"Panda! Inumaki!"
Seeing their companions being chased by the surging tide of trees, Maki and the others immediately moved in to provide support.
At the same time—
The Kyoto Jujutsu High team, who had been exorcising curses, was thrown into confusion by this sudden turn of events.
"An unregistered Special Grade cursed spirit is pursuing the Tokyo Jujutsu High sorcerer team."
Nishimiya Momo, riding her broom and scouting from above, relayed the information to the squad below at once.
"This exchange event is getting more and more interesting!"
Tōdō gazed at the towering, twisted mass of trees in the distance and broke into a wide grin.
"My best friend, it's time for us to take the stage!"
His pink hair was stained halfway with crimson.
Itadori nodded.
"Yeah!"
"White Zetsu?!"
Panda and Inumaki dodged wave after wave of tree attacks, repeatedly glancing back.
Their worried gazes turned toward the collapsed estate—White Zetsu still hadn't escaped.
In his human form, twisted branches had grown from around his eyes.
Standing atop the surging tree waves, the Special Grade cursed spirit Hanami pressed forward step by step, leaving them no chance to go back and rescue him.
"Inumaki!"
Panda let out a roar!
His entire body swelled with muscle, his frame expanding dramatically—
Realizing the enemy's strength, Panda activated his second form without hesitation!
Inumaki understood immediately. He turned, pulled down his collar, and released his cursed energy!
"Don't move!!"
His Cursed Speech took effect—Hanami froze in place!
Panda lunged forward, his arm muscles bulging as he swung with all his strength, empowered by cursed energy—
"Boom!"
The blow smashed directly into Hanami's face!
Seeing that the Special Grade remained completely unharmed, Panda's heart sank.
Sensing that the effect of Cursed Speech was about to wear off, Inumaki shouted a warning!
But for once, Panda didn't respond.
Instead, the instant Hanami began to move again, he threw another full-force punch!
Because Panda had already sensed it—
Reinforcements had arrived.
Arrogant…
Hanami murmured inwardly, gathering cursed energy into a clenched fist.
"Blood Manipulation: Piercing Blood!"
"Triple-Stacked Exorcism Cannon!"
"Crimson Lotus!"
A hyper-compressed blood beam, a blazing torrent, and a lotus-shaped cursed projectile—
Three attacks shot across a hundred meters, aimed straight at Hanami's back!
"BOOM!!"
Combined with Panda's cursed-energy-infused punch, a pillar of flames erupted skyward!
The closest reinforcements—Kamo Noritoshi, Mechamaru, and Mai—were the first to arrive at the battlefield!
Before the smoke could clear—
A pitch-black barrier suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping the entire arena!
At the same time—
Amid the collapsed ruins, White Zetsu clapped his hands with a smug grin.
"All set!"
Three minutes earlier
Inside the control room, Mirai narrowed his eyes as he studied the surveillance screens, growing increasingly suspicious.
If he hadn't already known how events were supposed to unfold, he might not have noticed anything unusual.
After all, Gojo Satoru's sarcastic attitude was nothing new.
But the conservative elder Gakuganji…
His behavior was completely different from how it was in the original story.
Not to mention his calm reaction upon seeing Itadori.
Even after so much time had passed, none of the Kyoto students had made any move against Itadori.
Aside from Tōdō, everyone else was fully focused on competing in exorcising curses.
Even if they had targeted White Zetsu, Mirai wouldn't have found it strange.
But now, it was obvious—
The Kyoto students had never received any assassination order from Gakuganji.
It was precisely this unnatural calm that made Mirai uneasy.
The next second—
"Boom!"
The talismans used to monitor cursed spirits suddenly burst into deep crimson flames.
On the main screen, a fleeting image of towering tree waves sent dust flying everywhere—
Then, all surveillance feeds across the arena went black at once!
A hint of surprise flashed in Mei Mei's eyes.
"The barrier is interfering with my technique."
"Someone has infiltrated the school!"
Yaga Masamichi stood up immediately.
"I'll go protect Master Tengen. The rest of you, secure the students."
Strange…
Was Yaga always this quick to react?
And Nanami—was he really here just to watch the event?
Watching Yaga leave in a hurry, Mirai frowned slightly.
"Smiling creep, aren't you going to check on White Zetsu?"
Gojo stood up, glancing at Mirai with a faint smile.
Mirai didn't respond.
His indifferent gaze swept over Gojo before he stepped into empty space.
Gojo let out a cold chuckle and clasped his hands together—vanishing on the spot.
"Utahime, come with me."
Gakuganji stood up, carrying a black briefcase as he headed for the door.
"Mei Mei, I suppose that leaves you with me."
Nanami loosened his tie slightly and spoke calmly.
"Understood."
Mei Mei smiled.
"Looks like this year's exchange event…"
"…is anything but ordinary."
Adapting to the situation
Before the situation escalated further, Mirai decided to proceed with the original plan.
Standing before the black curtain, he stepped inside without hesitation.
First, he needed to erase the residual cursed energy left behind when White Zetsu activated the barrier.
Step.
There was no resistance—Mirai entered the barrier with ease.
But the moment he crossed inside—
His expression darkened instantly.
"—zzzzt… bang!"
He looked at the faint smoke rising from his hand, a crimson glow lighting up his eyes.
This wasn't a barrier meant to block Gojo Satoru.
It was a binding-type barrier, designed to restrict Zen'in Mirai alone from entering or leaving.
At the cost of allowing everyone else to pass freely—
It forcibly trapped him.
A barrier sophisticated enough to even interfere with space itself…
"That ancient bastard who's lived for a thousand years… really isn't someone to underestimate."
Mirai muttered softly, a violent glint flashing in his eyes.
Back then, the nail Kenjaku had given him had been tightly wrapped in talismans.
Before it was activated, Mirai hadn't noticed the rules embedded within it.
Breaking the barrier wouldn't take long—
But considering today's chain of strange events…
The school has been turned into a pawn.
The thought crossed his mind.
Gojo, Gakuganji, and the others had likely already grasped part of the truth.
"…Interesting."
Mirai stopped worrying about the barrier and turned toward the students—and Hanami.
The gentle smile faded from his face.
At this moment, he resembled the man he had been in the Zen'in estate—
Cold, indifferent, and utterly aloof, as if no one else mattered.
Deep within the forest
Hanami revealed its pitch-black left arm, and a blood-colored flower began to bloom on its left shoulder.
Facing the combined assault of twelve students, Hanami did not underestimate them in the slightest.
Meanwhile—
White Zetsu, who had been buried in the ruins earlier, had somehow appeared at the very back of the group.
As the hidden thirteenth participant, he calmly drank tea and watched the battle unfold.
"My friend, what a shame."
Tōdō fought alongside Itadori, their fists striking Hanami's chest again and again.
"This feast before us… and yet we can't enjoy it all to ourselves."
"Boom!"
Suddenly, wooden spikes burst from the ground, nearly impaling Tōdō from below!
"Watch it, Tōdō!"
Kamo shouted, forming hand signs as he aimed at Hanami.
"Blood Manipulation: Flowing Red Scale—Exorcism!"
Blades formed from blood shot toward Hanami's throat—
"Clang!"
But Hanami's incredibly tough Special Grade body rendered the attack ineffective once again!
Though Hanami was also feeling the strain, it continued to hold its ground within the encirclement.
It wasn't that it didn't understand how to split the battlefield and defeat them one by one—
This was intentional.
If it were only these students, deploying its Domain would be enough to wipe them out.
Keeping them gathered close, however, was also a means of survival.
According to Kenjaku's plan—
Whether the first to enter the barrier was Gojo Satoru or Zen'in Mirai—
If Hanami wanted to survive and escape,
It had to rely on these students.
Just as Hanami was thinking—
In the next instant—
A figure suddenly appeared before it.
And at the same time—
A cold sensation pressed against its throat.
Zen'in Mirai.
Meeting those crimson eyes—
Hanami's pupils shrank violently.
For the first time—
A true sense of life-and-death danger rang like an alarm.
"Have you decided… how you want to die?"
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