Deathwomb

"It cannot be allowed."

A woman in a black habit, appearing to be in her twenties, speaks.

"I've told you before. I don't mind you wandering around, but if you interfere with my actions, I won't hold back."

Facing her is a girl in a white habit, seemingly in her mid-teens.

The woman in the black habit is taller and older. From her scolding attidue, one might think that they share a sibling-like relationship.

However, the actual power dynamic was quite the opposite. Despite differences in authority, status, and social value, the younger girl surpassed the older woman in every way.

"Approaching a man possessed by a cursed object—"

"It's none of your business where I choose to die." she interrupts

"We have a duty to protect you."

"That's your concern, not mine."

Since Index's escape, there had been ongoing conflict between the Japanese jujutsu community, which claimed to protect her, and the British sorcerers, who demanded her return. Meanwhile, her whereabouts remained under the Japanese sorcerers' watch.

Amidst this deadlock, the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons occurred. The large-scale terror attack orchestrated by Suguru Geto's faction of curse users prompted action from the British sorcerers.

The inability of the Japanese sorcerers to prevent such a catastrophic event revealed their lack of security. The British sorcerers intensified their pressure, arguing that it was too dangerous to leave Index in Japan.

As a result, a sorcerer designated by the British was assigned to protect Index. This effectively meant permitting foreign sorcerers to operate within Japan, a situation that frustrated the Japanese jujutsu authorities.

The woman in the black habit, Marie Weber, was the most combat-capable of Index's guards and also the head of her personal attendants.

"…Very well. But I will assign you a guard."

Index gave no response. She had always maintained an attitude of indifference, as if to say, "Protect me if you want."

Index was unaware of the exact number of sorcerers the British had sent to Japan. Although only Marie was visibly accompanying her, it was unlikely she was alone. Hidden within the everyday world, others must be watching over her.

As Index makes her way to the Jujutsu High, people in nun's robes join her one after another, seemingly out of nowhere.

To prevent another incident like the Shibuya Incident, more than twenty sorcerers were now guarding her. At this point, the whole scene almost looks like the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons.

Upon arriving at the Jujutsu High, the first person they encountered was Satoru Gojo.

"Well, well, what a gathering we have here."

"Stay back, you monster."

Marie stepped in front of Index to block Gojo's approach.

By Japanese standards, Marie would rank as a first-grade or special-grade sorcerer. In Britain, where battles were rare due to the relative calm of curse activity, her level of power was exceptional.

Recognized as a genius among the sorcerers of the church, her abilities were deemed fit to protect Index. Thus, she understood well the abnormality that was Satoru Gojo, even among special-grade sorcerers.

Regardless of friend or foe, anyone whose combat ability exceeded that of the guards was a threat. Additionally, Marie personally found Gojo's personality distasteful.

On the other hand, Gojo was amused by her attitude, finding her behavior akin to a bristling cat.

Perhaps it reminded him of Shoko Ieiri.

"Marie."

Index's pressure to stand down was evident. Surprisingly, Marie withdrew without showing any displeasure, her expressionless face making the situation all the more eerie.

"So, what's this urgent matter you called us for?"

"I've already explained. There's a boy infected by Ryomen Sukuna."

"You only told me that part..."

"Oh, right, I might have said that."

As usual, the explanation was lacking.

First, one might want to know who or what Ryomen Sukuna was.

According to legends, Ryomen Sukuna was a mythical demon with four arms and two faces.

However, this was a real person who committed atrocities during the golden age of jujutsu, defeating even the strongest sorcerers of the time.

The special-grade cursed object known as "Sukuna's Finger" is the mummified remains of this Ryomen Sukuna. Indestructible, it was sealed away. Yet, a boy named Yuji Itadori has ingested this cursed object and remains unpossessed.

"He is going to be executed after ingesting all of Sukuna's fingers."

"Disgusting. He should be killed immediately."

Marie expressed her disgust upon hearing Gojo's explanation.

"No one has ever been able to withstand Sukuna. Destroying an indestructible special-grade cursed object is a rare opportunity—it would be a waste to kill him right away," Gojo explained.

"And how does that relate to you summoning me here?" Index maintained an attitude of disinterest.

Although officially an assistant teacher at Jujutsu High under Gojo, Index was rarely given tasks directly by the Jujutsu Headquarters due to her delicate status, especially after the Shibuya Incident. This led to most of her duties being exempted, leaving her largely idle.

Since they weren't giving her any work, Index felt like she was taking advantage of their kindness..

"Well, I was wondering if it's possible to exorcise Sukuna's Finger using magic."

If jujutsu couldn't do it, maybe magic could. This was a perfectly reasonable thought.

Though if a simple energy attack didn't work, it might be impossible to bruetforce it out with Telesma. Reverse curse techniques to neutralize the curse had already been attempted. Brute force methods wouldn't work.

However, it would be different if Imagine Breaker were involved.

After all, it could even forcibly return summoned archangels to heaven. The ultimate exorcism relic, "The Blythe Road's Treasure," treasured by the greatest magic society of the 20th century, should be able to nullify or destroy any cursed object simply by touching it.

"While it would still be a form of sealing, perhaps blowing it away along with the space around it could work?"

"If possible, I'd prefer to completely exorcise it."

How about banishing it into space? If the fingers don't move on their own, that could be the simplest solution. But Gojo must have already considered that, Index quickly dismissed the idea.

"I don't think Ryomen Sukuna is a big deal."

"With all due respect, Sukuna's name is known even in Britain."

The Japanese jujutsu community tries to keep information about domestic cursed objects from leaking out to prevent theft.

The contents of the jujutsu storeroom, especially those with high danger levels, are known to very few, even among jujutsu sorcerers.

However, the more dangerous the cursed object, the more renowned it becomes, and its reputation cannot be entirely hidden.

Special-grade cursed objects are monitored by the intelligence departments of various countries' jujutsu communities because if Japan mishandles them or fails to control them, it could endanger others as well.

"After all, isn't Ryomen Sukuna just a bandit, at best a regional level?"

"Hahaha. You truly are an anomaly."

Not in the sense of strength, though that's also true, but rather in terms of values and worldview. Jujutsu sorcerers' common sense doesn't apply to her. Geto calling her an alien was quite accurate.

Calling the entity revered as the King of Curses a mere bandit made Gojo laugh.

But Index didn't know that.

She only knew about Ryomen Sukuna based on the knowledge she possessed.

Among the 103,000 grimoires Index holds, there are also fairy tales, literature, and historical texts. According to one of them, the "Nihon Shoki"

In ancient times, during the era of Emperor Nintoku in the late 4th to early 5th century, a demon appeared in Hida, which is now Gifu Prefecture.

He did not obey the Emperor's commands and enjoyed plundering the people.

The demon was defeated by Takefurukuma no Mikoto.

There are various theories about his true nature, but it's generally believed to be a depiction of forces that did not submit to the Yamato court, in other words, the Great King.

In other words, Ryomen Sukuna wasn't really a curse or a demon.

The rulers of the time labeled those who did not submit to their authority as barbarians and eventually demonized them.

When you think about it this way, it's a common story that can be found throughout history and around the world. Even Index thought of how some religion did something similar, but she would never say that in front of Marie and the others.

"So, perhaps 'fairyfication' can be applied here?"

Christianity demonized other gods, pulling them down from their divine status.

However, in regions where local beliefs were deeply entrenched, there was significant resistance to this approach. In such cases, instead of depicting these beings as evil, they were sometimes portrayed as fairies.

This framework of neutralizing and diminishing these entities by treating them as fairies was replicated through magic in a practice known as "turn into fairy."

A god subjected to this magic is forcibly dragged down from their divine status and turned back into a human. It was developed as an anti-god weapon and has no effect on humans.

Ryomen Sukuna was originally a human who was deified into a demon god. Although the direction of transformation is opposite, the principle is similar to turn into fairy.

The fact that he is worshipped as a minor deity is convenient. With some modifications, the magic should be able to strip away his power and turn him back into a human.

Even if the Ryomen Sukuna was a genuinely powerful curse user rather than a mythologized figure, it wouldn't matter. The magical symbols and principles are still applicable.

"However... using this method might destroy the vessel as well."

If it merely results in a loss of power like with Ollerus, that would be fine, but there's also the possibility of the body being destroyed like with Othinus.

In any case, Yuji Itadori might not survive unscathed. Though he was already sentenced for execution, Index didn't want to dirty her own hands.

"If Gojo wants to learn 'fairyfication,' I'll teach him."

Gojo shook his head.

He was the one who postponed Itadori's execution in the first place. Though Itadori himself agreed to be executed eventually, it's difficult to say, "We've found a way to dispose of Sukuna, so we'll kill you now," especially right after the initial postponement.

Besides, Gojo might not truly intend to kill Itadori unless he goes out of control.

"If it's just a single finger before being consumed, I might be able to do something."

"Though I asked for your help, let's hold off on that for now."

If there's another way to dispose of Sukuna's fingers, the higher-ups would have to re-discuss how to deal with Yuji Itadori.

Though he could still be useful as a radar to locate the fingers, immediate execution would not be surprising. In fact, Gojo expected that to be the likely outcome.

In the end, the matter of disposing the fingers was put on hold.

Meanwhile, Yuji Itadori was in Harajuku with Megumi Fushiguro.

"Gojo-sensei is late."

"It happens all the time."

Unaware that his life-and-death situation was being discussed without his knowledge, Yuji Itadori remained oblivious.