Chapter 55 (Patreon)

Satoru Gojo received a summons from the Jujutsu Higher-Ups.

“Satoru, did those old fossils call you in because of Rika?”

He had planned to hide it from Ragnar Kagenou and go alone.

“Yeah. But it’s not about Rika.”

“Don’t play dumb. They wouldn’t summon you at this hour for something harmless.”

“What a pain…”

“I’ll go see what they want.”

“It’s fine. Leave it to me. They wouldn’t dare touch Rika.”

With that, Gojo vanished before Ragnar could answer.

The meeting chamber of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups.

Satoru Gojo stood before the five elders.

“Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer Rika Orimoto allowed the Special Grade Cursed Spirit within her to fully manifest for one hundred seconds.”

“Do you understand what that means? She is no longer something that can be called human. No ordinary human should possess that level of Cursed Energy, even under the supervision of a Special Grade.”

“Rika Orimoto must be executed.”

“Satoru Gojo.”

Gojo scratched his head, sounding more annoyed than concerned.

“Talking to me won’t change anything. Rika is someone Ragnar wants to protect.”

The hook-nosed elder slammed his hand down.

“Absurd!”

“He is nothing but a lucky commoner who happened to reach Special Grade! How dare he defy the will of the Jujutsu Headquarters!”

“A commoner remains a commoner. Short-sighted, foolish, unable to see the larger picture.”

Gojo’s expression turned faintly cold.

“If Ragnar hears you say that, you’ll be the ones who regret it.”

“He wouldn’t dare.”

“This is rebellion. We stand at the peak of the Jujutsu World. We will not be bitten by some stray dog that crawled in from nowhere.”

“Hmph.”

The hook-nosed elder continued in a grim voice.

“If Rika Orimoto loses control and runs rampant, an entire city may disappear.”

Gojo kept his hands in his pockets.

“If that happens, I’ll stop her myself.”

“However, regarding that Shikigami, there is only one thing we know for certain.”

“Its origin is unknown.”

“A girl with no connection to a sorcerer family—why does she possess such monstrous power?”

“If we cannot understand it, we cannot control it.”

“That is why observation is necessary. Consider it trial and error. For now, just watch.”

The hook-nosed elder’s voice dropped.

“Do not forget, Rika Orimoto is still under a suspended death sentence. If you do not want us to act and kill her—”

Boom!

The pitch-black space was torn open by force.

“Who is it?! Who dares attack this place?!”

The five Higher-Ups turned at once, but all they saw was a blinding golden light.

Gojo sighed.

So he found out after all.

“Ragnar…”

The Jujutsu World was about to change.

“Ragnar Kagenou! Do you think being Special Grade gives you the right to do whatever you please?!”

“You have no respect for order!”

“You’re loud. Shut up, mutt.”

Ragnar Kagenou looked at the old men hiding behind the wooden lattice with open contempt.

Swoosh!

A golden Noble Phantasm shot forward and slammed them straight to the floor.

“Cough… cough! Ragnar Kagenou! You dare commit insubordination and attack the Higher-Ups directly?! This is a capital offense!”

Covered in dust, one elder staggered to his feet, pointed at Ragnar, and screamed.

“Kneel at once! If you show proper remorse, we may consider allowing you to retain your Special Grade status!”

“Who gave a mongrel like you permission to point at me?”

Crimson eyes turned toward him.

The elder instinctively took a step back.

Splat!

“Gaaaaah! Bastard! You bastard! How dare you?!”

The elder collapsed to his knees, clutching the severed remains of his hand as blood poured between his fingers.

“Ragnar Kagenou! Stop this instant! This is not a place for you to run wild!”

They shouted at him, but not one of them dared point again.

“Oh? Then show me what authority you’re so proud of.”

Ragnar walked up to the elder with the severed hand, planted his foot on the man’s head, and slowly ground him into the floor.

“Guh…!”

The elder’s face twisted with fury.

How dare he?

How could some outsider dare do this to them?

The hook-nosed elder immediately turned to Gojo and shouted.

“Satoru Gojo! I hereby order you to expel Ragnar Kagenou from the Jujutsu World! He attempted to assassinate the Higher-Ups! He is arrogant, lawless, and must be eliminated!”

Gojo looked at him without a trace of sympathy.

“You brought this on yourselves. Worry about surviving first.”

“You… You intend to betray us as well?! Once we issue the order, the Gojo Family will no longer have a place in this world!”

Gojo smiled faintly.

“That assumes you’ll still have a future, doesn’t it?”

Swoosh!

A golden Noble Phantasm descended and pinned the shouting elder to the floor, piercing all four limbs.

“Rebellion! This is rebellion! You people—pfft!”

Ragnar stepped forward and drove a sword through the elder’s eyes.

The man curled up from the pain, his screams choking in his throat.

“You barked the loudest. That makes you useful as an example.”

Ragnar grabbed him by the hair, lifted him up, and thrust his hand straight through the elder’s chest.

For a brief moment, he could still feel the heartbeat.

Then he crushed it.

Splat!

He tore the heart out and tossed it aside in disgust.

The remaining Higher-Ups went silent.

“I heard you wanted to execute Rika.”

Ragnar’s gaze swept over them.

“Who suggested it?”

The hook-nosed elder looked away.

“Satoru. None of them belong to the Gojo Family, right?”

“No.”

Chains of Heaven emerged and bound the hook-nosed elder in place.

“W-What are you doing?!”

Behind Ragnar, the Gate of Babylon opened.

From within it appeared a Noble Phantasm.

Maiden of Iron.

“No… wait… I retract the order!”

The Maiden of Iron opened, and the hook-nosed elder was thrown inside as his shrill screams filled the chamber.

“Maiden of Iron.”

The iron doors shut.

A thick flow of blood seeped from the cracks.

The remaining elders trembled uncontrollably.

The last two dropped to their knees without a word, pressing their foreheads to the floor, not daring to look up.

“What? That’s all?”

Ragnar looked down at them coldly.

“I was just starting to get interested. Trash really is trash.”

Then he said,

“So? How are you going to handle this?”

“We understand! We will never act against Rika Orimoto again! We swear it!”

Ragnar glanced at them.

“Do whatever you want. Execute her if you like. After all, I can’t control you.”

“No! We won’t! Please believe us! We absolutely won’t! Please… spare us!”

A moment later, even after Ragnar and Gojo had left, the two elders remained kneeling.

They did not dare stand.

They were afraid the next one to die would be them.

Jujutsu Higher-Ups: two dead, one injured.

Noble Phantasm: Maiden of Iron

Rank: C

Type: Anti-Personnel Noble Phantasm

It is said to be a famous torture device once used by Carmilla.

Carmilla’s true name is Elizabeth Báthory, also known as the Blood Countess of Hungary. She is remembered as a brutal serial killer, though the truth of her crimes was never officially confirmed.

Among the instruments attributed to her was the Iron Maiden—an iron coffin said to have absorbed an immense amount of blood and ended countless lives.

The lives of young girls vanished like morning dew, leaving only pain and despair behind.

Truly, the deeds of a demon.

Yet her true sin was an eternal, unchanging purity.

The screams came to an abrupt end.

The iron needles that pierced flesh were stained with rust, and the blood became nothing more than old marks.

The iron coffin, together with its owner, was bound in chains, quietly sinking toward decay.

…However, after years of investigation, the conclusion reached was that this legend was most likely fictional.