Chapter 47 — Fourty-Seven Punch
Tokyo Jujutsu High, basement.
The VCR whirred and spit out a disc. The two boys sitting on the sofa hadn't yet come down from the immersive experience, each cradling a sleeping otter, staring blankly at the screen now washed in blue light. Dark circles under their eyes betrayed the toll of staying up late.
After a long moment, Yoshino Junpei spoke softly, "I didn't expect JoJo's Bizarre Adventure to be this kind of story."
"I thought it'd be a kid-friendly adventure comedy for all ages… I was completely wrong," Itadori Yuji murmured.
The two had intended to watch the anime just as a light appetizer, yet somehow, from the very first episode, they had kept going and ended up finishing the first three parts in one sitting.
The disc that had just ejected was for the third part.
A moment of silence passed.
"It feels like even though the screening is over, the lines are still echoing in my head," Itadori said.
"Yeah," Yoshino Junpei agreed wholeheartedly. "Like 'Wryyyyy,' and that line—'Next is you, Jotaro!'"
Itadori instinctively added, "You bastard… Dio!"
At that instant, both boys froze, then exchanged a glance.
Now friends, a single look was enough to convey everything between them.
In the dimly lit screening room, only the blue glow from the screen faintly illuminated the surroundings. They both lowered their heads, holding their otters, and rose from the sofa to stand opposite each other.
Suddenly, Yoshino Junpei's expression changed. Cradling one otter in one arm, he raised the other hand and pointed at Itadori, quoting Dio's line: "Next is you, Yutaro!"
"You bastard…" Itadori Yuji exclaimed with force, "Hee-oh!"
"Ho… so you're approaching this way. Not running away, but coming closer to Kono Hee-oh, huh? Rare for your grandfather, Gojo-sensei, like a diabetic racing toward the store at the end of a limited-time daifuku sale, to desperately reveal my technique's secrets to you!"
"If I didn't approach, how would I have the chance to beat you up?"
"Hoho, then come even closer!"
They began moving step by step toward each other, gradually closing the distance…
"ORA!"
"MUDA!"
"What are you two doing?"
A familiar voice suddenly sounded from the doorway, making Itadori Yuji and Yoshino Junpei freeze instantly.
"…"
They stiffly turned their heads and saw Gojo Satoru leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, curiosity written all over his face. "What's with your grandfather Gojo-sensei and… whatever that was before it ended?"
In that instant, both Itadori and Yoshino paled in shock.
"I heard noise from the basement, so I came to check. Didn't expect you two were still watching movies? It's already morning." Gojo didn't dwell on the "grandfather" or "diabetic" comments. Curious, he crouched by the VCR. "Let me see, let me see… what did you just watch?"
He pulled the disc from the VCR. "Oh, this one. I haven't seen it yet. How is it? Good?"
"It's great, really great!" Itadori Yuji hurried to recover, "Gojo-sensei, you should watch it too if you have time!"
"Is that so? But I've been pretty busy this past month. Even my sleep is short—only three or four hours a day. I probably won't have much time to watch," Gojo complained casually, placing the disc back in its case before turning to the boys.
"Gojo-sensei… you should take care of your health too," Yoshino Junpei said cautiously.
"Yeah, at least six hours of sleep!" Itadori added loudly.
Gojo paused for a moment, then suddenly broke into a brilliant smile.
"You two are concerned about me? I'm touched!" He gave a thumbs-up. "But don't worry—I can use Reverse Cursed Technique too! When tired, I can restore a fresh mind with Reverse Technique! No problem, no problem!"
Though the two boys looked embarrassed, the Cursed Corpses in their arms remained in a deep sleep, unaffected even after experiencing social embarrassment in front of Gojo.
Gojo watched thoughtfully.
The speed at which he stabilizes cursed energy output is surprisingly fast.
"Alright, you two should rest for a bit. Anyway, this morning the assistant instructor will give you a class—mostly Idechi. He tends to start with long introductions that make people sleepy, so skipping a little of his class isn't a big deal."
Gojo switched off the power, then waved at Itadori Yuji. "Yuji, come over first."
"I'll go then," Yoshino Junpei said, glancing at his wristwatch. Clearly, even after staying up all night, he had no intention of skipping class.
Watching Yoshino rush out, Itadori swallowed nervously as he looked at Gojo.
He knew exactly why Gojo had left him behind.
Gojo silently closed the basement screening room door and approached Itadori.
"Looks like you've already mastered the amount of cursed energy input for the Cursed Corpses," he said with a smile. "Well done. I'd call it a stage success."
"But thinking about the taste of the reward at the end of a stage… doesn't exactly get me excited," Itadori said, brushing some stray hair from his forehead.
"Haha… Yuji, what flavor do you want the finger to be? Chocolate? Barbecue?" Gojo joked. "But realistically, you can't really make the two-faced Sukuna fingers into other flavors."
Itadori's face darkened. "Now that you mention it, it just makes Sukuna's fingers even more disgusting."
Gojo laughed without responding. He pulled out one of the two-faced Sukuna fingers.
Itadori instinctively opened his hand to receive it, but Gojo paused mid-transfer.
The teacher held the finger wrapped in talisman paper, hovering it subtly in the air. His sky-blue eyes, behind the blindfold, were fixed intently on Itadori Yuji's face.
"Hmm?" Itadori Yuji blinked. "What's wrong?"
"Speaking of which…" Gojo Satoru kept his relaxed posture and asked, "Recently, Sukuna's been surprisingly well-behaved. Even now—this is the third finger you're about to consume, right? But Sukuna hasn't made a move at all. What do you make of that?"
"Nope," Itadori Yuji shook his head in confusion. "I haven't noticed anything unusual."
"Really?" Gojo's expression shifted to one of contemplation. "What are the two-faced Sukuna doing? Sleeping in?"
As if seriously considering that possibility, Gojo suddenly raised his other hand, bent his fingers, and tapped Itadori's forehead with his knuckles. Then, he brought his palm to his mouth and called out, "Hey, two-faced Sukuna, wake up! It's time to eat—"
He even puckered his lips and whistled sharply.
Itadori Yuji: "…" This is like calling a dog for dinner.
How could this possibly summon Sukuna? Thinking that, Itadori was speechless. Just as he was about to speak, the skin on his cheek twitched.
The two slits beneath his eyelids opened, his crimson eye rolled sharply, and a mouth appeared on his left cheek, hissing: "Gojo Satoru, if you dare call me like that again, I'll kill you."
"Oh, look, he came out," Gojo said with a satisfied snap of his fingers.
Itadori decided to stop thinking about it. After all, he had already concluded that some things—like imagining Sukuna's mouth opening on his cheek—were better ignored to protect his sanity.
But Gojo's voice didn't stop. He watched the two-faced Sukuna with a half-smile, his tone casually teasing: "So then, two-faced Sukuna, why have you been so obedient lately?"
"Hmph," Sukuna hissed through his sharp teeth. "What's so interesting about the daily lives of you jujutsu sorcerers? It's disgusting. I'd rather sleep."
If it weren't for that bald guy…
Recalling how Saitama had killed a Special-Grade Curse with a single punch in the juvenile facility, Sukuna's mood darkened. The fingers within the curse's body had vanished from a single strike.
Even Gojo couldn't destroy Sukuna's fingers, yet that bald guy had reduced them to dust with one punch.
Moreover, observing closely, Sukuna noticed that Gojo, though flamboyant, still acted with logic—he could still be classified as "rational." But that bald guy was different.
That so-called hero acted purely on his own interests. His actions were unpredictable.
Thinking of this, Sukuna's mind conjured an image of Saitama's smooth bald head. But in his memory, the vacant smile automatically morphed into an incredibly sinister mouth.
In Sukuna's eyes, the bald guy's danger level was already higher than Gojo's.
Earlier, when Itadori and Yoshino were watching the anime and imitating the characters' "Wryyy" cries, Sukuna had been impatient to seize control of the body and punish the movie-obsessed kid, Yoshino. But at that instant, Saitama's egg-shaped head flashed before his eyes.
Saitama still indulged him only because, after resurrection, Sukuna shared a human body with Itadori and hadn't killed anyone yet.
If Sukuna acted rashly and harmed Yoshino, Itadori would surely demand self-punishment, leaving Saitama free to act without restraint.
Sukuna would be destroyed.
So, for now, Sukuna suppressed his murderous intent, scowled, and blocked his eyes and ears from the kids' incessant "Wryyy" cries.
For now, the best strategy was to stay low, let Itadori consume more fingers, grow stronger, and only then strike—seizing body control when the bald guy wasn't paying attention to launch a Domain Expansion.
Besides, that bald guy's body was excellent. Itadori's body couldn't compare—perhaps even better than Sukuna's body from a thousand years ago.
If he couldn't use it… well, eating it would do.
If he could get that body…
"Your mouth sure doesn't hold back. You're just an old guy resurrected from a cursed corpse." Gojo's eyes, hidden behind his blindfold, studied Sukuna carefully.
He sensed Sukuna scheming. But even so, to help Itadori grow faster, he had to push him to eat more fingers.
Gojo placed a Sukuna finger in Itadori's hand. "Here. Eat it now. I'll stay nearby and observe."
"Alright."
Itadori peeled off the talisman paper and popped the Sukuna finger into his mouth. His brows furrowed sharply as he clenched his fists against his chest, the cursed marks on his cheeks flickering, tears threatening to fall.
Gojo let out a soft sigh.
By tonight, Saitama would return. Gojo's mind wandered briefly: from tomorrow onward, he could leave Itadori's training to the bald guy.
…
At the same time.
In the dim underground drainage system, amidst the rhythmic drip of water, a voice suddenly echoed.
"It's Sukuna. No mistake. That is definitely the power of Sukuna."
A few beams of light leaked through the manhole cover, dust drifting like floating organisms in the shafts of light, stirred into chaos by the airflow from two approaching figures.
"You alright, Mahito?"
Suguru Geto spoke softly. He supported one of Mahito's arms over his shoulder, half-lifting, half-guiding him forward.
"Hmph… do I look alright to you?"
Mahito's clothes had long since been torn apart by his transformation into a bird. His stitched-up face was bruised purple and blue, covered in scratches. Blood trickled intermittently from his nostrils, dripping along his lips and chin to the ground, forming a thin crimson trail along the path he walked.
Even though he'd only been kicked once, the curse's tremendous regenerative ability—capable of restoring the body with cursed energy—still hadn't healed the wounds on his face.
"No doubt about it… that was an attack I've experienced before—Sukuna's," Mahito said, lifting a hand to gently touch his swollen cheek, then exhaling sharply. "An attack that reaches the soul. It still hurts like hell. I probably won't be able to use my Domain Expansion for at least another month."
Suguru Geto supported Mahito as they moved forward. On the surface, his expression was one of concern, but inside, he was calculating.
Since Mahito confirmed it was two-faced Sukuna's attack, there was no doubt about it. But then… why had Sukuna been hiding inside Yukichi's "Ultimate Mechamaru"?
And before Sukuna struck, neither Mahito nor Geto had sensed his presence. That meant Sukuna had concealed his cursed energy, only revealing himself at the moment of attack. Moreover, this had to be achieved in cooperation with Itadori Yuji.
Thinking it through, it became clear: ever since Itadori enrolled at Jujutsu High, none of their plans had succeeded.
The juvenile facility incident, Mahito's ambush, the Exchange Event's sneak attack, and now the attempt to neutralize Mechamaru—all of it had deviated from their expectations.
—And all failed plans had one thing in common: two-faced Sukuna.
The juvenile facility incident involved the "Sukuna vessel," Itadori Yuji. Mahito's ambush had targeted Itadori specifically.
During the Exchange Event, Hanami had died instantly to Sukuna's strike, and now Sukuna had been hiding inside the cockpit of Ultimate Mechamaru…
Geto frowned slightly.
No—the point at which things derailed seemed even earlier.
But when exactly that had happened… he had no way of knowing.
At that moment, the sound of straw sandals tapping against the ground echoed from the darkness ahead. A small figure gradually emerged from the shadows.
"What do you think? What's going on with Lord Sukuna?"
A voice, neither clearly male nor female, called out. The figure—a youth wearing monk's robes with a bob haircut—appeared from the shadows. His wide sleeves were arranged neatly with his fingers, his expression cold.
"Uraume."
Geto lifted his head, smiling slightly as he called the newcomer by name. At the same time, he thought with some regret: Sukuna's actions had deviated far from his expectations.
Uraume had been Sukuna's sole attendant a thousand years ago. Though Geto had based some calculations on Uraume's insight, the connection between Uraume and Sukuna was from a millennium ago.
Even if Uraume understood Sukuna of a thousand years ago, he might not comprehend Sukuna of the present.
No one could read the mind of the current two-faced Sukuna.
Geto thought, although he didn't expect Sukuna to truly cooperate with humans, he couldn't place all his bets on Sukuna at this point.
After all, as the King of Curses, Sukuna had lived a life of absolute self-interest. Expecting him to join the cursed spirits' side had always been a highly idealized notion.
Geto needed more trump cards. Speaking of which, the monsters in the Ghost City might be useful.
Jogo had claimed to have eliminated the Ghost City monsters, but wasn't it proven otherwise? The "monster" that Jogo had mistaken for a Ghost City creature had merely been an ordinary person with modified limbs, coincidentally present there.
In that case, the cursed spirits incubated by "Geto Suguru four years ago" in the Ghost City should still be there.
Next, they would recover the cursed spirits from the Ghost City. Even if it meant destroying the entire city, it was worth it.
Thinking of this, Geto narrowed his eyes.
He stopped walking, pulled Mahito's arm from his own shoulder, and handed it to Uraume.
"Perfect timing. Mahito's in your hands now, Uraume," Geto said, waving as he turned toward the exit. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave for now."
This time, the Ghost City had to be completely turned upside down.
---
7:30 PM.
Saitama stood in front of his building, eyes blank, holding eggs and a half-priced sushi set he had bought at the supermarket after getting off the plane.
After returning to Tokyo, Nanami Kento's work had wrapped up. Genos had also left quickly after landing. He had forcibly acquired some components from Yukichi used in Mechamaru for auxiliary cursed energy attacks, planning to take them to Dr. Kusuno to collect data and install the useful parts on himself to enhance his cursed energy combat output.
Thus, Saitama was left alone to face this devastation.
—The apartment building that had been fine just yesterday had now been reduced to a pile of gray ruins, twisted rebar, and irregular concrete blocks. There was no trace of his once small but warm home.
The destruction wasn't limited to Saitama's building—the entire Ghost City district had been thoroughly ransacked. High-rises were either burned or completely demolished, shop shutters torn down, and even the floor tiles removed. It was impossible to distinguish where any building had been.
At Saitama's feet, a broken water pipe sprayed tap water in bursts, steam rising all around as if a meteor had crashed through.
"This can't be real…"
Saitama muttered, frozen. The plastic bag holding the discounted sushi set fell with a splash into the puddle at his feet.
A light breeze passed. Backlit by the last rays of the 7:30 sunset, his bald figure in a cloak looked utterly desolate.
He had only gone out to complete an upgrade mission—and now, his home was gone.
***
As of March 21, JJk: One Punch Sorcerer is finally complete. Namely, The Last Punch.
After an intense 30-hour grind with no sleep, I've finally reached the end of this project. It closes at over 320,000 words, roughly the size of a 200-chapter novel (averaging around 1.6k words per chapter).
Originally, I planned for 110+ chapters—but due to unforeseen issues, I had to compress it into 104 chapters.
And Yes, full version would eventually be posted in Webnovel, except side story chapters.
Full version available at Pàtrèøn/Zynos