In an instant, the scenery changed. Chu Yang and Mahito stood in the middle of an endless corridor.
Mahito's initial shock turned into amusement.
It could feel its power skyrocketing—nearly tenfold.
What kind of Domain makes the enemy stronger?!
"Hahahaha! How interesting! This has to be the most ridiculous Domain ever!"
Mahito slapped its thigh, laughing hysterically.
"A tenfold boost? Not bad."
Chu Yang looked even happier than Mahito. If Mahito's strength increased tenfold, then once he won, his gains would be ten times greater.
The greater the risk, the greater the reward.
That was the rule of Deathmatch Corridor.
"In that case, I can't waste your generosity."
"Domain Expansion."
"Self-Embodiment of Perfection!"
With its newfound confidence, Mahito activated its own Domain within Chu Yang's Domain.
But the expected clash of Domains didn't happen. Instead, Mahito felt as though its Domain had overpowered Chu Yang's.
"In this space, I don't even need to touch your body to activate Idle Transfiguration. Let's see if you can withstand the tenfold effect!"
Mahito unleashed its technique, eyes filled with anticipation.
Under the tenfold boost, Idle Transfiguration finally put some pressure on Chu Yang.
This time, not only did [Tianque] react—[Fengdu] also manifested, shielding Chu Yang.
A black and white sword light circled him, resembling the eternal cycle of day and night.
Suddenly—
Chu Yang felt something stir within him. He reached out and grasped [Fengdu], whispering twelve words:
"Under the Yellow Springs, above the Netherworld—forever trapped in Fengdu."
At that moment, Chu Yang finally uttered [Fengdu]'s release command. Until now, he had only a vague understanding of its abilities.
With the command spoken, [Fengdu] released a terrifying aura, syncing more deeply with Chu Yang.
Mahito's heart pounded wildly. A formless fear gripped it.
"Death Gate."
Just like the first time he used Yellow Springs, Chu Yang spoke softly.
A massive, ancient door suddenly appeared behind Mahito.
Its surface was engraved with depictions of hell—twisted, grotesque, and terrifying. It resembled the Hell's Gate from the world of Soul Reapers.
Mahito turned around.
The Death Gate swung open!
Countless ghostly hands stretched out from the other side of the door, gripping Mahito's body tightly.
An overwhelming fear surged through him, shattering his usual composure.
He frantically activated Idle Transfiguration, but it couldn't stop the inevitable—the ghostly hands dragged him into the Death Gate.
With a piercing, agonized scream, Mahito vanished completely.
After the Death Gate devoured Mahito, Chu Yang inherited all of his abilities, along with scattered fragments of his memories.
In those memories, Chu Yang saw a golden beach where a group of Cursed Spirits lounged on chairs, sunbathing like humans.
Among them, the most striking figure was a woman with a faint scar on her forehead.
Kenjaku.
Having failed to obtain Geto Suguru's body, Kenjaku was still residing within his previous host.
And in Mahito's memories, Kenjaku and the Cursed Spirits were discussing Geto Suguru.
"Geto Suguru was clearly killed by Gojo Satoru. So where is his corpse?"
"Could it be that Gojo never actually killed him?"
"Those two were close. It wouldn't be surprising if Gojo spared him."
"Gojo isn't the sentimental type. Things escalated to that point—there was no reason for him not to kill Geto."
"That leaves only one possibility…"
"Someone took Geto's body before we could."
"Who could it be? Didn't anyone from Jujutsu High inform you?"
"I only trade with them; we're not master and servant. They don't do things unless there's something in it for them."
In the original timeline, Kenjaku only formed an alliance with these Special-Grade Cursed Spirits after taking over Geto's body.
But now, they had already become allies in advance, and their bond seemed even stronger.
After a long discussion, Kenjaku and the others finally brought up the Prison Realm.
"Since we haven't found Geto's body, should we still proceed with the plan?"
"We can deal with Geto's body later, but we can't let the Sukuna Fingers we've gathered go to waste."
"Jujutsu High has already prepared a new vessel. I hear he's tough to deal with."
"No matter how tough he is, he's not Gojo Satoru. The only one we need to be cautious of is Gojo."
"Capturing him and sealing him can happen at the same time."
While Gojo and the others were busy talking, Kenjaku remained silent. His ultimate goal was different from theirs.
The Cursed Spirits wanted the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, to return and lead them in creating a new world.
But Kenjaku had always pursued his own interests.
To achieve the optimal use of Cursed Energy, he had set his sights on Tengen's continuously evolving Cursed Technique.
And to obtain it, he first needed Geto Suguru's Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
The true essence of Cursed Spirit Manipulation—Maximum: Uzumaki—allowed the extraction of a Cursed Spirit's technique, transferring it to the user and enabling them to wield multiple abilities.
However, the extracted techniques couldn't grow stronger; their power remained at the original owner's level.
Besides Cursed Spirits, similar beings could also be targets.
Tengen's existence leaned more toward that of a Cursed Spirit than a human.
Without Maximum: Uzumaki, Kenjaku wasn't willing to act rashly. Even if they successfully sealed Gojo Satoru, it would only be a waste of time for him.
But the dilemma was that if he voiced opposition now, his alliance with the Cursed Spirits would immediately collapse.
Kenjaku could only compromise.
"Without Geto Suguru's identity as a cover, sealing Gojo will be difficult. Let's shift our focus to that vessel instead."
"As far as I know, he's been operating alone. Gojo isn't by his side."
"We should prioritize reviving Ryomen Sukuna."
Kenjaku understood Sukuna's nature all too well—he would bring chaos rather than lead the Cursed Spirits in creating a new world.
But what did that matter to him?
Chaos was fine. It would provide the perfect cover for his own plans.
Kenjaku's mind was fixated on Geto Suguru; he couldn't care less about anything else.
Gojo was the first to agree, saying he could handle it alone.
If even Gojo didn't intimidate him, there was no need to worry about other sorcerers.
Mahito lounged under the sun, a mocking smile playing at his lips.
And with that, the memory ended abruptly.
Perhaps even Mahito himself hadn't expected that before Gojo could encounter Chu Yang, he would already have stepped through the gates of hell.
Chu Yang stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Since those Cursed Spirits had made him their target, why not turn the tables and give them an opportunity—just enough to take the Sukuna Fingers from their hands?
After finishing Mahito's memories, Chu Yang punched through the blocked exit and stepped out.
The rain had stopped.
The sky had cleared once more.
Standing under the sunlight, Chu Yang turned to glance at the dark sewers behind him.
Not only had Mahito been buried there, but so had many innocent civilians.
Chu Yang took out his phone and contacted Jujutsu High's auxiliary staff to handle the aftermath.
However, making this call would also alert Kenjaku to the fact that Mahito had been eliminated.
Before long, Ijichi Kiyotaka arrived with Itadori Yuji in tow.
"Senpai, did you take down that Cursed Spirit?" Itadori asked urgently.
Chu Yang nodded. "How's the girl?"
"She's stable for now. We sent her home, but… she doesn't seem to remember anything that happened."
"Itadori told me you erased her memories. According to regulations, sorcerers aren't allowed to use Cursed Techniques on civilians without permission."
"Yang-san, this counts as a violation."
Ijichi's voice was calm, like a robot delivering an automated response.
Itadori grew anxious and protested, "Come on! Yang-senpai didn't do anything wrong! If we hadn't erased her memories, how was she supposed to live with that trauma?"
Standing in the sunlight, Ijichi's glasses reflected the light, making Chu Yang slightly uncomfortable.
Waving his hand impatiently, Chu Yang asked, "So what?"
Ijichi smiled. "So, I don't intend to report it. I think you did the right thing. I just hope you'll be more careful next time."
Chu Yang grinned and patted him on the shoulder.
Realizing he had wrongly accused Ijichi, Itadori blushed, scratching his head awkwardly.
"I won't report this, but I still need the details of how you eliminated the Cursed Spirit," Ijichi continued.
"What grade was the source of this incident?"
Following standard protocol, Ijichi began questioning Chu Yang about the specifics.
"Special-Grade Cursed Spirit—Mahito."
"He had a human-like appearance and intelligence. His personality is difficult to define, and his technique was…"
Chu Yang provided all the necessary information, ensuring Ijichi could document the case and submit it to Jujutsu High's archives.
Those archives held countless records of Cursed Spirits that had been eliminated by Jujutsu High.
Future sorcerers could reference this information to develop countermeasures against similar threats.
As Chu Yang detailed the entire process, Itadori felt a chill run down his spine.
He asked himself—if he had faced that Cursed Spirit, what could he have done?
The answer was—nothing.
Without Sukuna, as a newly enrolled student at Jujutsu High, he would have stood no chance.
That realization left him feeling somewhat dejected.