Chapter 99: Yuki Tsukumo — Return to the Beginning
A surge of killing frost erupted across the battlefield, swallowing everything in an instant. The temperature plummeted to freezing, and within a heartbeat, everyone—except Itadori Yuji—was encased in solid ice.
"This… this is an ice-type cursed technique," Fushiguro muttered through gritted teeth, his voice trembling. "And it's unbelievably powerful."
His words froze midair—literally. The group could no longer move, their bodies stiff and pale-blue under a layer of crystalline frost.
"Don't move," Uraume's calm, frigid voice echoed through the storm. "If you struggle, your body will shatter."
A single large-scale spell—so sudden, so precise—had frozen the entire battlefield solid. Every sorcerer caught in range—Chōsō, Nanami, Kusakabe, even those still clashing with Kenjaku—had been turned into human ice sculptures.
"Kill them all," Uraume said coldly, lowering her gaze to the frozen figures around her. "We have other means to spread the message."
She raised her hand. In her palm was a bloodstained hole—the mark left behind by Chōsō's Piercing Blood.
With a simple flick of her wrist, her Reverse Cursed Technique activated. The wound closed in seconds, leaving her hand pristine once more.
Watching the silent, unmoving sorcerers before her, she prepared to end their lives without hesitation.
"Reverse Cursed Technique and an area-wide elemental spell on this scale…"
Kusakabe's voice cracked through the ice, muffled and shaky. "Yeah… this is way above my pay grade. I just wanna go home."
"Such weak frost," a low voice growled from within the ice.
Chōsō's arm twitched—one hand still free enough to move. His blood began to boil, literally, glowing crimson as steam hissed from the cracks in the ice.
"Red Scale Ignition!"
The heat radiating from his blood surged outward, melting away the frost encasing his body.
But just as he began to move—
A razor-sharp icicle pressed against his throat.
Uraume stood before him, her face devoid of emotion.
"Die."
"Crash!"
A sudden flash of motion split the air—a figure burst in between them. A thunderous flying kick smashed through the ice, shattering it to pieces and sending Chōsō tumbling backward to safety.
"Don't mess with me! You know whose body this is!?"
Uraume's expression darkened in fury, her eyes narrowing as she glared at Yuji.
Had he not been Sukuna's vessel, she would've frozen him where he stood without a second thought.
Crack… crack… CRASH!
From the other side, Hakari flexed his shoulders, shattering the ice around him with brute strength. Frost fell from his hair like glass dust as he stretched his neck.
"Tch. Don't make me look bad in front of sensei."
Eyes locking on Uraume and Kenjaku, Hakari cracked his knuckles and smirked.
"Hand over Gojo Satoru—now. Otherwise, I'll start taking bets on which of you I break first."
His cursed energy pulsed like a living storm; for the first time, he actually looked excited.
Uraume sneered. "All of you are irrelevant. The only one we need alive… is Itadori Yuji."
She pressed her hand to the ground, and cursed energy exploded outward like a detonation.
"Ice Binding Technique — Direct Cascade!"
A blizzard of raw power surged upward. From the earth, countless jagged ice spikes erupted, spearing through the ground and freezing everything in their reach.
Above, thick columns of glacial ice formed in the clouds—then began to fall, one after another, raining down like the wrath of a frozen god.
"Tch…"
Hakari clicked his tongue, coating his entire body in cursed energy. Grabbing the frozen form of Kirara, he blinked out of the strike zone just before the hail of ice came crashing down.
The battlefield had turned into a frozen wasteland.
But the frost wouldn't last long.
Because high above—
a faint shimmer of golden energy began to tear through the clouds.
A woman's voice echoed, calm yet sharp, like wind slicing through glass.
"Uraume… you're still clinging to that old doctrine of balance and purity, aren't you?"
The clouds split apart.
Descending slowly, with radiant energy swirling around her like a halo of light, stood a woman draped in white and gold.
Her presence alone distorted the air.
"Yuki Tsukumo, Special Grade Sorcerer," Uraume whispered, her eyes narrowing as she recognized her.
The newcomer's lips curled into a faint smile.
"It's been a while since I've had to step onto the battlefield," she said softly. "But seeing the world fall into chaos again…"
Her golden eyes gleamed.
"...reminds me why I became a sorcerer in the first place."
—
On the battlefield, ice pillars rained down like divine punishment.
Yuji and Chōsō were caught right in the strike zone.
"Yuji!"
"Brother!"
Chōsō's eyes widened as his body froze mid-motion. In the next second, a massive column of ice crashed down, encasing him completely in solid frost.
"Crap!" Yuji's legs had already been trapped in ice, numb from the cold. He raised his arms to shield his head, helplessly watching as a massive shard of ice hurtled toward him.
"—Boom!"
Just as Principal Yaga and Naobito Zen'in were about to intervene, a sudden burst of radiant energy slashed through the air.
The incoming ice shattered in an instant, scattering like glass.
A single woman stood between Yuji and death—wind swirling around her, a colossal bone dragon coiling protectively at her back. Behind her, the frozen mountain glimmered like a backdrop painted for her arrival.
"...Suguru Geto," she said softly, her tone calm but cutting. "It's been a long time."
The newcomer—elegant yet terrifying—was none other than Yuki Tsukumo, the most unorthodox of all special-grade sorcerers.
Her golden eyes turned toward Kenjaku.
"The path you chose," she said, "has failed."
Kenjaku's lips curled into a thin, amused grin.
"Well, this is a surprise," he said, voice dripping with dark humor. "I've already dealt with Gojo Satoru, Zen'in Shinsuke is bound by oath, and Okkotsu Yuta doesn't concern me. And yet, even you, the one who's always avoided meddling in others' affairs, decided to show up."
He chuckled quietly.
Yuki Tsukumo had become a special-grade sorcerer before both Gojo and Geto—someone whose strength and ideals had always been shrouded in mystery. Even with all of his intelligence networks, even after scouring Jujutsu High's archives, Kenjaku had found nothing about her technique.
That made her the most dangerous kind of opponent—the unknown.
"Do you remember," Yuki said, stepping forward, "the conversations we once had? About how to erase cursed spirits from the world entirely?"
Her tone was casual, almost nostalgic, but her sharp gaze never left him.
"No matter which approach we chose back then, it was always meant to push humanity forward—to make people evolve beyond cursed energy."
In truth, she was stalling for time—buying precious seconds for the others still frozen to break free.
She had no intention of engaging in philosophical debate with a man whose ideals disgusted her.
Kenjaku's expression darkened slightly.
"You're wrong," he replied evenly. "It's not about escaping cursed energy—it's about refining it."
Yuki tilted her head, unimpressed. "I thought you abandoned that theory. After all… that person's case proved how unstable it was."
Kenjaku smirked. Of course, he'd seen Yuki's earlier research through Geto's stolen memories.
She'd sought to end the very existence of cursed energy—to find a way for humanity to evolve naturally, free from curses.
To him, that was naïve—childish, even.
Making everyone a sorcerer was far simpler.
Besides, if everyone became like Zen'in Shinsuke—monsters who could destroy nations—this world would be nothing like the peaceful future Yuki dreamed of.
"Well," Yuki sighed, raising a hand, "I'll admit it. I've come full circle."
Her smile was faint but sincere. "After everything I've seen… I still can't find a way to erase cursed spirits completely. So, I decided to go back to the beginning—to start again from where it all began."
She stretched lightly, eyes flicking toward Kenjaku with mock cheer.
"And maybe… I'll enjoy torturing the man who ruined everything."
Kenjaku's grin widened. "You think you've found a flaw in my design?"
"I know I have," Yuki replied, voice firm. "Your so-called 'optimization' plan has a massive problem. Outside of Japan, sorcerers and curses are rare. Don't you think that's strange?"
She took a step closer, golden energy flaring faintly.
"I'm guessing your optimization relies on Tengen's barrier network. Which means that whatever you're doing—can only affect this country."
Kenjaku didn't answer—but his silence spoke volumes.
Yuki's expression hardened.
"Imagine it—cursed energy as a national resource, monopolized by one country. What do you think will happen when the rest of the world finds out?"
Her voice grew colder.
"Nuclear deterrence, military escalation… this isn't evolution—it's the beginning of an arms race powered by human souls. Even if every person here became a sorcerer, how many would reach special grade? How many could stand against the entire world?"
She paused, letting her words sink in.
"Could they stop a single missile?"
Her tone turned sharp. "The world you're creating is nothing like the one I envisioned."
Kenjaku shrugged, smiling faintly. "Of course it isn't. You want peace. I want evolution. Our goals were never aligned."
He raised his hand, cursed energy swirling like a storm.
"I seek a world where humans and cursed spirits evolve together—to usher in the true golden age of Jujutsu. A world beyond control… even mine."
His voice rose, eyes gleaming with mad conviction.
"I'll create chaos so vast that even I can't shape it. That is the only true freedom!"
Before he could continue his sermon—
"BOOM!"
A deafening explosion of heat shattered the battlefield.
The frost melted instantly, steam billowing skyward as the ice sculptures cracked apart.
Uraume staggered, her body trembling, one knee dropping to the ground.
Kenjaku frowned, glancing down at her. "What now, Uraume? You're interrupting my moment."
Uraume stared at her trembling hand, her pale eyes narrowing.
"My body… even after I healed it with Reverse Cursed Technique… is this poison?"
A low chuckle echoed nearby.
"Of course it is."
Chōsō appeared beside Yuji, supporting his brother with one arm, a confident smirk tugging at his lips.
"You didn't think you could take a hit from my blood and not get poisoned, did you?"
Tap… tap… tap.
Footsteps echoed across the melted battlefield.
Yaga, Naobito, and the others arrived at the center, regrouping around Yuji and Chōsō.
From the distance, Zen'in Shinsuke's voice carried over the battlefield.
"Yuki," he called lazily, "don't get too caught up in your speech. They're just stalling for time."
Yuki Tsukumo smiled faintly, eyes still fixed on Kenjaku.
"I know," she said. "But sometimes… even time needs a reason to move forward."