Jujutsu Kaisen: I have everything I need now!

"It's the Shadow Legion."

December 1st stared intently at the tiny, oil-like black stain that remained on the floor.

"It's slower than I expected. That shadow was trying to drag the child in too."

"The old cannery," Zhenyi said, skillfully checking the cylinder of her revolver and loading six specially made bullets into it. "It's in the northern suburbs."

"You want to go?" December turned around and looked at Zhenyi, who was putting on her trench coat. "There might be more than one there. I can't guarantee I can completely protect you."

This was exactly what December had been worried about. Although he could use one-fifth of his power, he still wasn't completely confident.

Zhenyi paused for a moment while buttoning her clothes.

She looked up, her eyes shining brightly in the dim light. She didn't speak, but walked up to him on the first day of the twelfth lunar month and took his hand in hers.

Although it felt slightly cool to the touch, the sentiment behind it was genuine.

"You said I was your anchor," Mayi said softly. "Without me, you wouldn't be able to unleash your full potential. And without you, I would have died long ago at the Zenin family."

She tightened her fingers, as if to confirm his presence in this way.

"We're accomplices, Shuo. If you're going to stop Lu Suo, then start here."

On the first day of the twelfth month, he looked at her for a long time, then smiled helplessly.

"I really can't do anything with you, Senior Zhenyi." He reached out and gently grasped her hand. "Then let's go. Let's go see what he's up to."

......

The abandoned old cannery stood on the wasteland like a dead behemoth. The rusty iron gate creaked in the wind, and the broken windows, like dark eye sockets, stared at the two uninvited guests.

Zhenyi and the other two arrived at the factory.

The closer he got to the factory, the stronger the feeling of December 1st became. The air was thick with an overwhelming sense of malice, a feeling that made him very uncomfortable.

"Watch your step," December 1st warned.

"It's unnaturally quiet here." Zhenyi held her gun in both hands and carefully walked around a pile of abandoned oil drums.

It's so quiet here. Even the sound of the wind blowing into the factory seems to be swallowed up by some force.

The two entered the main factory building. This used to be a processing assembly line; huge conveyor belts stood silently in mid-air, and the ground was covered with dust and debris.

"Over there," December suddenly pointed to the southwest corner of the factory.

Zhenyi looked in the direction he pointed, and her pupils suddenly contracted.

On the wall in that corner, a dozen or so dark shadows were densely packed together. They resembled some kind of giant cocoon, and within those translucent shadows, several human figures could be vaguely seen struggling in agony.

Those are people stripped of their shadows, or... people being assimilated.

"Mitsuo..." Mai saw a figure in a school uniform inside one of the cocoons.

"Don't go over there!" the first day of the twelfth month suddenly shouted.

Almost simultaneously, the previously silent factory suddenly erupted in a frenzy.

The shadows that were originally cast on the abandoned machinery, pillars, and even under Mai's feet all came to life at this moment. They were no longer simple physical phenomena; they rose and twisted from the darkness, transforming into black ninjas with only upper bodies and blood-red eyes.

Unlike what we've seen before, this is clearly another kind of shadow legion.

Ninja group.

There weren't just one or two, but a full twenty or thirty. They silently surrounded us from all sides, their shuriken gleaming black in the moonlight.

"Whoosh—!"

With a whooshing sound, more than a dozen shuriken came raining down like a storm.

"Three o'clock." December's voice boomed in Zhenyi's ears.

Without the slightest hesitation, Mayu instinctively rolled to her right. At the same time, December Shuo appeared behind her.

December 1st did not resist directly. He swung his hand back, and all the shuriken stopped abruptly less than half a meter away from Shin'i. Then, as if manipulated by an invisible hand, they changed direction and reflected back at an even faster speed.

"Puff puff puff—!"

Black smoke exploded. The five shadow ninjas in the front row were instantly pierced by their own weapons, turning into black mist and dissipating.

"A good opportunity!" Zhenyi knelt on the ground, steadily raising the revolver with both hands.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three gunshots rang out, and three bullets imbued with magical power accurately struck the foreheads of three shadowy figures attempting to attack.

But then a devastating scene unfolded.

Perhaps because the output of the curse power was insufficient, the shadow ninjas whose heads were blown off did not dissipate like those attacked by the new moon. Black mist surged from their wounds, and in less than ten seconds, their heads reformed.

"Can't kill him?" Mayi gritted her teeth, quickly changing the magazine. "Is it because the spell power output is too low?"

"It's not just that the power output is too low; the space here has also been eroded." December New Moon floated above Mayi's head, looking around. "This place is similar to an incomplete domain. Within this domain, they won't easily die."

More and more shadow ninjas emerged from the walls, no longer throwing hidden weapons, but drawing black samurai swords, surging forward like a tide.

"Mai, give me your hand."

The figure of December 1st appeared instantly in front of Zhenyi.

Zhenyi maintained the gun-raising posture, extending her left hand forward.

The palm of the new moon covered it.

"boom!"

A tremendous force surged into Mayi's body through their palms. It was the power of the talisman, channeling its maximum output through Mayi as an anchor point, without being detected by the world.

Mayi felt her heart pounding violently, and it felt as if magma was flowing through her veins instead of blood.

"This is the [Dragon]." Mayi sensed this familiar, violent, and destructive aura.

Zhenyi took a deep breath and aimed her gun at the densest group of shadows.

The once silver revolver was now wrapped in crimson patterns, and a dazzling flame condensed at the muzzle, distorting the surrounding air due to the high temperature.

"Go to hell!"

Mayu pulled the trigger.

"Boom!"

This was no longer the sound of a bullet leaving the barrel, but a resounding roar of a dragon. A fire dragon made of crimson flames roared out from the muzzle of the gun.

The fire raged through the cramped factory, turning everything in its path, from rusted machinery to solid cement pillars, into molten iron and dust in an instant.

The factory collapsed instantly.

The moment those shadow ninjas came into contact with the fire dragon, they were completely incinerated without making a sound, leaving not even ashes behind.

The immense recoil caused Mayi to keep moving backward, but this time, December 1st used her telekinesis to stop her from retreating.

The flames gradually faded away.

The once eerie and terrifying factory has now been reduced to ruins, and the wind and snow outside have drifted in, dispelling the scorching smell.

The "cocoons" hanging on the wall shattered as the power of shadow dissipated, and the trapped people fell to the ground. Although they were unconscious, they were still breathing.

"Huff... Huff..." Zhenyi collapsed into December's arms, the revolver barrel in her hand still emitting blue smoke, burning hot.

"Is it over?" Mayi asked weakly.

On the first day of December, he looked up and gazed into the still-dense darkness deep within the factory.

"No."

His eyes turned cold.

As if to confirm his words, a hideous ghostly mask slowly emerged from the deepest shadows of the factory. It had no body, just hovered in mid-air, its empty eye sockets staring intently at the new moon, emitting a hoarse laugh.

"December 1st...it's been a few days."

"Lu Suo." The first day of the twelfth month uttered the name, his tone as cold as frost.

Mayi struggled to stand up and raise her gun, but Saku held her shoulder down.

"Don't move, that's just a projection."

The mask swayed in the air, as if mocking their powerlessness.

"Do you like this gift? I knew you could unleash even greater power, but it doesn't matter. This is your limit. When I obtain all the masks, the world will be plunged into darkness."

After saying that, the mask disintegrated into countless black particles, which dissipated in the wind and snow.

The factory fell silent again, with only the mournful sound of the wind outside.

Zhenyi clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

"Looks like your retirement is completely ruined, boss lady."

Zhenyi looked at him, then suddenly reached out and punched his chest hard, though she didn't use much force.

"Then let him see that the florist's wife isn't someone to be trifled with."

She picked up the trench coat that had fallen to the ground, put it on, and turned to walk towards the unconscious victims.

"Save them first. Then...we'll go back to Tokyo."