Jujutsu Kaisen: I have everything I need now!

Tokyo Bay, Pier 13.

The sea breeze carried waves laden with the strong smell of engine oil and salt, relentlessly crashing against an abandoned cargo ship named "Kuroshio." Huge containers were stacked on the deck like building blocks, casting jagged shadows on the rusty iron plates.

The group of four was advancing into the darkness deep within the cargo ship in a diamond formation.

"Ugh, this tastes absolutely awful."

Kugizaki Nobara fanned her nose with disgust, her leather boots making a slapping sound on the puddle deck. "The smell of engine oil mixed with the stench of dead fish and rotten shrimp... this is basically a garbage dump."

"Keep your voice down, Kugizaki." Yuujin Itadori walked beside her, cautiously observing their surroundings. "It's a bit too quiet here."

"If there are enemies, silence is the norm." Fushiguro Megumi walked on the left flank of the group, her fingers always in a hand seal position. Although she could only summon a few scattered shikigami, they were still extremely important combat forces. "According to 'Window's' intelligence, this ship stopped operating a week ago, but there are strange cargo-carrying noises every night."

"Moreover, the cursed power is very tainted." Yuta Eki, who was walking at the front, stopped and looked up at the huge entrance to the ship's cabin ahead. "It should be a cursed spirit of level one or higher."

The four of them walked to the dark entrance.

Suddenly, a cold light appeared out of the darkness without warning.

"Be careful!"

Yi Gu's reaction was astonishingly fast. Before he could even draw his sword, he merely dodged to the side, and the cold light grazed past his nose, deeply slicing into the steel plate beside him.

"laugh--!"

The steel plate, several centimeters thick, was cut open like tofu, with a smooth, mirror-like cut.

"What is that?" Itachi instantly assumed a fighting stance, his fists already enveloped in magical power.

From the darkness came a sound like the scraping of metal.

"Hehe...hehehe..."

A gaunt figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

That's right, it's crawling.

He was on all fours, his movements contorted like a giant spider.

By the moonlight, the four of them were able to see each other clearly.

It was a man wearing tattered overalls, but only half of his face was visible.

To be precise, half a mask was covering his left cheek. The mask was bluish-purple, with an insect-like compound eye structure, but it was only half a mask, with an uneven break, revealing the man's right eye, which was originally filled with fear but could not be controlled.

Behind him, five strange shadows were wriggling.

Unlike previous ninja groups, they were not humanoid, nor did they have wings like the Night Bats. Their bodies were long and flat, without hands, replaced by a huge, sharp pincer.

The Hunter Claw Gang.

"Only half a mask?" Fushiguro Megumi frowned. "According to Mai's information, the mask should be complete."

"Who cares how many nails they have? They're so disgusting, let's beat them up first!" Kugisaki Nobara pulled out a few five-inch nails from her fanny pack, her eyes turning sharp. "Perfect for testing my new hammer."

"It's in!"

With his leg muscles taut, Huzhang shot out like a spring.

"Black Flash!"

Itachi's fist was imbued with a powerful curse on its very first strike, slamming fiercely into the half-faced man.

"hiss!"

The half-man let out a strange cry, and the five pincer shadows instantly blocked his way. Only then did everyone realize that the figures were not tall and slender at all, but rather only half of them. Their huge pincers crossed, forcefully blocking Tiger Stick's fist.

"What's this, half? But it's really hard!"

Huzhang felt as if he had struck a solid piece of steel.

"Urika!"

Yi Gu drew his long sword.

A gigantic cursed spirit, Rika, appeared, and a giant hand swept across, attempting to shatter the shadows.

Although the pincers were only half-hidden, they moved with incredible agility. Just as Rika's giant hand was about to touch them, they ducked and dodged the attack.

Several pincers dodged the attack and then lunged at Bone, but he remained calm, using the momentum to leap backward.

"This is a bit troublesome."

Just then, several nails imbued with magical power pierced through the air.

"Whatever it is, as long as it's still a shadow, it can't escape, can it?"

Kugizaki Nobara stood atop a high shipping container, holding a hammer in her hand, a wild smile playing on her lips.

"Hawk Spirit Spell - Hairpin!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The nails that had just been driven into the ground exploded instantly. Although they did not directly hit the shadows, the shockwave from the explosion disrupted their formation, forcing them to dodge again.

"Now! Fushiguro!" Kugizaki shouted.

"Jade Dog!"

The giant black wolf roared as it pounced on the dodging shadows.

The battle erupted instantly.

Although the wearer of this half-mask appeared mentally unstable, his combat instincts were exceptionally sharp. Those pincer-like shadows were not only extremely powerful in attack, but also worked in perfect unison.

"Their defenses aren't high," Fushiguro Megumi calmly commanded. "Kudoshin, left!"

"Os!"

Itachi dodged the attack with a slide tackle, and then delivered a backhand uppercut, sending a shadow that was trying to sneak up on Fuhei flying.

But the shadow was extremely agile; it turned in mid-air as if trying to escape.

"Where do you think you're going!"

A nail was precisely driven into the half of the shadow.

Kugisaki Nobara slammed the hammer into another nail, and the cursed power was instantly transmitted through the invisible connection.

"Spiritual Spell - Resonance!"

"squeak--!!!"

A piercing scream rang out.

Not only the half of the shadow that was pinned down, but also the mask holder, they were all instantly stiffened as if their hearts had been struck, their bodies trembled violently, and then they exploded into a cloud of black mist.

Everyone else watched with bated breath, thankfully they didn't 'revive' like the Night Bats.

"Well done, Kugizaki!" Itadori shouted excitedly.

"Stop talking nonsense! The key is that half-faced man!" Kugizaki leaped down from the shipping container. "Ergu-senpai!"

"clear!"

Yigu's eyes sharpened, and taking advantage of the moment when the shadow was stunned by Kugizaki's resonance, he moved like lightning and instantly cut into the half-faced man's defensive circle.

"Die."

The long sword in his hand transformed into a white streak.

"puff!"

Before the half-faced man could even react, the half of his masked face was struck hard by the back of the knife.

"Click".

Half of the mask fell to the ground.

As the mask fell off, the pesky pincers instantly vanished into black smoke. The half-faced man rolled his eyes and fainted.

"Hoo..." Kugizaki shook his head. "What a load of rubbish. This kind of thing is only at the level of a level one cursed spirit."

"Relaxed?" Fushiguro Megumi looked at the half-mask on the ground, her unease growing stronger. "If it's the level of threat Mai mentioned, it shouldn't be this weak. And... why is it only half a mask?"

"Perhaps it's because there's only half a mask, so the power is incomplete?" Yigu sheathed his sword, walked over, and picked up the half mask.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the mask.

"Slap, slap, slap."

A round of applause came from higher up in the container.

The four of them tensed up instantly and looked up sharply.

At the top of the tallest crane stood a man dressed in a cassock. He had long black hair and wore a demon mask on his face.

"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant!"