Inside the dimly lit surveillance room of Jujutsu High, tension clung to the walls like a suffocating fog.
The room buzzed with the hum of computer monitors and cursed sensors. Utahime stood with arms folded, while Shoko scrolled through data. Seated near the long table were Itadori, Megumi, Nobara, Maki, Yuta, Yuki Tsukumo, Inumaki, Panda, and Todo—all of them silent, all of them staring at the largest screen in the center.
Then, without warning, the monitor crackled. Static flared—and a face appeared.
Kenjaku.
He grinned. "Ah, what a lovely bunch of doomed sorcerers. It warms my rotten little heart."
His stitched forehead twisted as his smile widened unnaturally.
"Let me officially welcome you to my little… entertainment." He leaned in, mockingly sincere. "I call it the Death Devil Game. Has a charming ring to it, don't you think?"
Nobody spoke. Yuta's hand twitched near his katana.
Kenjaku stood in front of a twisted, spiraling backdrop—possibly a cursed altar. "The rules are simple, children. You may participate in pairs… or be bold enough to walk in alone. The field will be Tokyo—split into twelve cursed zones. Each zone contains reincarnated sorcerers, hand-picked from the golden age of Jujutsu."
He began to pace. "Defeat them. Gain points. Collect enough, and you'll qualify to face me for a chance at the key to Gojo Satoru's prison realm."
Todo rolled his neck, cracking it. "Tch. Sounds like a party."
"Oh, and one last thing," Kenjaku added smoothly, holding up a single, gnarled finger. "I reserve the right to change the rules. Any time. Because this game belongs to me. Prepare for chaos."
He suddenly tilted his head. "Hm? What's this?"
On one of his monitors, a list of participants began uploading—courtesy of Itadori.
Kenjaku's eyes skimmed the list, and his smirk deepened.
"One name's missing."
The screen went dead silent.
"I see," he chuckled. "So you've kept one card up your sleeve. Smart. I always admire a little deception." His voice darkened. "But it won't matter."
Kenjaku leaned forward, his face filling the screen.
"You're all going to lose. So I won't bother wishing you good luck."
Then he vanished.
Silence returned to the room. The sorcerers looked at each other.
And the game had begun.