Chapter 156: The Higher-Ups' Fury and the Gojo Family's Protection
Bang!
A deafening crash erupted inside the core conference room of the Jujutsu higher-ups.
An expensive solid wood conference table shattered beneath the hand of a furious white-haired elder. Splinters scattered across the floor, and the teacups placed on the table overturned one after another.
"Absurd! Absolutely absurd!"
The elder's gray beard trembled violently. His cloudy eyes were filled with anger that could no longer be hidden.
"Master Tengen's assimilation failed?"
His voice grew sharper.
"The Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai, was killed in the deepest part of the Tomb of the Star Corridor while under the protection of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto, all because of one assassin with no Cursed Energy?"
He slammed his cane against the floor.
"Useless! All of you are useless! What exactly are you good for?"
The conference room was filled with the core authorities of the Jujutsu World.
Some sat behind folding screens.
Some had their eyes covered with cloth.
Some remained hidden in shadow.
But the oppressive anger and Cursed Energy leaking from each of them made the air in the room heavy enough to choke on.
"Grand Elder, please calm yourself."
A cold voice came from behind one of the screens.
"The most pressing issue right now is not blame. It is Master Tengen's condition."
The voice paused.
"The assimilation failed. Master Tengen is now evolving in an unknown direction. For the moment, it appears that Master Tengen is still maintaining the barrier and has not lost reason completely."
"But this is no different from an unstable bomb buried beneath the entire Jujutsu World. No one knows when it might explode."
"Exactly," another higher-up said anxiously. "And how did Toji Fushiguro sneak into the Tomb of the Star Corridor in the first place? Is Jujutsu High's barrier made of paper?"
"What infuriates me the most is that man named Yami."
A conservative elder struck the ground with his cane.
"Doesn't he call himself an external instructor? Doesn't he claim to be capable of cutting down a Special Grade with one slash? Then why, at the most critical moment, did he fail to protect the Star Plasma Vessel?"
"In my opinion, this is a malicious conspiracy."
Another voice joined in at once.
"That anomaly has no Cursed Energy and cannot be controlled by us. Who can guarantee he was not secretly colluding with the Star Religious Group or that assassin?"
"I propose we immediately strip Yami of his position as external instructor."
The elder's voice grew colder.
"Then place him on trial for failure to protect the Star Plasma Vessel and suspicion of treason."
"Seconded."
"Seconded."
"Agreed."
For a time, the conference room filled with furious voices.
These rotten old men were best at one thing.
When faced with fear they could not understand, they found a scapegoat as quickly as possible.
And Yami, an uncontrollable anomaly with no Cursed Energy and overwhelming martial strength, was the perfect target.
"Strip his position? Put him on trial?"
Just as the higher-ups were preparing to issue an order, a lazy, arrogant voice drifted in from outside the closed conference room doors.
"You decrepit rotten oranges really have been hiding underground for too long. Did your brains rot along with the floorboards?"
Boom!
A terrifying burst of Cursed Energy exploded.
The conference room doors, reinforced with special cursed tool materials, were blown apart by an overwhelming repulsive force.
A violent gust swept through the room, scattering documents and smashing teacups.
Several old elders were even knocked directly out of their seats, falling to the floor in miserable disarray.
As dust and splinters settled, a tall white-haired youth in a torn Jujutsu High uniform stepped over the ruins of the doorway and walked into the room representing the highest authority of the Jujutsu World.
Satoru Gojo.
He was not wearing sunglasses.
His Six Eyes, brilliant as a field of stars, swept across every higher-up present with open indifference.
"Gojo!"
The Grand Elder pointed at him, his finger trembling violently.
"You dare behave so arrogantly here? This is the headquarters of the higher-ups, not the Gojo Family estate! You are openly provoking the entire Jujutsu World!"
"Provoking?"
Gojo chuckled.
He casually pulled over a chair that had survived the blast and sat down with blatant arrogance.
"Yeah. I'm provoking you."
He crossed his legs and leaned back.
"What are you going to do about it?"
The room fell silent.
The higher-ups were furious, but they were not stupid.
The Cursed Energy fluctuations radiating from Satoru Gojo were far stronger than before the Star Plasma Vessel mission.
No.
Stronger was too mild a word.
The pressure coming from him now carried an absolute quality that made resistance feel meaningless.
Gojo glanced at the Grand Elder.
"You said you wanted to put Yami on trial?"
His voice turned cold.
"Let me give you some advice. Be smart."
The Grand Elder's expression darkened.
"The Star Plasma Vessel's death was caused by the assassin Toji Fushiguro," Gojo said. "That monster nearly killed even me."
The room stirred.
Gojo's expression did not change.
"And that same assassin was beaten into retreat by Yami."
His gaze swept across the room.
"If it weren't for him, you wouldn't be sitting here looking at a living Suguru and me. You'd be collecting three corpses."
The conference room grew quieter.
Gojo smiled mockingly.
"And one more thing."
His voice became even more contemptuous.
"Do you really think the little authority you hold is enough to judge a monster who pinned the Sorcerer Killer down and stomped him into the ground?"
His Six Eyes narrowed.
"If you anger him, do you think he can't walk in here and cut all of you rotten oranges, along with this dump, into ashes?"
Those words pierced every higher-up's weak point.
They feared Yami precisely because he was powerful and uncontrollable.
If the mask of authority was torn off, who could guarantee that the man with no Cursed Energy would not simply storm in and kill them?
The Grand Elder swallowed.
His tone softened despite himself.
"Even if Yami drove away the assassin, his failure to protect the Star Plasma Vessel is still undeniable. Someone must take responsibility."
"Responsibility?"
Gojo scoffed.
"Master Tengen's assimilation failed because he couldn't handle it. What does that have to do with us?"
His tone was so arrogant that several elders almost choked.
"As for responsibility…"
Gojo stood.
He looked down at the decaying old men around him.
"I am telling you right now."
His voice was clear.
"From today onward, Yami is under the full protection of the Gojo Family."
The room froze.
"Anyone who dares touch a hair on his head is declaring war on the entire Gojo Family."
Gojo raised his right hand.
His index and middle fingers pressed together, and a faint dark red light flickered at his fingertips.
"And one more thing."
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"I've perfectly mastered Reverse Cursed Technique."
The dark red light grew slightly brighter.
"Which means…"
A trace of killing intent flashed through his Six Eyes.
"I am probably truly invincible now."
It was a naked threat.
A direct display of force.
Facing Satoru Gojo, who had awakened Reverse Cursed Technique and leapt to a level far beyond his previous self, and facing the full protection of the ancient Gojo Family, the higher-ups fell completely silent.
They were furious.
They were humiliated.
But they were helpless.
Because in the cruel world of jujutsu, absolute strength was the only absolute truth.
"We…"
The Grand Elder slumped back into his chair.
In that instant, he seemed to age ten years.
"We understand."
His voice was heavy.
"The trial regarding Yami will be shelved for now."
"As for his position as external instructor, it will remain unchanged."
Gojo looked at them for a moment.
Then he sneered and withdrew the Cursed Energy from his fingertips.
Without another word, he turned and walked toward the destroyed doorway.
At the moment he stepped out, he casually raised a hand and waved.
"By the way, here's a kind reminder."
His tone was light.
"Stop playing boring little tricks behind my back."
He paused.
"Because next time…"
Gojo's voice cooled.
"I might not stop at kicking down the door."
He walked away without looking back.
Inside the ruined conference room, the higher-ups gritted their teeth in humiliation.
Yami's reputation had not been damaged by the failed protection mission.
On the contrary, because he survived the Sorcerer Killer, drove him back, and received the full protection of the Gojo Family, his name spread even louder through the Big Three Families and the entire Jujutsu World.
But open spears were easy to dodge.
Hidden arrows were harder to guard against.
Would these rotten oranges, who were used to controlling everything from the shadows, really let this matter end here?
In a dark corner, a pair of calculating eyes observed everything in silence.
The gears of fate continued to turn.
....
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