Let us temporarily rewind time to about ten minutes ago, when Kenjaku was still clinging to life and unleashing a curse upon Chinatsu.
"Chinatsu, I curse you to be unable to continue enjoying the joy you anticipated as an ordinary person. You defeated me, so become the new Buddha of this world! Break free from the shackles in your heart and release the true self you have suppressed for years!!!"
With a ferocious expression, Kenjaku pointed a finger at Chinatsu. Overwhelming Cursed Energy and negative emotions suddenly surged toward Chinatsu like a vast ocean. Before Chinatsu could even react, she was swallowed by this deluge.
All sorts of negative emotions appeared in Chinatsu's eyes like ferocious vengeful spirits. A suffocating feeling surged from the depths of her heart, as if she were sinking deeper into a treacherous mire.
Chinatsu raised one of her arms, attempting to struggle out of the mire, but how easy was it for one person's spirit to contend against such a massive spiritual collective?
After struggling for a moment, she retracted her raised arm. Just as her surface consciousness was about to be corrupted by the negative emotions, Chinatsu, as if holding her breath, used her last shred of consciousness to form the hand sign for Domain Expansion.
[Domain Expansion: Mirror Flower, Water Moon!]
This Domain opened and dissolved instantly because the Domain Expansion only covered her. Mirror Flower, Water Moon, which was meant to be used on others, was now directed at herself, successfully severing her original consciousness from the mutated consciousness at the critical juncture.
This was the only method Chinatsu could think of in such a short time; it was both her ultimate reserve and her ace in the hole.
In the depths of Chinatsu's mental world, two Chinatsus stood on opposite sides.
One Chinatsu continuously radiated dense Cursed Energy. Her hair and clothes fluttered as if caught in a gale of surging Cursed Energy, and her expression was extremely gloomy.
The other Chinatsu was faintly wrapped in chains, but the expression on her face was anything but gloomy. Instead, she slightly raised her head and looked at her counterpart across the way with a smile.
"Who do you think you are trying to corrupt? How could I possibly surrender so easily? Even if this is truly a desperate situation, I will drag someone down with me. Yes, I am talking about you."
Although the situation was still overwhelmingly unfavorable, Chinatsu herself did not display the mental state of facing adversity and falling into despair, causing the Altered Chinatsu standing opposite her to frown in confusion.
"Even if you used Mirror Flower, Water Moon to separate yourself, this action is, at most, just clinging to life. Especially now that I have discovered your little trick, I am very confused about why you can still smile."
Although Altered Chinatsu was inwardly anxious, she feigned calmness, raising her arms and crossing them over her chest, acting as if victory was assured on her side.
In fact, this was true. Even though Chinatsu herself used Mirror Flower, Water Moon to preserve the last shred of her self-consciousness, she had already lost control over her physical body.
One side was filled with power and held dominance over the body, while the other was clinging to life, hidden in the depths of the mental world and now discovered. The superiority of one over the other was obvious.
Of course, Chinatsu understood this point. After all, even though her body was currently occupied by the sudden new consciousness, she was, fundamentally, the original and true owner.
Reclaiming the body... that was impossible.
A direct clash of consciousness... difficult to execute.
If this mutated consciousness had not voluntarily entered the depths of the mental world, actively appearing before her, Chinatsu would not have had the ability to initiate a meeting.
However, the meeting of the two now gave Chinatsu this opportunity. It was also thanks to Gojo Satoru and the others not giving up the fight against the external Chinatsu, applying pressure to her. Otherwise, she would not have realized she was caught in Mirror Flower, Water Moon and come to the depths of the mental world seeking answers.
Under Chinatsu's subtle smile, an ominous premonition gradually surfaced in the feigning-calm Altered Chinatsu. She was a nascent consciousness born from Chinatsu, and precisely because of this, she understood Chinatsu's personality even better.
Having transmigrated to the world of jujutsu kaisen for unknown reasons, she had strived since infancy to change the tragedies of the Jujutsu World. Outwardly eccentric but privately taciturn, she constantly accumulated pressure upon herself for the sake of that perfect goal in her heart.
And precisely because Chinatsu was a perfectionist, she would absolutely not allow the Altered Chinatsu to occupy her body and commit evil deeds.
She shouldn't just be putting on an act.
But where did this confidence stem from? Could it be that besides Mirror Flower, Water Moon, her life-saving card, she had another trump card capable of defying fate and turning the tables?
Altered Chinatsu watched her original self with a heavy gaze, her fists involuntarily clenching tightly. Driven by the ominous premonition in her heart, she opened her mouth.
"What is wrong with being unrestrained? We possess the strength to ignore any rule in this world. We can do what Sukuna did a thousand years ago, and we can even do it better.
This world has never been beautiful. The weak who exist in this world can never change their fate no matter how much they struggle. This is the truth that people tacitly accept, yet those weaklings strive to forget it, putting on a facade of acceptance.
But we are different. We don't need to care about this. What does the world's perfection or imperfection have to do with us? We only need to care about ourselves!"
As Altered Chinatsu spoke, the surrounding mental space became chaotic and volatile. A dark aura drifted from her location, and the ground gradually turned into a muddy swamp.
Just as Altered Chinatsu's demonic grasp was about to swallow Chinatsu, like a star twinkling in the dark night sky or a warm bonfire burning on the ground, the invading dark grasp suddenly halted its movement.
"You are correct, this world is cruel, but there are still various beautiful things worth protecting, and this is what I have been doing up until now."
Geto Suguru's mental breakdown.
Haibara's tragic encounter.
Kento Nanami's tragic death.
Amanai Riko's anticipated future.
Yaga Masamichi's political execution.
Rika Orimoto's death by car accident.
Yuta Okkotsu's unfortunate childhood.
Itadori Yuji's cursed destiny.
And even the countless civilians annihilated by the slashes unleashed by Ryomen Sukuna during the Shibuya Incident, and so on... Chinatsu stepped toward the darkness rushing forward, and a power like a star in the night sky and a fire in the darkness isolated that darkness from Chinatsu.
Seeing the changes in Chinatsu, Altered Chinatsu's figure suddenly distorted. She widened her eyes in confusion, momentarily unable to figure out the source of this unknown power.
"This power... could it be... a Binding Vow?!"
The Jujutsu World's highest-spec BUG rule: Jujutsu Sorcerers can sacrifice certain cherished things in exchange for the abilities they desire, and the scale of the acquired ability is closely related to the value and degree of cherishment of the sacrificed item.
Chinatsu calmly raised one arm toward her opponent. A faint smile still hung on her face, but the emotion carried by this smile was different from before.
"Precisely because this world is not beautiful, I strive to turn this imperfect story into the way I anticipate it to be. And it seems my efforts were not in vain."
As Chinatsu's voice fell, countless chains named Binding Vow suddenly materialized and descended, binding both individuals within the mental space.
Several minutes passed in the mental world.
A mere instant passed in the real world.
Chinatsu, who was currently clashing Domains with Gojo Satoru and the others while using Mirror Flower, Water Moon, suddenly lost the light in her eyes, ceasing all movement like a wind-up doll that had run out of power.
....
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