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

On the outlying shopping street on the edge of Shibuya, the streetlights have long been turned off, leaving only the embers of the distant fire casting a dark red glow in the darkness.

Li Ren walked at the front, followed by Hu Zhang and Zhang Xiang.

The three figures moved among the broken walls and ruins, the shards of glass under their feet making a soft clattering sound.

"Rito, can that guy named Kinji really help us?" Itadori asked as he walked, his voice tinged with weariness.

"He is one of the few high-end combatants in the world of sorcery," Rito said without turning his head.

"Besides, he has a relationship with Gojo-sensei. If we can persuade him, he should be on our side."

"But...who is he? I've never even heard of him." Itari scratched his head.

Rito stopped and turned to look at Itadori.

"He is a second-year student at Tokyo Jujutsu High School. He is actually a little older than me, but he has not graduated because he took a leave of absence."

"Take a break from school?" Itadori blinked. "Why take a break from school?"

"Because he opened a casino on the back hill of the college," Li Ren said expressionlessly.

Itadori: "...Huh?"

Zhang Xiang also frowned slightly, seemingly puzzled by the reason.

Li Ren didn't offer any further explanation, but simply continued walking forward.

In fact, Rito didn't know much about Kinji.

He only remembered some fragments from the original work.

The man with dyed blond hair and wearing a floral shirt became an important force in the world of curse magic after the Shibuya Incident. Even after Gojo Satoru was sealed away, he fought against many curse masters on his own.

But more importantly, Kinji's technique is extremely unique; his "Death Annihilation Return" technique has the ability to reverse the situation.

If we can find him, we might have more confidence to stand up to the higher-ups.

The three of them walked through the last alleyway, and suddenly the view opened up before them.

It was a dilapidated department store, with most of the glass curtain wall on the outside broken, revealing a dark, empty cavity inside.

A crooked neon sign hangs at the entrance, with the words "Paradise" still lit up, emitting an eerie purplish-red glow.

According to the intelligence provided by Ijichi, Kinji Shirai runs an underground casino in this area. It is not large in scale, but it is extremely secretive, and even high-level intelligence networks have difficulty infiltrating it.

Rito pushed open the slightly ajar glass door and went inside.

The first floor of the mall is abandoned, with collapsed shelves and rotten cardboard boxes scattered everywhere.

The air was filled with dust and a musty smell.

But Li Ren didn't stop; he went straight to the fire escape deep inside the mall.

The moment the iron gate was pushed open, a wave of humid heat hit me.

The fire escape staircase extends downwards, with fluorescent graffiti on the walls, and the sounds of noise coming from downstairs can be faintly heard.

The cheers of gamblers, the crisp sound of chips clashing, and the low, somber music.

Li Ren went down the stairs and stopped in front of the fire door on the third floor.

There is a fingerprint reader on the door.

Li Ren frowned.

He didn't have Kinji's contact information, let alone the fingerprint authorization here.

"What should we do?" Huzhang leaned over to take a look at the fingerprint scanner.

"Should we just force our way in?"

"No." Rito shook his head.

"If we force our way in, it will definitely cause unnecessary trouble. We're here to ask for his help."

Zhang Xiang stepped forward, a wisp of blood-red curse power condensing at his fingertips.

"Let me try. Perhaps I can use blood curse magic to simulate fingerprint imprints."

"No, your technique fluctuates too much and will easily alert the people inside," Li Ren said.

Just then, the door suddenly opened from the inside.

A burly man wearing a black sleeveless vest stood at the door, with a thick gold chain around his neck.

He glanced at the three people at the door and a hostile smile crept onto his lips.

"Hey, a new face. Do you know where this is?" the man's voice was rough.

"I know," Rito said calmly. "This is Kinji's casino. I'm here to see him."

The man's smile faltered slightly, then became even more amused.

"Looking for the boss? He's not someone you can just see any Tom, Dick, or Harry." The man took a step forward, leaned against the door frame, crossed his arms, and deliberately blocked the doorway.

"We have something important to do," said the man.

The man chuckled. "Everyone who comes here says they have important business. Debtors say they're here to pay off their debts, gamblers say they're here to win back their losses, and as for you..."

His gaze swept over Rito, and seeing his tattered school uniform and bloodstains all over his body, his smile deepened.

"I think you're just here to cause trouble, aren't you?"

Li Ren's brows furrowed slightly.

He didn't want to waste time here. Every second he delayed meant one more second of Gojo-sensei's time being sealed, and the higher-ups' pursuit would get one step closer.

"We're here to see Kinji. Please inform him." Rito's voice remained calm, but it had taken on a cold tinge.

The man showed no sign of backing down.

He tilted his head, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, took a slow drag, and then exhaled a smoke ring.

"Want to see the boss? Sure, but I have rules."

"What are the rules?"

The man held up one finger: "Play ten games."

"What?" Itadori was taken aback.

"Underground fighting competition." The man grinned, revealing teeth stained yellow from smoking.

"Our casino not only has card tables, but also a fighting ring. If you want to meet the boss, you have to prove your strength on the ring first."

"Ten deadly battles. If you win, I'll tell you Boss Cheng's address. If you lose—" He paused, his eyes turning dangerous, "you'll leave your life here."

Huzhang's expression changed: "Aren't you deliberately making things difficult for me?"

"Making things difficult?" the man laughed.

"You little brat, you think you can just meet anyone? That's the rule of the underworld. Without power, you don't even have the right to sit at the table."

He stubbed out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and ground it with the tip of his foot.

"How about it? Want to give it a try? Judging by your physique, I'm afraid you won't even make it through the first round."

Li Ren remained silent for a moment.

Then he raised his head, a cold smile curving his lips.

"Ten games?"

"Yes, ten games."

"I don't have the time!"

The moment Rito's voice fell, his figure vanished from the spot.

The man's pupils suddenly contracted.

Before he could even react, he felt a tremendous force coming from his chest.

boom!

The dull thud echoed through the underground corridor.

The man's body flew backward and crashed heavily into the wall at the end of the corridor with a dull thud.

The wall tiles were shattered into a spiderweb-like pattern, his body was embedded in the wall, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Cough cough...you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Rito had already appeared in front of him.

He grabbed his neck with his right hand and lifted him up from the wall.

The man's feet left the ground, his face turned from pale to bluish-purple, and he frantically pounded on the man's arm, but the man's arm remained as still as an iron clamp.

"Now, tell me where Kinji is." Rito's voice was as cold as ice.

The man's eyes widened, fear welling up from the depths of his pupils.

"I'll talk... I'll talk..."

Rito loosened his grip slightly.

The man gasped for breath, then struggled to raise his finger and pointed to the end of the corridor.

"He...he's in the innermost VIP room..."

Rito threw the man to the ground and walked down the corridor without looking back.

Tiger Staff and Zhang Xiang followed behind him. The three of them walked through the dimly lit corridor, pushed open the heavy iron door, and entered the casino.

Inside the casino, it was noisy and filled with smoke. Gamblers were gathered around the card tables and roulette wheels, and no one noticed the commotion at the entrance.

The VIP room was at the very back, and a man in a floral shirt stood at the door, looking down at his phone.

Rito walked over and got straight to the point: "Is Kinji inside?"

The man in the floral shirt looked up, revealing a lazy smile: "Here."

As soon as he finished speaking, the door to the VIP room opened from the inside.

A tall figure walked out.

Short, dyed blonde hair and a flashy Hawaiian shirt.

A cynical smile played on his lips as his gaze swept over Rito and the other two, finally settling on Rito's face.

"Oh, I heard someone wants to see me?"

Kinji had his hands in his pockets, tilting his head to look at Rito, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light.