Chapter 180: Suguru Geto's "Defection," A Silent Farewell
Star Religious Group Headquarters.
The magnificent temple hidden deep within the mountains was decorated with extravagant luxury.
For years, it had served as a gathering place for wealthy non sorcerers searching for spiritual comfort and protection from misfortune.
They poured enormous sums of money into the organization, worshipping vague ideals of purity and salvation while committing their own disgusting acts behind closed doors.
This was also the organization that had hired Toji Fushiguro to prevent Riko Amanai's assimilation with Tengen.
Their actions had nearly destroyed the youth of Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
And today, the Star Religious Group received a new master.
Bang!
The heavy vermilion doors exploded inward.
Splintered wood and dust flew across the main hall.
Through the wreckage walked Suguru Geto, expressionless, with Nanako and Mimiko holding his hands.
The directors and wealthy followers gathered inside recoiled in panic.
"Who are you?!"
A heavyset director wearing gold rimmed glasses pointed at Geto.
His voice trembled despite his attempt to sound commanding.
"Security! Where is security? Get this lunatic out of here!"
Geto tilted his head slightly.
Cold amusement flashed through his narrow eyes.
He did not reach for a weapon.
He merely snapped his fingers.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar shook the temple.
A massive Special Grade Cursed Spirit emerged from the darkness behind Geto.
Countless compound eyes covered its body. Thick tentacles writhed around it, and the stench of death spread through the hall.
The temperature seemed to drop at once.
"M... monster!"
"Run!"
The followers who had carried themselves with such superiority moments earlier broke apart in terror.
They shoved one another aside, scrambling toward the exits.
The Cursed Spirit moved first.
Several thick tentacles shot across the hall like spears.
They pierced straight through the chests of the director and several senior members who had shouted the loudest.
Blood sprayed across the expensive carpet and splashed onto the golden statue behind them.
The men died before they could even scream.
Silence swallowed the hall.
The remaining followers dropped to their knees.
No one dared move.
No one even dared breathe too loudly.
Their terrified eyes remained fixed on the long haired young man standing amid the blood.
Geto released Nanako and Mimiko's hands.
Then he walked forward.
Step by step, he crossed the blood stained floor until he reached the ornate seat reserved for the cult's leader.
He sat down.
From there, he looked over the trembling crowd below.
"From today onward, this place belongs to me."
His voice was calm.
Yet in the silent hall, every word carried clearly.
"I am Suguru Geto."
"I will be your new leader."
He rested one arm against the chair.
"Your money, resources, and connections now belong to me."
His gaze moved slowly across the kneeling followers.
"If anyone objects…"
A faint smile appeared on his face.
Behind him, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit released another low, horrifying growl.
"…you can join them."
The remaining followers immediately lowered their heads.
"Please spare us, Master Geto!"
"We will obey!"
"We pledge our loyalty!"
Geto watched them without emotion.
He had no interest in their faith.
He had no need for their devotion.
What he needed was their money.
Their manpower.
Their connections.
Everything necessary to build an organization powerful enough to oppose both the higher ups and Kenjaku from the shadows.
Meanwhile, news of Suguru Geto's crimes spread through the Jujutsu World like an earthquake.
He had supposedly slaughtered one hundred and twelve villagers.
Murdered his own parents.
And now forcibly seized control of the Star Religious Group.
Tokyo Jujutsu High.
First year classroom.
Snap!
The pencil in Kento Nanami's hand broke in two.
He stared at the wanted notice lying on his desk.
Disbelief filled his eyes.
"This is impossible."
His voice came through clenched teeth.
"Senior Geto would never do something like this."
To Nanami, Suguru Geto had always been the ideal senior.
Calm.
Powerful.
Gentle.
Someone who genuinely believed that the strong existed to protect the weak.
Even after seeing the corruption of the higher ups, and even after nearly dying because of falsified mission intelligence, Nanami still could not accept that Geto had become a Curse User who murdered innocent people.
Beside him, Yu Haibara had already started crying.
"Senior Geto must have been framed!"
He wiped at his face uselessly as more tears came.
"He's too kind for this! He even promised to take us out for ramen!"
Elsewhere, in the infirmary, Shoko Ieiri sat quietly beside the window.
A half burned cigarette rested between her fingers.
Ash fell onto her white coat.
She did not notice.
Her eyes remained fixed on the sky outside.
They were slightly red.
But no tears fell.
"Suguru…"
Shoko took a slow drag.
"You idiot."
She crushed the cigarette into the ashtray.
"If you chose this road, then don't you dare die on it."
At the headquarters of the higher ups, the atmosphere was entirely different.
"A Special Grade Curse User! This is unprecedented!"
"An execution order must be issued immediately!"
"Dead or alive, Suguru Geto must be eliminated!"
"What about Satoru Gojo? He was Geto's closest friend!"
"Bring him in for questioning. There is no way he knows nothing!"
Gojo sat in the middle of the room while the higher ups shouted around him.
He leaned back lazily in his chair and yawned.
"You're all really loud."
He scratched his ear.
Behind his dark glasses, his gaze carried open contempt.
"Suguru defected."
He shrugged.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"He chose to become a villain. Was I supposed to tie him to a chair?"
Several of the elders glared at him.
Then Gojo's posture changed.
He sat upright.
A dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"But…"
His Cursed Energy spread through the room.
Every person present stiffened.
"If any of you decide to use this as an excuse to come after me…"
His smile widened.
"Or if you touch anyone around me…"
The pressure increased until several of the elders struggled to breathe.
"I'll send you to meet your ancestors early."
Silence.
No one answered.
However furious they were, none of them dared challenge the strongest directly.
Late that night, at the Star Religious Group headquarters, Suguru Geto sat alone on the leader's seat.
The hall was empty.
Only a few candles remained lit, their flames throwing his long shadow across the floor.
Geto reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
Yami had secretly given it to him before they separated.
Names covered the page.
Independent sorcerers.
Talented outsiders.
People who, according to the future Yami remembered, would eventually be persecuted by the higher ups, manipulated by Kenjaku, or killed under tragic circumstances.
Geto studied the list.
A cold smile slowly appeared.
The Suguru Geto of the original future had walked toward destruction while pursuing the absurd dream of killing every non sorcerer.
But this Suguru Geto knew exactly what he was doing.
"If I'm going to play the villain…"
He leaned back slightly.
"Then I might as well play the role properly."
His fingers tightened around the list.
"Kenjaku."
"The higher ups."
Geto pressed the paper against his chest.
His eyes were clear despite the madness of the role he had chosen.
"I'll drag every poisonous snake hiding in the dark into the open."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"And I'll use the name of the greatest evil…"
"To protect everything I actually care about."
Not long afterward, Tokyo Jujutsu High officially designated Suguru Geto as a Special Grade Curse User.
A full execution order was issued.
To the outside world, his fall was complete.
Every eye in the Jujutsu World turned toward him.
Exactly as intended.
While Suguru Geto walked openly into the role of the enemy, Satoru Gojo and Yami remained inside Tokyo Jujutsu High.
And beneath the cover created by Geto's "defection," their real plan could finally begin.
The first move had been made.
A game that would sweep through the entire Jujutsu World had officially begun.
....
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