CHAPTER 158: Thousand-Script Resentment Palace
Ren's brain locked up.
Static in his thoughts. Words fell apart.
"Emperor Sutoku?"
The Emperor Sutoku?
'That can't be right… That's impossible… He was one of the Three Great Vengeful Spirits of Japan, with Michizane Sugawara and Taira no Masakado…'
Ren's thoughts were shaking. Not his voice—his thoughts.
'No way. This has to be a joke, right?'
But that presence… that cursed energy… that technique—writing glowing kanji in midair with his fingers like it was second nature—
'If this is really Emperor Sutoku… then isn't he one of the strongest in the JJK world?'
And yet… he stood here.
Living.
Breathing.
Powerful.
'How is he alive? No—he's not alive… He was supposed to be a vengeful spirit. Not a human. Or is he even a human? Michizane Sugawara was related to Gojo Satoru. That's why Gojo had so much cursed energy. Same with Yuta. He was also related to Michizane…'
Ren gritted his teeth, trying to focus.
'But this man… this Sutoku… I know nothing about him. He was never explained in the manga. Never brought up. But if I had to guess—he's not worse than Sukuna. No… he might be worse.'
"I—I'm going to—"
But his train of thought was smashed by the same man he was panicking over.
"Why are you acting weak?" Sutoku's voice echoed.
It was cold. Disappointed. Old.
"I noticed how your cursed energy spiked at the end. You barely blocked my strike, right? And you broke my seal—you have to be strong. Don't disappoint me now…"
Before Ren could even flinch, Sutoku was already in front of him again.
A punch cocked back, aimed for Ren's head.
Then—
WOOSH!
BOOM!
BOOM!!
BOOMMM!!!
Crows.
Dozens.
They flew at Sutoku like black missiles, exploding in bursts of cursed energy.
But Sutoku… was untouched. He was already standing further back, brushing dust off his hand like he'd just swatted away mosquitoes.
Elsewhere, Mei Mei sprinted through the woods, a crooked smile on her face.
'Yes, I can't disobey your orders… But that doesn't mean I have to listen to your stupid orders. Sure, I'll leave. But my crows? They bomb anyone who tries to fight you, idiot…'
Still, her heart beat faster.
She'd seen Ren take that hit. The man—whoever he was—was not ordinary.
He was something else.
Back in the cave, Sutoku sighed and raised his finger again. In one swift motion, he drew glowing kanji in midair:
封
"Seal."
The moment the character shattered, all of Mei Mei's crows turned into black feathers, falling in silence.
Unbothered.
Untouched.
Sutoku stepped forward slowly, watching Ren like he was observing a flawed weapon.
Ren tried to run—but Sutoku threw a punch.
Ren dodged—
CRACK!
A kick landed squarely on Ren's knee. The joint screamed.
He stumbled, nearly collapsing.
But he didn't fall.
Overdrive activated—his body surged with cursed energy. Ren twisted around and threw a punch toward Sutoku's face.
Sutoku slapped it away.
With ease.
He followed with precise strikes.
To the face.
To the neck.
To the body.
To the chin.
Ren's body rocked like a ragdoll. Every blow was calculated. Clean. Devastating.
He was defending now. Only defending.
'No—!'
Overdrive.
Again.
Ren jumped, shot a red stitch out, and swung fast—out of the cave, into the woods.
His heart raced. Branches flew past.
The forest—his best escape. So many places to swing, to move, to hide.
But then—
He didn't sense Sutoku anymore.
And when he looked up—there he was.
Floating.
Both hands raised above his head like a divine judge.
Before Ren could react—
BOOM!!!
A heavy invisible force struck him.
Ren went flying down to the ground.
Instinctively, he raised his arms to block, but the air was ripped from his lungs.
Sutoku floated down slowly, hand already tracing again through the air.
Kanji formed: 落
"Fall."
It shattered.
The gravity doubled.
Tripled.
Ren's body plummeted.
BOOMMMM!!!
One of his legs twisted grotesquely. Something broke.
Ren screamed.
"AHhh—fuck…!"
But even in pain, even broken, he forced cursed energy into the wound, sealing the bleeding.
He looked up, sweat and blood mixing down his face.
Sutoku landed casually.
"You are boring," he said in a flat tone.
Ren didn't waste time—he threw out a red stitch to escape again.
But—
Sutoku moved.
His finger wrote again.
Kanji: 無
"Nothing."
The moment it shattered—
Ren's mind went blank.
No thoughts.
No fear.
No clarity.
Just… nothing.
Four seconds.
That's all it lasted.
But it felt like eternity.
By the time his mind rebooted, Sutoku was already in front of him.
He placed one finger on Ren's chest and traced a single glowing kanji:
封
"Seal."
It burned into him like a brand.
Ren's mind screamed back into motion—
But something was wrong.
Very wrong.
'I… I can't use Red Stitch outside of my body…'
He blinked. Tried again.
Nothing.
Sutoku grabbed him by the throat with one hand.
"You are weak," he said. "For someone who managed to break my seal, I thought you'd be strong… But it seems your soul is the only thing interesting…"
He released his grip.
Ren collapsed to his knees.
"But since you did unseal me," Sutoku continued, pressing his hands together in a strange, vertical position. Index fingers aligned. Thumbs repositioned like a calligrapher in prayer.
"I shall honor you… by showing you true jujutsu."
Ren's eyes widened.
"No…"
Sutoku's cursed energy erupted.
Black ink exploded from his body, spiraling outward like ink spilled from the heavens. It covered the trees, the air, and the ground. Everything turned dark.
The forest faded.
Space folded.
Reality changed.
"Domain Expansion," Sutoku intoned.
"Thousand-Script Resentment Palace."
Ren blinked once.
Scrolls.
Scrolls everywhere.
Pillars of floating parchment.
Empty canvases dangling like ghosts.
Endless.
And Sutoku stood at the center, surrounded by kanji floating around his body like a crown of scripture.
He raised a finger one final time.
Drew a single character:
死
"Death."
The kanji shattered.
Ren blinked.
Then his body fell.
His head, detached, tumbled to the ground.
Neck sliced clean.
Silence.
Darkness.