Sendai, a certain beach.
Suddenly, space was torn in two.
A door manifested from within, opening from the outside.
Jogo entered with a dark expression, followed by Mahito, who maintained high spirits, and Hanami.
And the newly joined members of the group—
Kinji Hakari.
Kirara Hoshi.
Kinji Hakari put a hand to his brow to shade his eyes, looked up at the sky, and clicked his tongue.
"Is this your secret base? Rather than a secret base, it looks more like some tourist spot. Is this still Japan?" he asked.
His body had already recovered; all his wounds had disappeared.
Right after that battle, he had used Domain Expansion.
Within the Domain, his body regenerated at a visible speed, ultimately restoring to perfect condition.
He draped his fur coat over his shoulders, wearing a tank top underneath, and followed Mahito with large strides.
Kirara Hoshi, on the other hand, was focused on their appearance.
Their cheeks, which had just been burned, their arm, which was almost charred, and their hair, which had been burnt off—
now they were completely restored.
Not through the physical restoration of Reverse Cursed Technique, but a recovery based on the soul level.
As long as the soul remained unchanged, the physical body drawn from it would return to its original state.
Not even burn scars remained.
They hadn't understood Mahito's theory at all, but the effect was right before their eyes.
No, now it was—her eyes.
Kirara rubbed her chest with great interest, a smile spreading across her face.
She had become completely herself.
From now on, she could finally hold her head high and be a woman.
Medically speaking, she could even bear children.
Bear...
Kinji's child.
Guh-heh, guh-heheh, guh-heheheheh.
Poof.
Her head spun, steam rising from it like a shy girl in a manga.
Kinji Hakari held back, but ultimately couldn't resist letting out a loud click of his tongue.
"Damn it! I was trying to use my fists to expose the King of Curses' power, but instead, the King of Curses used his fists to expose mine!"
"This is, of course, Japan," Jogo said with a sour expression. "But as for exactly where, even we don't know. This place belongs to Kenjaku. To prevent information leaks, Kenjaku didn't tell me the specific location."
A secret base that can only be reached through a spatial gate... huh.
Now, even if I wanted to find an opportunity to tell Gojo-sensei the location of this place, I can't do it.
Kinji Hakari sighed inwardly.
It really is watertight.
"Kinji Hakari? Kirara Hoshi? Even you two have betrayed us?"
Suddenly, a metallic voice spoke.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the metallic voice, looking toward its owner.
The first thing they saw was Kenjaku, with a suture line across his forehead.
He was sitting on a white plastic chair, with a white plastic table in front of him.
A huge parasol was propped over his head.
Although on a beach, he still hadn't taken off his monk's robes.
Sitting on a beach chair at a tourist-like beach while wearing monk's robes, the sight was truly unique.
He raised his hand and greeted Mahito.
"Yo, Mahito. It seems the plan is proceeding smoothly. I didn't expect you to actually take Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi under your wing."
Kinji Hakari snorted coldly.
"I'm just interested in the future the King of Curses described."
"So, you're equal partners?" Kenjaku asked curiously.
Kinji Hakari's face darkened, and he didn't utter a sound.
Mahito walked toward Kenjaku and said triumphantly,
"Under my wing, because I won. But there are conditions. I promised Kinji I wouldn't make him face Gojo Satoru. Also, I won't order them to do anything they can't accomplish."
It was never possible to make Kinji Hakari face Gojo Satoru anyway, and for the newly collected generals, naturally, they wouldn't be given life-threatening tasks.
For Mahito's side, this—
"—is hardly a condition at all," Kenjaku sighed. "Mahito, you've grown up too fast. Now, even Kinji Hakari is no longer your match. It's hard to imagine how far you'll grow in the future."
"Are you scared?" Mahito asked.
"No, I'm extremely happy," Kenjaku said.
Because the stronger you are, the easier it proves my goal will be achieved.
Kenjaku was all smiles.
Mahito walked to Kenjaku's side and saw what was placed on the white plastic table.
A metal disc, resembling both gold and wood, about the size of an ear.
On the disc was a clear carving of a puppet's face.
An almost imperceptible trace of Cursed Energy was hidden on the metal disc.
With the guidance Kenjaku had once given him, Mahito recognized the essence of this thing at a glance.
A Cursed Corpse.
Mahito said with interest,
"This is a remotely operated Cursed Corpse, right? Although theoretically, the Jujutsu Sorcerer operating the Cursed Corpse shouldn't be too far from it, presumably a sorcerer Teacher would take a liking to wouldn't have such a limitation."
"It's Mechamaru, right?"
Kinji Hakari came forward, looked down at the metal disc, and revealed a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth.
"He's from Kyoto, born with a Heavenly Restriction. From birth, he lost the ability to move freely. In exchange, he gained what could be called the world's highest-level wide-area interference ability and Cursed Energy far surpassing that of an ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer."
"I didn't expect you to follow the curses, Kinji Hakari," Mechamaru said.
Kinji Hakari's eyes flickered, and he said nonchalantly,
"Me? I've long been fed up with those old fossils. They even issued a warrant for my arrest. Is it so hard for you to understand that I stand with the Cursed Spirits to overthrow the current jujutsu world?"
"I heard you respect Gojo Satoru," Mechamaru pressed.
"You should have just heard, the boss already promised me he wouldn't make me directly face Gojo Satoru," Kinji Hakari shrugged. "Besides Gojo Satoru, those old fossils all deserve to die. Killing them wouldn't give me any psychological pressure."
Mechamaru was persuaded, believing his nonsense, because he knew about the grudge between Kinji Hakari and the Kyoto conservatives.
As Kinji Hakari said, I've already been issued a warrant, bullied to this extent. You didn't think I was some tame lapdog that wouldn't fight back, did you?
Kinji Hakari's temper was known to all.
Cooperating with Cursed Spirits, although unexpected, was within reason.
"But you, Mechamaru."
Kinji Hakari looked at the metal disc, his tone sarcastic.
"I heard you have good relations with the Kyoto students. Are you going to betray them?"
"This is exactly the Binding Vow I want to establish with you," the metal disc said. "I can be your spy, provide you with intelligence—but you must not lay a hand on the Kyoto students."
"Now the principal is here, you can discuss it with him," Kenjaku made a gesture of invitation.
The puppet face on the metal disc looked at Mahito.
"Where's Dagon?" Mahito asked Kenjaku.
Uraume shrugged, pointing at the sea.
"Compared to land, he prefers the ocean. He's probably playing with the fish underwater right now."
Mahito casually snapped his fingers.
Slowly but steadily, a certain object materialized from the void.
The material was plastic.
The color was white.
The style was a chair.
In an instant, a white plastic chair fitting the current scene appeared before the puppet face, landing steadily on the ground.
Mahito sat on the white plastic chair, a pair of sunglasses somehow appearing in his hand.
He put on the sunglasses and lay back in the chair.
The metal disc emitted a slightly trembling metallic sound.
"Is this the Construction Technique?"
"But I heard your Cursed Technique isn't Construction, but healing."
"No, to be precise—the evolution of the soul."
"I had anticipated your abilities might be more comprehensive, perhaps covering the entire domain of the soul, but I never expected you to be able to use abilities outside the soul domain."
"Do you possess multiple Cursed Techniques?"
"In history, besides Ryomen Sukuna, there actually exists another being capable of using dual techniques?!"
Mahito was somewhat surprised.
He slightly lowered his sunglasses, looking at the metal disc with half an eye, and asked with interest,
"Very few people know that Ryomen Sukuna possesses two different Cursed Techniques. When I flipped through the biographies of famous figures in the jujutsu world, there were no records. If not for Teacher's teachings, I would have thought this world simply had no one capable of using more than one Cursed Technique."
"But you know."
"This shouldn't be a matter of study. You specifically sought out and inquired."
"Why are you interested in Ryomen Sukuna?"
The metal disc didn't answer immediately but asked,
"One question, one answer?"
One question, one answer is indeed the best way for both sides to understand each other.
Mahito didn't refuse; he nodded in affirmation.
"One question, one answer."
Kenjaku clapped his hands, adding terms.
"When unable or unwilling to answer, remain silent. When guessing or speculating, it must be stated so in advance. No vague answers or leading rhetoric."
Mechamaru said,
"A Binding Vow?"
Mahito responded,
"A Binding Vow."
"Ending with the final confirmation from both sides that the Q&A is concluded constitutes the Binding Vow," Kenjaku said.
As soon as the words fell, both Mechamaru and Mahito clearly felt the Binding Vow.
The Binding Vow was established.
Kinji Hakari witnessed the establishment of this Binding Vow and couldn't help but twitch his eyebrows.
"You guys, what do you take a Binding Vow for? An unbreakable contract? Don't look down on a Binding Vow!"
"Throughout history, how many Binding Vow experts died in bizarre ways because they failed to accurately grasp the direction of the vow?"
"Even now, there are many mysteries about Binding Vows waiting to be unraveled."
"Anyone in the jujutsu world with a bit of common sense should know that using Binding Vows as little as possible is the most correct way to treat them."
Kinji Hakari was correct.
Binding Vows are extremely dangerous techniques for Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Even in the original work, the appearance of Binding Vows was extremely rare.
Kenjaku is the most famous representative of utilizing Binding Vows.
Over the millennia, he has established many Binding Vows, with very few backlashes.
If made public, it would undoubtedly cause an academic earthquake in the jujutsu world.
His secret to utilizing Binding Vows boils down to just one—
"Sincerity."
Kenjaku raised a finger.
"Binding Vows are terrifying things, but if you delve deeper, you'll find that what's terrifying isn't the Binding Vow itself, but the two parties involved."
"Ultimately, self-imposed vows differ from vows with others. If you break a self-imposed vow, you only lose the power gained from it."
"But if you violate a vow with others, heaven knows in what way the price will be collected."
Kinji Hakari was speechless.
"You understand this perfectly well."
"This is because when both parties establish a Binding Vow, one side harbors ill intentions, leading to the price."
Kenjaku retracted his finger, placed both hands into his wide sleeves, and said with a smile,
"If both parties are wholeheartedly committed to the Binding Vow, then the vow is merely a reminder."
"Those historical Binding Vow masters you mentioned who suffered backlash did so because they arrogantly believed their wordplay would be accepted and utilized by the vow as normal."
"They lost their reverence and sincerity toward both parties of the vow and reaped what they sowed."
There is such a traditional contract, called a gentleman's agreement.
This gentleman's agreement has no written certification, no witnesses, and doesn't even require any cost.
It is considered that both gentlemen, at the moment the contract is established, absolutely cannot violate it.
Because when both parties set the contract, they both believe the other won't violate it, and they firmly believe they themselves won't violate it.
Using their own credibility as proof, both parties affirm the contract's establishment.
The Binding Vow is a gentleman's agreement.
As long as both parties bound by the contract have the heart to fulfill it, act accordingly, and don't play any tricks or word games within it, then the Binding Vow won't have any cost.
This is the optimal aspect of the Binding Vow, and also the fundamental reason why Kenjaku has never suffered backlash from a Binding Vow over millennia.
Sincerity is the optimal solution for dealing with a Binding Vow.
Just like the current Binding Vow.
Both Kokichi and Mahito sincerely hoped to use this question-and-answer format to deepen their understanding of each other, and they were internally certain not to use leading language or obscure facts during this exchange.
They needed a trustworthy gentleman's agreement to complete their mutual recognition and probing.
Thus, the positions and intentions of both parties were highly consistent.
This was the most perfect Binding Vow, a Binding Vow without any cost.
What Kenjaku said served as both supplementary explanation and a warning.
Only when both parties were sincere would the Binding Vow be perfect.
If either party harbored ulterior motives, the Binding Vow would inflict unknown damage on both.
There was no need to elaborate on Mahito's side; the problematic party could only be the other.
Kokichi understood the warning.
The mouth of his puppet face opened, emitting a metallic sound.
"Strictly speaking, I am the one asking for help. Of course, I will abide by the Binding Vow."
Mahito nodded gently.
"To show sincerity, Kokichi-san, you may ask the first question."
Clap.
Mahito snapped his fingers again.
Next to the white plastic table, four high-backed chairs reappeared.
Jogo and Hanami naturally took two of the high-backed chairs.
Kinji Hakari hesitated before taking one of the remaining seats.
Only after Kinji Hakari sat down did Kirara Hoshi take the last one.
At this point, everyone on Mahito's side, except for Dagon who was still playing in the deep sea, was seated.
They regarded Mahito as the spokesperson, and the full power of the King of Curses' faction was displayed before Kokichi, causing a sudden pressure in his heart.
Special Grade Curse User Geto Suguru.
Intelligent Special Grade Cursed Spirits Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon.
The uncrowned Special Grade sorcerer Kinji Hakari.
The rare spatial-type sorcerer Kirara Hoshi.
And—
the newly crowned King of Curses, Mahito.
It was no exaggeration to say that no person or force in the entire jujutsu world, besides Gojo Satoru, could withstand this lineup.
Kokichi secretly took a breath and began the formal question-and-answer session.
"Then I will get straight to the point."
The metal disc puppet emitted a solemn metallic sound.
He neither asked about curing his own Heavenly Restriction nor about prohibiting attacks on his companions, nor did he ask the previously intended question about dual Cursed Techniques.
He asked:
"King of Curses, what is your objective?"
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