Heavenly Restriction User of the Gojo Clan: I Refuse to Be Cut in Half-Chapter 172: Rainbow Dragon Crisis

The five-member group led by Satoshi rode on Minazuki's back, speeding toward the location of Yagyū Saemon's mission.

At the same time, support from the Jujutsu Association was also rushing toward Saemon's position.

"I really don't get it! Why is it that every time the Yagyū family is involved, something always goes wrong with the mission?"

The assistant supervisor in charge of dispatching this mission was a man named Nishi Yōshu.

Yōshu felt bitter. According to the initial intelligence, the target was only a Grade 1 cursed spirit. How did it suddenly become a Special Grade the moment a member of the Yagyū family appeared?

This was exactly what had happened during Hidetsugu Yagyū's previous mission.

And now, the same was happening with Yagyū Saemon's current assignment.

If he wasn't certain that this was all a coincidence, he would have seriously suspected that the cursed spirits were deliberately targeting the Yagyū family.

Due to the appearance of the Special Grade cursed spirit, the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, Sekiguchi Seiji, personally led the reinforcement team, bringing along third-year student Yaga Masamichi and Nishi Yōgaki to assist Yagyū Saemon.

Sekiguchi Seiji was a recognized Grade 1 sorcerer. Alongside him were Yaga Masamichi, a Grade 2 sorcerer, and Saemon, who wielded the Zanpakutō Nejibana. With this lineup, they should have been more than capable of exorcising the Special Grade cursed spirit.

However, what Sekiguchi worried about most was whether Saemon would be able to hold out until their support arrived.

"Can the intel from the association be a little more reliable next time? Why does it always seem like you people are targeting the Yagyū family? Don't you think that's going too far?"

"Is it because the Yagyū family obtained the Zanpakutō Nejibana from the Gojo clan? Are the higher-ups at the association just jealous?"

As they hurried toward the scene, Sekiguchi Seiji voiced his frustrations to Yōgaki and the other association officials.

Just as Yōshu had thought earlier, incidents like these happening twice in a row to two different Grade 1 sorcerers of the Yagyū family couldn't be considered mere coincidence by anyone.

Yōshu could only smile bitterly.

"I swear this really is just a coincidence! If we had known beforehand that this cursed spirit was a Special Grade, we never would have assigned Lord Saemon to handle it alone."

Yaga Masamichi, wearing sunglasses and looking serious, spoke in a low voice.

"The cursed spirit that appeared this time wasn't on any registry. If there's a problem, there's nothing we can do about that. All we can do is rush to provide support."

"The main issue is that a civilian broke into the mission site. If an ordinary person gets caught up in this, it would bring disgrace to us as sorcerers."

The future principal of Jujutsu High still looked young at this time, with none of the hardened presence he would have in the future. But his sense of responsibility remained unchanged.

At such a young age, he had already reached the second grade, with a deep understanding of cursed corpse techniques.

Within the association, many believed that Yaga Masamichi already possessed the strength of a true Grade 1 sorcerer and was only one assessment away from officially earning the title.

With this lineup, the reinforcement team was already quite formidable.

...

Mission location.

Facing the Rainbow Dragon hovering in the sky, Yagyū Saemon wore a grim expression. At this point, he was already struggling under the relentless assault.

He could barely hold on, relying on the support of Geto Suguru's cursed spirits to keep up with the Rainbow Dragon's attacks.

Geto's face was full of frustration. The reason the Rainbow Dragon had evolved into a Special Grade this time was because of him.

When he had tried to subdue the Rainbow Dragon, he had accidentally triggered its breakthrough from Grade 1 to Special Grade.

"Kid, focus on staying alive. Don't overthink it. Whether you showed up or not, this cursed spirit would have evolved sooner or later."

"It's a cursed spirit born from human fear of dragons and snakes. Its potential was always there. You just happened to be present at the time of its transformation."

While hastily blocking another of the Rainbow Dragon's attacks, Saemon spoke calmly, trying to comfort Geto.

"Honestly, if it weren't for your cursed spirits supporting me, I probably would've fallen already."

Saemon never once mentioned that many of the injuries he had sustained were from protecting Geto.

For Saemon, protecting the young and the weak was simply what he believed he should do.

Though he lived in modern times, the blood of an ancient swordsman flowed through his veins.

Since their paths had crossed here, he could not allow someone younger than himself to die before his eyes.

"Hold on a little longer. I've already contacted the association for reinforcements. They should be here soon."

Panting heavily, Saemon continued to manipulate the waves of Nejibana, using its currents to hold back the Rainbow Dragon.

But even as he spoke, he did not fully believe his own words.

Would the association really be able to send help in time?

Deep down, he doubted it. But he could not let Geto lose hope.

As the elder, he had to remain steady and give Geto the confidence to keep fighting.

"Yes!"

A flash of determination crossed Geto's face.

He could not allow himself to give up so easily.

Even though he felt powerless against this Special Grade cursed spirit, he knew its strength was still not on the level of Jogo, the cursed spirit that had appeared at the Tombs of the Star.

That cursed spirit possessed an active Domain Expansion. Satoshi had been able to defeat Jogo even within its Domain, yet here he was, completely helpless against an ordinary Special Grade.

The gap between them felt insurmountable.

Geto had always believed himself to be talented. But standing next to Satoshi and Satoru, the talent he was once so proud of now seemed utterly meaningless.

He continued commanding his cursed spirits to shield Saemon. One after another, the spirits he had subdued were slaughtered under the Rainbow Dragon's attacks.

His strength was steadily being depleted, but Geto didn't care.

No matter how many ordinary cursed spirits he summoned, none of them could make a decisive difference in this battle.

If he truly wanted to grow stronger, he would need to subdue more powerful cursed spirits. Special Grades.

But here lay the cruel irony.

Without enough strength, how could he ever hope to subdue a Special Grade cursed spirit?

Had the path he had chosen always been wrong?

Should I have focused on improving my own strength instead?

(To be continued.)