"Yo."
In a world that felt like a resort hotel, Satoru Gojo jolted awake on a bench. Before he could even gather his thoughts, a figure all too familiar appeared before his eyes, greeting him with a laugh.
"No way. This is the worst."
Gojo slumped back into the chair, his face a mask of pure irritation.
"How rude, making that face the moment you see me."
Suguru Geto sat down beside Gojo, a slight smile on his face.
"I still have important things left to do, you know. There's Megumi, and Yuji, and Seele over there too."
Gojo's expression remained sour.
"So? How about that Ms. Herrscher of Sentience?"
Geto asked.
"She's ridiculously strong. And she wasn't even going all out."
Gojo let out a sigh, but, faced with his best friend's question, he answered with rare honesty. "I even think that if I fought her without any restrictions, she'd still win."
"I never thought I'd hear you say something like that."
Geto was genuinely surprised this time.
"Honestly, I feel a little sorry. I used to think I understood the loneliness of standing at the top better than anyone."
Gojo recalled the recent battle, looked down at his hand, then slowly clenched it into a fist.
"I used everything—the body I've trained all these years, the tactics I've learned, the fighting style I've honed. Sure, the location limited me, but it was the same for her."
"I enjoyed it. But I'm sorry to say she wasn't using her full power."
Geto didn't offer an immediate opinion, instead turning his gaze to the distance.
"What's up? Something more important than me?"
Gojo had been somewhat lost in the afterglow of the fight, but his Six Eyes picked up on Geto's shift in attention, sparking a flicker of discontent.
Hearing him revert to his old way of referring to himself, Geto suddenly laughed.
"Do you still have regrets?"
"To be honest, I've got a bunch. It's more like it's impossible not to have regrets."
Gojo spread his hands. "Wasn't it Yaga who always said? 'A jujutsu sorcerer never dies without regrets.' Well, the current me is just brimming with them."
"In other words, you're choosing the other side."
Geto pulled his gaze back from the distance and looked at Gojo again.
"Yeah, this great me can't just drop everything and come with you yet."
The sunglasses on Gojo's face slipped down slightly, revealing a pair of startlingly blue eyes. "Let's save the catching up for next time. Whether it's for those adorable students of mine, or for my own ideals, it can't end this easily."
A white light began to permeate the space. Both men stood up simultaneously. Geto walked straight ahead, while Gojo turned his back and walked the opposite way.
"Next time, I won't wait for you."
Geto said.
"Wanting a touchy-feely goodbye like that, are you a grade-schooler saying bye to daddy?"
Gojo's footsteps didn't hesitate for a second as he walked out of that world.
--+--
Back in 'reality'...
Shocked by the Herrscher of Sentience's power, Kenjaku was already somewhat panicked.
He couldn't just let any curse user more powerful and cunning than Ryomen Sukuna run rampant in the world he'd painstakingly created.
Although the Herrscher's mocking laughter echoed in his ears, he had already begun to consider using the Prison Realm.
But she had already figured out the Prison Realm's mechanism... so what should he do...?
Just then, Gojo Satoru—his lower half standing in place, his upper half collapsed on the ground, rapidly losing vitality—suddenly had a light flare within his Six Eyes, which had been growing increasingly dim.
With a violent slam of his arms against the ground and the pulling force of Blue, his severed upper and lower body were instantly rejoined by his Reverse Cursed Technique.
"You can still stand up, huh?"
The Herrscher of Sentience's expression showed a flicker of surprise.
She truly hadn't expected this. Although this was a script she had written for everyone, it was also real.
In other words, if she didn't lift her authority and personally awaken the consciousness that believed itself dead, that consciousness would truly remain in a vegetative state.
"After all, I still have things to do."
Gojo touched his formerly severed waist. The experience of dying and returning to life caused his cursed energy to spike once more.
"It seems we've both reached our limits. The final round."
The scene before them was already becoming difficult for Kenjaku to follow.
Unconsciously, the two combatants had focused all their attention and nervous energy on each other due to the intense battle, leaving no capacity to pay attention to anything else.
Now's the time.
The box in her hand was flung violently between the two. The sudden intrusion of a third object made both of them pause for a moment.
The Herrscher of Sentience reacted, her face clouding with displeasure. "Hey, don't ruin the fun!"
Hearing this, Gojo knew this unknown object was clearly aimed at him and immediately prepared to use Blue to put distance between himself and it.
But then, a familiar voice sounded behind him, halting his steps.
"Satoru."
Suguru Geto's voice made Gojo freeze in place.
What was going on? Geto should be dead. Was that place, like the afterlife, just my imagination? It's possible, but...
Images flashed through Gojo's mind. A few seconds later, at a specific moment, the Prison Realm's gates swung open, enveloping both Gojo and the Herrscher of Sentience standing before him.
"What is the meaning of this?"
The Herrscher's look of regret suddenly twisted into shock and fury. "You're tricking me too? I thought this thing could only seal one person!"
"The Prison Realm's principle dictates it can only seal one person. As long as the person inside doesn't commit suicide, those outside cannot use the Prison Realm to seal another."
Kenjaku's tone was unhurried. "This is because the Prison Realm's settings involve a barrier technique that restricts cursed energy usage and is unbreakable from the inside. Once someone is inside, the Prison Realm cannot be activated again from the outside."
"In other words, if it only opens once, sealing two people is just barely possible. It just can't open again while someone is already inside."
Mahito walked out from the crowd with the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, a cunning and sinister smile on his face. "Though it's a bit beyond the plan, that was a good move, 'Suguru'."
Even as he said this, the look he shot Kenjaku was filled with barely concealed murderous intent.
While he disliked the Herrscher of Sentience and believed their paths diverged, that didn't mean he wished to see her calculated against by a human like this.
"As long as the result is good, right? This way we've solved both our obstacles at once."
Kenjaku also knew that in the eyes of the cursed spirits, he was now close to being an enemy, and he could only try to smooth things over.
"Don't worry, I just want to complete our plan more smoothly. The Prison Realm isn't impossible to open. Once the plan is complete, we'll let them out."
Having said that, he looked at Gojo. "It's a pity. You are, after all, an obstacle to the new era. There is no place for you in the new era."
Gojo's face was incredibly dark. His Six Eyes could detect no flaw in the person before him. His senses screamed that this was indeed Suguru Geto.
But having just seen his best friend, how could he possibly misidentify him now?
"And does it have a place for you?"
Just as he was thinking of how to break this situation, a familiar, mocking voice came from above. The voice was... the Herrscher of Sentience's?
No one could comprehend what was happening.
They instinctively looked at the Herrscher of Sentience, bound by the Prison Realm, only to find that her previously shocked and angry expression had completely changed.
It was now filled with scorn as she transformed into a black-and-red feather floating in mid-air.
What's going on!?
"Try looking up?"
The voice came again. Everyone followed the sound and looked up at the ceiling—or rather, where the ceiling should have been.
The ceiling had vanished without anyone noticing.
The Herrscher of Sentience, who should have been bound on the ground, was now impossibly massive.
By visual estimation, everyone present combined wasn't even as large as one of her eyes. The girl's face held a look of amusement, watching the crowd with keen interest, as if enjoying a fascinating performance.
Just as the perspective suggested, everyone was in the palm of her hand.
Kenjaku stared disbelievingly at the scene before him. "How... how is this possible? What is your technique?!"
"Ahahahaha!"
Finally laughing at the terror on the face of this one who thought she controlled everything, the Herrscher of Sentience slowly closed her hand, savoring the panic and tension revealed by Kenjaku's trapped figure, then suddenly clenched her five fingers tight. "[Taixu Grasp]."
Darkness descended with the closing of her fist. When their vision returned, everything had changed.
The smell of blood, the bloodstains littering the ground—all had vanished upon reopening their eyes.
The number of residents in the subway station had also visibly increased by more than half. And Kenjaku was now deep within the Prison Realm's sealing range, his body not entirely whole.
"!?"
Realizing his condition, Kenjaku's eyes widened in shock.
Gojo looked down at himself. He wasn't entirely clear on the situation either. His cursed energy hadn't diminished in the slightest, as if that great battle had been fake... No, it was fake, of course.
Thinking this, he looked at the Herrscher of Sentience, who looked perfectly at ease and had appeared among the crowd at some point.
"Was all this part of your plan?"
He asked curiously.
"Not really. Half of it was improvisation."
The Herrscher of Sentience spread her hands. "I didn't originally plan to kill you. Even if I did, I'd bring you back. But you have some talent, actually managing to save yourself."
"You've been toying with me all along!? Herrscher of Sentience!"
For the first time, a look of rage appeared on Kenjaku's face.
To think that he, who considered himself the manipulator, had been played for a fool to such an extent!
This unprecedented, absurd powerlessness made it impossible for him to maintain his composure.
"Since you treat others like fools, don't blame me for playing along."
The Herrscher's smile was bright, her tone infuriatingly smug, making Kenjaku desperately want to hit her but unable to act due to the Prison Realm's seal.
Mahito already didn't dare to speak, trying to minimize his presence as much as possible. The Death Paintings were the same; Choso was already thinking about how to escape.
"You bastard!!"
Kenjaku had never imagined he would experience such a helpless and humiliating situation. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown, wishing he could use any means to tear this annoying girl in front of him to shreds, but could only stare furiously.
"Alright, the loser shouldn't talk so much."
Having vented her anger, the Herrscher of Sentience couldn't be bothered to listen to the loser's foul ranting. "Prison Realm, close."
"You...!"
Kenjaku wanted to say more, but was already sealed within the small Prison Realm.
Gojo's mind was sharp. All the signs indicated that there had never been any world of the dead.
From the moment he entered the second barrier, he had already stepped into an illusion entirely orchestrated by the Herrscher of Sentience before him.
"Truly terrifying."
Gojo remarked with feeling.
"Of course. Our levels are completely different."
The Herrscher of Sentience laughed. "If you're a pebble, then I'm the sun."
Gojo didn't deny it, instead posing a question. "In any case, you're on our side, right?"
"Don't misunderstand. I'm not on any 'side.' But the girl I care about is on your side, so the great Ms. Herrscher of Sentience doesn't mind leaning your way a little."
The Herrscher of Sentience straightened up, clasped her hands behind her back, and lifted her chin slightly, adopting the demeanor of a master.
Our side. Girl.
When it came to females in the jujutsu world, they weren't exactly rare. But if you limited it to Jujutsu High, the scope narrowed instantly.
But considering the other party was a curse... even without limiting it to Jujutsu High, there was really only one person in the jujutsu world who fit the bill.
So, this curse spirit is acquainted with that other Seele, huh.
Gojo almost laughed out loud. He hadn't expected a 'buy one, get one free' deal. But since he couldn't yet discern the Herrscher of Sentience's true nature and personality, he didn't extend an invitation to Jujutsu High.
Otherwise, even if she was a curse spirit, she could still come to Jujutsu High as a student.
Wait, maybe she'd be better as a teacher.
As they spoke, Gojo could feel the sticky, oppressive sensation around him disappearing.
"It seems the barrier outside has been broken by Seele-chan too."
He smiled, looking at Mahito and the others, who were sweating bullets. "Now then, how should I deal with you all?"
--+--
On the surface.
After finding and destroying all the cursed tools maintaining the curtain, Amber intended to check on Gojo's situation, but the scene outside after the curtain's dissolution caught her attention.
Why are there so many cursed spirits? Did I time skip without knowing? Is it the Culling Game already?
Amber was bewildered. But the plot was never something to rely on completely—the appearance of Jogo at Jujutsu High was a clear example.
Just as she was thinking this, flames surged out from not far away, shining as brightly as a flare in the night sky.
Jogo again? Is he fighting everyone from Jujutsu High? Or other jujutsu sorcerers?
Thinking this, Amber grew anxious and wanted to go help, but she saw the raging flames instantly sliced into countless embers, the attack continuing onward to shatter a building into dust.
Sukuna's out too?
Amber wasn't sure whether to help Gojo first or go after Sukuna. But remembering that Gojo's situation was just a seal that could be broken anytime, while Sukuna could cause mass slaughter at any moment, she hurried off towards Sukuna's location.
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.