[44]: Serial Killer
"I've always believed that improving in battle comes from constant fighting. So, let's start by feeling the weight of the sword in your hand," Maki said.
Maki and Fushiguro Megumi stood opposite each other, each holding a wooden sword. Not long after they began sparring, Megumi quickly found himself at a disadvantage, struggling to defend against Maki's relentless strikes.
While attacking with precision, Maki also offered Megumi tips on how to improve. Shin Shuichi watched for a while, but before Maki could drag him into the training, he made his exit after saying a quick goodbye to Panda and the others.
"Gojo-sensei seems to need me for something. See you later."
Shin wasn't lying—Gojo Satoru had indeed sent him a message. When Shin arrived, he found Gojo talking with Yaga Masamichi.
"Gojo-sensei, you called me for a mission?"
Leaning against the sofa, Gojo replied, "That's right. The target is a curse user, someone notorious in the jujutsu world. He often moves around and triggers or creates malicious incidents to spawn dangerous curses."
"He fled abroad some time ago, but recent intel indicates he's back and has set his sights on this."
Gojo handed Shin a few documents, which Shin quickly scanned. The information was clear—a criminal had copied the methods of a past serial killer, though in a sloppy manner. He was soon caught. But the strange thing happened afterward: despite being killed during an arrest attempt, the same criminal reappeared two days later to commit another murder.
The authorities, who had barely managed to suppress the news, immediately sought help from the jujutsu world. Investigators then discovered traces of the curse user. Further inquiry confirmed that this dangerous Grade 1 curse user was involved, and now the case had been handed to Shin.
"No special-grade curses?" Shin asked as he flipped through the report, his expression bored.
Gojo laughed and scolded him, "You brat, do you think special-grade curses are that easy to come by? This case is already bad enough. The target has committed terrible acts, so you're authorized to eliminate him on sight."
Shin casually waved the papers in his hand. Yaga seemed about to say something but stopped. After Shin left, Yaga finally spoke up, "Gojo, your student is still only a first-year…"
Gojo chuckled, his eyes hidden behind his blindfold, giving no hint of emotion. "He's almost a second-year now."
Seeing Yaga raise an eyebrow, Gojo continued, "I understand your concerns. Don't worry, Shin is much more capable than you think. He's already prepared for this."
...
Standing outside an abandoned factory on the outskirts of town, Nitta Akari showed Shin a photograph and said, "This is the place. It's where the killer committed his last crime. According to the intel, traces of curses may still linger inside."
Shin nodded, forming a seal and reciting an incantation to put up a barrier. With Nitta's words of "Good luck" in his ears, he headed into the factory.
The place had been abandoned for years, with weeds growing waist-high. Despite the desolation, fresh signs of activity—tire tracks and footprints—led toward the factory.
As soon as Shin stepped through the doors, he frowned. The cursed energy in the air hit him like the wailing of vengeful spirits.
"Hmm… something's not right…"
Surveying the abandoned workshop, Shin grew more suspicious as he searched the area.
There were unnatural cracks, broken-down machines, and remnants of cursed energy everywhere, all pointing to a battle having taken place between sorcerers or between a sorcerer and a curse.
"If the intel is correct, I should be the first jujutsu sorcerer to take this case. So these battle traces must be related to the target."
"Given that the police only withdrew yesterday, could the curse user have returned to fight someone unknown? How brazen…"
Suddenly, a metallic clang echoed through the factory.
A sharp, clear sound echoed through the empty factory, instantly catching Shin Shuichi's attention.
His black magatama earring released thin tendrils of mist, and his sword, Dojigiri, slipped out, landing in Shin's hand.
He approached the source of the noise: a rusted, heavy door. It seemed that whatever was inside had heard his footsteps because, as soon as he neared, the unknown presence within suddenly slammed into the iron door, producing an ear-splitting crash.
Shin raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Eager to come out? Let me help you."
With just a slight tremor from Dojigiri, the iron door screeched, splitting into fragments as deep slashes instantly tore it apart.
A shadow burst out from the other side, but Shin didn't immediately strike. Instead, he watched the strange creature.
"A curse?"
The thing had a vaguely human shape, though its twisted features looked as if they had been rotated counterclockwise several times. Its limbs were unbalanced, with a large right arm and a shrunken left arm. A purple-skinned hand protruded from its abdomen.
Its body was covered in hard, spiked skin, and its legs were bent in reverse joints. The most striking feature, though, was the creature's left arm, which wasn't a hand at all but resembled a thick, heavy sword fused into its flesh. The earlier noise had likely been caused by that appendage.
Shin found it odd. The creature didn't quite feel like a regular curse.
Before he could think further, the monster charged at him with the speed of lightning. In an instant, it returned to its original position, but its entire body suddenly convulsed as if struck by a massive force, slamming it violently into the ground.
A delayed, echoing hum followed, and the cause—Dojigiri—was now deeply embedded in the creature's chest, piercing into the earth.
Shin had already switched to his other sword, Onikiri, and observed the monster as it struggled to rise. From what might be called its mouth, it muttered something unintelligible. Curious, Shin leaned closer and managed to make out some words.
"Kill… kill you…"
With a swift motion, Shin stomped on the monster, forcing it back to the ground. The concrete beneath cracked under the pressure, sending dust billowing outward.
Then, with two clean strokes, he severed its arms to avoid further hassle. He prodded at the tattered remains of the creature's clothing with the tip of his sword.
Surprisingly, as Shin moved in for a closer look, he realized that this monster was still wearing clothes. He sliced open a relatively intact pocket in its shirt, and a small notebook fell out.
Noticing the monster instinctively move to retrieve the notebook despite its lack of arms, Shin picked it up. The notebook wasn't large, just about palm-sized. He flipped it open casually, and his expression turned strange.
Flipping through a few more pages quickly, Shin disdainfully tossed it to the ground. He now understood what this creature was—it was the serial killer, brought back to life.
"His name was something like Matsumoto, wasn't it?"
The notebook was filled with disturbingly vivid sketches, drawn in pencil, depicting grotesque scenes. According to the intel, this twisted killer often left behind his "artwork" after committing his crimes, and this notebook was proof. Its pages displayed horrific imagery that would nauseate most people, though the killer himself clearly took pleasure in them.
"Perfect example of someone irredeemable," Shin remarked with disdain. "I guess this is the end for you."
Shin raised his sword, placing the blade on the monster's forehead. A simple push would send Onikiri deep into its brain, reducing it to mush.
But Shin hesitated, pondering a thought. When ordinary people die, there's a chance they might turn into curses, though the resulting entity isn't quite the same person.
However, this creature didn't just turn into a curse; it still wore clothes, carried physical items, and had blood. There was something off about this situation...
Pulling out his phone, Shin opened the camera and took a picture of the monster. What he saw in the photo made his eyes widen: the image clearly captured the monster's full form.
Normally, curses are invisible to regular people, and even modern technology like cameras and surveillance systems can't capture their presence. This could only mean one thing—the monster wasn't a curse. It was Matsumoto's transformed body.
'This situation... it's that curse.'
Shin's thoughts raced back to a particularly memorable entity—a special-grade curse, Mahito. His technique allowed him to alter a person's soul, causing their body to mutate.
Upon further inspection of Matsumoto's body, Shin realized why he hadn't recognized it immediately. This was his first time encountering something like this. If not for the telltale signs, he might not have even connected it to Mahito's ability.
Reflecting on the fate of victims of this curse technique, Shin knew there was no way to save them. Even if there were a way to reverse the transformation, Shin had no intention of saving Matsumoto. Death would be too kind for someone like him.
With one final slash, Shin severed the monster's head. The body stopped struggling. After pulling Dojigiri from the ground, another thought occurred to him: Matsumoto was here, but where was the curse user?
The surrounding signs of battle didn't seem like the work of a single monster. At the very least, Matsumoto had encountered either the curse user or the curses they controlled.
°°°
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