Quasi-Special Grade Curse

"Sure enough, another Cursed Spirit appeared. Is it because of my presence or Li Zi's influence?"

"This Sukuna'd finger actually attracted a Cursed Spirit on the verge of breaking through to special grade," Ryujin thought to himself, a mixture of curiosity and concern crossing his face.

Ryujin shrugged, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, and then he spoke to the air.

"Li Zi, no need to rush back. Let's take our time and figure out whether this quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit was released by that man. After all, it's just a quasi-special grade."

Ryujin had his suspicions. A Cursed Spirit like this shouldn't have appeared so quietly in the school. Given the current timeline, the only one capable of such a feat would be the brainy version of Suguru Geto, who specialized in manipulating Cursed Spirits.

'Is Kenjaku really nearby?' The thought crossed Ryujin's mind, but he quickly refocused on the immediate threat in front of him—the quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit.

"Itadori, Fushiguro, it's just a quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit," Ryujin called out, noticing their confused expressions. They had no idea who he was talking to, but judging by his tone, they assumed it was a woman. Perhaps Ryujin had another Jujutsu master as an ally.

'Just a quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit? That's it?' Fushiguro Megumi thought, surprised at Ryujin's apparent confidence. Was he really so sure he could exorcise it? Megumi began to wonder if Ryujin had some hidden trump card up his sleeve, but his hopes were quickly dashed.

Ryujin nonchalantly commanded his divine dogs to attack the Cursed Spirit, much like he had with the previous one.

'This is a quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit!' Megumi's heart sank as he watched the divine dogs, which were even weaker than his own, engage the Cursed Spirit. 'Where does Ryujin get this confidence?' Fushiguro Megumi thought, anxiety gripping him as the Cursed Spirit continued to wreak havoc, forcing them to retreat to an open rooftop.

"Ryujin, do you know any other shadow spells?" Fushiguro asked, desperation creeping into his voice. The situation was becoming increasingly dire; they needed a strategy if they were to survive.

But Ryujin remained unperturbed, responding with the same calm demeanor. "I don't know any other shadow spells."

His words shattered whatever hope Megumi had left. "Then what gives you the confidence to defeat this Cursed Spirit?"

Megumi's frustration was palpable, his face a mask of disbelief.

"Huh? Defeat this Cursed Spirit? That's not for me to do. The ones who should be worried about that are you and Itadori Yuji," Ryujin replied, casually sitting down with his hands behind his head, looking more like a spectator than a participant in the battle.

Ryujin's nonchalance left Megumi stunned. He had expected a fight, but now it seemed the responsibility was on him and Itadori. This quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit, however, was not going to be easy to deal with, and with a potentially even more dangerous presence looming, time was running out.

In the worst-case scenario, Sukuna's finger would serve as a fallback. If things went south, Itadori would be forced to rely on Sukuna, and everything would just follow the main plotline. Before, Ryujin had intervened, but that was merely a fluke.

Hearing Ryujin's words, Fushiguro Megumi suddenly felt a pang of anxiety. Were he and Itadori really supposed to be the trump cards? Sure, he was a Jujutsu sorcerer, but what about Itadori? He was just a regular human—how could he be expected to defeat a quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit?

The more Megumi thought about it, the more he felt that something was off with Ryujin's logic.

"Ryujin, isn't your companion nearby? You should call her over. I noticed a special grade Cursed Spirit lurking around. You need to warn her before she runs into danger," Fushiguro urged, hoping that Ryujin's companion could help them take down this quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit. If they teamed up, the three of them should be able to handle it.

Although he hadn't met this 'Li Zi' yet, Fushiguro was already counting on her as another Jujutsu sorcerer. But to Fushiguro's surprise, a mischievous smile crept onto Ryujin's face.

"Li Zi? Oh, don't worry about her..." Ryujin replied casually, before his tone shifted to something colder. "And Fushiguro, what exactly makes you think I'm going to help you?"

The icy edge in Ryujin's voice made Fushiguro's heart skip a beat. He finally realized that the stranger in front of him had his own agenda. But before Fushiguro could even begin to figure out what Ryujin's motives were, Itadori Yuji's panicked voice cut through the tension.

"If you two keep chatting, these divine dogs are going to get torn apart!"

Fushiguro snapped back to reality. There was no time to question Ryujin's intentions now. If Ryujin wasn't going to help, then he had no choice but to go all out.

In the center of the battlefield, Ryujin's two divine dogs had already been injured and forced to retreat. Fushiguro's divine dogs were struggling to hold their ground against the quasi-special grade Cursed Spirit, their bodies covered in cuts and bruises.

"This can't go on!" Fushiguro thought, a cold determination flashing in his eyes. He clasped his hands together, forming a bird-shaped shadow.

"Nue!" Fushiguro called out, and with a flash of light, a massive owl-like shikigami materialized in the air, diving in to support the divine dogs.

"Wow, what a big bird!"

"Yo, this bird is so big!" Itadori Yuji and Ryujin exclaimed at the same time, both of them seemingly impressed by Nue's grand entrance.

Despite Nue's arrival making the situation appear more under control, Fushiguro and his divine dogs were still barely holding on.

Nue wasn't an offensive shikigami—it could only harass the Cursed Spirit from the air, buying them some time, but not much else.