"Satoru, can you break in?"
Geto's expression was grim.
"No chance. It completely rejected me!"
Gojo, his eyes wrapped in white bandages, sounded incredibly frustrated. He showed Geto his palm, which was seared red just from touching the surface.
"Damn it, what the hell is this thing?"
A massive black-and-crimson sphere had suddenly devoured an entire building at Jujutsu High. Its sheer volume engulfed the structure completely.
If Geto and Gojo hadn't reacted fast enough—grabbing Shoko and Nanami and jumping out the window—they would have been crushed along with the main building, which was now reduced to rubble.
This turtle shell was insanely hard. Geto had launched an attack with fifty Grade 1 Cursed Spirits simultaneously—enough firepower to level a small city instantly—but it didn't even cause a ripple on the sphere's surface.
As for Gojo, whose Six Eyes could pierce through any technique... he took one look, and blood started streaming from his eyes. Gojo found it ridiculous; just peeking at the Cursed Energy composition inside the sphere nearly blinded him, forcing him to bandage his eyes.
"Damn it, I don't believe this."
With that, Gojo tried to tear off the bandages to inspect the sphere's structure with his Six Eyes again.
"There must be a weak point!"
"Calm down, Satoru."
Frowning, Geto stopped him.
"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?!"
Gojo, frantic and angry, grabbed Geto by the collar.
"Setting aside that violent bastard of a teacher... Kenmei is inside that thing!"
To be safe, Yaga had messaged Gojo and Geto before starting Kenmei's exorcism ritual: If anything seems wrong, destroy the ritual immediately. But the situation had spiraled far beyond imagination, leaving them zero chance to intervene.
Gojo had always valued loyalty. Though he hadn't been friends with Kenmei for long, he truly considered him a friend. Knowing Kenmei was missing inside that sphere, how could he stay calm?
"Brats. Don't waste your energy."
A voice suddenly appeared beside them, startling Geto and Gojo. They both leaped back dozens of meters instantly.
Impossible. How could someone get so close without either of them noticing?
"Enemy?"
Geto looked tense. In his line of sight stood a woman in a white kimono. She wasn't particularly tall, and while her features were decent, her messy white hair looked unkempt, giving her a sloppy appearance.
Yet, she radiated the aura of someone who had held high status for a long time. Her deep gaze seemed capable of piercing through anyone's secrets.
What Geto found strange was that this woman, who looked no older than thirty, exuded the decaying twilight feeling of a centenarian.
Hearing Geto's question, the woman gave a meaningful smile and an ambiguous answer.
"I'm not humanity's enemy right now. Well, maybe in the future. Who knows?"
"Is this sphere your doing? You bastard..."
WHAM!
Before Gojo could finish, an invisible, powerful force slammed him into the ground for an intimate kiss with the dirt.
"The Gojo clan brats are always so rude. Even your great-grandfather wouldn't dare speak to me like that."
"Satoru!"
Seeing his best friend attacked, Geto tried to form a hand seal to summon a Cursed Spirit, only to find he couldn't move. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Who is this woman?
Fortunately, it was just a small punishment. Gojo and Geto regained control of their bodies shortly after.
"My name is Tengen."
When Geto and Gojo heard the white-haired woman's answer, they both gasped in unison.
"Master Tengen?!" x2
Tengen was a very special Sorcerer. Not Special Grade, and non-combatant, but holding an incredibly high status. Sorcerers respectfully called her "Master Tengen."
Because of Tengen's supreme barrier techniques, the barriers protecting Sorcerer strongholds and auxiliary supervisors were all reinforced by her. Without her, Sorcerer security and mission operations would struggle to function.
Few had ever seen Tengen in person, so it was normal for Geto and Gojo not to recognize her.
Only after being pressed into the dirt again and eating a mouthful of rocks did Gojo finally believe this was the Jujutsu world's most special existence.
Tengen resided in the Tombs of the Star beneath Tokyo Jujutsu High. Since her ritual was approaching, she had been secluded there recently.
She only emerged because she sensed a familiar and terrifying Cursed Energy fluctuation from the outside. Normally, she would have slept until the assimilation ritual began.
"This power... it really is the Nine-Tailed Fox..."
Tengen placed her hand on the sphere, murmuring softly.
"Well? Is there a way, Master Tengen?"
Gojo asked with a hopeful tone.
This was the only living fossil in the Jujutsu world, an old monster who had lived for a thousand years.
But Tengen's answer immediately disappointed him.
"This is a Domain. A terrifying one. Even I cannot intervene until the caster voluntarily deactivates the technique."
Tengen shook her head.
"Damn it, I knew you were a fake..."
Geto covered Gojo's mouth before he could say anything more treasonous. Being able to easily suppress both him and Gojo—only Tengen could possess such strength.
"Apologies, Master Tengen."
"Our friend is inside, so Satoru is a bit anxious."
"Friend? There's someone inside?"
Tengen paused slightly. She didn't know the exact situation inside, but she could sense terrifying forces clashing within—forces that alarmed even her.
If an ordinary person was in there, the outcome was obvious. "No corpse left behind" would be the standard result.
"Then I estimate their chances are slim."
"I see."
Hearing Tengen's words, Geto's expression turned desolate.
In contrast, Gojo clenched his fists, broke free from Geto, and ran over to punch the barrier of the Domain hard, gritting his teeth.
"Kenmei! How long are you going to let yourself get pushed around in there?!"
"Satoru..."
Geto, feeling just as bitter, put a hand on Gojo's shoulder and sighed.
"Let's wait a bit longer."
CRACK.
It started as a small sound, but soon became clearer. A violent tremor came from the sky, shaking the entire ground like an earthquake.
"What's happening?!"
The violent shaking nearly knocked Geto and Gojo off their feet.
RUMBLE.
The smooth, black-and-crimson sphere began to vibrate violently. The center bulged outward as if pushed by something from within, while the rest of the surface cracked like dry earth, spiderwebbing with blood-red fissures before collapsing piece by piece.
RIIIIIIP!!!
Blood sprayed violently. A blood-drenched steel hand punched through the black sphere. Finally, the entire sphere let out a wail of agony.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox's Domain..."
Tengen watched in disbelief. She hadn't seen something this absurd in a thousand years.
"Its Domain... is being torn apart?"
Although switching bodies over a millennium had caused Tengen to forget many things, the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox's Domain was unforgettable. Yet, before her eyes, that Domain was on the verge of collapse.
Everyone knows there are only three ways to neutralize a Domain: counter with a technique, escape the Domain (not recommended), or overwhelm it with one's own Domain (most effective).
But where did this fourth method come from?!
Tearing it apart from the inside with brute force? Unheard of.
Crimson blood flowed endlessly from the shattered surface of the Domain as a massive hole was ripped open.
Through the gap, they could vaguely see a terrifying steel giant covered in gore, violently tearing apart the nearly solidified Cursed Energy Domain.
Its azure eyes looked like a Daemon God returned from hell. Its body contained unimaginable power. It roared at the sky, a sound that made souls tremble.
Finally, the hard Domain shattered completely like an eggshell. Massive fragments scattered like meteors in all directions.
"Damn it! My barrier and the school will be destroyed!"
But before Tengen could activate her technique, the Domain fragments—filled with massive amounts of Cursed Energy—were sucked in like a whale swallowing the ocean. Whether it was the blood or the flesh-like shards, the terrifying blue Daemon devoured every last bit.
Geto and Gojo watched, dumbfounded. How could such pure, bloody violence blend so seamlessly with a sense of holiness?
No one, not even Master Tengen, dared to move, fearing the terrifying entity would target them. It was the primal fear life feels toward a higher-dimensional being.
Unexpectedly, after devouring the flesh, the steel Daemon slowly dissolved into particles and vanished into the sky.
Only after a long moment did Geto realize his best friend had already charged into the ruins.
"Right! Kenmei! And Yaga-sensei!"
Gojo and Geto finally found the unconscious Kenmei and Yaga in the rubble.
Fortunately, both were safe and sound.
"What the hell... you scared us to death, Kenmei."
Gojo and Geto both let out huge sighs of relief, feeling a massive weight lift off their shoulders.
---