Chapter 61 (Patreon)

Ragnar Kagenou drew the katana and held it out for Yuta Okkotsu to see.

“This blade is named Enma. A tachi sharp enough to cut through anything as if it were paper. In its presence, even space itself can be severed.”

The blade had a strange, flowing sheen, almost like water running along steel.

Yuta stared at it, completely stunned.

“Then… I’ll open the path for you two first.”

Ragnar raised Enma.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two clean slashes cut through the air.

Hum!

A cross-shaped spatial rift opened in front of them.

Yuta’s eyes were fixed on Enma.

“That’s… incredible…”

Ragnar noticed the look in his eyes and smiled faintly.

“You want it?”

Yuta stiffened.

He did. Of course he did.

But a Cursed Tool like that wasn’t something someone could casually ask for.

Ragnar chuckled.

“If you want it, I don’t mind giving it to you.”

Yuta looked up at him in disbelief.

“R-Ragnar-sensei… really?”

Ragnar didn’t answer right away.

Instead, he rested the blade lightly against his shoulder and said, “You can have it. But only after you become worthy of wielding it.”

Yuta swallowed.

“At the very least, reach Special Grade first.”

“Special Grade…”

Yuta lowered his gaze for a moment, then clenched his fists.

“I understand. I’ll become strong enough to deserve that blade.”

After that, Ragnar explained the details of the decapitation plan to both of them.

“If this succeeds, the two of you will have taken part in the exorcism of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. There are plenty of sorcerers who go their whole lives without ever facing one.”

Maki Zen’in looked down at the shield in her hand, then back at Ragnar’s calm expression.

He wasn’t joking.

He really intended to use them as pieces in a Special Grade operation.

Maki grit her teeth.

Kyoto.

Mai was there.

If she pulled this off, then even Mai would have to admit it.

Maki Zen’in was a sorcerer.

A real one.

“…Got it. We lure the Special Grade Cursed Spirit to Mount Daimonji, then I recite the incantation you gave me. That’s all, right?”

“Exactly. Keep it simple. Once the Special Grade is dealt with, I’ll operate Enma remotely, open another spatial passage, and bring you back.”

Maki and Yuta exchanged a glance.

Neither of them said anything more.

Then, together, they stepped into the spatial rift.

Kyoto, Nakagyō Ward.

A cross-shaped tear suddenly opened in the air.

Ultimate Mechamaru immediately reacted.

“What the hell is that? A newly manifested Cursed Spirit?”

Momo Nishimiya clicked her tongue.

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Thousands of low-grade curses, two Special Grades, and now something else?”

Aoi Todo’s expression darkened.

“Don’t tell me another Special Grade showed up. I still have to make it in time for Takada-chan’s appearance.”

Tap. Tap.

Two figures walked out of the spatial rift.

Kasumi Miwa blinked.

“Wait… they’re not curses. Are they sorcerers?”

The moment Zen’in Mai saw one of them, her expression changed.

“Maki…”

Todo glanced over.

“Maki? That Grade 4 from the Zen’in clan? The one with no Cursed Energy?”

Kamo Noritoshi’s gaze shifted toward the boy beside her.

“No… the boy with her is different.”

His eyes narrowed.

“That amount of Cursed Energy… he feels close to Grade 1.”

Then his gaze moved to the katana on Yuta’s back.

“And that sword…”

Just looking at it made a cold sensation run through him.

It felt as if his soul might be cut apart if he stared too long.

Kamo’s eyes then moved toward the shield Maki carried.

“That shield is strange too. I can’t read it at all. It looks ordinary, but…”

His voice lowered slightly.

“A Special Grade Cursed Tool? I’ve never seen either of them before.”

Maki noticed Mai almost immediately.

A faint smirk appeared on her face.

“Yo, Mai. Been a while.”

Mai’s face twisted.

“Tch. What are you doing here? There are two Special Grade Cursed Spirits running wild.”

Kamo cut down a nearby curse, then looked at them sharply.

“Are you reinforcements from Tokyo Jujutsu High?”

Maki and Yuta answered at the same time.

“Yeah.”

Mai snapped before anyone else could speak.

“Are you serious? We’re dealing with Special Grades, and Tokyo sent a Grade 4 sorcerer?”

Her voice was sharp, but the concern beneath it was hard to miss.

The other Kyoto students looked just as doubtful.

But Todo and Kamo remained silent.

Both of them could feel it.

The Cursed Tools those two carried were anything but ordinary.

Kamo finally spoke.

“I heard Special Grade Sorcerer Ragnar Kagenou had received word of the situation.”

He looked at Yuta.

“Did he send you?”

Yuta nodded.

“Yes. Ragnar-sensei sent us.”

Kamo’s expression settled.

“Then what does he need us to do?”

Mai looked at him in disbelief.

“Noritoshi, you’re actually going along with this?”

She couldn’t understand it.

Why would a Special Grade send Maki, of all people, to deal with a Special Grade Cursed Spirit?

Momo and Miwa seemed to share the same thought.

Even with Yuta beside her, Maki was still Maki.

A Grade 4.

No Cursed Energy.

Ultimate Mechamaru’s mechanical voice cut in.

“So there’s a plan?”

Maki ignored Mai’s glare and spoke calmly.

“We lure the two Special Grade Cursed Spirits to Mount Daimonji. Once they’re there, the Special Grade will exorcise them.”

Todo raised an eyebrow.

“Drag them out of the city, huh…”

Kamo thought for a moment.

“Is Ragnar Kagenou’s Cursed Technique capable of attacking Kyoto from Tokyo?”

Maki shrugged.

“That’s what he said. Whether you help or not is your call.”

“Maki, you—!”

Before Mai could finish, Kamo answered.

“Understood. If this is a Special Grade’s judgment, we’ll follow it.”

Todo cracked his neck.

“I don’t mind either. The faster this ends, the faster I can go see Takada-chan.”

The others stared at him.

Somehow, that sounded exactly like him.

Todo then added, “Besides, from what I know, Ragnar Kagenou and my mentor, Yuki Tsukumo, once exorcised a Special Grade Cursed Spirit overseas. He also drove off a Special Grade curse user by himself.”

Miwa’s eyes widened.

“Seriously?”

Ultimate Mechamaru’s voice turned heavier.

“An attack from Tokyo to Kyoto sounds absurd… but right now, trusting the Special Grade is our best option.”

Momo exhaled.

“Maybe that’s exactly why they’re called Special Grade. Their scale doesn’t make sense to the rest of us.”

Mai looked around at her classmates.

They had already made up their minds.

She clicked her tongue.

“…Fine. The situation’s bad enough already. We’ll follow Ragnar Kagenou’s plan.”

After that, they split into groups to search the city for the Special Grade Cursed Spirits.

Group one consisted of Yuta Okkotsu, Kasumi Miwa, and Kamo Noritoshi.

Group two consisted of Maki Zen’in, Zen’in Mai, and Aoi Todo.

Momo Nishimiya would remain airborne above Kyoto, using her mobility to locate the Special Grade Cursed Spirits and relay their positions.

Ultimate Mechamaru would stay behind to handle the low-grade curses swarming the city. His technique was better suited for large-scale cleanup.

As the second group moved out, Mai glanced at Maki beside her.

She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Maki cut her off.

“Save it. The plan comes first.”

Mai frowned.

“I know that.”

At that moment, Todo stopped.

“I’ve got residual Cursed Energy.”

Maki and Mai immediately turned toward him.

Todo crouched slightly, studying the traces left behind.

“It’s fresh. A Special Grade passed through here not long ago.”

Maki’s grip tightened around the shield.

“Then it’s nearby. Tell Momo to watch this area from above.”

Suddenly—

Todo’s eyes sharpened.

Clap!

The sound of his hands echoed through the street.

His position instantly switched with something behind him.

A moment later, a woman dressed in black appeared where Todo had just been standing.

She stood there silently.

Then, in the middle of the ruined street, she began to dance.

A slow, eerie, unnatural dance.

Todo’s expression turned serious.

“…Special Grade Cursed Spirit.”

A/N: Early chapter drop today because something came up later.

Have fun.