Chapter 107: Thank You

Miko wasn't here tonight, having returned to Touko's place.

If the two sisters from the Shackle Field didn't show up, Ryuji would probably be sleeping alone tonight.

"Do you want to follow?" Nanako asked after a long silence.

"Let's not. If there's any danger, we'll just be a burden."

"..."

That was harsh, but true. Nanako fell silent, her sister's words striking home. She sighed quietly.

"So, we're going to be his people from now on?"

It wasn't like they didn't want to. Even Geto said Ryuji was good-looking, close to their age, and, more importantly, very strong. There wasn't much wrong with becoming Ryuji's woman.

It just felt a bit unreal.

Not long ago, they were on opposite sides. The shift in their relationship was overwhelming!

"Maybe this is fate," Nanako sighed.

"But this is a good thing, right?"

The Geto's Family was gone, and they had no idea where they could go next. Following Ryuji seemed like a good option now.

"If only we could get stronger…"

In terms of technique, whether it was Nanako's or Mimiko's, both were more inclined toward curses. They could kill without anyone noticing, but they weren't suited for direct confrontations.

Still, that didn't mean they were weak.

But even so, the two sisters hadn't improved after reaching level two, no matter how much they trained. It felt like they had hit their limit.

"Ugh!"

The topic made both sisters sigh.

"Forget it, let's rest for now."

"Do you want to take a bath?" Mimiko asked after finding the bathroom.

"A bath?" Nanako was surprised. Was now really the time to relax like that? When did her sister become so carefree?

For the past three days, they hadn't had time to rest, let alone bathe. They were already pretty smelly.

"…"

She made a good point. Nanako had no reason to argue.

After a moment of hesitation, Nanako nodded. "Alright, let's wash up."

Meanwhile, Ryuji had no idea what was happening back at home.

He was quite pleased with how things were going.

Soon, he stopped just outside a forest.

"This is the place, huh?"

The information only mentioned this forest, meaning they could only confirm the target was somewhere inside. The exact location was unclear.

But this much was enough for Ryuji.

He sniffed the air slowly.

"The stench of cursed spirits is as disgusting as ever."

Once someone reached a certain level of power, their sensitivity to cursed spirits grew incredibly sharp.

Even from outside the forest, Ryuji could feel the overwhelming presence of cursed spirits within. It was stronger than any he had encountered before.

So, were these the four disaster-level cursed spirits?

Ryuji grinned at the thought and strode into the forest.

"Is this the body you wanted?"

Inside the forest, a group of Curses looked in confusion at the figure of Geto Suguru, now possessed by Kenjaku.

It was clear they didn't understand the significance of the body before them.

"Don't underestimate the owner of this body." Even in this new form, Kenjaku's face wore the same constant smile.

"This body's abilities are crucial to the success of our next plan."

Kenjaku glanced briefly in the direction of Mahito.

They had already secured the Cursed Spirit Manipulation technique, and the next step was Mahito's Idle Transfiguration. It wouldn't take long now.

"Tch! I don't care about any of that!" Jogo said dismissively, his disdain obvious.

"I just want to know when we can go to the human world and start killing!"

He had wanted to do that for a long time now.

"Killing people, huh? Sounds like fun!" Mahito chimed in, grinning like a spectator at a show.

Kenjaku had seen this countless times and wasn't fazed. He smiled and said, "Don't forget, I mentioned there's one particularly troublesome sorcerer among the current crop."

"Gojo?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," Jogo said arrogantly.

Kenjaku narrowed his eyes slightly but said nothing. If Jogo wanted to die, who was he to stop him? After all, to Kenjaku, the real key to their plan was Mahito. The others were disposable.

"Gojo Satoru?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out, startling everyone. Even Kenjaku looked up to see Ryuji calmly standing on a nearby tree branch, watching them.

"A human!"

Confirming that the intruder was indeed human, Jogo didn't bother with any more words. He raised his hand, activating a flame curse.

A scorching fireball shot toward Ryuji.

"Boom!"

The flames obliterated the trees around Ryuji.

"Hah! A mere human dares show himself before me!" Jogo sneered.

But Kenjaku remained on edge. He had lived long enough to know better, no sorcerer would show up here and be dealt with so easily.

"Are all cursed spirits this arrogant now?" Ryuji's voice came from behind Jogo.

"What?!"

Jogo's single eye widened in shock as he tried to turn and attack again. But before he could move, Ryuji's fist slammed into him.

"One down!"

"Bang!"

Jogo's body was sent flying, crashing through several trees.

"Jogo!!!!"

Hanami, who had been standing nearby, roared in anger and was about to strike when Ryuji appeared behind him as well.

A swift kick sent Hanami flying too.

"Two down!"

Just like Jogo, he was hurled into the distance.

"Target contact: Hanami. Purple entry triggered. Load?"

It didn't trigger with Jogo, but it worked with Hanami? A bit unexpected, but still good.

"Now, just one more and I'll get a free purple entry draw."

"Hanami! Jogo!"

The most shocked of all was Mahito. The sudden turn of events left him speechless, his usual carefree attitude nowhere to be seen.

He wanted to say something, but Ryuji had already appeared behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Three down."

Mahito turned his head in disbelief, only to find Ryuji standing there, calm as ever.

"Boom!"

Without using any curses, relying purely on physical strength, Ryuji had taken down three special-grade cursed spirits.

"Target contact: Mahito. Golden entry triggered. Load?"

It triggered too? Ryuji didn't rush to check the entry triggered by Hanami. Instead, he focused on the one initiated by Mahito first.

Golden entry: Idle Transfiguration!

Nice! Looks like Mahito's luck just ran out.

"Puff, puff…"

There should still be one more left, Ryuji mused. Sure enough, off to the side, he spotted Dagon still in his cursed fetus form, glaring at him angrily.

Ryuji spared him a glance before turning his attention to Kenjaku.

After all, now that he had Idle Transfiguration, his next target was Suguru's body.

"Ryuji?"

Kenjaku narrowed his eyes at the sorcerer. He had heard about Ryuji's talents before. As a seasoned schemer, Kenjaku always made sure to gather as much intel as possible.

But despite what he knew, Kenjaku hadn't taken Ryuji seriously. After all, Ryuji hadn't accomplished anything significant yet.

Killing special-grade cursed spirits was impressive, but not enough to catch Kenjaku's attention. Unless Ryuji could defeat someone like Gojo, Kenjaku wouldn't consider him a real threat.

But now, seeing Ryuji handle the three disaster-level cursed spirits with ease… Kenjaku realized he had greatly underestimated him.

Even with just physical strength, Ryuji had performed better than expected. If Kenjaku didn't know any better, he'd think Ryuji was a match for someone like Fushiguro, a true combat genius.

"Did you come here for something, Ryuji-kun?" Kenjaku asked with a smile, though he was now much more serious.

Ryuji didn't respond at first, his eyes scanning Kenjaku from head to toe.

Other than the stitching on his forehead, he looked just like Geto. But his eyes were different, Geto's eyes had always carried a weight, like someone burdened with responsibility. Kenjaku's eyes, though, were full of calculation, like a snake ready to strike at any moment.

"Geto," Ryuji suddenly said with a smile. "I'll take good care of Nanako and Mimiko, so you don't have to worry."

"…"

So, those two sisters were the ones who went to Ryuji for help? That confirmed Kenjaku's suspicions.

Kenjaku thought quickly and laughed to himself.

"I'm sorry," he wanted to say, "I'm not Geto anymore."

But to his surprise, his mouth moved against his will, and two words slipped out:

"Thank you."

!!!!!

How is this possible?

Kenjaku was stunned. That wasn't what he meant to say. Damn it, was Geto's will still haunting him?

Kenjaku's expression darkened as his hand moved involuntarily, tightening around his own neck.

Even if the body was dead, did the soul still resist?

"Don't even think about it!"

Kenjaku, an ancient monster with centuries of experience, quickly regained control, suppressing the last remnants of Geto's soul, erasing it completely.

Ryuji wasn't surprised by this.

In the anime, when Gojo Satoru was about to be sealed by the Prison Realm, Geto's will had briefly resurfaced. But it hadn't been strong enough to fully resist Kenjaku.

"Phew…"

Kenjaku sighed in relief, regaining full control of the body.

***

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