Act of Sacrifice
Seoul, South Korea - GMT +9 - 8:45 PM
The smartphone in Jin-Woo's hand flickered sporadically, its feeble glow the only beacon in the enveloping darkness. He navigated through the desolate corridors, each step echoing with a sense of foreboding. The walls seemed to close in, and the very air felt dense with a sinister energy. It was as if the building itself conspired to deceive and entrap those who dared to venture inside.
Jin-woo pressed on, determined to unravel the mysteries concealed within the cursed spirit's domain. He passed through multiple corridors, the rain-soaked echoes of his footsteps a lonely symphony in the desolation. The domain seemed to shift; its layout was an ever-changing puzzle designed to bewilder intruders.
Amidst the twisting corridors, Jin-Woo's senses heightened as he caught the distant noise of battle. The clash of curses and the unmistakable resonance of sorcery reverberated through the air. A surge of relief washed over him. Inside were definitely Nanami and Mei, probably fighting that cursed spirit.
He ventured deeper and came out of a large room, where the battle unfolded. Mei Mei stood aside, while the cursed spirit was taken care of by Nanami. His presence was immediately sensed by both Grade One sorcerers, and the woman had to step in front of him just in case, while also wielding the large axe.
"What were you thinking by coming here? This could've been extremely dangerous."
"I already sent a warning to the Jujutsu Association, I believe they alerted someone who could help out. Still, I decided it'll be necessary to get myself involved... just in case." Although it seemed idiotic, his words held some truth.
"This Special Grade right here appears to be a pain in the ass...it's an unregistered type of Special Grade Cursed Spirit. We had quite some time to study it."
As they continued to exchange the information, Nanami had managed to corner the Special Grade Curse. Thankfully, the new born Special Grade Curse was unable to match the experience of Nanami, who had broken, in terms of logic, cursed technique in addition.
The curse shrieked when another one of Nanami's punches connected to its abdomen, causing a large hole to appear on the spirit's body. It tried to form some words out of its mouth, but in vain and the next thing it could see was a blunt weapon wrapped in some clothes slicing through his eyes.
"This one is done for...but, the domain, why is it still up?" Nanami questioned himself after seeing the cursed spirit dissipating. The domain was supposed to die with the curse, but that didn't happen, instead it stayed up.
After the caster is dead, Domain's themselves won't stay up due to the cursed energy source being cut off, but in this case it stayed up. Which could only mean that the domain was casted by somebody else. The negative presence also remained.
"This can only mean that... we are trapped." Jin-woo said, explaining that after he entered the walls locked the exits. Nanami couldn't fathom why only after Jin-woo entered did the domain close itself, but they had to find the other curse that cast it...and exorcize it as well.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirits are born from negative emotions of people, the special-grade curses are usually manifestations of some kind of major fear that a lot of people share. Be it a natural disaster or plagues...a curse could be a symbolization of it. It was interesting what this particular curse could be born from, but they didn't have time to observe more.
'The signal is also cut off...' Not just that, the phone was flickering inside of the domain. Something was interfering with the electronics. The group didn't have enough time to chit chat about this matter, so they went ahead.
Finding the way out would be futile, so they followed the flow of negative energy in the air. Another big hint about the location of special grade curse was the fact that from a certain place, smaller curses would appear and attack them instantly. So they just followed the path where those curses were coming from...
... ... ...
Seoul, South Korea - GMT +9 - 9:00 PM
The group, now united, navigated through the labyrinth corridors of the building. Mei Mei led the way with her large axe, Nanami closely following after a bit of a tiring battle with the curse, and Jin-Woo at the rear with his sword. The atmosphere inside the domain remained oppressive, as if the walls themselves whispered with despair.
Following the unsettling path marked by the appearance of smaller curses, the three weaved through the tight passages. The intermittent flicker of Jin-Woo's smartphone served as their only source of light, casting long shadows that seemed to dance with the malevolent energy lingering in the air.
The building seemed almost alive, adjusting its layout to disorient the intruders. Walls shifted, corridors twisted, and the distant sounds of the ongoing battle faded into an eerie silence. Mei Mei, relying on her innate senses, led them unerringly toward the epicenter of the negative energy.
As they traversed yet another narrow corridor, the air grew thick with a palpable malevolence. The cursed energy seemed to coalesce, creating an almost tangible barrier that made it difficult to advance. The smartphone's light wavered as if struggling against an unseen force.
Jin-Woo, sensing the heightened tension, tightened his grip on the cursed weapon. Mei Mei raised her large axe, and Nanami assumed a defensive stance. The trio cautiously moved forward, each step heavier than the last.
Abruptly, the corridor opened into another vast room, even larger than the previous one. The emptiness was unnerving; the only sound was the echo of their footsteps reverberating through the cavernous space. The oppressive energy, however, was more concentrated here, hanging thick in the air like an invisible fog.
In the center of the room stood nothing but emptiness, a void devoid of curses or manifestations. The smaller curses that had been guiding them dissipated, leaving the room eerily silent.
Mei Mei's eyes narrowed, and Nanami's expression hardened as they surveyed the empty expanse. Jin-Woo's senses tingled with foreboding, and a realization dawned upon him.
"This... should be the place...," he muttered, his voice barely audible over the oppressive silence.
The trio stood in the vast, empty room, the silence amplifying the intensity of the cursed energy that still lingered in the air. The absence of curses here seemed to be the true anomaly, a void in the chaotic dance of malevolence that surrounded them.
... ... ...
As the realization settled that they were standing in the heart of the domain, a low, guttural noise began to resonate through the emptiness. The air itself seemed to shimmer with a foreboding energy, and the trio tensed, weapons at the ready.
From the very core of the room, shadows began to manifest. At first, they were indistinct, mere silhouettes against the oppressive atmosphere. Slowly, the shadows solidified, revealing twisted forms and ghastly faces. Cursed spirits emerged, clawing their way into existence.
Mei Mei, Nanami, and Jin-Woo found themselves surrounded by an army of curses. The room, once empty, was now teeming with malevolent entities, their distorted shapes moving with an unnatural fluidity.
The smartphone's light flickered and struggled to pierce the growing darkness. Mei Mei's eyes darted between the curses, and Nanami tightened his grip on his weapon. Jin-Woo, though apprehensive, steeled himself for the impending confrontation.
In the center of the room, untouched by the curses that surrounded it, stood an ancient-looking altar. Its design was intricate, adorned with cursed symbols and ominous engravings. The cursed energy pulsated from the altar, seemingly the source of the cursed energy.
The curses, now fully formed, acknowledged the presence of the intruders. A collective, eerie hiss echoed through the room as they prepared to attack. Mei Mei, being the first to react, raised her large axe and lunged at the nearest curse.
The room erupted in chaos. Nanami, with calculated precision, engaged curses on one front, while Mei Mei skillfully swung her weapon to create an opening. Jin-Woo, though lacking the technique, relied on the cursed sword provided by the association to cleave through curses with robust strikes.
The curses fought relentlessly, their twisted forms moving with unnatural speed. The room echoed with the clang of weapons meeting cursed flesh and the anguished wails of exorcized spirits.
As they fought, the curses seemed to respawn, a continuous onslaught that tested the limits of the sorcerers' stamina. The altar, untouched and enigmatic, retained an unsettling presence at the heart of the chaos.
In the midst of battle, Jin-Woo's instincts tingled. With each curse defeated, there was a momentary fluctuation in the cursed energy emanating from the ancient structure.
Nanami, recognizing the pattern, shouted over the din of battle, "Focus on the altar. It must be the cursed object that keeps them coming!"
Mei Mei, with a swift nod, redirected her attacks toward the altar. The curses, sensing the threat to their source, intensified their assault. The room became a battleground, with curses falling and respawning in an endless cycle. Mei Mei, Nanami, and Jin-Woo pressed on, determined to unravel the heart of the domain and break the sinister connection between the curses and the ancient altar.
... ... ...
Most of the cursed objects that held an enormous threat to society were already registered. This altar meanwhile seemed to be an exception. It would be an understatement to say it was just a "special grade" cursed object. It was sinister, gave off an aura of death and made direct implications what it wanted. It needed sacrifice...
The chance that students that disappeared before fell victim to some sacrificial ritual was high. The swarm of curses that came into view from dark walls finally started overpowering the group. The grade one sorcerers were not enough in this mission, they needed a backup...
'But how?!' Jin-woo screamed internally. He could only just swing his sword mindlessly and miss quite a lot of blows, physically exhausting himself. 'I can't keep up anymore.' He was unable to catch a breath... the adrenaline rush was not helping him. One thing that kept him going for so long was survival instinct.
Grab
Jin-woo was caught by a curse, "Augh!" It grabbed him tight with sharp claws and dug under his skin. The blood came out flowing instantly, alerting Nanami and Mei. They thought about rushing over, but more curses switched to them now. As if understanding that the weak point was Jin-woo.
Multiple curses pinned Jin-woo down and threw away his cursed sword, essentially leaving him defenseless. His smartphone was shattered into pieces and the backpack with cursed objects torn apart.
"Jin-woo!" Nanami called out, but it was too late to do anything. His vision was obstructed by more curses...
The Korean teenager had fallen unconscious. Nanamia and Mei Mei fought tirelessly, searching for a way to escape...unfortunately, they had no time to think about Jin-woo anymore. Although, they knew what the fate for the boy would be.
'We must get out...'
As he thought about it, out of blue, the exit appeared with cursed spirits leaving a path for them to go through. Although this time they were unable to see past them, due to the domain being cut off once again... without Gojo Satoru, this would be impossible to handle. The altar had to be destroyed.
... ... ...