Six Paths Tsuji · Sky-Covering Jade

After leaving the temple, Kana Shizumi suddenly seemed to have a sense of direction.

Because he could distinctly feel... that some invisible thing was pulling him toward a particular direction.

It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening.

This was a state similar to "cursed energy resonance"...

It was like separating out some of his own blood, wrapping it in cursed energy, and sealing it somewhere.

And what Kana Shizumi was sensing now was that exact same "physical sensation"... He subconsciously looked in a certain direction, then thoughtfully glanced at his palm.

Right, just like what had been mentioned earlier.

It was like a resonance on the level of blood...

Without hesitating for long, Kana Shizumi followed the call in his subconscious and moved toward it as if responding.

He passed the dry well known as Hell's Mouth.

At last, he stopped before a low, flat shrine. From its appearance... it was probably something like an ornament for holding lanterns and illuminating the surroundings.

It was utterly unremarkable, and its exterior was quite ancient.

Kana Shizumi gripped one of its corners and slowly pulled open the wooden panel, which resembled a sliding drawer.

"In the middle of the Heian Era, I once conducted a very interesting experiment."

As Kenjaku spoke, he casually raised the paper-bound book he had been reading.

Aspect of the Six Paths of Reincarnation

"At the time, Rokudo Chinnō-ji Temple was the entrance to Toribeno, the capital's largest burial ground. Countless corpses passed through it every day, carrying with them the gloomy aura of wandering vengeful spirits. I conducted decades of observation and experiments there... Through the Death Paintings, I came to understand the concept of 'decay after death,' but correspondingly, I also grew interested in the concept of the 'Six Paths of Reincarnation.'"

He carried out countless experiments and attempts.

Naturally, the results were far from ideal.

After all, this was a theory approaching the conceptual level. If it could be so easily extracted and turned into a "real thing," it would have been far too cheap.

So Kenjaku made a certain compromise.

"If I could not create a perfect Incarnation vessel, then I would create compatible keys... allowing their holders to temporarily touch the Six Paths and receive the protection of a 'Path'... or even fully integrate that portion of the concept into themselves."

Right.

"My goal changed somewhat as time passed. I no longer pursued a finished product, instead treating it as another kind of 'foundation.'"

Kenjaku's tone rose slightly. It was not hard to tell that the guy was getting fired up.

"After lurking in Toribeno for thirty-two years, I came into contact with countless test subjects and eventually found... six suitable experimental targets."

The ages kept changing, but during that Heian Era, when jujutsu flourished...

"Jujutsu sorcerers crawled out like maggots, endlessly emerging and providing countless opportunities for experimentation. I sealed away the concept of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, implanted it into selected subjects, and ultimately gave birth to those forbidden objects."

Of course, it did not go smoothly.

Kenjaku shrugged as he spoke in a teasing tone.

"Because my methods were too crude, even creating special individuals... was somewhat difficult for me at the time. In the end, I could only settle for making them into Cursed Objects."

Kenjaku raised his right hand, held up his index finger, and gently wagged it as he added,

"They possess no consciousness, no personality—only pure karma and a desire to return."

Hanami could not hold back this time.

"So they're just Cursed Objects."

—After all that, they were still just objects in the plainest sense?

He had mashed people together, then turned them into special objects that could be passed down... There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the method itself.

After all, they were products of the Heian Era. It was not strange for them to have accumulated enough power by now to fall under the concept of Special Grade.

As for Cursed Objects, the category itself was fairly broad.

Cursed tools that sorcerers could directly use counted, as did things like Maki's glasses and Hiromi Higuruma's gavel... They all belonged to the same category.

Of course, things like Sukuna's Fingers and the Prison Realm were also included.

It was obvious that the gap between the upper and lower limits of these things was enormous, but even among the Special Grade classification, their practical value had to be judged case by case.

The Prison Realm was badass—it could seal Gojo.

But Kenjaku, what were you supposed to do without that body?

All one could say was that getting forcibly controlled after triggering memories of Jujutsu High was the underlying logic... Without that step, there was nothing to discuss.

Kenjaku had been mocked, but he did not seem annoyed. He merely nodded slightly and said with a smiling expression,

"That is indeed the definition, but for particular targets... it is literally the greatest possible aid."

He spoke unhurriedly.

"Because they are saturated with cursed energy, falling into the hands of ordinary people would only cause them to die suddenly. Furthermore... only individuals who have undergone my special modifications can be compatible with these Cursed Objects."

Then—

"Six Paths Tsuji. That is the name I gave these six Cursed Objects."

At the same time—

Kana Shizumi grasped the shadow hidden deep inside the wooden shrine, removed it, and placed it in his palm.

In truth... there was not much space inside, and Kana Shizumi saw only this one item.

He stepped back half a pace and straightened up. By the pale light beginning to spill across the horizon, he clearly saw the object in his hand.

It was...

A magatama that gleamed with a cold, pale cyan light.

That description might have been somewhat too thin, but from Kana Shizumi's perspective, he could actually see a visible black aura wafting from it.

This thing was probably so vile it was smoking...

As he thought that, Kana Shizumi seemed to sense something and turned his head halfway.

On the treetops not far away, he saw several malformed, incomplete Cursed Spirits crouching among the branches.

They were all the lowest sort... Even if they wanted to harm someone, they would probably need to possess them and gradually wear them down before they could finally drag down their body.

"This thing can attract the attention of low-level Cursed Spirits too?"

In terms of its nature, it was somewhat like Sukuna's Fingers.

As he considered this, Kana Shizumi weighed it in his hand for a while, but his expression grew increasingly strange.

Although he had already obtained the item, that elusive sensation still remained... as though what he held in his hand had, from beginning to end, only been a "false" shell.

What was going on?

All of a sudden, Kana Shizumi recalled his earlier intuition.

A resonance like blood...

He silently examined the object in his hand, then made his decision.

Then he would give it a try!

As if possessed, he bit open the tip of his right index finger and let his blood soak into the magatama.

In an instant, pitch-black cursed energy erupted and wrapped around Kana Shizumi's body. As pain appeared on his face, a mass of complicated, fragmented memory shards surfaced in his mind.

He "saw" it.

A man in magnificent robes being born and growing up.

Under training and guidance, he became a warrior and continued to mature. He led soldiers, indulged in joyous songs, yet ultimately suffered defeat.

As his defeated troops scattered and fled, he wandered with his family until he encountered a mysterious figure with stitches across its forehead...

Kana Shizumi narrowed his eyes. As he groaned in pain, he also learned its name.

Six Paths Tsuji—Sky-Covering Jade.