In the wind and rain, someone jogged down the corridor, his face covered in cold sweat and his body trembling, until he saw a sliding door.
He pulled it open forcefully and shouted without thinking.
"He's here!"
"Who?" someone asked.
"The King of Curses, Mahito!" he said.
"I heard he never acts alone; wherever he goes, he's followed by at least one attendant."
"We didn't establish a Binding Vow with Kinji Hakari, so he must have guessed our intentions."
"How many people did he bring?" asked the person seated next to the head seat.
"He didn't bring anyone," he said, breaking into a cold sweat.
"He came alone, wearing a kimono and a haori, with a long blade at his waist—a great blade over two meters long!"
"He looks like a sword saint walking straight out of the Heian period, carrying the wind and rain with him."
Suddenly, a roar came from the sky outside, and a bolt of lightning streaked across the clouds like a flying dragon.
Someone remarked sarcastically, "To specifically visit on a rainy day while wearing a master swordsman's outfit... what is he thinking?"
"He wants to kill," someone suddenly said.
"How could—"
"He wants to kill. He wants to kill everyone in the Zenin Family. He wants to exterminate the Zenin Clan," the man whispered.
He put down his sake bottle and straightened up from his casual sitting position.
He was the Clan Head sitting in the main seat, and he fully understood Mahito's intent.
Who hasn't been young?
The Clan Head had also once fantasized about being a master swordsman or a sword saint, walking in the night, encountering an enemy, and cutting them down with one strike.
But that was a fantasy, not reality.
But when that fantasy actually arrives, how peak must that person's state be?
The Clan Head exhaled slowly.
"All Jujutsu Sorcerers have good and bad states, especially in battle."
"But that state doesn't just come whenever you want; sometimes you need environmental assistance."
"Today is a thunderstorm, with torrential rain falling and lightning flashing."
"He comes walking slowly in a swordsman's outfit, like the lead actor in a period drama, while we are the yakuza about to be dismantled by the hero."
"I bet his anger is surging right now, but the lake of his heart is calm."
"He has already immersed himself in a state of 'Clear Mirror, Still Water,' waiting for the coming slaughter."
The room fell silent; everyone was stunned.
"Hei!" the Clan Head suddenly barked.
A young man snapped awake. "Yes!"
"Gather all members! Assemble in the center of the plaza and prepare for combat!"
"Yes!" The young man bowed, stood up, and immediately sprang into action.
"Kukuru!" the Clan Head barked again.
"Yes!" another young man answered loudly.
"Arrange for all women and children to go into the underground training hall."
"Then, leave half the men to protect the non-combatants, and the other half will follow the Hei!"
"Even if everyone, including me, dies, you are not allowed to come out. Wait for rescue."
"Yes!" He stood up and immediately ran out the door.
"Where is Satoru Gojo now?" the Clan Head asked.
"We sent him abroad; he won't be back for a week," someone replied.
"Very good, we've set a trap for ourselves. Simply wonderful!" the Clan Head mocked loudly.
"Now, pray."
"Pray that I'm just being paranoid, or that the King of Curses has a good temper and will leave after killing us, rather than driving us to extinction!"
"By what right! We invited him properly, yet he comes to kill us!" someone roared.
"By the right of the words you just spoke," the Clan Head said expressionlessly with a cold chuckle.
"By the right of this bone-deep arrogance!"
The Clan Head threw the sake bottle into the middle of the room.
The bottle shattered, and he stuck out his tongue to lick the last drop of sake clinging to his lip.
The Zenin Clan Head had guessed correctly; that was exactly what Mahito was thinking.
Mahito hadn't lied to Kinji Hakari; he really had figured it out.
In the original work, there is a finishing move that theoretically all Jujutsu Sorcerers can use called Black Flash.
It's a secret technique that only a Jujutsu Sorcerer in an excellent state can pull off.
After using Black Flash, both Jujutsu Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits enter a special state of Awakening.
This state makes the user's body and mind transparent, allowing even Cursed Technique Burnout to recover in an instant.
In the original work, Mahito relied on landing a Black Flash to enter a state called "Idle Transfiguration: Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing."
That was his final form.
Although he lost his shapeshifting ability, his physical performance was boosted to an unprecedented level, effectively evolving into a higher-dimensional existence vastly different from his pre-transformation state.
But the current Mahito, despite being stronger than he was in the original work's timeline, couldn't do this.
He couldn't land a Black Flash, nor could he enter the Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing.
Why?
Because his heart wasn't pure enough? Because he had never had a battle to the death? Mahito judged it was both.
It was because he considered too many complicated things, and because he had never gone through a life-and-death struggle.
Time was running out.
It was now July 2018, and in the original work, December 24, 2018, was the end.
If Mahito hadn't fully grown by then, he would surely die.
Uraume would absorb him, or Satoru Gojo would kill him.
No matter where he ran, he believed Uraume and Satoru Gojo would find him.
Kenjaku would do it for fun, and Satoru Gojo would do it for the greater good—unless he gambled.
Gamble that Kenjaku would be killed by Satoru Gojo.
Gamble that Satoru Gojo and Ryomen Sukuna would perish together.
Then gamble that the protagonist group would see him as pitiful and not kill him.
And finally gamble that human governments were all fools who wouldn't realize that Cursed Spirits, under Mahito's leadership, could potentially rule the world as Earth's new masters.
Only then would he have a way to live. Was that possible?
What a joke! How was that any different from handing his life over to the heavens to roll the dice!
Though the world was vast, he had nowhere to belong. So, Mahito came alone.
Jogo had tried his best to persuade him, but Mahito didn't agree to let them follow.
Kinji Hakari also urged him not to be impulsive, but he still refused because this wasn't an impulse.
Only Kenjaku realized the change in Mahito.
He asked Mahito, "What do you want me to prepare?"
"Is there any preparation that can help me land a Black Flash?" Mahito asked.
"The growth of a Jujutsu Sorcerer isn't always smooth and steady."
"Solid soil plus a bit of soul and imagination, followed by a trivial catalyst, and a person will be completely renewed."
Kenjaku smiled. "Mahito, what matters is your state of mind. In what kind of state do you want to fight?"
"It's fine, don't be shy. Exhaust your imagination, exhaust your feelings, and ultimately, follow your own heart's intent."
It was the same concept as the original Satoru Gojo choosing December 24th for the final battle; it was the last day of the year, carrying great special significance.
Sometimes, such a choice alone could elevate one's state of mind.
Now, Mahito needed this as well.
Mahito thought for a moment and smiled. "I understand."
He chose a day of torrential rain and had Kinji Hakari call the Zenin Family.
He washed his body meticulously, rose from the bath, and put on the clothes Kenjaku had carefully prepared.
It was a broad white top with diagonal hems folded and worn correctly, a pair of loose black hakama tied at the waist, white socks, and wooden geta.
Finally, he draped a black haori over his shoulders.
Hanami combed his messy, flowing long hair.
The originally frizzy hair became smooth under Hanami's careful grooming, like white silk.
When he stood up, his long hair fell naturally like a pure white cloak.
[We await your return, our Lord.] Hanami offered a blessing.
Mahito smiled and nodded gently.
Jogo handed over a wide bamboo hat.
He took it; the edge of the hat was decorated with sun and moon motifs that made a crisp sound as they swayed. He put it on.
"Fifty years of human life is like a dream, an illusion," Jogo said softly.
"Where there is life, there is death; what regret does a brave man have?"
These were the words Oda Nobunaga spoke before the desperate battle that broke the Sengoku period's deadlock, through which he stepped into the world.
Jogo had immense expectations for Mahito, and even now, he still did.
"The Zenin Family doesn't quite count as the Battle of Okehazama," Mahito understood perfectly.
Dagon rose from the seawater, looking up at him with watery eyes.
He reached out and gently stroked Dagon's head.
"Mahito is invincible," Dagon said.
He flicked Dagon's forehead with the back of his hand. "You shouldn't say that at a time like this."
Kinji Hakari looked at him and handed him the scabbard he had prepared long ago.
He reached out to take the scabbard and slightly raised his other hand.
Standing to the side, Kirigiri slowly took flight, sliding into the scabbard and finally clicking against the edge with a soft hum.
Kinji Hakari hesitated to speak, but finally said, "I wish you great fortune in war, Mahito."
"Of course," he replied.