"And that's how it is—I was released," Yuki Tsukumo said.
"Hahaha, Tsukumo, you're so humorous." Gojo Satoru laughed exaggeratedly, absolutely delighted. "What's this about the 'revolving lantern' infecting and resurrecting you, creating Souls, interfering with Souls... anyone who didn't know better would think you're talking about the settings of a Supreme God in some manga."
Yuki Tsukumo's expression remained unchanged as she stared straight at Gojo Satoru without a hint of a smile.
Gojo Satoru's laughter gradually died away.
He turned to look at Tengen. "Is this possible?"
After agreeing to the Binding Vow, Yuki Tsukumo didn't linger at all and rushed back at top speed. Upon arriving in Japan, she immediately contacted Tengen, requesting an immediate meeting in a space where no one but themselves could eavesdrop. She wanted Gojo Satoru included, if possible, but absolutely forbade anyone from the Jujutsu Higher-Ups from knowing about their conversation.
Tengen immediately realized that Yuki Tsukumo's next words would surely subvert the common knowledge of the Jujutsu World and would likely affect the Chief Executive of Jujutsu's current attitude toward the Lord of Curses; otherwise, she wouldn't be so cautious.
Thus, Tengen notified Gojo Satoru and set up a barrier in the deepest part of the Star Corridor. This was already the safest place in the world; unless someone attacked with brute force, no eavesdropping methods could work here.
And here, Yuki Tsukumo spoke without reservation about the contents of the "revolving lantern."
Tengen had now lost her human appearance. Although a humanoid shape could still be vaguely discerned, her entire being was in a monstrous state.
Her head and neck merged into a rectangular shape her face was etched with four eyes but lacked eyebrows or pupils. She wore a set of oversized robes along with trousers, making her look like a thumb wrapped in cloth.
Anyone who saw her would realize one thing: Tengen was truly no longer human.
She was indeed closer to a Cursed Spirit than a human now, existing in an intermediate state between human and god. This intermediate state would be broken in the near future, and she would completely become "it."
Tengen crossed her arms and said thoughtfully, "Theoretically, it's impossible. In fact, if Yuki Tsukumo hadn't returned in person, I wouldn't even be sure if the revolving lantern space truly existed. It involves the deepest secrets of the world, the so-called 'Secret of Death.'"
"Unfortunately, Mahito indeed has the ability to interfere with the world's deepest secrets. He has surpassed you, Tengen." Yuki Tsukumo looked at Tengen's monstrous body and said slowly, "You should have abandoned your human identity to embrace the status of a 'god' long ago, but your hesitation has caused your progress to fall far behind. Today, your wavering has finally met its retribution."
"I've told you many times, Tsukumo."
Tengen said indifferently, "The reason I don't turn into a god is that I cannot be certain what actions I would take after becoming one."
"Losing a human body means the hormones that maintain human thinking capacity also completely disappear. Can you determine how a high-level lifeform born purely of will and reason would think?"
"The best result would be this kind of indifference, with no other changes in will."
"The worst result—a god in charge of the great Japanese barrier, if they so wished, could immediately cause all humans in Japan to undergo ascension. Perhaps for 'it,' that would be the most beneficial thing for humanity, and at that time, no one would have the power to stop it."
Yuki Tsukumo shrugged. "As it turns out, you were worrying over nothing."
Tengen was already in an intermediate state between god and man, yet her will remained unaffected, which showed that her previous concerns were misplaced.
Tengen sighed and said no more.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing." Gojo Satoru held his hands out and pressed down repeatedly, imitating a heroine in an idol drama stopping a fight between the male lead and a supporting character. "Aren't we discussing the Lord of Curses right now? About becoming a god or not... to tell you the truth, seeing Tengen's current tragic state, I certainly don't want to become any kind of god."
The "tragic" Tengen remained silent.
Gojo Satoru continued to rub salt in Tengen's wounds. "I saw Tengen before, and she was truly a beauty. I remember she had light-colored long hair; though she was unkempt, she possessed a dreamlike beauty. Just seeing her, you could immediately recognize her as the sacred Tengen who governs the great Japanese barrier. But look at her now—"
Gojo Satoru clicked his tongue. "I don't want to be mean. But going from a beautiful girl to a thumb... sorry, I really can't keep a straight face."
Tengen couldn't take it anymore and said coldly, "This is all thanks to you."
Gojo Satoru shrugged. "Well, thanks to me, that's true."
That happened during Gojo Satoru's high school days. At that time, Tengen was not in this thumb-like form; she possessed a sacred beauty just as Gojo Satoru said. However, the price of maintaining a human form was that she had to merge with a Star Plasma Vessel every so often.
This Star Plasma Vessel was actually a human girl whose Soul could undergo Fusion with Tengen's.
Gojo Satoru's mission at the time was to safely bring the Star Plasma Vessel to Tengen. According to Tengen, this was also the mission of every Six Eyes user. But that time, because of the Heavenly Restriction, the only failure in Gojo Satoru's life occurred, which resulted in Tengen having no target for Fusion.
From that moment on, her body began an unstoppable slide toward godhood, until today, when her human form could no longer be maintained at all.
Incidentally, there were originally backup Star Plasma Vessels, but this time Tengen refused the Fusion. Perhaps Tengen also felt the waves of the era and took the initiative to embrace evolution.
Unfortunately, she realized it a bit late.
Yuki Tsukumo was once Tengen's Star Plasma Vessel. After learning of her identity back then, she resisted fiercely. Then, with Tengen's half-willing consent, she gained her freedom and mastered her power, eventually becoming a Special Grade Sorcerer.
Yuki Tsukumo started to get a headache. "I somewhat regret calling you here, Satoru. Can you stop messing around?"
Gojo Satoru raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I just saw how solemn you both were and wanted to liven up the atmosphere."
Pausing for a moment, Gojo Satoru's expression turned serious. "I understand the situation. The enemy I'm facing is a genuine monster. His monstrosity isn't just about the scale of his power, but that he has no definition of 'death' at all!"
"A creature that can self-resurrect and possesses high growth potential has completely matured right under our noses."
"It's my dereliction of duty." Gojo Satoru frankly admitted his mistake. "I thought that no matter how the Lord of Curses grew, he couldn't possibly be my match. I thought the moment my eyes saw him, I could twist his head off... but no matter how far I stretched my imagination, I couldn't imagine he could grow to his current level."
"No, it's not your fault." Tengen sighed. "It's my dereliction of duty. Within the Jujutsu Higher-Ups, there is a high-ranking official who is a spy for the Lord of Curses. And it's not just any official—it's someone who can contact me directly."
Gojo Satoru was shocked. "Are you sure? There should only be a few people, right?"
Even Gojo Satoru didn't have that privilege!
Because of Tengen's special status, the number of people who could contact her directly was extremely small and their status was lofty. Gojo Satoru originally had that qualification, but now that he was openly pushing for reform, how could the Jujutsu Higher-Ups grant him such an honor?
The same applied to Yuki Tsukumo. She was the type to flip off the Jujutsu Higher-Ups, so she couldn't expect them to give her any respect.
In every era, Special Grade Sorcerers were considered the ultimate trump cards of the Jujutsu World, and their status was beyond question. But this era was different. Including Geto Suguru, who died a year ago, these Special Grade Sorcerers were too rebellious, to the point that the Jujutsu Higher-Ups simply couldn't trust them.
Yuki Tsukumo explained, "I once discussed with Tengen about using myself as bait to meet the Lord of Curses. Because Tengen is behind me, as long as I met Mahito within Japan, he would never be able to escape Tengen's surveillance. At that point, the outcome would be decided."
"You know the result." Yuki Tsukumo shrugged. "Mahito didn't give me the chance at all. After he contacted me, he almost immediately demanded I set a Binding Vow and fixed the meeting place abroad. No matter how strong Tengen's surveillance is, she can't monitor foreign countries."
Gojo Satoru frowned deeply. "I find it hard to imagine... no, it's not impossible. The actual rulers of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups now... they're all old men, aren't they? It seems there isn't a single young person?"
Gojo Satoru turned his face to Tengen for the final question.
Tengen nodded in confirmation. "Correct."
"Immortality..." Gojo Satoru lamented, understanding now.
The highest-level rulers of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups were supposed to be the purest in the Jujutsu World, because only then could they guide the future of the Jujutsu World with the most rational thoughts. Regardless of whether the Jujutsu Higher-Ups were decayed or not, they at least performed their basic duties well. Conservative and stubborn, they were indeed synonyms for decay, but they were also synonyms for tradition.
To put it bluntly, in the original work, if Gojo Satoru had followed the will of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups completely—killing Itadori Yuji immediately upon capture, or handing Geto Suguru's body directly to Ieiri Shoko for both cursed and physical disposal after his death—Kenjaku wouldn't have been able to cause such trouble even with his means.
Regardless of whether it was too harsh or heartless, you couldn't deny its effectiveness!
Of course, such harsh and heartless methods naturally invited a massive backlash. Didn't Gojo Satoru and Yuki Tsukumo both choose to flip off the Jujutsu Higher-Ups? Even Yuta Okkotsu only obeyed the Jujutsu Higher-Ups on the surface while constantly engaging in small acts of defiance?
The three modern Special Grade Sorcerers, in the end, none of them listened to the Chief Executive of Jujutsu! Oh, and there's the deceased Geto Suguru—he flat-out defected!
Four Special Grade Sorcerers: three won't listen, and one defected. Isn't that laughable?
This is a sign of losing public support; the Jujutsu Higher-Ups have indeed reached the time for reform.
Returning to the main topic, Tengen had always personally vetted the rulers of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups as they came into power, ensuring the Jujutsu Higher-Ups never deviated from the bottom line of maintaining balance in the Jujutsu World. She had done well for a thousand years, but now, the temptation of immortality had shattered her millennium of credibility.
Furthermore, the "finished product" of immortality was right under their noses. Kinji Hakari never hid his unique traits and underwent all examinations without any psychological pressure. This meant the Chief Executive of Jujutsu had already fully understood what the immortality bestowed by the Lord of Curses was all about.
Not just the Jujutsu Higher-Ups, but even Gojo Satoru had to marvel at the medical reports, saying, "This is perfect immortality." It wasn't surprising that some among the Jujutsu Higher-Ups were tempted.
That's why Tengen said she failed in her duty. She hadn't anticipated that the stimulus of immortality would tempt the high-ranking Chief Executive of Jujutsu into betrayal; it was indeed her failure.
Gojo Satoru said expressionlessly, "In other words, our enemies aren't just the Lord of Curses and the Intelligent Cursed Spirits and Curse Users under him, but also the higher-ups within our own ranks. We don't even know how many of them have been corrupted. In the worst-case scenario, perhaps they've all been seduced, only differing in the extent of their betrayal."
After all, it was immortality!
Gojo Satoru wasn't naive; he would only speculate with the deepest human malice. If necessary, he was prepared to stand alone against the entire world.
"It shouldn't have reached that point yet," Tengen explained weakly.
Gojo Satoru chuckled and stopped discussing the topic.
Yuki Tsukumo looked around at Tengen and Gojo Satoru, sighing. "As expected, what Mahito said was right—letting me back was just to buy time... As long as his true combat strength isn't exposed, just our imagination is enough to make those of us in the war council hesitate."
The current atmosphere was so heavy that Yuki Tsukumo felt as if she were in the deep sea, with countless pressures weighing down on everyone like physical objects. Even the invincible Gojo Satoru was no longer arrogant. Clearly, the Jujutsu World held an absolute advantage in direct combat capability, yet the war council felt as if they were about to sign a surrender agreement.
Gojo Satoru stroked his chin and suddenly asked, "Since when did you start calling the Lord of Curses 'Mahito,' and when did your reference to him change from 'it' to 'him'?"
"I know what you're suspecting. I even suspect myself, wondering if my thoughts have been twisted."
Yuki Tsukumo said frankly, "Before you arrived, I checked myself and asked Tengen to help check me as well. It's not just a matter of..."
"...thought distortion; whether there are residues in this resurrected Soul is also a matter to be wary of."
Gojo Satoru turned his gaze toward Tengen.
Tengen didn't hide anything. "If Tsukumo hadn't said it herself, she would have no reason to deceive us. I even suspect she never died at all. This was a perfect resurrection, just like how the Lord of Curses personally intervened to change your disciple's gender. I believe even the most critical medical experts would be awestruck."
This was terrifying, because it proved that as long as the Lord of Curses wanted, even if he were truly killed, he could quietly resurrect in some corner of the world without any side effects.
How were they supposed to fight this?
Well, Tengen had failed to notice because the Ideological Imprint didn't involve Cursed Energy residue at all. It was a physiological change. If a brain expert could carefully compare Yuki Tsukumo's brain before and after her battle with Mahito, they might see something, but a Cursed Energy check was completely useless.
However, with current medical capabilities, even that was impossible. After all, the human brain loses hundreds of thousands of brain cells every day; how could they compare?
Gojo Satoru said sincerely, "It's almost like a player in a game, and I'm the BOSS sitting in the BOSS room waiting for the player's favor."
"Things haven't gotten that bad yet. After all, isn't the reason he resurrected me and sent me here precisely to buy time?" Yuki Tsukumo said bitterly. "Unfortunately, I've completed the task perfectly, but at the same time, this proves that at least for this period, he doesn't want to face Satoru."
"In other words, when he takes the initiative to challenge me, it will prove he's already capable of killing me," Gojo Satoru said coldly.
Everyone remained silent, acknowledging the possibility.
Gojo Satoru didn't say things like "I don't believe it," but instead said very calmly:
"Let's analyze what the Lord of Curses can do at this stage. Let's start from when he first appeared. I believe he isn't flawless, otherwise, he wouldn't be hiding from me now."
"Good, at least our strongest combatant hasn't lost heart. That's the best news," Yuki Tsukumo praised.
Gojo Satoru waved his hand casually. "I know very well whether I'm invincible or not. If I were truly invincible, would I specifically destroy tools that threaten me? I know my limits; it's just that usually, no one can threaten me, so I just slack off."
But now, he could no longer slack off.
Everyone heard the meaning in his words.
Tengen nodded with relief. "Even across a thousand years, Gojo Satoru, you are among the best. I believe in terms of growth potential, you won't lose to anyone, not even that Lord of Curses. Work hard; we will help you to the greatest extent possible."
Gojo Satoru said cheerfully, "With those words from Tengen, I'm truly at ease."
After a pause, Gojo Satoru asked again, "You haven't answered my question, Tsukumo. I've noticed you don't seem to have that much hostility toward the Lord of Curses anymore. Since it's not some underhanded mental distortion the Lord of Curses did to you, then why?"
Yuki Tsukumo said slowly, "Because I'm starting to understand Kinji now."
Gojo Satoru was stunned. "Kinji? What's wrong with him?"
"Didn't he say he wanted to let Mahito rule the world?" Yuki Tsukumo said. "I... also kind of want to see that scene."
Tengen and Gojo Satoru both leaned back simultaneously.
Before this, Yuki Tsukumo was a hundred percent radical; she even wanted to eradicate Cursed Spirits! Kinji Hakari had once shared his heart with Gojo Satoru, and although Gojo didn't listen to all of it, it had at least reduced some of his ill will toward Mahito. But Yuki Tsukumo was someone who normally wouldn't listen to a single word Kinji Hakari said.
On what basis?
Gojo Satoru pointed at Yuki Tsukumo and looked at Tengen. "Are you getting senile? You call this not having a distorted mind? She's a completely different person!"
Tengen gazed at Yuki Tsukumo and said hesitantly, "How about I check her again?"
Well, she was starting to doubt her own skills too.
Yuki Tsukumo ignored their doubts entirely, only musing, "Mahito's Soul is very clean, very pure."
"I can't say why—my memory of that battle has been completely forgotten due to the Binding Vow—but I can be certain that Mahito possesses a noble soul unparalleled in the entire history of the Jujutsu World."
Gojo Satoru's mouth twitched. "What do you mean by a noble soul? Is there such a thing as a noble or ignoble Soul? You've gone crazy."
"No. Souls indeed have a distinction of being noble or not," Tengen nodded thoughtfully. "I see, so that's why the Lord of Curses has been acting this way lately."
Gojo Satoru was dumbfounded.
It was over—he'd become the illiterate one!
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSim
Next Bonus Chapter at 400 Powerstones.