"!"
In Geto's pupils, the image of the bleeding, tree-like figure reflected clearly. As an experienced special grade sorcerer, he had already begun to come up with a plan the moment he heard Kenjaku's chant.
The black-haired man dropped into a crouch, hands together by his hip in a defensive stance. Just before the domain's guaranteed-hit effect reached him, a bright blue circle of light flared up beneath his feet.
"New Shadow Style: Simple Domain."
Toji also quickly reacted to the domain. He rapidly moved backward, trying to escape the reach of that terrifying ancient tree. But surprisingly, he didn't feel anything hit him.
He stopped moving. A domain expansion was the peak technique of modern jujutsu sorcerers—something that could not be avoided. If Kenjaku had really wanted to hurt him, his body should have already been torn apart.
This domain... it's not like that Hayashizaki guy's domain. Does the guaranteed-hit effect not work on someone like me who doesn't have cursed energy in his body?
After thinking it through quickly, Toji figured it out. In that case, he'd be the one to lead the attack.
*Crack!*
Less than a breath later, the ground beneath Toji suddenly split open. A dark crack appeared under the white void, like a hand from the abyss trying to pull him in.
A giant centipede-like curse, half the size of a person, appeared before Toji. Just as he tried to dodge, the floor vanished beneath him. Kenjaku, controlling the barrier from the shadows, threw his balance off in an instant.
"Tch."
This white-legged centipede curse was clearly going after the "Ugly Treasure" spirit weapon hidden in Toji's body. Gritting his teeth, Toji raised his Soul-Cutting Blade.
*Clang!*
The cursed spirit's sharp teeth scraped against the surface of the Soul-Cutting Blade, sending out sparks. Fushiguro Toji felt a chill of danger in his heart. After being enhanced by Kenjaku, this cursed spirit had clearly reached a special grade level. Before he could fight back, Kenjaku had already appeared at his side.
Only a single breath had passed. Not far away, Geto Suguru couldn't come to help because he was focusing on maintaining his Simple Domain.
"Heaven and the Tyrant, goodbye."
Boom!
Kenjaku kicked Fushiguro Toji hard in the stomach. Under pressure from both sides, Toji couldn't keep his balance and was sent flying by the cursed energy-powered kick.
Fushiguro Toji gripped his blade tightly. He let out a muffled grunt as he flew several meters through the air. A loud crack echoed as he slammed into what felt like a fragile wall, and his body was suddenly swallowed by darkness.
He rolled several times along the ground before finally managing to stop himself. Lifting his head, he saw that the wall he had smashed through had already been repaired. He froze in place, the bright overhead light shining down on his face.
Looking around, he found himself inside what looked like a traditional Japanese-style house. The brown wooden floor under his feet felt strangely real.
His pupils shrank. A strong sense of danger made him turn around. Within his limited human vision, he could only see a few black legs. Looking up, four large humanoid curses wearing demon masks were surrounding him, staring him down like prey.
Thanks to Kenjaku's ability to change the barrier's structure at will, Toji had been sent to a completely different "Empty Barrier." In this space, signals were blocked and cursed energy couldn't pass through. It was a place truly cut off from the outside world.
Even if his eyes couldn't see curses, Fushiguro Toji could still feel the crushing pressure in the air. All four of these cursed spirits had been enhanced by Kenjaku—they were all special grade.
…
"Looks like my plan worked out pretty well," Kenjaku said as he pulled back his leg and casually turned to look at Geto Suguru, who was crouched a short distance away.
"I figured the two of you would feel a bit more confident fighting together, which is why you followed me without hesitation. That let me move the battle to a place I control completely—this Empty Barrier."
"Now it's one-on-one, Geto."
A calm smile appeared on Kenjaku's face. Toji had been taken out of the picture, just as planned. All that was left now was Geto Suguru.
A sorcerer who can use a Domain has a huge advantage over one who can't. Alone against Kenjaku, Geto had no chance of winning.
"Tch."
Geto frowned. The Simple Domain under his feet was being eaten away bit by bit by Idle Transfiguration. His cursed spirit manipulation technique wasn't suited for close combat. Once his spirits left the range of the domain, they'd be instantly destroyed by the enemy's guaranteed-hit technique.
He was stuck. With Toji out of the way, the fight had quickly shifted from an even match to a one-sided beatdown.
"It's useless, Geto."
"You're just—" Kenjaku bent forward, ready to dash—"struggling before the end!"
A burst of wind whipped across Geto's face as Kenjaku's curse-filled punch shot toward him. But Geto quickly stood up, raised both arms, and caught the punch head-on.
It didn't stop there—he locked Kenjaku in a tight grip and then used his strength to throw him hard across the space.
"Heh."
Kenjaku twisted in midair, landed steadily, and let out a cold laugh. Calmly, he raised a hand and pointed at Geto.
"!"
At the same time, Geto suddenly felt a sharp pain in his side. Looking down, he saw two centipede-shaped cursed spirits chewing into him—when had Kenjaku left those there?
When did they get there?
Slash!
With a curse-filled hand chop, Geto split the two spirits in half. But his side had already been bitten open, and dark blood was running down his uniform and pants.
"You're smart, Geto," Kenjaku said with a smile.
"Earlier, you figured out I couldn't use two techniques at once. But now, let me ask you this."
"Can your Reversed Cursed Technique keep going while your Simple Domain is still up, Geto?"
Geto Suguru clenched his teeth. Cursed Spirit Manipulation wasn't like the Limitless Technique—it didn't require super precise cursed energy control. And since he didn't have the Six Eyes, he couldn't multitask well either.
If it were Gojo Satoru, who had the Six Eyes, using a simple domain and reverse cursed technique at the same time wouldn't be a problem. But Geto couldn't do that. His technique and cursed energy worked like a high-speed machine—push it beyond its limits, and it would overheat.
Just as I guessed. Even if the timelines of the two worlds are different, this version of Geto Suguru still can't do what Gojo Satoru can.
All I have to do is slowly wear down his cursed energy, land small wounds on him, and keep stacking the damage. That'll be enough to take him out easily.
Still, just to be safe, I'll use that move.
Kenjaku's lips curled slightly. He slowly raised his hand, turning the back of it toward himself, and wove his fingers together.
To pull this off, he needed to increase how much the Womb Realm ate away at the simple domain. Hand signs and curse chants could all strengthen the domain's power.
Kenjaku raised his eyes and glanced at Geto Suguru in the distance. At the same time, the simple domain under Geto's feet started to crumble faster.
Geto immediately sensed that things were going south. If the circle under him completely disappeared, even being exposed to the Womb Realm for just a second could leave him seriously hurt.
"Come on, Geto. We're both special grade now, and you still can't use a domain?"
"..."
"Alright, I get it. You're just not inspired yet. But if you can't use a domain, dealing with curse users or spirits who can is gonna be really hard."
"..."
"Well then, perfect timing—I'll teach you a move. It comes from one of the Big Three Families."
As someone from a regular background, Geto Suguru had never had access to the techniques of the Big Three.
But in this desperate situation, a simple domain with limited range couldn't help him fight back. So just as his simple domain collapsed, Geto raised both hands and bent his knees slightly.
"Falling Flower Emotion."
Splat. The moment he was completely exposed to Kenjaku's domain, bright red blood burst from all over Geto's body. Luckily, a pale blue layer of cursed energy quickly covered him, lessening the damage from the wounds.
Falling Flower Emotion—an inherited technique from the Big Three Families. Unlike a simple domain, it works by using your own cursed energy to bounce back attacks that would otherwise be guaranteed to hit.
Kenjaku raised an eyebrow, a bit confused. "Strange. According to this body's memories, you shouldn't know that move."
Maybe that's just a difference caused by the two worlds. But it didn't matter to Kenjaku. Whether Geto could use Falling Flower Emotion or not only bought him a bit more time to breathe—nothing more.
"Raaahhhhhhh!!!"
Boom!
A one-eyed giant wearing prayer beads burst up from beneath Kenjaku's feet again. Its huge fist, bigger than its whole body, came down hard toward Kenjaku's head.
Too bad for it—inside a domain, attacks are guaranteed to land.
Kenjaku lightly jumped back. After dodging the punch, he used his anti-gravity technique to slam down on the cursed spirit's head. The giant's fat body got crushed and twisted until it turned into a splatter of meat on the ground.
Just as Kenjaku landed, a smile playing on his lips, Geto Suguru suddenly rushed at him. His fist, the size of a sandbag and reinforced with cursed energy, was headed straight for Kenjaku's face.
But strangely, Kenjaku didn't move at all. He just stood there and let the punch hit him square in the nose.
"Binding: !"
Geto's punch smashed Kenjaku's nose sideways, cursed energy bursting on impact and splattering blood. Kenjaku stumbled back half a step before he managed to steady himself.
Something's not right.
Why did he take that hit on purpose?
Geto was stunned for a second, then quickly tried to pull his fist back. But the moment he tried to move, he realized—his arm wouldn't budge.
"?"
He looked down, eyes wide. A pale hand, glowing with blinding white light, was pressed against his lower stomach.
In his palm was a small Uzumaki, shaped like a snail shell, radiating a bone-chilling cold. Suguru Geto tried to move, but both his hands and feet were already frozen in place.
Kenjaku's mocking voice echoed in his ears: "As expected, if I want to finish you off in one blow, this is still the best move."
The ultimate form of Cursed Spirit Manipulation—Uzumaki.
It fuses multiple cursed spirits into one powerful attack. Geto himself could never shrink Uzumaki down to this size.
After taking over Geto's body, Kenjaku had further developed the Cursed Spirit Manipulation technique. That's how he was able to bait Geto so easily with the information gap between them.
Kenjaku whispered softly: "Vortex."
*"Splurt!"*
At this close range, the snail-shell-sized Vortex shot straight through Geto's body, leaving a bloody hole the size of a palm. Blood spilled from his mouth as his weakening body stumbled backward.
Kenjaku didn't follow up. He stayed where he was.
Just like in a simplified domain, Geto couldn't use both his Falling Flower Emotion technique and Reverse Cursed Technique at the same time. After taking damage like that, he had no way to recover.
As expected, after staggering a few steps, the black-haired man dropped to his knees with a thud, dragging his worn-out body down with him.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
His heavy breathing reached Kenjaku's ears.
"Even now, you're still holding onto that Falling Flower Emotion… I'll admit, you've got some serious willpower."
Kenjaku gave a mocking smirk.
Too bad, battles between sorcerers aren't just about raw strength. Geto, who was already weaker than him, lost mainly because of the information gap.
"It's a shame, really—but it's time to say goodbye."
Kenjaku raised his hand with a flick. A massive anglerfish-shaped cursed spirit slowly emerged from the pale void below, opening its bloody jaws, ready to swallow Geto whole.
Confident in his win, Kenjaku narrowed his eyes and smiled. "As a parting gift, I'll make sure to carry out your dream—your ideal world. I'll make it come true for you, Geto-kun."
"…"
"Hm?"
But just as Kenjaku was about to command the cursed spirit to devour Geto, the anglerfish remained still, as if hesitating.
"…Why aren't you moving?"
Kenjaku frowned, then quickly figured it out.
"Ah, I see. It's probably because of resonance. We both use Cursed Spirit Manipulation, and we share the same body."
"Just like how Sukuna can sense the positions of his other fingers through resonance, the two of us—sharing this body—also cause a kind of resonance. That's probably how you found me just now."
"This cursed spirit must have sensed that its master was on the verge of death… and couldn't bring itself to finish the job."
Kenjaku shrugged.
Well, no big deal. He slowly walked over to Geto, who was still kneeling on the ground.
The black-haired man was gasping for air, frost still clinging to his uniform. He barely even had the strength to lift his head.
Kenjaku raised a finger and touched it to Geto's forehead. If he couldn't kill him using Cursed Spirit Manipulation, he'd just use raw cursed energy to finish him off.
That was the plan, and he'd already started to act on it.
But right before he could land the blow—a gust of wind swept across his neck.
*"Splurt!"*
A wave of sharp pain shot through him, and Kenjaku's world spun. By the time he realized what had happened, his head had already hit the ground.
"?"
He opened his eyes wide. A black-haired man with a twisted smile appeared in front of Kenjaku.
Zenin Toji?
Why is it you? How could it be you!? He had clearly already sent this guy to another empty domain!
Kenjaku couldn't hide the shock on his face, and before he could react, Fushiguro Toji followed up with another strike, slamming Kenjaku's head straight into the ground.
"Sorry, the first time my hands were a little stiff, so I stabbed through your neck. Luckily, those four special grade curses helped me warm up."
Fushiguro Toji sneered. "Now I've got a good feel for it."
"I see."
Kenjaku narrowed his eyes, and his mind drifted back to when he first entered the Tombs of the Star.
Deep within that place, the real body of Tengen—an ancient, towering tree—was still standing. He hadn't taken it with him.
"What are you trying to say?"
"It was Tengen. Of course it was Tengen."
With only his head left, Kenjaku stared blankly at the figure of Fushiguro Toji above him.
"My body is exactly the same as Geto Suguru's, and I use the same curse manipulation technique. Because of that brief moment of resonance earlier, Tengen's mind broke free from my control for just a few seconds."
Kenjaku said coldly, "Tengen must have opened a hole in the barrier."
"I don't know. I just saw a hole, so I slipped through it," Fushiguro Toji said with a smirk.
"Even if the resonance between me and Geto gave Tengen a few seconds of freedom, that still shouldn't be enough time to open the right path through all those sealed rooms to get here."
"He probably just took a wild guess with less than a 0.1% chance—and somehow, that lucky tear in the barrier led right here."
That coincidence allowed a powerless Fushiguro Toji to sneak in and assassinate Kenjaku.
Kenjaku's plan had truly been flawless—except for one thing: luck.
"You only beat me because of unbelievable luck."
Kenjaku's face was blank.
Fushiguro Toji gave a small laugh. "Yeah, jealous?"
"I was born into the Zenin clan without cursed energy. My family saw me as trash. Everyone looked down on me, called me a useless monkey with no power."
"But step by step, I proved them wrong. The Heavenly Restriction that others thought was a curse turned out to be my greatest strength. Since then, no one has dared to boss me around."
"When I was a kid, I thought I was unlucky. But after growing up, I realized I was actually lucky."
The black-haired man grinned.
"There's no point being hard on yourself. A win is a win. What's wrong with being lucky?"
Kenjaku closed his eyes, helpless after hearing that.
"Yeah, Zenin Toji… stuff like this doesn't matter to you at all."
He gave up arguing. It was pointless. He lost. Somehow, by chance, those two managed to win once.
...
Kenjaku stayed silent for a moment. In the haze, he opened his eyes and saw a white-haired woman sitting across from him.
It was Tengen—her original self, before any merging had taken place.
Between them was a board game. Kenjaku played black, Tengen played white. The match was over.
The white stones covered 180 spots. The black stones, 179.
...A life-flashing moment? Never thought I'd experience something like this too.
"Tengen." Kenjaku's voice carried some frustration, but in the end, it turned calm. "Looks like I lost."
"...Actually, I didn't completely win either, Kenjaku."
The white-haired woman shook her head.
What did she mean?
On the board, there was one piece with value far beyond the rest—so important that it even outweighed Gojo Satoru. That one piece flipped what should've been a losing game into a victory.
And that game-changing white piece was named Hayashizaki.
...
Kenjaku slowly opened his eyes again. His gaze drifted toward Suguru Geto lying in a pool of blood, then turned to Fushiguro Toji. "Even though I lost here, my will is going to be passed on."
"The technique extraction is complete."
Fushiguro Toji froze, then quickly turned around—only to see Kenjaku's headless body suddenly getting up off the ground. He bent down and placed his palm on the floor.
At the stump of his neck, where it had been severed, there were still thin, string-like fibers clinging to the detached head.
"Muhen Kaika!"
As Kenjaku chanted, a giant purple symbol spread from under his feet. It bathed everything within dozens of meters in a purple glow. Then the mark floated up into the air, forming a complex shape in the sky.
"Remote technique activation?"
Fushiguro Toji frowned, then slashed open Kenjaku's head, revealing a living brain with a mouth on it.
Geto's face, still managing a twisted smile, opened his mouth and spoke: "A thousand Itadori Yujis full of hatred, people and cursed tools I carefully selected, and every person across Japan—all of them will be thrown into a death game where killing each other is the only way to survive."
"This is the world from now on. All those who die in this game will fuse with Tengen and become fuel to push humanity's cursed energy toward its final form."
"From now on, the peaceful age of jujutsu begins."
"The Culling Game... officially starts."
End of Chapter
---
You can read 10 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu