Jujutsu Kaisen: Yearning to Become an Immortal God

"At school, I never once considered that the number of people killed by Cursed Spirits across Japan every year was less than half the number of Tokyo residents killed by other humans! When I first learned that statistic, I thought most deaths were accidents or old age. But they weren't. Suicide, sudden death, and death from occupational illness made up the majority."

Kinji Hakari fell silent and slowly exhaled as he performed his final warm-up movement.

Satoru Gojo said nothing. He truly had never looked into such matters. Just dealing with those old men above had already exhausted him, and he had to carve out his own time even to teach. There was no way he could seriously investigate the exact number of deaths in this country each year, much less read those professional reports.

He only cared about matters within Jujutsu Society, about the balance between Jujutsu Society and ordinary society. Beyond that, he had never considered interfering with normal society.

That cold statistic struck him head-on, catching him off guard for the first time. He froze.

Kinji Hakari said calmly, "The school taught me that Cursed Spirits are unforgivable, that intentional killing can never be tolerated. Then does working Overtime every day because of company orders until you die count as murder?

"Does dying from vitamin deficiencies caused by chronic malnutrition because you don't have the energy to eat properly count as murder? Does choosing suicide because you can no longer bear social pressure count as murder?

"Human trafficking, drug deals, the children of high-ranking officials declared mentally ill by the courts, bosses who pay lip service to righteousness while ordering employees to work beyond legal limits—

"Problems like these are everywhere in modern society.

"Do these count as murder?

"I'm not some great politician. I have no clue how to deal with these social problems. Even if I racked my brains, I could never come up with a solution, because I don't understand sociology, economics, or diplomacy. I can't even handle my own relationships without being indecisive.

"But I can do ten-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

"No matter how you look at it, humans kill far more humans than Shell Spirits kill humans. That data isn't fake."

Kinji Hakari stood straight, stretching both arms toward the sky with all his strength as though loosening up. Then he said solemnly:

"Humans have ruled humans for more than ten thousand years. All I've seen is an endless decline, falling deeper and deeper like an abyss. There's no bottom, nowhere to stand.

"Now that things have reached this point, someone even Gojo-sensei acknowledges has chosen to try things his own way. What reason do I have not to—

"Take a gamble?"

Gamble with humanity's future? Satoru Gojo wanted to shout those words. But he knew it was already useless.

Kinji Hakari had not been controlled. There was not even a Binding Vow on him. This was entirely his own conclusion, born from his own will, his own experiences, his own deliberation, and his own knowledge.

That conclusion was not biased. Forget Satoru Gojo—if Kinji Hakari's words were brought anywhere, there would definitely be people who agreed with them. Not because those people were fools who didn't know Cursed Spirits could not be trusted, but because—over these ten thousand years, the results of humans ruling humans had simply been too terrible.

There was a meme that explained this phenomenon perfectly: an alien came to Earth intending to rule it. A worker trembled as he asked, "How are you going to enslave us?" The alien said cruelly:

[From now on, you will work a full eight hours every day. You will receive three meals plus snacks, and milk will only be available in the morning. Lunch breaks will be only one hour. Hahaha, you will be utterly exhausted!]

[You will receive bonuses only three times a year and have only two months of annual leave. Most viciously, there will only be one day of psychological counseling per week! Your salary will rise only once every four months, Overtime will pay only triple wages, and you will be forced to exercise after work!]

Tell me, what worker wouldn't be confused by that? Just as Kinji Hakari himself had said—

—if humans themselves couldn't manage it, then why not let Cursed Spirits give it a try? "I don't know whether you've gone crazy or not, Hakari." Satoru Gojo sighed.

"I don't know either." Kinji Hakari smiled instead. "But I know I can afford to gamble. Precisely because Gojo-sensei is watching over me, even if Mahito's reforms fail and turn out badly, Gojo-sensei will definitely twist Mahito's head off and return everything to how it is now, won't you?"

Satoru Gojo froze in disbelief. "That's what you were thinking?"

"Is that wrong?" Kinji Hakari finished warming up and raised his thumb. "You're Gojo-sensei. What reason could there be... for me not to trust you?"

Something stirred in Satoru Gojo's heart. He suddenly recalled Kinji Hakari saying that if even Mahito could not deal with Satoru Gojo, then the next card in his hand would be Ryomen Sukuna.

Kinji Hakari had been too careless! That information should theoretically have been top secret, yet he had revealed it without hesitation.

On one hand, he had chosen to let the Lord of Curses rule the world. He wanted to make a huge gamble, and because of that, he would never betray the Lord of Curses. Even now, standing before him, he would never compromise.

On the other hand, he wanted Satoru Gojo to live—and to live forever. If the King of Curses' reforms produced the opposite effect, then Satoru Gojo would personally kill the King of Curses and return everything to square one.

This was... what extraordinary trust!

Satoru Gojo could not help being moved, but he would never show it on his face.

He wore his usual frivolous, arrogant smile and said to Kinji Hakari, "Fine. Leave it to me."

"Just looking at Gojo, I can tell he's been persuaded by your crooked logic."

Yuki Tsukumo took off her jacket, revealing her athletic body. Cursed Energy rippled outward from the tips of her hair. Beneath the noon sunlight, her golden hair looked as though it had been set aflame, glowing with molten gold and crimson. Her back was covered by the sun, like a goddess walking out of it.

Kinji Hakari felt immense pressure. The little Dragon on his shoulder had long since opened its eyes and glared viciously at Yuki Tsukumo. He laughed boldly, and the Cursed Energy around him began to burn. As it ignited, the little Dragon on his shoulder began to change as well.

The little Dragon suddenly spread its wings and flew into the sky, while Kinji Hakari advanced.

"How do you know it's crooked logic?" Kinji Hakari asked, rolling his arms.

"The moment you choose to trust Cursed Spirits, every word out of your mouth becomes crooked logic." Yuki Tsukumo chuckled. "Gojo is still too young. He's bound to this island nation, as though even his soul has taken the shape of this country. He has the power to kill all humanity, yet his mind is as pure as a young girl who has never been in love."

"You really don't listen to anyone, do you?" Kinji Hakari grinned, baring his teeth like a tiger revealing its fangs.

"It's because I've heard too much that I'm standing here." Yuki Tsukumo smiled as well, that smile as fierce as a demon's. "Come on, brat. Let me get a good look at the Lord of Curses through you!"

"As you wish!" Kinji Hakari formed a hand seal and shouted with rising excitement:

"Third-year student of Tokyo Jujutsu High. Kinji Hakari."

"Please teach me, Tsukumo-sama!"

Yuki Tsukumo's emotions ignited at once. She tossed aside her jacket, revealing the sleeveless fitted tank top beneath. It clung tightly to her chest, tracing breathtaking curves. The discarded jacket flew into the sky like a black flag fluttering in the wind.

She burst into laughter:

"Special Grade Sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo accepts your challenge—come at me!"

Companion Spirit

Kinji Hakari started running.

He ran while roaring like a delinquent from a high-school brawl. His voice grew louder and louder, and along with his wild howl, his Cursed Energy rose without limit. He entered fighting form almost instantly. His violent Cursed Energy scattered freely, like a furious Dragon skimming the ground. The storm and dust kicked up by the tremendous pressure formed a sandstorm.

Kinji Hakari shot upward from within the sandstorm and leaped!

He vaulted nearly thirty meters into the air. He jumped so high that Yuki Tsukumo, who had been preparing to receive a heavy blow, had to crane her neck upward. Yet the first thing she saw was not Kinji Hakari's flying kick, but the Dragon drawing in a deep breath.

The kitten-sized little Dragon began growing in midair. In an instant, it became a genuine giant Dragon. The thirty-meter-long monster had no equivalent flying creature in this world. Yet Yuki Tsukumo saw one now. It was like a mountain taking flight, like a living fortress—and now that biological fortress had opened its main cannon, aiming directly at Yuki Tsukumo.

Dragon Breath!

Yuki Tsukumo raised both hands before her face to block. The next instant, she was engulfed by Dragon Breath. Upon contact, she understood its nature. This was not a Cursed Technique at all—it was a blast of highly concentrated Cursed Energy! Even a sorcerer without an Innate Technique could use it easily. But unlike ordinary Cursed Energy blasts—the quantity was simply too great!

A cup of water could not hurt someone even if thrown at them. But when a tsunami came, even Mike Tyson would die beneath its force. By the same logic, Dragon Breath was a tsunami of Cursed Energy, endless and boundless, as though it could drown the world.

Amid a deafening roar, Yuki Tsukumo was hurled into the air like a ball kicked away by a child. Her entire body felt scorched by flames, but she did not even have time to use Reverse Cursed Technique, because following right after the Dragon Breath was Kinji Hakari's flying kick!

Cursed Energy erupted wildly from Kinji Hakari's entire body as he assumed the posture of a Rider Kick and drove down from the sky toward Yuki Tsukumo. Maintaining her defensive stance, Yuki Tsukumo concentrated all her strength in her arms and crossed her forearms to meet Kinji Hakari's Rider Kick.

Bang—!

The instant the Rider Kick struck her forearms, an enormous sound erupted. It was not the sound of flesh striking flesh, but of boulders colliding with boulders! The impact sent out a massive blast of air that spread in all directions like a hurricane. Yuki Tsukumo's feet slammed into the ground, nearly sinking beneath it. Yet the instantaneous pressure still almost forced her to her knees. It felt as though she had not blocked a Rider Kick, but taken a head-on hit from a tank weighing over a hundred tons.

The earth trembled. Tokyo Jujutsu High's Great Barrier alarm system was triggered, as though a powerful enemy had invaded. Satoru Gojo lifted his blindfold and watched the battle with the Six Eyes, his blood gradually beginning to boil.

Kinji Hakari—had truly become stronger!

Spiderweb cracks spread outward beneath Yuki Tsukumo's feet. In mere seconds, they covered the entire plaza. She was certain she had prepared sufficient Cursed Energy defense, yet she still heard the sound of her forearm bones breaking. In just one exchange, she had been injured.

"Good, Hakari!" Cursed Energy erupted from Yuki Tsukumo's body. "You've really surprised me!"

Cursed Technique Release—Star Rage!

Star Rage granted Yuki Tsukumo unimaginable Virtual Mass. The greater the mass, the greater the force it naturally produced. Her technique gave her the purest possible numerical advantage. Tenfold? A hundredfold? That would be underestimating this technique. If she wished, every punch she threw could shatter continents and redraw the map of Earth!

Was there any creature in this world that could withstand a blow capable of destroying a continent? No!

There was no creature in this world that could do so!

Yuki Tsukumo roared and exerted force through both arms. Despite still being in a defensive position, she violently knocked Kinji Hakari's Rider Kick away! Kinji Hakari had been kicking downward from above, adding not just force but his own weight. He had used every possible means to increase his attack power, but that power was crushed in an instant.

The muscles in his lower leg tore apart, and his bones made strange noises. The backlash from the collision sent his entire body flying. He shot backward through the air like a baseball thrown by a brat.

What terrifying power!

Kinji Hakari remembered the information Kenjaku had given him about Yuki Tsukumo: Yuki Tsukumo was an all-around Jujutsu Sorcerer. Whether in hand-to-hand combat, jujutsu, Barrier Technique, or shikigami, there was nothing she did not excel at. If there was a standard for a Special Grade Sorcerer, Yuki Tsukumo was that standard.

And among all those fields, the one she excelled at most was hand-to-hand combat. She possessed—monstrous strength!

Yuki Tsukumo pushed off the ground. The instant her foot stepped down, the earth shook violently. Clear cracks and a crater appeared beneath her feet. Riding the enormous recoil, she burst into a run. Cursed Energy burned all over her as she raced forward like a Shinkansen charging savagely ahead.

Bang— In the middle of that charge, she actually caught up to Kinji Hakari as he was still flying backward through the air. Kinji Hakari's pupils contracted. He instinctively reinforced his body with all his strength. Yuki Tsukumo suddenly leaped, spinning in midair as though performing ballet in the sky. Her

leg stretched perfectly straight, her jeans pulled taut as power gathered within her like a leopard preparing to pounce—then she kicked.

It was the most powerful and beautiful kind of kick: an airborne turn, a spinning roundhouse kick.

Kinji Hakari curled up to defend himself. The spinning kick smashed into him, twisting his face and widening his eyes. He opened his mouth from the suffocating pain and spat out white gastric fluid.

He blasted backward like a cannonball. Boom! He truly flew at least three hundred meters before slamming into a massive staircase. The staircase was made of hard granite and reinforced with a barrier cast by Jujutsu Sorcerers, intended to keep reckless sorcerers from causing destruction everywhere. Yet that barrier shattered effortlessly, along with the entire granite staircase.

It was not over! Yuki Tsukumo landed, then pushed off the ground again the moment her feet touched down. Bang! She soared forward once more. She was going to pursue him! She did not believe Kinji Hakari had been defeated so easily.

Before fighting Kinji Hakari, Tengen had shown her his previous records. She knew exactly how tough his body was. In terms of power, Star Rage made her far superior to him. But in terms of sheer toughness, no one in all of Jujutsu Society—not even Satoru Gojo—could possibly be stronger than Kinji Hakari!

Even without Infinity, Kinji Hakari's durability was close to that of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, and his defense was exceptional. Yuki Tsukumo concluded that Kinji Hakari had only suffered light injuries.

But before Yuki Tsukumo could pursue him, a massive creature descended from the sky. The Dragon flew so low that the ground of the plaza began to rupture under the enormous wind pressure, rolling outward in waves. The Dragon rammed its gigantic body directly into Yuki Tsukumo.

The heaviest tank in the world was Germany's Maus tank, but even the Maus was only about ten meters long and weighed one hundred fifty tons. This Dragon was over thirty meters long and weighed more than two hundred tons. Such a colossal being charged at her with absolute determination. The wind pressure alone could destroy a human body.

If the Dragon had used its breath attack from the sky, Yuki Tsukumo could have endured it head-on and continued pursuing Kinji Hakari. But now the Dragon was using itself as a weapon, crashing down in its entirety. She could not dodge it at all, because this was a thirty-meter-long cannonball that could turn and track its target. She could not escape!

Yuki Tsukumo was forced to stop pursuing him. She planted her feet in a horse stance and drew her fist back to her waist. The Star Rage technique trembled from her Cursed Energy Core through every limb and bone. She suddenly became still, with only her burning Cursed Energy erupting into the surroundings.

Then they collided!

Yuki Tsukumo let out a furious howl and drove her drawn-back fist into the Dragon's charging head. Boom!

The massive sound was like a shell striking a fortress. In an instant, Yuki Tsukumo's punch knocked the airborne living fortress off course. A hurricane was born from their impact. Half the Dragon's head was destroyed, half its face punched away. The gigantic creature spun several times in midair like a top before crashing heavily to the ground with a thunderous impact, like a skyscraper collapsing in place.

A fist suddenly emerged from the dust. Yuki Tsukumo's pupils reflected its image—and the face behind it.

Kinji Hakari! He had rushed over from beyond the shattered staircase while Yuki Tsukumo was dealing with the Dragon. He clenched his fist and slammed it toward Yuki Tsukumo's face.

Yuki Tsukumo did not hesitate for even an instant. She immediately raised her own fist and smashed it toward Kinji Hakari's face. Trading injury for injury!

Kinji Hakari's pupils shrank, and he immediately pulled back his fist to evade. The immense force of her punch swept past his cheek like countless blades. The wind pressure distorted his face, folding and twisting it. The right call! If he had traded injuries just now, that blow alone would have exploded his head.

Yuki Tsukumo immediately raised her knee for a knee strike! Kinji Hakari retreated again. Her knee nearly struck his abs. If that blow landed, Kinji Hakari would likely be torn in two at once. Imagining that future, cold sweat unknowingly ran down his forehead.

So strong! Far too strong!

Kinji Hakari naturally knew how powerful Special Grade Sorcerers were. He had fought two of them before. The first was, of course, Satoru Gojo, but Satoru Gojo was too absurd. Fighting him only made Kinji Hakari feel like a ball being kicked around, with no real sense of battle at all. The other Special Grade Sorcerer was his junior, Yuta Okkotsu. Yet although Yuta Okkotsu was a Special Grade Sorcerer, all his abilities came from his inexhaustible copied Cursed Techniques, so their battle had been one of attrition.

Satoru Gojo gave him the feeling of being beyond all standards, outside the scope of discussion no matter what.

Yuta Okkotsu gave him the feeling of complexity, using combinations of many Cursed Techniques to decide victory.

But now, Yuki Tsukumo gave Kinji Hakari an entirely different feeling. It was so pure, so simple, so direct.

Strong! Kinji Hakari could not think of any other word besides strong. It was simply, simply—

"This is amazing!" Kinji Hakari's roar carried both fear and excitement. He suddenly dropped all defenses, right in front of Yuki Tsukumo's fist! Yuki Tsukumo's pupils shrank. It was already too late to pull back, and her fist carrying Star Rage slammed into Kinji Hakari's chest—his heart.

"This is bad. Are you insane?!" Yuki Tsukumo shouted.

Even though she had withdrawn some force at the critical moment, the power of that punch was still fatal. Half of Kinji Hakari's body was directly destroyed, his heart blasted away along with half his body! Blood and flesh sprayed into the sky, along with the blood gushing out from his shattered heart.

Kinji Hakari opened his mouth and spoke his final words.

"Domain Expansion—" he said:

"Idle Death Gamble!"

Yuki Tsukumo could not believe it. Kinji Hakari had not formed a hand seal. That punch had obliterated half his body, including his heart. He did not even have another hand left to form one.

Could he use Domain Expansion without hand seals? Not even Satoru Gojo could do that.

A Shinkansen station suddenly appeared before Yuki Tsukumo. Rows of ticket gates emerged, and an illusory pachinko interface appeared before the two people inside the Domain barrier. A panting sound arose. Yuki Tsukumo instinctively turned around, only to see a boy emerge from the Shinkansen passageway.

At the moment the Domain Expansion activated, its information was already written into Yuki Tsukumo's mind:

A Domain Expansion based on the legal gambling game pachinko. The caster could draw endlessly, but each draw required waiting for a certain cooldown before the next. If he hit the Jackpot, then for four minutes and eleven seconds from that moment onward, the caster would gain infinite Cursed Energy.

Yuki Tsukumo completely understood the rules. She also knew Kinji Hakari definitely had a way to increase the odds. She had received all of Kinji Hakari's information from Tengen. Kinji Hakari's Cursed Technique was Probability Manipulation: as long as gambling was involved, he would definitely hit the Jackpot within thirty attempts.

But this technique accumulated over a fixed number of attempts. It could only guarantee a Jackpot within thirty attempts; it did not mean that the chance of each attempt rose as the count approached thirty.

In other words, for the first attempt, the technique did not take effect. Kinji Hakari's odds of hitting the Jackpot were the same as real pachinko: 1/239!

"Cancel your Domain Expansion!" Yuki Tsukumo immediately shouted. "You're inside the school right now. You can still be saved!"

"What are you talking about, Tsukumo-sama?" Kinji Hakari smiled. "The fight between us...

"Isn't over yet!" Clang! The draw began!

Leading lady, leading lady, reach!