"BOOM—!"
A deafening sonic boom detonated over Tokyo Jujutsu High, as if the sheer, terrifying surge of cursed energy threatened to tear the firmament itself to pieces.
Right alongside Yuta Okkotsu's sky-piercing signal, those terrifying apex combatants from the Culling Game plummeted like meteors before the hidden stronghold on the mountain behind Jujutsu High.
"Not too late, are we, Okkotsu, my boy?"
Accompanied by an extraordinarily arrogant burst of laughter, Kinji Hakari, sporting his dreadlocks, slammed hard onto the ground. Sparks of cursed energy still crackled around him, remnants of having just hacked his way out of some barrier.
"Heard there was a big scene. I rushed over without even finishing my pachinko run."
Beside him, Hajime Kashimo, shrouded in blinding lightning, snorted coldly. His battle-hungry eyes locked onto the depths of the stronghold.
"Save the chatter. If today doesn't satisfy me, I'll kill you lot too."
Behind them, Hiromi Higuruma, clutching his gavel of judgment, and Musashi Miyamoto—the ancient master swordsman reincarnated in the Culling Game—silently took their positions at the very front of the line.
Together with Yuta Okkotsu, who was already fully prepared for battle, and the fully manifested Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika, this defensive line composed of the Culling Game's pinnacle combatants was arguably the most luxurious lineup in jujutsu history.
"Everyone."
Yuta Okkotsu drew a deep breath and unsheathed the blade at his back, his eyes burning with a resolve ready to face death.
"Senior has already entered the preparation phase with Hana Kurusu."
"From this moment on, no matter what falls from the sky—even if gods descend—we cannot let them cross this line by a single step!"
The moment his words landed, the dark crimson canopy above Jujutsu High suddenly churned violently like boiling water.
Crack—!
An enormous rift in space tore open over everyone's heads like a wound inflicted upon the heavens.
Right after, a spine-chilling sight unfolded.
From that abyssal fissure poured a dense, black tidal wave of cursed spirits, letting out sickening screeches as they blanketed the sky and cascaded downward.
"It's Kenjaku's Cursed Spirit Manipulation!"
Yuta Okkotsu's pupils shrank abruptly.
"Using Master Tengen's barrier permissions, he precisely teleported every wild cursed spirit across Japan—along with every special grade he gathered in the Culling Game—straight here!"
"There are... at least a hundred thousand!"
A hundred thousand cursed spirits.
What was more, several dozen Special Grade Cursed Spirits exuding dreadful pressure were mixed among them.
An offensive of this scale was enough to raze all of Tokyo in an instant.
"Hahaha! Bring it on!"
Faced with this doomsday spectacle, Kinji Hakari laughed excitedly and clapped his hands into a seal before his chest.
"Domain Expansion—Idle Death Gamble!"
Boom!
A dazzling pachinko domain instantly expanded, forcibly pulling the large horde of cursed spirits charging at the vanguard right inside.
"Trash shouldn't get in my way."
Hajime Kashimo proved even more arrogant. He didn't even bother casting a domain; the cursed energy enveloping his body directly transformed into raging lightning.
"Thunder Bagua!"
A thick pillar of lightning surged into the sky, reaping through the sea of cursed spirits like the grim reaper's scythe.
Hiromi Higuruma and Musashi Miyamoto attacked simultaneously. The gavel of judgment and sharp sword ki intertwined, forming an impenetrable wall of sighs.
The general offensive erupted completely at that very moment.
Yet the enemies were simply too numerous.
Even with these apex fighters holding the line with everything they had, more than a dozen massive Special Grade Cursed Spirits breached the defensive perimeter with raw, terrifying physical power and bizarre cursed techniques, lunging wildly toward the Back of the Prison Realm deep within the stronghold.
"Damn it!"
Having just slashed through a stealth-type special grade, Yuta Okkotsu turned, his heart suddenly constricting at the sight.
"Rika! Hurry, stop them!"
Just as Rika turned to fall back and defend, a flash of dark red flames suddenly shot into the sky from deep inside the base.
Hum—!
It was the clear chime of a blade.
The sound was not loud, yet it instantly drowned out the deafening carnage across the battlefield, reaching everyone's ears with pristine clarity.
A second later.
The dozen or so special grades on the verge of reaching the barrier froze stiff in midair as one.
"Whew..."
Accompanied by a long, steady exhalation, the ambient temperature surged violently.
Permanent Slayer Mark activated.
Transparent World pushed to the limit.
Yoru's figure appeared like a phantom right above the cluster of Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
The flame-like crimson markings upon his cheeks emitted a chilling, terrifying glow in the dark night.
Body temperature exceeding thirty-nine degrees Celsius, heart rate at two hundred beats per minute.
An extreme condition capable of killing an ordinary person instantly was, at this moment, merely his resting baseline.
Through the vision of the Transparent World, the turbulent cursed energy flow within these Special Grade Cursed Spirits, their hardened muscles and bones, and even the weak points in their cursed technique activations...
All were laid bare before Yoru's eyes like transparent X-ray films.
Without a single wasted motion.
Yoru casually raised Shiranui.
"Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form..."
"Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!"
Boom!
A massive fire dragon composed entirely of scorching solar flames roared into the night sky following Yoru's edge.
The dragon moved with staggering speed—so fast that even a special grade's reflexes could not react in time.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
In an uncanny, perfect zigzag trajectory, the fire dragon darted wildly between the dozen or so special grades.
With every flicker, it cleanly severed the core junctions of their internal cursed energy circulation.
There were no screams, no struggles.
The moment Yoru lightly touched down on the ground and slowly slid Shiranui back into its scabbard...
Crack...
The dozen-plus Special Grade Cursed Spirits in midair shattered like struck glass, disintegrating instantly into a shower of black ash.
A single strike.
With just a single strike, over a dozen special grades were slaughtered.
Watching this, Kinji Hakari and the others locked in bitter combat on the perimeter gasped in unison.
"What kind of fucking monster is that?"
Kinji Hakari swallowed hard, feeling his scalp tingle as he stared at Yoru's unfazed back.
"Quit staring!"
Without sparing the ashes a second glance, Yoru turned to Hana Kurusu behind him.
"Leave the trash outside for them to clean up. We're going in."
Hana Kurusu stared into Yoru's deep crimson eyes. Even as "Angel," she felt an indescribable pressure bearing down on her.
She took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay."
Side by side, the two walked up to the black, cube-shaped cursed object.
"The unsealing ritual officially begins."
Hana Kurusu clasped her hands together as dazzling golden radiance gathered in her palms.
"Jacob's Ladder, target locked: Prison Realm core formation!"
Boom!
As a blinding pillar of light soared into the sky, the Back of the Prison Realm emitted a grating crack, and a pitch-black passage slowly opened before the two of them.
Without hesitation, Yoru stepped directly inside.
The moment they crossed into the passage, an overwhelming premonition of danger pricked Yoru's nerves like a needle.
Under the heightened perception of the Transparent World, he snapped his head around, looking toward downtown Tokyo in the distance.
Over there, a faint cursed energy signature that filled him with an inexplicable sense of dread was moving rapidly.
"That direction..."
Yoru's pupils shrank as a name flashed across his mind.
Tsumiki Fushiguro!
Meanwhile, deep within the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
Watching Yoru step into the Prison Realm on the surveillance feed, Kenjaku let the cruel smile on his face stretch all the way to his ears.
"Go right ahead, Yoru."
"While you're reveling in the joy of unsealing Satoru Gojo, I'll deliver a gift... one you won't possibly be able to refuse!"
"This game is only just beginning."