Angel

Master of the Eight-Handled Sword?

Other than Itadori and Choso, the other three immediately turned their eyes toward Xuan, who stood at the very front. To those unfamiliar with the Ten Shadows, the term might have sounded like nothing more than a pretentious title. But to those who knew the Ten Shadows and fully understood what Mahoraga was, it meant something entirely different.

Meanwhile, Itadori and Choso first looked toward the white "human" behind them.

Was that even a human?

Choso stared at the talking thumb before him in confusion, then followed everyone else's gaze toward Xuan at the front.

"The Master of the Eight-Handled Sword is...?"

Megumi Fushiguro spoke first. He had summoned Mahoraga during the battle in Shibuya, so he might have had some understanding of Mahoraga's overwhelming strength, though far less than the others.

"Just as the name implies, the player you brought is the only sorcerer in the entire history of jujutsu who has ever subjugated Mahoraga. Calling him the strongest wielder of the Ten Shadows would not be an exaggeration—though, of course, he truly is the strongest."

Xuan folded his arms and raised his head, showing no intention of stopping Tengen from continuing.

"Though I do not know whether you or the Six Eyes are stronger... your presence here proves one thing..."

"Kenjaku's plan may no longer be stoppable."

"While I had wanted to ask why you did not greet me earlier, there is a more pressing matter now—Tengen, what do you mean by 'unstoppable'?"

Tengen did not answer. Instead, she turned to Xuan, her four eyes fixed tightly upon the man before her.

"Kenjaku's technique is a brain-transplanting technique performed by a brain that changes bodies. Master of the Eight-Handled Sword, how did you deal with your corpse?"

"I killed myself in front of Kenjaku. Don't worry. My body is protected by Mahoraga's Dharma Seal. Under normal circumstances, it cannot be destroyed, will not decay, and cannot be used in any way to facilitate Kenjaku's brain-transplanting technique."

With the formation of the contract, Mahoraga's Dharma Seal would mark the technique user's body with the Wheel of Dharma, granting them resistance to whatever Mahoraga had already adapted to, as well as the ability to adapt to anything—but Tengen still shook her head.

"Mahoraga's Dharma Seal... perhaps it can buy some time."

"What do you mean by that? Tengen, do you think there were techniques in that era capable of overcoming Mahoraga's Dharma Seal?"

"Perhaps there were none in that era... but after your death, an artisan burned himself away to create a weapon capable of nullifying all techniques: the Inverted Spear of Heaven."

"But wasn't that item sealed away and destroyed by Gojo-sensei long ago?"

Yuta raised his hand, and Tengen nodded at his words.

"Indeed. Even the remaining Black Rope was completely destroyed by Satoru Gojo. But—I am merely giving an example. There are many tools capable of dispelling the effects of techniques. Perhaps they were sealed away or eliminated by other sorcerers throughout history out of fear of being threatened by them. Perhaps they fell into the hands of ordinary people and never resurfaced—"

"But... even if there is only the slightest chance that your body falls into Kenjaku's hands, you will have to face a strengthened version of yourself."

"Then I'll just beat him back down."

"...I do not know whether that is good or bad."

Tengen looked at the people behind her. Through her eyes and ears, most of them had already learned about the Culling Game on their way here. Therefore, they only needed to understand Kenjaku's objective.

Just as Tengen was about to continue, Itadori suddenly blurted out a question.

"Lady Tengen, why do you look like that?"

This guy really knows how to pick the worst time to interrupt!

Megumi was still processing everything that had just been said. Itadori's abrupt question left him speechless for a moment.

But...

Megumi looked at Xuan's back.

That guy had actually subdued Mahoraga... all by himself?

"My technique grants me immortality, not agelessness—heh. Sukuna's vessel, if you live for five hundred years, perhaps you will end up looking like this too."

"Huh? Really!?"

Tengen continued along that line of conversation, explaining how her aging had accelerated after her failed assimilation with the Star Plasma Vessel. Then, through Yuta Okkotsu's words, the topic shifted to Kenjaku's goal.

Kenjaku's goal was to use Tengen's barriers to bring about the evolution of all humanity in Japan. That goal was to assimilate every ordinary person with Tengen.

"This is... the cursed tool capable of freeing Satoru Gojo: the Prison Realm."

Tengen took out a strange cube.

"It can't be destroyed through external force, right? I remember this thing," Xuan said.

"Yes... To unseal it, you need either the Inverted Spear of Heaven, which can nullify every technique in the world, or the Black Rope, which can dispel and interfere with the effects of techniques."

"Gojo ruined both of them himself, huh~"

"Earlier, I traveled overseas with Miguel to search for traces of the Black Rope."

"But unfortunately, we found no trace of any remaining Black Rope."

Yuta thought back—when that big Black man had entered the village, he had gone straight into a certain place as if guarding against thieves. Thinking about it now, new Black Rope must have still been in the process of being woven. But unfinished Black Rope was completely useless, just as he had said.

There was none left.

"Other than those two—there is one more way to unlock the Prison Realm."

"In the Culling Game, there is a sorcerer who calls herself Angel—her cursed technique can extinguish all cursed techniques."

"Wait."

Fushiguro and Itadori looked up at the same time.

"In other words, if Kenjaku finds Angel first, then Mr. Xuan's original body will also—"

"Yes... and Kenjaku most likely already knows Angel's location, so—"

Tengen fell silent for a moment before speaking again.

"I'm afraid it won't be easy to stop Kenjaku's actions this time."

"That's not right."

Xuan, who had remained silent for a long time, suddenly spoke.

"Angel's cursed technique is still a cursed technique, at the end of the day. As long as it's a cursed technique, Mahoraga's wheel can adapt before Kenjaku destroys my body."

"...Who knows?"

Tengen smiled, then continued from the topic of unsealing Satoru Gojo and began introducing the Culling Game.