"Yorozu… is dead…"
Arriving late to the scene, Hana, or more accurately, Angel, stared blankly as the familiar cursed energy clinging to Saori dissolved into nothingness.
Both of them were powerful figures from a millennium ago. During the Heian period, they had served the strongest factions of the time: the Fujiwara and Abe clans.
The only difference was that Angel had dedicated herself to a clan, while Yorozu lived entirely for her own desires.
Angel had witnessed and felt Sukuna's atrocities firsthand, whereas Yorozu had thrown herself blindly into the flame all for the sake of "love." Though they were never friends, seeing someone from her past perish for the same reason as a thousand years ago stirred a bleak, hollow feeling in Angel's chest.
Would her own mission to eliminate The Disgraced One end the same way, like a moth flying straight into a flame?
"So this is what a special grade sorcerer can do...? No... this is the true peak of the jujutsu world?!"
Up ahead, Hakari looked particularly shocked compared to the other Jujutsu High members who had already experienced the Shibuya Incident.
As an upperclassman to Yuta, the youngest special grade in history, Hakari had sparred with him before being suspended. He knew that even at his absolute best, he was no match for Yuta, but the gap between them didn't feel entirely insurmountable.
Yet now, right before his eyes, an opponent powerful enough to force him to go all out had been utterly crushed in an incredibly short amount of time.
So this was… the future of legalized gambling!
Hakari swallowed hard, his eyes practically gleaming. Swept up in his own excitement, the shirtless youth rubbed his hands together and leaned closer to Megumi.
"Hey, Fushiguro-kun, we really need to get along~"
"Huh?" Megumi muttered, completely baffled by the sudden friendliness.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Mukuro caught Saori before she collapsed due to Yorozu's disappearance. At the same time, the Naraka Path's illusion activated and completely healed the injuries she had suffered during the battle.
For an innocent girl who knew nothing of the jujutsu world before being turned into a vessel, this entire ordeal was a terrible misfortune.
"Saori!"
Nobara, who had spent years worrying about and missing her childhood friend, finally rushed forward and took the unconscious girl from Mukuro's arms.
"Let me take her!" Yuji called out, rushing over to squat in front of them and gesturing for Nobara to place Saori onto his back.
"Uncle Mukuro, how is Kugisaki's friend…?" Megumi asked, breaking away from Hakari's pestering to step forward. Both he and Yuji cared deeply for their friend's peace of mind.
"She's basically fine now. Her body was occupied for too long, so it'll take some time for her mind to adjust. As for her injuries, Shoko can heal them with Reverse Cursed Technique."
Compared to Yorozu's fierce spiritual power, a normal person like Saori was vastly weaker. With her soul suppressed for so long, reclaiming her own flesh would naturally require a period of recovery.
"Thank you… Thank you so much, Fushiguro-san!"
Hearing definite confirmation that Saori was safe, the girl who usually acted brash and tough in front of her peers felt tears well up in her eyes.
She went to bow deeply in gratitude, but Mukuro placed a firm hand on her shoulder before she could.
"Go find Shoko. I'm sure the two of you have a lot to catch up on."
It was only natural to be thanked after helping someone, but to Mukuro, he felt he owed them some gratitude as well. After all, his nephew wasn't exactly the easiest person to get along with, and these kids had taken good care of him.
"Let's move, Kugisaki!" Megumi urged.
The first-years trio quickly departed. The remaining Jujutsu High members gradually followed suit, leaving only the two special grade sorcerers behind on the empty field.
"You look like you have something on your mind," Satoru said, glancing over at Mukuro, who was still standing near the edge of the battlefield.
"A few days ago, I had Toji take Onshin and Tsumiki out of the country."
Mukuro's reply caught the white-haired sorcerer off guard.
Only a few days remained until the promised showdown with Sukuna.
Since the start of the Culling Game, or more accurately, since the Shibuya Incident, the affairs of the jujutsu world could no longer be hidden from the public. Monsters and power transcending human comprehension were now exposed. When those two elements repeatedly dominated the news, human society grew incredibly fragile.
Especially now, the coming battle against Sukuna and the thousand-year schemer Kenjaku would undoubtedly affect a massive area.
To minimize panic and casualties, the jujutsu world had already announced the location of the final battle several days ago. Anyone in the country with a modicum of wealth or power had already begun fleeing. Still, the vast majority of ordinary citizens had no choice but to stay behind.
Satoru hadn't expected Mukuro to evacuate his family as well.
"Do you think… we're going to lose?"
For perhaps the first time ever, the endlessly confident Satoru asked that question seriously.
"We'd win," Mukuro answered without a trace of hesitation.
Sending his family away was simply because the country was already in chaos, and the final battle would only make things worse. He merely refused to be distracted when the time came.
Satoru blinked in surprise, then let out a relaxed chuckle, mocking his own momentary lapse in confidence.
"Yeah, you're right. How could we possibly lose? The two of us are the strongest."
"Just me," Mukuro retorted, indulging in a rare bit of playful banter against Satoru's usual arrogance.
"Let's go. It's about to rain."
At some point, dark clouds had completely blanketed the sky. Terrifying bolts of lightning surged through the clouds, accompanied by the low, rolling rumble of thunder.
Yet amidst the gloom, a faint, barely perceptible ray of sunlight was still fighting to pierce through the overcast.
* * *
Elsewhere.
In a hidden area completely untouched by Tengen's barriers, Kenjaku strolled leisurely. Floating beside him was Kogane, the exclusive guide shikigami for Culling Game players.
"Kogane, I want to spend one hundred points to add a new rule. The Culling Game shall conclude when the only remaining players are Yuta Okkotsu and Izuma Kiyomaru."
The tiny insect-like shikigami shook its head in immediate rejection.
"Rule addition failed. This request contradicts Rule 7. An added rule cannot affect the continuity of the game."
Despite the rejection, Kenjaku merely smiled and raised his hand.
"You've been following me for a while now, so you should know what I'm capable of, right? I have the power to end the Culling Game myself."
Kogane fell silent, beads of sweat rolling down its tiny forehead. It had witnessed Kenjaku utilize God Feeding Art to temporarily command Tengen's authority. Furthermore, because it effectively carried Tengen's validation, Kenjaku could easily dismantle the very pure barriers that served as the foundation for the Culling Game's map.
As a manager born from the Culling Game, Kogane's sole purpose was to maintain the game's continuation.
"Well? You don't have much time to think it over."
In truth, the addition of this rule didn't heavily affect Kenjaku's own plans. The final outcome of the Culling Game depended entirely on whether his side or Jujutsu High won the war. However, he absolutely had to implement this specific condition because of a Binding Vow.
To establish something as massive as the Culling Game in such a short period, he had taken on an incredibly heavy restriction: he had to bring this supposedly perpetual game to a formal close. As the Culling Game reached its final stages, he began to feel the crushing weight of that restriction.
Therefore, no matter how the game actually ended, he had to introduce a legal mechanism within the rules that allowed for its conclusion. Only then would his Binding Vow be fulfilled without hindering the future merger.
"This… Error… Error…"
Kogane's basic programming descended into a chaotic loop. Short-circuiting, it began to repeat the words mechanically.
"If you don't make a decision soon, I'm just going to use my technique to destroy the Culling Game entirely~" Kenjaku threatened, weaving his hands into a hand sign.
Ding!
"Modification successful! Rule approved: The Culling Game will conclude when the only remaining players are Yuta Okkotsu and Izuma Kiyomaru!"
From the perspective of maintaining the game, a conclusion in the distant future was far closer to perpetuity than immediate destruction. Kenjaku's exploitation of the system's logic had worked perfectly.
"Now, we just wait for the war to begin."
* * *
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
The day of the promised battle had quietly arrived.
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