Angel

Just then...

With a grave expression, Tengen interrupted them. "Everyone, Kenjaku started the culling game just now."

At those words...

Even the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone fell silent.

Kaneki looked at Tengen and asked, "Has Angel appeared?"

At the mention of Angel...

Everyone present turned to Tengen.

They all knew Angel was the key to unsealing Satoru Gojo!

"Yes."

Tengen replied, "Inside the barrier in eastern Tokyo. The culling game's barriers reject my interference, so that is all the information I have."

Kusakabe was trying to quit smoking.

With a lollipop in his mouth, he leaned back in his chair and grumbled, "He's trying to split up Okkotsu and Tsukumo..."

Okkotsu and Yuki Tsukumo had clearly realized this too, and both their expressions darkened.

If the two of them were separated...

Facing Kenjaku "alone" would very likely mean certain death.

After all...

Kenjaku wasn't alone!

He had two companions.

The others had already heard about the trap they had faced against Kenjaku. Understanding the gravity of the situation, they all considered how to respond.

"At this point..."

With a cigarette between her lips, Shoko asked, "Is the cursed technique of this person called Angel the only thing that can undo the Prison Realm?"

"Yes."

Tengen nodded and said, "Aside from Angel, there are only the [Inverted Spear of Heaven] and the [Black Rope]."

"The [Inverted Spear of Heaven] was sealed by Satoru Gojo eleven years ago. In fact, he may well have destroyed it. The [Black Rope] was also completely destroyed by Satoru Gojo last year."

At those words...

Everyone realized that Satoru Gojo had gotten rid of everything capable of undoing the Prison Realm.

They were all speechless.

If Satoru Gojo knew, he would definitely feel as though his own actions had come back to bite him.

Just then...

Okkotsu spoke. "I went overseas to look for any remaining [Black Rope], but it turned out to be a wasted trip."

Now...

Everyone finally understood why he had gone overseas.

"So..." Kugisaki said, "We have to find that sorcerer called Angel now."

"Exactly."

Kaneki nodded.

Todo spoke up. "Since his domain is an Open-Barriers Domain, then... my [Boogie Woogie] should be able to swap people out of it."

After saying that...

He lowered his head and looked at his hands.

"It can."

Kaneki gave him a definite answer.

In the original story, Todo had placed a binding vow on himself and used [Boogie Woogie] to rescue Maki Zenin, Kasumi Miwa, and Ino all at once.

In that instance...

Mei Mei's crows had also helped.

Hearing this...

The others weren't particularly relieved.

Yuki Tsukumo looked at him and asked, "Pulling that off won't be easy, will it?"

Todo nodded and added, "I'd have to stand outside the domain's range."

If he was outside the domain...

His cursed technique's effective range would have to expand far enough to swap people with objects imbued with cursed energy.

The cursed energy part was simple.

Anything with cursed energy would work.

Standing outside the domain was more troublesome.

"In that case..."

Okkotsu said thoughtfully, "If Kenjaku sees you, he'll definitely use a binding vow to expand his domain's range when he casts it."

"When that happens..."

Okkotsu looked at Todo and asked, "Will your [Boogie Woogie] still be able to swap people with objects?"

Aoi Todo fell silent.

He wasn't sure.

"Just make a binding vow."

Kaneki said, "In the future I saw, you used a binding vow to do exactly that, saving three people from Sukuna's domain."

"As for that..."

"You can discuss how to set up the binding vow when the time comes."

Then Kaneki continued, "Besides, we still have some of Kenjaku's flesh and blood."

As he spoke...

He looked at Nobara Kugisaki and asked, "Your cursed technique will work on it, right?"

"Yes!"

The corners of Kugisaki's mouth lifted.

Even Sukuna in the original story couldn't withstand that hit. Once struck, he couldn't cast his domain, let alone Kenjaku.

Compared with Sukuna...

Kenjaku was nowhere close!

Kaneki smiled as well. "As long as Mei Mei's crows still work after entering the barrier, we can hit him just as he's about to expand his domain. Then Kenjaku won't be able to cast it for a while."

"If we time it a little more precisely, we might even interrupt his domain outright."

"The only troublesome part is that we'll be randomly teleported after entering the culling game's barrier."

"In other words..."

Okkotsu's expression darkened. "Even if we go in together, we'll be separated once we enter the barrier."

This news...

Was hardly good news for them.

"Exactly."

Kaneki continued, "If we can meet Angel..."

"Then there's an even simpler way to deal with Kenjaku, and that way is Angel herself."

"Angel?"

They murmured the name, lost in thought.

"She can extinguish every cursed technique." Kaneki looked at Okkotsu. "As long as Rika can eat her arm..."

"You can use it in combination with Cursed Speech to extinguish Kenjaku's domain!"

This method was simple and straightforward.

They could extinguish Kenjaku's Open-Barriers Domain without a domain clash.

Angel's cursed technique stood above all other cursed techniques.

No matter who interfered...

It wouldn't help!

Besides, Angel couldn't use Reverse Cursed Technique, so there was no need to worry about Copy becoming ineffective.

"One more thing."

Kaneki said, "Whether we can get her arm or not, she'll help us."

Even if Kenjaku wanted to switch people, he wouldn't have enough time.

"Why?"

Everyone asked in confusion.

"Because..." Kaneki gave them a name. "Megumi Fushiguro."

Megumi Fushiguro wasn't here. He had been placed in a separate Emptiness Barrier.

"Fushiguro?"

Kugisaki looked stunned.

Then her expression shifted to one eager for juicy gossip.

Kaneki explained, "When Megumi Fushiguro was little, he saved Angel's incarnated vessel, Hana Kurusu."

Now...

Everyone understood.

Seeing this...

Kaneki didn't elaborate. "We can confirm that Kenjaku is in the culling game. When the time comes, I'll obtain Todo's cursed technique and enter the culling game's barrier."

"Todo will stay here."

"Salmon."

Toge Inumaki raised his hand.

Looking puzzled, Kaneki glanced at the others and asked, "What does that mean?"

Okkotsu explained, "Inumaki means you can obtain his cursed technique too."

That way...

Even against Kenjaku, they wouldn't necessarily lose.

Inumaki nodded while calling out, "Salmon."

Kaneki looked at him without speaking. After a long silence, he slowly stood up.

He looked at him. "Toge Inumaki."

As he spoke...

A familiar scroll appeared in his hand.

"Are you willing to move the markings of Cursed Speech to your right hand, at the cost of having to speak to cast a curse?"

"Each time you activate it, you will have to place your right hand over your mouth to use Cursed Speech."

It wasn't just Toge Inumaki.

The others beside him froze too.

"Salmon!"

Afraid that saying it alone wouldn't be enough, Toge Inumaki kept nodding to show his agreement.

Once that was said...

The familiar gilded bronze seal appeared in Kaneki's hand.

As he pressed it onto the paper, the scroll turned into spiritual light and sank into Toge Inumaki's body.

The cursed markings around his mouth began to move.

Soon...

They had shifted onto his right hand.

The contract was complete.

"Sal..." Inumaki instinctively started to say "salmon" again, then immediately corrected himself when he realized.

"Thank you."

Kaneki waved a hand. "If you want to thank someone, thank Usami..."

This had consumed less cursed energy than last time-not even half as much.

"Who is he?"

Okkotsu asked, looking puzzled.

Inumaki couldn't break the habit right away, so he didn't speak.

"I'm not sure whose descendant he is."

Kaneki said, "But his Cursed Speech markings are on his hand. He only needs to put his hand over his mouth to activate his cursed technique."

"It's thanks to him, too."

"Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought of this method."

He didn't understand Cursed Speech, and had instinctively assumed it was the same in every generation.

So...

Without Usami's example...

He never would have thought of it, no matter how hard he tried.