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

"Huh? Why are we leaving? Duanmu, he..." Wu Tiao Wu complained.

“I understand.” Xia Youjie tugged at him, shook his head, and glanced between Jiujiu Youji and Duanmu Yan.

Although he was curious, he could sense that Tsukumo Yuki meant him no harm, at least not at the moment.

Moreover, the fact that a top-tier sorcerer specifically sought him out must mean something important.

Gojo Satoru pouted, but was eventually dragged away by Natsume.

Moth Masamichi also stepped aside.

Chapter 48 Beware of the Elders' Council

After the others left, only Tsukumo Yuki and Duanmu Yan remained, standing face to face.

"Alright, you can speak now," Duanmu Yan said calmly.

Tsukumo Yuki's playful smile faded, and she became slightly more serious. "I'll make a long story short. Duanmu Yan, you've been making quite a splash lately. You single-handedly eliminated a near-Special Grade, participated in resolving the Special Grade incident involving Bai'er, and performed exceptionally well at the sister school exchange meeting..."

She looked at Duanmu Yan's slightly furrowed brows and continued, "The Department of Spellcasting, especially those old fogies in the Elder Council, have already noticed you. It won't be long before they come knocking on your door, either trying to win you over, coerce you, or use all sorts of means to try and control you and make you a useful tool in their hands."

She paused, her tone carrying a barely perceptible hint of mockery and warning: "I hope you won't end up like most sorcerers who become arrogant because they have a little talent, or who are brainwashed by those outdated rules, and end up becoming those old guys' lackeys, helping them maintain that corrupt and rigid order in the sorcery world."

After hearing what Tsukumo Yuki said, Duanmu Yan's face remained expressionless, but his eyes turned cold.

The Elders' Council? The old fogies of the Pyromancy Directorate?

In the original work's memory, this group of people hadn't done many decent things.

They suppress promising commoner sorcerers, maintain the privileges of the three founding families and other ancient powers, engage in internal power struggles, have terrible intelligence work and like to give orders blindly, shift blame when things go wrong, and spout lofty ideals when they need people to risk their lives...

Teacher Moth was such a good person, upright, responsible, and caring for his students. But in the end... wasn't it because he refused to completely obey those senile old men's chaotic orders and refused to sacrifice his students that he ended up like that?

Now, these flies have smelled the scent and want to target me?

Duanmu Yan's lips curled into a mocking smile, his disdain undisguised: "Lackeys? Those old codgers who can't even get the intelligence right, who just hide behind and point fingers, whose minds are full of power struggles and their own interests? They think they can command me?"

He raised his head and looked directly into Tsukumo Yuki's eyes, which were filled with surprise and even more interest. "My power is only used to do what I think is right, to save those I want to save, and to kill the cursed spirits that deserve to be killed... I'm not that kind of rotten orange to be a dog for a bunch of senile old fools who hold positions without doing their jobs and are good at dragging others down."

Yuki looked at him quietly for a few seconds, and then a smile returned to her face.

"good very good!"

She clapped her hands and chuckled, her eyes sparkling with admiration. "I love your temper! You have character! You're much more to my liking than that arrogant brat from the Gojo family and that scheming kid from the Natsuyu family!"

She seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted, and without saying anything more, she turned around and walked towards her motorcycle.

I hopped on the bike, put on my helmet, and the engine roared to life.

Before leaving, she turned back and casually blew a few kisses to Duanmu Yan, as well as to Gojo Satoru and Natsumi Yoshimi, who were peeking in from a distance.

"Well then, I look forward to our next meeting, interesting young men~" Her voice was a little muffled through the helmet, but her free and unrestrained spirit was not diminished at all.

"Remember to think carefully about my first question! Next time we meet, I'll want to hear the answer!"

boom--!

With a roar, the black motorcycle shot out of the gates of Kyoto College like an arrow, quickly disappearing at the end of the street, leaving only a faint trail of exhaust fumes and the echoing sound of the engine.

Duanmu Yan stood still, looking in the direction where Jiujiu Yuki had disappeared, his eyes deep.

The elders' council... It seems that the peaceful campus life may not last much longer.

But so what?

there is always a solution to a problem.

He will walk his own path.

Anyone who tries to stop or control him must be prepared to be purified by the Melting Scale Blade or pierced by the Tuonado Armor.

Not far away, Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Suke walked over.

"Hey, Duanmu, what did that woman say to you?" Gojo Satoru asked curiously.

"It's nothing," Duanmu Yan withdrew his gaze, his tone returning to calm. "Just some trivial reminders. Shall we go get some dessert?"

"Go! Of course we'll go! Let's go!" Gojo Satoru's attention was immediately diverted.

Xia Youjie glanced at Duanmu Yan, didn't ask any further questions, and just smiled: "Let's go."

Just before boarding the train, Gojo Satoru seemed to suddenly remember something. He stopped, turned around, and waved vigorously at Ankagi, who was standing with Shoko in the distance and had finally relaxed. He shouted at a volume loud enough for everyone nearby to hear:

"Hey! Diva!"

The songstress glanced over instinctively, a sense of foreboding rising in her heart.

Gojo Satoru cupped his hand to his mouth and exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, "Did you see that? That guy was a Special Grade! A real, lively Special Grade Spellcaster!"

He pointed in the direction where Tsukumo Yuki had left, then pointed to himself, his smile becoming increasingly irritating.

"So, songstress, you need to step up your game! Don't just stay stuck at level two! Look at others, then look at you, tsk, the gap is huge~ You need to work hard to catch up with us! I believe in you~"

After saying that, he gave a thumbs up and winked.

The air fell silent instantly.

The songstress's face flushed red at a visible speed, from her forehead to the base of her neck, and her chest heaved violently.

She pointed at Gojo Satoru, her fingers trembling, and after a long pause, she managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth, her voice rising and cracking with extreme anger and frustration: "Go-—Jio—Satoru—! You, you—bastard!!!"

"Hahahaha!" Gojo Satoru didn't care at all, and laughed even louder. He turned around and nimbly got into the car. He even stuck his head out of the car window and made a face at the songstress who was jumping up and down in anger but had no choice.

Xia Youjie shook his head helplessly, gave the songstress a look of condolence, and got into the car.

Duanmu Yan silently opened the car door, got in, and shut out the noise outside.

He actually felt a little sorry for the songstress; she must have had a strong mental fortitude to be stuck with a scumbag like Gojo Satoru.

Shoko patted the songstress on the shoulder, handed her a tissue, and calmly concluded, "You'll get used to it. Just pretend he doesn't exist, and you'll live a few more years."

After saying that, she got into the car.

Masamichi Yagami slammed the car door shut, cutting off any potentially more infuriating remarks from Gojo Satoru, and said to the driver in a deep voice, "Drive."

The car slowly started and drove away from the Kyoto High School exit. In the rearview mirror, you could still see the geisha standing there, stomping her feet in the direction the car left, seemingly cursing something. Beside her was Shoko's calm profile and Kamiki Kawaya's hand, which was carefully trying to comfort her.

Inside the train carriage, Gojo Satoru was laughing so hard he was practically falling over: "Hahaha! Did you guys see the hyung's expression? It's hilarious! She always reacts so strongly whenever I tease her!"

Xia Youjie leaned against the car window, a smile playing on his lips: "Wu, you really have... a twisted sense of humor."

"What does it matter? This is what motivates her to become stronger!" Gojo Satoru said confidently.

As Duanmu Yan watched the Kyoto street scene rushing past the window, his heart felt somewhat heavy because of Tsukumo Yuki's visit.

What will the elders do?

Chapter 49 The New Knife

In the dimly lit Japanese-style room, only a few flickering candlelight barely dispelled the darkness in the corners.

Several figures sat around a table, their faces obscured by the flickering firelight, their presence only confirmed by their low voices.

"...The Gojo family's Six Eyes is unruly and disregards rules. Moreover, the entire Gojo family supports him, making him difficult to control." An old, hoarse voice slowly spoke, his tone revealing undisguised fear and annoyance.

“Xia Youjie, born into a commoner family, possesses extraordinary talent and an unpredictable nature. He appears gentle but is actually quite opinionated. His magical manipulation of spirits makes him difficult to control by conventional means. Although he has no powerful family to rely on, this very fact makes him even more elusive.” Another, colder voice chimed in.

"Ninety-nine Yuki... Hmph, their whereabouts are unpredictable, their ideas are bizarre, and they are completely beyond our control. The so-called Special Grade have all become wild horses, where do they place the order and heritage of the sorcery world?" The third voice was filled with deep dissatisfaction.

At the end of the long table, an old man, almost completely hidden in the shadows, gently tapped the tabletop with his knuckles.

"Enough complaining. It's useless. The current situation is that we have no top-tier personnel available, nor do we have anyone with the qualifications to be a top-tier person who is willing to follow orders."

"Gojo Satoru and Natsume Yuki are too sharp-tongued, which has attracted the attention of the younger generation and even led to their imitation. As for Tsukumo Yuki... let's not even mention it. The authority of the Elders Council has been challenged in recent years. If this continues, the foundation of the sorcery world and the order that we have maintained for hundreds of years may be shaken."

A moment of silence followed, the candlelight crackling.

“We must find a new knife.” The hunched old man said slowly, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. “A knife that is sharp enough to deter villains, and that we can hold in our hands.”

"You mean... that newly emerged Duanmu Yan?" someone asked hesitantly.

“Not bad.” A glint flashed in the hunched old man’s eyes. “A first-year student, newly promoted to the first grade, with huge potential. More importantly, he comes from a clean background, without any aristocratic family connections. It seems that his character has not yet been completely corrupted by madmen like Gojo Satoru and Natsume Gena.”

"In several missions, he demonstrated a strong commitment to saving ordinary people and his comrades, which shows that he has a sense of responsibility, and perhaps... also has weaknesses."

"But according to reports, he is very close to Gojo Satoru and Natsuyu Ketsu, and the three seem to be comrades. At this Kyoto exchange meeting, they even joined forces to crush Kyoto School." Another person reminded him, his tone worried.

"That's the crux of the matter." The hunchbacked old man's voice grew even colder. "We can't let these three unite. Gojo Satoru and Xia Youjie are already too powerful to control. If we add Duanmu Yan to the mix, with the three of them working together, will we still have a place to speak in the world of sorcery?"

He paused, then said, "We must create a rift between them. An irreparable rift."

"But... what should we do? Those three are very strong, and ordinary provocations will probably be ineffective."

The hunched old man remained silent for a moment, seemingly recalling something.

"Hokkaido, thirteen years ago. Do you still remember the incident involving the top-tier simulated cursed spirit known as the Abyss Devourer?"

The people present seemed to remember something, and their expressions changed slightly.

"That cursed spirit... its form is uncertain, existing between a physical entity and a concept. Conventional exorcism methods are almost ineffective. In the end, the souls and lives of a total of 103 villagers from nearby villages were sacrificed as offerings, and combined with three first-level cursed artifacts, it was barely sealed in the Blood Soul Stone."

The cold, hard voice said in a deep voice, with a rare hint of lingering fear in its tone, "That was... a necessary sacrifice."

"Necessary?" The hunchbacked old man sneered. "Necessary for the sorcerer world, but what about the villagers? What about the sorcerers who are carrying out the mission?"

"The latest report shows that Duanmu Yan had an unusual obsession with saving people during the Shibuya incident and previous missions. He seemed to genuinely believe that he could save everyone."

He raised his withered finger and pointed into the void. "What if he were faced with a choice? On one side, there are hundreds of irretrievable, vibrant lives about to be devoured; on the other, there is a quick, effective seal, but one that comes at a small price. And what would his two strongest companions choose? Gojo Satoru might scoff at it, but Xia Youjie... can his sense of righteousness accommodate such a sacrifice?"

In the dimly lit room, everyone understood the old man's meaning.

"You mean... unseal the Abyss Devourer and leak the news to Tokyo Higher Vocational School?"

“No,” the hunched old man slowly shook his head, a cruel smile curving his lips, “It was an ‘accident’ that the seal was found to be loose, and the Abyss Devourer is about to break free. It urgently needs to be reinforced or exorcised. The emergency task has been assigned to Gojo Satoru, Natsumi Yuki, and Duanmu Yan as a team to handle it.”

"The mission briefing must clearly state the characteristics of the Abyss Devourer, as well as... the 'method' of successfully sealing it thirteen years ago."

He surveyed the crowd, the candlelight casting flickering shadows in his deep-set eyes: "I want to see how these three boys, hailed as the strongest, will choose when faced with hundreds of lives that are destined to be lost, and the cruel price of the optimal solution?"

"Is it better to persist in the naive and ridiculous idea of ​​saving everyone, ultimately leading to the complete loss of control of the cursed spirit and causing even greater disaster? Or is it necessary to personally make the necessary sacrifices, staining your hands with the blood of your compatriots that can never be washed away?"

"No matter which path they choose," the hunched old man's voice was cheerful, "cracks will appear. Suspicion, self-blame, clashes of ideas... enough to tear open any strong bond."

"At that time, we will reappear as guides and those who clean up the mess, extending a helping hand to Duanmu Yan, who is wavering and perhaps filled with guilt..."