"Oh, you mean Jogo? He's taking care of something. He'll show up for the follow-up actions on time, so don't worry," Mahito replied calmly to Kenjaku.
Yet Kenjaku felt that things were far from as simple as Mahito made them sound.
For some reason, he suddenly sensed that he was losing control of the initiative in this alliance.
Mahito had effortlessly eliminated Special Grade Sorcerer Tsukumo Yuki. Hanami had emerged from the Exchange Event completely unscathed. Dagon had evolved from a Cursed Womb into his fully manifested form. And Jogo's whereabouts were unknown.
Kenjaku couldn't help but suspect that the Four Calamities might already have grown beyond the limits of what he could rein in.
Although he possessed numerous Special Grade Cursed Spirits through Cursed Spirit Manipulation, there were still vast differences in strength even among Special Grades. Facing three of them at once, he could not claim absolute certainty of victory.
Sensing the subtle shift in Kenjaku's expression, Mahito took the initiative to feign concern—while smoothly transitioning to the matter of dividing the spoils.
"Why so serious, Geto? Our plan is proceeding perfectly, isn't it?"
As he spoke, Mahito handed over the three Cursed Womb: Death Paintings brothers to Kenjaku.
Kenjaku accepted them, then asked, "You killed Nanami Kento yourself back then, correct?"
Mahito crossed his arms, pretending to ponder deeply.
"Nanami Kento… sounds familiar. Who was that again?"
"The Grade 1 sorcerer who acted alongside Itadori Yuji," Kenjaku reminded him.
"Oh, him? Of course I killed him myself. Why bring that up now?"
Kenjaku paused before replying. As Cursed Spirits, their actions were inherently imbued with Cursed Energy. It was unlikely they would realize on their own that if a sorcerer died without being killed by Cursed Energy, they would transform into a Cursed Spirit.
"He became a Cursed Spirit and sought out Gojo Satoru while you were still active inside the veil."
Nanami turned into a Cursed Spirit and went to Jujutsu High?
This was information Mahito genuinely could not have known from his own perspective.
Suddenly, he seemed to understand why this operation had gone so smoothly.
Under normal circumstances, he and Hanami would have withdrawn before the veil was lifted—meaning Satoru Gojo would have been active outside it. There was a strong possibility that the Cursed Spirit Nanami had temporarily delayed Gojo.
Of course, this delay could not have been due to overwhelming strength. Mahito understood that clearly. It must have stemmed from Gojo's internal conflict.
After all, if a Cursed Spirit born from a mere Grade 1 sorcerer could restrain the strongest modern sorcerer, then Mahito could simply massacre a branch family of one of the Big Three Clans and flood the world with Semi-Grade 1 cursed spirits to conquer it. That was obviously unrealistic.
Feigning ignorance, Mahito tilted his head curiously.
"Oh? A sorcerer can turn into a Cursed Spirit after death?"
"If a sorcerer is killed without the involvement of Cursed Energy, they will indeed transform into a Cursed Spirit," Kenjaku explained. This was common knowledge among sorcerers; there was no reason to conceal it.
Truth mixed with distortion was always more convincing.
Mahito put on a thoughtful expression.
"Non-cursed means… I think I grabbed something from the sewer and used it as an attack back then. Maybe it has something to do with that? Could it be he just happened to die from that blow?"
He laughed lightly.
"Humans really are fragile creatures~"
The half-truth, paired with Mahito's perfectly timed contempt, dispelled Kenjaku's doubts. In Kenjaku's eyes, Mahito—still relatively young as a Cursed Spirit—didn't possess such deep scheming. It must have been coincidence.
This judgment, however, was partly due to Satoru Gojo suppressing news of Ijichi's transformation. Had that information reached the Higher-Ups, Kenjaku might have drawn a different conclusion.
Instead, he viewed Mahito's abduction and killing of Ijichi merely as an act meant to weaken Jujutsu High and provoke Gojo.
Mahito then looked at Kenjaku with playful innocence.
"Geto, have you ever thought about becoming a Cursed Spirit too? If you did, our cooperation might become even closer~"
As he spoke, Mahito subtly released a trace of his Cursed Energy.
Hanami and Dagon followed suit.
Silence.
For the first time in this exchange, Kenjaku genuinely felt pressure.
Because of the unique nature of his own Cursed Technique, he could not risk such a transformation. Dying and becoming a Cursed Spirit was not a viable path for him.
Fortunately, Mahito had already achieved his goal. He had seen the flicker of tension in Kenjaku's expression.
The initiative was theirs.
Mahito smiled and reached out as if to pat Kenjaku on the shoulder. Kenjaku dodged instinctively.
"Why so tense? I was just joking, Geto~ Relax."
Kenjaku still had value. And Mahito's true objective was to seal Satoru Gojo—not kill him.
If Gojo were killed outright, unless the Gojo bloodline were completely exterminated, another Six Eyes would eventually be born.
Sealing him within the Prison Realm ensured that the Six Eyes would remain in existence while preventing Gojo from interfering. His continued existence also maintained a certain balance in the world.
If Gojo died, the world's natural balancing mechanisms might suppress the upper limits of cursed power as well.
As for Tengen, Mahito had no intention of eliminating them either. Tengen's barrier system caused Cursed Energy—and thus Cursed Spirits—to concentrate in Japan. That environment benefited the curse side.
Sensing the tension ease, Kenjaku smiled faintly.
"I did consider your proposal seriously just now, Mahito. However, due to the uniqueness of my technique, if I were to die and transform into a Cursed Spirit, all of my prior preparations would be rendered meaningless. We would also lose a significant portion of combat strength in the future operation against Gojo Satoru."
"Then let's revisit the idea after we've successfully dealt with him," Mahito said lightly. "What's wrong, Geto? Not coming with us?"
After the earlier exchange, Kenjaku had grown cautious. He chose not to move together with the Four Calamities.
"I think I'll pass. There are other preparations I must attend to. I'll contact you through a Cursed Spirit when the time comes."
Mahito watched Kenjaku's departing figure, a meaningful smile slowly spreading across his face.
"Then I won't see you off~"
...
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