He couldn't go toe-to-toe with a special grade cursed spirit. But he could still help find one.
Just then, a pulsing red light caught Fushiguro Megumi's eye.
His gaze shifted to the source—the map laid out on the center table of the Occult Research Club.
"What is this...?"
"A surveillance-type magic tool linked to Kuoh Town," Rias answered. Her voice turned cold as dozens of red markers flared across the eastern sector.
A wave of pressure rolled off her as her crimson eyes narrowed.
"Looks like someone's seriously underestimating us."
"Rias," Sona said, stepping forward, "I just got a report that a stray devil is also approaching town."
A cursed outbreak and a stray devil? This wasn't a coincidence.
"Regardless of their motives, we can't just wait around. We eliminate the threats before they spread," Rias said.
"Which direction has the highest cursed activity?" Kenzo asked.
Rias checked the shifting lights on the map.
"East side."
"Then I'll clear the east."
Kenzo didn't need any more encouragement. A zone swarming with cursed spirits was prime entry-farming real estate. He wasn't about to pass it up.
After a nod to Rias, he launched out of the room and soared across the night sky toward Kuoh's eastern edge.
"There are over a dozen cursed spirits on that side," Fushiguro muttered. "Are you sure he'll be alright alone?"
"Trust him," Rias said. "He's stronger than most of us realize."
After a week of working with Kenzo daily, she knew better than anyone what he was capable of.
He could clash evenly with high-class devils when serious.
"Alright, let's move."
With a final sweep over the map, Rias began issuing orders to the others.
...
Kenzo didn't disappoint.
His devil wings sliced through the wind as he flew at top speed, his senses spread wide.
Below, seventeen cursed spirits lurked along the outskirts—morphing shadows, twitching limbs, and creeping forms crawling toward town.
He dove.
A black magic sword tore through the first cursed spirit like paper.
"One."
Another sword blinked into his hand, forged mid-air.
"Two."
Another.
"Three."
Each sword was infused with destructive energy, a legendary-tier enchantment tied to his Destruction Magic entry. The results were devastating.
These weak to moderate cursed spirits were erased in less than a minute.
Seventeen down. No survivors.
"Fourteen common entries and three uncommon. Not a bad haul."
Kenzo glanced at his system screen, nodding in satisfaction.
He was just about to scout the west side when a surge of cursed energy prickled his senses.
A very familiar one.
"That's..."
It was the same signature as the cursed residue Sona had given him in that green crystal.
The thief was close.
"A special grade cursed spirit, huh? With luck, that's at least a rare drop."
His eyes narrowed toward a hospital nearby.
Without hesitation, he activated Boosted Gear and vanished from sight.
...
Inside the Kuoh Hospital, Yuji Itadori stood alone, clutching a crumpled death certificate.
His grandfather had passed. The only family he had left.
He was still in shock, not even processing the grief, when the floor creaked behind him.
He looked up.
A tall, bark-skinned figure approached, one arm wrapped in white cloth like a bandage. It looked like a twisted tree come to life.
"...!"
Yuji took an instinctive step back.
"*%￥#￥..." The creature spoke in a garbled language, but Yuji understood it somehow.
"You must be Yuji Itadori."
"What the hell are you...?"
"My name is Hanami. I am this planet's guardian."
Yuji's confusion deepened. A self-proclaimed planetary guardian appearing out of nowhere was more than he could process.
"What do you want from me?"
"To fulfill our long-cherished wish, we need to use your body for an experiment."
Hanami produced a grotesque, mummified finger. "Yuji Itadori, consume this."
"No way!"
Yuji turned and bolted. The finger's repulsive appearance alone was enough to deter him.
But before he could escape, vines erupted from the ground, ensnaring his limbs.
"You can't run. Those who could save you are currently occupied."
Hanami approached and forced Sukuna's finger into Yuji's mouth.
Immediately, black markings spread across Yuji's face, and a malevolent aura enveloped him.
Bang!
The vines binding Yuji were sliced apart by an unseen force.
Suddenly, two additional eyes opened on his cheeks, scanning the surroundings before locking onto Hanami.
"A cursed spirit? This is unexpected."
Sukuna stretched his limbs, a sinister grin forming. "You have one minute to explain your purpose."
"I seek information about Rizevim."
Hanami's tone was direct. "How did you encounter that devol from a millennium ago?"
"Rizevim? That foul bastard?"
Sukuna scoffed. "He came to me. I never sought him out."
"I see."
Hanami remained composed, as if anticipating this response.
Before he could continue, a thunderous crash resonated.
A figure wielding a magic sword descended through the ceiling, landing above Hanami.
In a swift motion, Hanami's right arm was severed at the root.
"Are you... Rias Gremory's new servant?"
Hanami recognized the attacker.
"Why are you here?"
"To see you, of course."
Kanzaki Kenzo glanced at Yuji, now under Sukuna's control, then raised his sword toward Hanami.
Boom!
Elsewhere, on the north side of Kuoh Town, Rias Gremory had just exorcised a cursed spirit when she suddenly turned.
"President, what's wrong?" Koneko Toujou inquired.
"There's a special-grade cursed spirit's aura. Kanzaki is engaging it."
Koneko pondered. "If it's just a special-grade, Kanzaki should manage."
"Normally, yes. But this one is different."
Rias had faced special-grade spirits before, even exorcised some. But this one's cursed energy was exponentially higher.
"President, please assist Kanzaki."
Koneko's expression turned serious. "I can handle the remaining spirits here."
"Very well. I'll leave them to you."
Rias was concerned. Kanzaki was powerful, but his time as a devil was short. An ambush could be disastrous.
Back at the hospital, Hanami was distressed.
Kanzaki's strength was far beyond expectations.
According to intelligence, Kanzaki was supposed to be a second-level sorcerer, not a significant threat.
Yet, he had just obliterated a small forest with a single strike and was closing in.
Hanami wanted to curse.
"This is a second-level sorcerer?!"
***
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