Outside Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Two forces faced each other across a widening void of tension. On one side stood the Grade 1 sorcerers—Mei Mei, Nanami, Kusakabe, Todo, and Riko Amanai—leading the main body of the school's forces. Opposite them was the vanguard of the "Night Parade," spearheaded by Uraume.
Cursed spirits swarmed behind the white-haired monk: the Smallpox Deity, Tamamo-no-Mae, the Spider Mother, Bone Woman, Ganesha... A gathering of myths and nightmares, many of them radiating the oppressive aura of the Special Grade.
Uraume looked at the sorcerers with a cold, haughty sneer. "Insects standing in the way of Lord Sukuna... die."
With a flick of a wrist, the tide of curses surged forward like a breaking dam.
Nanami adjusted his goggles, his voice calm but stern. "Everyone below Grade 1, avoid the Special Grades at all costs! Focus on the lower spirits!"
As he spoke, he uncurled his blunt blade and charged toward the phantom beauty, Tamamo-no-Mae. He chose the most erratic opponent first, leaving no room for hesitation.
K-chak!
"A Domain?"
Mei Mei, axe in hand, felt the space warp. In a heartbeat, she and her brother Ui Ui were dragged into the Smallpox Deity's graveyard domain.
Thud!
Mei Mei was instantly sealed within a coffin, followed by the deafening roar of a massive tombstone slamming down, burying her deep into the earth.
"Sister!" Ui Ui screamed in terror.
"Three... two..."
BOOM!
Mei Mei shattered the stone and the casket, emerging with a playful smile as she dusted off her shoulder. "It's been a long time since I've met an enemy that actually made me feel my life was in danger. How thrilling."
Outside the barrier, Toge Inumaki yanked down his collar. Standing before him was a Special Grade spirit clutching a massive bronze bell—the Bell of Dojoji.
"Blast away!"
DONG—!
Two waves of distorted air collided, the sound of the bell clashing with the cursed speech. The shockwave pulverized the surrounding low-level curses into fine blue mist.
"I hate spiders!" Panda yelled, dodging a set of clicking mandibles. He immediately swapped his core to the hulking Gorilla.
"Great Exorcism Cannon: Penta-Burst!" Kokichi Muta, piloting the newly repaired Mechamaru Proto-Zero, unleashed a barrage of cursed energy beams into the thick of the swarm.
"Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden!" Megumi Fushiguro dragged the "Shuten-doji" into his roiling sea of shadows. He stood tall, the uncertainty of the past replaced by the cold confidence of a sorcerer who could now stand alone against a Special Grade.
Nearby, the muscular duo of Todo and Itadori were locked in a brutal rhythm against the charging Ganesha.
"Brother!" Choso shouted, his blood boiling as he raced to join them.
"Ice Fall: Frost Calm!"
A sudden, absolute chill swept through the air, flash-freezing Choso into a jagged ice sculpture.
"Star Sorrow: Heat Breath!" Riko Amanai pressed her hands against the ice. Steam hissed violently as the shell began to melt.
"A-achoo! Thanks," Choso muttered, shivering.
"Don't mention it." Riko looked toward Uraume, her expression grim. "That one is dangerous."
Choso nodded, his blood hardening into spears. "Then let's take them together."
Uraume's eye twitched, his face contorting with rage. "I'm a man, you idiots!"
BOOM!!!
Across the vast battlefield, Ino, Nobara, Mai, Noritoshi, Nanako, and Mimiko were all carving out their own pockets of resistance. An unprecedented melee erupted at the gates of the academy.
Deep Within the Passages
"Breaking Tenge's barriers is becoming quite the chore," Kenjaku muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "She must have actually learned her lesson after the last time I toyed with her."
With a sound like shattering glass, the final veil broke. Mahito, walking beside him, scratched his head. "Is the Star Corridor just ahead?"
"Honestly, I have zero interest in someone who's lived for a thousand years. It's way more fun to play with Itadori and the others."
Kenjaku smiled thinly. "I'm afraid that won't do. When Tengen failed to merge with the Star Plasma Vessel, she evolved into something much closer to a cursed spirit. Originally, I planned to take Suguru Geto's body and use his Cursed Spirit Manipulation to control her. But Suguru grew too fast; he's far beyond my leash now."
"So now," Kenjaku continued, "I'm pinning my hopes on your 'Idle Transfiguration,' Mahito."
Mahito shrugged and stepped ahead. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Let's just get this over with. Maybe if I'm fast, I can still catch up to little Itadori~"
As Mahito's back was turned, Kenjaku's smile shifted into something predatory.
"You won't have time."
Kenjaku lunged. His palm, wreathed in cursed energy, clawed toward Mahito's spine.
In the blink of an eye, Mahito's torso split open like a mouth, allowing Kenjaku's hand to pass harmlessly through empty space. Mahito leaped away, skidding across the floor to put distance between them.
"Hehe... heeheehee..." Mahito looked up, his face twisted into a manic, knowing grin. "I knew it."
"After all... I was born from the malice and hatred humans feel for one another. I know exactly how your kind thinks."
Kenjaku didn't look surprised. His expression remained flat, almost bored. "You should have just stayed still. Why bother with the extra struggle?"
Mahito stuck out his tongue. "In your dreams!"
"I've known something was off for a while. Back when Mechamaru attacked, you sacrificed your own shikigami, the Yamata-no-Orochi, just to save Jogo and me. And at the High School, and in Shibuya... you were always so desperate to keep me alive."
"Your excuses might work on Jogo, but they don't work on me," Mahito sneered. "I'm very important to you, aren't I? Or rather, 'Idle Transfiguration' is."
"What? You want to kill me now?"
Kenjaku chuckled, dropping the facade entirely. "Of course. From the day I first met you, I've wanted to slaughter you. But the technique wasn't mature yet. I was waiting for the perfect moment to harvest the fruit."
"I've burned through so many trump cards to ensure you grew up safely. It actually hurts my heart to think about the cost." Kenjaku beckoned him forward. "Since I've lost so much, be a good boy and stop resisting."
"Idle Transfiguration: Multi-Soul Isomer!"
Mahito's response was a horde of transfigured humans spat from his maw.
Kenjaku's face soured. "Disobedient to the end."
"Gravity."
The transfigured humans leaping toward him were instantly crushed into a paste against the floor by an invisible weight.
"Polymorphic Isomer!" Mahito roared, knitting several souls into a single, hulking muscular freak.
The creature thundered forward, throwing a massive fist. Kenjaku blocked the strike with one arm, grabbed the creature's head, and drove his knee into its face. As the creature's head burst like a melon, more surged forward.
Kenjaku's patience snapped. "Blood Manipulation: Blood Mandala!"
Cursed energy transformed into blood, shaping into massive, coiling pythons. The snakes wrapped around Mahito's transfigured minions, crushing them into splinters.
"Give up, Mahito," Kenjaku said, wiping a fleck of blood from his cheek. "Stop making this difficult."
"Tch!" Mahito laughed savagely. "Difficult? I'm going to kill you!"
"Idle Transfiguration: Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing!"
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