The first warning came in the form of a shudder through the ground. The lanterns hanging across the corridors of Jujutsu High flickered, and then a ripple of cursed energy rolled across the campus like a sudden gale.
By the time the teachers and students looked up, a barrier had already begun to rise, shimmering like a dome of faint glass, sealing the school off from the world outside.
From the courtyard, Yuki Tsukumo shouted, "Damn it, we're locked out!" She slammed her palm against the barrier, cursed energy crackling from her hand, but the structure held without the slightest ripple.
Yuta stood beside her, his jaw tight as his eyes scanned the sealed campus. "Inside," he said sharply, his voice low. "They are after Yuji."
Within the grounds, chaos was breaking out. The barrier had cut communication clean, leaving those trapped inside scrambling to respond to an unseen threat.
Shoko Ieiri rushed from the infirmary, ordering assistants and students to gather in safe rooms, her voice barely carrying over the rush of footsteps. Nobara's wheelchair screeched against the floor as she tried to get into the hall, shouting for help.
And in the center of the storm, Uraume soared just above the courtyard, their white robes gleaming beneath the moonlight. In their arms was a solid coffin of frost, within which Itadori Yuji's frozen form could be seen, his expression locked in a startled half-gasp.
Uraume's expression was flat, but annoyance flickered in her eyes as they adjusted their grip on the block of ice. "Freezing him entirely was wasteful," they muttered, her breath fogging. "The vessel could fracture under such pressure. But Kenjaku insists he was built sturdy enough to endure. Then so be it."
She began to rise higher, intending to vanish into the night sky before resistance could gather.
That was when it came.
A streak of crimson burst from the shadows below, a line of blood moving faster than sight, tearing upward like a spear. Uraume's eyes widened and she barely raised a hand in time.
Frost surged around her palm as she caught the strike, but the sheer momentum launched her backward through the air. The block of ice in her arms lurched, slipping dangerously before she tightened her grip.
From the ground, Choso emerged, his body already glowing faintly with the scales of blood hardened by cursed energy. His hair whipped around his face as his voice rang out across the courtyard.
"Give him back!"
In the blink of an eye, he was airborne, blood whipping around his body like blades. He struck Uraume full on, one hand seizing Yuji's frozen form and the other snapping out in a vicious kick that sent Uraume hurtling across the courtyard and into the side of a stone wall. The impact thundered, shaking loose fragments of rock.
Choso landed hard, skidding as his arms locked protectively around Yuji's coffin of ice. His breath came in harsh bursts, his eyes wide with fury and grief.
"I should have been there," he whispered, his voice trembling. "I should never have let him go alone. This is my fault." His blood scales shone brighter, hardening as cursed energy surged through him. He lifted his head, shouting with every ounce of his being. "I am your big brother, Yuji. From this moment on, I swear I will protect you, even if it costs me my life!"
Uraume rose from the rubble, her face icy calm despite the blow. Her pale eyes locked on Choso, and frost began to gather at her lips.
"You are a nuisance."
She inhaled deeply, then exhaled a thick, freezing mist. The air shimmered as Frost Calm engulfed the courtyard. The cold swept out in every direction, instantly coating trees, stone, and buildings in a heavy layer of ice.
Choso tried to shield Yuji, cursed energy bursting outward to resist, but the frost overtook him in seconds. His body stiffened, ice creeping along his limbs, pinning him in place.
He struggled to lift his arm, but the ice was relentless, biting through even his enhanced blood scales. Within moments, he was bound in a frozen tomb, Yuji still locked in his grasp but unreachable, the world beyond sealed behind thick frost.
Uraume drifted forward, irritation flashing across her face. "Pathetic. Do not stand in the way of Lord Sukuna's return."
But just as she raised her arm to deliver the final blow, a lazy voice drifted across the frozen yard.
"Tch. Just had to happen when I got back from Vegas, huh? As if getting kicked out of casinos over there wasn't annoying enough... Troublesome timing."
A figure strolled into view, hands shoved into his pockets, eyes half-lidded with a gambler's ease. The golden chain at his wrist clinked softly with every step.
Kinji Hakari.
Uraume's gaze narrowed. "Another insect."
Hakari smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Careful. This insect bites."
And then he was gone, blurring forward with speed that split the frost beneath his feet. His fist slammed into hers mid-swing, the impact sending shockwaves through the courtyard. The clash was raw, strength against strength, cursed energy reinforcement roaring on both sides.
Uraume's eyes flicked briefly, surprised. His raw strength matched her own. He pressed harder, forcing her a step back. She twisted, countering with a sharp kick laced in frost, but Hakari blocked with his forearm and grinned through the sting.
"Not bad. You're the first since Gojo to actually push me back like that."
Uraume didn't answer. With a flick of her hand, shards of ice erupted into the air.
"Icefall."
Dozens of icicles rained down, each sharp enough to pierce stone. Hakari darted through them, weaving with surprising grace, though a few grazed his shoulders, blood splattering the snow. He didn't slow.
He drove a knee into her stomach, forcing her back, but she only snarled, releasing another freezing mist. Frost Calm surged again, but Hakari countered with cursed energy bursts, pushing through the encroaching ice.
Their battle spiraled across the courtyard, each exchange faster, sharper, their blows cracking the air like gunfire.
For all her arrogance, Uraume was forced to recognize him as more than "third-rate." His reinforcement, his hand-to-hand combat, the sheer stubborn resilience in every motion, it was all infuriatingly effective.
And then she noticed the gleam in his eye. The gambler's grin.
"Looks like you don't know who you're dealing with."
His voice dropped low, almost mocking, as the world around him began to shift. A pachinko machine shuttered into existence behind him, lights flashing, reels spinning.
Hakari spread his arms wide. "Domain Expansion."
The courtyard warped, space twisting into the bright, gaudy interior of a pachinko parlor.
"Idle Death Gamble."
Uraume's eyes narrowed as the reels spun, the sound of metallic clinks and cheerful music filling the frozen air. Her instincts screamed that something was very, very wrong.
And Hakari?
He just smirked, shoulders loose, ready for whatever came next.