran out.

My interference with the future made everything until the sixth iteration unreliable. It was more than three months since I last chose combat experiences, too. I focused everything on research and development at that time.

I mean, who would have thought that such a monster will visit Kyoto tonight?

'Fucking special-grade curse…'

Looking at the volcano curse, I compared him against dragons and Rank S demons. Only those Special Grade Jujutsushis and Rank S Magicians could handle them. I, a mere Rank B, am fucked up when I meet one of them.

It's not that I could not fight against him.

I could, actually.

But not in my current state. My weapons and other preparations for those stronger than me are all back in my hideout.

What's more, it is too late. My suit is scrapped. I doubt this hastily cast shield could last in this old man.

Ten to fifteen seconds, give and take. Ten seconds had passed so far.

I did not recognize this curse, but I am aware of how absurd the other special-grade curses are.

I recalled Saito and Louise who are currently in this city before I shook my head. By the time I could ask for their help, I am dead. The strong ones are also not here. Kazamitsu-san will take minutes now that he's on the other side of the world.

"I'm fucked…"

"...Pathetic." The curse cursed me.

…

This fucker… I remembered that time when I almost died.

That condescending aura the wolf demon had. It pissed me off. My weakness too.

I longed for a peaceful life without any regrets this time. Yet, what followed was that dragon's overbearing look. All of my preparations—sending a satellite cannon into Earth's orbit and planting a city-level bomb–are rendered useless against it.

Anger replaced my self-reproach and regrets. However, no matter what I do this time, I could not use it to power myself up.

'Only one chance left.'

Once the final chance is used up, the best chance is that I would die. The scorching heat that the curse emits is that of a volcano. Its super strength is another problem. If the shields get broken and the final chance is used up, I am dead.

"Sigh… There are still other worlds out there…"

Thinking about Louise-san's magic, I thought of the vast worlds out there. I thought I could have my journey on those, but I guess everything ends here.

…

Wait.

Wait a minute.

Dimensional gate..!

As if serving as the key, it opened up another possibility for me: the dimensional gate. I used up more than 30 years to study it alone. Many things are still unclear about it. However, several findings are discovered by that time.

I invented the prototype of a planetary-scale teleportation spell, <<Void Transference>>. I am confident that I could successfully cast its weaker version. Its success is another matter. I just hope that… I won't get sent into a dragon's lair or something.

'She said this action has the highest rate of survival..!' Her words rang into my mind. 'So this is why..!'

Space-type spells are still in development. I did not use them due to their unpredictability. Still, it is the only way out of this trouble.

Immediately, I processed its computations in my mind. Complex mathematical rules and theorems flew through my head. The shields I deployed accomplished their job.

Crack-!

Disjointed lines soon littered the magic circles. It would not last long.

Hope was lit up in my heart once more. As long as this is finished, I could escape..!

Bam-!

The shield defended me from the pillar of scorching heat. It showed signs of dispersing, but I did not panic. Now that I found the key to my predicament, there is no way in hell I would do so.

"It's done."

The computation portion is done. Even though it is very rushed and has a few flaws, I could work with it. My target destination has been narrowed down to somewhere around this planet.

"Apertum, porta veritas!" (Open, the gate of truths)

The chant for it is also thought of rashly. Fortunately, it worked. Sparks flew off as a hole in space was made. It is pitch black with countless stars inside. It is such a mysterious sight that I almost lost my concentration on it. Still, I pulled myself together, and–

"I'll remember you."

–stepped into the portal whose destination is unknown.

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