Curse Reply: After choosing Nawa, the cursed spirit cursed me for being cruel.

He didn't say anything more, but his meaning was crystal clear.

“However, once the Abyss Devourer is completely broken, the consequences will be unimaginable…” Some people still had concerns.

"So timing is crucial. The window will detect signs of the seal loosening in time, giving them... a day to react. A day is enough for them to reach Hokkaido, and also enough for our people to assist in accelerating the loosening of the seal. We need to show them despair, but we can't let the disaster really get out of control."

“The delicate balance here requires the most precise control.” The hunched old man looked at one of them. “You handle this matter. Make it clean, make it seem like an accident.”

“...Yes.” The person whose name was called replied in a low voice.

"Then it's decided." The hunched old man concluded, his voice regaining its usual dry calm, but now sounded even colder. "Send reliable people to Hokkaido to prepare for unsealing the Blood Soul Stone. One day later, 'officially' convey the news that the Abyss Devourer is about to break free and urgently needs to be dealt with to Tokyo High School. Let us wait and see..."

The candlelight suddenly flickered, illuminating half of his wrinkled but expressionless face.

"...How will this meticulously planned drama unfold? And what kind of cracks will that new knife, which might be of use to us, reveal?"

Chapter 50 Difficult Choices

Tokyo Jujutsu High School, Yagami Masamichi's Office.

Moth Masakazu stood behind the desk with his imposing figure, his face unusually gloomy, his brows furrowed as he stared at the mission briefing that had just been delivered to him.

"I just received the highest priority task directly from the Director's Office." Moth Masamichi's voice was dry, carrying suppressed anger and a hint of exhaustion. He slammed the briefing report heavily on the table.

"In the outskirts of Sapporo City, in the North Sea, the seal on the special-grade imaginary curse spirit Abyss Devourer, which was sealed thirteen years ago, is showing signs of breaking prematurely. If no intervention is taken, the seal will completely collapse within twenty-four to forty-eight hours at most."

"A top-tier hypothetical spirit?" Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow, showing some interest, but his tone remained lazy. "The name sounds impressive, but then what? Are we supposed to reinforce the seal? Or just exorcise it? This kind of ancient cursed spirit should have obvious weaknesses, right?"

Night Moth Master glanced at him with a complicated expression, took a deep breath, and continued, "Mission objective: Re-stabilize the seal, or... remove it before it is completely broken."

"However, the briefing specifically noted that the Abyss Devourer has a unique form, existing somewhere between a physical entity and a concept. Conventional exorcism methods are extremely ineffective against it and may even accelerate its spread. Thirteen years ago, in order to seal it, the top-grade cursed artifact Blood Soul Stone was used, combined with... a special ritual."

He paused, then said heavily, "The ritual requires... a large amount of pure life energy. At that time, 103 villagers from nearby villages 'voluntarily' sacrificed themselves to successfully complete the seal."

The office fell into a deathly silence.

Duanmu Yan's pupils contracted slightly, his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand, and anger flared up within him.

The seal requires the sacrifice of a hundred people; could this be the work of the Elders' Council...?

“One hundred and three lives…” Xia Youjie spoke slowly, his voice icy, “Voluntary sacrifice? Teacher Nightmo, do you believe that?”

Moth Masakado did not answer, but his expression became even more unpleasant.

"The briefing emphasized that once the Abyss Devourer is completely broken, its influence will spread rapidly, potentially affecting the city of Sapporo and causing tens of thousands of casualties."

"Moreover, due to its characteristics, it is extremely difficult to stop by conventional means. The Directorate General means that... given the urgency of the situation, we are required to prioritize ensuring the seal is secure, or to find alternative solutions to avoid the worst-case scenario."

"Prioritize ensuring the seal?" Gojo Satoru scoffed, his sarcasm undisguised. "How do you ensure it? Find another 103 unlucky volunteers?"

"Enlighten!" Night Moth righteous path shouted in a low voice, but there was more helplessness in his voice.

"The mission is assigned to you three as a team." Masamichi Yamamoto looked at Gojo Satoru, Natsumi Yuki, and Duanmu Yan, his gaze lingering on Duanmu Yan's face for a moment.

"This is an order, there's no room for discussion. The plane is ready, we'll depart in an hour. Here's a copy of the mission briefing; read it on the way. Any questions?"

Xia Youjie picked up a copy of the briefing on the table and quickly flipped through it, his brows furrowing more and more: "This report is so detailed...it's too timely, it's as if it was prepared in advance and just waiting for this moment to be sent to us."

Gojo Satoru took a copy, and Rokugan quickly scanned it. "Oh? There's also a historical handling plan for reference? You've put a lot of thought into this, elders of the council."

Duanmu Yan also took the briefing. He could feel an invisible net closing in on the three of them.

No, to be precise, they came for him.

But... I won't let them succeed. People who are willing to risk more than 100 lives to blackmail me, all I can do is send them to hell.

"I have no problem." Duanmu Yan closed the briefing, looked up at Ye'e Zhengdao, and said calmly, "A mission is a mission. We will take care of it."

Xia Youjie put down the presentation, nodded, and said nothing more, but his eyes were sharp.

Gojo Satoru casually tossed the briefing aside, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, top-tier cursed spirit, let's go, let's hurry up and finish this quickly."

Night Moth looked at them, opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end he just waved his hand and said in a low voice: "...Be careful. Keep in touch. Mission...do what you can. Come back safely."

He emphasized the last four words.

In the corridor, the flippant look on Gojo Satoru's face vanished completely, and he muttered under his breath, "Those old bastards..."

Xia Youjie's eyes were icy: "This is a trap, but it's an open scheme, so we have no choice but to go through with it."

Duanmu Yan walked among them, feeling the cool touch of the lucky coin in his pocket, and slowly said, "What they want to see is our choices, our...disagreements. Especially when faced with things that cannot be saved and necessary sacrifices."

Gojo Satoru and Natsume looked at him at the same time.

"What do you know, Duanmu?" Xia Youjie asked.

Duanmu Yan shook his head: "It's just a feeling. This mission is too coincidental. Let's prepare first. We'll only know the specifics when we get there. In any case..."

He stopped and looked at his two companions, his eyes resolute: "The three of us went together, so we'll come back together. As for how to deal with that cursed spirit and whether to save people, we'll see when we get there. It's too early to draw conclusions now."

Gojo Satoru stared at him for two seconds, then suddenly grinned, regaining some of his usual arrogance: "That's right! Who cares if it's a special-grade or a trap? In front of me, they're all trash! Save the person and then destroy the cursed spirit, isn't that enough? Why all the nonsense!"

Xia Youjie smiled, but there was no warmth in his smile: "I hope so. However, Wu, Duanmu, prepare for the worst. If what the intelligence and briefing say is true... we may really face a... very difficult choice."

Duanmu Yan clenched his fist.

Of course he knew. But he knew even more that he absolutely could not let the Elders' scheme succeed. Not only did he have to deal with the cursed spirit and save those who could be saved, but he also had to... thwart those old guys' plans.

An hour later, the transport plane bound for Hokkaido broke through the clouds. Inside the cabin, the three men looked out at the sea of ​​clouds, or closed their eyes to rest; the atmosphere was silent and tense.

Chapter 51 Doing a Favor

When the transport plane landed at a makeshift field airfield cleared out on the outskirts of Sapporo, it was already completely dark.

The assistant supervisor, who had been waiting there, quickly stepped forward. He was a young man wrapped in a thick winter coat, his face red from the cold. Upon seeing the four of them, he visibly relaxed, but his eyes were full of anxiety.

"This way, everyone! The situation... is not good!" He spoke quickly, leading them to several SUVs parked nearby. "Monitoring shows that the magical energy fluctuations in the direction of the old mine have increased exponentially in the past three hours! The seal is collapsing faster than expected! At this rate, it might not last until the day after tomorrow!"

The car sped along the bumpy, desolate road covered with a thin layer of snow, the atmosphere inside heavy.

About half an hour later, the car stopped outside an area that was surrounded by barbed wire and warning signs.

Further away, there was a dark mine entrance, like a giant gaping maw of the earth. A sinister wind howled out from within, and the concentration of cursed energy was so high that the air seemed to become viscous, making it difficult to breathe.

Several nervous-looking staff members were standing guard outside. When they saw them, they immediately ran over.

"The sealed core is at the deepest part of the mine! But... but the energy is too chaotic, and our detection spells will fail as soon as we get close!"

One of the officials reported incoherently, "And then there are the people in the village... We tried to organize an evacuation, but... but it was very ineffective! There are many elderly people and children, the weather is cold, and there aren't enough vehicles... Moreover, some people seem reluctant to leave..."

"What's the progress of the evacuation?" Duanmu Yan asked in a deep voice.

“Less than a third…and the closer the residents are to the mine, the more…stubborn they are.” The person in charge wiped away cold sweat.

Duanmu Yan frowned and looked at Wu Tiao Wu and Xia Youjie: "What do you think? Should we try to enter the mine to investigate the sealing situation first, or assist in speeding up the evacuation?"

Gojo Satoru pushed up his sunglasses, his tone devoid of emotion: "Since we're already here, how can we not see the main character? Let's go for a stroll together."

After speaking, Duanmu Yan had completed the combination of the Nawa Armor.

The crimson armor stood out starkly against the night and the snow's glow. He gripped the Molten Scale Blade in his hand. "Let's go."

Without further delay, the three of them flashed across the cordon and shot into the ominous mine entrance like three sharp arrows.

The mine was more spacious and deep than I had imagined. The abandoned mine cart tracks and supporting timbers were leaning to one side. The further I went in, the colder the air became, but the chill did not come from the temperature. Instead, it was a sinister curse that penetrated to the bone.

Along the way, they saw more disturbing signs.

Strange symbols, seemingly drawn with blood, began to appear on the rock face. Some of them were still very new. Scattered on the ground were animal remains and even... fragments of human clothing.

“These symbols… look familiar.” Xia Youjie squatted down, ran his finger across a symbol on the rock wall, his eyes serious.

"It's more like a variation of some ancient binding or sacrificial ritual than a naturally occurring erosion of cursed power."

“Someone tampered with this place,” Gojou Satoru asserted, his six eyes scanning the surroundings. “And it didn’t take long. They deliberately accelerated the collapse of the seal, or… they’re preparing a new ritual.”

Duanmu Yan's heart sank. The elders were indeed quick and ruthless. They not only forced them to make a choice, but also prepared the stage and props.

After continuing deeper for several hundred meters, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a complex, dazzling dark red magic circle carved into the ground.

At the center of the magic circle, a prismatic stone about half a person's height, entirely black, floats in the air—the top-grade cursed artifact, the Blood Soul Stone.

At this moment, the Blood Soul Stone was trembling violently, with fine cracks constantly emerging on its surface. Strands of blackish-red mist, exuding extreme malice, were seeping out from the cracks and merging into the surrounding air, making the concentration of curse power in the entire cave so high that it was almost condensed into a liquid state.

Outside the magic circle, in the shadows near the edge of the cave, there were dozens of figures, some sitting and some standing!

There were men and women, old and young, but they all had blank expressions and empty eyes, as if they had lost their souls. They just stared silently at the Blood Soul Stone in the center, showing no reaction to the three uninvited guests who had broken in.

They are villagers! Those villagers who didn't have time to evacuate!

"Damn it!" Xia Youjie's expression changed.

“They’ve been controlled.” Gojo Satoru’s voice turned cold. “Using the power leaked from the Blood Soul Stone, or… it might just be part of that ritual.”

Duanmu Yan gripped the Melting Scale Blade tightly. Sure enough, the worst had happened.

Living humans were placed before them as bargaining chips and sacrifices to maintain the seal.

How to do?

To forcibly interrupt the ceremony and rescue the villagers?

However, the Blood Soul Stone has clearly reached its limit. Once the ritual is violently interrupted, the seal may collapse instantly, and the Abyss Devourer will break the seal prematurely. These controlled villagers will be the first to be affected, and their souls will probably be drained instantly.

Moreover, no one can predict how much destruction the uncontrolled Abyss Devourer will cause.

Should we just sit idly by and wait for the ceremony to complete?

That means watching these innocent people die, and who can guarantee that things will actually get better after the ritual is completed?

Since the elders have set up this trap, will they easily let them solve the problem?

"Hehehe... You guys from Tokyo High School, you're pretty quick."

A hoarse laugh suddenly rang out from the shadows on the other side of the cave.

An elderly figure, hunched over, wearing a mask and leaning on a cane, slowly walked out.

The power fluctuations on his body were not strong, only at the second level, but his aura was extremely cold and eerie, perfectly blending with the surrounding power environment.

"Let me introduce myself. I am the guardian of this place and the master of this ceremony."

"Thank you all for arriving in time. As you can see, the seal on the Abyss Devourer is on the verge of collapse and urgently needs to be replenished with pure life force to stabilize it."

“These villagers, with weak wills and corrupted by the curse, have become walking corpses. Using their remaining life force to complete the ritual is both a redemption for them and a way to save more people. This is a necessary sacrifice.”