Chapter 23

Hanami tumbled across the ground, only coming to a halt after the inertia had finally dissipated.

Every obstacle in its path as it was sent flying had been destroyed. Born from humanity’s fear and hatred of the forest, the monster possessed an innate, tender love for all flora, much like a mother’s love for her child. Thus, it felt more pained by the damage to the natural environment than by its own injuries.

It scrambled to its feet, but before Hanami could make a move, a figure suddenly "flashed" before it. The opponent drove a knee upward, slamming it into Hanami’s midsection. Hanami gasped, vomiting a mouthful of blood as it was sent flying once more. Like a fish leaping from the water only to hit the ground with a heavy thud, it choked out several more mouthfuls of dark red fluid, laced with bits of internal matter.

Cursed spirits have internal organs, too, though their lack of a fixed "template" makes them different from normal living beings.

—If they ever had to see a doctor, it would certainly be a major conundrum.

Having suffered two heavy blows, Hanami finally reacted. It had quickly gleaned some experience from the beating; for instance, even though it still couldn't see its enemy, its body had already taken the most efficient evasive measure: rolling violently to the side to put distance between them.

Almost the next second, an explosion rocked the spot where Hanami had just been. A half-meter-deep crater appeared, sending up a plume of dust and debris, with swirling black mist billowing outward like a sandstorm.

Hanami did not pause, leaping to its feet and staring intently into the smoke with its branch-like eyes.

...A flicker of blue light shimmered within the thick fog. Hanami’s brain issued an immediate warning, and an intense sense of crisis washed over it.

[Whatever you do, do not touch that blue light!]

However, things rarely go as one wishes.

The light suddenly elongated, stretching into a line that pointed directly at Hanami.

"Blue," someone’s voice rang out in the silent air.

The birds had long since ceased their singing in the forest, making the icy, cold-blooded murderous intent behind that single word all the more audible.

Hanami did not hesitate. The sense of crisis pricked at its nerves like needles. The newborn cursed spirit drove its hands deep into the soil. The ground trembled instantly, as if a subterranean dragon were writhing—though it was not a dragon, but rather several massive tree roots bursting from the earth. Some wrapped around Hanami, while others surged toward the blue light.

*BOOM!*

Inside the dark, cramped space shrouded by the roots, a sliver of light appeared—the serene, silver glow of moonlight piercing through.

Hanami’s entire body went rigid, an overwhelming sense of relief at having survived washing over it.

—That beam of blue light had actually pierced through the roots it had reinforced with cursed energy.

Had it not layered them for protection as a precaution, it would surely have perished.

"Hey, Gojo, isn't that a bit like cheating? And you’re dragging me into it, too?"

A voice dripping with cynical amusement came from another direction. The left shoulder of the newcomer’s clothing was inexplicably scorched.

As the dust settled, the "mastermind" who had just attacked Hanami finally revealed his true form.

"Did anyone say I couldn't?" Gojo Satoru didn't feel he had gone too far at all. He stepped onto a root, crushing it with a snap, and walked a few paces toward Hanami’s "cocoon."

Hanami did not withdraw the roots protecting it. Seeing the enemy who had attacked it walking closer, it immediately manifested more roots to wrap itself up, leaving not a single gap.

One was already troublesome enough; if another joined in, Hanami feared it might not be able to escape at all.

"How is it?"

"Special grade. But it’s weak. Probably just born, its ability usage is very clumsy, and I haven't seen it use a Domain."

"Is that so? A special grade, huh..."

"Come to think of it, your ability allows you to tame cursed spirits, right? Does that work on special grades too?"

"As long as I can strip the cursed spirit of its power to resist, I can tame it."

"How exactly do you tame them?"

"Are you curious?"

"Mhm!"

"...You’re surprisingly direct sometimes."

"Hurry up and tame it so I can see!"

"And who wins the bet, then?"

"That doesn't matter anymore."

Hanami listened silently to the conversation between the two humans, confusion rising in its heart.

Tame...? Were they talking about it?

It would never bow to humans.

Hanami prepared itself for a fight to the death.

Cursed spirits and humans could never coexist in peace—even if the former were, in essence, born from the latter. In a sense, humans could be considered the [mothers] of cursed spirits.

"Fine, move aside." Geto Suguru walked up to Gojo Satoru and addressed the wooden cocoon.

"You don't need to get your hands dirty breaking an eggshell." Gojo Satoru flexed his wrists, gathered cursed energy into his hands, and slammed them violently into the wooden cocoon.

*Crack—*

The spot where Gojo’s fist landed buckled inward, and dense, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the surface.

Inside, Hanami held its breath, its hands clenched at its sides. Once the roots shattered completely, it would be time to strike.

"Are you even capable?"

No one cared about Hanami’s state of mind.

Geto Suguru raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms and saying lazily, "If you can't do it, move aside."

Behind his sunglasses, Gojo Satoru’s ethereal blue eyes watched the cocoon calmly. He didn't respond to Geto’s provocation; seeing how tough the roots were, he increased his output of cursed energy, which began to swell like phosphorescent flames.

The sound of cracking grew more frequent. Anyone could see the cocoon was on the verge of shattering completely.

The stagnant air waited only for a signal, and battle was imminent. However, this fight posed no difficulty for Gojo and Geto. For Hanami, it was a life-or-death crisis.

As a newborn, Hanami’s strength naturally couldn't compare to what it would be ten years later. If it were the Hanami of a decade hence, it might have been able to kill the young Gojo and Geto.

The tension grew tighter and tighter until a breathless voice rang out: "Gojo-kun, Geto-kun, how is the situation? Are you guys—" The word "okay" never made it out.

Geto and Gojo’s expressions changed simultaneously, while Hanami’s face lit up with joy.

"Damn it!" Geto cursed under his breath.

With a bang, wood splinters flew in all directions. Gojo reached out to grab Hanami, but Hanami, having anticipated this, ducked and dodged. Geto followed suit, trying to trap Hanami from the other side, but Hanami, as if fueled by a surge of adrenaline, evaded them both.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

At that moment, the future pinnacle of jujutsu power and the future strongest curse user, both still young and inexperienced, could only watch helplessly as the cursed spirit broke through their formation, shooting toward their weak, sickly classmate like a bullet.

"Fyodor!" the two shouted sharply.

They hoped to warn Fyodor of the danger right before him, but they realized with despair that Fyodor had no means to protect himself.

Pale and excessively thin, the black-haired youth seemed not to grasp the situation. He only heard his two classmates call his name in urgent, tense tones, and then, accompanied by a gust of wind, Fyodor finally saw the cursed spirit rushing toward him.

Reflected in his flawless, beautiful eyes, which were the color of amethysts, was the monster's grotesque form. The youth stood rooted to the spot, as if frozen in terror.

In the blink of an eye, Hanami reached him, extending its long, sharp, five-fingered hand.

At the very last second, Hanami suddenly stopped moving, as if it had lost its soul, and its shell thudded heavily onto the ground right in front of Fyodor.

Gojo: "......?"

Geto: "......?"