Night.
This was destined to be a sleepless night.
Gojo Satoru sat alone on the steps of the plaza at Tokyo Jujutsu High, with a bottle of sake beside him.
He had removed his blindfold, revealing his deep blue Six Eyes that seemed as vast as the distant sky.
His Six Eyes had now been developed to a level never before seen in history.
If he wished, he could see anything recognized by earthly knowledge; even the movement of atoms could be easily perceived.
He possessed the eyes of gods and buddhas, the strongest pair of eyes in this world.
Yet he could not use these eyes to clearly see the future.
He felt a little lost.
This was an extremely rare occurrence for Gojo Satoru.
He possessed the greatest power in the world. If he exerted himself fully, very few things could stop him.
That had always been true.
When he made it clear that he wanted to reform the Jujutsu World, weren't those Jujutsu higher-ups left helpless against him?
But he was still human.
He had ordinary human emotions.
He could feel lost, angry, helpless, and...
Depressed.
When Amanai Riko died in the past, he had been depressed.
When Geto Suguru betrayed him in the past, he had been depressed.
And now, he was experiencing depression for the third time.
He looked up at the moon hanging in the sky.
Perhaps because Tokyo Jujutsu High was built in the mountains outside the city, there was no light pollution here, making the stars above especially beautiful.
As the moonlight gently poured down, it caused Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes to shine like a pool of clear water.
He recalled the discussion from the meeting during the day and Kenjaku's words regarding "destiny."
Although most people in the meeting room believed Kenjaku was merely trying to frighten them—
Even Geto Suguru, who had released Kenjaku to explain things, confidently declared that Kenjaku was simply refusing to admit defeat—
And although Gojo Satoru himself had firmly declared during the meeting that he would never give up...
Although.
Although.
Although.
So many "althoughs" already revealed Gojo Satoru's true thoughts.
He wasn't ignorant of fate.
On the contrary, his knowledge of jujutsu was extremely extensive.
Long ago, he had heard someone say:
"It is precisely because Gojo Satoru was born that the world, in order to maintain balance, allowed Curses to erupt even more violently."
It sounded like slander.
But Gojo Satoru knew it was true.
Because he had experienced it personally.
Ever since his birth, the number of Cursed Spirits had indeed exploded.
Their increasing numbers had greatly increased the burden on all Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Although no one had ever whispered such things into his ear, with Gojo Satoru's sharp perception, how could he fail to connect these matters with himself?
Because of this, he had actively sought knowledge in this area.
The concept of [Mandate of Heaven] truly exists.
It is real.
Leaving everything else aside, during the meeting, Kenjaku spoke of the destiny linking the Six Eyes and the Star Plasma Vessel.
This was recorded in the history of the Gojo Clan itself.
How could Gojo Satoru not know it was true?
Furthermore, Tengen had personally told him that the Six Eyes were the eyes of gods and buddhas that she had once discarded.
Because of a Binding Vow with the Gojo Clan, the Six Eyes would appear at fixed intervals.
And that fixed timing coincided with Tengen's fusion with the Star Plasma Vessel.
Every appearance of the Six Eyes had been related to escorting the Star Plasma Vessel.
Without exception.
Regarding the fruits of the [Mandate of Heaven], Tengen's understanding even surpassed Kenjaku's.
Kenjaku had needed repeated failures to verify whether the Mandate of Heaven truly existed.
Meanwhile, Tengen could already use her own destiny to connect the fates of the Six Eyes and the Star Plasma Vessel.
Had the Heavenly Restriction not destroyed that cycle, such a destiny would probably have continued until the end of the world.
Until Cursed Energy disappeared completely.
Therefore, Gojo Satoru was certain that Kenjaku's words were true.
Even if Mahito had not yet truly become a god...
There was no longer any difference.
"One step behind... huh?"
Gojo Satoru took a sip of sake and let out a rare sigh.
He remembered the first time he heard news of Mahito.
The time Mahito destroyed the Zen'in Clan.
The time he allowed Yuki Tsukumo to confront Mahito.
And finally, the smile he wore when he decided to fight Mahito with everything he had.
Four times.
There had been four opportunities to completely eliminate Mahito's threat.
Yet every time, he failed to seize them.
Gojo Satoru recalled Kenjaku's words:
[Gojo Satoru, it was you who created Mahito.]
That's right.
It was me.
My arrogance.
My carelessness.
Those things created the Mahito who was now destined by the Mandate of Heaven to become a deity.
It was me.
Gulp.
Gojo Satoru took another sip of sake.
"I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep."
Without looking up, Gojo Satoru handed over the bottle.
"Want a drink?"
The newcomer naturally accepted it and raised it to his lips.
But nothing came out.
Not a single drop remained.
The newcomer laughed.
"There's no sake left at all. You've already finished everything in such a short time."
Gojo Satoru looked up and smiled as well.
"Suguru, haven't you also found yourself unable to sleep?"
The newcomer was none other than Geto Suguru.
Still dressed in his monk robes, he slowly walked to Gojo Satoru's side.
Then he lifted the hem of his robes and sat cross-legged on the ground with the demeanor of a great master, admiring the moon alongside him.
"If cherry blossoms were falling right now, it would surely be even more elegant," Geto Suguru remarked.
"Then I truly apologize."
"The season is wrong, and the location is wrong."
"Only this moon can be admired every night."
The two quietly watched the moon for a while without speaking.
Gojo Satoru's heart stirred slightly.
He understood why Geto Suguru had come.
He must have noticed Gojo's regret during the meeting and predicted that he would appear here tonight.
So he came specifically to accompany him.
This wasn't Gojo Satoru overthinking.
Geto Suguru had always been this kind of person.
During their high school years, although Ieiri Shoko was the girl among them, Geto Suguru had always been the more attentive one.
During the mission to escort Amanai Riko, it was Geto Suguru who repeatedly worried about Gojo Satoru's mental state and took precautions.
Geto Suguru was a gentle person.
Even now, Gojo Satoru still believed that.
Then, this gentle person said:
"Give up."
Gojo Satoru wasn't surprised.
He merely said faintly:
"If you had said that in the meeting room, even if you're my best friend, I would have twisted your head off and placed it on the table."
Geto Suguru ignored the threat entirely.
Without even looking at Gojo Satoru, he gazed at the moon and said calmly:
"The confidence you displayed in the meeting room to stabilize morale cannot fool those who know you."
"Never mind me—even Shoko and Principal Yaga have already noticed the weakness in your voice."
"You know better than anyone that the Mandate of Heaven Kenjaku described is real."
"I don't know how much effort and preparation you've made."
"But you know better than I do how powerless and laughable those efforts are before destiny."
"That isn't a reason for me to give up."
Gojo Satoru also kept his eyes on the moon.
"The Mandate of Heaven isn't invincible."
"Wasn't Tengen's own destiny destroyed by Amanai Riko's death?"
"That was because of Heavenly Restriction."
"We also have Heavenly Restriction."
Gojo Satoru said:
"Maki Zen'in."
"You've seen that girl."
"She possesses genuine Heavenly Restriction."
"With a body completely devoid of Cursed Energy, she can sever Tengen's destiny just like Fushiguro Toji killed Riko back then."
Even as he spoke, Gojo Satoru felt a stab in his chest.
He still couldn't forget Amanai Riko.
He couldn't forget the mission that changed both his and Geto Suguru's lives.
He couldn't forget that day.
Geto Suguru could forget it even less.
Because Amanai Riko had died right in front of him.
He had promised to take her away.
He had promised she wouldn't need to become the Star Plasma Vessel.
But the moment she smiled toward the future—
She died.
Geto Suguru could never forget that day.
Not until death.
And he knew Gojo Satoru couldn't either.
So when Gojo Satoru even brought up Amanai Riko's name, it meant that even if it tore open his own wounds, he still refused to surrender.
Geto Suguru thought:
This is Gojo Satoru.
The Gojo Satoru who would never admit defeat until death.
And that only made him hurt even more.
"Do I really have to spell it out?"
Geto Suguru took a deep breath.
The moonlight reflected in his eyes.
"The Heavenly Restriction cannot participate in the final battle!"
"Mahito must have learned from Tengen's loopholes and used the Dream Walk Migration—a ritual requiring Cursed Energy inside the body—to specifically prevent destruction by Heavenly Restriction!"
This wasn't baseless speculation.
It was a calm conclusion.
Mahito had been nurtured by Kenjaku.
And the knowledge they possessed certainly included how Heavenly Restriction once shattered destiny.
Therefore, the Dream Walk Migration deliberately adopted the same flawed path used by Tengen's destiny, using dreams to exclude Heavenly Restriction users.
Maki Zen'in—
Their trump card—
Had been neutralized.
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Next Bonus Chapter at 700 Powerstones.