Parting

Fushiguro Megumi watched Itadori's fighting spirit and gave a slight shake of his head. "Let's deal with what's in front of us first."

By then, the chaos in the streets below had begun to subside. After Chen Tian cleared away the Cursed Spirits and Curse Users, the surviving Jujutsu Sorcerers began organizing rescue and cleanup efforts.

The once-majestic dome had been split open by a massive gash. Shattered fragments of the barrier lay scattered across the cold ground like dying stars.

Tsukumo Yuki sat slumped on the ground. The white light of Reverse Cursed Technique had just faded from her body. Her external injuries had healed, but the shock in her heart was far from settled. She stared blankly at the torn sky overhead and murmured, dazed:

"The Culling Game barrier... it's just... gone? Was that man just now?"

She turned to look at Tengen, whose form beside her was anything but human.

Tengen's strange face bore an unusual mix of solemnity and bewilderment. After a long silence, they finally spoke in a voice that sounded almost like a dream:

"I... think so. His power... I've never seen anything like it. It was so powerful that..." Tengen seemed unable to find the right words. Their speech had rarely faltered like this before.

"Like a god."

Choso, who had been silent as stone, abruptly uttered three words, cold and certain.

Tsukumo Yuki and Tengen both looked at him, their expressions complicated. In the end, they silently nodded.

At that moment, the description seemed uncannily apt.

"What do we do now?" Tsukumo Yuki shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts.

Tengen's gaze passed through the shattered dome and fixed on the distant landscape, now even more desolate after the chaos had subsided.

"Release Satoru Gojo. The seal is broken, but Sukuna... still exists."

At that, Tsukumo Yuki instead broke into a wild grin.

"Hah? What are we afraid of? Even if Sukuna returned to his full strength, in front of that 'god,' wouldn't he still go down with one slash?"

Her tone was utterly matter-of-fact.

"Gods don't deign to get involved."

Choso spoke again, his words somewhat cruel.

He watched Tsukumo Yuki turn toward him in confusion, then continued:

"If Jogo hadn't touched something he cared about—like his house—he might have kept watching from the sidelines. Until the world was destroyed."

The smile froze on Tsukumo Yuki's face.

Tengen slowly closed their eyes, which had seen through a thousand years. They didn't argue. Choso's words had cut through appearances and laid bare the cold truth.

Great power did not mean salvation.

Especially in the eyes of a "god."

Inside the Tombs of the Star Corridor, only the faint sound of barrier fragments occasionally falling remained, along with a deeper silence spreading through the place.

The Jujutsu world's high-level meeting room.

The room remained dim, with paper doors lining the walls and yellowish light illuminating only the central area.

The air had congealed like lead. An oppressive silence filled the room, making it seem as though no one was there.

"Nanami Kento, who made contact with Nero," an old, hoarse voice struggled to break the silence. "How... did he report the results of that meeting?"

Another voice immediately answered, its dryness impossible to conceal:

"'Not interested.'" The voice paused, as though recalling the absurdity of the report. "That was all Nero said in response to our invitation. Four words."

Another long, suffocating silence followed. The invisible pressure seemed almost enough to crush the paper doors. No one dared breathe too loudly.

"We..." At last, a hesitant voice spoke, bewilderment and deep-seated fear in it. "How should we regard Nero?"

"Regard him?" The same caustic voice as before suddenly broke in, now brimming with sharp self-mockery.

"You're joking again. How Nero regards us... that's what we should be worried about, isn't it?"

The speaker seemed to shake their head, the shadows shifting. "Let's not be like Satoru Gojo, thinking that the best we can hope for is that he sees us as nothing more than rotten trash he'd love to uproot."

"You!" The rebuked voice carried a trace of anger, but couldn't manage to say anything more.

Argue back? With what? With the power they had just witnessed, a force beyond comprehension that erased the barrier and Cursed Spirits like divine punishment?

The oldest figure at the head of the room, whose voice was also the most resonant, slowly spoke.

His voice carried the exhaustion of a matter already settled:

"Treat him kindly." The four words rang clearly through the silence. "If he makes any demands of us... agree without conditions."

No one objected.

Not even the faintest trace of doubt stirred.

Behind the paper doors, the shadows remained utterly silent in assent.

Power? Dignity? In the face of a force capable of rewriting the rules and erasing everything in an instant, they were lighter than a feather.

That apocalyptic slash of light that had enveloped all of Japan was enough to crush any wishful thinking.

After all... sometimes life really was far more important than power.

Especially when facing a "god" who didn't care about rules and only drew his blade when the mood struck him.

The heavy silence in the high-level meeting room was broken by a new topic.

"What about Satoru Gojo and Yuji Itadori?" an elderly woman's voice rang out sharply. "Yuji Itadori's appearance in Tokyo proves that Yuta Okkotsu deceived us! He's protecting that dangerous object!"

"Exactly," another cold voice immediately chimed in. "Yuji Itadori must be executed at once! As Sukuna's Vessel, he's an unforgivable curse! We absolutely cannot let him continue to live!"

"He must be eliminated!"

Several voices rang out in succession. With Jogo's threat removed, a new "hidden danger" was immediately put on the table, becoming a convenient pretext for shifting internal pressure and fear.

The oldest voice at the head of the room spoke again, issuing an order. No emotion could be heard in it, only unchallengeable authority:

"Carry it out at once. Send Tsukumo Yuki and Nanami Kento to lead the team. Gather the other available Jujutsu Sorcerers and hunt down Yuji Itadori."

After the order was given, the shadows behind the paper doors fell still for the briefest moment.

Every old fox in a position of power knew perfectly well that assigning Tsukumo Yuki—a woman practically branded as "disobedient"—to lead the operation was absurd in itself and showed a lack of trust.

Tsukumo Yuki? She did as she pleased and routinely scoffed at the higher-ups' orders.

Nanami Kento? He had an almost stubborn sense of fairness and principle, and he wasn't entirely hostile toward Itadori.

More importantly, everyone knew that the real purpose of hunting down Yuji Itadori had long since gone beyond simply managing the risk of "dealing with Sukuna's Vessel."

What they feared more deeply was the "Angel" that Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi were searching for.

Releasing Angel meant the next step would be to free Satoru Gojo from the Prison Realm!

The "strongest" Jujutsu Sorcerer who had once been a thorn in their side and posed a tremendous threat to their power!

Assigning two people who were at odds with the higher-ups to lead the operation was less an act of trust than a test—or even a way of forcing them to pick a side.

The higher-ups needed results: Yuji Itadori dead, the Angel trail cut off, Satoru Gojo sealed forever.

As for what the people carrying out the mission thought, or whether they agreed with it, that no longer mattered much. In their eyes, individual opinions were insignificant in the face of the absolute will of power.

"Understood," said an operative responsible for relaying orders from a corner, breaking the brief silence. Then came the faint sound of footsteps leaving.

The order had been given. It could not be changed.

Behind the paper doors, there was only deeper shadow and the silent flow of calculation and coldness.

Tsukumo Yuki had just finished her call. She casually tucked her phone back into her pocket, a playful smile on her face.

"Oh? Hunt down the kid?"

She glanced at Choso and Tengen beside her. "And they want me to lead the team? How interesting."

"What are you going to do? Itadori's my brother," Choso asked. His crimson eyes gave nothing away.

Tsukumo Yuki rolled her neck, producing a series of crisp cracks. The corner of her mouth curled into a wild grin.

"What am I going to do? Obviously... go 'hunt him down.' Sounds great!" Her laughter echoed through the vast, ruined Tombs of the Star Corridor, brimming with excitement at the prospect of stirring up trouble.

Tengen watched her in silence, offering no opinion.

Choso looked away. He understood what Tsukumo Yuki meant.

The higher-ups' intentions were clear, but whoever carried them out... the uncertainty involved was probably far beyond anything those old men hiding in the shadows had calculated.

The order to hunt had gone out, but the relationship between hunter and prey had now turned delicate and dangerous.

Nanami Kento pushed up his glasses as he looked at the classified order from the higher-ups. His eyes behind the lenses were sharp as a blade.

Hunt down Yuji Itadori? With him and Tsukumo Yuki leading?

He silently put his phone away, his expression unchanged, then turned and walked steadily toward a certain destination.

Kai Kō

A ruined city street.

Yuji Itadori and Fushiguro Megumi walked along a relatively intact road, warily scanning their surroundings. After the Culling Game barrier shattered, the traces of the remaining Cursed Spirits had grown much fainter, but the danger wasn't completely gone.

"Where could Angel be?" Itadori scratched his head, looking frustrated. Without the game's rules to guide them, searching felt like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Fushiguro Megumi was about to say something when he abruptly stopped in his tracks, his whole body tensing as if facing a formidable enemy. His eyes locked onto the shadows at the end of the alley ahead.

"What's wrong, Megumi?" Itadori immediately assumed a fighting stance and followed his gaze.

A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.

She was a slender young woman in a simple white dress, with shoulder-length hair.

She quietly watched Fushiguro Megumi, a barely perceptible flicker of emotion deep in her eyes.

"Fushiguro Megumi," she said. Her voice was calm and even, like a cool stream.

"You're..." Fushiguro Megumi's pupils narrowed. He recognized that distinctive presence at once. "...Angel, Kurusu Hana?"

"Huh?! She's Angel?" Itadori's eyes widened as he looked from the young woman to Fushiguro Megumi, unable to believe it. "What a coincidence!"

Kurusu Hana paid no attention to Itadori's surprise. Her gaze remained fixed on Fushiguro Megumi. "The barrier shattered. The Binding Vow... weakened. I sensed you." She tilted her head slightly. "Do you want to... free the Prison Realm?"

"That's right!" Itadori hurried forward, his voice urgent. "We need your help! Please undo the seal on the Prison Realm and save Gojo-sensei! Only he can fight Sukuna and Jogo!"

Kurusu Hana was silent for a moment, her golden eyes sweeping over the two of them. "The Prison Realm..." She seemed to weigh the matter. "'Eliminating all Cursed Techniques'... could indeed erase the sealing technique. But the price..."

"We're willing to pay it! Please!" Itadori begged urgently, his eyes full of sincerity and desperation.

Fushiguro Megumi also spoke in a low voice. "We need Satoru Gojo's power. It matters to everyone, including you."

Kurusu Hana looked at them, seeming about to say something. But in that very instant—

A muffled boom! The wall of a building behind them and to the side exploded without warning, leaving a huge hole! Amid flying dust and rubble, a steady, swift figure tore through the smoke like a leopard that had been lying in wait, lunging straight at Fushiguro Megumi!

Too fast! Fushiguro Megumi only had time to glimpse familiar blond hair and a flash of reflected light on glasses!

"Mr. Nanami?!"

Fushiguro Megumi's shocked cry had barely escaped his lips when Nanami Kento was already right in front of him!

His right hand gripped the short-handled, cloth-wrapped Cursed Tool—the Tuodao. With a ripping whoosh, he swung it mercilessly at Fushiguro Megumi's side!

There wasn't the slightest hesitation in the strike. It was a killing blow!

"Megumi!" Itadori's eyes nearly bulged with rage. His body moved faster than his thoughts. He instinctively exploded into astonishing speed, twisted around, and swung a fist wrapped in Cursed Energy straight at Nanami Kento's Tuodao!

Clang—!

The sound rang out like a massive bell!

A violent shockwave erupted around the two of them! The ground beneath their feet instantly cracked and caved in!

Itadori was sent flying by the tremendous force and slammed into the broken wall behind him, bringing it crashing down! His arm throbbed with pain and went numb, and the metallic taste of blood rose in his throat.

Itadori was astonished. He could tell Nanami Kento hadn't held back at all.

A giant owl Shikigami shrieked as it rushed out of the shadows, its claws reaching for Nanami Kento, wrapped in Lightning Bolt!

After forcing Itadori back with one strike, Nanami Kento faced Nue's attack with terrifying calm.

His body slid sideways at an impossible angle, evading the claws. At the same time, his left hand shot out and seized Nue by the ankle!

Cursed Energy erupted—"Ten Shadows Technique: Uroboros!"

Nue's massive body was sliced apart, splitting in two in midair before dissipating into Cursed Energy!