Yearning to Become an Immortal God: Jujutsu Kaisen

Though it was supposed to be completely random, the signboard seemed to have lost all meaning of randomness. It had landed on the heroine twice in a row. With two heroines already appearing, "Reach."

The third panel on the signboard was spinning. All that remained was for the train to pull into the station and reveal whether the illusory male lead could meet the person he loved. If the person the male lead loved was the same person as the "heroine" displayed on the signboard, it would be a Jackpot.

Incidentally, based purely on probability, the odds of hitting the Jackpot were 1 in 239.

But judging from the current situation, "The odds of a Jackpot are—10000%!"

"You're in top form, Hakari," Mahito said.

"Isn't this what you wanted, King of Curses?" Kinji Hakari took a deep breath and removed his black fur coat. Beneath it, he wore a fitted white T-shirt that perfectly outlined his muscular frame. As he breathed slowly, his muscles rose and fell like a black panther gathering its strength.

"Mahito, I'll help you!" Jogo stepped forward, intending to rush to Mahito's side.

"This is a duel between kings. There's a limit to how tactless you can be, Cursed Spirit," Kirara Hoshi suddenly said.

Jogo tried to move forward, only to discover that he could not reach Mahito no matter what he did. In an instant, he realized the distance between himself and Mahito was growing larger and larger. Eventually, he was forced into a corner. Innate Technique: Love Rendezvous! With a casual wave of Kirara's hand, Jogo was fixed in place, unable to move.

Jogo's heart stirred slightly. A spatial technique!

Not a spatial transfer technique, but a spatial control technique. He could run normally; his legs were already moving. Yet no matter how hard he ran, he could not approach Mahito. It was as if he were walking through an endless corridor, never able to reach its end.

As expected of Kinji Hakari's right-hand man. He actually possessed a spatial technique. Combined with Hakari's invincibility, wouldn't their enemies be unable even to flee, left only to be beaten to death?!

Mahito was in danger!

Hanami had realized it too. Since they could not move freely themselves, what about their techniques? She let out a roar and was about to use her own technique when Mahito raised a hand. Hanami clenched her fist, her fingertips nearly digging into her palm, but ultimately stopped.

Jogo grew anxious and roared, "Mahito, I can fight alongside you as a tool! Just like Cursed Spirit Manipulation users treat Cursed Spirits as part of their own strength, this doesn't violate the Binding Vow of 'king against king'! You should use me!"

Kinji Hakari's pupils contracted. "What do you mean, use you? You can turn a Special Grade Cursed Spirit into a usable tool? What kind? A weapon? Equipment? Or shikigami control?"

Mahito sighed. Just as he had expected, although intelligent Shell Spirits were indeed loyal and held no ulterior motives, their minds were no different from children's. Children like these wielded immense power; no wonder Kenjaku had manipulated them so thoroughly in the original work.

"Who knows?" Mahito said casually, raising his wineglass and taking a small sip.

The train had arrived. Its doors suddenly opened. The animation sequence of Idle Death Gamble had reached its final stage. At this very moment, the answer was about to be revealed.

Steam billowed, and from within emerged—the heroine! The signboard spun. Heroine, heroine, heroine.

Jackpot! Infinite Cursed Energy!

"Then I'll get the answer myself!" Kinji Hakari roared.

Cursed Energy boiled over, and music suddenly drifted through the domain. It was the theme song of the Private Pure Love Train. As long as the song had not ended, Kinji Hakari possessed infinite Cursed Energy and unrestricted Reverse Cursed Technique.

The theme song lasted exactly 4 minutes and 11 seconds. 4 minutes and 11 seconds of invincibility!

Boom!!

Kinji Hakari smashed his fist into the low table, shattering it. Fragments burst outward like splashing raindrops. Mahito launched himself backward from his seated position as fragments grazed his cheek. Kinji Hakari charged through the storm of debris, one hand already clenched into a fist as he threw a punch!

Mahito tossed out the wineglass in his hand, and it struck Kinji Hakari's fist head-on. The fist, covered in infinite Cursed Energy, pulverized the glass. The spilled wine scattered like drifting cherry blossoms.

Kinji Hakari's fist struck the ground Mahito had dodged away from. With a deafening boom, the entire room shook. Cracks split across the floor from the center of Hakari's fist, spreading outward like a spiderweb, climbing the walls, and eventually shattering even the lightbulbs. Glass fragments rained down.

Mahito retreated sharply and slammed his back into the door, throwing it open. "It's too cramped here. Let's find somewhere more spacious."

Kinji Hakari followed. Kirara Hoshi went out behind him. Only then were the spatial techniques imprinted on Jogo and Hanami released. They followed Kirara outside, and the instant they stepped through the door, their footing twisted for a moment.

Because of the earthquake!

Kinji Hakari threw heavy punches at Mahito in the corridor. He advanced step by step, carrying immense Cursed Energy and overwhelming strength. Mahito was forced backward by the shockwaves. Hakari's Cursed Energy carried the viciousness of a rasp; every blow was like a spiked mace swinging wildly. Mahito had turned his skin to steel, yet the Cursed Energy still ate into him and caused stabbing pain. Mahito moved like a phantom, his toes lightly tapping the floor, while Hakari stomped the ground like a colossal beast.

Mahito kept twisting and shifting through the corridor while Kinji Hakari's fists danced like a rampaging dragon. He stayed close, refusing to let Mahito leave his striking range. He roared as he punched. Whenever his fists struck the walls, enormous craters appeared, surrounded by spreading cracks. He had nearly demolished the entire corridor by himself.

Mahito kept retreating, then suddenly vanished. He had entered the emergency stairwell, and Kinji Hakari charged in after him.

Kirara Hoshi instantly understood where Mahito was heading—the rooftop!

The former Multi-story Parking Lot had an exceptionally vast rooftop. It had been designed from the beginning to accommodate parking as well. The enormous open rooftop was ideal for both sides to unleash their full strength. Mahito wanted a fair fight with Kinji Hakari there.

Kirara took a phone from his pocket and called the staff. "Clear out all the guests. Cancel every fight tonight. You all leave too. Explain it clearly to the guests: Akkin is entertaining an extraordinary guest, and staying here could put their lives in danger."

Human-wave tactics were useless against high-level jujutsu battles. At this moment, the only purpose the staff could serve by staying was to provide the three Cursed Spirits with hostages for nothing. The guests were the same. Rather than risk them being threatened later, it was better to clear the place now.

Jogo and Hanami rushed past Kirara and into the emergency stairwell.

"Didn't I tell you not to interfere with Akkin's fight?!" Kirara suddenly snapped. He spread both hands, and the space before Jogo and Hanami seemed to fold outward. By the time they noticed, they were already far from the emergency door.

Technique Release: Love Rendezvous!

A distinct mark was imprinted on the emergency door—the Southern Cross Mark left by Love Rendezvous. Jogo and Hanami suddenly realized that they too had the sensation of being marked. Love Rendezvous had marked everyone present.

From this point on, Kirara Hoshi held the initiative. He looked calmly at Jogo and Hanami. Jogo turned around, glaring viciously at Kirara as he growled in a low voice.

"You've pissed me off, old human! Flame Burst!"

Jogo did not hold back. He intended to kill Kirara with one strike! Flames roared forward from beneath him, swallowing the entire corridor. Glass and walls slowly melted under the intense heat. The explosive blaze even surged out of the corridor and blasted through the windows, like a fierce dragon swimming through a sky of fire.

Jogo was using his full strength in his normal state. He understood the terror of spatial control. Since he could not touch Kirara himself, he could only hope that the surging flame technique would swallow Kirara in an instant.

Kirara did not move, yet the flames passed by in front of him. He was completely unharmed. Jogo's pupils widened because the flames actually rolled back toward him. The scorching torrent crashed over him like an incoming tide. Jogo immediately dismissed the technique, but the blazing flames still singed the edge of his clothes, leaving blackened corners like ink spots on clean white paper.

Heat rose throughout the corridor, warping even the air. Kirara raised a hand and lightly brushed his hanging bangs. Their tips had curled. Though the flame technique had not struck him, the physical effects accompanying its scorching fire could still reach him. Kirara smiled, but there was nothing cute or feminine about that smile. It was the smile of a jujutsu sorcerer in battle—fierce and sharp as a bayonet.

"I haven't fought a Special Grade Cursed Spirit in a long time. Facing two at once makes me a little nervous," Kirara said with a broad smile. "My technique doesn't have direct offensive power, so it's a little troublesome to use. But if we really fight—what exactly do you think will happen?"

Jogo clicked his tongue viciously. Sorcerers with spatial techniques really were troublesome; he could not hurt him at all! Jogo exchanged a look with Hanami, who shook her head slightly. At the same time Jogo attacked, Hanami had tried to rush toward Mahito while Kirara's attention was elsewhere, but she had failed. Even if Kirara himself did not notice, his technique still functioned.

The most troublesome situation had arrived. Jogo and Hanami had been dragged here!

Mahito, you have to hold on. I'll be there soon. Jogo took a deep breath and faced Kirara Hoshi directly.

"Before Akkin and your king decide the winner, I won't let you leave this place!" Kirara formed a hand sign with one hand and prepared to fight. There was a strange grading system in Jujutsu Society: a sorcerer's grade was always one level above that of a Cursed Spirit. In other words, a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer did not correspond to a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, but a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.

Before being suspended, Kirara Hoshi's rank had been: Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.

That corresponded precisely to a Special Grade Cursed Spirit! Jogo breathed slowly and calmed down.

Though he now understood clearly that he was no match for Kinji Hakari, Kirara Hoshi, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, was different. In terms of rank, Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers corresponded to Special Grade Cursed Spirits. Theoretically, their strength should be comparable.

But there was a misunderstanding here.

There were differences even among Special Grades.

The reason Jogo was classified as a Special Grade Cursed Spirit was not because his power stopped at Special Grade—it was because Special Grade was the highest classification Jujutsu Society had for Cursed Spirits!

There had once been such a scene in the original work. Jogo encountered Kento Nanami face-to-face. Nanami was a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer with extensive experience and formidable strength. At the time, Nanami had made every preparation, but Jogo appeared beside him in the next instant and lightly touched him. He was burned to death immediately.

Killed in one blow!

The unprecedented intelligent Cursed Spirit slowly released the anger brewing within him.

He formed a hand sign with one hand and stared at Kirara Hoshi. His violent voice calmed, and the Cursed Energy around him was released slowly and methodically. His immense Cursed Energy transformed into waves of heat that spread in every direction. Excessive thermal energy burned like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

Jogo came to an understanding. This was absolutely not like those insignificant jujutsu sorcerers he had encountered before. Before this, aside from Kenjaku, no other sorcerer had ever pressured him or rivaled him. He had possessed extraordinary confidence, but reality had violently knocked him down. Kinji Hakari was one thing, but he had never expected this little attendant to possess such strength as well.

Mahito was in danger now. He would not allow himself to sink into despair here.

"Hanami, don't act. You must preserve your full strength to help Mahito," he told Hanami. Hanami hesitated briefly, but eventually suppressed her urge to intervene and stood quietly to the side.

In truth, Hanami and Jogo's abilities did not synergize well. Their cooperation could improve their power, but the effort outweighed the result. Not acting now was the most levelheaded tactic. Hanami understood this and did not make trouble, instead complying with Jogo's request.

Then Jogo looked back at Kirara Hoshi and said in a low voice:

"I need to conserve some Cursed Energy to help Mahito too, so... one-tenth. I'll defeat you with one-tenth of my Cursed Energy." "You can try, Shell Spirit," Kirara Hoshi said.

"I'm coming, old human!" Jogo roared. Both sides moved at the same time!

Infinite Cursed Energy!

Mahito burst through the rooftop's iron door. Before him was a fist, less than half an inch from his face. Mahito's shoe suddenly expanded and burst apart, revealing not a human foot but a gazelle hoof. His entire leg transformed into the structure of a gazelle's leg, and the moment he landed, Mahito suddenly vanished from before Kinji Hakari.

Kinji Hakari's eyes widened. The gazelle hoof appeared beside his face. Bang!

Kinji Hakari was struck by the gazelle hoof and sent spinning sideways. He grabbed the ground with both hands, his fingers digging into the rooftop floor as he scraped five full meters across it.

The sudden strike nearly destroyed his face. His facial bones shattered and his muscles burst apart, but within less than 0.2 seconds, his face restored itself amid surging Cursed Energy. Unlimited Cursed Energy had lifted the restrictions on the Cursed Energy within his body. To prevent the overflowing energy from destroying his flesh, his body remained continuously under the effects of Reverse Cursed Technique. No matter how severe the damage, he could recover instantly.

Immortality in the literal sense!

But even an immortal body only ensured that he would not die! Mahito surged forward. He leaped as he ran, assuming a textbook rider-kick pose in midair. Carrying immense force and body weight, he drove his foot at the half-crouched Kinji Hakari. At the critical moment, Hakari corrected his posture. While half-crouched, he crossed both arms to block, and the rider kick struck his forearms.

Crack. The clear sound of breaking bones reached Kinji Hakari's ears.

Kinji Hakari rolled across the ground like a ball kicked by a childish boy, eventually crashing into the rooftop's wire fence. The fence was nearly destroyed on impact, but in that instant, Hakari reacted. One hand gripped the edge of the rooftop tightly, his fingers embedded into it as he stopped himself from falling.

Crack, crack. His broken arms had already returned to normal.

He looked upward. A gazelle hoof appeared before his eyes. The hoof slowly faded and transformed, eventually returning to a human foot. The foot stepped beside his hand. He continued looking up, and Mahito's smiling face entered Kinji Hakari's sight.

A foot came crashing down!

What the hell is going on with this guy's body? Kinji Hakari had no time to think. Before Mahito's foot descended, he released his grip with one hand. But this was not giving up. Before letting go, he fiercely stomped the wall. With a skillful application of force, he used the recoil to launch himself upward like an eagle.

Mahito looked up. Kinji Hakari spread his legs wide in midair, adjusted his posture, and fell like a meteor. Blazing Cursed Energy burned over his skin. At this moment, he truly became a falling meteor—Cursed Energy Meteor!

Infinite Cursed Energy was too powerful. It allowed him to disregard his bodily limits and forcibly unleash strength beyond them. Any other sorcerer who dared use Cursed Energy this way would already be covered in injuries, but Kinji Hakari, with infinite Cursed Energy and continuously activated Reverse Cursed Technique, could do it as easily as breathing.

Mahito spread his arms sharply. Before the Cursed Energy Meteor struck, his arms transformed into wings. He flapped them. The wind pressure generated by the massive Cursed Energy Meteor actually helped him, and his wings rode the wind as he retreated. The Cursed Energy Meteor slammed down without harming him in the slightest.

A tremendous boom erupted!

One corner of the rooftop was pulverized. This was the rooftop of the former Multi-story Parking Lot, designed to hold dozens of private cars. The impact covered more than a quarter of the entire rooftop. Had it struck him directly, even if Mahito turned into a man of pure iron, he would have been smashed to pieces.

Amid flying rubble, Mahito turned his wings back into arms and landed steadily.

A storm of rubble swept wildly! Kinji Hakari's unlimited Cursed Energy continued pouring forth tirelessly, like a tsunami.

He's stronger than I imagined, Mahito thought. Cursed Energy reinforcement should have a limit because the human body could not completely endure all-around Cursed Energy reinforcement. Every Special Grade sorcerer was cautious when reinforcing themselves. Most of the time, reinforcing Cursed Energy output rather than the body was safer and allowed for more powerful techniques.

Even Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna, who stood at the peak of the original work, were no exception.

Momo Nishimiya, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer in the original work, had once said that neither physical ability nor bodily reinforcement achieved through jujutsu could increase without limit.

The clearest example was Yuta Okkotsu from the original work. Yuta Okkotsu was called the strongest in Cursed Energy quantity in history. In terms of Cursed Energy reserves alone, no one in all Jujutsu Society could compare with him. His physical strength was not particularly great, but surging Cursed Energy could envelop his entire body. Every attack he threw could kill, every injury could be minimized to the greatest extent, and he himself possessed Reverse Cursed Technique. Even without using his Innate Technique, he could overwhelm others through sheer power.

Yet even he had once stated that his Cursed Energy would eventually run out.

But Kinji Hakari was different. He had no limit!

The Cursed Energy reinforcement brought by Infinite Cursed Energy allowed him to raise his physical limits without restriction. Even if his body collapsed because it could not withstand the reinforcement, it did not matter. The overflowing infinite Cursed Energy would automatically use Reverse Cursed Technique. Before his body could be destroyed, Reverse Cursed Technique would heal it completely.

It was too perfect! So perfect that it made Mahito dizzy.

This was overwhelming numerical power. This was Infinite Cursed Energy!

Satoru Gojo had judged that if they developed normally, both Yuta Okkotsu and Kinji Hakari could stand beside him in the future. Mahito had not really understood before. If Yuta Okkotsu possessed limitless potential through unrestricted copying of other people's techniques, then Kinji Hakari merely had Infinite Cursed Energy. Why should he be able to stand beside the future Yuta Okkotsu and Satoru Gojo?

But now Mahito understood Gojo's thinking—not merely stand beside them. If Kinji Hakari continued growing, once his body fully adapted to Infinite Cursed Energy, it was hard to imagine what kind of superhuman he would become. Special Grade sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo still needed her technique to shatter the Cycle Barrier with one punch. In the future, could this guy perhaps do the same without even relying on a technique?

Coming here was the right choice, Mahito thought. Coming before Kinji Hakari had fully matured had been absolutely the correct decision! Amid the storm, Hakari's roar was deafening. "Stop dodging, King of Curses! Face me!"

Mahito breathed slowly, tore off his already tattered white shirt, and casually threw it behind him. He placed both hands on the ground, and his body began to transform with his breathing.

Kinji Hakari emerged from the storm. His shirt had long since vanished, and his bare upper body was covered in bloody wounds. Yet in the next instant, the bloodstains disappeared. There was not even dust on his skin, as the storm stirred by his surging Cursed Energy blew it away, revealing his muscular body.

"Have you ever fought a beast with Cursed Energy, Hakari?" Mahito howled.

He truly was howling, but it was no human voice—it was a beast's roar! He ran on all fours, and hair began growing over his body as he ran. In the blink of an eye, white fur covered his entire body. His skull elongated, his teeth bared, black stripes appeared on his forehead, and the character for "king" was imprinted upon it.

Idle Transfiguration: White Tiger!

He transformed into a White Tiger, one meter at the shoulder and over three meters in length! Its long white tail swung freely through the air, creating sharp tearing sounds. The White Tiger opened its mouth and roared, thunder rumbling within the sound. Its tiger claws shook the rooftop as they landed. Mahito's Idle Transfiguration had perfectly recreated even a White Tiger's weight.

Only those tiger eyes were different—one gold and one blue, signifying the heterochromatic eyes Mahito could not shed.

Kinji Hakari's pupils contracted. The White Tiger slammed into him. Its claws tore apart his body, its fangs biting into his neck. In the next moment, it would bite his head clean off! An ordinary tiger's bite force was around five hundred kilograms, and the Cursed Energy-enhanced bite force of this Idle Transfiguration White Tiger would only be stronger. A mere human neck would be nothing.

But at the critical moment, Kinji Hakari pressed both hands against the White Tiger's jaws. Its fangs had already pierced his carotid artery, and blood sprayed outward like a violently erupting volcano. Yet Reverse Cursed Technique stopped the bleeding in an instant. Only the tiger fangs remained pressed tightly against the wound, preventing Reverse Cursed Technique from continuing to work.

The White Tiger pinned Kinji Hakari to the ground. It was difficult to exert force in this position, but Hakari used Cursed Energy to pry his own muscles into motion. It was a technique an ordinary person without Cursed Energy could never master in a lifetime, but Kinji Hakari, with Infinite Cursed Energy, could do it through instinct alone. Even under these circumstances, he slowly forced the tiger's jaws open!

But in the next instant, the jaws shrank. The inertia from Hakari's excessive force caused both hands to grasp at nothing. What appeared before Kinji Hakari was Mahito's irritating smiling face.

Mahito had transformed back in an instant!

Mahito held Kinji Hakari's body down with one hand and hammered Hakari's face wildly with the other. Hakari wanted to counterattack, but Mahito's fists struck his temples with relentless precision. Dizzy, he could not fight back at all and could only take the blows. Infinite Cursed Energy could grant him invincibility, but not freedom from pain. Mahito seized this weakness, using endless concussions against his immortal body.

As he beat Kinji Hakari senseless, Mahito continued using Idle Transfiguration. But just as expected—he could not alter Kinji Hakari's soul at all.

No, more accurately, it was not that he could not "alter" it. The technique simply could not take effect.

Beyond the Reverse Cursed Technique protecting his body, Infinite Cursed Energy seemed to protect Kinji Hakari's soul as well. The moment Idle Transfiguration's Cursed Energy entered Hakari's body, it was swallowed and rejected by the violent Cursed Energy. In the end, less than one-tenth of its usual power remained. And if Mahito dared use even that amount to make alterations, Kinji Hakari could expel it directly at any time.