Megumi Fushiguro felt the sky was falling.
Before leaving, his teacher had assured him this was a simple task—just a quick trip to get it done.
Yet now, upon arriving, the devils guarding the seal told him Sukuna's finger had been stolen?
After getting the details from Rias, Megumi immediately called Satoru Gojo to report.
"Oh my, someone swiped the finger from the devils? Tough luck, Megumi."
"Cut the crap. Shouldn't we focus on recovering the finger?"
"You're right, but that's not your problem."
"What?"
"Leave it to the two devil ladies next to you. They'll handle it."
Beep! Beep! Beep!
"That guy, what's his deal?!"
Staring at the hung-up call, a vein pulsed on Megumi's forehead.
"It's a serious matter! Can't he be professional for once?"
"I think Mr. Gojo's fine."
Rias spoke up. "This is our failure in oversight, Fushiguro-kun. Just wait for good news."
"No, sitting around doing nothing would make me feel worse," Megumi replied.
"Understood." Rias turned. "Roy, how's the investigation?"
"It's a cursed spirit."
Roy handed the green crystal back to Sona.
"A cursed spirit? You sure?"
Sona was surprised by the answer.
To ordinary cursed spirits, Sukuna's finger was like divine nectar—they'd devour it immediately.
But her senses hadn't detected any massive cursed energy spikes in or around Kuoh Town.
If Roy's analysis was correct, it meant one thing.
A cursed spirit had resisted the temptation to eat Sukuna's finger.
"It must be a Special-Grade cursed spirit."
Rias reached the same conclusion.
Only the highest-tier Special-Grade spirits could resist such a lure.
"Roy, can you track its location?"
"I'll need to scout around."
Roy extended Senjutsu's detection range, searching for matching life energy.
"If that spirit hasn't left Kuoh Town, I've got a shot at finding it."
"I can help track a cursed spirit," Megumi offered.
He couldn't fight a Special-Grade spirit.
But helping locate one? He could contribute.
Just then, a red light flashed.
Megumi turned to see its source—a map on the table.
"What's that?"
"A magical tool for monitoring Kuoh Town."
Rias's aura surged with terrifying intensity as she eyed the map's swarm of red dots.
"Interesting. They've completely underestimated us."
"Rias, I've got reports of stray devils approaching Kuoh Town," Sona added another grim update.
"We don't know the culprit's goal, but we need to move out and deal with these enemies."
"Which direction has the most cursed spirits?" Roy asked.
Rias glanced at the map. "East side."
"I'll handle the east side then."
With someone practically delivering cursed spirits to farm entries, Roy wasn't about to miss out.
After a quick nod to Rias, he headed straight for Kuoh Town's east side.
"The map shows over a dozen spirits in the east. Can he handle that alone?" Megumi asked.
"Trust Roy. He's strong."
After a week of close interaction, Rias knew Roy's strength better than anyone.
When he got serious, he could rival High-class devils.
"Let's move out too."
Scanning the map, Rias issued orders, dispatching everyone to different areas.
…
Meanwhile, Roy, in whom Rias placed high hopes, didn't disappoint.
Spreading his devil wings for maximum speed, he reached Kuoh Town's outskirts in no time.
From the sky, he spotted seventeen cursed spirits of varying forms, slowly advancing toward the town.
A black longsword plummeted from the heavens, piercing one spirit through.
"First one."
Roy activated Demon Sword Creation, conjuring another blade.
Whoosh!
"Second."
Whoosh!
"Third."
…
Infused with Power of Destruction, the demon swords were devastating.
Mere ordinary cursed spirits couldn't withstand such attacks.
At full power, the seventeen spirits didn't last a minute before being wiped out.
"Fourteen White entries, three Green entries. Not bad quality."
Roy checked his haul, ready to head elsewhere for more kills.
But then, a distinct life energy entered his Senjutsu range.
"Hm? That's convenient."
The energy matched the signature in Sona's green crystal perfectly.
No doubt—the culprit who stole Sukuna's finger was nearby.
"A Special-Grade spirit should at least drop a Blue entry."
Eyeing the hospital in the distance, Roy activated Multiplier and vanished in a blur.
…
At the same time, in Kuoh Town's First Hospital.
Yuji Itadori, having just signed a death certificate, stood in a corner, staring blankly at the floor.
His grandfather, who raised him, had passed suddenly—a heavy blow.
As Yuji wallowed in grief, footsteps echoed nearby.
He looked up instinctively, and a tree-like monster with a massive white cloth wrapped around its left arm came into view.
"!!!"
Yuji jolted, stumbling back to create distance.
At that moment, a voice emanated from the creature.
"%￥￥ (You're Yuji Itadori, right?)"
Though he didn't recognize the language, Yuji somehow understood its meaning.
"That's me. What are you?"
"I am Hanami, guardian of this azure planet."
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