Yoru's words sounded like a heavy death knell inside the bunker, causing the atmosphere—which had slightly eased because the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings had switched sides—to plummet back to the freezing point.
However, in that extremely oppressive atmosphere...
"Thud! Thud!"
Two heavy footsteps broke the suffocating silence.
Eso and Kechizu, two monsters with hideous appearances who radiated the sickening aura of Special Grade Cursed Objects, walked slowly toward Yuji Itadori with somewhat rigid steps.
Yuji subconsciously took half a step back, his back pressing hard against the cold concrete wall.
Even though his logic had accepted the absurd truth and his mind was filled with those 'non-existent memories'...
When these two monsters, who had nearly killed him and Nobara Kugisaki during the Yasohachi Bridge mission, stood before him as 'brothers'...
The physiological rejection and extreme sense of discomfort still made every muscle in his body tense up.
"Yuji..."
A flash of extremely complex emotion passed over the part of Eso's face that was visible above his mask.
He looked at Yuji's alert face—the boy who should have been running freely under the sun but was forced into this endless abyss by Kenjaku.
He remembered back at Yasohachi Bridge, how he had almost killed this youngest brother with his own hands while trying to protect his other brother, Kechizu!
The lingering fear of almost committing an irreversible mistake, combined with his ultimate rage toward Kenjaku for toyed with their fates, made Eso's tall frame tremble slightly.
"I never thought..."
Eso's voice was very low, carrying a pain that felt as if it were tearing his soul apart.
"That we still had such a brother."
"And in a world so full of curses and despair."
He slowly reached out a hand covered in dark red markings, as if he wanted to ruffle Yuji's hair like he would have when they were children.
But in mid-air, his hand stopped abruptly.
He was afraid that the lethal poisonous blood on his body would harm this fragile brother.
"Brother! Brother!"
In contrast to Eso's restraint, Kechizu, whose appearance was the most bizarre, acted like a child who had finally found a favorite toy.
He excitedly circled Yuji, his mouth letting out continuous, indistinct cheers.
He didn't even care about the slimy venom on his body as he tried to lunge forward to give Yuji a big hug.
"Kechizu, stop."
Choso reached out and grabbed the over-excited Kechizu.
He looked at Yuji's still-stiff body, a flash of heartache and understanding appearing in his eyes.
"Don't force him."
Choso's voice was soft, yet it carried the absolute authority of an eldest brother.
"This all happened too fast, too suddenly."
"He needs time to accept us, to accept this absurd truth."
Choso turned his head, looking at Yuji, who was still pressed against the wall.
"Yuji, you don't need to call us 'brother' immediately."
"It doesn't even matter if you hate us or fear us right now."
The corner of Choso's mouth curled into an extremely gentle arc—a pure emotion that only surfaced when facing one's closest kin.
"But please remember this."
"From this day forward, we brothers of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings are finally reunited."
"As long as Eso, Kechizu, and I are alive, we will never let anyone or any cursed spirit harm a single hair on your head!"
Choso's vow echoed through the empty bunker.
It was a bond that spanned over a hundred years, crossed the boundaries of life and death, and originated from the deepest depths of their bloodline!
Yuji looked at these three monsters who, despite their strange appearances, showed him unreserved kindness and a desire to protect him.
In his mind, the words Instructor Yoru had said to him previously surfaced again.
'You are not Sukuna's puppet; you are Yuji Itadori.'
'You can blame yourself, but you cannot stop there.'
Yuji took a deep breath, his lungs feeling slightly numb from the tension.
He looked into Choso's bloodshot eyes, at Eso's hesitant restraint, and at Kechizu's simple joy.
Although their appearances were far from human...
Although they had once stood on opposite sides and fought to the death...
The warmth and concern coming from the depths of their souls, which could not be forged by any jujutsu, were so real!
"
Yuji exhaled a long breath of turbid air once more, and his tense shoulders finally began to relax.
He stepped away from the cold concrete wall.
Under everyone's surprised gazes...
Yuji Itadori, the boy burdened with the most evil curse in history, slowly extended his right hand toward the three monsters known as Special Grade Cursed Objects.
"Although..."
Yuji's voice was still a bit dry, but there was no more fear in his clear reddish-brown eyes.
"I might still need some time to completely get used to all this."
"And I still haven't forgiven you for what you did at Yasohachi Bridge."
Yuji paused, and a hint of his signature, sunny smile finally appeared on his lips.
"But."
"In the coming battle, and in the plan to stop that bastard Kenjaku..."
"I'll be in your care."
"Brothers."
That one word, 'Brothers,' though spoken tentatively, was like the dawn light, instantly dispelling all the gloom in the hearts of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
Eso's eyes, hidden behind his mask, instantly misted over.
Kechizu was so excited he began jumping up and down on the spot.
Choso's body trembled violently as he looked at Yuji's outstretched hand as if it were the most precious treasure in the world.
Without a moment's hesitation.
Three hands covered in different cursed markings—belonging to Choso, Eso, and Kechizu—extended simultaneously and tightly gripped Yuji's hand!
Over a hundred years of drifting.
The loneliness of being sealed inside the darkness of the forbidden storehouse.
The rage of being discarded like a pawn by Kenjaku.
At this moment, it all transformed into a power capable of shaking the entire jujutsu world within those four tightly interlocked hands!
"That's great."
Standing to the side, Nobara Kugisaki felt a bit awkward seeing this, but tears couldn't help but well up in her remaining eye.
"At least this idiot still has real family in this world."
Panda also wiped away a non-existent tear from the corner of his eye.
"Yeah, even if these relatives are a bit... unique looking."
Yoru, who had been observing everything from the shadows, saw his smile deepen.
In the original story, the ending for the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings was full of regret and desolation.
Eso and Kechizu were exorcised by Yuji and Nobara's own hands, becoming a permanent pain in Choso's heart.
And Choso himself, in the final battle, was burned to ash by Sukuna's flames while trying to protect Yuji.
But in this world, where he had forcibly rewritten the timeline!
Tragedy would absolutely not repeat itself!
"Since the family reunion is finished, it's time to talk business."
Yoru clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back to the simple map.
"Kenjaku's Culling Game has already begun, and ancient sorcerers who have slept for a thousand years are waking up within the barriers."
"What we need to do now is take the initiative and break the game set by those damned Rotten Oranges!"
Yoru's gaze was like a blade as it swept over the ten red-marked areas of the Culling Game barriers on the map.
"Choso, Eso, Kechizu."
Yoru looked at the three Cursed Womb: Death Paintings brothers who had just completed their reunion.
"Since you've joined, I won't be polite about giving you assignments."
Choso let go of Yuji's hand and turned to face Yoru, his expression solemn.
"Yoru, just give the order."
"For our brother, and for revenge against Kenjaku, we of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings will not hesitate even in the face of death!"
Yoru nodded.
"Your constitutions are unique; you aren't restricted by normal barrier rules."
"Furthermore, your Blood Manipulation has a massive advantage in group combat."
Yoru's finger tapped heavily on the barrier area on the map labeled 'Nagoya.'
"I need you to enter the Nagoya Colony!"
"The number of ancient sorcerers and incarnated vessels there is extremely high, and they are exceptionally brutal."
A flash of sharp killing intent crossed Yoru's eyes.
"Go and stir those waters up completely."
"Turn those ancient sorcerers who try to harm civilians into your nourishment!"
"Let that bastard Kenjaku see."
"Exactly what kind of terrifying power the pawns he once casually discarded can unleash!"
Hearing Yoru's command, which was filled with a murderous aura...
Choso, Eso, and Kechizu looked at one another, a terrifying fierce light erupting in all three of their eyes simultaneously.
"As you wish!"
These three Special Grade Cursed Objects, who had once stirred up storms of blood in the original story...
In this timeline, they finally stepped into this cruel battlefield with an entirely new purpose!
And behind them...
That Culling Game, which tugged at the nerves of all factions, had already become like an ancient beast with its jaws wide open, prepared to swallow all of Japan whole!