Tokyo, deep beneath the Jujutsu General Headquarters.
In a sealed conference room where even light couldn't penetrate, the atmosphere was suffocating.
Behind massive screens, rows of blurred, elderly figures sat upright.
This was the supreme power center controlling the lifeblood of Japan's jujutsu world.
These high-level officials, whom Satoru Gojo mockingly called the "Rotten Oranges," were currently holding an urgent and ugly trial in the wake of the Shibuya Incident's outcome.
"Satoru Gojo... is finally sealed."
Behind the screen, an aged and raspy voice was the first to break the silence.
Despite his best efforts to hide it, his voice still betrayed an irrepressible sense of ecstasy and glee.
To these power-holders...
That "Strongest of the Modern Era," who constantly threatened to kill them yet possessed god-like, invincible strength, was simply a Sword of Damocles hanging over their necks.
Now, that sword had finally broken.
"Have the Shibuya casualty statistics come out?" another cold voice asked.
"Over twenty thousand civilian casualties. Up to seventy percent of the city's infrastructure has been destroyed."
"The sorcerers from the Tokyo School also suffered heavy losses. Even Naobito Zenin, the head of the Zenin family, was declared dead after being sent for treatment."
Upon hearing of Naobito Zenin's death, the silhouettes behind the screens shifted slightly, but quickly returned to a deathly stillness.
In their eyes, human lives were nothing more than cold numbers.
The reshuffling of power was the only thing they truly cared about.
"Everyone, now is not the time for mourning."
A Great Elder sitting in the center snorted coldly, his tone laced with undisguised killing intent.
"The fact that Satoru Gojo is sealed means that the tumor weighing down on us has finally vanished."
"This is a god-given opportunity!"
"We must act immediately to uproot all hidden dangers related to Satoru Gojo!"
The temperature in the conference room seemed to drop to freezing in an instant.
A long-premeditated liquidation was being feverishly brewed in this gloomy basement.
"First is Satoru Gojo himself."
The Great Elder tapped his cane, pronouncing the verdict in a frigid voice.
"Not only did he fail to prevent the tragedy in Shibuya, but he was also outmaneuvered by the enemy, leading to such massive losses."
"I propose that Satoru Gojo be designated as one of the masterminds behind the Shibuya Incident!"
"He is to be stripped of his Special Grade Sorcerer title and permanently expelled from the jujutsu world!"
"Any attempt to undo the seal of the Prison Realm or rescue Satoru Gojo will be considered a crime of the same magnitude and met with execution!"
No one objected.
All the higher-ups maintained a tacit silence, which represented a unanimous vote.
"Next is Masamichi Yaga."
Another official took over, his tone venomous.
"As Satoru Gojo's teacher, he cannot escape responsibility. Furthermore, he possesses the technology for fully independent artificial cursed corpses; such uncontrolled power is far too dangerous."
"Masamichi Yaga is judged to have incited Satoru Gojo to trigger the Shibuya Incident. He is sentenced to death!"
"Execute it immediately!"
The guillotine of power had already been raised high.
But the madness of these Rotten Oranges was far from over.
"Finally, there is the greatest hidden danger—Yuji Itadori."
At the mention of this name, a few uneasy coughs came from behind the screen.
Ryomen Sukuna's massacre in Shibuya had indeed struck a bone-deep fear into these officials.
"Now that Satoru Gojo is gone, no one can suppress that monster anymore!"
"The stayed execution agreement is voided immediately!"
"Yuji Itadori's sentence is changed to death! He must be exorcised at once!"
"But... who will execute him?" a slightly timid voice asked.
"Ordinary sorcerers are no match for him, not to mention if Sukuna is pushed to the limit..."
The Great Elder sneered, appearing well-prepared.
"Don't worry, I have already chosen the executioner."
"The Special Grade Sorcerer who was on an overseas assignment, Yuta Okkotsu, has already returned to Japan overnight."
"He was also once a student of Satoru Gojo. Having him kill Yuji will both guarantee success and test his loyalty to the higher-ups."
"It is settled."
With the Great Elder's final word, this shameless trial came to a close.
They thought they had regained control of the jujutsu world, believing everything would return to the "good old days" where they gave the orders.
However, they ignored the most fatal variable.
A monster without cursed energy who could treat Special Grade Cursed Spirits like dogs to be slaughtered.
Shibuya, temporary medical point.
The day was fully bright, but the scent of blood in the air was still too thick to dissipate.
Yoru leaned against an abandoned car outside a tent, resting with his eyes closed.
His body was self-repairing at an incredible speed.
The endless vitality of Sun Breathing not only provided infinite stamina during battle but also became the best medicine afterward.
Suguru Geto walked over from a distance, holding a specially made communication phone, his face so dark it looked like it could drip ink.
"What's wrong, Suguru?"
Yoru opened his eyes, seeing Suguru Geto's murderous expression and already guessing most of the situation.
"Those old Rotten Oranges really can't wait to find their way to the grave."
Suguru Geto gritted his teeth and tossed the phone to Yoru.
On the screen, the highest-level wanted posters and verdicts just issued by the General Headquarters were displayed.
Rule one: Satoru Gojo is permanently expelled; anyone who unseals him shares the crime.
Rule two: Masamichi Yaga is sentenced to death.
Rule three: Yuji Itadori is sentenced to death, to be executed by Special Grade Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu.
Looking at these three absurdly extreme verdicts, Yoru's gaze turned instantly cold.
There were no angry roars or fierce curses.
Only a suffocating killing intent, like a Siberian cold current, spread frantically from him as the center.
'These maggots...'
Yoru tightened his grip on the Shiranui hanging at his waist, his knuckles making a sharp cracking sound.
"When Shibuya was being destroyed, they hid underground like cowards."
"We fought our lives out on the front lines, barely managing to keep these people alive."
"And yet, the first thing they do is jump out and hold a knife to the necks of those who saved them."
Yoru looked up, a cruel glint flashing in his red eyes that reflected the morning light.
"They really do... have quite the sense of authority."
Inside the tent, hearing the commotion, everyone also filed out.
When they learned of the higher-ups' verdicts, everyone exploded in rage.
"They gone mad?! Gojo-sensei was sealed because he was trying to save people!" Nobara Kugisaki yelled, covering her injured left eye.
"Principal Yaga didn't even step onto the battlefield! On what grounds can they sentence him to death?!" A violent red light flashed in Panda's robotic eyes.
"And Yuji... he's clearly a victim too..." Maki Zenin clenched her spear, trembling with rage.
In the corner, Yuji Itadori kept his head down, silent.
His hands clawed deep into the ground, blood seeping from beneath his nails.
"It's fine..."
Yuji's voice was frighteningly raspy.
"If it's Senior Okkotsu who comes to kill me... I'll accept it. This was the punishment I deserved from the start."
"Shut up!"
Yoru turned his head abruptly, his roar cutting off Yuji's self-abandonment.
He strode up to Yuji, grabbed his collar, and hauled him up.
"I told you, I saved your life! Without my permission, even the heavens can't take you away!"
Yoru threw Yuji back to the ground and turned to look at the group.
His gaze swept across Nobara, Maki, Panda, Kento Nanami... finally resting on Suguru Geto's face.
"Suguru."
Yoru's voice was so calm it was terrifying.
"In the past, you once asked me what the point was in protecting these selfish monkeys."
"At that time, I told you that a jujutsu sorcerer's duty is to sever curses, not to judge humanity."
Yoru's hand slowly rested on the hilt of Shiranui.
"Now, I still stand by those words."
"But if those rotten-to-the-core oranges dare try to use their decaying rules to disgust us..."
A cold, sharp killing intent flashed in Yoru's eyes, though it was quickly masked by deep rationality.
Suguru Geto looked at Yoru, a dangerous smile curling his lips.
He walked to Yoru's side as the space behind him began to distort eerily, several Grade 1 cursed spirits with terrifying auras flickering in and out of existence.
"I've endured those old geezers for a long time."
"Now that Satoru, that soft-hearted fool, is gone, it's about time the heavens of the jujutsu world changed."
"Shall we act?"
Suguru asked softly, his tone carrying an irrepressible killing intent.
As long as Yoru nodded, he would immediately strike at the General Headquarters and feed those officials to his cursed spirits.
However, Yoru slowly released his grip on the hilt.
"No, now is not the time."
Yoru turned and looked at the massive semi-transparent barrier in the sky, his gaze becoming more solemn than ever.
"If we purge the General Headquarters now, the command system of the jujutsu world will instantly collapse."
"By then, the civilians outside the barrier will completely lose their protection and become food for low-level cursed spirits."
Yoru took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to kill.
"Compared to those Rotten Oranges who only know how to play petty tricks behind the scenes..."
"Kenjaku and his Culling Game are the true guillotines hanging over all of Japan."
Suguru was slightly taken aback, then withdrew the cursed spirits behind him as the killing intent in his eyes gradually subsided.
He knew Yoru was right.
In the face of tens of millions of civilian lives, personal grievances and the stupidity of the higher-ups had to take a temporary backseat.
"Then what should we do now?"
Suguru asked.
"Fade into the shadows and preserve our strength."
Yoru's gaze swept over everyone present.
"If the higher-ups want to play a game of cat and mouse, we'll accompany them."
"As for Yuta Okkotsu, who was sent to carry out the execution..."
Yoru's lips curled into a meaningful arc.
After this dawn of collapsed order, facing the higher-ups' warrants and the threat of the Culling Game...
A grand performance by "Best Actors" designed to break the deadlock was about to begin amidst the surging undercurrents.