The dismal late afternoon weather juxtaposed the brilliant billboards and splendid signs vivifying the Shinjuku Station East Exit area. Sayume Kanmuri leaned against a wall, idly observing the crowds while holding a phone to his ear.
"Out of curiosity, why did you choose the 1st of April?"
Less than a kilometre away, Yukou Tsugomorii stood atop the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Nishi-Shinjuku — surveying the city.
"It's the beginning of every institutional year in Japan," he declared. "I found it poetic for the day that'll mark the start of a new age." The curse user unholstered the purple handgun attached to his belt and held it next to his head, with the barrel pointing towards the sky. "Shinjuku is also livelier than usual, which will encourage the Jujutsu Sorcerers to show up."
A malicious grin spread across Sayume's lips. "It won't be lively for much longer."
"On that note, the Disorder Curses better do their job correctly," stated Yukou, narrowing his eyes. "I won't be able to exterminate the other sorcerers while fighting Itsuka Shinidare, so I'm leaving their assassinations to them."
The illusionist scowled. "Do you think we can trust those cursed spirits?"
"Not a chance — assuming they weren't part of a binding vow," responded the curse user. "I promised them an opportunity to slaughter as many humans as they could in exchange for their servitude."
Sayume tapped his parasol on the pavement. "Couldn't you have just threatened to kill them if they didn't cooperate?"
"Pacts must be made of one's own volition," explained Yukou. "Coercion wouldn't work." He looked down the handgun's sights and smiled. "Fortunately, a little persuasion is all it took."
"But... they won't attack me, right?"
The purple-haired man sneered. "The penalty we agreed upon for breaking the binding vow is death," he proclaimed. "Worry about the special-grade cursed object I gave you instead."
"About that! I figured out how to trick cursed spirits into thinking I'm one of them by using my technique! Wanna know how? I mimic—"
"It's five o'clock," announced Yukou, checking the time on his phone. "You're going to make sure Yukari doesn't die, understood?"
Sayume felt a shiver crawling down his spine. "U-understood."
"I'm glad, good luck."
The man hung up.
"Now..."
Yukou reholstered the handgun before forming a basic mudra with his right hand; his entire face lit up.
"Let us carve out a curseless world."
Meanwhile — in Kita-Shinjuku — Yukari, Mizuki and Hinotori walked along a busy street.
"That was an easy mission," chuckled the sharp-toothed sorcerer. "Let's grab some bubble tea!"
The purple-haired teenager's phone began to ring. He paused and retrieved the device from his pocket.
"We've received reports of a curtain appearing in Nishi-Shinjuku," informed Ms Yamakado in a frantic tone. "Get there as soon as possible!"
Yukari's eyes widened.
Fifteen minutes later, amidst the unmelodious ensemble of car horns and heavy traffic, a woman possessing long ash-grey hair and blood-red eyes stopped in front of a purple curtain.
Yukou Tsugomorii has finally made his move, then.
The Death Sentence Sorcerer removed the scythe-shaped sheath from her back and freed the weapon inside: a curved, skeletal thirty-centimetre blade attached to a black, one-and-a-half metre handle. She tossed the sheath to the side.
"What's happening?!" asked a salaryman, pressing his palms against the barrier. "Why can't I pass through?!"
The woman glanced at the man and reached towards the curtain; her left hand vanished into the unknown.
I see now.
She retracted her hand before dialling a phone number. "I've arrived outside the curtain, Mrs Yokiuji." The sorcerer tightened her grip on the scythe's handle. "It seems to have been imbued with a condition that prevents anyone other than me from crossing its barrier."
The principal sat in the passenger seat of a black vehicle — Ms Yamakado driving beside her.
"There's so much traffic!" exclaimed the auxiliary manager, furrowing her eyebrows.
Mrs Yokiuji grimaced slightly. "We'll be there soon! Prioritise saving the lives of civilians!"
Itsuka Shinidare brandished the scythe — a cold-blooded expression covering her face. "As you wish."
Back at Shinjuku Station East Exit, Sayume watched from afar as the purple curtain gradually turned black.
"Just like a moth to the flame," he whispered, smirking. "Time for phase two!"
The curse user formed a basic mudra with his left hand.
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
A turquoise cloud materialised high up in the sky, slowly stretching into a dome-like shape around the area; several people raised their heads before gasping.
"I finally get..."
The curse user rested his parasol against the wall and took a black and purple box resembling a wedding ring case out of his pocket. His hands quivered with excitement.
"...To open Pandora's Box!"
Not long after, Yukari, Mizuki and Hinotori rushed through the streets of Nishi-Shinjuku — the blackened curtain visible in the near distance.
"Look!" yelled the blue-haired sorcerer while pointing at the turquoise dome.
The sharp-toothed sorcerer's phone started ringing.
"A secondary curtain has been lowered over Shinjuku Station East Exit," notified Mrs Yokiuji, her voice noticeably strained. "Head there instead! Protect any civilians present and take out the caster!"
The three sorcerers gave each other a determined glare before nodding in sync.
In the meantime, within the turquoise curtain, manifold monsters rampaged through the city. Crowds of crying civilians dashed in different directions, desperate to flee the surrounding bloodbath. Humans hanging from streetlights adorned Shinjuku-Dori Avenue. Outside of LUMINE EST Shopping Centre, a fifteen-metre skeleton resembling a Gashadokuro crawled along the road, its black eyeballs scouring the area.
The colossal cursed spirit swatted an elderly man against the asphalt. Blood splattered a nearby wall. The skeletal creature then snatched a couple of teenagers and brought them to its mouth. Red fluid spewed out from the gaps between the monster's teeth — creating a gruesome cascade. The Gashadokuro's jaw formed a macabre smile.
Ayato stared at the skeleton, paralysed.
"Semi-first-grade sorcerer or not, you are, and will always be, nothing more than a pathetic coward."
The crimson-haired boy clenched his fists. He took a deep breath before stepping forward.
"Wait."
Ayato froze; a tall man possessing black shoulder-length hair and dark green eyes walked past him, slowly bringing a plague doctor mask to his face.
"Leave this one to me."
A transparent, dark green light engulfed the sorcerer.
Custom Binding Vow: Obstructive Masquerade.
Four whip-like blades erupted from Shinji's right palm as he sprinted in the cursed spirit's direction. A distorted roar thundered throughout the street, followed by a skeletal arm wrecking a car while sweeping towards the man. The sorcerer sprang into the air. He snapped his fingers and fired a barrage of sharp rosemary needles into the monster's eyes. The skeleton screeched, shielding its blood-stained skull using its hands.
Upon landing, an army of creatures akin to mutated ants ambushed Shinji. He hopped backwards and swung his right arm — the herbal blades slashing them to gory ribbons — before pulverising the surviving swarms with his bare fists. A gigantic jaw swooped down on the man from behind — subsequently obliterated by an immense flash of mint-coloured light.
Burnt bone shards showered the street as the mask's murky panes vaguely reflected a familiar figure; Shinji removed his mask, his pupils fixed on the special-grade curse named 'Shousa'.
You're next.
On a nearby road, Shira dipped one of her throwing knives in a glass vial containing a green liquid. She clicked the plastic lid shut and hurled the weapon at a cursed spirit comparable to a beetle. Moments later, the knife flew back into the girl's hand.
Inherited Family Technique...
An outbreak of blisters plagued the beast. In a state of oblivion, it dove towards the sorcerer.
Herbal Alchemy.
The creature's body burst like a blood-filled balloon — painting the street purple. Shira smiled vindictively and scanned her surroundings.
That should've been the last curse in the area.
A noose shot towards the girl's neck. She turned her head and lurched backwards as a jet of purple flames appeared in front of her; Kana stood further down the road, five burning candles resting on the ground around her.
"Be careful, Shira!" warned the purple-haired woman. "That one's a special-grade!"
An eerie entity with frayed, black hair strewn over its face stepped into view from behind an abandoned car.
"It saddens me that you're still alive, Candlelight Sorcerer."
Near Omekaido Overbridge, a collection of reptilian curses chased after a young woman. She stepped on an amputated arm while running and slipped, twisting her ankle. The woman collapsed.
"S-someone, please help!" she screamed — the creatures less than three metres away.
A miniature explosion mutilated the monsters. The woman's eyes slammed shut as disintegrating flesh fragments and evaporating blood beads garnished the ground. Upon reopening them, she saw an upturned hand held out in front of her.
"I'm glad I made it in time," asserted Hinotori, bearing a heroic smile. "You're safe now."
The woman blinked. "Th-thank y—" Blood spilt from her mouth before landing on the sorcerer's shoes. She clutched her throat, coughing relentlessly.
Mizuki rushed to Hinotori's side. He gave the woman a worried glance and transferred his vision to the sharp-toothed sorcerer.
"What happened to—"
The blue-haired boy paused, noticing his friend's harrowed expression. He traced Hinotori's gaze to a syringe sticking out the back of the woman's right calf.
...Huh?
The woman's head snapped backwards as her eyeballs exploded — dyeing the road red. She struck the asphalt, her body wilting like a withered flower. Mizuki and Hinotori stared at the ground. Silence.
"Woah, you guys look like you've just seen a ghost!"
The two sorcerers turned their heads: a profusion of dead people quilled with medical needles decorated the street — Kezume standing in their centre.
"Did you miss me?"
Yukari bolted out of a building.
"I cleared the—"
His eyes widened, spotting the apparition.
Wait... what?
A jade-green parasol illuminated the teenager's peripheral vision. He flinched before leaping sideways. The boy landed multiple metres down the road, his sight set on a turquoise-haired man laughing obnoxiously.
"We meet again, Yukari Tsumeyami!"
The teenager frowned. "You guys take care of the special-grade," he instructed, projecting his voice towards his teammates; a disdainful look developed on the boy's face as he made eye contact with Sayume.
"I'll get rid of the weaker one."
Mrs Yokiuji and Ms Yamakado stood on a rooftop — the former holding a megaphone imbued with cursed energy.
"Attention, everyone! The majority of you will survive as long as you remain calm and follow my instructions!"
The woman's words echoed across the city.
"You're currently involved in what we suspect is a terrorist attack against Shinjuku. There's no time to explain, but we urge anyone listening to stay indoors and avoid the streets at all costs. If you notice or experience any type of paranormal phenomena, flee to a safer location immediately!"
Mrs Yokiuji cleared her throat, her face lined with stress marks.
"To all Jujutsu High students: this curtain seems to retain a condition that prevents people from leaving in exchange for allowing anyone to enter. Until the caster is eliminated, you have no choice but to fight. Shinji, Ayato, Kana, Shira, Hinotori, Mizuki, and Yukari..."
The woman's tone grew more stern.
"...Defend Shinjuku with your lives!"
A series of serpentine creatures phased through the rooftop door; Ms Yamakado turned around and gasped.
Distant shrieking prompted the sorcerers to look up: two familiar figures plummeted down the side of a building before crashing into the pavement.
That evening... we truly grasped the unbridled horrors human beings are capable of inflicting on one another.