Curse Returns, a gamble from the start, I awaken dual spells

The third level of the underground prison at Tokyo Jujutsu High School.

In the dimly lit corridor, the emergency lights cast dappled shadows on the damp walls.

The air was filled with the smells of mildew and rust.

Night Moth Masamichi knelt in the center of the cell, his hands bound behind his back by specially made cursed chains.

His white principal's uniform was covered in wrinkles and tears, and the bruise around his left eye made his serious face look much older.

Outside the cell, a middle-aged man in a black suit stood there, with the insignia of a high-ranking figure in the world of sorcery pinned to his chest.

"Principal Moth, it's been a long time."

The moth did not answer.

The man didn't seem to care and continued, "To be honest, I never expected you to end up like this. Gojo Satoru is sealed away, you're imprisoned, and your students are fleeing like stray dogs through the ruins of Shibuya... It's truly heartbreaking."

He paused, took a step forward, placed his hands on the iron bars, and lowered his voice:

"But don't worry, that brat named Itadori Hisahito will be joining you soon."

Moth's eyelids twitched, and the fist behind her clenched tightly.

"Do you know?" The man straightened up, took out a pocket watch from his pocket, and glanced at the time.

"In fifteen minutes, the execution will officially begin. The execution will be carried out publicly in the Shibuya Ruins Plaza as a warning to others."

The moth finally spoke:

"Do you think that killing one student can cover up your failure?"

The man's smile faltered slightly.

"The deaths of those civilians were the price of high-level decision-making errors, not Hisahito Itadori's fault."

"You pushed Gojo Satoru to the front lines but didn't give him enough support; you knew there was a conspiracy but let things escalate; and when everything got out of control, you pinned the blame on a first-year student."

"Is this how you maintain order?"

The man's smile vanished.

He stared at Moth, his eyes icy: "Moth, who do you think you're talking to?"

"I'm talking to someone who's hiding in the shadows giving orders, but doesn't dare go to the front lines himself."

The man's lips twitched.

He took a deep breath, suppressed his anger, and put on a smile again.

"That's great, you can still be so tough, but it's okay..."

He took a half step back and pulled out a palm-sized black talisman from his sleeve.

"I heard that you treat your students very well, caring for them like a father. So, I prepared a gift especially for you."

The surface of the runestone glowed with a dark red light.

The moth's body shuddered violently, and intense pain surged from its limbs and bones, like countless needles piercing its nerves at the same time.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he clenched his teeth and remained silent.

"A cursed artifact: Bone-Eroding Stone." The man fiddled with the talisman.

"It's not anything high-end, but it's more than enough to deal with you since your curse power is sealed."

"It will continuously stimulate your pain receptors, causing your body to gradually break down."

He lowered his head, looking at Moth's face contorted in pain, and his smile deepened.

"Enjoy it while you can, Moth. You have several hours left to savor before you die."

Just then, suddenly—

boom!!!

The sound of the walls cracking came from the end of the corridor, deafeningly loud.

The entire underground prison floor trembled violently, and mortar from the ceiling fell in a shower.

The man's smile froze on his face, and he turned around abruptly.

A beam of azure light suddenly appeared at the end of the dimly lit corridor, tearing through the darkness.

The next second, a figure rushed out from the smoke and dust.

He was a boy wearing a tattered school uniform.

The school uniform was no longer recognizable as its original color, the cuffs were mostly charred, and the body was covered in bloodstains and wounds.

But those eyes, even in the dim light, shone with an astonishing brightness.

"Found it."

Rito's gaze passed over the man and landed on the cell behind him.

Moth was kneeling on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat and his face pale.

"Who are you?!" the man shouted, his right hand reaching for the magical implement at his waist.

"The one who will take your life."

As soon as he finished speaking, Rito's figure disappeared from the spot.

The man's pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively drew the short blade from his waist and swung it forward.

But the strike missed its mark.

Rito's figure had already appeared beside him, his right fist, imbued with magical power, aimed straight at the opponent's face.

boom! !

The fist slammed into the man's cheek.

The man's body tumbled twice in the air before crashing heavily into the wall at the end of the corridor, instantly losing consciousness.

Liren didn't even glance at him.

He turned around and slammed his fist into the iron bars of the cell.

boom--

The iron fence snapped and twisted into pieces that flew everywhere.

Li Ren strode into the cell and squatted down in front of Moth.

"headmaster!"

Moth looked up, saw Rito's face, and forced a smile.

"...What are you doing here?"

"I've come to save you."

Rito reached out to untie the chain on Nocturne's wrist, but the chain was a specially made cursed tool with dark cursed patterns flowing on it. He pulled hard twice, but it didn't budge.

"It's no use," Moth shook its head.

"This is a sealed artifact; without a special method to break the spell, it cannot be opened."

Li Ren remained calm.

"Leave it to me!"

Then, he gently placed his right hand on the spell tool and activated the withering spell.

Grayish magical energy seeped from Rito's right hand and then gradually seeped into the magical artifact.

The next second, the seemingly sturdy cursed artifact began to decay, as if it had been weathered for hundreds of years.

Clang!

The chains broke and shattered into pieces scattered on the ground.

Moth's body slumped forward, and Rito quickly reached out to support him, feeling the trembling and heat of his body.

"Ms. Moth, you have a fever."

"I'm alright... I won't die," Moth said breathlessly. "We have to get out of here quickly, there's an ambush..."

"I know." Rito helped Night Moth up.

"Then why did you still barge in?"

"I can't just watch you die."

Moth paused for a second, then sighed: "You and your teacher are just alike."

Li Ren did not answer, but simply helped Moth walk out of the cell.

As soon as I stepped out of the cell, footsteps echoed from both ends of the corridor.

Ahead, three sorcerers dressed in black suits emerged from the stairwell, each holding a different type of magical implement.

Behind them, two sorcerers blocked their retreat. One of them held a cracked bronze mirror that emitted a pale golden light.

The spatial barrier is solidifying at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The walls, ceiling, and floor—every surface was covered with pale golden spell patterns.

"This is a void-sealing barrier," Night Moth's voice was somewhat weak.

"With five first-level sorcerers as the array's core, and the Boundary-Breaking Mirror as its center, once activated, the internal space will be completely sealed off, preventing the release of sorcery power outwards..."

"Does that mean we're trapped?" Rito asked.

The moth nodded.

Rito placed the moth against the wall in the corridor, stretched his wrists, and twisted his neck, producing a series of cracking sounds.

"Ms. Moth, please take care of yourself."

Moth wanted to say something, but when she saw Rito's eyes, the words stuck in her throat.

What burned in those eyes was an almost frenzied calm.