The Plan

"..."

Feeling Hollow Purple roar past his ear, only a few paces away, Naoya couldn't help turning to look beside him.

The immense power of Hollow Purple had blasted straight through the entire wall beside him, leaving a deep gouge in the ground.

"So this is the Six Eyes..."

Looking at the triumphant Satoru Gojo before him, Naoya gave a bitter smile, then raised both hands. "I surrender."

He had already lost his will to fight. He understood that before that blast of Hollow Purple, he had still stood a chance against Gojo's Blue and Red and the Limitless that Gojo still had to activate manually. But now...

Their combat power was no longer even in the same dimension!

The Jujutsu High referee's expression darkened as he surveyed the wrecked arena. Suppressing the urge to charge over, drag Gojo down, and give him a beating, he held back his anger and announced in a low voice, "Tokyo wins the best of three!"

It was also Utahime's first time seeing Hollow Purple unleashed. She turned to Shoko beside her, her voice trembling. "When did that scumbag... learn such a terrifying move?"

"Well, about a month ago, I think!" Shoko smiled at Utahime, then turned to Ze Zenin. "What do you think? Could you withstand his Hollow Purple?"

Ze Zenin shook his head. "In terms of sheer destructive power, that move would definitely kill Mahoraga in one hit. But..."

He gave Shoko a mysterious smile. "Mahoraga isn't my only trump card!"

"Come on, tell me!"

"Shh. You'll find out someday."

The Kyoto contingent looked even grimmer than the referee surveying the ruined arena. Gakuganji, in particular, murmured, "To think Tokyo... would produce two Special Grade Sorcerers at once!"

Then Gakuganji looked at Suguru Geto. "With enough numbers, this boy's Cursed Spirit Manipulation could bring down an entire nation too..."

Without a doubt, even judging solely by Satoru Gojo's Hollow Purple, Ze Zenin's Mahoraga, and Suguru Geto's sheer number of cursed spirits, these three had already become the strongest of their era.

"Masamichi Yaga, you really have unearthed quite a few promising talents..."

Meanwhile, Gojo jumped down from the platform. He wasn't remotely worried as he looked at the building he had destroyed. "Looks like I'll have to get my family to sort this out before Gorilla comes back."

"Gojo!" Suguru Geto waved at him, walked over, and leaned toward his ear. "Ze bringing out Mahoraga was bad enough. Why did you have to join in the madness?"

"Huh?" Gojo laughed dismissively. "That blond guy looked like he still wanted to fight. I really wasn't interested, and I didn't want to crush his confidence, so this was my only option!"

Suguru Geto: "..."

Are you sure that wouldn't destroy his resolve altogether?

Watching Gojo laugh wildly before him and Ze Zenin stand beside Shoko, Geto suddenly felt as though he was falling behind.

Was he about to be left behind by those two?

Singapore, Southeast Asia

"My lord, the human who helped us last time has returned. He says he wants to meet our leader. Would you like us to..."

Jogo gazed respectfully at the enormous, crystal-clear embryo before him. The figure inside remained indistinct.

"Let him in. I know who he is and why he has come." A voice that sounded masculine yet leaned toward feminine emerged from the embryo. "As it happens, our goals align for now."

"Yes!" Having received his orders, Jogo headed outside.

A short while later, Kenjaku stood in the middle, with Jogo leading the way and Mahito and Hanami behind him, remaining constantly wary of this strange human.

Just as I thought...

As Kenjaku looked at the embryo before him, he felt as though a weight had finally lifted from his heart.

No wonder these intelligent cursed spirits guarded this place with such organization and discipline, and kept the lesser cursed spirits under control to prevent them from causing trouble outside.

Kenjaku could sense the embryo's cursed energy. Though it seemed subdued on the surface, the power concealed beneath was just like that person's...

"I know you, human."

The voice from the embryo interrupted Kenjaku's thoughts. What it said next made his hair stand on end!

"Kenjaku... am I right?"

"!!"

Kenjaku's eyes widened instantly. It was the first time in a thousand years that he had shown such an expression.

How is that possible!? In this era, only Tengen should know...

As though aware of Kenjaku's shock, the voice within the embryo chuckled.

"There's no need to panic. I'm not Tengen, nor am I some ancient monster who has lived for a thousand years. Though I have lived quite a long time..."

"Of course, none of that matters.

What matters is that we both need to eliminate Ze Zenin, correct?"

"Indeed..."

Kenjaku quickly regained his composure and narrowed his eyes. To his surprise, he couldn't see through this mere [cursed spirit] before him, but he kept his expression neutral.

"It seems that someone like Ze Zenin appearing on humanity's side led to the birth of a powerful being like you."

"Spare me the flattery," the voice replied evenly. "Tell me what you're planning first."

Kenjaku's gaze turned cold as he glanced at Jogo and the others.

"You lot, withdraw. What follows is not for your ears."

"But..."

"Withdraw." The voice remained as calm as ever.

"Yes."

Jogo and the other cursed spirits glanced at Kenjaku, then silently headed outside. They seemed to understand that the coming discussion involved matters far beyond their reach.

After watching the cursed spirits leave, Kenjaku turned to the embryo and slowly said:

"I know your goal is to claim the right to exist in this world. And to claim that right, there are two people you cannot avoid..."

"Satoru Gojo and Ze Zenin!"

"Pfft..."

The being inside the embryo seemed amused, then continued, "If that's what you think, you're not entirely wrong. But you're not right, either."

Their goal is...

Kenjaku gave the embryo a puzzled look. Ignoring the cursed spirit's nonsense, he continued in a low voice:

"Both of them have already matured. Since I have experience dealing with Six Eyes sorcerers, I've decided against killing them and will instead seal them..."

"As for Satoru Gojo, he's arrogant and places tremendous importance on his emotional bonds. He has a major weakness.

That's why I've decided to use the Prison Realm, though I'm still searching for it."

"As for Ze Zenin, I'm still at a complete loss.

Whether in personality or mental fortitude, he is practically flawless.

His strength may far surpass Satoru Gojo's. Since I can neither confront him head-on nor use trickery against him, I haven't come up with any way to deal with him yet."

"I understand..."

The voice was low, but Kenjaku couldn't discern any emotion in it.

"Leave Ze Zenin to me. You can choose to trust me."

The embryo's cursed energy continued to rise. Even Kenjaku felt a wave of dread.

A cold smile curled his lips. So this really was a "cursed spirit" born of this world to deal with Ze Zenin?

Yet judging by that presence, this being was certainly more than just a cursed spirit. If anything, it was more like a human.

"In that case, my plan is..."