The dust settled.
The air in the underground cavern was still thick with the pungent smell of blood and scorched flesh.
Kenjaku looked at Lynn, a strange smile in his eyes.
"Lynn."
Kenjaku stretched his arms and spoke slowly.
"I'm truly curious about your background."
Lynn supported himself with his cane and forced himself to look up.
"I told you, I've always just been a merchant."
Kenjaku spread his hands, and the terrifying cursed pressure behind him slowly receded.
"If you don't want to say, then so be it. I acknowledge your strength, and I acknowledge your 'greed.' A chaos-maker like you is exactly what my plan needs."
"However..."
His tone shifted.
Kenjaku took a step toward Lynn, and the pressure that had just dissipated returned.
"Since you say you're a merchant, then let's make a deal."
Kenjaku narrowed his eyes and held up two fingers.
"Two things. We need to enter into a Binding Vow."
"First."
Kenjaku's gaze swept over Lynn and Junpei, who was protecting Megumi Fushiguro with a look of terror on his face.
"Everything that happened here today, especially regarding 'my' existence."
"Must absolutely not be leaked to anyone. Especially Satoru Gojo."
Lynn sneered inwardly.
As expected of an old fox, he's still wary of Satoru Gojo.
However, this suited him perfectly.
If he told Satoru Gojo now, the Shibuya Incident might not happen, and how would he harvest points in that grand chaos?
"Fine."
Lynn agreed readily.
"I don't like to talk too much. As long as the price is right, my lips are sealed tighter than a dead man's."
"And that boy over there," Kenjaku pointed at Junpei.
"Junpei, agree to it," Lynn commanded without looking back. "This is the price of staying alive."
"Yes... I swear, I won't say a word!" Junpei nodded frantically. Under the gaze of two Special Grade powerhouses, he felt like he could suffocate at any moment.
A black chain of Cursed Energy flashed through the air, wrapping around Lynn's and Junpei's hearts.
"Very good."
Kenjaku nodded with satisfaction and held up a second finger.
"Second."
"Regarding Ryomen Sukuna."
"You said you wanted to resurrect him. I'm very interested in that."
"So, I want you to make a Binding Vow: on the upcoming October 31st, in Shibuya."
"You must feed all the Sukuna's Fingers you've collected to Yuji Itadori."
"On that day, I want to see the full manifestation of the 'King of Curses'."
Hearing this condition, Lynn adjusted his broken glasses and a meaningful smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
Making Itadori swallow a large number of fingers at once in Shibuya would not only temporarily seal Itadori's consciousness and let Sukuna run rampant, but it would also completely disrupt the situation and create chaos for sealing Satoru Gojo.
"Feed them to Itadori, huh..."
Lynn rubbed his chin, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.
"This condition is a bit harsh, Mr. Geto."
"The fingers are a scarce resource, each one worth a fortune. You want me to just give them away for nothing?"
"It's for the advent of a new era," Kenjaku said calmly. "And besides, it's also a condition for your survival."
"No, no, no, that's not how the math works."
Lynn shook his head, the light of greed intensifying in his eyes.
He suddenly stood up; although his body was still swaying, his aura was not weak at all.
"Feeding them to Itadori in Shibuya is fine. I can make a Binding Vow."
"But!"
Lynn slammed his cane onto the ground with a sharp crack.
Lynn extended a blood-stained hand and held it out in front of Kenjaku.
"Give me all the Sukuna's Fingers you currently have."
"That is my condition."
The air froze.
Junpei's eyes widened as he looked at his boss.
"Is he crazy?!"
He just finished a fight, and instead of running, he dares to extort this monster?!
Kenjaku was also momentarily stunned.
Clearly, in his thousand years of life, this was the first time he had seen someone who valued money over their own life like this.
But he had originally intended to use the fingers as a bargaining chip anyway.
He knew Lynn had been collecting fingers; he didn't care about the motive, as long as Sukuna could be resurrected.
If he didn't give them, Lynn might refuse the Binding Vow, or even hide the fingers or sell them to Jujutsu High.
If he gave them, with the Binding Vow in place, those fingers would end up in Itadori's stomach anyway.
The result would be the same.
Furthermore, by shifting the risk of keeping the fingers to Lynn, he himself would be safer.
"Hahahaha..."
Kenjaku suddenly laughed.
"Interesting. Truly interesting."
"You're the first one in several centuries who has dared to bargain with me."
Kenjaku reached into the folds of his monk's robes and pulled out a small, exquisite wooden box.
"There are three in here."
"They are all the stock I've collected so far."
He tossed it casually, and the wooden box traced an arc through the air.
Lynn caught it precisely.
It felt heavy in his hand.
[System Notification: Obtained high-value cursed object: Ryomen Sukuna's Finger x3]
[Value: 150,000 points.]
Lynn's hands were trembling slightly.
He'd hit the jackpot.
He really struck it rich this time! Including the one from earlier, he had a total of four fingers in his possession!
"Deal."
Lynn quickly tucked the wooden box into his coat, fearing the other party might change their mind.
"I, Lynn, swear upon my soul."
"On October 31st in Shibuya, I will feed all the Sukuna's Fingers in my possession to Yuji Itadori."
Hum—
Another, thicker black chain formed between the two and then merged into their bodies.
[Binding Vow] — Established.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Lynn."
Kenjaku watched the deal conclude, the smile on his face becoming even more radiant.
"I'm very relieved to leave the fingers in your care."
"Recover well. The next few months are going to be very lively."
With that said...
The shadow behind Kenjaku began to twist, forming a vortex leading to the void.
At the last moment before stepping into the vortex, he gave Lynn a deep look.
Whoosh.
His figure disappeared completely.
The heavy stone pressing down on everyone's hearts was finally lifted.
"Phew..."
Lynn's body went limp; this time he really couldn't hold on any longer and slumped to the ground.
"B-Boss!"
Junpei rushed over to support him.
"Are you okay? Why did you agree to such a condition? That's Sukuna..."
"..."
Lynn said nothing.
Some things were better kept to himself.
Lynn leaned against Junpei. Though his face was covered in blood and he was incredibly weak, he patted his bulging pocket and revealed a greedy, satisfied smile.
"With this startup capital, when Shibuya comes..."
Just then.
Rapid footsteps echoed from the entrance of the cavern.
"Fushiguro!! Mr. Lynn!!"
Yuji Itadori and Nobara Kugisaki rushed in.
Seeing the ruins everywhere and Lynn in such a wretched state, the two were shocked.
"What happened here?!"
"Ran into a bit of trouble."
With Junpei's support, Lynn managed to stand straight, swallowing the secret sealed by the Binding Vow.
He adjusted his broken glasses and pointed at Megumi Fushiguro on the ground.
"We'll talk once Fushiguro wakes up."
"Let's go, back to Jujutsu High."