Jujutsu Kaisen: Wheel Of Time

Chapter 28: Special Mission

Another month passed in the blink of an eye. The weather gradually turned cold, and everyone started wearing scarves. Kamihara Hajime occasionally went out on missions, but he never encountered Curse Masters attacking him again.

The Totsuka-no-Tsurugi proved incredibly useful during missions. With it, Kamihara Hajime never failed to cut through any defense. To be honest, he really wanted to test if he could similarly cut through the defenses of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. Unfortunately, while Special Grade Cursed Spirits were not as rare as before, they weren't something one could just stumble upon.

During this time, a part of Minamoto Naine's Technique was gradually understood through continuous practice. Its name was tentatively set as "Soul Spellcraft," and its simplest manifestation was what Minamoto Naine had previously described as "out-of-body experience."

Ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers actually don't have an accurate understanding of the soul, because it's invisible, and most people can't even perceive the existence of their own soul. However, Cursed Energy acts as a medium.

Even if they can't feel the precise existence of their own soul, some Jujutsu Sorcerers, when enveloping themselves in Cursed Energy for defense, sometimes protect their soul as well.

Minamoto Naine also demonstrated her Technique to everyone. Unfortunately, the soul in its normal state is not the transparent, humanoid form that people imagine. Under normal circumstances, it's invisible, but Minamoto Naine seemed to be able to make it observable to them in some way.

So Panda loudly exclaimed, "There's a ghost!" and was then punched by Maki. It's no wonder Panda acted so comically; after all, anyone seeing a faint, smoky, humanoid figure would think they had encountered a supernatural event.

But according to Minamoto Naine, from her perspective, the soul has no shape and cannot even be described with simple visual effects. She can only reluctantly use some symbolic things as metaphors.

"Gojo-sensei is like a mountain peak, one of those very tall ones with snow covering the top, and sunlight shining down on it…"

"What about me, what about me?"

Panda asked curiously. Minamoto Naine hesitated before describing, "Probably… like a three-scoop ice cream?"

"Then what about Maki?"

"Maki-san is like a tree."

Minamoto Naine couldn't accurately describe how everyone's souls appeared in her eyes. For example, she didn't know how to describe Inumaki Toge or Yuta Okkotsu, only having vague and uncertain descriptions.

And Kamihara Hajime, in her words, was like "a lake with not a single ripple," looking very peaceful and beautiful, but for some reason, it made her feel a little uneasy.

Furthermore, the truly practical aspect of Minamoto Naine's Technique was also demonstrated in combat. When she further activated her Technique, her Cursed Energy would take on the nature of the Technique, thus being able to directly attack the enemy's soul.

This effect was tested in practice during a mission Gojo Satoru assigned her. If she remembered correctly, Nanami Kento was the one who led her to complete that mission.

With Nanami, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, holding the line, the Cursed Spirit in that mission met a truly tragic end. Minamoto Naine, with her soul-damaging attacks, quickly exorcised it. It's said that Nanami had a rather high opinion of Minamoto Naine.

This Technique reminded Kamihara Hajime of that villain, was his name Mahito? His Technique was also related to the soul. Remembering that face with the stitches, some of Kamihara Hajime's vague memories began to surface. That was also a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and its recovery ability was very strong. So, when he encounters it, even if he cuts it multiple times, it won't die immediately, right?

"Even in such cold weather, Hajime wants ice cream?"

Kamihara Hajime, who was just taking a box of ice cream from the vending machine, heard Gojo Satoru's voice behind him. He then took out another box, turned around, and handed it to Gojo Satoru: "Isn't there a feeling when eating ice cream in cold weather that you can't experience when it's hot?"

Gojo Satoru took the ice cream with a faint smile on his face and opened the box. Kamihara Hajime took a big bite and then looked at a strange man behind Gojo Satoru: "Sensei, who is this? I haven't seen him before."

Gojo Satoru said indifferently: "You don't need to know him. He's from Headquarters, here for the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi."

The man bowed and said: "I am Iwai Sabu, and I have come for this Special Grade Cursed Object. To prevent any unforeseen circumstances that might lead to the reappearance of the hypothetical vengeful spirit Shuten-dōji, I ask that you hand over this Cursed Object to Headquarters for safekeeping and purification."

Exchanging a glance with Gojo Satoru, who shrugged, Kamihara Hajime then tried another angle: "This is the Minamoto Family's…"

Iwai Sabu maintained his polite smile: "Headquarters has already discussed this with the Minamoto Family, and the Minamoto Family head has agreed to Headquarters' request. Strictly speaking, this Totsuka-no-Tsurugi is now the property of Headquarters."

Since it had come to this, Kamihara Hajime naturally had nothing else to say. He raised his hand and tossed the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi over. Iwai Sabu carefully caught the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi, took out several talismans, wrapped them around the blade, and then bowed and took his leave.

After he left, Kamihara Hajime said with a look of regret: "It was quite handy, actually…"

Gojo Satoru tossed the empty box in his hand in an arc into a nearby trash can, then slowly walked ahead: "It's fine. Once the Curse on it is completely removed, you can still apply to use it. This isn't just a simple Cursed Object; strictly speaking, it's just a Curse attached to that sword. It's still possible to completely purify it."

"I came to find you this time mainly because I have a mission. It's a bit special, and you need to go with Nanami."

Kamihara Hajime felt curious. What kind of mission would Gojo Satoru call special? Then he heard Gojo Satoru explain the details of the mission: "A group of criminal organizations somehow spawned Curses, and a strange symbiotic relationship formed between them. We can't just directly eliminate those people."

"So, we will cooperate with the Police. We will exorcise the Curses first, and the rest will be handled by the Police."

Kamihara Hajime thought for a moment, feeling a headache: "Does that mean we can't disperse those criminals, and we have to act in front of them? And we have to be careful not to cause too much commotion… I see why Sensei found me."

This mission seemed tailor-made for Kamihara Hajime. With his Technique, he was confident he could resolve it in a very short time, perhaps even before those people could react. But why add Nanami-senpai?

"Because investigations show that this Cursed Spirit was very likely catalyzed by a Special Grade Cursed Object, and it's a very dangerous Special Grade Cursed Object. This means there are variables in the mission, so Nanami will go with you."

"Okay~ I'll take this mission. By the way, Sensei, what about the Grade 1 evaluation you promised me?"

Gojo Satoru turned his head and smiled: "This is it, so Hajime, complete the mission well."

"Nanami-senpai."

Nanami Kento looked at Kamihara Hajime, who was politely bowing, and nodded in satisfaction. Although he was Gojo Satoru's student, he didn't seem as unreliable as Gojo. It was just his dark red hair… was it a personal style? He remembered that his hair wasn't this color before.

Kamihara Hajime, with his excellent observational skills, saw that Nanami Kento noticed his hair, and chuckled as he explained: "I cosplayed as Himura Kenshin at a comic convention during my break."

Nanami Kento nodded without saying anything, then motioned for him to get into the car driven by Ieiri. On the way to their destination, Nanami Kento, sitting in the back seat, had his golden hair neatly combed back, wearing a pair of clip-on goggles and a beige suit. He looked like a business elite, a stark contrast to Kamihara Hajime beside him.

"I'll call you Hajime. Have you already understood the details of this mission?"

After Kamihara Hajime briefly explained the general situation of the mission, Nanami Kento spoke in a calm tone: "This is your evaluation mission. Given the difficulty of the mission and other circumstances, if you perform exceptionally well, this one mission might be enough. During it, I will try not to intervene. You need to be extra careful with everything."

Soon, they arrived at their destination. The target was a compound in the suburbs, with high walls topped with barbed wire, looking like a large, thorny hand tightly clutching this "cage."

In a patch of woods overlooking the compound, a group of fully armed Police officers with live ammunition were waiting. After Nanami Kento got out of the car and showed them some identification, a leading Police officer walked over.

"I am Kobashi Nobuhide, in charge of coordinating with you two for this operation. I know some of the specifics here. After you two complete the mission, just notify us with this walkie-talkie, and we'll handle the rest. As for the criminals inside, if you encounter resistance, please try to leave them alive."

After taking the walkie-talkie, Nanami Kento and Kamihara Hajime walked towards the target. Kamihara Hajime then asked the question that had been on his mind: "Nanami-senpai, do all these people know about the existence of the Jujutsu World?"

Nanami Kento said without looking away: "No, only that Police officer just now knows. I've heard of him; he's one of the very few ordinary people who can see Cursed Spirits. Unfortunately, his Cursed Energy is insufficient to exorcise Cursed Spirits. He's also one of the liaisons when the Jujutsu World cooperates with the Police."

Kamihara Hajime looked up at the somewhat rusty iron gate and asked, turning his head: "Nanami-senpai, are we just going to walk in like this?"

Nanami Kento had already taken out his short machete wrapped with talismans. While setting up a barrier, he said: "According to intelligence, these criminals are using a religious facade to commit fraud and other crimes. It would be good to infiltrate, of course, but given the behavior of these criminals, their vigilance is probably very high."

Saying that, he tilted his head, gesturing for Kamihara Hajime to look at the surveillance cameras flashing red in the hidden spots. Kamihara Hajime drew his sword: "So, we've already been discovered as soon as we got close. Never mind, it doesn't matter. Nanami-senpai! I'm going to act."

With that, Kamihara Hajime imbued his Cursed Energy into his sword, and several brilliant flashes of sword light appeared. Then, the heavy iron gate fell with a clang. Kamihara Hajime stepped in first and saw the main building's door burst open, with over a dozen fierce-looking men holding handguns rushing out.

"Oh, they have guns!"

Kamihara Hajime, who had originally wanted to show off his bullet-cutting skills, suddenly remembered the mission requirements. He then somewhat disappointedly activated his Technique. Transforming into a time phantom, Kamihara Hajime directly struck the guns from the men's hands and then knocked them unconscious.

Nanami Kento watched Kamihara Hajime disappear in a flash and the enemies instantly lose consciousness, sighing inwardly, "Young people these days." He then stepped over the scattered bodies on the ground and walked inside.

Although Kamihara Hajime carried his sword throughout, it was largely unused. Those who occasionally ran out screaming, attempting to attack him, lost consciousness before they could even see what happened.

Aside from these armed criminals who clearly weren't good people, as Kamihara Hajime delved deeper into the building, he finally saw some individuals who weren't criminals. They were a group of people with somewhat numb expressions, who, upon seeing Kamihara Hajime burst in, squatted on the ground with their hands clasped over their heads, not uttering a single word.

Looking around this dark, messy underground warehouse-like room, rows of tables were filled with computers with tangled wires. These people had previously been working at the computers. Kamihara Hajime, curious, casually looked at them, seeing chat windows filled with remarks like "Believer XXX" or direct names.

"Oh, fraud, and a cult too."

Ignoring these people, Kamihara Hajime continued upstairs, passing a surveillance camera and even waving at it with a smile, showing no attempt to hide.

The top floor, unlike the slum-like scenes below, could be described as resplendent. One might have thought it was some high-end establishment.

At this moment, a group of people in suits were sitting around the room in a tense atmosphere. Several computers displayed the key surveillance footage leading to the top floor.

Upon seeing the red-haired, sword-wielding young man smiling and waving at them on the screen, a middle-aged man smoking a cigar showed anger, slamming his fat palm on the table, making the exquisite ashtray on it jump twice.

"Where did this arrogant bastard come from? What about Longji and the others? Why haven't they dealt with him yet? How dare a snot-nosed brat run rampant here!"

Though he was outwardly fierce but inwardly timid, his anger, like a lion's, could not conceal the fear beneath his exterior. Their dispatched subordinates had all fallen to the ground without even seeing what happened. This bizarre and inexplicable method clearly shattered their resolve.

If it weren't for the existence of the "High God," they would have scattered like birds and beasts long ago. After his furious outburst, the man at the head of the long table, watched by everyone, remained calm.

His knife-like gaze swept over everyone: "What are you panicking about? The 'High God' hasn't made a move yet! No matter who this person is, the High God will tear him to shreds…"

Gritting his teeth, he thought for a moment and then instructed the man next to him, whose colorful tattoos extended to his neck: "Go pick five sacrifices, and offer them to the High God…"

The man nodded in assent and turned to leave. Those present had varying expressions upon hearing about the sacrifice: some looked relieved, others showed fear, and some even had excited expressions, licking their lips as they watched the tattooed man leave.

Regardless, everyone's emotions in the room stabilized somewhat. Some even poured themselves a glass of red wine, starting to watch the surveillance footage with an air of being completely in control.

Kamihara Hajime's expression grew increasingly grim as he pursued the strongest Cursed Energy signature. Earlier, in a dimly lit hall, he had seen iron cages covering the floor.

He remembered that such cages were typically used to hold large dogs or other fierce beasts, but inside them were living people, most of whom were young, even underage, women.

At a glance, all of them had numb expressions tinged with fear. The scars on their bodies and the dark red stains on the ground made Kamihara Hajime unable to look for long.

However, he didn't immediately release them. The criminals and that Curse hadn't been dealt with yet, and now was not the time to rescue them.

Just then, Kamihara Hajime suddenly heard several shrill screams. By the sound of it, they were on the same floor, not far away!

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