Failure-Man

As the mastermind behind the Culling Game, Kenjaku had some control over all its colonies.

What puzzled him, however, was that he had sensed no major fluctuations of cursed energy within Tokyo No. 2 Colony, where Hajime Kashimo was supposed to be.

Instead, on just the second day of the Culling Game, two exceptionally powerful sources of cursed energy had appeared in Sendai Colony.

"So that's what happened."

Realization dawned on Kenjaku.

"Now that's an unexpected pairing."

The only possible explanation for this situation was that Hajime Kashimo and Angel had teamed up.

Though somewhat unexpected, it would have no effect on his plans.

Kenjaku slowly rose, straightened his loose monk's robes, and headed for the door.

"Then it's time I made my move, too."

"It's about time we got moving, too."

Inside Sendai Colony, Lu Yun and Angel arrived at the edge of the barrier together.

"Sorry for the trouble again, Angel."

Lu Yun turned toward Hana Kurusu, signaling that she could activate her cursed technique.

But neither of the other two was paying any attention to the barrier. Instead, Lu Yun's outfit had caught their eyes.

"Are you seriously going to wear that ridiculous outfit?"

Angel sounded rather exasperated.

Hana Kurusu was a little embarrassed, too, and tried to dissuade him.

"Um, I don't think going out dressed like that is a good idea, either."

"But I think it looks divine."

Lu Yun protested.

His voice sounded somewhat muffled beneath his mask.

Lu Yun looked himself up and down, quite pleased.

Yep, a pretty good fit.

The classic red-and-blue suit perfectly traced the contours of Lu Yun's body. The snug mask could also help conceal his identity and keep prying eyes from discovering who he was, making it the ideal choice for a superhero heading out on business.

That was right. Lu Yun was wearing a Spider-Man suit he had dug up from who knew where.

Of course, it was only a cosplay costume with no special effects, but Lu Yun had taken a liking to it at first sight.

Who hadn't dreamed of becoming a superhero as a kid?

His old clothes happened to have been damaged during several special-grade battles, so he had decided without hesitation to change into the suit.

It wasn't just a whim, either. The new abilities Lu Yun had recently developed bore some resemblance to Spider-Man's, which was another reason he had chosen this outfit.

Looking at Lu Yun, Angel could only conclude that he was beyond saving.

"Hana, forget about him. Let's go our separate ways after this."

Hana Kurusu silently nodded.

The cursed technique activated, and a pillar of light descended, erasing the barrier in front of the three of them.

"Since you don't want to come with me, let's split up and look for Sukuna."

Seeing their looks of distaste, Lu Yun said,

"If you still haven't found Sukuna afterward, go to Tokyo No. 1 Colony and wait for me."

Although Lu Yun knew where Sukuna was, he had no intention of telling Angel just yet.

After giving them a few reminders before leaving, Lu Yun used an electric charge to secure his stun baton cursed tool to his back, then flicked his hand.

A blue thread of cursed energy, much like spider silk, shot from Lu Yun's wrist, its tip carrying a positive charge he had separated from himself.

When the thread struck a building, Lu Yun would switch his own charge to the opposite polarity, creating an attraction between himself and the charge he had launched and pulling his body in its direction.

With a gentle tug, Lu Yun rose into the air and instantly soared toward the thread's destination.

Conquering the skies had been humanity's dream since ancient times!

Although he couldn't fly yet and could only swing around like Spider-Man, the wind rushing past his ears still left Lu Yun utterly exhilarated.

"Woohoo! Bye, Angel and Kurusu! See you around if fate allows!"

His voice faded into the distance along with his figure, leaving Hana Kurusu standing there, dumbfounded.

"He really is Spider-Man?! Wait, how am I supposed to get there?"

She hadn't expected Lu Yun to actually leave. Neither Hana Kurusu nor Angel could drive. Surely they weren't supposed to flap their little wings all the way to Tokyo? Angel wasn't exactly fast, either!

November 8, on the streets of Tokyo.

A boy with spiky pink hair and scars on his face was sprinting down an empty street.

Countless grotesquely shaped cursed spirits followed close behind, frantically pursuing his racing figure.

This pink-haired boy was, without a doubt, the protagonist of Jujutsu Kaisen-the man who would become the Tiger Emperor sixty-eight years later, Yuji Itadori.

Seeing the horde of cursed spirits behind him growing larger and larger, Itadori knew this was his chance to wipe them all out at once.

He instantly changed direction, leading the mass of cursed spirits toward the agreed-upon location.

Atop a nearby building, a red-and-blue figure sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling and swaying over the side as he watched the boy use himself as bait for the cursed spirits.

"As expected of the man who'll one day be called the Tiger Emperor. That resolve alone is more than most people could muster."

Casually firing a beam of cursed energy through a flying cursed spirit that tried to disturb him, Lu Yun hurriedly stuffed the rest of his bread into his mouth.

He had actually tracked down Yuji Itadori yesterday, but the time wasn't right yet. Rather than approach him, Lu Yun had chosen to observe their movements from the shadows.

"It's about time."

Raising a hand to pull down his mask, Lu Yun slowly stood and leaped from the top of the building.

The boy was agile, and with his speed pushed to its limit, not a single cursed spirit behind him could catch up.

Soon, an overpass came into Yuji Itadori's view. Without stopping, he led the cursed spirits straight into the tunnel beneath it.

The prey was in position. It was time for the hunter to take the stage.

Deep within the tunnel, a speck of crimson light flickered.

His black hair tied into two upright ponytails, Choso pressed his hands together with his fingertips pointed forward, cursed energy surging through his body.

"Choso!"

Hearing his younger brother's call, Choso waited no longer. The Piercing Blood he had been building up shot out in an instant, its crimson stream easily piercing the countless cursed spirits following Itadori.

The pink-haired boy brushed past him. Sensing a cursed spirit behind himself, Choso remained still and merely murmured,

"Yuji."

Itadori leaped up and punched straight through a cursed spirit far larger than himself as it tried to attack Choso.

Purple blood gushed out, engulfing the boy before slowly vanishing as the spirit was exorcised.

"That's my little brother."

Choso was quite proud of Itadori's performance.

"You're still going on about that?"

Itadori felt rather helpless in the face of his persistence.

They had been enemies not long ago, yet somehow Choso had suddenly started calling himself his older brother. Though Itadori wouldn't admit it aloud, he did feel a warmth from Choso that he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Their exchange, however, was interrupted by an uninvited guest.

"Megumi isn't here? Am I the first to arrive?"

The blond-haired Naoya Zenin suddenly appeared on the overpass, the powerful cursed energy coursing through him instantly drawing both brothers' attention.

"Hey, you guys down there! Make a little room~~~"

Another unfamiliar voice came from the sky, drawing rapidly closer.

All three instinctively looked up. A red-and-blue figure was plummeting through the air, apparently having lost his balance.

Once Yuji Itadori got a clear look at the newcomer, his expression went blank.

"Is that... Failure-Man??"