Chapter 123 — The Death of Kenjaku; Tengen Is Stolen
The voice at his ear made Kenjaku's brain instantly crash.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
His limbs locked in place.
He turned, trying to see who had spoken—
—and a blade as broad as a palm slid effortlessly into his skull.
In one brief instant, his head—
normally protected by countless layers of curses and technique—
was pierced as if it were thin paper.
The long knife passed cleanly through his temple, skewering Kenjaku's true body.
A tall figure stepped into the light behind him.
It was the man who had been waiting silently in the shadows all this time—Fushiguro Toji.
Toji's lips curled into a lazy smile.
"If I'd known it was you back then, I would've finished the job properly."
If he had realized this man was the one who caused Tsumiki's years of suffering,
Toji would have killed him the moment they crossed paths in that restaurant.
"You…!!"
Kenjaku staggered back, clutching the Split Soul Katana embedded in his skull.
With a violent pull, he tore it out.
Red and white matter splattered everywhere.
"Zen'in Shinsuke…?!"
Looking at Toji, Kenjaku instantly understood—
he'd been outplayed by Zen'in Shinsuke.
He had accounted for every factor…
except the man who had quit the jujutsu world decades ago.
"Don't give him all the credit," Toji said casually.
"You once marked someone who happens to be my daughter.
Just that alone is reason enough for me to be here."
He spoke lightly, amused by Kenjaku's contorted expression.
"You think this is enough to kill me?!
I've lived for over a thousand years!"
Driven half-mad, Kenjaku lunged with the Split Soul Katana, trying to channel cursed energy to repair the catastrophic damage in his brain.
Toji scratched his ear and sidestepped lazily.
"Using the Split Soul Katana, are you?
If you can't see the soul, you can't draw out its true power."
He sounded almost sympathetic—
as if he genuinely hoped Kenjaku could at least provide a little entertainment before dying.
"Extreme Art — Vortex!!"
Missing the strike, Kenjaku immediately invoked a secret technique, summoning a devastating cursed vortex.
"Sssh—!"
But Toji was already beside him.
He swung the Inverted Spear of Heaven in a blur—
the massive vortex shattered into dust.
"You still have enough strength to use techniques?
Your life force is annoyingly stubborn."
With a single motion, Toji ripped the Split Soul Katana back out of Kenjaku's grasp.
Seeing Kenjaku gasping, trembling, a wreck drenched in blood,
Toji's eyes went flat with boredom.
"On a normal day, I wouldn't mind fighting you fair and square.
But unfortunately for you…
it's time to go."
His gaze sharpened—
and then he vanished.
Kenjaku's face twisted.
He slammed his hands together, forming seals,
gathering every last drop of cursed energy for one final counterattack—
"Domain Exp—"
"Shing—! Shing—!"
His arms were severed before the domain even materialized,
cut clean off and sent flying.
A grinning figure filled Kenjaku's vision.
He didn't even have time to think—
his skull was already split open,
brain matter exposed to the cold air.
"Shk!"
The Inverted Spear of Heaven flashed with a blinding light as it plunged straight into Kenjaku's exposed brain.
In that instant, the portion of his brain responsible for activating his techniques was utterly annihilated.
Kenjaku's eyes locked onto Toji's face, filled with unwilling rage.
He hadn't yet witnessed the "ultimate lifeform" he dreamed of creating…
He wanted—needed—to see it with his own eyes.
"Crack!"
With his brain skewered clean through, Geto Suguru's body collapsed heavily to the floor.
His vacant eyes stared upward, lifeless, unable to rest in peace.
"—!"
At that moment, Yuki Tsukumo shattered the ice that bound her, while Choso climbed out from the rubble.
Seeing the pulped brain impaled on Toji's blade, Choso's expression froze.
"Kenjaku… is dead?"
"Toji? Why are you here?"
Yuki's brows furrowed in confusion.
"I was asked to come," Toji replied casually. "Though the person who asked me had zero manners about it."
Yuki's eyes brightened.
"I get it. It was your brother, wasn't it? He was still worried about me."
A beat later, her face darkened.
"Wait—doesn't that mean he didn't believe I could beat Kenjaku myself?!
Seriously? He doubts my strength?!"
Choso cut in, "Anyway… Kenjaku is finally gone. That should mean everything's over, right?"
Seeing the lifeless brain in Toji's hand, he finally relaxed.
Perhaps this counted as revenge for his mother… and his younger brothers.
"Oi, old lady! You can come out now!"
Yuki shouted toward the empty air.
That old fossil Tengen had nearly gotten her killed—she was absolutely going to settle accounts.
Silence.
Tengen did not appear.
There was no reply.
Yuki's expression hardened.
"Tengen! Get out here! Fine, fine—I'll begrudgingly forgive you this time, so stop hiding!"
"No need to yell," Toji said. "Tengen isn't here anymore."
Sniffing the air, he detected an unfamiliar scent amidst the lingering traces of Kenjaku's presence.
"Didn't expect it," he muttered. "Aside from me, someone else was hiding in the shadows."
"What do you mean?" Choso asked.
"It's simple," Toji said. "Kenjaku was never acting alone. He prepared backup plans.
Even if he died, someone else was waiting to take Tengen."
Yuki's face shifted from anger to grim realization.
Toji's lips curled.
"This just keeps getting more interesting. I'm honestly curious what this world is about to become."
He never expected that after leaving the jujutsu world for years, things would shift so dramatically—not only was Kenjaku dead, even Tengen, the ancient relic of jujutsu, had been stolen away.
Yuki rushed back to the chamber where Tengen should have been—but the room was empty.
Her expression turned heavy.
"Could the world really turn into what Kenjaku described…?"
Kenjaku had died—
but his plan continued moving forward.
"Let's leave first," Choso urged. "The outside world must already be in chaos."
What the world became didn't matter to him.
He only cared about one thing—
Was Yuji okay?
---
Meanwhile…
Outside the Jujutsu High barrier, a slim white figure disappeared into the night, carrying a large sack.
It was Uraume.
She had accompanied Kenjaku precisely to prevent unexpected accidents—
and indeed, an accident had occurred.
The moment Toji appeared, she had been stunned.
Who would have guessed someone else, just like her, was hiding in the shadows waiting to strike?
She had originally intended to rescue Kenjaku…
but one look at Toji's power told her that was impossible.
So she changed targets.
She stole Tengen's true body.
Kenjaku had wanted to use Tengen to create the "ultimate lifeform."
But now that he was dead?
Uraume didn't care about his plan.
All she wanted was to present Tengen's body—
as a gift to Sukuna-sama.
After all, what vessel could be more perfect for Sukuna's rebirth…
than Tengen?