Chapter 156 - Some People Really Shouldn't Be at the Table
Ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers and Auxiliary Managers, having grown up hearing legends that Tengen-sama has lived for a thousand years and supports the entire barrier system by itself, subconsciously deify that figure in their hearts.
This is natural. No one wouldn't feel respect for a legendary figure, especially when that entity is still alive today and benefits everyone.
Auxiliary Managers use its power every time they use a Barrier Technique, and every base of the school and every sorcerer's stronghold is covered by its barrier; you can see it just by looking up.
From ancient times to the present, this entity has likely always been the one revered, so it never learned how to respect others, nor did it ever do so.
But it doesn't matter; Emiya, coming from another world, won't tolerate this entity. He merely treats the entity as a life form standing on equal footing with himself.
Respect is often mutual.
When you show the other party enough respect, but find they have no intention of returning it, you can completely stop giving them face.
Other people might not question Tengen-sama, whom they revere as a deity, but this doesn't prevent Emiya from immediately thinking of this possibility and asking about it.
"...."
"Afraid?
The past me might have harbored similar anxieties, but now, there are none anymore."
Tengen finally revealed a bit of information under Emiya's pressure, although this information might not be very pleasant.
"Loss of emotion? You don't look powerful enough to disregard that kind of threat. Do you have some other reliance?
Wait, loss of emotion? Could it be that..."
One perspective is that emotions are what hold back human development.
Because emotions exist, humanity as a whole can never truly unite. Internal rifts and mutual antagonism are bound to occur, which cannot be completely eliminated even under immense external pressure.
And if these negative emotions could be entirely eliminated, and humans no longer had that selfish self-interest, their complete unification could unleash infinite power, thus constantly 'evolving' towards a higher state.
But according to the information Emiya knows, Tengen should have always remained in human form. Why is there talk of losing emotions?
"Evolution... Didn't Gojo-sensei say that a new Star Plasma Vessel was found later on?"
Gojo Satoru shouldn't have any reason to deceive him on a matter like this, right?
Although Emiya absolutely dislikes the practice of using living humans as sacrifices, the current issue is clearly not this, nor is it about one person having escaped this fate.
Emiya just wants to know where the problems and consequences are.
"Of course, that's what had to be said; otherwise, how could the stability of the Jujutsu world have lasted until now?
In fact, the Six Eyes and the Star Plasma Vessel—only one of each will appear in the same era. This is an unbreakable Karma.
The Star Plasma Vessel represents an absolutely innocent human girl. Five hundred years ago, they were called Shrine Maidens, but the name was changed in the modern era.
Originally, even if the Six Eyes and the Star Plasma Vessel were killed prematurely, new ones would inevitably appear at every critical five-hundred-year juncture under the cycle of karma. However, an accident occurred this time.
That man burdened with a Heavenly Restriction, because there was no Cursed Energy within his body, managed to escape the concept of karma through the power of his Restriction, thus creating a vacancy in the position of the Star Plasma Vessel.
Even if a new Star Plasma Vessel were to appear later, it would be too late."
Some people just shouldn't be at the table. Now sitting on the floor, Tengen has finally learned to speak properly, but the information revealed is far from friendly.
Emiya can tentatively guess who the man the entity is referring to is: Fushiguro Toji, the Sorcerer Killer with the Heavenly Restriction who nearly killed Gojo Satoru.
That person indeed not only put Gojo Satoru in that state but also killed the original Star Plasma Vessel.
It is said that he used a very modern method, which caused Suguru Geto, who was guarding the Star Plasma Vessel at the time, to be completely unable to react.
But why, according to Tengen's account, is all this negated by vague 'karma'?
"No, if the so-called cycle of karma you speak of truly exists, how can you be sure that what happened at the time was not part of the logic of karma? This, in itself, is a pure false proposition.
Speaking of change, I absolutely refuse to believe that you, at that time, couldn't have made a more complete arrangement, even if you couldn't act independently because you were entering the assimilation phase.
Did you think that because you relied on your self-perceived Karma, you didn't need to pay attention to this matter at all?"
Before focusing on the consequences, even Emiya, the good-natured person he is, couldn't help but angrily rebuke this 'advantage is on my side' behavior.
Failure of an important action because they didn't anticipate the existence of Fushiguro Toji?
What a joke! Even when pitted against Gojo Satoru, Fushiguro Toji 's reputation wasn't small at all. The title of Sorcerer Killer was earned by assassinating Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Would Tengen, who claims to be 'omniscient,' not know about this?
Why then would a crucial matter go awry? Could it be that this entity is as rigid as the normal clan sorcerers, believing that Fushiguro Toji, who has no Cursed Energy, is merely a pure, jumping monkey?
No, judging from its performance just now, this entity might be even more conservative than those old figures, simply because it's ten times older.
"....Perhaps you are right."
After hearing Emiya's words, Tengen not only showed no self-reflection but nodded in remarkable agreement.
Has it truly lost its emotions, or has it just become stupid?
"...So, why are you suddenly starting to reveal such information to me now, when you were completely unwilling to communicate normally just a moment ago?"
Emiya made an effort to calm his surging emotions and chose to ask this question first.
"Because when I saw that ability of yours, I realized that that fellow cannot form an alliance with you. As an outsider, you are a completely unstable factor in his cognition, and he will find every means to kill you."
Emiya: "...."
"So, who exactly is 'that fellow'?"
"His original name is Kenjaku."
"Kenjaku...? As in, the Buddhist fighting implement where the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara uses the compassionate lasso (Kenjaku) to save and guide all living beings?"
Neither of the 'Emiya Shirous' seems to have had any connection with Zen Buddhism, but this doesn't prevent Emiya from retrieving useful information from memory.
In a more fantastical mythological world, he might even suspect that this thing is a magical implement that came to life.
"No, that's just a name that evolved later. So, even if I tell you his true name, you won't know which individual it is from where. The modern Jujutsu world has no record of him.
If there's a closer alias he had... are you familiar with the name Kamo Noritoshi, the most evil Curse User from 150 years ago?"
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