Barrier

"In that case..."

Okkotsu rested his hand on his sword hilt. "We might still stand a chance in a head-on fight."

As long as they could force Kenjaku into cursed technique burnout.

They could fight him!

"It's not that simple." Kaneki looked at Tengen. "Pulling that off would be difficult, wouldn't it?"

If it really were that simple.

In the original story.

Tengen would have done it long ago.

Why else would she have gone to such lengths to make Yuki Tsukumo hold out for ten seconds while she dismantled the outer shell of Kenjaku's domain?

"Yes."

Tengen nodded. "To accomplish that..."

"We would have to keep Kenjaku inside an Emptiness Barrier and make him expand his domain within it."

"If that's what it takes..."

Kaneki said, "Then I doubt Kenjaku will come anytime soon. Even if he does, it'll only be a feint."

"Why?"

Tengen asked.

"In the future I saw," Kaneki said, "he figured out your plan just from seeing Yuki Tsukumo use Simple Domain to defend herself instead of expanding her domain."

"He called you a shut-in."

"And said even your tactics were outdated."

At that.

Tengen fell silent.

Kaneki looked at Tengen. "I'm not trying to put you down, but with your combat sense, you'll have a hard time catching him off guard."

Tengen.

She hadn't appeared much in the original story.

But Kenjaku's words made it clear that she was something of a recluse.

And.

Kenjaku was different.

For over a thousand years, no matter how dangerous the world became, he had continued roaming it.

The two were on completely different levels.

"With your plan..."

Kaneki said, "We only stand a chance if Kenjaku doesn't know Okkotsu has returned."

Once.

He learned that Yuta Okkotsu was back in Japan.

With Ken Kaneki, a prophet, on their side, Kenjaku would surely choose to avoid a fight.

He would wait until the Culling Game had split up Jujutsu High's strongest fighters.

Then he would come to subjugate Tengen.

That was the safest approach.

"He shouldn't know I'm here," Okkotsu said. "I didn't even inform Jujutsu Headquarters that I was coming back, let alone..."

He stopped before finishing his sentence.

Clearly.

He, too, had realized just how formidable Kenjaku's thousand years of life made him.

There was no way Kenjaku didn't have people inside Jujutsu Headquarters!

"Hard to say..."

Kaneki replied, "He has people inside Jujutsu Headquarters."

"I don't know exactly how many, but there are definitely quite a few. He also pushed through the notice Jujutsu Headquarters issued."

"And almost everyone in the Kamo Clan's Conservative Faction is his puppet."

"In the future."

"He even became the head of the Kamo Clan."

At that.

Everyone, Tengen included, looked shocked, yet somehow felt it was only to be expected.

After all.

He was an ancient monster who had lived for over a thousand years.

"Kenjaku!" Choso snarled through clenched teeth, enunciating every syllable.

"So..."

Kaneki looked at them and asked, "Are we staying or leaving?"

The three fell into thought.

Whether they fought or not, he had to tame his shikigami first.

It would be useful not only against Naobito Zenin, but against Kenjaku's cursed spirits as well.

While the others discussed the matter.

He formed an odd sign with his hands, casting a shadow shaped like a deer's head. "Round Deer."

The shadows beneath his feet stirred.

A massive, four-eyed deer appeared.

-Round Deer!

It could manipulate Reverse Cursed Technique.

A Great Serpent emerged from the shadow beneath Round Deer and coiled tightly around the deer.

Kaneki switched cursed techniques.

-[Star Rage].

One punch.

It took only one punch.

Kaneki smashed Round Deer's body apart, turning the deer into a puddle of shadow that merged into his own.

The taming was complete.

That was the power of [Star Rage].

Before long, the others agreed to stay and protect Tengen's life.

To Jujutsu Society as a whole.

Tengen's existence was too important for them to ignore.

More importantly, the plan they were discussing now favored them more, and they had a way to deal with Kenjaku's Open-Barriers Domain.

They might stand a chance.

Just then.

The sound of shattering glass rang out.

They looked toward the sound and saw a huge hole break open in the white space overhead.

A figure stood at the opening.

It was Kenjaku!

"Hey!"

Looking down at them, Kenjaku froze for a moment, then gave a sinister smile. "Okkotsu's back too, huh?"

At the sight.

Kaneki immediately said in a low, urgent voice, "Tengen, send Okkotsu and Tsukumo out first."

As the saying went.

A wise man never stood beneath a crumbling wall.

Whether Kenjaku attacked or not, his first priority was ensuring Okkotsu and Yuki Tsukumo's safety.

As long as those two stayed alive.

There was a good chance they would survive too!

At his words.

Tengen raised a hand, and a black doorway appeared beside them.

When Kenjaku saw it.

He jumped straight down from above.

His hands formed the sign for expanding his domain, and powerful cursed energy surged from his body.

"Go!"

Kaneki's expression changed sharply as he urged them on.

Fortunately, the instant Kenjaku moved, Tengen pushed Okkotsu and Yuki Tsukumo through the doorway.

"A step too late after all..."

Kenjaku murmured.

The domain they expected never materialized.

The Tombs of the Star Corridor.

Where Tengen's true body resided.

"Why?" Confused, Yuki Tsukumo demanded with a trace of anger, "Tengen!"

Even according to the plan.

Tengen could dismantle the Emptiness Barrier along with Kenjaku's domain.

Then...

One of the two of them had to stay behind to force Kenjaku to expand his domain.

"This is the main hall of the Tombs of the Star Corridor."

Tengen said gravely, "The Emptiness Barriers are in the labyrinth level directly above us. Each room has its own independent Emptiness Barrier."

"Which means..."

Okkotsu caught her meaning and asked, "The barrier we were just in wasn't an Emptiness Barrier?"

"Correct."

Tengen nodded. "The barrier around the main hall of the Tombs of the Star Corridor is the final line of defense I established. Its purpose is protection."

"I didn't expect..."

"Kenjaku to get this far so quickly."

In other words...

Her original plan could no longer be carried out.

That was also why Kenjaku had tried to expand his domain the moment he appeared.

In short...

They had almost been wiped out in one fell swoop.

Even if they hadn't all died, one or two would have fallen there!

Within the gleaming white space.

Seeing the huge hole Kenjaku had broken open close again, Choso felt considerably reassured.

Kaneki saw it too.

But he didn't fully relax.

Against an old fox like Kenjaku, he had to stay completely alert. What if this was just a diversion?

"I thought you were dead."

"Kaneki."

As he spoke.

A pitch-black rift appeared behind Kenjaku. Two enormous hands reached out and tore it open, revealing a massive body.

Elephant God...

One look at those hands was enough for Kaneki to identify this cursed spirit, a curse born from an Asian deity that could remove [all obstacles].

Trying to use it to disrupt my control over cursed energy again?

Beside him.

Choso had already assumed the stance for Piercing Blood.

A bloody gleam flashed at his fingertips, and a fierce jet of blood shot from between his pressed palms toward the cursed spirit behind Kenjaku, reaching the speed of sound.

Clearly.

He had recognized this cursed spirit too.

Kenjaku made no attempt to stop him. Behind him, Elephant God turned a palm over and gently raised it.

The trajectory of Choso's Piercing Blood shifted upward.

It pierced Elephant God's shoulder and finally vanished into the boundless White Space.

By then.

Kaneki had already disappeared completely into the shadows.

He had barely left when Kenjaku's cursed spirit struck the spot where he had just stood.

Just then.

A flood of nimble, snow-white rabbits poured out of the shadows, scattering in every direction the moment they emerged.

Before long.

They occupied more than half the White Space.

This was...

-Rabbit Escape!