The light breeze swept across the skeletal remains of the city, swirling fine dust into the air.
Silence.
BOOM!!!
As if a single drop of water had shattered a mirror-like surface, a sound like an exploding cannon shell tore the stillness apart. The figures of Souma Gojo and Sukuna collided in a blur, their right fists connecting simultaneously with each other's faces.
They recoiled instantly.
Sukuna's expression darkened. Something is wrong. The sensation is off. It was as if he had struck an invisible barrier—no matter how much force he applied, he could not reach the skin.
"Is this the 'Infinity' Kenjaku spoke of? A truly fascinating ability!" Sukuna grinned, but his face suddenly stiffened. His body was pulled toward Souma as if caught in a powerful gravitational tide.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
Souma's left hand made a pulling motion. In his right palm, a crimson orb of light spun with violent intensity.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!"
At a distance of less than half a meter, Souma slammed his palm forward, driving the Red directly into Sukuna's abdomen. Sukuna crossed his arms, attempting to brace for the impact head-on.
CRASH!!!
Under the staggering repulsive force of Red, Sukuna's body was propelled backward like a rocket. He tore through three skyscrapers before finally grinding to a halt amidst the rubble.
Souma didn't hesitate. He lunged through the gaping holes in the buildings, arriving before a rising Sukuna in an instant.
Black Flash!
A heavy, lightning-streaked blow landed squarely on Sukuna's chest. This time, however, the King of Curses only stumbled back two steps before steadying his stance. His arms, mangled by the previous blast, knitted back together in a blur of Reverse Cursed Technique.
Sukuna looked up at Souma, a smile of arrogant triumph playing on his lips.
"Magnificent!"
It was the look of a man who had finally found a toy that wouldn't break. Since his birth, Sukuna had met only "maggots"—creatures he could dice into mincemeat with a flick of his wrist. To face someone who could wound him at the very start of the match was a first in his long, bloody history.
"In that case, let's get serious."
Sukuna spread his arms and slammed his palms together, his pinky and index fingers curling into the Enmaten seal.
"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!"
Behind Sukuna, a demonic visage manifested, followed by a gargantuan, open-roofed shrine erupting from the ground. Absolute darkness bled into the surroundings like spilled ink, transforming the environment into a landscape of nightmare where mountains of human and animal bones piled high.
Sukuna stood atop the shrine, looking down at Souma like a god presiding over an execution.
"Crawl, insect! Entertain me to your heart's content!"
Shibuya Station
"Will Satoru Gojo come? What if it's Souma Gojo instead?"
"Then we run."
"Tch, don't lower our morale, Hanami!"
"By the way... can 'Domain Amplification' really neutralize the Infinity?"
"I told you, it will work!"
Mahito chimed in, his tone unusually cautious. "I think I should remind you both of something. If Satoru Gojo deactivates his Infinity because of us, do not think for a second that you can drop your guard to attack him."
Jogo and Hanami looked at him, puzzled. Mahito continued, a hint of lingering fear in his eyes.
"When Kenjaku and I faced Souma Gojo, I saw that his Infinity wasn't active. I thought it was a golden opportunity, so I lunged at him with Idle Transfiguration. Jogo, you saw what happened next. So remember: even if Satoru doesn't have his Infinity up, do not deactivate your Domain Amplification!"
Domain Amplification wrapped the user in a thin, vacuum-like shell of a domain. This vacuum was designed to absorb any technique it touched—much like oxygen leaking into the void of space. By maintaining it, Satoru's Infinity would be bypassed, but the trade-off was that the curses couldn't use their own innate techniques simultaneously.
Mahito feared his comrades would get greedy. He didn't know it yet, but this bit of cautious advice would soon save Hanami's life.
CRASH!!!
The subway entrance collapsed. A figure entered with the grace of a ghost.
"He's here!" Jogo roared, his heart a chaotic mess of joy, terror, and adrenaline.
Mahito and Hanami instantly split in opposite directions. Satoru Gojo surveyed the scene with cold, clinical eyes, slowly cracking the knuckles of his hand.
"I'm going to slaughter you all."
Toji Fushiguro stared at the man blocking his path. There was something irritatingly familiar about him. The man wore a traditional kimono, his eyes narrow and filled with a sharp, judgmental glint.
"No cursed energy?" the man sneered. "No wonder you were discarded by the name Zenin and took the name Fushiguro. A failure like you, carrying the Zenin name, was a stain upon my family."
Toji narrowed his eyes. "Your family?"
The man laughed coldly. "My name is Zenin Takeshi. I am the nineteenth head of the Zenin clan!"
Toji felt a flicker of surprise. Nineteenth. Naobito Zenin was the 26th. That meant this man was the ancestor of Naobito's great-great-grandfather.
"So?" Toji's expression flattened. "You've been incarnated just to get in my way? It's funny... to think a Zenin clan head would one day become a pawn for a curse, turning against the Three Great Families."
At those words, Zenin Takeshi snapped. His eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted with rage.
"The Great Families! Gojo! Yes, it's always the Gojo clan! It was all that bitch Gojo Tama! Acting so high and mighty! That foul woman! That bastard..."
Toji watched as the man descended into a schizophrenic rant, screaming the name "Gojo" over and over. Suddenly, a memory of the Zenin family records surfaced in his mind. One specific page...
"You're him... the Ten Shadows user from three hundred years ago who killed each other with the Six Eyes user?!"
Takeshi looked up, his eyes locking onto Toji. He let out a hysterical laugh. "Hahaha! To think a brat like you would know my name!"
"So," Toji said, "this Gojo Tama was the Six Eyes user who died with you?"
Hearing the name again, Takeshi spiraled. "Gojo Tama! That woman! She actually rejected my proposal!"
He glared at Toji with bulging eyes. "Me! I was the noble head of the Zenin! At seventeen, I could tame nine of the Ten Shadows! I was a genius above all others! How could a woman dare to refuse me? How?!"
"As heads of the Great Families, we should have united to sire the ultimate god-child! But she said... she said I wasn't good enough? That arrogant bitch! I'll destroy her Gojo family! I'll make her soul wail in the depths of hell..."
Toji felt his eye twitch as he listened to the manic ramblings of Zenin Takeshi. He had always known the Zenin clan was a dumpster fire, but clearly, it had been even more unhinged three centuries ago. It was a place of misogyny, selfishness, and rigid hierarchy—led by a man who had started a blood feud because he couldn't handle being rejected.
Toji dug a finger into his ear, then suddenly lunged forward.
"Sorry, but I really have zero interest in hearing about the soap opera drama between the Zenin and the Gojo."
"And one more thing. You got it wrong."
"The name 'Zenin' didn't discard me."
"I... discarded 'Zenin'!"
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