'WHO?', Ali thought, staring sharply at the glowing mission alerts on his interface as the two masked sorcerers cautiously surveyed the aftermath of the bloody battle inside the warehouse. One of them stepped gingerly over a broken crate, his white plastic mask reflecting the dim overhead light.
The scent of blood—both human and otherwise—hung thick in the air, coating everything with a metallic tang. Splashes of dark crimson and unnatural purple were scattered like violent brushstrokes across the shattered remnants of wooden boxes and cracked concrete.
'I don't know what a Star Plasma Vessel is… and I have no idea who this Toji guy might be…' Ali narrowed his eyes slightly beneath his gold and black mask, his mind racing.
'But I do know what Jujutsu means. That's from Jujutsu Kaisen—this is that world…' He recalled the details he'd read in the booklet that outlined this world's lore. That explained the cursed energy, the strange creatures, and the powerful magic-like abilities.
"What are we doing here looking for some low-level curse…" one of the white-masked men muttered irritably, clearly bored and underwhelmed as he kicked a busted crate aside, the wooden debris scattering noisily across the floor. His tone was dismissive, casual, and clearly lacking the caution one would expect in a place filled with blood, carnage, and residual cursed energy.
"We could be hunting down the vessel for so much money…" he added, swiping his phone open and showing a glowing digital bounty contract. The screen displayed an enormous payout—an incentive lucrative enough to risk almost anything.
"Focus up, you idiot," the second sorcerer snapped, kneeling down slowly as his trained senses absorbed the scene. His movements were deliberate, precise. "The vessel is protected by two special grade sorcerers. We'd be dead before we even see them coming."
He reached down to the ground and gently touched a smear of drying purple blood, rubbing it between his gloved fingers. "There's cursed blood here—and cursed energy too. It's everywhere. But…" he looked up sharply, "…it's fading. Fast."
Both men froze. Their battle-hardened instincts and cursed energy were screaming at them that something was very wrong.
Their steps grew lighter. More cautious.
STEP… STEP… STEP…
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
The more experienced sorcerer felt a sudden, unnatural shift beneath his feet. His eyes widened in alarm as an enormous black portal erupted under him like a whirlpool of darkness, the air rippling with otherworldly power. His gaze shot to his side—and in that split second—he locked eyes with his comrade, whose expression mirrored the same shock and horror.
A monstrous, nightmarish maw emerged from the portal, its jagged teeth aligned on either side of the two men like an enormous bear trap. With terror tightening in his chest, the sorcerer reached out in desperation.
"Live," he breathed—the only word he managed before a violent blast of purple cursed energy exploded from his hand, flinging his comrade clear of the impending doom.
SNAP
The dragon's mouth clamped shut with an earthshaking crunch, biting through the sorcerer's torso with devastating finality. His body was split in half in an instant, swallowed by the demonic head in a grotesque, wet gulp. Bones cracked and flesh tore as the creature devoured him in a frenzied whirl of gnashing teeth, dark saliva, and crimson blood. The sound echoed through the warehouse like thunder.
The remaining sorcerer lay sprawled across the floor, frozen in terror, his limbs paralyzed and his mind barely able to process what just happened.
Then—just as he tried to move—a blinding red light exploded behind him.
SLASH—SLASH
THUD—THUD
His eyes darted down in confusion—only to realise too late that his arms were gone. His sleeves were now just flapping cloth. Where his arms had been, there were only smouldering stumps, the red beam having seared through both limbs and left molten trails in the concrete floor beside him.
"AAAAAAAAAAH!"
The scream that escaped his throat was full of raw, primal agony. A brilliant blue glow enveloped his body as shock set in. His vision faded, and consciousness slipped through his fingers like water.
Behind him stood Ali—calm, composed, and merciless. His lightsaber hissed softly in the silence, the red blade still humming with destructive power. He looked down at the unconscious sorcerer with unflinching focus.
"They used magic," Ali muttered, noting the energy still lingering in the air. "This could be a very good world for me…"
He glanced back at his mission interface.
[Personal Mission: Defeat five Jujutsu Sorcerers (2/5)]
Ali's gaze shifted to his summon, which was now slowly licking its bloodstained teeth, its tongue writhing as it cleaned itself from the remains of its most recent meal. He noticed something else—an eerie black aura began to swirl around the dragon's massive form. The energy pulsed faintly, healing its wounded tongue and closing the punctures left by the rat's metal spikes.
'Regeneration…?' Ali's thoughts sharpened. 'Has it always had that ability? Or does it activate after it feeds…? I'll need to test that later.'
BZZZZZT
The injured sorcerer jolted awake, convulsing in pain as a crackling surge of red lightning exploded through his body. He lifted his head weakly—only to meet the cold, unreadable gaze of the man in the black and gold mask towering above him, his hand still crackling with energy.
"Who…" the sorcerer tried to speak, but the pain was unbearable. His stumps throbbed, the burnt flesh sizzling, and he collapsed again with a pained groan.
"You will answer my questions…" Ali said coldly, his voice devoid of mercy, "…or my pet here will eat you. Slowly."
GROWL
The enormous dragon head slithered around Ali with slow menace, its glowing eyes focused on the wounded sorcerer. It lowered its monstrous head behind the man, exhaling a cloud of hot breath onto his back.
The sorcerer scrambled forward in pure terror trying to get away from the monster behind him…
Ali stepped forward and kicked the man in the chest, forcing him flat against the dragon's skin. The creature shifted, opening its jaws slightly and dragging its massive tongue across the man's back with a slow, deliberate motion. The texture of the tongue was like sandpaper dipped in lava—it scraped skin, tore cloth, and left behind searing pain.
AAAAAH!
The man screamed in sheer agony. His legs gave out beneath him. His pants darkened—soaked in fear and shame. Ali's expression soured as the smell hit his nose.
"Who is the Star Plasma Vessel? Where is she? Who put up the contract for her? Who is Toji Fushiguro?" Ali asked, firing off each question in quick succession, his voice cold, commanding.
"Please don't kill me… Please…" the sorcerer sobbed, looking at his cauterised stumps. "I'll tell you everything. Just—just get that thing away from me…"
Ali's eyes narrowed.
Suddenly, a shift in the air made Ali's senses spike. 'The air's thicker… He's using magic, the air around him is thicker' The Force around him struggled to move as freely as before.
UGH
With a thought, Ali lifted the man into the air using telekinesis, his fingers slowly curling into a fist. The sorcerer gasped, choking as his airway constricted.
"You thought I wouldn't notice?" Ali said flatly, his voice laced with deadly intent. "It seems you don't value your life that much."
The man's body began to convulse as oxygen escaped him, tears running from his broken mask. Finally, his resistance snapped—he released the cursed energy, surrendering.
Ali let him drop, his body crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Answer the questions. Last chance," Ali said with finality.
"COUGH—COUGH—COUGH," the sorcerer rasped. "The vessel is a girl. A teenager. She's been chosen to become the vessel for Tengen. She will fulfil her role soon."
Ali pieced it together quickly, connecting fragments of knowledge.
"The contract was posted days ago. No one knows who submitted it, but plenty of us have tried—and failed. She's being protected by two special grade sorcerers: Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto. I don't know her exact location, but if they're heading toward Tengen, then they'll eventually reach Jujutsu High… in Tokyo. That's where Tengen is. I swear…"
"And Toji Fushiguro?" Ali asked, his tone still even, but darker now.
"I don't know much—just rumours. That he hunts sorcerers for money. A mercenary. That's all I know, I swear it…"
Ali didn't detect any lies. The man's panic and pain made it nearly impossible for him to fabricate anything.
Ali stood up and turned away, his thoughts racing. 'I understand the situation now… and it's really fucking bad for me. I don't have time…'
"When will they reach Tengen?" Ali asked, his voice low and urgent.
"Soon," the man responded quickly. "The last report said they were close to Tokyo…"
Ali's black eyes narrowed beneath his mask. He exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of the situation settle on his shoulders.
"Last question," he said at last. "I don't have much time. Where can I find many of your kind—sorcerers?"
He stared down at the broken man with his cold eyes.
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