"Thump... thump..."
The heartbeat quickened, shaking the mountain. Gravel rolled loose as the mountain stirred with noise, only to fall suddenly silent.
The next moment, cracks spread across the surface of the egg. Then, it exploded.
Black smoke expanded rapidly, only to collapse in on itself even faster, rushing toward a central point where a short figure flickered in and out of view.
When the smoke finally cleared, the figure crashed to the ground, forming a small crater among the shattered stones. As the dust settled, its form became visible:
Its head bulged into the shape of a brown volcanic crater, inside which bright yellow magma swirled, occasionally bursting with bubbling liquid.
The surrounding temperature began to rise—it really did resemble a miniature volcano.
Its ears were shaped the same and blocked with plug-like stoppers. The upper half of its face featured a long, horizontal single eye, while the lower half was a gaping mouth that mirrored the eye.
Its entire body was bluish-gray, with a texture like marble.
On closer inspection, it even looked somewhat aged.
"Yo, finally out?"
A playful voice rang out.
The volcano-headed being didn't respond. It walked to the edge of the mountain, gazing down at the valley below, then gradually cast its gaze farther—toward the distant steel-clad city.
"Je~"
It let out a strange sound, half its pupil exposed while the eyelid shaded the other half. The pupil trembled faintly as the air grew hotter. Rainwater hissed into white mist, spiraling upward.
Its voice, too, sounded ancient—like it was rasping up from a blocked throat.
It turned and looked at the traveler. The corners of its mouth stretched up to its ears, exposing soot-colored teeth like ashes.
"You've been staring at me for days... with that disgusting look in your eyes. Just a mere human..."
Before it could finish, it raised two fingers. The ground beneath the man rippled, forming a miniature crater. In the next instant, orange-red magma erupted and engulfed the man.
"Hmph! Burn to ash."
The volcano creature sneered and turned away, lazily brushing away the smoke at its fingertips.
"A Cursed Spirit born from the earth, infused with an excess of Cursed Energy and born with wisdom... you should have a name. What is it?"
The same playful voice echoed from within the flames.
Hmm?
The volcano spirit tilted its head, this time hiding half its pupil beneath its upper eyelid, and glanced behind it.
There stood the human, waving smoke away with one hand while covering his nose and mouth with the other, walking out slowly.
"Cough, cough~"
He lowered his hand, completely unbothered by the attack. Instead, he smiled brightly.
"My name is Noritoshi Kamo. What's yours?"
He asked again.
The volcano-headed spirit scrutinized the man. This time, it didn't strike. After a long pause, it replied:
"Jogo."
Then asked,
"You're not human, are you? A Cursed Spirit?"
"I'm human."
The voice remained just as light and casual.
"Tch."
Whether it was due to displeasure at the man's attitude or just the word "human" itself, Jogo clicked his tongue.
Noritoshi Kamo didn't seem to mind at all and continued on.
"Jogo, huh? A name meaning 'to pour out desire.' Born of the earth, representing its violent nature..."
He walked closer to Jogo.
Soon, he stood directly before the spirit, looking down at him.
"Want to team up?"
"Tch."
Jogo sneered at the offer, glancing sideways at him.
"With you? Just a human..."
"Humans have left their footprints everywhere—in ancient forests, the deepest seas, even perilous places like volcanic craters. This era... no, any era... has always belonged to humans."
Noritoshi Kamo cut in, stepping to Jogo's side.
"You hate them, don't you? That deep resentment toward humans—only with that could you have been born."
Jogo smirked.
"Hate? That's too weak a word. Just me alone is enough to topple humanity. The age of Cursed Spirits is here. We are the true humans."
"Heh."
Noritoshi Kamo raised an eyebrow.
"Humans aren't so easily dealt with. You finally came into existence—don't waste it."
"But I doubt you'll believe me anyway."
He raised a hand and pointed toward the base of the mountain, circling an area.
"Over there. That's where the strongest sorcerer is—at Jujutsu High. Go give it a try. Then decide whether you want to work together."
His tone carried confidence, as if he could already picture Jogo returning to propose cooperation.
"You're human, aren't you? What do you gain by working with me?"
"Me?"
Noritoshi Kamo chuckled.
"I want to see what kind of world you're planning to create."
"...Nothing but lies."
Jogo said no more. He turned and walked down the mountain.
He didn't fully believe him, nor did he fully disbelieve. Having just been born, to run into someone like this—no, to be cornered like this—it was hard to get a read on the guy. For now, gathering intel came first.
As for Jujutsu High... he would pay it a visit.
Behind him, Noritoshi Kamo watched Jogo's retreating back and let out a sneer.
Just another Cursed Spirit.
...
Non-physical world.
Sōjun Minamoto once again merged with Shichizai, silently counting the seconds in his mind before releasing him again.
It lasted for about thirty seconds.
He evaluated the result internally.
The fusion of positive and negative energies was incredibly difficult. He had only drawn inspiration from the concept of Tai Chi, and his understanding of the Tai Chi diagram was superficial at best. It's the kind of concept that can only be grasped intuitively, not explained in words—an abstract product of human thought.
Everyone interprets it differently.
On top of that, the Cursed Energy source was a sphere—a three-dimensional structure. Trying to achieve a yin-yang split in such a form was far more challenging for someone like him, who only understood the Tai Chi concept on a two-dimensional level.
Before he realized it, Sōjun Minamoto had arrived at the end of the world.
He reached out and pierced through a barrier, feeling a familiar sensation on the other side of his hand.
Recalling the experience, he realized it was the spatial severing force created by unleashing a Black Flash to break through space. Without careful control, that force could harm both enemy and self alike.
He pulled back his arm, now covered in cracks.
This was far more powerful than a typical Black Flash. He studied the injuries closely.
Still, it was ultimately just the same spatial slicing force—nothing new to analyze. In the blink of an eye, his wounds healed.
Sōjun Minamoto returned to the grassy mountaintop.
During this period, he had been repeatedly merging and separating with Shichizai, trying to refine the fusion, but with little success.
Inside the Cursed Energy source, the positive and negative forces were sharply divided, with a misty gray area cutting straight through the middle. There wasn't even the slightest trace of Yin-in-Yang or Yang-in-Yin.
Just two neat half-spheres in different colors pressed together, cleanly separated.
He shook his head.
All three forces existed within the Cursed Energy source. To soften the gray mist, he just needed to loosen one of the other two energies while tightening the remaining one—then the mist would naturally shift.
But both the Cursed Energy and Blessing Energy were already under his perfect control. That wasn't the issue. The problem was the gray mist. The moment he applied too much pressure, it showed signs of bursting.
The Cursed Energy source was crucial—especially the part already merged with him. He couldn't afford to force it.
All he could do was repeat the process over and over, inching forward. Each time he approached the brink of detonation, he would ease up, gradually lowering the mist's explosive threshold.
Progress was painfully slow.
But there was one upside—the Mahoraga Ring was also exerting its influence, and the Cursed Energy source was beginning to adapt to the three forces. Its stability was increasing with each attempt.
Even though the fusion was still incomplete, the Cursed Energy source itself was becoming more stable and resilient.
That was fine with him. He wasn't in any rush.
With that thought, Shichizai fully dispersed, turning into a vast, pitch-black mist that engulfed the summit.
Sōjun Minamoto sat cross-legged within the fog, his breath mingling with the swirling darkness.
From the outside, nothing could be seen within. But across the world, the wind stirred in alarm.
Other living beings glanced up at the mountain peak—then went back to their joyful business as usual.