Jujutsu Kaisen: Purple

Chapter 20: Breaking Point

A dome of darkness held Nishi-Shinjuku hostage — its lugubrious lighting imitating nighttime's tenebrosity. Worried whispers trailed Itsuka Shinidare as she roamed through the gridlocked roads, a skeletal scythe resting over her right shoulder. The woman paused and gazed at the synthetic sky.

The curtain changed colour soon after I entered. Must be some sort of barrier condition signalling my arrival.

She shifted her sight to a distant structure protruding from the cityscape: The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which stood at the dome's epicentre.

I imagine that's where the curtain was cast.

A bullet pierced the air; the sorcerer deflected the projectile with her weapon's blade — a purple scintillation flashing upon impact — before registering the gunshot's shriek. She assumed a fighting stance, her blood-red eyes peeled for the shooter's location. Itsuka parried a subsequent succession of gunshots and rushed behind a building for cover.

Where are the gunshots coming from?

A lighting-fast projectile veered around the corner — nearing the woman's head. She flinched while blocking the bullet, its crushed metal cadaver quickly falling to the ground. An overpowering presence inundated the environment. The sorcerer turned around and spotted a purple-haired man aiming a Beretta M9 in her direction, a purple Desert Eagle pointing downwards clutched in his left hand.

Itsuka vanished as the curse user repeatedly pulled the trigger. He tracked the woman's movements, his gunfire decorating the district with perforations. Windows shattered in the vicinity. The sorcerer closed the gap between them, her scythe outstretched to the right. Yukou grinned and pointed the purple pistol up at the sky.

A purple flash erupted from the handgun's muzzle; a bullet travelled multiple centimetres upwards before bending its trajectory towards Itsuka. The woman parried the projectile using her weapon's handle and swung the bladed end at the man. He disappeared, reappearing on top of a nearby building moments later — looking down at the sorcerer.

"I was aiming to dispatch you from the get-go," proclaimed the curse user, reholstering the Beretta M9.

I could've shot her then and there, but she would've hit me with that cursed tool before dying.

Yukou ejected a seven-round magazine from the Desert Eagle. He retrieved another magazine from his purple belt, shoved it into the handgun's handle, and pulled back the slide. The man's mouth formed a menacing grin.

"Why waste time with Jujutsu when a swift bullet to the skull typically does the trick?"

A black blaze engulfed Itsuka Shinidare's body. She brandished her scythe — her dead, dispassionate stare refusing to retreat.

"I hope you're ready to reunite with those you've murdered, Yukou Tsugomorii..."

The Death Sentence Sorcerer narrowed her eyes.

"...Because we'll both be feeding the crows by sunset."

Meanwhile, inside the turquoise curtain...

An ephemeral equanimity shadowed the streets of Shinjuku — inevitably usurped by a symphony of skirmishes. Yukari vaulted over the roof of a car — his dichromatic scarf billowing behind him — before continuing to pursue Sayume. At the same time, colourful explosions boomed in the background.

A brick wall materialised in front of the purple-haired teenager; his feet instinctively slid to a stop. The boy blinked.

No. It's an illusio—