The secrets hidden in the deepest reaches of the jujutsu world are often far more terrifying than the curses themselves.
Deep beneath Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The entrance to the Tombs of the Star Corridor looked like the maw of a giant beast, capable of swallowing all light.
This was the most sacred and forbidden place in the jujutsu world; with the exception of a few with special permission, any intruder would be ruthlessly eliminated by the barriers.
Today, however, these indestructible barriers welcomed the most elite lineup of this generation's jujutsu world.
"This way."
Walking at the front was Choso, his expression cold and his eyes marked with his signature black patterns.
Behind him, Yoru and Suguru Geto walked side by side.
Behind them were the determined Yuji Itadori and the calm-eyed Megumi Fushiguro.
Special Grade Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu, who had recently returned to the country, carried his katana on his back, vigilantly sensing his surroundings.
Maki Zenin, who had fully awakened as the Sorcerer Killer, walked barefoot on the cold stone slabs, her presence hidden to the extreme.
At the very back of the group, Special Grade Sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo, who had entered the school on her motorcycle, now stood with one hand in her pocket, surveying this millennium-old palace with a scrutinizing gaze.
As the eldest of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings, Choso carried the blood of Noritoshi Kamo—otherwise known as Kenjaku—within him.
This unique blood connection provided him with a strange intuition, guiding them through the labyrinthine barriers that even Satoru Gojo had once found troublesome.
"That bastard Kenjaku left deep traces here," Choso whispered as he navigated the complex corridors, his voice dripping with undisguised loathing.
"I can feel it; the barrier rules here instinctively grant passage to my bloodline."
Yoru remained silent, his Transparent World already pushed to its limit.
Watching the near-identical corridors, Yuji Itadori couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Choso, how much further? The sense of space here feels warped."
"Soon. It's just ahead," Choso replied without turning back.
Looking at the familiar yet foreign surroundings, memories from twelve years ago flooded Suguru Geto's mind like a tide.
That year, he had also come here with Satoru Gojo, bringing Riko Amanai with them.
That was the first time in his life he had truly felt the powerlessness and absurdity of fate.
"It's been twelve years."
Suguru Geto sighed softly, his gaze complicated.
"I never thought we would return to this place like this."
"Suguru, there's no need to reminisce about the past."
Yuki Tsukumo spoke up, her voice full of her usual spirit. "We are much stronger now than we were back then."
Yoru nodded. Through his Transparent World, he saw no signs of life within the underground palace. Instead, he felt a massive, suffocating, yet lifeless ancient cursed energy.
This cursed energy was like a giant withered tree; though its trunk remained massive, its roots had long since rotted.
"We're here."
Choso stopped.
Before them stood a massive wooden door carved with intricate runes.
Without them having to push, the door slowly groaned open to both sides with a dull rumble.
However, just as Suguru Geto was about to step inside, a chain of golden runes manifested out of thin air, blocking his path.
"Suguru Geto, as the wielder of Cursed Spirit Manipulation, please remain outside."
Master Tengen's aged voice echoed through the void, laced with undisguised wariness. "The current me cannot afford any accidents."
Suguru Geto paused for a moment, then gave a self-deprecating smile and stopped. "In that case, I'll stand guard here for everyone."
Beyond the door was a vast, empty, pure white space.
There was no ceiling or boundaries, as if it were a dimension separate from the real world.
In the center of this space sat an entity that defied description.
Its head resembled a giant cylindrical thumb, devoid of hair, eyebrows, or even clear human facial features.
Most terrifyingly, four emotionless eyes were arranged vertically across this cylindrical head.
This was the foundation of the entire Japanese jujutsu world's barriers, the immortal all-knowing sorcerer—Master Tengen.
"Welcome."
Master Tengen's voice did not come from a mouth but resonated directly in everyone's minds. It was ancient and ethereal, as if spanning a thousand years, carrying a lofty indifference.
"Especially the variable that does not belong to this predetermined fate."
Master Tengen's four eyes locked onto Yoru simultaneously, with a trace of inscrutable scrutiny. "Your presence makes it impossible even for me to see the trajectory of the future."
Yoru met Master Tengen's gaze without fear, his hand naturally resting on the hilt of Shiranui. He felt no human warmth from this thousand-year-old monster.
"We didn't come here to listen to riddles."
Yoru got straight to the point, his tone cold and devoid of pleasantries. "Kenjaku has started the Culling Game. His target is you."
"We need to unseal the Prison Realm and release Gojo-sensei. He's the only one who can stabilize the current situation. Tell us how to unseal it."
Yuki Tsukumo stepped forward as well, crossing her arms and staring sharply at Master Tengen. "Tengen, the situation has already spiraled out of control. As an all-knowing being, you should have calculated this far, right?"
Master Tengen showed no anger or even a ripple of emotion under their scrutiny.
"The Prison Realm is a Special Grade Cursed Tool created from the remains of Monk Genshin. Its sealing rules are absolute isolation."
Master Tengen spoke slowly.
"From the outside, there are almost no physical means to forcibly destroy it."
"Even I cannot directly intervene in the internal rules of the Prison Realm."
"But every lock has a key."
Master Tengen raised a finger that looked like withered wood and tapped the air.
A complex three-dimensional model of cursed energy appeared before them, a virtual barrier composed of countless gears and chains.
"To untie this knot, you must find a specific key."
"A key that can ignore all jujutsu rules and forcibly nullify techniques."
Suguru Geto's low, questioning voice came from outside the door. "Technique nullification? You mean a Special Grade Cursed Tool like the Inverted Spear of Heaven?"
"The Inverted Spear of Heaven could indeed do it, but it was completely destroyed twelve years ago when Yoru used it to wake Satoru Gojo. It was reduced to dust."
Master Tengen shook his head, his four eyes shimmering with an eerie light as they lingered on Yoru for a moment.
"In that battle, you personally destroyed the jujutsu world's last shortcut."
"There is no longer a cursed tool in this world capable of unsealing the Prison Realm."
Yuta Okkotsu gripped his katana hilt and asked grimly, "If there are no cursed tools, there must be another way, right?"
"Correct."
Master Tengen's four eyes turned toward Yuta.
"The only thing you can rely on is a person."
"A living 'Technique Extinguisher'."
Yoru's gaze narrowed. "Who?"
"An ancient sorcerer codenamed 'Angel'."
Master Tengen uttered a name unfamiliar to everyone.
"Her real name is Hana Kurusu."
"She possesses an absolute technique called Jacob's Ladder, which can forcibly extinguish all jujutsu, barriers, and even the sealing rules on Special Grade Cursed Objects."
"If you can find her and have her apply her technique to the 'back door' of the Prison Realm, Satoru Gojo will be free."
A flash of joy crossed Yuji Itadori's eyes. This was undoubtedly the best news they had heard since the Shibuya Incident.
"Where is this Hana Kurusu now?"
"She is also within the Culling Game barriers."
Master Tengen's answer was like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing the hope Yuji had just ignited.
"She is one of the incarnated vessels Kenjaku made a contract with a thousand years ago. With the start of the Culling Game, she has awakened in this era."
"Furthermore, as a player, she is locked within a specific colony."
Megumi Fushiguro frowned deeply.
"The Culling Game barriers span all of Japan, filled with ten million awakened sorcerers and cursed spirits."
"Trying to find one person in such a battlefield is like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"As an all-knowing being, can't you just pinpoint her location?" Choso interjected.
Master Tengen looked at Choso with an eerie calmness.
"While I maintain Japan's barriers, the moment the Culling Game began, Kenjaku used my barriers as a foundation to overlay a deeper set of game rules."
"Under these rules, information from within the Culling Game is a fog even to me."
"You must enter the barriers yourselves to find her."
Yoru stared at Master Tengen, his perception within the Transparent World expanding in the empty room.
He noticed Maki and Yuta exchanging glances, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.
Yuki Tsukumo's expression was even more terrifyingly grim.
He suddenly realized that when Master Tengen mentioned Kenjaku, there was no anger at being outmaneuvered, not even a hint of tension.
It was as if all of this had his silent permission.
"Tengen."
Yoru's voice turned icy as his hand tightened on his katana hilt.
"Are you hiding something?"
"Kenjaku has plotted for a thousand years. He needs a massive amount of cursed energy for the merger, and you are the perfect vessel."
"You know he's coming for you, so why haven't you made any preparations to resist?"
"Why did you even allow Kenjaku to use your barriers as the foundation for the Culling Game in the first place?"
Yoru's words shocked Yuji and Megumi, who both looked at Master Tengen warily.
Yuki Tsukumo let out a cold laugh. "Yoru is right. Tengen, what kind of binding vow did you actually make with Kenjaku?"
Master Tengen fell silent.
Those four eyes stared quietly at the group, as if looking at a rebel who had broken the script.
After a long while, Master Tengen let out a deep sigh.
"Some truths are too heavy for you to bear."
"It was not permission, but a binding vow."
For the first time, a trace of exhaustion touched Master Tengen's voice.
"A thousand years ago, to maintain the stability of the barriers, I entered into an extremely complex binding vow with Kenjaku."
"This vow ensured a millennium of peace for the jujutsu world, but it also sowed the seeds of today's disaster."
"My evolution is irreversible. My current state is less that of a human and more like a higher-dimensional cursed spirit."
"Once Kenjaku makes contact with me, he can use Cursed Spirit Manipulation to forcibly absorb me and complete the merger with all of humanity."
Master Tengen looked toward the door, his gaze seemingly piercing the barrier to look at Suguru Geto, a flicker of complexity in his eyes.
"That is exactly why Kenjaku had to take your body."
Outside the door, Suguru Geto shuddered, finally understanding just how deep Kenjaku's nauseating scheme went.
"I will set up the strongest defensive barrier and wait for your return with the Angel."
Master Tengen closed his four eyes, effectively dismissing them.
"Go. Enter the Culling Game."
"This is your last chance—and the world's."
Yoru gave Master Tengen one final, cold look.
He committed the information Master Tengen provided to memory.
"Angel," Hana Kurusu—the only key to unsealing the Prison Realm.
"Let's go."
Yoru turned and headed for the exit without hesitation.
Yuji, Yuta, Maki, and Yuki followed closely behind.
He knew this wasn't just a quest for a key, but a bloody war where they would have to fight their way through the entire Culling Game.
The true battlefield had only just opened its gates to them.
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]