Unsealing Satoru Gojo

On the outskirts of Tokyo, in an abandoned underground shelter.

The air here was damp and stifling, but for the jujutsu sorcerers, it was a rare place to catch their breath.

Yuji Itadori sat on a wooden crate in the corner, gripping his knees so tightly that his nails nearly dug into his flesh. His eyes were hollow as he stared at a stain on the floor that had yet to dry, while the scene of Sukuna taking Megumi Fushiguro's body replayed over and over in his mind.

"It was me... If I'd noticed the loophole in the contract sooner..." Yuji's voice was hoarse, filled with self-reproach.

"There's no point thinking about that now."

A somewhat weary yet still teasing voice came from the entrance.

Yuji abruptly looked up.

Shiyue Shuo leaned against the doorframe, twirling a bottle of mineral water in his hand. He wore that black combat outfit, and his entire presence was deep and restrained.

"Shuo!" Yuji shot to his feet, a faint spark igniting within the ashes in his eyes. "How did things go on your end?"

"We crippled that stitched-up freak, more or less." Shiyue Shuo shrugged and casually tossed the bottle to Yuji. "But that guy had too many ways to save his own skin. He turned into tens of thousands of meat chunks and ran off. Tsukumo and I only cleared out most of them."

"Meat chunks?" Maki Zenin frowned beside them, wiping down her pitch-black longsword.

"He probably absorbed Kurourushi's technique." Shiyue Shuo did not dwell on the subject. His gaze passed over the others and landed on the girl at the back of the room, the one with wings on her back and a halo above her head.

"Angel. Hana Kurusu."

Shiyue Shuo walked straight over, his clear pupils narrowing slightly as he activated the Pig Talisman's Heat Vision. In his view, an extremely ancient and pure soul resided within the girl.

"We don't have time for small talk." Shiyue Shuo got straight to the point. "The Prison Realm is already in our hands. Now we need your technique to break the seal."

Hana Kurusu looked at the boy before her, whose oppressive presence was overwhelming, and instinctively took half a step back. The "Angel" within her issued a warning—this person was an anomaly.

"Unsealing Satoru Gojo is not impossible." Angel's voice came through Hana Kurusu's mouth, carrying divine indifference. "But my goal is to purge The Fallen. That is, Ryomen Sukuna. As long as you help me eliminate him, I will help you unseal Gojo."

"Deal." Shiyue Shuo answered cleanly. "He was one of my targets anyway."

"Wait." Yuta Okkotsu cut in, his expression grave. "Sukuna currently occupies Megumi Fushiguro's body. If we eliminate Sukuna directly, then Megumi..."

"Then we'll let Teacher Gojo out first." Shiyue Shuo cut off Yuta's concerns.

Their gazes met, finally settling on the same conviction.

"Training Ground 4." Maki picked up her longsword. "It's open there. Good place to make a big commotion."

Saitama Prefecture, Jujutsu High Training Ground 4.

The terrain here was open, surrounded by dense forests. It was noon, and sunlight shone directly over the empty grassland.

Shiyue Shuo stood at the edge of the field, looking at the little cube covered in eyeballs that they had brought out of the Forbidden Vault—Prison Realm: Back.

This inconspicuous-looking cursed object held the current ceiling of Jujutsu Society's combat strength.

"Are you ready?" Shiyue Shuo looked at Hana Kurusu.

Hana Kurusu took a deep breath, her body slowly floating into the air. The wings of light behind her suddenly spread open, and holy radiance instantly illuminated the entire training ground.

"Technique Extinguishment—"

"Jacob's Ladder!"

"Hummm—!"

A massive pillar of pure white light descended from the sky, striking Prison Realm: Back with perfect accuracy.

The air was burning.

Everyone instinctively raised their hands to shield themselves from the blinding light.

Shiyue Shuo did not close his eyes. Enduring the searing pain the intense light inflicted on his retinas, he stared fixedly at the center of the beam.

"So this was the authority capable of nullifying all techniques..."

"Crack."

A crisp sound rang out.

Washed by the holy light, the eyeballs on the surface of the Prison Realm began to wither and fall away. Then the entire cube started to collapse, turning into countless particles of black dust that scattered into the air.

The light faded.

The center of the training ground was empty.

"Where is he?" Yuji Itadori froze. He rushed forward and felt around where the Prison Realm had been, but grasped only empty air.

"Teacher Gojo! Teacher Gojo!"

"Did it fail?" Yuta Okkotsu's pupils contracted slightly, his hand already resting on his sword hilt.

"No, it didn't fail."

Shiyue Shuo looked southward, a curve forming at the corner of his mouth.

"The moment the door opened, he didn't choose to walk out from here. He directly used that spatial disturbance to go to the place he wanted to go most."

"The place he wanted to go most?" Maki frowned.

"Obviously, to settle the score with the bastard who took over his student's body."

The instant Shiyue Shuo finished speaking—

Rumble—!!!

The entire Japanese archipelago was struck by an earthquake without any warning.

The source was not the movement of tectonic plates, but an eruption of cursed energy at a certain coordinate, so immense that it was enough to distort reality.

"Let's go!"

Shiyue Shuo grabbed Yuji by the shoulder and turned to shout at Yuta and Maki, "I know where he is!"

Psychic power erupted. Shiyue Shuo took the others straight into the sky, speeding toward the source of that terrifying presence—Shinjuku, Tokyo.

Tokyo, Shinjuku.

Its former prosperity had long vanished, leaving behind only the devastation wrought by the Culling Game.

Ryomen Sukuna stood atop an abandoned high-rise. He had just completed The Bath, and Megumi Fushiguro's soul had already sunk into the abyss. Now, bare-chested, he was savoring the new power this body gave him.

Behind him, Uraume respectfully offered him a loose bathrobe.

"Lord Sukuna, those troublesome insects seem to still be gathering," Uraume said quietly.

"No matter." Sukuna put on the robe, his gaze disdainful. "Whether it's that strange brat or that vessel, before my current power, they are nothing more than..."

His words suddenly stopped.

All four of Sukuna's eyes widened at once, his gaze locking onto a point in the empty space ahead.

"Haha... Hahahaha!"

Sukuna suddenly burst into wild laughter, making the entire building tremble.

"You're finally out!"

Sizzle—crack!

Space shattered without warning.

A tall figure abruptly appeared in midair before Sukuna.

Short white hair. The black blindfold was gone, revealing those Six Eyes as deep as the heavens. He wore the iconic Jujutsu High uniform, both hands tucked into his pockets. His posture was slightly hunched, yet he radiated an absolute aura of supreme dominance over heaven and earth.

The strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern age, Satoru Gojo.

"Yo."

Satoru Gojo raised a hand in casual greeting, like a tourist who had just returned from vacation.

"Changed your look, Sukuna. But that face... it really pisses me off."

His eyes fell upon the face that belonged to Megumi Fushiguro, and in an instant, his gaze turned frigid enough to make the air around them frost over.

"Satoru Gojo." Sukuna grinned, baring a mouthful of fangs. "Was it comfortable in that box?"

"It was all right. I caught up on some sleep." Satoru Gojo rolled his neck, producing a series of crisp cracks. "But now that I'm awake, I should do some morning exercises."

"If you want to die, then I'll grant your wish."

Without another word, Sukuna raised his hand and unleashed Dismantle.