Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

Every time he was thrown, every time his joints were locked, every heavy blow was truly forging his body, making him numb to pain, sharpening his anticipation of danger, and giving him a deeper understanding of fighting techniques.

He walked to the sidelines, picked up his water bottle and took a few sips, his gaze unconsciously sweeping towards the entrance of the training field.

Sure enough, a white head peeked out from the door frame, blue eyes blinking behind sunglasses, a smile of anticipation on its face.

"Hey~ Jie, go easy on him, look how tired Duanmu is." Gojo Satoru strolled in, holding a box of ice cream, scooping it out as he spoke, "But Duanmu, your posture for taking a beating is much better than last week! You've improved!"

Duanmu Yan was too lazy to pay him any attention.

This week, whenever Gojo Satoru had nothing to do, he would come over to "observe" his physical training and then make all sorts of infuriating comments.

They euphemistically call it "supervising teaching quality and students' physical and mental health."

Xia Youjie was used to Gojo Satoru's appearance and simply said, "Satoru, if you're free, why don't you come and be my sparring partner? It would be a good opportunity for Duanmu-kun to experience a different style of physical pressure."

"No way~" Gojo Satoru immediately refused, licking his spoon, "I can't use my strength when I'm sparring with Duanmu, or I'll get scolded by Night Moth Teacher. Besides, I want to see that cool armor fighting!"

"Duanmu, when are we going to team up again for another fight? How about I use a weakened version of 'Cang' to play with you this time? I promise I won't kill you!"

“Wu,” Xia Youjie sighed, “don’t disturb the training.”

Duanmu Yan put down the water bottle, walked back to the field, and signaled to Xia Youjie that he was ready.

He automatically filtered out Gojo Satoru's noise. After spending a week with this guy, his biggest takeaway was learning how to ignore his incessant chatter.

"Let's begin." Xia Youjie also stood still again, assuming the starting stance.

Training continued, with the dull thuds of blows, hurried footsteps, occasional groans, and Xia Youjie's calm instructions ringing out once more.

Under the sun, sweat dripped from Duanmu Yan's taut muscles, landing on the training ground where it quickly evaporated.

Every bit of pain, every drop of sweat, forged his ordinary high school student body towards becoming worthy of that armor.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines, Gojo Satoru leaned against the wall, scooping up ice cream, but his six blue eyes were not completely distracted; instead, he was carefully observing Duanmu Yan.

"Hmm... Muscle memory forms very quickly, and neural responses are also improving... It seems that it's not just the armor; this guy's learning and adaptability are somewhat monstrous..."

He muttered to himself, a deeper interest playing at the corners of his lips, "This is getting more and more interesting. That guy, Jay, is teaching quite diligently. But..."

He glanced in the direction of the teaching building in the distance.

"I have a feeling that the peaceful days are coming to an end. The appearance of these 'interesting' guys usually means that trouble is not far away, right?"

He thought to himself nonchalantly, then scooped up another large spoonful of ice cream and stuffed it into his mouth, squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

"Whatever. Anyway, I'm the strongest."

Just as Duanmu Yan and Xia Youjie were still sparring, two anxious footsteps came from the entrance of the training ground.

The tall figure of Moth Masakazu blocked the doorway. His face was ashen, with fine veins throbbing on his forehead, and the suspense doll he was holding seemed to have its mouth taut.

Shoko Ieiri followed behind him, unusually without a cigarette or candy in her mouth, her hands in the pockets of her white coat, her short, dark brown hair slightly disheveled, and her usually sleepy eyes now fully open.

"gather!"

In a flash, Duanmu Yan steadied himself and walked quickly toward Night Moth with Xia Youjie. Wutiao Wu casually tossed the ice cream box aside, and the box flew in an arc and landed precisely in the trash can in the distance. He put his hands in his pockets and strolled over as well.

Moth didn't waste any words. "Five minutes ago, at the private Sakura Academy in Ota Ward, the school's magical energy response was detected to surge from level two in a very short time. It has now exceeded the level one threshold, and the fluctuation curve is still rising steeply without any signs of leveling off."

"Based on preliminary assessment, the target curse spirit is at least level one, and is most likely a quasi-special level one that is in the process of forming or rapidly mutating. Its curse power characteristics are chaotic and full of corrosiveness, and its specific form and abilities are completely unknown."

He took a deep breath, his sharp gaze sweeping over the four young faces in front of him, and emphasized, "The most troublesome thing is that today is Wednesday, and all the teachers and students are here. Based on the last scattered and chaotic information and the perception of the outer perimeter of the barrier class, at least several hundred students and faculty members are trapped inside and have lost contact."

"The news has been temporarily blocked, but it won't last long. We must act immediately before the situation gets completely out of control and causes mass casualties!"

“Hundreds of people are trapped… quasi-special level…” Xia Youjie’s narrow eyes narrowed instantly, and his gentle expression was covered by a solemn look.

He is not yet the human-monkey he will become later, and he is very dedicated to saving others.

"Whoa—!" Gojo Satoru whistled, his voice devoid of fear. "Finally, something interesting has arrived. I've been sitting still for days, I'm practically rusting!"

Shoko Ieiri clicked her tongue and rubbed her temples. "You really know how to pick your timing... Ms. Yagami, what's the casualty estimate?"

“No prediction, Shoko.” Moth looked at her, her voice heavy. “That’s why we need to leave as quickly as possible. Someone could die every second. The assistant supervisor is already waiting at the door. Let’s get going.”

Duanmu Yan's heart felt as if it had been clenched by an icy hand, then suddenly released, and began to beat wildly.

School, students, a mutated and enhanced near-Special Grade cursed spirit, hundreds of lives lost...

This strengthened his resolve.

The cursed spirit should indeed be completely eradicated.

Chapter 19 Special Grade Cursed Spirit

Do you all understand?

"Understood!" Xia Youjie replied in a deep voice.

"Leave it to me~" Gojo Satoru shook his wrist, his smile bright, but his eyes were as dangerous as a snow leopard eyeing its prey. "I'll make sure it's spotless inside!"

Duanmu Yan nodded vigorously. "Understood."

Moth looked at Shoko one last time: "Shoko, you and I will stay on the perimeter. I will coordinate any support that may arrive and ensure the establishment of evacuation routes and temporary safe points. Your task is to set up a frontline first aid station and prepare to receive any wounded that may be sent out. Remember, your safety is the highest priority. Do not venture into the danger zone unless absolutely necessary."

"Understood." Shoko replied briefly, already turning and walking towards the exit of the training field. "I'm going to get the largest first aid kit. Hopefully, I won't need it."

"The auxiliary monitoring vehicle has arrived at the school gate. You have three minutes to prepare and assemble at the school gate!" After saying this, Moth picked up Cursed Corpse and strode away.

"Hurry! Hurry up!" Gojo Satoru was the first to rush out, shouting, "Jay, Duanmu! Stop dawdling, I can't wait any longer!"

Xia Youjie quickly said to Duanmu Yan, "Keep up, we'll talk in the car."

Duanmu Yan took a deep breath, grabbed his jacket from a chair on the sidelines, and ran while putting it on.

Three minutes later, Gao, the specialist, spoke.

The assistant supervisor, wearing glasses, was sweating profusely and kept glancing at his watch.

Moth and Glass were already standing by the car. As soon as the three arrived, Moth opened the car door.

"Everyone, get on the bus!"

Everyone quickly climbed into the car. The space was spacious, but the atmosphere was oppressive. The assistant supervisor stepped on the gas, and the car shot forward, speeding along the winding mountain road towards downtown Tokyo.

The carriage was silent except for the roar of the engine and the whooshing sound of the blurry scenery rushing past the window.

Noctua and his co-pilot were finalizing the route and on-site intelligence when Shoko leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes to rest.

Satoru Gojo sat in the middle, his long legs casually stretched out, his body swaying slightly as the vehicle turned, the smile on his lips never fading, which made him seem somewhat unpredictable in the dimly lit carriage.

Xia Youjie sat beside him, also looking out the window. Suddenly, he spoke in a low voice, as if talking to himself, yet also as if addressing Duanmu Yan: "The curse power has surged abnormally in a short period of time... Either it has devoured a large number of its own kind or humans, or the body itself is undergoing a violent mutation, or... the environment has provided incredible 'nourishment.' Places like schools gather a large number of young people whose emotions are easily volatile..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Duanmu Yan clenched his fist immediately; he didn't want to see that happen.

"We've arrived." The assistant supervisor's dry voice broke the silence, and the car braked sharply to a stop on the side of the road.

Everyone got off the bus.

In front of me is an ordinary commercial street, and the side gate of the private Sakura Academy is just a dozen meters away.

The school walls were high, and the outlines of modern school buildings could be seen from the top of the walls, but at this moment, the entire area was shrouded in an eerie silence.

Above the school, the clear afternoon sky appeared somewhat gloomy, the air heavy and carrying a faint, strange odor that made one feel nauseous upon inhalation.

The side door was tightly closed, and the guardhouse was empty.

A transparent "wall," barely perceptible to the naked eye but clearly perceptible to sorcerers, enveloped the entire school.

This is an isolation barrier hastily set up by other sorcerers to prevent the leakage of internal magical power and to prevent ordinary people from accidentally entering.

Moth Masakazu stood before the barrier, his imposing figure like a wall.

He looked at the assistant supervisor who was already waiting on the side and asked, "How is the situation now?"

The assistant supervisor wiped his sweat and hurriedly said, "Based on the current situation, the cursed spirit inside has been confirmed to be at least a quasi-special grade cursed spirit. Half an hour ago, two second-level sorcerers went in, but lost contact just three minutes later. The situation inside may be worse than previously thought."

"So, does that mean that guy might be a Special Grade?" Moth Masamichi pondered.

A white-haired man spoke up: "Relax, Night Moth Sense~ Even if it's a Special Grade, we'll still take it down... because we're the strongest."

He turned around and his gaze swept over his three students in turn.

“Wu, Xiayou, Duanmu, the three of you will break in. Once inside, your primary tasks are to search for survivors, establish a safe point, assess information about the cursed spirits, and I will establish a support command post here with Xiaozi to coordinate possible backup and ensure that this retreat route is unobstructed.”

He looked at Shoko Iori, "Shoko, the first aid station is set up right at the school gate, where the view is relatively open, and we can be on standby at any time."

"Hmm." Shoko had already begun directing and supervising the unloading of folding stretchers and more medical supplies from the vehicle.

“Well…” Gojo Satoru twisted his neck, making a crisp clicking sound, and his smile widened. He stepped forward, stood in front of the transparent barrier, and casually pointed his right index finger in front of him.

"open."

puff.

With a soft sound, like a bubble bursting, the solid isolation barrier silently cracked open at the point where his fingertips touched, creating a gap large enough for two people to pass side by side.

Behind the gap lies the interior of Sakura Academy.

Tree-lined paths, teaching buildings, quiet playgrounds—sunlight streams in through the gaps in the barrier, yet it cannot dispel the gloomy atmosphere that seems to have solidified within.

Malice seeped out in wisps through the cracks.

“Let’s go, Jie, Duanmu.” Gojo Satoru turned around, grinning, “Let’s go see what kind of ‘fun’ stuff is hidden inside.”

He bent down first and stepped into the crevice, his figure instantly swallowed up by the darkness inside the academy.

Xia Youjie patted Duanmu Yan on the shoulder and nodded to him. Duanmu Yan was the second to follow, his steps steady.

Duanmu Yan glanced behind him one last time. Ye Mo Zhengdao nodded solemnly, and Xiao Zi had already begun setting up the first aid station. The assistant supervisor's face turned pale.

He took a deep breath of the still-clean air outside, and without further hesitation, stepped across the crack in the barrier.

The moment his body fully entered, the crack in the barrier behind him silently closed, completely isolating the inside from the outside.

Silence, a heavy silence, washed over us.

Although it was afternoon outside, the light inside the academy was unusually dim, as if dusk had arrived early.

The trees along the tree-lined avenue cast long, distorted shadows, and the dark windows of the teaching building looked like peering eyes.

Gojo Satoru and Natsume were already standing a few meters ahead, looking around. Gojo Satoru's six eyes gleamed slightly as he scanned everything. Beside Natsume, a smaller cursed spirit quietly appeared, hovering on his shoulder as a watchful eye.

Duanmu Yan raised the detector; in the center of the screen, three closely spaced green dots represented them.