Several days had passed since that hellish Halloween night.
Tokyo Jujutsu High, school rooftop.
The core member list for the Barrier Destruction Squad had been finalized. After taking over General Headquarters, Masamichi Yaga used iron-fisted methods to quickly stabilize the jujutsu world's order, which had been on the verge of collapse.
On the surface, all cleanup work seemed to have returned to its proper track.
However, whether it was the sorcerers currently recuperating or the ordinary citizens who knew nothing of the truth, a persistent gloom loomed deep within their hearts.
The jujutsu world had entered an extremely brief period of peace.
But this was merely the suffocating silence before the storm.
Yoru stood alone atop the highest point of Jujutsu High's buildings. The night wind whipped his black uniform, and his hanafuda earrings made a faint clinking sound in the breeze.
His gaze traveled past the layers of Jujutsu High's barriers, toward the city in the distance that was still shrouded in thick residual dregs of cursed energy.
That was where Satoru Gojo had been sealed within the Prison Realm.
"What are you thinking about?"
A gentle yet grave voice rang out behind Yoru.
Suguru Geto, wearing his signature gojo-kesa, slowly walked onto the rooftop.
His complexion was much healthier than a few days ago. Although his cursed energy had been severely depleted from forcing his domain expansion to protect civilians during the Shibuya Incident, he had regained seventy to eighty percent of his combat strength under the care of Shoko Ieiri's Reverse Cursed Technique.
Yoru didn't turn around. He simply tilted his head back slightly, looking at the cold moon half-obscured by dark clouds.
"I'm thinking about the Culling Game."
Yoru's voice sounded exceptionally cold in the night wind, carrying an air of unquestionable decisiveness.
"Kenjaku, that old fox... the game board he's been planning for a thousand years certainly won't stop just because of our interception in Shibuya."
"He announced the start of the Culling Game in front of everyone. This means he's already fully prepared."
Yoru turned around, his black hair and red pupils flashing with a light as sharp as a blade.
"He won't give us much time to lick our wounds."
"Ten million ordinary people forced to awaken cursed energy, ten million cursed spirits released into the barriers..."
"This isn't just a game; it's a one-sided massacre of all humanity."
"We must act quickly. We need to find a way to break this before the barriers are completely sealed and the Culling Game's rules are locked in."
Suguru Geto walked to the edge of the rooftop and stood side-by-side with Yoru.
He looked down at the silent Jujutsu High campus, recalling his own former extreme and absurd ideals. A bitter smile involuntarily tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Twelve years ago, he had wanted to eradicate all non-sorcerers to create a world only for sorcerers.
And now, Kenjaku was using an even more cruel and bloody method to forcibly drag those ordinary people into the vortex of jujutsu, all to achieve his secret evolutionary goal.
Fate seemed to have played the most malicious joke on him.
But because of this, Suguru Geto's resolve was firmer than ever.
"I've already sent out all my highest-tier scouting cursed spirits."
Suguru Geto took a deep breath and pressed his hands together, cursed energy faintly swirling at his fingertips.
"From Hokkaido to Okinawa, my eyes are everywhere—anywhere there are abnormal cursed energy fluctuations, especially at the edges of those massive barriers that suddenly cropped up."
"As soon as we find a trace of Kenjaku or the location of the Prison Realm, I'll receive a report immediately."
Yoru nodded. He never had to worry about Suguru Geto's efficiency.
In this world without Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto's Cursed Spirit Manipulation was their most core strategic resource for seizing the initiative.
"But Kenjaku is too cunning."
Suguru Geto's brow furrowed tightly, his voice carrying undisguised concern.
"Not only does he possess a thousand years of jujutsu knowledge, but he's also mastered Rika's Mimicry."
"Worse yet, he knows us too well."
"He knows we'll try to save Satoru, and he knows we'll do everything in our power to sabotage the Culling Game."
Suguru Geto turned his head, looking at Yoru's heart-stoppingly calm face.
"Yoru, what do you think he's preparing for right now?"
Yoru fell silent for a moment, memories of Kenjaku's final retreat in Shibuya flashing through his mind.
That monster with stitches on its forehead—when it announced the start of the Culling Game, its eyes held a madness that seemed to see through everything.
"He's preparing for a merger."
Yoru spoke slowly, each word carrying immense weight.
"The Culling Game is just a process—a furnace to screen and refine cursed energy."
"His true goal is to use the massive amount of cursed energy generated by this death game to complete some kind of ultimate evolution beyond our understanding."
"And as for the vessel that can carry such evolution..."
A being that had lived for over a thousand years, hidden in the deepest reaches of the jujutsu world, suddenly surfaced in Yoru's mind.
"Master Tengen."
Suguru Geto's pupils shrank at the mention of the name.
As a former executor of the Star Plasma Vessel protection mission, he knew better than anyone what Master Tengen meant to the jujutsu world.
That was the cornerstone that maintained all the barriers across Japan and allowed the jujutsu world to function stably!
If Master Tengen were controlled by Kenjaku, or merged with some unspeakable monster...
"Has he lost his mind?!"
Suguru Geto's voice went slightly out of tune with shock.
"Master Tengen possesses an immortality technique. Although the physical body continues to age, the spirit has long since merged with the world."
"How could Kenjaku possibly control Master Tengen?"
Yoru shook his head and gripped the hilt of Shiranui at his waist.
"Nothing is impossible."
"Don't forget, twelve years ago, the Star Plasma Vessel, Riko Amanai, didn't merge with Master Tengen."
"Master Tengen's evolution has actually veered off its original course a long time ago."
Yoru's words struck Suguru Geto's heart like a sledgehammer.
That summer twelve years ago, they had chosen to defy fate to protect a naive girl.
But the gears of fate had meshed elsewhere, carving out an even more terrifying trajectory.
"So, our primary mission now is not just to sabotage the Culling Game, but more importantly, to stop Kenjaku from reaching Master Tengen."
Yoru looked up, his gaze deep as he peered into the farthest reaches of the night sky.
"Before this storm truly hits..."
"We must first go meet that omniscient being who has hidden secrets for a thousand years."
Suguru Geto nodded solemnly.
"The Tombs of the Star Corridor."
"There's no time to lose. We'll set out first thing tomorrow morning."
Yoru didn't speak; he just quietly closed his eyes.
He could feel the blood of Yoriichi Tsugikuni within him faintly boiling in anticipation of the extreme battle to come.
The Culling Game.
Ancient sorcerers.
Kenjaku.
And Ryomen Sukuna, hidden in the shadows, ready to seize Megumi Fushiguro's body at any moment.
All these conspiracies and malice would reach their final reckoning in the days ahead.
'No matter what you've prepared, Kenjaku.'
Yoru thought to himself, a crimson flash flickering in his eyes for a fleeting second.
'This time, I will cut down your ambitions along with you.'
The silence before the storm would ultimately be torn apart by the most brilliant blade light.