Uraume retreated.
After receiving word from Kenjaku, she made one final attempt with Frost Calm, the strongest move in her Ice Formation Technique. But the three members of the Zenin clan gave her no chance to take even one step forward.
Even though Naoya and Jinichi had temporarily lost the ability to fight, the look in Naobito's eyes, one that was ready to risk his life, made her choose to give up, though she was extremely annoyed.
After all, if Kenjaku had sent the signal, it meant the situation was already out of control. At any moment, a special grade sorcerer could personally step in.
"Good thing that brat ran off. Otherwise, this seventy-one-year-old life of mine would have been in danger today."
Seeing Uraume leave, Naobito finally let out a sigh of relief.
If the fight had continued in their current state without reinforcements, they would have been completely wiped out.
"Eh? Uncle, what happened to you all... I'll call Toji and Mukuro right away!"
At that moment, Onshin, who had been about to take Tsumiki out shopping nearby, stepped outside and froze in shock when she saw them.
The house's excellent soundproofing had kept the two women from noticing anything outside. But after seeing their condition and the craters scattered across the ground, Onshin immediately connected it to the jujutsu world.
Her family members were all pillar-like figures in that world. Even if she did not involve herself, she had naturally heard of those strange powers.
"It's fine. The trouble has already been handled. We'll take care of the rest ourselves," Naobito replied with a warm smile.
It was an expression he only ever showed these two women.
Although that brat had been driven away, he still did not feel fully at ease. He planned to contact Kyoto Jujutsu High and have someone secretly sent over for protection.
After all, the Zenin clan's top fighters were now all heavily damaged.
"Tch."
Beside them, Naoya, still frozen and shivering, turned his face away with disgust.
But inside, his thoughts were the complete opposite.
'We got hurt protecting those two women. Toji should praise me now, right...'
In his mind, a chibi version of his younger self appeared alongside those two men. He would walk up, kick that useless loser flying, then naturally follow behind Toji...
* * *
Back in Tokyo.
Toji had already taken the Prison Realm and reached out to pull the dagger that Inventory Curse spat from its mouth.
"Seeing that thing again really pisses me off."
The moment he saw the Inverted Spear of Heaven again, a vein bulged on Satoru's forehead.
Thrust!
As a weapon that could erase any active technique, the dagger pierced straight into one of the Prison Realm's closed eyes without resistance.
All the other eyes snapped open at once, and bloody tears streamed down endlessly.
The special grade cursed object known as the living barrier, Prison Realm, was having the barrier technique placed upon it destroyed.
Boom!
It slipped from Toji's hand and turned into a pillar of light shooting into the sky.
When the glow faded, the Prison Realm had vanished, and Mukuro was standing where it had been.
"Too slow. I was almost asleep in there."
As soon as he came out, he yawned. The boredom on his face had not even faded yet, and there was not a trace of exhaustion.
"Almost asleep? But Uncle Mukuro just said he was going to sleep earlier..." Megumi looked confused.
"That's because time flows differently inside. Even one second outside could mean dozens of minutes, or even several hours in there," Utahime spoke up and explained it to him.
That was the most terrifying part of the Prison Realm. Those sealed inside were often swallowed by endless darkness and loneliness, until they could no longer endure the torment and chose to end their own lives within it.
But this weakness happened to become something useful for Mukuro.
During this battle with Sukuna, he had used nearly all Six Paths abilities while not in his true body. The strain on his mind and power was greater than ever before.
Because of that, he needed time to rest and recover.
The difference in time flow inside and outside gave him exactly what he needed. Though only a few minutes had passed outside, he had already fully recovered within.
"Since everyone is here now, we might as well take care of some side matters too."
As Mukuro spoke, he looked toward Suguru.
"The Death Painting Womb brothers. I saw everything you did during this incident."
The other man immediately understood.
The burnout period of his technique had passed. He waved his hand, and Mahito tore through space from behind him and stepped out.
Reshaping the souls of the Death Painting vessels had always been part of Mukuro and Suguru's plan.
But before today, Suguru had remained hidden. On top of that, they had wanted to test whether those brothers were truly willing to become sorcerers who protected humans, and become real humans themselves for Yuji's sake.
Now, there was nothing left to consider.
"I see now. I was wondering how Geto arrived to save everyone so perfectly. So he had already returned."
Among everyone present, only Nanami, who had fought Mahito before, understood everything.
Still, judging by the two men and his earlier suspicions, Mahito should have already been absorbed by Suguru. But if that was true, then where had all those transfigured humans in Shibuya come from?
Ordinary humans should have died quickly after being transformed.
He fell into thought, but did not speak and ruin the moment.
"This... could it be..." Choso's lips trembled as he looked at Mahito.
He had heard from Yuji and others at Jujutsu High that there was a cursed spirit with a technique that could alter human bodies and brains.
But...
"Are you sure nothing will go wrong?"
Choso still stepped in front of Mahito.
This concerned his younger brothers' lives. He could not allow even the slightest risk.
"You don't need to worry about that. We already tested it on people before."
Confirming that he truly possessed human emotions just as rumored, Suguru smiled.
For people at his and Mukuro's level, obtaining a few cursed objects or test subjects had never been difficult.
"Then... let me go fir—"
"Brother, let me do it."
Though Choso no longer needed to change, he still wanted to be the first test subject for his brothers. But Kechizu had already stepped forward and interrupted him.
"Idle Transfiguration."
The next moment, Mahito's palm touched him and activated the technique according to Suguru's will.
More hair began growing on Kechizu's head. The flaws on his face were corrected, and the hideous face on his back slowly disappeared.
He became a normal, strong man.
Next came Eso.
He stood before Mahito trembling like a nervous elementary school child.
Then, he truly became a child.
"That's wonderful..."
Before the two could celebrate, Choso behind them had already covered his eyes, his lips shaking.
"Brother! Yuji!"
The four brothers embraced each other.
Choso's dream was no longer just a dream.
**
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