Just Take One Hit from Me

Although Gakuganji was only asking, his tone was clearly quite certain.

Furious, Misato Kuroi mustered her courage and shouted, "You keep calling her the Star Plasma Vessel, but she has a name! Her name is Riko Amanai!"

Seeing there was no point hiding anymore, the Rabbit Cursed Corpse unzipped, and Riko Amanai climbed out.

After being cooped up in the hot, airless space, she took a deep breath, then planted her hands on her hips. "That's right! It's me!"

"So she really is the Star Plasma Vessel!"

One of the Zenin Clan elders, who ranked just below Naobito Zenin and Zenin Ogi, was Keisuke Zenin.

He stepped forward, his expression dark as he faced Masamichi Yaga.

"Masamichi Yaga, you've been hiding the Star Plasma Vessel and interfering with Lord Tengen's assimilation. That's a serious crime!"

"Hand over the Star Plasma Vessel now, and the higher-ups may still consider going easy on you!"

Masamichi Yaga lowered his head, as if weighing his options.

"I'm sorry, Lord Keisuke!"

Masamichi Yaga raised his head. A rare, gentle smile appeared on his usually stern face. "But, after all... I don't want to let my students down!"

Keisuke Zenin furrowed his brow. "Do you understand what you're doing?"

Masamichi Yaga said nothing. Instead, he took up a fighting stance!

Keisuke Zenin sighed. "Colleagues, Masamichi Yaga's actions are tantamount to betrayal. I propose we execute him on the spot."

The higher-ups said nothing, but their silence was as good as agreement.

Keisuke Zenin held his sword at the ready in an iaijutsu stance, his eyes fixed on Masamichi Yaga with murderous intent.

"When we start fighting, take Riko and run. As fast as you can!" Masamichi Yaga quietly told Misato Kuroi.

He knew that, under the circumstances, their chances of escaping were next to nothing.

"Okay!"

Misato Kuroi nodded firmly.

But Riko Amanai suddenly spoke up. "Wait! Let them go, and I'll come back with you!"

"Miss!"

Misato Kuroi grabbed Riko Amanai by the wrist, but Riko shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Kuroi. I won't be able to stay with you anymore!"

Then she looked at Masamichi Yaga. "Um... you're Masamichi Yaga, right?"

Riko Amanai stepped forward and bowed deeply to him.

"Thank you for helping me, Uncle Yaga! But you've already done so much for my sake. I don't even know if Satoru and the others are okay."

"All of this happened because of me. I can't be so selfish. Please, don't stop me."

Riko Amanai wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then turned to Keisuke Zenin. "I'll go with you!"

Keisuke Zenin sneered. "At least you know what's good for you. Otherwise, you'd all be dead..."

Suddenly, Keisuke Zenin felt a suffocating presence behind him.

An icy chill shot from his tailbone to the crown of his head. It was as if the Grim Reaper's scythe were resting against his neck, ready to fall at any moment.

Keisuke Zenin tried to move, but was horrified to discover that his entire body was frozen.

What was going on?

At that moment, Gakuganji and the others stared wide-eyed, as if they'd seen a ghost, at the three figures who had suddenly appeared behind Keisuke Zenin.

Gojo Sawa rested a hand on Keisuke Zenin's shoulder. His words came like a demon's whisper.

"Hey, old man. Who was it you said was going to die?"

Gulp~

Keisuke Zenin swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing.

At the same time, Riko Amanai excitedly waved and shouted from nearby, "Satoru! I'm so glad you're all okay!"

"Obviously! We're the Strongest Trio. How could anything happen to us?"

Gojo Satoru smiled as he walked toward Riko Amanai.

Gojo Sawa nudged Suguru Geto with his elbow and burst out laughing. "Look at that! There are three of us, but Riko only called Satoru by name. Pretty obvious, right?"

Suguru Geto smiled, intrigued. "At Satoru's age, would that count as young love?"

The two followed after him, chatting and laughing.

The three of them passed by Keisuke Zenin one after another.

In that moment, Keisuke Zenin broke into a cold sweat.

He felt like an ordinary man who had just brushed past three tigers. Even the hand gripping his sword was trembling.

Riko Amanai gleefully threw herself at Gojo Satoru, but he suddenly flicked her on the forehead. Riko clutched her head and crouched down in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow... You jerk! What are you doing?!"

Gojo Satoru looked at her disdainfully. "Huh? We nearly died trying to stop you from merging with that old hag Tengen, and you still want to go back? You're wasting all our effort!"

Riko Amanai pounced on Gojo Satoru, grabbed his white hair with both hands, and yanked furiously. "You think I wanted to, you jerk?! Drop dead!"

The two immediately started tussling.

But Gojo Satoru's way of referring to Tengen immediately angered the higher-ups.

"Satoru! Show Lord Tengen some respect!"

"Such a loose tongue! Is this how the Gojo Clan raises its children?"

Gakuganji Yoshinobu glowered. "Gojo Sawa, what exactly are you planning?"

At that, Gojo Sawa and the others finally turned their attention back to them.

Gojo Sawa spoke flatly. "Go back and tell that old hag Tengen that Riko won't merge with her."

"What?"

The higher-ups could no longer stay calm, especially the elders of the Three Great Families.

After all, most of the Three Great Families' barriers had been set up by Tengen.

"Gojo Sawa! Gojo Satoru! And Suguru Geto! Do you know what you're doing?"

"Are you planning to betray the entire Jujutsu Society?"

"Shut up!"

Gojo Sawa scratched his head. "You can't speak for the entire Jujutsu Society."

Now that the three had let their auras fade, Keisuke Zenin found his courage again, backed by all the others.

"Gojo Sawa! You three may be called the Strongest Trio, but you're still just a bunch of teenagers!"

"There are dozens of clan elders and Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers here. Hand over the Star Plasma Vessel!"

Gojo Sawa glanced at him and chuckled. "Sure. You... no, all of you—if you can take one move from me, she's yours!"

Gakuganji and the others were taken aback, while Keisuke Zenin burst out laughing.

"You arrogant brat! The title of strongest has gone to your head!"

"With so many of us here, we could take ten hits, a hundred hits, and still be fine!"

"No. One hit is enough."

Gojo Sawa smiled and said no more. Blue and Red appeared in his hands.

"Hollow Technique: Purple!"

Inside the Tombs of the Star Corridor.

Gojo Sawa looked at Tengen impassively. "I know you can slow your evolution from within the barrier. You don't need to merge with the Star Plasma Vessel at all. (See Chapter 202 of the original work.)"

"So if I ever hear that you've done something like this again—using someone else's life for an experiment—I'll kill you."

Feeling the young man's undisguised killing intent, even Tengen, who had lived for nearly a thousand years, couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

After saying that, Gojo Sawa left without looking back.

Tengen watched Gojo Sawa's retreating figure and sighed after a long while.

"Very well. I never imagined monsters like these would appear in the Jujutsu Society today—three of them at once. With them around, I suppose I don't need to worry so much about my evolution."

Feeling two other presences outside the Tombs of the Star Corridor, each no weaker than Gojo Sawa's, Tengen breathed a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, and slowly fell into slumber.