Tokyo Time, November 15th.
Hokkaido, Sapporo.
Outside the window, sunlight spilled over clean streets where cars flowed like rivers and pedestrians strolled leisurely. The TV murmured cheerful entertainment news and idol chatter — a picture of peace and prosperity.
The Culling Game? Barriers? Smoke and blood rising over Tokyo?
It all felt like something happening on another planet.
But inside Taisai Tensei's scenic apartment, the air was heavy.
Kitagawa sat curled on the sofa, hugging her white cat doll. Her small face was scrunched with worry, and the bright, carefree music from the TV only deepened her unease.
"Ten-kun" Her voice came muffled. "Is it… really okay outside? That day in Osaka…"
"It's fine."
Tensei leaned beside her, tone flat but steady. "The battlefield's sealed outside Hokkaido. There are enough 'heroes' dealing with it. Besides—this incident mainly targets them."
She understood. At least, logically. But the memory of that day — the black smoke rising over Osaka, the faint echoes of explosions and screams — still pierced her heart. She knew Tensei was strong. Strong enough to tear open space like paper. But she also knew the Culling Game was cruel — a blood-soaked labyrinth of death he himself had described in passing.
Her heart was torn between instinct and fear.
Part of her wanted him to go help, to save the suffering people inside. The other part trembled at the thought he might never come back.
That contradiction hollowed her out.
No matter what he did — taking her to fine restaurants, late-night drives under city lights, even intimate distractions — the shadow never left her eyes.
A week passed. The little sun of his world refused to shine.
Tensei, the self-proclaimed lazy fish who wanted nothing more than to float through life, felt his peace slipping away. If he didn't act, her sorrow would swallow both of them.
He sighed softly, then reached out to ruffle her golden hair.
"Don't worry anymore," he said, his voice carrying a touch of helpless affection. "I'll go to Tokyo and take a look."
Kitagawa's head snapped up, eyes wide and shimmering — but that glimmer of hope quickly drowned in fear. "Really? But… it's dangerous inside…"
"Just taking a look," he assured her, lips curling into a lazy, confident grin. "Relax. Anyone who can hurt me probably hasn't been born yet. Wait for me here."
Before she could say another word, he raised his right hand. Yamato flashed into existence.
He drew the blade with a whispering hum and sliced through the air.
Sizzle—!
A rift of crackling blue arcs split the living room, revealing a distorted view of chaos and ruins beyond. Tensei stood, one hand in his pocket, and stepped through without looking back.
The rift sealed shut.
Only Kitagawa's stunned expression remained, framed by the TV's cheerful song — a hollow echo of peace.
>
Tensei had only intended to pretend — to take a stroll around Tokyo, calm her nerves, and return. A little show of reassurance.
But the moment he stepped into the rift, his body moved on its own. It flew straight toward his old home in Suginami Ward. The house he'd lived in after arriving in this world — his quiet anchor to the life he once remembered.
And when he arrived, everything inside him froze.
The place was gone.
Reduced to rubble. Broken bricks and splintered tiles littered the ground. A sharp stench of smoke and char hung in the air.
For a moment, he just stood there. Then, his breathing quickened.
"Calm down," he muttered. "Calm down, calm down my ass!"
He clenched his jaw. "That bastard Kenjaku!"
He'd warned him before — don't provoke me. Don't get me involved. And now his home was ashes.
A cold fire ignited behind his eyes.
"…Since that's the case—" His voice dropped, thick with wrath."This lazy fish is flipping the board then."
He drew Yamato, each word cutting like a blade: "You're proud of your Culling Game, huh? Fine. Watch me dismantle it piece by piece."
The air twisted — and he vanished.
>
Tombs of the Star.
Kenjaku clasped his hands, forming a reverse mudra, lips curling in dark delight.
"Domain Expansion—Womb Profusion!"
Boom!
A grotesque black pillar like tree erupted from the ground, its trunk embedded with warped infant faces, its branches shaped like the swollen bellies of pregnant women. Three stone statues propped it up like twisted offerings.
Gravity shifted. The air thickened, choking.
"Now then," Kenjaku smiled. "Let's have some fun."
Rumble—!
Gravity and Cursed Spirit manipulation burst forth together. The ground split. Countless Cursed Spirits swarmed upward like a black tide.
Yuki Tsukumo crossed her arms, blocking the surge — but the impact sent her crashing through a stone pillar. Blood trickled from her lips, but her grin was fierce.
"Star Rage: Garuda!"
She slammed her hand to the ground. A massive flaming wheel erupted behind her, wings of energy flaring — its mass multiplied a thousandfold. It roared toward Kenjaku like a meteor!
He smirked. "Still moving?"
A flick of his hand — gravity twisted. The Garuda's trajectory veered, exploding harmlessly against the edge of the domain.
Yuki charged through the dust, her fist wrapped in collapsing mass.
"Die!"
Her strike blurred toward his face—
Crack!
Kenjaku sidestepped easily, smiling coldly. "In my domain," he said, "cursed technique output doubles."
Invisible gravity slammed Yuki into the floor with bone-shattering force. "Cough—!" She spat blood, but her eyes were locked behind him—
Crack.
A hairline fracture split open across the ceiling of the domain. The sound was like thunder.
Kenjaku froze. Yuki's face twisted into a bloodied grin. Tengen's calm mask flickered; Choso tensed, instinct screaming danger.
Buzz—!
A lattice of blinding blue-white light tore through the dome— A thousand razor-thin lines slicing space itself!
Rumble!!!
The colossal stone ceiling disintegrated into powder. Dust surged upward, only to be swept aside by an invisible force. And from the heart of that maelstrom, a lone figure hovered.
White hair whipping in the wind. Black coat fluttering. One hand in his pocket, the other holding Yamato loosely at his side.
Taisai Tensei.
He looked down upon Kenjaku — eyes half-lidded, expression colder than death.
"Kenjaku," he said quietly, voice cutting through the roaring wind. "Did I not tell you—"
He stepped forward midair, each syllable dropping like a hammer.
"—not to provoke me?"
Kenjaku's heart froze. Cold sweat traced down his temple. Impossible!
That monster was supposed to be hiding in Hokkaido! Who would dare provoke him?!
"I—it wasn't me…" Kenjaku stammered, voice trembling.
Tensei's lips curved — not in amusement, but in mockery.
"My house," he said softly, the air turning glacial, "turned into ruins."
Kenjaku's mind went blank. House?! The one in Suginami?! Who did that?! It wasn't me!
He wanted to shout his innocence — but the only sound that followed was Buzz.
A single blue-white arc flashed. No movement. No warning. No visible draw.
The black tree at the heart of Womb Profusion froze. Every grotesque face on its trunk stiffened, and a single glowing line appeared from its crown to its roots.
Then—
BOOM!!!
The entire tree split in half, collapsing in a storm of dust and infant screams.
The domain shattered.
Kenjaku staggered, blood surging in his throat. Not from damage — from fear.
He hadn't even seen the sword move. That slash had destroyed not only the domain, but everything he believed possible.
"You…"
Tensei's voice slid behind him like a shadow.
"What are you looking at?"
Rip!
Kenjaku tried to react—too late. He looked down. His body still floated backward, but his limbs— his arms, his legs—remained nailed midair, sliced off cleanly, smooth as mirrors.
Half a heartbeat later—
Pfffsshh!!
Blood exploded outward, painting the rubble red. Kenjaku crashed to the ground, vision darkening, yet clinging to life through sheer instinct.
Reverse Cursed Technique!
Flesh writhed, new limbs sprouting from the stumps— Until—
Crack!
A boot crushed his face into the dirt. The pressure nearly shattered his skull.
"Urrgh—!" His muffled groan twisted into a gurgle.
Desperation flared. Gravity Manipulation: Max Limit! (Actually here was "Thousand Jun" 1 jun equal to 15 kilos or 33 lbs, but I changed it to Max Limit based on Kenjaku Cursed Energy)
An invisible force field enveloped Tensei—
And nothing happened.
Tensei didn't even flinch. His coat didn't ripple. Then the boot pressed harder. The stone beneath Kenjaku's cheek caved in.
"Push harder," Tensei said flatly. "Let's see how much gravity it takes to crush your own head."
Kenjaku froze. Wait…! He realized the horror too late—his own technique was crushing himself.
He cut the output instantly, gasping, body trembling. The pressure eased slightly, but the foot didn't lift.
"Nero! Listen!" Kenjaku rasped, blood bubbling in his mouth. "It wasn't me! I didn't destroy your house!"
"I know," Tensei said evenly. "It was collateral damage from your little Culling Game, right? I know all about it."
Kenjaku's eyes went wide. You… you know?!
Then why?! Why did you still—
Before he could finish that thought, Tensei's calm voice sealed his fate.
"But as the organizer, you never added a rule about leaving me out of it." He lifted his foot slightly.
Kenjaku gasped in relief—thought to escape.
Then the boot slammed down.
Boom!!!
Stone, dust, and blood exploded outward. And Kenjaku's scream was swallowed by silence.