Mechamaru's plea for help was exactly as he expected.
In the original story, this battle served as the prelude to the Shibuya Incident—the final swan song of a young man who just wanted to see his friends.
But this time, the ending would be rewritten.
Of course, Hayashi En was no saint.
It was simply that Mechamaru's abilities would be extremely useful in the upcoming Shibuya Incident.
Saving him would mean the boy owed Hayashi En his life.
Since his life belonged to Hayashi En, there was no harm in having him work for free for a while.
'In any case, there's no downside to increasing my strength.'
Hayashi En's brow smoothed over as his gaze locked onto the tempting number on his system panel: 185,000 points.
His points had reached a substantial amount once again.
'System, open the reinforcement list.'
Hayashi En ignored the flashy techniques and focused directly on the [Basic Attributes] section.
[SYSTEM: SPECIAL GRADE CONSTITUTION REINFORCEMENT - PHASE 2]
[SYSTEM: PRICE: 150,000 POINTS]
'One hundred and fifty thousand...'
Hayashi En clicked his tongue. The price was practically highway robbery.
However, he knew that after this reinforcement, his physical level would likely be on par with a six-finger Sukuna.
He would already be able to go toe-to-toe with Jogo.
'Buy it.'
Hayashi En triggered the purchase with a thought.
[SYSTEM: PAYMENT SUCCESSFUL.]
[SYSTEM: RECONSTRUCTION BEGINNING...]
Boom!
An indescribable, scorching torrent instantly flooded through Hayashi En's entire body.
This was not just a reorganization of muscle and bone; it was a leap forward at the cellular level.
If his previous Special Grade physique was hardened steel, he now felt as if he were turning into some high-density, unknown alloy.
The sound of blood rushing through his veins was like the roar of a great river, and every heartbeat pumped enough power to shatter stone.
After a moment, the heat receded.
Hayashi En slowly tightened his fist. The air exploded in his palm with a dull boom.
'This feeling...'
Hayashi En took off his glasses and glanced at the Golden Rule cane in his hand.
Previously, he needed to channel cursed energy to swing it effectively, but now, the heavy cane felt as light as a straw.
'The physical strength of a six-finger Sukuna...' A confident smile played on his lips. 'Now, I could probably beat Naoya into calling me daddy with just my bare fists.'
Remaining Points: 35,000.
"Junpei, get the car ready."
Hayashi En put his glasses back on and threw on his black trench coat, concealing the explosive muscle lines beneath his collar.
"Where to, Boss?"
"To the dam."
In the car, Hayashi En watched Junpei driving focusedly.
Under Hayashi En's training, Junpei had become quite skilled among Grade 2 sorcerers.
However, the system's ability to help others was limited beyond a certain point.
Otherwise, Hayashi En could have easily manufactured an entire army of sorcerers.
Future improvements would depend on individual talent and hard work.
'Thinking about it, physical modification like Kenjaku's does seem to enhance strength...'
Hayashi En thought of Itadori and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
'Maybe I should perform some human experiments on Junpei...'
Junpei suddenly felt a chill and turned to see his boss's burning gaze.
The atmosphere immediately became a bit awkward.
...
Meanwhile, deep in a certain mountain, in the underground facility of an abandoned dam.
In the massive underground cavern, only the sound of dripping water echoed.
A black-haired young man in a Jujutsu High uniform stood before a large floor-to-ceiling mirror, quietly observing himself.
There were no bandages wrapped around his body, no ulcerated skin, and no missing limbs caused by a Heavenly Restriction.
The person in the mirror had healthy limbs and fair skin; aside from a slightly pale complexion, he was a handsome young man.
Muta Kokichi—also known as Mechamaru.
He raised his hand, greedily feeling the sensation of his fingertips touching the air—the long-lost feeling of being "alive."
'Thanks to that merchant...'
Muta Kokichi clenched his fist.
Half a month ago, he had secretly made a deal with Hayashi En.
Hayashi En had used an incredible method to heal his body without demanding his soul as payment.
But he knew the trouble wasn't over.
"They're here."
Muta Kokichi's eyes narrowed, and he spun around to face the dark tunnel entrance.
Even though his body was healed, the Binding Vow he had made with Mahito and Geto Suguru still existed.
The content of the vow was: [As exchange for providing information to the cursed spirit side, Mahito must use IDLE TRANSFIGURATION to heal Muta Kokichi's body].
It was a mandatory contract.
Although Muta Kokichi had already been healed by Hayashi En, within the rules of the Binding Vow, Mahito had not yet performed the act of "healing."
Binding Vows were interesting things.
In this world of Jujutsu Kaisen, they were highly exploitable.
Take the current situation as an example.
The content of the vow was to help Muta Kokichi heal his body, but what happens if the body is already healed?
The answer is that the vow only dissolves once the party fulfilling the obligation confirms that performance is no longer required.
Since Muta Kokichi knew they were coming, couldn't he just hide?
That certainly wasn't an option; otherwise, in the original story, if Muta Kokichi had simply hidden, Mahito would have suffered the backlash of the vow.
Therefore, the causal line of the Binding Vow was like a GPS tracker that couldn't be blocked, guiding the other party to his doorstep.
This was also why Muta Kokichi wanted Hayashi En's help.
Now that he had discarded that broken shell of a body, he naturally didn't want even the slightest possibility of being separated from her.
Tap, tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed through the empty underground facility.
Two figures slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Aha, found you."
Leading the way was a cursed spirit covered in stitches, with an innocent yet hair-raising smile—Mahito.
Behind him, the man wearing five-colored Buddhist robes was sizing up Muta Kokichi with an amused expression.
"I'm surprised."
Kenjaku narrowed his eyes at the healthy Muta Kokichi.
"To think someone could fully restore you without relying on Mahito's technique."
"How did this happen?" Mahito tilted his head, leaning in a few steps like a curious toddler. "The shape of your soul... it's perfect. Who beat me to the punch?"
"Heh, who knows."
Muta Kokichi didn't answer.
He took a deep breath and pressed the button on his remote control.
Rumble!
A massive curtain of water fell as a giant mechanical suit, dozens of meters tall—Ultimate Mechamaru—burst from the water and stood tall in the underground cavern.
It was the ultimate weapon he had built for this day, fueled by seventeen years of accumulated pain and cursed energy.
"My body might be healed, but there are still some debts to settle."
Muta Kokichi's figure vanished instantly, and in the next second, he was inside the cockpit.
The massive mechanical eyes glowed crimson, locking onto the two Special Grades on the ground.
"Geto Suguru, and Mahito."
Muta Kokichi's cold voice boomed through the speakers.
"Today, I'll be the one to send you both to hell!"
Clack, clack, clack—
The massive cannon ports charged up, and the dazzling glow of cursed energy instantly illuminated the entire underground space.
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