Mahito truly hadn't expected Gojo Satoru to contact him.
Of course, they had discussed the move of external forces coercing Tengen to leave the Star Corridor many times before, and they had also foreseen the Jujutsu World's reaction.
They had even considered the possibility that Tengen might remain immobile, though this possibility was extremely small.
Kenjaku had asserted that Tengen could not remain indifferent, but since the possibility existed, they had discussed the aftermath as well.
The consequence, of course, was inciting America to directly wage war.
It was still 2018, and America was still incredibly confident in its military strength.
If Japan dared to act recklessly in the face of immortality, everyone, including Mahito, believed that America would indeed directly launch a war.
During this period, America truly launched wars whenever it pleased.
War was not something that required serious discussion for America.
This was like how America casually pulled out washing powder as an excuse to start a war in a solemn place like the United Nations.
For America, war was normal; no war was abnormal.
But Mahito thought long and hard and couldn't imagine Gojo Satoru calling him.
Regardless of whether the call was a warning or an angry reprimand, it didn't fit Gojo Satoru's personality in the original work.
In the original work, after Gojo Satoru was sealed by Kenjaku's scheme, he was rescued by his students.
When he returned from the Prison Realm, he didn't go to see the students who saved him, but instead went directly to Ryomen Sukuna and Kenjaku, wanting to eliminate all hidden dangers directly.
But when he actually got to them and discovered that Ryomen Sukuna was using Fushiguro Megumi's body, he suddenly wasn't in a hurry anymore.
At that time, Ryomen Sukuna only had nineteen fingers.
If Gojo Satoru had truly started fighting, Gojo Satoru would have undoubtedly won.
But why did he suddenly stop being in a hurry?
Because he wanted to find a way to save his disciple.
He wanted to perfectly resolve the situation without sacrificing anyone.
It's easy to imagine how proud Gojo Satoru was.
Even when facing the true strongest in history, he never thought he would lose, and he still wanted to perfectly save everyone, firmly believing that if it were him, he could achieve a perfect ending.
A person like Gojo Satoru should not choose to negotiate when faced with difficulties.
This doesn't align with his personality in the original work, even until his death.
According to online discourse, him making this call is equivalent to being OOC—Out of Character.
Mahito realized that this was not a "lack of information" like usual, where the original work's limited scope prevented all details from being revealed.
Instead, his actions had truly changed the personality of an important character, leading to genuinely unknown events.
With a strange feeling, Mahito took the phone Kinji Hakari handed him and answered.
"This is the manifestation of humanity's Curse against humanity, Mahito, King of Curses."
Mahito said in a mocking tone,
"Has the great modern strongest, Gojo Satoru-sama, personally come to find me?"
After about two or three seconds of silence, Gojo Satoru's voice came from the other end of the phone.
"From your voice, I can tell you're incredibly relaxed right now. It seems the plan to instigate America to invite Tengen to America to build the American Great Barrier was indeed set by you. Haha, I must say, you really hit our weak spot, making all of us get goosebumps, Mahito."
Mahito was greatly surprised.
"Who are you? The legendary modern strongest shouldn't speak in such a weak tone. I thought I'd encountered a deceived young wife!"
Gojo Satoru finally became annoyed.
"You'd better speak properly!"
Mahito burst into laughter.
Even though both sides were clearly declared arch-enemies, samurai who had to decide victory or defeat at night, when they conversed, there was no sense of tension.
Even when discussing schemes and tricks, their tone of voice was as if they had met a close friend while walking in the wilderness, full of nostalgia and surprise, and an unspoken telepathy.
That's right.
In that all-out deathmatch, both Mahito and Gojo Satoru had clearly defined each other's Soul contours through their entangled Cursed Energy, and on that basis, they continually climbed to the lonely domain at the world's highest peak.
In this world, only these two could understand each other, and only these two could unreservedly aim to kill each other.
The others had long since been left behind by these two.
Perhaps only the resurrection of the legendary Ryomen Sukuna could truly stand beside them.
Gojo Satoru said in a solemn tone from the other end of the phone:
"Mahito, I know you're having a headache with Tengen right now, which is why you're so eager to drive Tengen out of this country."
"But you probably don't know Tengen's importance to the great Japanese barrier. Losing Tengen is equivalent to exposing the entire country of Japan to the eyes of Cursed Spirits. This is an extremely dangerous act."
Mahito knew that Gojo Satoru's words were sincere.
In the original work, the tragic state of Japan after losing Tengen was depicted, and the Culling Game that followed only exacerbated this predicament.
Tengen was indeed a crucial component of this country, and Gojo Satoru was not lying.
"Then let us manage it."
Mahito said indifferently,
"We can do better than Tengen."
"Don't joke with me!"
Gojo Satoru's voice grew heavy.
"You have no idea how difficult it is to manage the great Japanese barrier! It's no exaggeration to say that even if I were to preside over the great Japanese barrier, I still couldn't compare to Tengen! Tengen is too important to the great barrier, so important that you can't even imagine!"
"So, I should just let Tengen assist you?" Mahito asked.
"I can make a Binding Vow to completely forgo Tengen's help from this moment on," Gojo Satoru said without hesitation.
"If you trust me, you can even come to the Star Corridor now. I swear I will guarantee your safety, and you can impose any Binding Vow on Tengen."
"I can also guarantee that Tengen will never resist."
"You can treat Tengen as a background component that maintains the balance of the Jujutsu World."
"From this moment on, she will never interfere in our duel, nor will she hinder your future rule of the Jujutsu World."
These words were too weighty, and Mahito subconsciously straightened his body.
Whether Gojo Satoru had Tengen's help or not was a big deal.
This was not only because Tengen was the overseer of the great Japanese barrier, but also because of the knowledge and experience of this sorcerer who had lived for over a thousand years. The upper limit of a sorcerer depended on the development of their Cursed Technique, and the development of Cursed Techniques required imagination. With Tengen's insight, the improvement in Cursed Technique development could reach an unimaginable height.
Gojo Satoru's condition was truly pushing himself to a dead end, making such a concession that it made one wonder if he was silently surrendering.
Mahito looked around and saw his subordinates subtly revealing expressions of excitement.
Everyone present was at the highest level of Jujutsu Sorcerers and clearly understood how favorable Gojo Satoru's conditions were.
"If I'm not mistaken, to deal with me, your strength must have advanced by leaps and bounds under Tengen's guidance over the past month," Mahito probed.
Gojo Satoru didn't hesitate for a moment and immediately said, "I am willing to forget all of Tengen's help to me over the past month through a Binding Vow!"
Mahito finally couldn't help it.
"Are you crazy?! Are you going to hand your head over to me?!"
The current Mahito possessed the combination of the Six Eyes and Limitless!
Just the Six Eyes and Limitless alone gave birth to the invincible Gojo Satoru, and the combination of the Six Eyes with other Cursed Techniques had never appeared in this world.
Mahito possessed a genuine Limitless Cursed Technique; as long as he wished, any Cursed Technique could seamlessly combine with the Six Eyes without any hindrance.
In this past month, Mahito's strength had surged to at least three times what it was before!
This wasn't three times a Grade 1 Sorcerer, nor three times a Special Grade Sorcerer—it was three times the undisputed world's peak!
The current Mahito, at full power, was undoubtedly the strongest in the world.
Only Gojo Satoru could barely compete with him on the same stage, and he would definitely be at a disadvantage.
During the battle, Gojo Satoru had actually judged that the current Mahito, purely in terms of physical performance, had already surpassed Ryomen Sukuna with twenty fingers.
Gojo Satoru himself must have been very clear about how strong the current Mahito was.
If Gojo Satoru fought him with his original strength, he would definitely have his head twisted off.
This was by no means an exaggeration.
Mahito also knew that Gojo Satoru, who had possessed the Six Eyes and Limitless for twenty-eight years, must understand this terror even better than Mahito himself.
Why?
"Because Tengen is that important, Mahito."
Gojo Satoru sighed.
"Let me be clear, our battle merely determines the direction of humanity's fate. In reality, for surface human society, us high-and-mighty guys simply don't exist. Whether I win or you win, for ordinary people, it's nothing more than a matter of daily life."
"But Tengen is different. Her importance is not merely a matter of daily life—it's a matter of survival."
After a pause, Gojo Satoru said earnestly:
"Even if I die, even if I lose, I believe you won't treat the world with curses. I believe you will definitely realize your own ideals and uphold your consistent benevolence and kindness. Perhaps, for the populace, you can bring about great changes, making their lives more comfortable."
"I will become a great villain in textbooks, repeatedly criticized and written into history books. I've long been prepared for this. After all, my miserable end is nothing more than that."
This was already quite tragic, but Gojo Satoru's voice remained calm.
Mahito was not a Curse User in the traditional sense, which meant Gojo Satoru had no worries about the future of the Jujutsu World.
For Gojo Satoru, this battle was truly just a matter of dignity.
He didn't want another higher race to hang over the Human Race, regardless of whether that higher race could bring change to humanity.
Ultimately, this was why he had to fight Mahito.
So, he could face death calmly, regardless of winning or losing.
This was a completely different mindset from Gojo Satoru's duel with Ryomen Sukuna in the original work.
Given Ryomen Sukuna's attitude toward humanity in the original work, Gojo Satoru naturally had to kill him with all his might, which was different from Mahito.
He continued:
"But Tengen is different. She is related to the maintenance of the great Japanese barrier and the impact of Cursed Spirits on human survival. Anyone determined to rule the Jujutsu World would not touch Tengen."
"Tengen has never taken sides; she doesn't care who rules the Jujutsu World."
"What she cares about is the balance of the Jujutsu World, the prevention of Cursed Spirits running rampant, the greater good of the nation, and the greater good of the Human Race."
"For her, Mahito, I am willing to challenge you again with the strength I had a month ago. These words are not false."
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