Yuki Tsukumo's expression changed drastically.
She turned to Yuji Itadori to confirm a terrifying suspicion. "That Curse he just absorbed... was it the one that could interfere with souls?!"
Upon receiving a grim nod of confirmation from Yuji, Yuki's expression darkened completely. She gazed into the distance, looking beyond the Shibuya barrier.
Perhaps it was due to her special constitution as a Star Plasma Vessel, or perhaps it was the enhancement of her technique. Ever since she became a Special Grade, Yuki had focused her research entirely on the soul.
Because of this, she could feel it. The eerie fluctuations that had just spread throughout Japan weren't just ambient energy. They were the auras of countless fragments of different souls waking up all at once!
Yuki understood instantly.
The world had fundamentally changed.
"What exactly did you do?!" Yuki demanded, stepping forward.
Hovering behind her, the unique Shikigami Garuda—a massive, skeletal creature resembling a mechanical snake—coiled up, ready to strike at any moment.
...
Faced with Yuki's questioning, Kenjaku smiled warmly. He generously made his intelligence public.
The grand plan, meticulously crafted for over a millennium, was halfway to success. This joy was meant to be shared.
The remote, passive transfiguration had already occurred. Jujutsu High was no longer able to stop it.
"Don't be too nervous. I didn't do anything serious," Kenjaku lied smoothly. "It's nothing more than waking up some special companions, that's all."
"Over the past thousand years, I made binding Vows with powerful Sorcerers. I turned them into Cursed Objects."
"I fed them all to this era. I slipped them into carefully selected, non-Sorcerer humans."
Kenjaku held up two fingers.
"I awakened two types of people today. The first type are people whose brains contained innate Cursed Techniques, but whose brains weren't wired to use them. I adjusted their brains to make them Sorcerers."
"The second type are ordinary people who, like Yuji Itadori, consumed my Cursed Objects. I adjusted their bodies to strengthen them as vessels."
Seeing the gloomy, horrified faces of the students, Kenjaku chuckled.
"After I initiated the remote Idle Transfiguration, their brain structures and physical attributes experienced a massive leap."
Yuji clenched his fists so hard they cracked. He looked ready to slam them into the man's chest.
"An ordinary person becomes a Sorcerer, and the physical attributes of the vessels are enhanced," Yuki laughed in pure fury. "You make it sound like good news!"
"Certainly..." Kenjaku tilted his head. "There is a tiny bit of risk for the latter group."
"While the vessels' bodies are strengthened, they must also compete with the souls of Sorcerers from a thousand years ago for control. Suppress the ancient Curse... or be possessed by it."
"You really dare to call that a 'tiny bit of risk', you bastard?!"
Yuki was unable to contain her anger. If Zenin Mirai hadn't been floating nearby, she might have already attacked.
How could ordinary humans seize control of their bodies from the strongest Sorcerers of the Golden Age? Even trained modern Sorcerers couldn't withstand that! 99% of those vessels would be violently possessed.
As the oldest Special Grade Sorcerer, Yuki knew the dark secrets of the world.
The reason there were so few Sorcerers overseas was largely due to Master Tengen's barrier, which concentrated Cursed Energy in Japan. The Japanese government and Jujutsu High had a clandestine relationship to keep Curses a secret, avoiding widespread panic.
If thousands of ancient, bloodthirsty Sorcerers suddenly appeared and started a war... the surge in negative emotions from public panic would lead to an apocalyptic increase in Cursed Spirits!
Furthermore, if developed Western nations discovered Cursed Energy as a new power source, a world war was imminent.
The Sorcerers resurrected from a thousand years ago wouldn't care about modern laws or rules. It was the end of the world as they knew it.
Faced with Yuki's murderous glare, Kenjaku simply smiled.
The gears of fate had begun to turn. His long-cherished wish of a thousand years would finally be fulfilled. He wanted to see the chaos of human evolution.
...
High above, Mirai was in a similarly good mood. He didn't stop Kenjaku's rambling.
Instead, his Rinnegan observed Yuki Tsukumo with great interest, staring at her soul, which exuded a remarkably pure aura.
'A physique that is rare even once in a century. A Star Plasma Vessel,' Mirai analyzed.
Her research on the soul was the only theoretical way the students could ever hope to separate Sukuna from his vessel in the original story. But Mirai had already foreseen it and prepared for it.
The next second, the air was filled with the sound of roaring wind and screeching monsters.
Countless bizarre and grotesque Cursed Spirits poured out of Kenjaku's body, creating a massive smokescreen!
"This is the world from now on," Kenjaku laughed, sinking into the shadows of the Curses. "See you next time, Yuji Itadori."
As expected, Yuji—the most impulsive and desperate to save Gojo Satoru—charged toward the retreating Kenjaku like a madman.
Seeing the boy closing in, Kenjaku reached into his robes and tossed the heavy, fleshy cube of the Prison Realm high into the air!
Yuji dove for it, his eyes wide with desperate hope.
But as his hands closed around empty air, the illusion shattered. A spatial swap had occurred.
Instead of Kenjaku or the Prison Realm... it was Zenin Mirai standing in the center of the Sorcerers' encirclement.
Kenjaku had fled, taking the cube with him.
Mirai stood completely unfazed, his white robes spotless.
He shook his head slightly and sighed. "He really is a cunning old fox."
Mirai understood the plot immediately. Kenjaku knew Mirai wouldn't kill Yuji or Sukuna yet. So, Kenjaku left Mirai behind as a roadblock to kill the other Sorcerers and weaken Jujutsu High's combat power.
It was also an attempt to test Yuki Tsukumo—a strange Special Grade with unknown techniques—against Mirai. Whether Yuki died or Mirai was injured, the old fox Kenjaku benefited the most.
With Kenjaku gone, the Sorcerers realized they had a bigger problem.
Even the timid Kusakabe joined the encirclement, gripping his katana tightly. With Yuki Tsukumo leading them, their courage had increased considerably.
"Get lost, while I'm still in a pretty good mood," Mirai spoke coldly, his eyes devoid of any emotion.
If it weren't for the fact that he was extracting the last bit of ambient Cursed Energy and negative emotions from the barrier using Kamui, Mirai would have left already. He could leave whenever he wanted.
But he absolutely refused to be forced out by a bunch of small fry.
Suddenly, Mirai looked up, his tone dropping to an absolute, freezing calm. "Do you really want to die?"
A terrifying surge of Cursed Energy erupted above him!
The massive, skeletal Shikigami crashed down from the sky like a meteor!
"Garuda!!!"
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