Sukuna's gaze swept over Uraume, over Mahito's twisted grin, then settled on Jogo's face. The expression on Jogo's face softened, and he slowly broke into a relieved smile.
"Isn't this great?" Sukuna's voice held a strange sense of satisfaction. "Isn't this the day I've been waiting for? The day I get cut down by someone stronger!"
His crimson eyes gleamed as if he were remembering that earth-shattering slash. "That guy named Nero... He was incredible! That was so much fun!"
Uraume bit down hard on his lower lip, still unable to speak.
"Yeah," Jogo finally said. His voice was calm, but heavy. "That guy was strong... stronger than any being this planet should have had."
"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Sukuna burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the pale space with unrestrained delight. He looked at Jogo with a teasing grin.
"You bastard! You get it now? Your little schemes and calculations aren't worth a damn in the face of that kind of absolute strength!"
Jogo fell silent for a moment, then nodded very slowly. The corner of his mouth twitched faintly, as if he had accepted this cruel truth.
Sukuna's laughter gradually subsided, eventually becoming a relaxed smile at the corner of his lips.
He raised his head and gazed toward the far end of the empty white space, as if he could still see that streak of deep-blue sword light that had cleaved heaven and earth. A trace of regret entered his voice.
"What a shame..." he said softly. "Even at the end, I couldn't find out how deep that guy's power went."
He paused, then gave a quiet, ambiguous chuckle, as if mocking himself, or offering some kind of salute. "Sorry, Nero... I couldn't give you a proper fight."
With that, he turned around and casually rested a large hand on Uraume's stiff shoulder.
"Let's go." His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a carefree air.
Uraume jerked his head up, his expression a mixture of grief and shock. But in the end, he said nothing more. He simply looked deeply at Sukuna's back, stood up, and silently followed.
The two figures walked one after the other into the pure whiteness. Like drops of ink in milk, they quickly faded and disappeared.
Jogo watched Sukuna vanish, then slowly smiled. "As expected of you, Sukuna."
As his words faded, Jogo's figure also vanished into the space.
Mahito's mocking laughter abruptly stopped. Eyes wide, he stared in the direction where Sukuna and Jogo had disappeared.
After a moment of stunned silence, he flopped onto the ground like a petulant child, waving his arms and legs around.
"Why?! Why did you do that?! You made me look like a little kid!"
As Mahito shouted, his figure slowly faded, until he disappeared completely.
In the real world.
Sunlight fell harshly across the ruins. The lingering force of the slashes made the air tremble and distort.
Sukuna—or rather, Fushiguro Megumi's body—lay still amid the rubble.
The grotesque Cursed Marks, extra arms, and eyes on his body had all vanished. He had returned to looking like the black-haired boy he was.
His chest rose and fell slightly. He had only lost consciousness.
Chen Tian looked down at the unconscious Fushiguro Megumi. Enma was already back in its sheath.
Several figures appeared beside Chen Tian in an instant: Satoru Gojo, Yuji Itadori, Nanami Kento, Haguruma Kanko, and finally Angel, Kurusu Hana, who descended with a flap of her wings.
"Hey, buddy!" Satoru Gojo beamed and reached out to pat Chen Tian on the shoulder as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Nice work!"
Chen Tian turned his head and gave Gojo a cool glance with his dark eyes.
That look stopped Gojo's hand in midair, leaving him with an awkward expression.
"Sukuna is dead," Chen Tian said, his voice flat. "Fushiguro Megumi is fine." His gaze returned to the boy on the ground. "I cut Sukuna's soul."
The smile froze on Gojo's face, and his eyes widened again.
He whipped around to look at Fushiguro Megumi. His Six Eyes scanned the boy like a precision instrument running at high speed.
"This..." Gojo's voice broke.
Fushiguro Megumi lay there peacefully. His Cursed Energy flowed faintly but steadily, and Sukuna's enormous cursed presence had vanished completely, as if it had never existed. He really was... completely unharmed!
"Waaaaah!" Gojo suddenly jumped on the spot like a kid who'd found a new toy. He excitedly made wild slashing gestures at the air with both hands. "What kind of move was that?! A soul slash?!"
"Hey, hey, hey! That's cheating, isn't it?! How did you lock onto the soul? A precise, rules-level separation?! What's the principle behind it?!"
He was so excited that he was flailing around. He leaned in close to Chen Tian, his bright blue Six Eyes nearly touching Chen Tian's impassive face, trying to dig the answer out of his eyes.
Yuji Itadori didn't hear a word of what Gojo was shouting.
The moment he confirmed Sukuna's presence had disappeared completely and Fushiguro Megumi was truly still alive, a rush of joy swept away his taut nerves. "Megumi!"
He shouted and shot forward like a cannonball, dropping heavily to his knees beside Fushiguro Megumi. With trembling hands, he carefully checked the pulse in his neck.
A clear, strong beat throbbed beneath his fingers.
Yuji's body shuddered. The tension drained from him all at once, and he slumped forward, pressing his forehead against the cold ground as his shoulders shook violently.
His stifled sobs finally broke loose, mingling with the joy of having survived and tears he could no longer hold back. "Thank goodness... Thank goodness..."
Large tears fell into the dust.
"...Unbelievable." Nanami Kento adjusted his glasses, his eyes fixed on Chen Tian and the Enma Sword at his waist.
Cutting a soul... That kind of power was beyond anything he considered possible.
Haguruma Kanko gasped for breath. The world-destroying pressure from just moments ago still seemed to squeeze his heart. He looked at Chen Tian's calm profile, then at the unharmed Fushiguro Megumi on the ground. His face held nothing but deep apprehension.
Kurusu Hana's white wings beat once as she floated down beside Fushiguro Megumi, moving even faster than Yuji.
She reached toward Fushiguro Megumi's chest, her fingertips trembling slightly.
When the steady, powerful beat reached her fingertips, her tense body relaxed at once, and her shoulders sagged.
She didn't cry out or throw herself down like Yuji. She simply laid both hands lightly on Fushiguro Megumi's chest, feeling the pulse of life beneath them as clear tears slid silently down her cheeks.
Chen Tian turned his gaze away from Fushiguro Megumi and looked at Gojo, who was still making slashing gestures at the air.
"This isn't completely over yet."
Gojo finally stopped flailing. His bright blue Six Eyes turned to Chen Tian with curiosity.
"Fushiguro Megumi's sister," Chen Tian continued, "has been taken over by another old hag." He paused, then added, "That woman came here to pursue Sukuna."
When he finished, he casually looked up at the sky, which had turned blue again, then glanced down at his watch.
"Hmm. 3:32 p.m."
Then Chen Tian turned his gaze back to Gojo and got straight to the point.
"I'll leave it to you, Gojo."
Before the words had even faded, he reached behind him and gripped the Enma Sword Hilt at his waist.
A flash of deep-blue light appeared and vanished. The blade swept through the air in front of him, tracing a cross.
Blue-violet energy tore through the air like ripped cloth, opening a portal in the space before him, its edges crackling with unstable electricity. On the other side lay a completely different, blurry, distorted scene.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Gojo shouted. "Where are you going?!"
Chen Tian had already stepped through the portal, half his body disappearing into the flowing blue-violet light. At the question, he didn't even look back. He left only one casual remark, its final words swallowed by the hum of space tearing apart.
"Going home. Eating. Sleeping. Hugging my girlfriend."
Chapter 21: Young Miss
A flash of blue-violet lightning, and the portal and Chen Tian disappeared completely. The lingering smell of ozone quickly blew away in the wind, leaving only the words "hugging my girlfriend" floating in the sunlight.
The ruins fell silent.
Gojo's hand remained frozen in midair, pointing at the empty space where Chen Tian had been.
He blinked, a hint of confusion—and exasperation—showing in his eyes.
He slowly turned around, looking over the people beside him.
Yuji Itadori was still kneeling beside Fushiguro Megumi, with tears and snot on his face. Clearly, he hadn't fully recovered from the emotional roller coaster.
Nanami Kento adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light. His face remained expressionless.
Haguruma Kanko wore a pained expression, as though he was thinking about something.
Kurusu Hana gently touched Fushiguro Megumi's chest, checking his heartbeat, and didn't seem particularly interested in the conversation.
Gojo's gaze finally settled on Nanami Kento. The corner of his mouth twitched as he pointed at the place where Chen Tian had disappeared and asked, word by word, "He... just said... he was going home... to hug his girlfriend?"
Nanami Kento nodded expressionlessly. "Yes."
"Ahhh!" Gojo let out an exaggerated wail. A pure-white handkerchief appeared in his hand from nowhere, and he stuffed it into his mouth and bit down hard, letting out a muffled whimper. "Damn it~~ Why?! I don't even have a girlfriend~~~"
Nanami Kento remained unmoved, seemingly long accustomed to this kind of Gojo-style breakdown.
He adjusted his glasses. His voice was calm and steady as he brought the conversation back on track. "Gojo, I think you need to know about the Jujutsu Higher-Ups' verdict."
"Hm?" Gojo abruptly stopped biting the handkerchief.
The neurotic, clownish look vanished from his face.
He straightened up, his usual arrogant smile returning to his lips.
Lifting his chin, he turned slightly toward Nanami Kento. His eyes were full of disdain. "Oh, those old tangerine peels are stirring up trouble again?"
"It doesn't matter." Gojo's gaze returned to the unconscious Fushiguro Megumi on the ground. "We'll deal with Fushiguro's sister first."
He walked toward Fushiguro Megumi, the sunlight falling across his tall, straight back. His tone was calm, but his words were sharp. "Then we'll deal with them."
Crack! Blue-violet lightning burst inside the apartment in Sapporo, and Chen Tian stepped out of the portal. Before he could steady himself, a soft body carrying the scent of violets collided with him.
"Welcome back!"
Kitagawa Marin clung to Chen Tian, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
She was wearing a loose home T-shirt, and the ends of her hair were still damp from her shower. Chen Tian caught her beneath the knees, lifting her up as if she were a koala.
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Chen Tian rubbed the tip of his nose against the top of her head.
"It took forever!" Kitagawa puffed out her cheeks, then buried her face in his shoulder and took a deep breath. "You smell awful..."
She jerked her head up, eyes wide. "Did you take care of everything?"
Chen Tian carried her toward the sofa. "Yeah, it's all taken care of."
"Ha~" Kitagawa sat on Chen Tian's lap and waved her hands excitedly. "I knew it. My Tian Jun is the best."
Chen Tian looked at the restless Kitagawa in his arms, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously. She was like an excited kitten, squirming around on his lap and flicking droplets of water from her hair onto his face.
When she'd finally had enough, Kitagawa suddenly quieted down and nestled against him. "Thank you, boyfriend." She buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled.
Chen Tian raised an eyebrow. "No need to thank me."
Of course he knew what she was thanking him for. He hadn't wanted to get involved in this mess at all. But when he saw his Little Sun worrying so much that even her usually energetic smile had lost its cheerful spark, he changed his mind.
"I'm going to take a shower." Chen Tian ruffled her hair.
When Kitagawa heard him, her eyes darted around. Then she suddenly sprang out of his arms.
She put her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks. "Go on, go on! You stink!"
Chen Tian chuckled and, as he stood, kissed her smooth forehead. Kitagawa immediately beamed with her signature energetic smile, her eyes curving into crescents.
The moment the bathroom door closed, Kitagawa darted into the bedroom like a cat sneaking a treat.
She pulled out the black bikini she'd prepared long ago, her fingers trembling slightly as she tied the strings.
Her reflection in the mirror showed her flushed cheeks.
The water rushed on. Kitagawa took a deep breath and quietly pushed open the bathroom door.
Through the misty steam, Chen Tian's solid back was just visible. She'd barely poked half her head inside when she met Chen Tian's gaze as he turned around.
"Ah!" Kitagawa yelped, and suddenly found herself pulled into the bathroom.
The door slammed shut, and the hot steam instantly enveloped her.
Chen Tian's wet arm wrapped around her waist, and droplets of water rolled down her flushed skin.
"W-wait! I'm not ready yet~ Ah~ Dummy Tian Jun, not there!" Kitagawa's protest was swallowed by the sound of the water.
(Three million words have been omitted here. VIP members can view them. Actually, never mind—even VIPs can't see them.)
Kyoto, deep within an old mansion.
The red-eyed girl stood barefoot on the cold floor, her long black hair tied back with a dark-red ribbon. She stared at the number on her phone that still hadn't answered, her frown deepening.
Before you continue