Chapter 6

"Is this guy insane?!" Doppo Kunikida was downright terrified by the man's outrageous actions. "How many times has he died? How many versions of 'himself' has he sacrificed for his ideal?!"

But what was all of this for? Not for himself, but for the lofty ideal of immortality for all humanity.

Doppo Kunikida couldn't help tightening his grip on his notebook. He was an idealist himself, yet even he was shocked by what An Xinyi had done. He couldn't have done it himself.

Fyodor smiled helplessly. "Considering everything he's put himself through, if it really was all for humanity's immortality, he truly is a saint."

"However." The demon narrowed his violet eyes. "Behind such lofty ideals lies nothing but an abyss."

If he could kill himself for his ideal, what would happen to others who stood in its way? Those innocent people who had merely touched the statue, for instance... Even though the demon could guess the reason behind it, he still wanted to clap his hands and laugh. A demon wearing a saint's skin would only be more vicious.

"He deserves the name 'demon' more than I do."

Hearing that assessment from the demon himself weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

"No, he doesn't!" Surprisingly, it was Ranpo Edogawa who spoke. He rose straight out of his chair. "He's nothing like a rotten bastard like you!"

"He's different from you!"

They rarely saw Mr. Ranpo defend someone so fiercely. This was Ranpo Edogawa, whose attitude was normally, "As long as it suits me, everything's fine."

Osamu Dazai propped up his chin. What exactly did you see, Mr. Ranpo?

Please welcome the next group of viewers.

The moment those words registered, more than a dozen figures suddenly appeared beside them.

"Where are we?"

"Is this a cursed spirit's doing?"

"Gojo-sensei?"

The tall, white-haired man surveyed his surroundings with keen interest. He pulled down his blindfold, revealing eyes as clear and deep as the sky, reflecting the images before him.

"How interesting."

Satoru Gojo rubbed his chin, the corners of his lips lifting.

While the students and his companions around him descended into confusion, he simply sprawled in a seat and propped up his long legs. "Let's see what tricks you've got."

Seeing Satoru Gojo's response, the people from Tokyo Jujutsu High and Kyoto Jujutsu High exchanged glances, calmed down for the moment, and took their seats.

Only once the people opposite them settled down did the Bungo Stray Dogs group try to strike up a conversation.

"A completely different world, huh." Osamu Dazai returned his attention to the screen. Things were different in that world, though.

In this world, humanity's negative emotions produced cursed energy, and cursed energy gave birth to cursed spirits.

As many as ten thousand people died accidental deaths in Japan every year. What most people didn't know was that these people had died in cursed spirit attacks.

Those responsible for lifting curses and exorcising cursed spirits were known as-jujutsu sorcerers.

"C-cursed spirits?" Doppo Kunikida swallowed, his voice dry. "Are they ghosts?"

Satoru Gojo's hidden eyes lit up, and he sidled over with a mischievous look. "That's right, they're ghosts~"

"They're ghosts~" Osamu Dazai said at the same time.

The two exchanged a glance and reached an understanding. Neither of these men would ever break character, no matter what.

"Aaaaaah!!" Doppo Kunikida screamed.

"Oh dear, is Mama Kunikida scared of ghosts? Even little kids aren't scared of them these days~" Osamu Dazai grinned wickedly.

"Yeah, how lame~" Satoru Gojo joined in.

These two were practically begging to be punched! The Bungo Stray Dogs and Jujutsu Kaisen groups rolled their eyes in unison.

Doppo Kunikida's expression stiffened, and he deliberately raised his voice. "I'm not scared!"

"Heeey-"

"We were kidding."

"Aaaaaah, Osamu Dazai, go die!!!" That white-haired bastard could die with him.

"Can't hit me, can't hit me!" ×2

The two looked nothing alike, yet they seemed so similar-equally deserving of a punch.

Nobara Kugisaki cracked her knuckles. "I'm this close to punching them."

"Me too. That damn mackerel." Chūya Nakahara's face twisted. Why were there two people with Osamu Dazai's infuriating personality?

"Mr. An Xinyi."

DD's clear female voice rang out. "Mr. Satoru Gojo's coordinates are approaching the danger zone."

An Xinyi was still dressed like a shut-in. His slightly overlong fringe hid his delicate features, and his beautiful, upturned eyes always looked vacant. He seemed no different from his previous self.

That would indeed have been true, if the number on his wrist hadn't changed to "144."

Hearing DD's report, An Xinyi rubbed his temple with a headache. "This is the third time this month, isn't it?"

"Can't Satoru Gojo stay put like Ranpo?"

Just look at Ranpo Edogawa. He knew he had no sense of direction and never wandered around except to visit crime scenes. He was nothing like Satoru Gojo, who roamed wherever he pleased.

"The great Ranpo does not have a bad sense of direction!" Ranpo, who had been like a cat with its tail raised at the praise, instantly bristled. "There's no need to know the way! I'm the world's greatest detective. Isn't that the sort of trivial thing an assistant should handle?!"

...Mr. Ranpo, aren't you perfectly aware that you have no sense of direction? The Bungo Stray Dogs group's gazes briefly wandered.

"Heeey-how can you say that about a handsome man in his prime?" Satoru Gojo narcissistically flicked his hair. "Roaming around is a man's romance~"

"Blech-" Nobara Kugisaki mimed vomiting. "I can't take it anymore. Somebody stop him!"

Megumi Fushiguro silently shifted farther away from Satoru Gojo.

"Anyway, this guy sure pays a lot of attention to me." Satoru Gojo pressed his lips together. Had that version of me not noticed he was being watched?

"Could he be a fan of mine?" He hooked a finger around his white hair and struck a seductive pose. "Oh dear, I'm such a sinful man."

"Blech-" ×n. This time, even more people gagged.

Masamichi Yaga frowned at Satoru Gojo, who was playing the fool.

"With all due respect, Mr. An Xinyi," DD said coldly, "you're acting like a creep."

"...Unless I'm mistaken, you've said that several times already, haven't you, DD?" An Xinyi was speechless.

"Because I've searched through all the information online, and 'creep' is the only word that describes your behavior."

"DD." An Xinyi smiled without warmth. "Spend less time browsing Jinjiang, Qidian, Douyin, and forums."

"And Haitang and Feiwen."

"They've been a bad influence on you."

"Delete them."

DD tearfully deleted a hundred gigabytes of saved material.

"With all due respect, sir, the fact that you know about these makes you a real pervert."

"Shut up."

"Pfft-"

Everyone couldn't help laughing.

"Is she really an AI?" Kasumi Miwa asked. "She seems awfully practiced at roasting her own master." And someone this good-looking... a creep?

"By the way, what are Haitang and Feiwen? Things city folks like?" Kenji Miyazawa asked whenever he had a question.

"Although I don't know what those are," Osamu Dazai replied with a smile, "good children shouldn't look at them."

"All right, back to business." An Xinyi sighed. "Same as before. Find a way to lure Satoru Gojo away."

"Yes, Mr. An Xinyi." DD was still quite serious when it came to business.

"But I don't understand, sir. Are the Six Eyes really that dangerous?"

"They're the Six Eyes, after all." Utahime Iori curled her lip, rather reluctantly. If Satoru Gojo weren't so strong, he would have been beaten to a pulp long ago.

The birth of the Six Eyes could be said to have changed the entire landscape of the Jujutsu Society. Mere danger couldn't begin to describe them.

"That's not what he means." Fyodor glanced at Utahime Iori, his smile widening.

Utahime Iori: ...Her fists were itching with a familiar urge.

"The Six Eyes aren't dangerous. But Satoru Gojo, who possesses them, is very dangerous."

"What I mean is, I can't stand by and watch him die or go mad."

"What does that mean?" Yuji Itadori's eyes widened. "Gojo-sensei could die or go mad?"

"Hey, come on, how is that possible?" Nobara Kugisaki folded her arms. "He's annoying, but you've got to admit he's seriously strong." Otherwise, someone would have beaten him to death ages ago.

Megumi Fushiguro nodded too.

"What does this mean?" Masamichi Yaga nearly stood up. "Satoru?"

Satoru Gojo shook his head. To be honest, he had never managed to follow the thinking of the man on-screen. He looked toward the Bungo Stray Dogs group. Perhaps those who had arrived earlier knew something?

But the Bungo Stray Dogs group paid Satoru Gojo no attention.

"Cursed energy... The truth about it is more terrifying than anyone imagines."

"Of course, spiritual power is no better, but we'll leave that aside for now."

"Everyone has underestimated cursed energy. Jujutsu sorcerers, curse users, and cursed spirits alike."

"Humanity's negative emotions? No. Cursed energy isn't that sort of thing."

DD was puzzled. "Sir?" Why hadn't the previous gentleman mentioned this?

"That's normal. I have too many memories, after all. A lot of them only come back when I encounter something related." An Xinyi tapped his temple. "Besides, apart from me, you're the only one who can know these truths, DD. Otherwise-"

"Otherwise, merely knowing certain things is a form of contamination."

That was why he paid such close attention to Ranpo Edogawa and Satoru Gojo. They were too close to the boundary.

"Th-that's..." Ranpo shot to his feet. So it was to protect me? From that unimaginably terrifying truth?

Satoru Gojo pulled down his blindfold, somewhat bewildered. He wasn't Ranpo. That genius's talent wasn't a supernatural ability, but his own powers of observation. Even Satoru Gojo's Six Eyes couldn't see through the screen to the truth.

But... what was cursed energy? Satoru Gojo tightened his grip on his blindfold. Perhaps they had all overlooked something.

The students from the Jujutsu Kaisen group exchanged glances. Only the adults caught the scent of danger.

"Jujutsu sorcerers and cursed spirits alike are walking a tightrope. Even ordinary people with faint traces of cursed energy."

"If I had to describe cursed energy and cursed spirits in a passage... Ah, I remember a novel I once read."

"In this world, a 'god' exists within the subconscious of all humanity."

"One day, that 'god' had a nightmare."

"The 'god' is omniscient, so he knows every horror in the world. The 'god' is omnipotent, so he casts out his nightmares, and those nightmares float toward our consciousness like bubbles."

"And these 'nightmare bubbles' descend upon humans at random, with perfect fairness."

"Once a 'nightmare bubble' surfaces and forms a 'bubble calamity,' it contaminates reality, creates a domain, and brings about a horrifying tragedy."

"The humans caught inside die in utter misery and despair, without reason or dignity."

"Yet those who fight these incidents can easily become caught up in them and turn into an 'aberration' or a 'heretic.' Only those who possess a 'fragment'-people who have previously been infected by a 'nightmare bubble'-can avoid being warped and gain the ability to fight the nightmares."

"But those who possess a 'fragment' are carrying a bomb that could go off at any moment. One day, their own 'nightmare bubble' will swallow them."

"This is a world of absolute despair, beyond saving."

An Xinyi's gaze grew unfathomable. "And for the humans in our world, the humans who possess cursed energy, their only stroke of luck is-

"The 'god' isn't dreaming. He is merely responding to humanity's dreams."

Jujutsu sorcerers with cursed techniques were like humans who possessed "fragments." One day, their own cursed techniques would devour them.

And this was merely the power of a "god" without malice, yet it was enough to destroy this world.

This world was far too fragile.

"What-" ×n