Mahoraga

It was 2006. A year had slipped quietly by, and early summer marked Ze Zenin's second year at Jujutsu High.

The sky was clear for miles, yet unease hung over the Zenin Clan.

"Clan Head..."

Jinichi Zenin spoke to Naobito Zenin with a worried expression. "Are we really going to let him try to tame Mahoraga?"

"Not a single Ten Shadows sorcerer in history has ever subdued..."

"That strongest of all shikigami!"

"What else can we do?"

Naobito Zenin glanced at Ogi Zenin and sighed. "That brat is as stubborn as an ox. No amount of talking will change his mind.

"He insists on taming Mahoraga before the new term at Jujutsu High begins."

Ogi Zenin stood silently beside Naobito Zenin. Truth be told, he now actually hoped Ze Zenin would die at Mahoraga's hands...

Over the past ten years, he had built up his strength and gathered a faction using his reputation as the Ten Shadows Divine Child's father. He was inexplicably confident that he could topple Naobito Zenin from his position as clan head!

Go ahead and try to tame him. Once you're dead...

Ogi Zenin sneered inwardly, like a demon from hell.

I'll make sure to wipe out those two stains on my life!

"Let's hope the brat pulls it off..."

Naobito Zenin gazed at the mountain behind the Zenin estate and murmured to himself.

Meanwhile, the man of the hour, Ze Zenin, was not in the mountains. He was in a room.

"Mother, I'm heading out."

Ze Zenin looked at the kimono-clad woman before him and spoke softly. "Ten years of preparation all comes down to today..."

"Do you really have to go?"

The woman did her best to hide her emotions, but Ze Zenin still heard the tremor in her voice.

Ze Zenin nodded solemnly. If he wanted to get under Sukuna's skin, Mahoraga was indispensable...

Still, simply relying on Sasuke's power gave him no sense of achievement.

"Three against one? You've got some nerve saying that." Ze Zenin chuckled.

If only I could use Susanoo...

Ze Zenin pondered this. He had spent the past ten years searching for ways to strengthen his ocular power, and it seemed he was only one final step away from manifesting Susanoo.

Most likely, this world's balance would not permit a power that exceeded the limits of jujutsu sorcerers.

Ze Zenin felt a pang of regret. He was curious what expression Satoru Gojo would make if he showed up piloting a Gundam.

"But have you thought about..."

The woman suddenly spoke. "If something happens to you, what will Maki and Mai do?"

She drew the two little girls, around five or six years old, out from behind her and into her arms.

The girls seemed to understand that their brother was about to undertake something that could cost him his life. They stared at Ze Zenin, reluctant to let him go.

"Don't worry, Mother." Ze Zenin crouched and stroked both girls' heads. "I'll come back alive."

"Not just for you..."

"But for Maki and Mai's future, too."

With that, Ze Zenin suddenly vanished from the room, leaving only the mother and her two daughters behind.

"Maki... Mai, pray for your brother."

Sawa's Mother pressed her palms together, closed her eyes tightly, and murmured.

Although Maki and Mai did not understand what this meant, they copied their mother anyway.

Amid this gloomy atmosphere, Ze Zenin began the ritual to tame Mahoraga.

On the mountain behind the Zenin estate, Ze Zenin found a vast clearing.

"There's plenty of room here. This should be enough for me to stretch my legs..."

As he spoke, Ze Zenin stretched his arms and warmed up for the fight.

"All right... let's begin!"

Ze Zenin extended both hands and chanted softly:

"Furube, yura, yura..."

An immense power within Ze Zenin's shadow seemed to break free of its restraints, rising from beneath the ground.

"Eight-Handled Sword...

"Divergent Sila Divine General...

"Mahoraga!"

Something resembling a cicada cocoon slowly appeared before Ze Zenin, just as it had when Megumi Fushiguro summoned Mahoraga to take his enemy down with him in Ze's previous life.

Two rows of shikigami resembling Divine Dogs lay neatly beside it.

Amid a series of long howls, the enormous [cicada chrysalis] gradually split open, finally exposing the shikigami inside.

A five-meter-tall humanoid shikigami appeared, his entire body pure white, his upper body bare, and a circular formation floating above his head.

An unsheathed greatsword was bound to his right hand. His face was hideous, his sharp teeth exposed by his lack of lips.

Wing-shaped masses of flesh extended from either side of his eyes.

At the same time, an overwhelming surge of terrifying cursed energy descended upon the Zenin estate.

Everyone in the Zenin Clan felt that cursed energy and instantly understood that the ritual to tame Mahoraga-

Had officially begun!

"You little brat... give it everything you've got!"

Naobito Zenin stared at the mountain without looking away for even a moment. He wanted desperately to go help, but a taming ritual involving two people would be invalid.

Mahoraga wasted no movement. He immediately locked onto Ze Zenin and charged straight at him.

Ze Zenin remained composed. Scorching heat gathered in his mouth before he spat it out:

"Majestic Destroyer Flame!"

An immense sea of fire instantly engulfed the clearing, burning Mahoraga's white body and sending black smoke rising from it.

He felt no pain whatsoever and advanced again.

That didn't even slow his attack? Ze Zenin narrowed his eyes.

He formed the hand sign for Toad, and two toads suddenly appeared beside Mahoraga!

This was the Cursed Technique Extension Ze Zenin had learned. He was no longer limited to his own shadow.

He could also use the shadow of anything around him as a medium for releasing his shikigami!

In an instant, two elongated tongues wrapped around Mahoraga's legs. Ze Zenin raised his hand and appeared before him.

"Chidori!"

The attack's tremendous piercing power sheared away most of Mahoraga's head.

Ze Zenin followed with a punch to Mahoraga's chest, smashing him into a wall.

"Decent damage. This guy's defenses are pretty high." Ze Zenin leaped high into the air and looked down at Mahoraga, clicking his tongue in wonder.

"The one ability that can raise this world's power ceiling. A means of adapting to everything-the world's ultimate counterattack..."

Just then, the Dharma Wheel above Mahoraga's head turned. All his injuries vanished, restoring him to his original state.

"I should have two more chances..."

"In the original story, even overcoming a domain like Satoru Gojo's Unlimited Void took five turns.

"So adapting to Ten Shadows and my modified ninjutsu should take fewer, not more..."

Ze Zenin's expression grew grave. His hands formed the signs to summon the fire cursed energy within him. "Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

An enormous fire dragon surged forth, hurtling straight toward Mahoraga, but this was merely Ze Zenin's feint.

He immediately formed Piercing Ox's hand sign, sending him charging across the ground from a distance-with Ze himself as the target.

Mahoraga advanced as well, launching another attack on Ze Zenin.

Ze Zenin pulled the Soul Devouring Blade from the Ten Shadows Space and held it horizontally.

He blocked Mahoraga's Sword of Extermination, then knocked Mahoraga back in a perfect parry!

Mahoraga stood before him, while Piercing Ox charged toward him from behind...

But Mahoraga was not thinking at that moment. Just as Piercing Ox was about to hit Ze Zenin, Mahoraga and Ze abruptly switched places!

In a flash, Piercing Ox rammed Mahoraga and carried Ze Zenin along with them, sending all three crashing into the mountain.

Boom-

As the crash rang out, Ze Zenin rose to his feet and looked at Mahoraga before him.

A huge hole had been punched through Mahoraga's chest, and his left hand had been mangled beyond recognition.

Round Deer restored Ze Zenin's condition, while Mahoraga's broken body had yet to regenerate.

"He probably needs more time to adapt before he can completely counter the Ten Shadows Technique."

With a faint smile, Ze Zenin raised both hands, ready to combine his shikigami again, when he saw the wheel turn.

As expected. No big deal.

The wheel behind Mahoraga, symbolizing perfect cycles and harmony, turned once more!

His skin, charred black by the Great Dragon Fire, became pure white again.

This also meant that Mahoraga's adaptation to the Ten Shadows Technique and flames had advanced further.

"That's the second time."

"Then I'll have to use Kir-early..."

"No..."

Ze Zenin shook his head.

He just wanted to play around with his skills a little longer. If he missed this chance, it would be hard to find another damage sponge as tough as Mahoraga.

Want to compete with me in skills?

Go ahead and adapt to the Ten Shadows Technique. I've got plenty of other skills anyway.

With Kirin as his fallback, plus his domain, Mahoraga might be powerful, but he was still a carbon-based life-form.

"Let's see if he can force out my Susanoo..."

Meanwhile, at Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu High.

"Seriously, why isn't Ze here yet? We've been waiting forever!"

On the basketball court, a handsome white-haired boy dribbled a basketball, then shot it toward the hoop.

"Don't be so impatient, Gojo!"

A boy with an odd fringe and his hair tied in a bun smiled gently.

"Ze isn't usually the type to stand us up. Let's just play one-on-one for now."

"But today's the start of the new term..."

Satoru Gojo complained loudly. By now, none of his childhood aloofness remained.

"I even skipped my nap to come all the way from home today!"

"And you're the only one here, Geto! Even the gorilla's missing!"

"Honestly, what am I supposed to say to you?"

Suguru Geto rested a hand against his face as he looked at his best friend. "It's only been three days. Why are you so eager?"

"That's where you're missing something."

Satoru Gojo chuckled. "These next few days might be a big deal for that old rascal Ze..."

"A big deal?" Suguru Geto asked, puzzled.

"Yeah. Ze's about to stir things up..."

"What are you two whispering about?"

A languid female voice reached their ears as a pretty girl with short brown hair slowly approached.

Her brows were naturally dark, like distant mountains, and her lips were vermilion without a trace of lipstick.

She also held a cigarette in one hand, giving her an air of carefree boldness.

She came up beside Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto and smiled. "Gossiping without me?"

"Oh, Shoko?"

Satoru Gojo looked at the girl named Shoko Ieiri and gave a hearty chuckle. "Here's the story..."