Elsewhere, Nobara Kugisaki and Maki Zen'in charged into a large shopping mall shrouded in a dark aura.
The scene inside the mall was far more terrifying than the outside.
The pungent stench of blood mixed with the sour reek of rotting food, forming a nauseating, viscous atmosphere that filled every corner.
Under the bright lights, the mall—which should have been a place for leisurely shopping—had now been reduced to a gladiatorial arena of human depravity.
"Go to hell! You bitch, always stealing my clients!"
A female office worker in a professional suit frantically smashed a broken shelf leg into her former colleague.
"Why did you get promoted?! Why?! Just because of that face of yours?!"
Former friends were now grappling with each other, cursing one another with the most vicious language and tearing at each other's flesh with their nails.
Every single person's face bore a sickly flush. Their movements were frantic, having completely lost their minds.
This was the Inner Demon's cursed technique.
Its cursed energy would silently detonate the deepest jealousy and hatred hidden within human hearts.
Maki Zen'in tightened her grip on her Special Grade Cursed Tool, her brows furrowed.
Her formidable physical body could easily crush every enemy here, but the people before her were all ordinary civilians. She felt at a loss for how to intervene.
Nobara Kugisaki, however, merely scoffed.
She slowly raised her head. Six Eyes, activate.
The entire internal structure of the mall, the flow trajectories of cursed energy, and even the Inner Demon's cursed energy dispersed in the air—nothing could hide from her gaze.
In an instant, she located the true source hidden amidst the chaotic crowd.
But she did not choose to attack directly.
Nobara Kugisaki drew a gleaming iron nail and a small straw doll from the tool pouch at her waist.
She slowly infused them with cursed energy.
"[Straw Doll Technique: Resonance]."
Her target was not the Inner Demon's main body.
Rather, it was its invisible cursed energy permeating the air throughout the mall.
"Wake up!"
Accompanied by a crisp shout, the hammer in her hand struck the iron nail with pinpoint precision.
Thrum—
An invisible force of resonance violently expanded outward with her at the epicenter.
The hostages, whose minds had been clouded by jealousy and hatred, jolted violently.
The madness and flush in their eyes rapidly receded like the ebbing tide, replaced by bewilderment and fear.
"What... what was I just doing?"
Wails and cries rose one after another, replacing the previous curses and roars.
The chaos seemed to have been quelled.
Suddenly, the crisp sound of clapping drifted down leisurely from the mall's second floor.
A man in a suit and gold-rimmed glasses leaned against the railing. Wearing a playful smile, he looked down at Nobara Kugisaki with great interest.
"What incredible eyes."
His voice was gentle, yet it carried an icy chill that seemed to see through everything.
The next second, the Inner Demon vanished from his spot.
Nobara reacted instantly. The two of them continuously darted between the shelves, their clashes triggering a series of explosions.
Blinding flashes of light and deafening roars turned the entire mall upside down.
Their cursed technique precision and reaction speeds were practically on par. For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.
Just as Nobara Kugisaki was completely dragged into the dogfight, a black afterimage suddenly dashed out.
Like a phantom, Maki Zen'in silently appeared behind the Inner Demon.
The Special Grade Cursed Tool in her hand whipped up a vicious gale that tore through the air, smashing ruthlessly toward the Inner Demon's head!
The Inner Demon sensed the fatal attack.
But he couldn't dodge.
It was too fast!
To his horror, he realized that his body couldn't keep up with her speed at all!
In that moment of crisis, the Inner Demon's body split into a massive swarm of sub-bodies that scattered in all directions, barely evading the certain-kill strike.
The surviving sub-bodies reassembled, and the Inner Demon reappeared, though the smile on his face had completely vanished.
He finally realized that every single one of these "new generation" Jujutsu sorcerers was a monster.
...
Meanwhile, in the center of Shibuya.
Satoru Gojo had already arrived.
All the Special Grade Cursed Spirits and ancient curse users tasked with intercepting him had been effortlessly exorcised.
Finally, he reached the core area of the [Curtain].
He saw "Suguru Geto," bearing a hideous line of stitches across his forehead, standing amidst countless terrified civilians.
Kenjaku watched the white-haired man slowly approach, a twisted, everything-is-going-according-to-plan smile forming on his face.
"It's been a while, Satoru."
The classic line played out once again.
Satoru Gojo looked at that familiar yet foreign face, his eyes devoid of the slightest ripple of emotion.
He merely picked his ear with a hint of impatience.
"Stop acting."
"I'm in a hurry."
The moment his words fell, his ultimate physical body, fused with three types of Heavenly Restriction, erupted with unparalleled power.
He didn't even use his cursed technique.
Through pure physical strength alone, his speed broke the sound barrier, instantly appearing right in front of Kenjaku.
A straight punch containing terrifying power blasted toward Kenjaku's face.
Kenjaku had anticipated this.
In the less than 0.2-second wind-up before Satoru Gojo moved, he raised the ominous cube in his hand high and, using every ounce of his cursed energy, roared.
"Gate Open!"
The [Prison Realm] instantly expanded!
That absolute power, capable of devouring space and sealing all things, crashed down upon Satoru Gojo, who was mere inches away!
The next step was to stall him!
However, the terrifying sealing power was forcefully deflected the moment it was about to touch Satoru Gojo!
Ian had appeared beside Satoru Gojo at some unknown point.
He looked at the bizarre cube floating in midair, a somewhat intrigued expression on his face.
Ignoring Kenjaku's gaze, he snatched the [Prison Realm] right out of the air.
"This sealing box is quite unique. Nice craftsmanship."
As if examining a novelty toy, Ian casually tossed the Special Grade Cursed Object up and down in his hand.
Then, he casually tossed the [Prison Realm] into the Transmutation Tablet beside him.
A flash of light flickered and faded.
The next second, Ian redeemed a massive pile of identical [Prison Realms] from the Transmutation Tablet.
Like handing out candy, he casually distributed these Special Grade Cursed Objects—items that would drive the entire Jujutsu society mad—to the people around him.
"Here, take one. There's enough for everyone."
Ian then handed one to Kenjaku as well. "This one's yours. Giving it back."
Satoru Gojo subconsciously accepted one. It felt cold to the touch and heavy in his hand.
He stared blankly at the cursed object in his hand, at a loss for words for a moment.
Kenjaku stared at the incredibly surreal scene unfolding before him.
The thousand-year-old brain completely short-circuited.
The plan... failed?
"No... it's not over yet!"
After the extreme shock, Kenjaku's face broke into a smile a hundred times more deranged than before.
He let out an inhuman roar.
"Satoru Gojo! I admit you are strong!"
"But you cannot stop the torrent of the new era!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, his body directly dissipated.