Clap.
Mahito pressed his hands together, letting out a crisp sound.
"That's how it is. So, Tengen, are you satisfied with my layout?"
"It's much better than I imagined," Tengen sighed slightly. "The only thing I didn't expect was that you would so resolutely drag ordinary society into this. Is this Kinji Hakari's ideal?"
Tengen directed the last sentence toward Kinji Hakari, who was on the sofa in the room.
Unfortunately, Tengen was not currently on a private plane flying from Japan to the United States.
On the contrary, she and Yuki Tsukumo were safely situated within a secret room.
Though called a secret room, the space was vast, like a private cinema suite. The two were absolutely certain that at this moment they were still on Japanese soil; otherwise, they could not have heard the rules of the Dream Walk Migration just announced.
Besides Tengen and Yuki Tsukumo, who had just been pulled into the room, Mahito, Kenjaku, and Kinji Hakari were all there.
Tengen could tell that this was the core hub of the Dream Walk Migration, much like the Star Corridor was to the great Japanese barrier.
"Tengen, you must admit one thing," Kinji Hakari said calmly. "Since Mahito is willing to open up the immortality project, the existence of the Jujutsu World can no longer be hidden. The pursuit of immortality by those in high positions is something you, of all people, should be able to imagine."
She could imagine it all too well!
Weren't even the supposedly "pure" group within the Chief Executive of Jujutsu tempted by immortality and willing to offer their loyalty? Even Kyoto, the stronghold of the Traditionalist Faction, had been infiltrated until it was like a sieve.
Tengen remained silent.
Yuki Tsukumo looked at the people in the room and smiled.
"You guys are really bold. Aren't you afraid I'll self-destruct right now and completely destroy your game hub?"
She didn't mention whether she could kill the people present because she was a resurrected person herself.
She clearly knew that death held no meaning for Mahito's group.
Compared to death, the painstakingly constructed Apotheosis Ritual was their lifeblood.
"You won't," Mahito smiled.
"Why?"
"Because you also look forward to earth-shattering change."
Mahito's smile remained unchanged, his tone rising as if he were a priest chanting poetry.
"A storm sweeping the world is blowing with me at its center. In this storm that changes the world, everyone will roar to join in, as if the world has fallen into madness."
This was the expectation Yuki Tsukumo had expressed to Mahito in the space of death.
Now that Yuki Tsukumo had been resurrected, she remembered everything from that space. Hearing these words now, her face turned red with embarrassment.
She argued,
"I only said I looked forward to you stirring up an earth-shaking storm. I didn't say anything else."
"I added some artistic flair."
"That's too much flair!"
Yuki Tsukumo complained loudly.
Tengen sighed again.
Since arriving here, she had sighed twice in total, but she had a premonition that the number of times she sighed would increase over time.
Eventually, her physical body would be completely bound, becoming a sacrifice in Mahito's Apotheosis Ritual.
The logic was actually quite simple.
Since Mahito had already grandly brought the two of them into this space, it meant he was completely unconcerned about any methods they might have.
Setting aside Tengen's own methods—with Kenjaku here, it was likely that no barrier-related methods would work—Yuki Tsukumo's Innate Technique had been completely copied by Mahito.
Now that Mahito even had the Six Eyes, the effectiveness of Star Rage was likely far beyond that of Yuki Tsukumo, the original owner of the technique.
Tengen felt the bitter sensation of being the fish on the chopping block.
"How did you manage to transfer us right from under Gojo Satoru's nose?" Yuki Tsukumo asked, puzzled. "I thought I was being careful enough."
"You were indeed careful, and Satoru's Six Eyes are also troublesome," Mahito smiled. "Unfortunately, having the Six Eyes myself makes me more terrifying than you imagine."
Actually, it's not that hard to understand. The spatial displacement of Uncanny Valley was already elusive. At its peak, even Ryomen Sukuna frankly said that he would have to rely on prediction to crack fifty spatial displacements per second. A Mahito with the Six Eyes is even more terrifying than fifty spatial displacements per second!
Furthermore, there was another point: Yuki Tsukumo said she hadn't been careless, but in reality, she was.
Mahito's Ideological Imprint does not twist thoughts, but it can still change Yuki Tsukumo's perception. This also caused Yuki Tsukumo to instinctively hesitate and fail to counterattack reflexively when she came into contact with Mahito's Cursed Energy.
Don't be fooled by Yuki Tsukumo's dedicated efforts in Tokyo these past few months; in reality, her heart no longer held the cruelty she felt when she first learned of the Intelligent Cursed Spirits.
At that time, she was a firm believer in the faction that wanted to sever all Cursed Spirits.
But since her resurrection, no matter how many excuses she found, she couldn't deny that she had gone against her original ideals. She had even developed the thought that it might be fine if this world were handed over to Mahito's rule.
Fixing this thought in place silently—that is the Ideological Imprint.
Therefore, this is not twisting thoughts.
No matter how many times they check, they won't be able to detect it because it was originally their own thought.
What Mahito did was fix this thought so it would never change.
"I didn't expect you to care about me so much," Tengen said doubtfully. "The only things about me worth your concern are my status as the master of the Star Corridor and the Immortal Technique. But I have already passed the status of the Star Corridor's administrator to Yuta Okkotsu, and the Immortal Technique is meaningless to you, who already possess infinite resurrection. I don't understand why you still want to capture me."
This was also Gojo Satoru's judgment.
For Mahito's forces, although Tengen was an eyesore, she was by no means a target that must be killed.
As long as Tengen left the Star Corridor, it was equivalent to her choosing to go offline in this struggle, watching the clouds from then on.
Whether Gojo Satoru won or Mahito won, it made no difference to Tengen.
"In normal circumstances, it is indeed as you say," Kenjaku said, rubbing his chin with a smile. "But our candidate for godhood has developed other ambitions—ambitions so soul-stirring that even I feel my heart racing."
Tengen frowned.
"I would like to hear the details."
"Did Utahime not inform you?" Mahito asked. "I did not make any Binding Vow with Utahime; she should have told you everything about my situation. But even so, you didn't realize?"
"Utahime Iori did indeed tell me all your intelligence. My only focus was on your faction's combat power and your resurrection ability..."
Tengen suddenly stopped and said thoughtfully,
"Wait, could it be that what you care about now is not the current Apotheosis Ritual, but something after ascending to godhood?"
Utahime Iori had indeed recounted everything that happened when she was kidnapped by Mahito.
However, everyone's focus was only on the five Intelligent Cursed Spirit newborns and the resurrection of Fushiguro Toji.
Other matters, though mentioned briefly, were dismissed by everyone as not being truly serious.
Among them was one point: Mahito had discovered the existence of an otherworldly realm.
"You need my Immortal Technique to explore another world?" Tengen said incredulously. "Even though the Apotheosis Ritual has already begun, your heart is set on another world? Are you really that confident in defeating Gojo Satoru?"
"When the Dream Walk Migration unfolds, my becoming a god is already an established fact."
Mahito glanced at Tengen and said indifferently,
"You don't understand the true operation and results of the Dream Walk Migration at all. You just think I started this game to collect as much Cursed Energy as possible and prepare for breaking the world's limit, but you never thought that the unfolding of this great barrier itself is already a part of my ascension."
This was indeed completely beyond Tengen's expectations.
She immediately turned her gaze toward Kenjaku.
"Kenjaku, I know you've been preparing for the Culling Game for a thousand years, hoping to resurrect those deceased Jujutsu Sorcerers. But I think you, having already reached a cooperation with Mahito, no longer need me. Could it be that I have some other use?"
Kenjaku waved his hand.
"This time, it really isn't me."
Tengen looked at him suspiciously, finally shifting her gaze back to Mahito.
"...Is my Immortal Technique so special? Even you are moved by it?"
"How much do you know about your own Immortal Technique?" Mahito asked.
"I have been entangled with the Immortal Technique for a thousand years. I believe I have a thorough understanding of it."
Tengen looked deeply at Mahito.
"But in your eyes, it seems to be different?"
"I heard that the reason you want to fuse with a Star Plasma Vessel is to dilute your divinity and maintain yourself within the human realm?" Mahito asked. "This is because your Immortal Technique resists your natural lifespan's end, so it begins to evolve on its own, turning you into a higher-level life form than a human. This higher-level life form is called a god by the Time Vessel Association."
Tengen nodded slightly.
"This can be considered an open secret."
A secret known even to the Time Vessel Association—it could be said that any Jujutsu Sorcerer with even a bit of information access, or even ordinary people, could know this.
Otherwise, the Time Vessel Association, composed entirely of ordinary people, wouldn't have been able to find a middleman to send an assassin to kill the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai.
"In that case, haven't you thought of anything?" Mahito asked.
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Tengen felt irritable.
She had always been the representative of the Jujutsu World, and in terms of knowledge reserves, she was undoubtedly number one in the world.
But now, a new subject appeared before her, and she knew nothing about it.
She felt as if she had returned to a thousand years ago, when her teacher would ask her questions like this, watching her look bewildered.
"A higher-level world," Mahito said in a low voice.
Tengen and Yuki Tsukumo were both stunned.
Yuki Tsukumo couldn't help but ask,
"What exactly did you discover in the soul's final resting place?!"
"Didn't Utahime tell you? I found Souls without Cursed Energy and thus inferred the existence of other worlds. Because in our world, whether it's plants, trees, birds, beasts, humans, or Cursed Spirits, everyone has Cursed Energy; it's just a matter of how much."
"You can't be saying that a world without Cursed Energy is a higher-level world, right?" Yuki Tsukumo questioned. "I believe the presence or absence of Cursed Energy is just a matter of differences between worlds. It doesn't mean our world is lower than theirs. That doesn't make any sense."
Mahito waved his hand.
"Tsukumo, you've misunderstood me. What I'm talking about isn't the issue of whether we or other worlds are superior. Remember the question I first asked Tengen? Because Tengen's lifespan was nearing its end, the Immortal Technique automatically operated to make her evolve upward to gain immortality, pushing her to become a higher-level life form."
Yuki Tsukumo was about to continue speaking, but Tengen raised a hand to stop her.
Tengen took a deep breath and said in shock,
"I understand what the King of Curses means—since my Immortal Technique can push me upward to become a more advanced existence, then theoretically, if my technique were embedded into the world, it could also push the entire world to change and advance toward a higher-level world! And this isn't some nonsense; there is actual evidence: the rule of no Cursed Energy in other worlds!"
Yuki Tsukumo was dumbfounded.
Damn, I actually didn't understand!
Mahito chuckled.
"As expected of Tengen."
Pausing for a moment, he said seriously,
"Tengen, I'll be blunt. The potential of your Immortal Technique is greater than you imagine. The focus isn't on immortality, but on the ability to actively seek evolution to achieve immortality! Even Mahoraga only starts adaptive evolution after being attacked, but your immortality can evolve upward automatically. One could even say that if you hadn't manually stopped the evolution, after a thousand years, even I couldn't imagine what kind of existence you would be now. A mere god is simply not enough to describe the potential of your Immortal Technique."
Tengen looked at Mahito and said in a low voice,
"Are you sure you want to take this step?"
"I'd love to mock you casually, saying you can't stop me."
Mahito's expression was solemn as he spoke slowly.
"But I won't do that. On the contrary, I want to ask for your help, because this is no longer just my problem."
"What did you discover?" Tengen asked.
"Something cast a glance at me while I was in the Yellow Springs," Mahito said in a low voice.
Tengen sighed.
Yuki Tsukumo instinctively felt a massive sense of foreboding, as if life and death were being stared at by some unspeakable existence.
Her heart raced with unknown fear, and she couldn't help but shout,
"Hey, hey, what exactly do you mean?! Explain it clearly to me!"
Kenjaku said indifferently,
"I think Mahito explained it clearly enough. Transcending life and death aren't unique to our world. On the contrary, other worlds discovered it long ago, to the extent that when Mahito was performing a resurrection in the domain of transcending life and death, he alerted something from another world. They... or 'they' curiously cast a gaze upon Mahito."
Yuki Tsukumo felt a chill run from her tailbone straight to her crown.
She took a deep breath.
"You were discovered?"
"I don't know," Mahito said quietly.
Yuki Tsukumo covered her forehead and sighed just like Tengen, falling silent.
Tengen murmured to herself,
"I should have thought of it. The world is vast. If I can do it, other worlds should be able to as well. I chose to give up, but the existences in other worlds did not. They, like me, grew infinitely until they became so immense they could transcend life and death, while I was still worrying about whether becoming a god would affect the survival of humanity... I was too arrogant. I've been slow for a thousand years."
Snap.
Mahito lightly snapped his fingers.
"Exactly. Tengen, I need your Immortal Technique," Mahito said. "I don't know if it's too late, but at least 'those existences' haven't followed the soul's final resting place to our world. Perhaps it's some unspoken rule; they think that because I am here, I am on their level, so they hesitate and choose to watch."
"Or more optimistically, they can't do it. They can only observe and cannot interfere."
"Taking this opportunity, our world must also keep up with the speed of evolution. And in this fate called 'World Evolution,' Tengen, your existence is indispensable."
This was by no means alarmist.
Discovery means destruction.
If an existence like that doesn't have an equal to provide mutual deterrence, it's highly likely they will launch a tentative attack out of curiosity.
Perhaps it's not an explicit act of aggression, but for the current world, it would definitely be world-shattering, because even a tentative action from such an existence is enough to destroy the entire world.
Now Tengen's mood was like Uchiha Madara suddenly learning that the final boss wasn't his invincible self, but the Ōtsutsuki from the heavens.
Her feelings were a mix of conflict, fear, and uncertainty about the future.
Having said all this, Tengen could no longer refuse the request.
But before that, Tengen still had a question.
"You could have directly copied my technique without explaining, so why explain so much to me? Even involving the existence of 'them' from other worlds?" Tengen asked in confusion. "Although I've heard from various sources that you hold a sense of honor from ancient times and can understand your current approach, you clearly could have forced me."
This had indeed been Tengen's question all along, not just now.
Among all the people Mahito interacted with, as long as he wanted something from them, he rarely used force.
He always explained things clearly and, if possible, gave the other party satisfactory compensation.
Even if none of that was possible—for example, when Mahito copied Todo Aoi and the others' techniques—he didn't use force but obtained them so effortlessly that Todo Aoi didn't even know his technique had been copied.
This was almost heresy in the Jujutsu World.
Take Gojo Satoru as an example.
Gojo Satoru was already the most heterodox of the heterodox in the Jujutsu World. He was almost the most virtuous person in the Jujutsu World before Itadori Yuji joined.
But how did he handle Cursed Tools that could threaten him?
The Inverted Spear of Heaven, the only one in the world—he destroyed it without hesitation.
Upon learning that the Black Rope from abroad could also nullify Limitless, he traveled thousands of miles to that remote corner of the world to personally destroy it.
If even Gojo Satoru was like this, the more traditional Jujutsu World was even more so.
The most obvious example was Masamichi Yaga.
In the original work, after Gojo Satoru was sealed, the Jujutsu Higher-Ups immediately issued a wanted order, stating that anyone who attempted to release Gojo Satoru's seal was a criminal.
At the same time, they didn't hesitate to send Yoshinobu Gakuganji and other Sorcerers to kill Masamichi Yaga, just to seize his technology for creating Cursed Corpses with Souls.
This was the most realistic Jujutsu World.
In comparison, Mahito was practically more of a saint than a saint.
"Tengen," Mahito asked seriously, "is my way of doing things not good?"
Tengen was stunned.
"Does helping others have to involve self-interest? Is being reasonable something so disgusting it needs to be despised? When things can be explained clearly, must one use force and conspiracy to force things through? Or is it that this world really doesn't allow for some honor and light?"
"I am already standing at the peak of this world," Mahito said indifferently. "If even I implement the behavior of privilege above all, then everyone below me will learn from me and implement the behavior of privilege above all."
"Those above act, and those below follow. It has been thus since ancient times."
(T/N: This statement is something I've been mulling over for a while. My friends were arguing about the statement 'All truly strong people are kind' I won't go into details about the argument but they thought it was BS. Recently I came to the realization that this is actually true. When you become strong enough there are no consequences to your kindness. As long as you are strong enough the world you view must surely be beautiful.)
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