Meanwhile—
In a heavily secured white government building across the Pacific Ocean.
A secret meeting concerning the future of humanity was underway.
At the end of a long conference table sat several of the most powerful figures in the world.
Generals.
Scientists.
Cabinet officials.
And the President of the United States.
Across from them sat a man dressed in the robes of a Buddhist monk.
His expression was calm.
His posture elegant.
But the stitches running across his forehead made the atmosphere subtly unsettling.
The man spoke softly.
"Gentlemen."
It was Kenjaku.
He raised a hand.
A holographic projection appeared in the center of the room.
On the screen—
Scenes from inside the Culling Game barriers in Japan played in real time.
Sorcerers fought violently.
Flames erupted.
Lightning split the sky.
Gravity distorted the ground.
Buildings collapsed under supernatural forces.
Kenjaku smiled faintly.
"This phenomenon is called Cursed Energy."
"Energy born from human emotions."
He paused.
Then continued calmly.
"In other words… an inexhaustible energy source."
The holographic projection zoomed in.
A sorcerer released a massive technique.
The energy output rivaled a missile strike.
Kenjaku spread his arms.
"If humanity could harness this energy…"
"No more fossil fuels."
"No more energy crises."
"No more environmental destruction."
The room fell silent.
But Kenjaku wasn't finished.
His voice became softer.
More tempting.
"And this energy also strengthens the human body."
"With proper research…"
"Humans could transcend biological limits."
"Perhaps even approach immortality."
The word hung in the air like poison.
Immortality.
Humanity's oldest temptation.
A four-star general finally spoke.
"What exactly do you want from us?"
Kenjaku smiled.
"It's simple."
He pointed at the screen.
At the sorcerers fighting inside the barrier.
"Those individuals possess the key."
"Their brains contain the structure necessary to manipulate cursed energy."
"In other words…"
"They are the perfect samples."
He paused.
Then said coldly—
"Or if you prefer a simpler term."
"Batteries."
"If you capture them and analyze their brains…"
"You will unlock the secret of cursed energy."
He continued calmly.
"Japan is currently isolated."
"The barriers block communication."
"The government has lost control."
"This situation provides the perfect opportunity."
"If your military enters under the guise of evacuation or peacekeeping…"
"You can capture hundreds of sorcerers without international resistance."
Kenjaku's eyes gleamed.
"If this succeeds…"
"The United States will dominate the world for another hundred years."
Silence filled the room.
Then—
The President spoke.
"Operation approved."
"For freedom."
"And peace."
Far away.
Waters near Japan.
A massive naval fleet floated silently in the dark ocean.
Officially—
They were conducting a joint military exercise.
In reality—
This was a full-scale invasion force.
Aircraft carriers.
Amphibious assault ships.
Destroyers.
Nuclear submarines.
And a specialized military unit designed to capture sorcerers alive.
Deep beneath the sea.
An Ohio-class nuclear submarine moved silently through the water.
Its mission:
Blockade the area.
Ensure that nothing inside the barrier could escape.
Inside the command center—
The captain watched the sonar display.
Suddenly—
"Contact!"
The sonar operator shouted.
"Unidentified object approaching at extreme speed!"
The captain frowned.
"A torpedo?"
"No sir!"
The operator's voice trembled.
"Speed exceeding 500 knots!"
"And accelerating!"
The captain's expression changed.
That speed underwater was impossible.
Unless—
BOOM.
The entire submarine shook violently.
The hull groaned like a dying beast.
Alarms screamed through every compartment.
"What happened?!"
"Report!"
"Outer hull damaged!"
"Pressure chamber compromised!"
"Something… is standing on the submarine!"
"Activate external cameras!"
The monitor flickered on.
Everyone froze.
In the pitch-black depths of the ocean—
A young man stood calmly on top of the submarine's conning tower.
No diving gear.
No oxygen supply.
No protection.
Yet the surrounding seawater seemed repelled by an invisible barrier, forming a vacuum around him.
Yagami Sora.
He looked down at the massive submarine beneath his feet with mild curiosity.
"So this is a nuclear submarine."
"I heard its reactor can operate for decades without refueling."
Although he had little interest in modern technology—
This machine contained immense energy.
And for him—
Energy meant power.
Since mastering Reverse Cursed Technique and deeper levels of vector manipulation—
His hunger for energy had grown.
Especially with the inevitable confrontation against:
Ryomen Sukuna.
And the far more mysterious—
Kenjaku.
Ordinary cursed energy was no longer sufficient.
He needed something greater.
Something purer.
"Nuclear energy…"
He smiled slightly.
"…is still a kind of vector."
He placed his hand on the submarine's hull.
"Vector Manipulation."
"Energy Extraction."
WHOOSH—
Inside the submarine—
The reactor suddenly produced a strange vibration.
Not overheating.
Not exploding.
Something far stranger.
The reactor's energy was being forcibly extracted.
"Warning!"
"Reactor output dropping rapidly!"
"Core temperature decreasing!"
"How is that possible?!"
"The fuel rods are still active!"
The engineers panicked.
This violated every known law of physics.
Outside—
Sora's body began to glow faintly blue.
High-energy radiation was being forcibly converted.
Compressed.
Refined.
Transformed into pure cursed energy.
Massive energy surged into his body.
Strengthening muscles.
Reinforcing cells.
Purifying cursed energy circuits.
The sensation was overwhelming.
Better than devouring cursed spirits.
Much better.
"Not bad."
Sora patted the submarine casually.
The reactor had already gone completely silent.
The once powerful nuclear submarine—
Was now nothing more than a powerless metal coffin slowly sinking toward the seabed.
As for the soldiers inside—
He had no intention of killing them.
But at this depth—
Without power—
Whether they survived depended on luck.
He glanced upward.
His gaze pierced the ocean.
Locked onto the fleet on the surface.
Dozens of warships.
Multiple reactors.
A mountain of energy.
More batteries.
Sora smiled faintly.
"If the Americans came all this way…"
"It would be rude not to accept their gifts."
He bent his knees.
Then—
BOOM.
Like an intercontinental missile—
He blasted through the ocean.
Shooting toward the surface at impossible speed.
Behind him—
The submarine that once represented the peak of human engineering—
Quietly descended into the abyss.
The war had only just begun.
But the outcome already seemed inevitable.
Because in the battlefield called the Culling Game—
Before a sorcerer who could manipulate every vector—
Modern armies were nothing more than
Slightly larger ants.