Chapter 20

Yuji and Nanami clear out the curses at Kinema Cinema and discover they may not be ordinary cursed spirits. A powerful entity has twisted living humans into grotesque beings. Meanwhile the one responsible, Mahito, talks with the lone witness Junpei about the true origin of curses.

Nanami describes how his ability marks weak points he can sever even with his wrapped, bladeless weapon. Noting Yuji is too focused on the enemies to listen, he adds that exposing a technique can strengthen it under the right conditions, then carves through one curse's vulnerable spots with the blunt back of his blade. Yuji turns to the second curse, recalling Gojo's training, which revealed his cursed energy carries a slight delay. Gojo taught him to weaponize that lag, turning a single charged punch into a double-impact strike named Divergent Fist, and Yuji uses it to obliterate the remaining target. Nanami quietly registers the boy's potential and concedes why Gojo took him on.

Sensing something off, Nanami photographs the creatures and finds they appear in the image, so he halts Yuji's attack. Reporting to Doctor Shoko Ieiri, they learn these are former humans whose bodies were transmogrified by cursed energy. Both victims died from the shock of their transformation yet gained the power to wield cursed energy like spirits. Ieiri assures Yuji their deaths were not his fault, but he remains shaken, which catches Nanami's attention. Nanami concludes the cinema's residue was bait meant to lure them out, warns that their skilled enemy makes the coming mission difficult, and the two set out to find the culprit.

In the sewers beneath Kawasaki City, Junpei meets Mahito, the spirit who reshaped the victims. Mahito explains his kind arise from humanity's negative emotions; a fear shared widely can spawn imaginary vengeful spirits, though he calls that mechanism shallow. He claims the dread people aim at natural disasters birthed the strongest cursed spirits he counts as friends. When Junpei asks what gave rise to Mahito himself, the spirit answers that he was born from the hatred people hold for one another.

This chapter belongs to the Vs. Mahito Arc, ran in issue 34 of 2018, and released on July 23, 2018, collected in Volume 3 with Yuji and Nanami on the cover. Its English title is Young Fish and Reverse Punishment, Part 2, and it adapts into Episode 9 of the anime. The chapter concludes the bout of Yuji and Nanami against the transfigured humans. Featured powers include Nanami's Ratio Technique and Yuji's newly introduced Divergent Fist. Jogo and Hanami make cameo appearances.