On the rooftop of the abandoned building, the air fell into a brief, dead silence.
When Yoru's deep crimson eyes turned completely transparent like glazed crystal, everything around seemed to lose its former weight.
[Transparent World: Complete Form].
This was the pinnacle realm he had previously unlocked during the battle in the Osaka Colony, and now, backed by the terrifying physical baseline of the [Permanent Slayer Mark], this divine sight finally revealed its truly ferocious nature.
Before this, when Yoru used the Transparent World, he could predict and see through things, but it had ultimately been built on the foundation of mere 'observation.'
Now, however, along with the permanent activation of his physical functions, he felt he was no longer an onlooker to this world.
He could clearly see Yuta Okkotsu's outrageously massive cursed energy circulating between his heart and limbs at a specific frequency;
He could see that the mouth belonging to 'Angel' on Hana Kurusu's cheek was connected to a pure, high-frequency energy akin to holy light, whose wavelength happened to neutralize every cursed technique in the world.
"So that is the true nature of Jacob's Ladder?"
A faint curve formed at the corner of Yoru's mouth.
"Using absolutely pure high-frequency energy to forcefully disrupt and erase the underlying structure of a target's cursed energy."
"No wonder it claims to extinguish all cursed techniques."
"Not only that..."
Yoru slowly raised his head, casting his gaze toward the distant horizon.
Because the [Permanent Slayer Mark] completely eliminated the burden on his body, the visual range of his Transparent World had reached an unfathomable scale.
His vision pierced through layer upon layer of buildings, pierced through the dark red barrier of the Culling Game, and even pierced through hundreds of kilometers of open space.
He saw it—deep inside the fathomless Tombs of the Star Corridor beneath Tokyo, thick, python-like chains of black cursed energy were tightly coiling around an enormous, twisted soul.
And deep within that soul, a tiny crimson spark beat tenaciously, radiating a heat that terrified the surrounding darkness.
'This spark is growing even faster than I imagined,'
Yoru murmured silently to himself.
'It seems that rat Kenjaku can no longer suppress the fear in his heart and has secretly begun accelerating the merger ritual.'
'The more afraid one is, the easier it is to make mistakes.'
Yoru drew back his gaze as the crystal-clear translucence in his eyes gradually faded, returning to that profound, dark crimson hue.
Now, he did not even need to consciously sustain the Transparent World; the ultimate perception granted by the [Permanent Slayer Mark] allowed him to perceive every speck of dust within a hundred meters, even with his eyes closed.
"Let's go."
Yoru turned, the hem of his black coat snapping loudly in the wind.
"Now that we have the key to break the seal, it's about time we release Gojo-sensei from that wretched box."
Hearing Yoru's words, a fervent light flared in Yuta Okkotsu's eyes.
He had waited far, far too long for this day!
Ever since Satoru Gojo was sealed during the Shibuya Incident, the entire jujutsu world had plunged into unprecedented darkness and turmoil.
And now, the dawn of light was finally about to break!
"Senpai, where are we going to break the seal?"
Yuta Okkotsu tightened his grip on his katana, a trace of eager killing intent coloring his voice.
"Kenjaku must have hidden the Prison Realm in the most heavily fortified place, and he's bound to have set an inescapable trap."
"No need to look for him."
Yoru shook his head, his tone chillingly calm.
"The Prison Realm was created from the living Monk Genshin; its seal is divided into a front and a back."
"What Kenjaku carries is the front, which cannot be broken from the outside by force."
"As for the back..."
Yoru paused, his eyes shifting toward Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"It has always been in the hands of Master Tengen."
"Before the Culling Game began, Principal Yaga had already dispatched someone to secretly transfer the Back of the Prison Realm to an absolutely safe place."
Hearing this, Angel on Hana Kurusu's cheek gave a disdainful snort.
"Absolutely safe? In this world, as long as Kenjaku still breathes, there is no such thing as an absolutely safe place."
"However, as long as that back gate can be found, I guarantee Satoru Gojo will see the light of day once more!"
"Then there's no time to lose."
Yoru's figure flickered, turning into an afterimage as he darted into the distance.
"Before Kenjaku goes completely mad, let's put an end to this farce."
Yuta Okkotsu and Hana Kurusu exchanged a glance and followed right behind Yoru without the slightest hesitation.
Three figures representing the absolute peak of combat power in this world tore across the night sky of the Culling Game like falling stars!
...
At the same time.
Deep within the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
Bang!
Kenjaku slammed his fist into the white stone pillar before him, the tremendous force carving a deep crater into the stone.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
The face covered in stitches had twisted to the extreme.
Just moments ago, through the scout cursed spirits stationed across the country, he had clearly felt the fleeting, utterly terrifying surge radiating from Yoru!
The sensation felt as though an invisible blade were suspended deep within his very soul!
"That bastard... grew stronger again!"
Kenjaku's eyes were filled with disbelief and profound dread.
"How is this possible?! Without cursed energy, relying purely on the physical body and that bizarre breathing technique, how could he possibly reach a realm capable of shaking the very fundamental rules of the world?!"
"Could he truly be the reincarnation of that man from a thousand years ago?!"
The shadow from a millennium past loomed over Kenjaku's heart once again.
He knew better than anyone just how terrifying that man who wielded a red blade a thousand years ago had been.
That was a peerless God of Slaughter whom even Ryomen Sukuna, the King of Curses, was nearly felled by in a single strike!
"I can't wait any longer!"
Kenjaku snapped his head around to glare at Tengen, bound by black chains.
"Yoru's current objective must be the Back of the Prison Realm!"
"Once he joins up with that reincarnated sorcerer who possesses Jacob's Ladder, unsealing Satoru Gojo will become a certainty!"
"Yoru alone has already run me ragged—if you add the Six Eyes, the Strongest of the Modern Era..."
Kenjaku could not help shuddering.
He didn't even dare imagine such a scene!
"They must be stopped!"
Kenjaku's hands rapidly wove hand seals as intricate black talismans began spreading across the floor of the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
"Even though that spark inside Tengen remains an underlying hazard..."
"As long as I use the barrier's power to forcefully tear away a portion of Tengen's will, I can forge a temporary divine vessel!"
"Go!"
Kenjaku bit into his finger, letting a drop of dark red blood fall onto the runes on the floor.
Buzz—!
Accompanied by an ear-splitting hum, a massive rift cracked open on the pure white floor of the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
A faceless humanoid monster radiating suffocating, horrific cursed energy slowly rose from the crevice.
Not only did this monster radiate the vast barrier power belonging to Tengen, but it was also fused with the malice of countless Special Grade cursed spirits Kenjaku had gathered over the years!
"Go and stop them!"
Kenjaku pointed toward Tokyo Jujutsu High, roaring hysterically.
"At all costs—even if you have to self-destruct—stall them for me!"
The faceless monster let out a low growl, its body dissolving instantly into a pool of black liquid that sank into the ground.
Watching the direction where the monster vanished, Kenjaku gasped heavily for breath, the stitches on his forehead nearly bursting apart.
"Satoru Gojo... Yoru..."
"This thousand-year game—I will never lose!"
"Even if I have to stake this life, I'll drag you, along with this entire world, down into the endless abyss!"
As the countdown to the Culling Game ticked away, a final collision deciding the fate of the entire world was finally about to erupt in an unknown, secret place!
Just what kind of lethal malice still lay hidden along the path to unseal Satoru Gojo?
And with what manner of demeanor would that Sword Saint, who had pushed the Transparent World to its utmost limit, greet this final madness?