Mechamaru

The instant the incantation left his lips, the talisman engraved with a galloping horse within his sea of consciousness lit up, and a milky white glow immediately radiated from Shiyue Shuo's body.

His body, which had seemed somewhat frail from lacking cursed energy nourishment, now felt as though it had been injected with the highest-grade fuel. Fine crackling bursts rang out from Shiyue Shuo's bones. Though his build had not changed at all, he somehow gave off the impression of being incredibly strong.

"This feels amazing!"

Shiyue Shuo flexed his wrist, feeling the surging vitality within him.

Mechamaru should have just been defeated by Panda. His resolve must be wavering. This is a good opportunity.

He raised his head and looked at the mechanical eyeball still slowly rotating ahead of him.

"Don't waste your effort, Kokichi Muta." Facing the camera directly, Shiyue Shuo spoke calmly. "Your puppet's sensors may be advanced, but if you're hiding underground and watching carefully right now, you'll notice that the life signs on my body have already far exceeded normal levels."

Reading novels every day is so convenient when you find a good book.

"Y-you... who are you?"

A harsh electronic crackle came from the sensor, followed by Kokichi Muta's wary voice. "Shiyue Shuo? No, impossible. Energy fluctuations of this level are absurd. Have you been deceiving everyone all along?"

"I never said I was weak. You were the ones who kept calling me trash."

Shiyue Shuo took two steps forward and lightly touched the tree trunk where the mechanical eyeball was embedded with his fingertips. A trace of the Horse Talisman's aura spread along the bark, and the once somewhat shriveled trunk visibly began to fill out.

"I came here to give you an opportunity. An opportunity to turn over a new leaf." Shiyue Shuo's expression remained blank. "Rather than side with curses, why not work with me?"

Shiyue Shuo had his own motives. Kokichi Muta's wide-range technique could provide the strongest protection for Shiyue Shuo's safety during other periods. Not to mention all those mechanical creations of his—paired with the Rat Talisman, they would be practically unbeatable.

"Who said Mechamaru was useless? Mechamaru is incredible."

But the moment he said that, the other end of the transmitter fell deathly silent.

After a long while, Kokichi Muta's trembling voice sounded again. "Y-you... what do you know? Did someone tell you? The principal? Satoru Gojo? No, impossible. Something like this... something like this couldn't possibly be known by outsiders..."

"Relax. It wasn't them. I know you want a complete body, and I know you made a Binding Vow with Mahito." Shiyue Shuo cut him off, his tone turning cold. "Do you really think cursed spirits will obediently honor an agreement? Rather than trust them, isn't the person standing before you more worthy of your trust?"

"There's an old saying in China: those who understand the times are the wise ones. I believe you can make the right choice."

"Shut up!" Kokichi Muta's voice became frenzied. Several cold flashes streaked through the surrounding undergrowth—cursed tool projectiles hidden by Mechamaru. "How could a bastard with perfectly healthy limbs like you possibly understand the pain of having everything taken from you?! Even if I have to make a deal with the devil, I'll do it!"

"That's why I'm giving you this chance to choose again."

Before Shiyue Shuo could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred.

The previously bright sky darkened without warning. A gray-black curtain was rapidly descending from above his head.

"A Curtain?" Shiyue Shuo frowned and looked toward the distant horizon. "Have they arrived?"

A suffocating pressure filled with malice was sweeping across the entire battlefield at incredible speed. It was the presence of a Special Grade cursed spirit.

Shiyue Shuo had no intention of stopping the cursed spirits' plan. On one hand, he did not want to expose himself too early. On the other, he knew that Satoru Gojo would break the Curtain and end the battle half an hour later. As for the stolen cursed objects, he could not be bothered to care. He needed to win over this ally within that half hour, all to prepare for the Shibuya Incident to come.

Inside the underground chamber.

Kokichi Muta, his entire body wrapped in blood-seeping bandages and submerged in life-support equipment, stared wide-eyed at the surveillance feed in horror.

He had never felt such overwhelming vitality from anyone—not even Satoru Gojo, who was hailed as the strongest. Yet Shiyue Shuo before him... merely looking at the aura he gave off made the skin that had been ulcerated for years feel a long-forgotten trace of relief.

"Then why didn't you come earlier?! Why?!" Kokichi Muta's voice came through the loudspeaker, trembling intensely from his agitation.

"Shouldn't you be asking yourself that, senior? Whenever I tried talking to you, you ignored me. Every day, you just followed Miwa around." Shiyue Shuo helplessly waved a hand. "This was a rare chance to finally talk to you."

"Y-you can really cure me? What price will I have to pay?"

"Mm, I can give you a complete body." Shiyue Shuo felt the surging vitality within himself. "As for the price, this is a Heavenly Restriction. I estimate that even if I give you a complete body, you'll become disabled again not long after."

"Only for a while? That's enough."

Kokichi Muta, submerged in preservative fluid, clenched his bandage-wrapped fist. Blood seeped out as he made his decision.

"I accept. But..."

"Hey, hey, hey, I never said I could only treat you once." Shiyue Shuo interrupted him. "Why are you making assumptions on your own?"

"Huh?" Kokichi Muta stared at the glowing figure on the screen. At that moment, Shiyue Shuo seemed like a god.

Leaning against the large tree, Shiyue Shuo rubbed the tip of his nose with his left hand. "Give me your address. I'll come find you in three days."

Boom—!

A crisp sound like shattering glass rang out from the sky. Before absolute power, that seemingly indestructible Curtain was as fragile as a sheet of paper.

Shiyue Shuo looked at the figure in the sky and hurriedly dispelled the talisman's effect. In an instant, his body became listless again, turning him back into an ordinary, somewhat weak high school student.

Not long afterward, a dazzling purple light cut across the sky.

It was Satoru Gojo's Hollow Technique: Purple.

Terrifying energy poured down. Everything in its path, whether towering ancient trees or technique constructs left behind by Special Grade cursed spirits, was reduced to dust in an instant. The balance of the entire battlefield was utterly shattered by that attack.

"My, my, looks like I made it in time." Satoru Gojo's flippant yet oppressive voice echoed through the forest.

Hidden among the trees, Shiyue Shuo watched the world-destroying attack in the distance and silently marveled, So this is the power at the pinnacle of jujutsu. I wonder whether the Dragon Talisman at full power could achieve the same effect.

With Satoru Gojo's arrival, the disadvantaged situation was instantly reversed. The Special Grade cursed spirits seemed to realize that things could not be salvaged and began retreating under the cover of the dense forest.

Afterward, because Shiyue Shuo had reached an agreement with Mechamaru beforehand, Mechamaru did not mention Shiyue Shuo at all when reporting the battle.

The next day, after the baseball game ended, Tokyo Jujutsu High won by a score of two to zero.

This Goodwill Event, with everyone harboring their own schemes, came to a hasty end amid chaos and absurdity.

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