At the same time.
In a secluded traditional Japanese mansion on the outskirts of Tokyo.
No lights were lit in the room, dim light filtered through the paper windows and onto the tatami.
A slender figure sat cross-legged in front of a tea table. It was a woman with short hair and a delicate face, but a very conspicuous stitched scar ran across her forehead.
It was Itadori Kaori, or rather, the thousand-year-old Curse User currently occupying this shell—Kenjaku.
A tiny fly-type Cursed Spirit flew in through a crack in the window and landed on Kenjaku's fingertip. This Cursed Spirit had no offensive power, its only use was to transmit visual and auditory intelligence.
"Kaori" closed her eyes, receiving the information sent back by the Cursed Spirit.
A moment later, she snapped her eyes open. Those gentle eyes belonging to Kaori were now churning with undisguisable shock and gloom.
"The Star Religious Group's base has been burned to the ground. All the higher-ups died in the fire." She murmured softly, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of her teacup.
"Not only that, but the Star Plasma Vessel assassination plan has completely failed. Toji... the 'Heavenly Restriction' I saw as the most crucial link in breaking the cycle of fate, actually failed."
As a conspirator who had lived for a thousand years, Kenjaku had an almost pathological obsession with the trajectory of fate.
The Star Plasma Vessel, the Six Eyes, and Tengen. The causal loop between these three had been unbreakable for a thousand years.
He had twice tried to kill the Six Eyes and the Star Plasma Vessel in their infancy, but on the day of assimilation, a new replacement would always appear.
So this time, he changed his strategy. He sought out Toji, an anomaly completely devoid of Cursed Energy who existed outside of fate.
According to his original calculations, Toji was definitely capable of killing the Star Plasma Vessel and even severely wounding Satoru.
As long as the Star Plasma Vessel died, Tengen's inability to assimilate would cause her to evolve into a higher-dimensional being, and his Culling Game plan could proceed smoothly.
But now, the script had been torn to shreds.
The one who tore up the script wasn't the Six Eyes user, but a mysterious man who wasn't in his intelligence network at all.
"No Cursed Energy, yet able to easily suppress the physical Heavenly Restriction user. Able to release lightning that destroys Special Grade Cursed Spirits, and even teleport through space out of thin air."
Kenjaku recalled the description of that black-haired young man in the intelligence. The stitches on her forehead seemed to throb with pain.
This exceeded common sense.
Even during the Golden Age of Jujutsu a thousand years ago, such a monster who could manipulate elements without needing Cursed Energy had never appeared.
"Not only did he save the Star Plasma Vessel, but he also recruited Toji. Even more troublesome is that Satoru learned Reverse Cursed Technique ahead of schedule while in a desperate situation."
Kenjaku put down the teacup, her expression turning completely dark.
Satoru's awakening meant that the complete form of the strongest modern sorcerer had been born.
And the existence of that mysterious young man was like an insurmountable mountain standing before his thousand-year plan.
"The variables are too great." Kenjaku stood up and walked into a dark corner.
He was an absolute rationalist who never fought unprepared battles. Before figuring out the other party's background and finding a way to counter that spatial transfer ability, he would never easily expose himself.
"The preparations for the Culling Game still need time. I'll avoid his sharp edge for now."
Kenjaku touched the scar on her forehead and sneered, "The benefit of immortality is that I have plenty of patience. Even if I have to wait another ten or twenty years, as long as I can achieve my goal. I'll let you lot run wild in this era for now."
Shadows swallowed his figure, and Kenjaku's presence completely vanished from the mansion, as if she had never existed.
...
A few hours later.
Tokyo, the location of Jujutsu Headquarters.
This ancient complex hidden under layers of barriers represented the highest center of power for the entire Japanese Jujutsu World.
At this moment, the guards at the entrance of the Headquarters were in a state of complete chaos.
Sharp alarms echoed through the sky.
"Stop them! No one is allowed to trespass into the Headquarters without a summons from the higher-ups!"
Over a dozen fully armed Jujutsu Sorcerers formed a formation, summoning their respective Shikigami and Cursed Spirits to block the heavy vermilion gate.
On the opposite side, Yamada's group was marching toward them.
Satoru had his hands behind his head and was whistling, completely ignoring the guards.
Suguru sighed and released a few Cursed Spirits to protect Riko and Misato.
Toji walked beside Yamada, carrying the Chain of a Thousand Miles that Yamada had returned to him.
"Boss, do you need me to clear the area?"
Toji cracked his neck, eager to try. He had no affection for these lapdogs of the higher-ups.
"No need for that much trouble."
Yamada didn't stop. In his deep black eyes, the scarlet hexagram suddenly appeared.
Vwoom!
A massive, suffocating amount of Yin Release Chakra transformed into a materialized spiritual storm, sweeping forward in a fan shape.
Sharingan: Genjutsu!
Thud... Thud...
The dozen or so elite sorcerers blocking the gate didn't even touch the hem of Yamada's clothes. The moment their eyes met his, their eyes rolled back, and they collapsed like puppets with their souls removed.
The Shikigami and Cursed Spirits they had summoned also instantly dissipated due to the loss of their sorcerers' control.
In just a moment, the gate to the Headquarters was declared fallen.
"This move is way too much of a cheat."
Satoru pushed down his sunglasses and looked at the people lying all over the ground, clicking his tongue.
"Skipping Cursed Technique confrontation to go straight for mental control? How is anyone supposed to fight that?"
"People who don't have enough brains can't block this move."
Yamada stepped over the bodies of the unconscious guards and delivered a kick, smashing open the vermilion gate that symbolized absolute authority.
The gate shattered, wood chips flying everywhere.
Inside the spacious and dim hall, several elderly figures could be seen sitting cross-legged behind paper screens. These were the old oranges of the higher-ups who ruled the Jujutsu World and set the rules for the Star Plasma Vessel's assimilation.
"Presumptuous!"
An old roar sounded from behind the screens.
"Gojo! Geto! How dare you collude with an outsider and storm the Headquarters with the Star Plasma Vessel! Do you have any idea what you're doing? This is rebellion! You are making yourselves enemies of the entire Jujutsu World!"
Another sharp voice followed immediately. "Hand over the Star Plasma Vessel at once! Master Tengen's assimilation deadline has arrived! If the barriers collapse, can you bear the blame for such a historic crime?!"
Facing these exasperated accusations, Satoru picked his ear and retorted unceremoniously, "Old geezers, times have changed. We aren't the ones looking for trouble with you today."
He stepped aside, revealing Yamada standing in the center.
Yamada walked into the hall, his leather boots making a dull thudding sound on the wooden floor.
He ignored the higher-ups hiding behind the screens and acting all mysterious. Instead, he walked straight to the center of the hall, pulled over a chair, and sat down arrogantly.
"Let me introduce myself, so you don't die without knowing why."
Yamada crossed his hands over his knees, his gaze disdainful.
"My name is Tanaka Yamada. That little girl called Amanai Riko is under my protection now."
A burst of angry table-slamming sounded from behind the screens.
"Arrogant! A wild monkey without even a shred of Cursed Energy dares to act wild in the Headquarters! Guards, take him down and execute him!"
Following the higher-ups' order, several Grade 1 Sorcerer assassins hidden in the shadows of the hall suddenly lunged, attacking Yamada from his blind spots with sharp blades.
Yamada sat in the chair, not moving an inch.
Toji, standing by his side, gave a cruel laugh, and the Chain of a Thousand Miles in his hand swept out with an ear-piercing whistle.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The Grade 1 Sorcerers couldn't even get within three meters of Yamada before their bones were shattered by Toji's chain. They flew backward while coughing up large amounts of blood, crashing heavily into the wooden pillars and losing their ability to fight.
"The Sorcerer Killer?!"
The old men behind the screens finally saw the face of the person who had attacked, and their voices held a hint of terror.
"The trash of the Zenin Clan, why is he with you?!"
"Scared already?"
Yamada looked at the silhouettes on the screens, the three tomoe in his eyes slowly spinning.
"I didn't come here today to reason with you. The assimilation is canceled. The Star Plasma Vessel is restored to her freedom. From today on, don't let me hear any more orders concerning harming her."
Yamada's tone was as casual as ordering food, but every word carried an unquestionable dominance.
"Who's in favor and who's opposed?"
The hall was deathly silent for a moment.
"Impossible!" A higher-up roared hysterically.
"If Master Tengen does not assimilate, once the barriers fail, the curses across all of Japan will run wild! Such a matter of survival cannot be abolished by a single sentence from an unknown fellow like you!"