Chapter 29 – King of Curses
The so-called "Culling Game" was, in truth, part of Kenjaku's ultimate vision—a plan he called the Evolution of Humanity.
But the way it worked was so brutal and unnatural, most people couldn't even comprehend it.
Kenjaku had engineered this deadly tournament as a means to force sorcerers into battles to the death. Every clash, every kill—it all served one purpose: to gather a massive amount of Cursed Energy.
Compressed and refined, that energy would become his "source core."
The Motive Behind the Culling Game
In order to control the minds of billions of people, Kenjaku required a virtually endless supply of Cursed Energy.
So, he created a battlefield—forcing sorcerers into a twisted survival game. Every death, every drop of blood spilled, was fuel for his ritual.
Once enough energy had been gathered, he would initiate the final phase of his plan: unifying all human bodies into a new, singular form of existence.
Controlling Master Tengen would've been easy for someone like Kenjaku.
But there was one problem standing in his way...
— — —
"What?! Not even a nuclear strike could kill him?!"
A top-ranking military officer shouted, his face pale with disbelief as he received a report from Tokyo.
"That's right," the voice on the other end responded, grim. "Not only did he survive—he destroyed an entire military base in Africa. And it only took him three minutes. What kind of monster have you awakened as our enemy?!"
Back in his hideout, Kenjaku grimly ended the communication line from Washington.
His face was clouded with frustration.
He knew the Rattlesnake missiles traveled at nearly Mach 10. Once launched, not even sorcerers could react fast enough—unless they had teleportation like Gojo Satoru.
And with a nuclear payload of 300,000 tons of TNT, the blast radius should have wiped out everything for miles.
Yet Zenin Kyūjō survived.
Kenjaku didn't want to believe it.
But the facts were right in front of him.
That man… was a threat.
A threat to everything—including the Assimilation of Master Tengen.
After thinking for a while, Kenjaku made a decision.
He had to lure Zenin Kyūjō away from Tokyo Jujutsu High.
There were two reasons.
First, to force the other sorcerers at Jujutsu High to enter the Culling Game in order to rescue Gojo. That would drain their combat resources.
Second, to draw Kyūjō himself into the field. As long as he remained at Jujutsu High, Kenjaku couldn't risk moving on Tengen.
— — —
Back in Tokyo
The next morning, Zenin Kyūjō finally arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Kyūjō-san!! You're back!!" Panda shouted, jogging up to him with wide eyes.
"What's the situation now?" Kyūjō asked, landing softly. "Has Gojo Satoru returned?"
Panda's expression turned grim. He lowered his gaze and answered quietly.
"No… not yet. Last night, a Curse User showed up outside the school shouting something."
"They said Gojo-sensei has been sealed in Shibuya. That the era of Tokyo Jujutsu High is over."
"They're claiming the age of Curse Users has begun."
"Tokyo's a mess right now. Spirits and rogue sorcerers are running wild. A bunch of civilians suddenly awakened Cursed Techniques. All our senior sorcerers were dispatched to the city."
"But thanks to your order, the first and second years stayed behind to guard the school. Shibuya's surrounded by a strange barrier now… a battlefield called the Culling Game. Gojo-sensei is trapped inside it."
"I see," Kyūjō nodded.
He patted Panda's shoulder with a light smile.
"Gojo Satoru has carried the weight of being the strongest for years… I'll carry that burden for now."
Without another word, he headed toward Principal Yaga's office.
— — —
The Enemy's Plan
All across Japan, more and more civilians had started awakening their own Cursed Techniques.
The country was tipping into chaos.
Cursed Spirits now appeared even in the countryside. Entire regions were being overrun.
Both Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High were stretched thin.
— — —
Inside the principal's office, Kyūjō pushed open the door.
"Principal Yaga. Yuta. I'm back."
The moment they saw him, Yaga and Okkotsu Yuta lit up.
Yuta practically jumped from his seat. "Kyūjō-san! You're here! Ask the principal anything you need—I've gotta run! Nanami and Mei Mei-senpai are fighting a Special Grade Spirit! I need to back them up!"
And with that, Yuta dashed out like a whirlwind.
Yaga let out a tired sigh, then turned to Kyūjō.
"It's good you're back. Listen carefully..."
— — —
"All of Sukuna's fingers we stored at the school—they were stolen."
"We suspect the thief was a Special Grade Spirit. Most likely, their real target is Itadori…"
"It seems they intend to fully resurrect the King of Curses—Ryomen Sukuna."
"We don't know how many fingers the enemy has gathered. But Itadori and the first-years are currently protected inside a fortified barrier here at the school."
"As for Gojo… we're still not sure of his exact condition."
"Every sorcerer we've sent into the Culling Game to rescue him… none of them have made it back."
"That battlefield… it's more like a real survival game."
— — —
Kyūjō listened in silence.
When Yaga finished, he stood up and walked toward the door.
"I'll bring Gojo Satoru back, Principal Yaga."
And with those words, his figure vanished.
— — —
Five Minutes Later...
At the exact moment Kyūjō entered the Culling Game barrier—
In a hidden room in Tokyo, Kenjaku stood before a holographic display, watching Kyūjō's image.
He whispered quietly, a sharp edge in his voice.
"It's time."
"Let us welcome the true king... into the game."
— — —
Uraume — The One Who Served Sukuna
Uraume, a Curse User from a thousand years ago, was once one of Ryomen Sukuna's most loyal retainers.
Like many others, Uraume had been revived by Kenjaku through the Cursed Technique: Brain Transfer.
He wielded an ice-based technique and mastered Reverse Cursed Technique as well, making him a match for Special Grade sorcerers.
But Uraume's most terrifying power... was Cursed Cuisine—a grotesque culinary technique that used human flesh as its core ingredient.
It was this disturbing art that made Sukuna favor him.
Now, Uraume moved quietly under Kenjaku's command.
Silent. Hidden.
And following Kyūjō's every move from the shadows...
— — —
At the main gate of Tokyo Jujutsu High—the last stronghold of humanity against the world of curses—Kenjaku appeared, leading a small but terrifying group.
By his side stood Uraume and the three Cursed Womb brothers: Chōzō, Kechizu, and Eso.
Knowing the school's defenses were currently weakened, they advanced confidently.
Under Kenjaku's orders, Chōzō and his siblings spread out to flank from multiple directions, creating diversions for the guarding sorcerers. Meanwhile, Kenjaku and Uraume pushed forward directly—headed straight for the heart of the stronghold where Itadori Yūji's body lay hidden.
— — —
"Uraume, these are all of Sukuna's fingers," Kenjaku said, handing over a tightly sealed scroll.
"Combined with the vessel you found before, it should be enough to fully resurrect him."
"You'll be able to locate Sukuna through these fragments. I won't be joining you—there are other matters I must deal with."
Without another word, Kenjaku turned and walked away, leaving Uraume alone.
Uraume bowed silently in acknowledgment, accepting the mission.
— — —
But just a few steps later, Kenjaku's path was blocked.
A woman stood before him, her long blond hair tied back, her gaze burning with fury and conviction.
"So this is where you've been hiding," she said.
Kenjaku's eyes narrowed.
"If you're here to stop me, I suggest you don't. I have no desire to fight you, Yuki Tsukumo… Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer. Truth be told, I don't even know the nature of your technique."
Yuki narrowed her eyes further, then summoned her shikigami—a giant, cursed beast named Garuda.
"You dare to wear Suguru Getō's body like a trophy... and still speak as if you're civilized? If you don't want to fight, then disappear."
With no hesitation, Yuki slammed her foot into Garuda.
The creature rocketed forward like a meteor, aimed directly at Kenjaku's heart.
Kenjaku activated his defense instantly.
He knew this was no ordinary summon—Garuda was an extension of Yuki's entire combat system. It was both weapon and will, strength and soul.
"So that's how it is... You leave me no choice."
"Domain Expansion—Womb Profusion."
A surge of Cursed Energy erupted, swallowing the chamber whole.
Unlike traditional Domain Expansions, Kenjaku's did not form a sealed barrier.
Instead, he invoked an Open Barrier Domain, a divine-tier technique that manifests without enclosing space—like painting a masterpiece without a canvas.
Massive trees sprouted around them, twisted and towering. From their bark, contorted human faces emerged—moaning, screaming, staring with hollow eyes.
— — —
The Open Barrier Domain was a rare evolution of Domain Expansion.
It didn't trap the opponent inside, but it still granted the user absolute advantage in technique.
Only two sorcerers were known to wield it: Kenjaku's Womb Profusion, and Yuki Tsukumo's secret art—Star Rage.
Now, deep inside the Tombs of the Star Corridor—in the sacred chamber where Master Tengen resided—a battle of fate began.
Yuki unleashed Hōrin in full, activating Star Rage.
Her mass—and that of her shikigami—multiplied to immeasurable levels.
She charged like a falling star on a collision course with Earth.
But even then... she had never mastered Domain Expansion.
Her physical prowess and cursed technique were immense—but inside an enemy's domain, that alone wasn't enough.
Yuki reached her limit—and opened her final technique.
A Miniature Black Hole.
A pitch-black sphere no larger than a marble formed in her hand.
Pure gravitational death—compressing and devouring everything nearby.
In the next instant...
Yuki Tsukumo, one of the most respected Special Grade Sorcerers...
Vanished into the void.
— — —
Kenjaku was sent flying by the gravitational blast, his body bloodied and torn.
But he smiled.
Even as he staggered, he descended the staircase into the deep heart of the tomb.
"Master Tengen… I'm coming."
"Are you ready to accept your fate?"
— — —
Meanwhile, Uraume had already bypassed the inner defenses of the school.
Silently, he infiltrated the hidden chamber where the first-year students were being kept safe.
In an instant, he froze the bodies of Itadori Yūji, Fushiguro Megumi, and Nobara Kugisaki in place—immobilizing them completely.
Then—
Uraume took out all of Sukuna's fingers and, without hesitation, began forcing them down Yūji's throat—one by one.
— — —
A few seconds later...
The King of Curses—Ryōmen Sukuna—awakened.
As usual, Itadori tried to suppress him.
But this time...
Sukuna whispered a single word:
"Enchain."
That was the trigger phrase for a binding vow he and Yūji had made long ago.
The conditions?
1. Upon hearing the word "Enchain," Yūji would surrender his body for exactly one minute.
2. Afterward, he would forget the vow had ever existed.
That was why Yūji never understood how he came back to life the first time.
But today... the truth was revealed.
Sukuna had no intention of remaining in Yūji's body forever.
He had another target in mind.
A body he deemed far more worthy.
A sorcerer with immense potential—even in the eyes of the King himself...
Fushiguro Megumi.
There were two reasons for this choice:
1. The Ten Shadows Technique—a rare inherited ability of the Zenin Clan, capable of evolving into a power that could rival even Special Grade sorcerers.
2. Sukuna sensed a hidden flaw in Yūji's body—something unnatural. Perhaps an ancient remnant. Something created long ago that could hinder his true awakening.
— — —
Uraume dropped to one knee before the reborn Sukuna, face flushed with devotion.
"Welcome back, Lord Sukuna," he whispered.
Sukuna gave a curt nod.
Then he turned toward the frozen Megumi.
With a cold expression, he pulled out one of his own fingers—and shoved it into Megumi's mouth.
A flood of cursed energy burst forth, consuming Megumi from the inside.
Reincarnation had begun.
Ryōmen Sukuna—King of Curses—had fully abandoned Itadori Yūji.
And was now reborn...
In the body of Fushiguro Megumi.
— — —
Sukuna flexed his new body, looking down at the fallen Itadori and Nobara.
He raised his hand—ready to strike.
But...
Something stirred.
Megumi's original consciousness—still buried deep within—began to resist.
Sukuna clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
For now, he withdrew.
The execution would have to wait.
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