Maki had never imagined her father could descend to such madness.
"What are you doing?" she demanded, teeth clenched. "The position of Clan Head has already been decided. Are you planning to defy the decision?"
Zen'in Ogi let out a cold laugh. "Clan Head? If we don't acknowledge him, then Megumi Fushiguro is nothing."
"By now, Jinichi and Naoya should have joined forces. They're already preparing to overturn this decision."
He scoffed. "Naobito was too naive, thinking he could force change through authority alone. It was never going to work."
Ogi raised his blade, sealing off every path of escape.
"And you, becoming Shion's disciple… that was quite the surprise."
His gaze turned colder.
"Unfortunately, the Six Eyes twins have gone quiet. And this, after all, is just a matter between father and daughter. Outsiders have no place interfering."
Maki let out a sharp laugh and drew her weapon.
"Yeah, a family matter," she said, her voice dripping with contempt. "I've wanted to kill you for a long time too."
Ogi moved instantly.
His stance lowered, his hand resting on the hilt in a precise draw.
"Secret Art: Falling Blossom Emotion."
A technique passed down through the Zen'in family, designed to counter incoming attacks with overwhelming speed, even neutralizing the guaranteed effects of a Domain Expansion.
Combined with iaijutsu, it became a lethal strike.
Clang!
Maki raised her blade in time, blocking the strike. She twisted her body and swung horizontally, aiming to cut him down in one motion.
Ogi stepped back, avoiding the attack.
"Do you know why the previous Clan Head chose Naobito instead of me?" he asked coldly.
"Because you're a monster who would kill your own children!"
Maki roared and pressed forward, reinforcing her strike.
Clang!
The force of her blow shattered Ogi's tachi in half.
Without hesitation, Maki closed the distance.
Squelch.
A burst of blood sprayed from her chest.
Maki's eyes widened.
"How…?"
She stared at the intact blade in Ogi's hand, realization dawning too late.
The broken portion had been nothing more than cursed energy shaped into steel.
Ogi's voice carried quiet mockery.
"I failed to become Clan Head because my daughters turned out like this."
"You thought you broke my weapon and rushed in without thinking. You overestimated yourself."
He grabbed both Maki and Mai by the hair and dragged them deeper into the armory.
"I am not just a swordsman. I am a sorcerer."
"To judge me by your standards is laughable."
He flung them into a dark chamber filled with Cursed Spirits.
The two sisters hit the ground, blood pooling beneath them.
"Countless low-level Cursed Spirits are kept here," Ogi said, watching them coldly. "Right now, they fear me. But once I leave, they will tear you apart."
"Heavenly Restriction? That physical strength means nothing. Any sorcerer can achieve the same through cursed energy."
"Understand your worth, Maki."
He paused at the doorway.
"This place… is where Toji was once tortured."
A faint smirk appeared.
"Unfortunately, you are not him."
With that, he shut the door and left.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Maki had already lost consciousness from her injuries.
Mai lay beside her, tears streaming down her face.
"Why?" she whispered. "Why do you push yourself so hard?"
"Is being strong really that important?"
Her voice trembled.
"Couldn't you have just stayed with me… lived quietly together?"
The echoes of the past filled her mind.
In that moment, Mai finally understood.
If they had been stronger, just a little stronger, they wouldn't be lying here now.
"I'm sorry… Sister…"
With her remaining strength, she pulled Maki close and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
In Maki's fading consciousness, she found herself standing by a vast blue ocean beneath a setting sun.
Mai stood ahead, her silhouette stretched long by the fading light.
"Sister, I'm sorry. I have to go."
Her smile was gentle, but it filled Maki with dread.
Maki ran forward. "No, wait!"
But the distance only grew.
"Sister, you've realized it, haven't you?" Mai's voice echoed softly.
"No matter how hard you train, something always holds you back."
"In the jujutsu world, twins are considered a bad omen. Do you know why?"
Maki reached out desperately.
"Because… in some ways, twins are the same person."
"You are me, and I am you."
"So no matter how hard you try, it will never be enough."
Mai's voice softened further.
"I never wanted to be strong. I just wanted a normal life."
"Sorry for holding you back."
"Then come back!" Maki shouted, her voice breaking.
But her body would not move fast enough.
Mai smiled.
"I'll take away the cursed energy you have left. Then you won't be held back anymore."
She turned toward the endless ocean.
"One last thing… do this for me."
"Destroy everything."
"No!"
Maki's eyes snapped open.
Tears streamed down her face.
Then she froze.
"Big brother's prediction was way too accurate, wasn't it?"
"Shion is never wrong. I've always said that."
"That's not what you said when he bought those lottery tickets," another voice replied. "A hundred tries and nothing."
"Gambling doesn't count."
"Speaking of which, Ogi really went all in," the first voice continued casually. "Beating them to the brink of death, then locking them in here. With twins, one has to be sacrificed for the other to awaken. Everything lined up perfectly."
"Shut up, Satoru. Where's the medicine Shoko prepared? Inject it into Mai first. Reverse Cursed Technique can't restore severed limbs."
"Yeah, yeah, I've got it."
Maki's gaze trembled as she looked at the two figures before her.
Geto Suguru.
And Satoru.
She was completely stunned.
"Gojo-sensei… Geto-sensei… why are you here?"
Her voice shook.
"…And Satoru-sensei… you weren't sealed?"
Elsewhere, within the Zen'in estate.
Naobito wiped the sweat from his forehead, staring at the man seated across from him.
Shion casually set down his teacup.
"Good tea."
Naobito's expression was complicated.
"So the Gojo family head is perfectly fine… This is unexpected."
He paused.
"What brings you here?"
Shion smiled faintly.
"To watch the show."
Naobito fell silent.
"And," Shion added, placing a hand on his shoulder, his tone light but firm, "to stop you from doing something reckless."