Although Yoshinobu Gakuganji phrased it as a question, his tone was certain.
Angered, Misato Kuroi mustered her courage and shouted, "Stop calling her 'Star Plasma Vessel' this and 'Star Plasma Vessel' that! Miss has a name! She is Riko Amanai!"
Seeing there was no point in hiding, the zipper of the rabbit Cursed Corpse opened, and Riko crawled out.
After being stuffy and oxygen-deprived for so long, she took a deep breath, then put her hands on her hips. "That's right! It's me!"
"It really is the Star Plasma Vessel!"
Keisuke Zenin, an elder of the Zenin clan whose status was second only to Naobito and Ogi, stepped forward.
His face was grim as he looked at Masamichi Yaga.
"Masamichi Yaga. Harboring the Star Plasma Vessel and obstructing Master Tengen's merger are grave crimes!"
"Hand over the vessel now, and the higher-ups might consider a lighter punishment for you!"
Yaga lowered his head, appearing to weigh his options.
"I'm sorry, Keisuke-sama!"
Yaga raised his head, a rare, gentle smile appearing on his stern face. "I really... don't want to disappoint my students!"
Keisuke Zenin frowned. "Do you realize what you are doing?"
Yaga didn't answer. Instead, he assumed a fighting stance!
Keisuke sighed. "Colleagues, Yaga's actions are tantamount to treason. I suggest we execute him on the spot."
The other higher-ups remained silent, but their silence was an endorsement.
Keisuke drew his katana, assuming an Iaido stance, eyes filled with killing intent as he looked at Yaga.
"When we start fighting, take Riko and run. Run as fast as you can!" Yaga whispered to Kuroi.
He knew that in this situation, the probability of them escaping was negligible.
"Yes!" Kuroi nodded heavily.
But Riko suddenly spoke up. "Wait! Let them go. I'll go back with you!"
"Miss!"
Kuroi grabbed Riko's wrist, but Riko shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Misato. I can't be with you anymore!"
Then she looked at Yaga. "Um... you're Yaga-sensei, right?"
Riko stepped forward and bowed deeply to him.
"Thank you for your help, Uncle Yaga! But you've already sacrificed too much for me. Satoru and the others... I don't even know if they're okay."
"All of this happened because of me. I can't be so selfish. Please don't stop me."
Riko wiped tears from the corners of her eyes and turned to Keisuke Zenin. "I'll go with you!"
Seeing this, Keisuke sneered. "At least you know your place. Otherwise, you'd all be dead..."
Suddenly, Keisuke felt an intense suffocating sensation from behind.
An endless chill shot from his tailbone to his skull, like a grim reaper's scythe resting on his neck, ready to swing.
Keisuke wanted to move, but he was horrified to find his entire body frozen.
What is happening?
At that moment, Gakuganji and the others stared with eyes wide as if seeing ghosts, looking at the three figures that had suddenly appeared behind Keisuke.
Souma Gojo placed his hand on Keisuke's shoulder, his words sounding like a demon's whisper.
"Hey, old man. Who did you say is dead?"
Gulp~
Keisuke swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
Meanwhile, Riko waved excitedly in the distance. "Satoru! Thank goodness! You guys are okay!"
"Duh! We're the Strongest Trio. How could we not be okay?"
Satoru walked toward Riko with a grin.
Souma nudged Geto with his elbow and laughed loudly. "Look, there are three of us, but Riko only called Satoru's name. It's pretty obvious, isn't it?"
Geto smiled with amusement. "At Satoru's age, does this count as puppy love?"
The two followed, chatting and laughing.
They walked past Keisuke one by one.
In that moment, Keisuke was drenched in sweat.
He felt like a normal human brushing past three tigers. Even the hand holding his sword was trembling.
Riko laughed and lunged at Satoru, but he suddenly delivered a karate chop to her head.
Bonk!
"Owwwww... You bastard! What are you doing?!" Riko squatted on the ground, clutching her head in pain.
Satoru looked at her with disgust. "Ha? We risked our lives to stop you from merging with that old hag Tengen, and you try to go back? You're wasting our hard work!"
Riko tackled Satoru, grabbing his white hair with both hands. "You think I wanted to, you jerk?! Die!"
The two immediately started brawling.
However, Satoru's way of addressing Tengen immediately caused dissatisfaction among the higher-ups.
"Satoru! Show some respect to Master Tengen!"
"Such vulgar language. Is this the upbringing of the Gojo clan?"
Yoshinobu Gakuganji's face was dark. "Souma Gojo, what are you trying to do?"
Hearing this, the Trio finally turned their attention back to the elders.
Souma spoke calmly. "Go back and tell that old hag Tengen that Riko won't be merging with her."
"What?!"
The higher-ups couldn't sit still, especially the elders of the Three Great Families.
After all, most of the barriers for the major clans were maintained by Tengen.
"Souma Gojo! Satoru Gojo! And Suguru Geto! Do you know what you are doing?"
"Are you trying to betray the entire jujutsu world?"
"Shut up!"
Souma scratched his hair. "You lot don't represent the entire jujutsu world."
Now that the Trio had retracted their killing intent, Keisuke Zenin felt his confidence return, backed by his colleagues.
"Souma Gojo! Although you three are called the Strongest Trio, you are ultimately just teenagers!"
"There are dozens of clan elders and Grade 1 sorcerers here. Hand over the Star Plasma Vessel!"
Souma glanced at him and chuckled. "Sure. You... actually, all of you. If you can take one move from me, you can have her!"
Gakuganji and the others were surprised. Keisuke laughed loudly.
"Arrogant brat! You've let the title of 'Strongest' go to your head!"
"With so many of us, let alone one move, what about ten or a hundred?"
"No. One is enough."
Souma smiled and said no more.
Blue and Red appeared in his hands.
"Hollow Technique: Purple!"
...
Inside the Tombs of the Star.
Souma looked at Master Tengen and spoke expressionlessly. "I know you can delay your evolution within the barrier. You don't need to merge with the Star Plasma Vessel at all." (Reference: Manga Chapter 202)
"So, if I hear that you're doing this—treating human lives as experiments—again, I will kill you."
Feeling the boy's undisguised killing intent, even Tengen, who had lived for nearly a thousand years, felt a chill down their spine.
After saying this, Souma turned and left without looking back.
Tengen watched Souma's retreating figure. After a long time, they sighed.
"Forget it. I never expected such monsters to appear in the jujutsu world today. And three of them at once."
"With them around, I suppose I don't need to worry too much about my evolution."
Feeling two other auras outside the Tombs of the Star that were no weaker than Souma's...
Tengen sighed with relief, closed their eyes, and slowly entered a deep slumber.