Flashback to the moment the Curtain first descended.
"Is this a Curtain?" Both Yuji Itadori and Aoi Todo witnessed the black barrier falling and immediately realized something terrible was happening.
"Speaking of which, there's been a lot of noise coming from that direction for a while now," Yuji noted.
Todo looked up toward the direction Yuji indicated, his voice low and serious. "The scent of a curse is incredibly thick. It far exceeds the scope of a Grade 2 spirit. There might be a Special Grade present."
"A Special Grade?!" Yuji thought of Aomori, and his expression turned anxious. "Then let's get over there and help!"
"Of course! Itadori, follow me!"
The two sprinted through the woods. The moment they crossed the tree line, they saw a familiar figure standing ahead. They skidded to a halt, shouting in unison, "You!"
"Long time no see, you two." A smile played on Aomori's lips. "What a coincidence. I didn't expect the first ones I'd run into would be you. It must be fate."
"I don't want to be 'fated' with you!" Yuji said with clear disdain.
"Itadori, you know him too?" Todo lowered his head, his entire body trembling.
"Yeah, I met him during a mission once. He's a really, really strong guy." Yuji clenched his fists. "I've been dying to punch him in the face."
"As expected of my best friend, we think alike." Todo looked up, his face flushed with excitement. "Aosora! Ever since I lost to you last time, I've wanted to fight you again more than anything."
"Wait, you were beaten by him?"
"Yeah, I lost miserably. But I'm not fighting alone this time. Best friend, let's go! Let's knock him flying together!"
"Yeah! That's exactly what I wanted!"
Aomori shook his head and said regretfully, "Sorry, but you're no longer qualified to be my opponents. You're only fit to play with my pets."
He snapped his fingers. The massive Pidgeot and the sleek, elegant Absol appeared simultaneously.
"Are they Cursed Spirits? They don't feel like it," Yuji said, puzzled.
Typical spirits are clusters of negative emotions and often emit a sickening stench, but these two—no, three, were different. Looking into their eyes, one felt a sense of clarity and ethereality.
"Hmm, how should I put it?" Yuji thought for a moment before a lightbulb went off. "I remember now! They're just like Fushiguro's shikigami!"
"Whether they're spirits or shikigami, we have to take them down." Todo's fighting spirit burned like an eternal flame. "Aosora! Witness it, the me who has been reborn!"
With that, Todo shot a look at Yuji, and they charged together. Their target was Pidgeot.
So you have some discernment after all, choosing me as the primary target to take down.
Pidgeot let out a smug chuckle and beat its wings, soaring into the sky.
Nearby, Absol shook its head and launched several Air Slashes. Transparent blades of wind shot toward the duo.
Todo smirked and leaped ahead of Yuji. Just as the wind blades were about to hit, he clapped his hands sharply.
Boogie Woogie!
Pidgeot, flying in the sky, swapped places with Todo. It was suddenly facing Absol's wind blades, Yuji's incoming fist, and a falling Todo, caught in a three-way pincer attack.
At that moment, Absol's eyes glowed faintly. The wind blades curved around Pidgeot and struck the caught-off-guard Yuji instead.
The sharp wind sliced across Yuji's body, drawing blood.
Pidgeot reacted instantly as well. With a fierce cry, it spread its wings and spun its body, whipping up a Hurricane. The storm radiated outward from Pidgeot as the epicenter.
This wasn't a targeted strike; it was a wide-area attack that hit everyone.
"Tch! Did it find the weakness of Boogie Woogie that quickly?" Now, no matter who Todo swapped, they would still face the indiscriminate storm.
Assessing the situation, Todo clapped again.
Clap!
Space shifted. Todo and Absol swapped places.
In the midst of the howling wind, the two humans and the dog were all blown back. Only Aomori remained unaffected, standing gracefully with a faint smile as he watched the battle.
Mid-air, Absol's eyes glowed again. It adjusted its position, aimed at Yuji, and flicked its head to release more wind blades.
This time, Todo couldn't see the field clearly enough to trigger Boogie Woogie, and Yuji was hit again.
"Ow, ow, ow... why am I always the one getting hurt?" Having taken several wind blade hits, Yuji was nearly drenched in red. Even for a physical monster like him, the blood loss made his vision dim.
"Itadori, you okay? Can you still fight?" Todo asked with a hint of self-reproach. His Boogie Woogie hadn't gained them an advantage; instead, the enemy had exploited it.
Against enemies with reflexes sharper than their own, Boogie Woogie had become a burden.
Looking at the steadily landing Absol and the soaring Pidgeot, Todo's vigilance reached its peak. These were opponents that required his absolute focus. He had to let go of his obsession with Aomori and fight with everything he had!
"A 'fatal' wound like this is nothing!" Yuji forced himself to focus, looking energetic once more.
"Spoken like my best friend! Come on, let's fight!"
As if a counter-offensive horn had been blown, Yuji and Todo charged at Absol with even greater intensity than before. Pidgeot was out of reach in the air, so they would take down the ground-dweller first.
They flanked Absol, raining down a barrage of kicks and punches. However, Absol was far more agile than they imagined. Its silhouette blurred as it dodged and leaped in the cramped space; they couldn't land a single blow.
In that case...
Todo gave Yuji another look. Yuji nodded in understanding, clenched his fist, and entered a profound state of mind. He seemed to feel the miraculous resonance between his Cursed Energy and his physical body.
It'll work. This time it will work!
Yuji stepped forward, reaching Absol's side. He swung a punch with total concentration, and black lightning flickered across his fist.
Black Flash!
During their previous one-on-one, Todo had taught him about Black Flash through words and example. In the heat of this intense battle, Yuji's talent exploded, and he successfully executed the move.
"You finally did it, Itadori! From this day forward, you are reborn!" Todo shed hot tears, feeling genuinely proud of his friend's growth.
However, even the most powerful move is useless if it doesn't hit.
Just as Absol was about to dodge the Black Flash, Todo clapped his hands with absolute resolve. The petite Absol was replaced by the massive Pidgeot.
This time, we win!
Todo grinned victoriously. Since his hands were busy clapping, he used his legs, joining Yuji's Black Flash to pincer-attack Pidgeot!
BOOM!
The strikes hit their mark, but Yuji's expression turned to one of shock.
No... this feels wrong.
Before they could pull back, the Pidgeot in front of them popped like a balloon, and a firework of earth and dust erupted from the ground.
The sudden release of wind-attribute energy created a massive shockwave. Grass, sand, dirt, and nearby trees were instantly blasted away, forming concentric ripples of air that expanded into the distance.
Caught at point-blank range, Yuji and Todo took the full force of the explosion. They were sent flying, tumbling several times across the ground.
When everything settled, they were both out of the fight.
Absol stepped onto Pidgeot's back as they landed safely. Pidgeot gave a smug cry. While the two were surrounding Absol earlier, it had quietly spent over half its energy to create a Substitute while masking its own presence.
So, when Todo used Boogie Woogie to swap Absol out, it was the Substitute that returned to the ground. Taking a Black Flash simply caused the Substitute to lose its energy balance and explode, saving Pidgeot the trouble of detonating it manually.
"Not bad, not bad. You performed well. It seems that after so many battles, you've finally become strong enough to hold your own." Aomori clapped his hands in satisfaction.
The performances of Pidgeot and Absol were remarkable. Absol, in particular, showed excellent strategic vision and insight, keeping the entire battle under its rhythm.
In the original timeline, Yuji and Todo had thrashed the Special Grade Hanami, but here, they suffered from a massive lack of information and were toyed with from start to finish. For sorcerers, they were both excellent.
Unfortunately, their opponent was a cheater.
Aomori's praise only earned a roll of the eyes from Pidgeot. It looked at him, then flew to a tree branch to preen its feathers. Absol shook the dust off its coat and found a comfortable spot to lie down.
Aomori's eye twitched, but there was nothing he could do. He let them be. Their mission was complete; it was his turn to take the stage.
He dragged the bloodied Yuji and Todo over to him. After a quick check, he saw they were just heavily injured and could survive another hour or two, so he left them be for now.
Standing on the inevitable path, he didn't have to wait long before his target appeared.
Aomori chuckled and instantly appeared behind Megumi Fushiguro. He patted the boy's head like a kind elder and said, "Megumi Fushiguro, I've been waiting for you for a long time."
…
What do I do? What do I do? Megumi's mind raced.
Out of the wolf's den and into the tiger's maw. He had seen the sketches of Aomori; he knew this was the spirit that had nearly wiped out the Zenin clan.
Even at full strength, they wouldn't be a match for this guy, let alone now when everyone was wounded and their strength was depleted. Fighting was a dead end. His only choice was to talk to him, stall for time, and wait for Okkotsu-senpai or Gojo-sensei to arrive.
Making up his mind, Megumi took a deep breath and asked, "You've been waiting for me? What do you mean? What do you want from me?"
"Just a small favor," Aomori replied with a gentle smile. "Don't worry. Aside from you and the Sukuna's Vessel on the ground, I don't care about the others. If you surrender and come with me, I won't bother them."
"However, if you want to try and save yourself and put up a fight, I can't guarantee their safety."
"Fine!" Megumi said without hesitation. "I'll go with you!"
"Wait, Fushiguro-kun! Don't be reckless!"
Mai had a complex expression upon seeing Aomori, but she simply hugged her sister tighter and didn't react further. The one who spoke up was Momo Nishimiya, the only one still in decent condition.
"Nishimiya-senpai, it's okay. This is the optimal solution." Megumi gently placed the unconscious Toge Inumaki on the ground. "Please take care of them."
Momo couldn't find any other way out. She gritted her teeth and nodded. "...Alright."
"Let's go," Megumi said, turning back to Aomori.
"Hmph. Too bad. I thought you'd struggle a bit more. What a waste of anticipation." Aomori couldn't hide his disappointment. "Absol, Pidgeot! Time to work!"
At the command, Absol and Pidgeot left their resting spots and returned to Aomori's side.
Two more spirits?
Just as he was about to observe them, Megumi felt a sudden wave of drowsiness. His eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
Damn... it's a sleeping curse.
Despite his attempts to resist, he was simply too tired. He soon drifted into a deep sleep.
"Fushiguro-kun?!" Momo cried out in worry.
"He's just sleeping. Bye-bye then." Aomori waved, picked up Yuji and Megumi, and leaped onto Pidgeot's back.
Carrying the group, Pidgeot spread its wings and soared into the sky.
As they were about to leave the Curtain, Aomori looked back at the ground with an excited expression. "It would be a shame to just leave like this. Why don't we set off a firework before we go?"
He crossed his hands and began an incantation, unleashing Hado #63: Raikoho.
A brilliant pillar of purple light descended from the heavens, drawing everyone's attention.
Momo and Mai stared with their mouths agape, speechless. Kasumi, Nobara, Panda, and the others looked up at the sky in silence.
"What is that?" Yuta Okkotsu looked toward the light, a sense of worry blooming in his heart. He turned back only to find his opponent had vanished.
"Did it run away? Oh no, I messed up. Gojo-sensei is definitely going to complain."
"Maki... I hope you're all safe." Yuta sprinted in the direction where Megumi had gone.
…
While Aomori successfully captured Yuji and Megumi...
Mahito had followed the original plan to bypass the barrier set by Tengen and enter the Jujutsu High warehouse. It had successfully stolen six of Sukuna's fingers and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
It was humming a song, triumphantly leaving the barrier, when it saw someone unexpected. Its face instantly froze.
"What are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you." Another Aomori appeared. At his feet lay a woman in a white lab coat and a man who looked like a gorilla.
It was Masamichi Yaga, the Principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, and Shoko Ieiri, the school doctor. For some reason, they were both here and unconscious.
This Aomori walked up to Mahito and held out his hand, saying bluntly, "Hand it over!"
"Huh? Hand what over?" Mahito looked left and right, playing dumb.
"Hmm?"
Seeing the murderous glint in Aomori's eyes, Mahito couldn't help but remember the time he was almost killed. He had no choice but to pout and hand his spoils over to Aomori.
"This is terrible. Jogo is going to yell at me when I get back."
Aomori took his spoils. Hearing Mahito's words, he said, "Back? Where do you think you're going? Sorry, but you're a prize, too."
Without any apparent movement, Mahito was hoisted into the air by an invisible force, unable to struggle.
"Hey! This is a bit much! Let me go!"
Unfortunately, its roars were selectively filtered out by Aomori. He used his telekinesis to lift Mahito and Shoko Ieiri, disappearing into the twilight.
Upon receiving a signal from Aomori, Darkrai immediately abandoned its clash with Satoru Gojo and vanished as well, leaving Gojo feeling deeply unsettled.
What Gojo didn't know yet was that he would soon be facing a catastrophic mess.