Chapter 95: Fushiguro Hui: Your Friend

When Fushiguro Hui and Tachibana rushed back to Sugiwa High School, the concentration of cursed energy enveloping the entire campus made Fushiguro Hui furrow his brow deeply.

Even outside the school gates, they had already seen numerous low-level cursed spirits phasing through walls; the strength of the spirits gathered near the classroom buildings was obvious.

“Jade Dog—!”

After entering the school, Fushiguro Hui immediately summoned two canine familiars, one black and one white.

He sent one of the Jade Dogs to accompany Tachibana—partly to speed up their search by splitting up, and partly to protect Tachibana Yuji.

Originally, outside the school, Fushiguro Hui had sensed the cursed energy permeating the campus had reached Level One; he suspected a Level One cursed spirit might already be inside, and he had tried to stop Tachibana from following.

But Tachibana believed he had put his seniors in danger, and remembering his grandfather’s final prophecy, he stubbornly pressed on anyway.

Seeing Tachibana’s firm resolve and noticing his physical strength surpassed his own, Fushiguro Hui had no choice but to compromise, ordering him to obey his commands without question.

After all, although Fushiguro Hui was a Level Two sorcerer, the cursed energy in Sugiwa High School had undeniably reached Level One.

Cursed spirits and sorcerers are each divided into five ranks: Level Four, Level Three, Level Two, Level One, and Special Grade.

Before each rank, sorcerers also have a transitional tier, indicated by the prefix “Provisional.”

The specific strength divisions are roughly as follows:

Level Four Sorcerer: Can handle relatively weak cursed spirits, typically using simple curses and tools.

Level Three Sorcerer: Can handle stronger cursed spirits, possessing basic combat skills and strategy.

Level Two Sorcerer: Stronger in power, capable of independently handling more complex missions, usually trained at the Tokyo Jujutsu High.

Level One Sorcerer: A senior sorcerer, able to confront high-level threats, typically holding important positions at Tokyo Jujutsu High.

Special Grade Sorcerer: The pinnacle of sorcerers, capable of perfectly handling the most dangerous missions—the absolute ceiling of jujutsu combat power; currently only four sorcerers have reached this level.

Sorcerers of the same rank are stronger than cursed spirits; Fushiguro Hui is currently a Level Two sorcerer, and if he gave his all, defeating a Level One cursed spirit would not be entirely impossible.

But Fushiguro Hui could sense that the cursed energy concentration in Sugiwa High School meant far more than just a single Level One cursed spirit had been drawn here.

Just as Fushiguro Hui and Tachibana, following the Jade Dogs, prepared to charge into the classroom building, a massive figure suddenly flew out from within.

As Fushiguro Hui recognized it as a Level Two cursed spirit and prepared to summon his familiars to attack, a pillar of intense heat surged forward and instantly reduced the Level Two cursed spirit to ash.

The sudden sight left both Fushiguro Hui and Tachibana stunned; yet as they cautiously watched the slow-moving figure emerging from the classroom building, they realized the creature that had just eliminated the cursed spirit was a massive, multicolored tiger with a tail wreathed in flame.

Especially sharp-eyed Tachibana noticed the rider on the tiger’s back was none other than Sasaki, a senior from the Supernatural Phenomena Research Club, and Jingkou, another senior.

Having seen his seniors taken hostage, Tachibana instinctively clenched his fist and lunged forward—but his action was immediately halted by Fushiguro Hui beside him.

“That tiger is a familiar, not a curse. It seems another sorcerer arrived here before us and rescued your seniors.”

As a user of the Zenin family’s ancestral technique—one of the Three Great Houses of the jujutsu world—Fushiguro Hui could instantly distinguish between curses and familiars.

Though he didn’t recognize the specific technique behind this familiar, its sheer power made it clear the sorcerer who arrived ahead of them was extremely strong.

After all, the familiar alone had obliterated a Level Two cursed spirit with a single strike; the summoner’s strength must be at least Level One.

“Sasaki, Jingkou, are you both alright? What happened? And where’s Shengzai? Didn’t he stay with you?”

Upon seeing Tachibana and Fushiguro Hui, Sasaki and Jingkou finally relaxed, their anxiety easing.

After escaping danger, Sasaki, upon seeing Tachibana, immediately reverted to her true nature and excitedly blurted: “Tachibana, did you know? There really are supernatural creatures in this world!”

“And Shengzai is far more mysterious than we imagined—he can summon what they call ‘familiars’… like that giant tiger we just rode!”

Hearing Sasaki’s words, both Tachibana and Fushiguro Hui froze.

Tachibana was stunned because he never imagined his childhood friend possessed such power.

Fushiguro Hui was stunned because he never imagined Tachibana’s friend was truly this strong!

“Sasaki, where’s Shengzai now? And what about the thing I gave you?”

Tachibana no longer cared why his childhood friend had supernatural power—he only wanted to know if Shengzai was still in danger.

“Boom————!”

Just as Sasaki was about to speak, a colossal curse suddenly plummeted from the sky and smashed into the ground before them, leaving a massive crater.

When Fushiguro Hui saw the curse, he went pale—this cursed spirit, lying in a gruesome state, was even stronger than the one the Tailfire Tiger had just destroyed; it was a Level One cursed spirit!

The reason this Level One cursed spirit had fallen from the sky was because a fierce battle was raging on the rooftop of the classroom building.

Numerous cursed spirits of varying ranks had completely surrounded the rooftop, and at the center, surrounded by them, stood a black-haired boy in a classical martial stance.

“Shatter Stone—!”

As Shengzai cleanly punched through a Level Two cursed spirit, another Level One cursed spirit shaped like a dog lunged at his side.

As the creature opened its jaws wide, preparing to swallow Shengzai whole—including the Two-Headed Ogre’s finger on his body—Shengzai braced his hands against its upper and lower jaws.

“Sssssss—!”

Foul-smelling saliva dripped onto the ground, its potent corrosiveness instantly burning holes into the floor and billowing thick white smoke.

As the dog-like curse used its massive size to pin Shengzai down, he rolled sideways with the momentum, used the enemy’s force against it, and kicked its abdomen with a single powerful blow, sending it crashing down!

(End of Chapter)