"That was incredible! Mr. Mahito! You were absolutely incredible!" An accompanying staff member enthusiastically fetched the white shirt Mahito had tossed to the side, presenting it to him with the fawning eagerness of a eunuch serving an emperor.
Jogo nodded in satisfaction. "A decent opening act, Mahito. With this, your name should be out there, right?"
Hanami spoke steadily, voicing their agreement.
Mahito casually slipped the white shirt back on. There wasn't a single scratch on his body; throughout that savage brawl, he hadn't taken a single clean hit. Now, dressed back in his white shirt, he looked just like an entirely unremarkable college student again.
"It's still too early. I need a much bigger reputation," he said.
Jogo voiced his confusion, "Aren't the Curse Users Kenjaku brought enough?"
Mahito replied coldly, "Kenjaku is a rat in the gutter. He lacks the courage to walk under the sun. But if I want to become the sun, I must face countless challengers. That is what a King must face—whether it be praise, humility, or blessings; whether it be hostility, murderous intent, or conspiracies. A Lord should bathe in the light and welcome all of it, rather than hiding like a rat in the sewers, drinking sewage and feeling smug about it."
"Are we parting ways with him?" Jogo asked grimly.
"No," Mahito said. "Binding Vows are absolute. Until we upend the current Jujutsu society, neither of us can stab the other in the back. He has his plans, and I promised to help him with my full power just this once—and *only* this once. As for you guys... since you have other options now, you naturally don't have to follow his orders."
"What about Tengen and Satoru Gojo?" Jogo asked.
"That kind of thing is for Kenjaku to worry about," Mahito shrugged. "Knowing exactly how monstrous the enemy is and still rushing over to get beaten to a pulp... I'm not doing something that stupid. Since Kenjaku has a plan, let him figure it out himself. As for whether we cooperate, the decision lies with us."
Jogo nodded thoughtfully. "Leaving aside Tengen, who is currently walking the path of a god... perhaps we could pull Satoru Gojo to our side?"
Hanami chimed in with agreement.
"You aren't joking?" Mahito's voice actually cracked slightly.
Jogo stated it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Mahito, your ability allows sorcerers to take a step further, to achieve evolution. This is an unquestionable blessing. Who could possibly refuse such a 'blessing'? No one. No one would refuse a gift like that, and Satoru Gojo is no exception."
Mahito whipped his head around to stare at Jogo and Hanami. These two highly intelligent Special Grade Cursed Spirits were actually getting excited. In their minds, the option of Satoru Gojo refusing probably didn't even exist, right? Because Mahito's technique could trigger 'evolution' in sorcerers, no Jujutsu Sorcerer could resist such a sweet deal. In their logic, Satoru Gojo wouldn't either, so he'd be easily recruited.
...Yeah. This perfectly aligned with Mahito's stereotypical impression of Jogo and Hanami's intelligence.
Mahito forced the words out with difficulty: "Under no circumstances are you to contact Satoru Gojo without my explicit order. Even if Kenjaku talks a big game, you absolutely do not do it. Understand?"
Jogo wanted to argue, but swallowed his words and shook his head in regret.
"It seems Satoru Gojo simply lacks the fortune to enjoy evolution," he said. Hanami also shook their head and sighed in pity.
Mahito remained expressionless, but he felt exhausted down to his soul. *Why the hell do you guys think Satoru Gojo would just naturally become our ally just because I can 'evolve' him? Other people might not know how this 'evolution' works, but do you think I don't know?*
This so-called 'evolution' was actually just adjusting a soul so the sorcerer's physical vessel achieved a traditional 'genius' baseline. Ultimately, the anatomy of a genius had traceable physical traits.
Physical coordination, muscle adaptability for Cursed Energy circulation, the speed at which Cursed Energy was extracted from negative emotions, emotional control, nerve reaction times, the brain's comprehension of the Cursed Energy core, or even the sheer volume of Cursed Energy the body could store. Things like that.
As long as he could perfectly replicate the anatomy of a genius and then apply minor personal soul adjustments, he could naturally create 'geniuses' in the broad sense. But these mass-produced prodigies could, at absolute best, only reach the peak of Grade 1. To go any further required their own innate ability and intense effort.
Because Mahito simply didn't possess a soul template for a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer! He had zero idea how to tune a soul to reach Special Grade! If Kenjaku would just open up his soul and let Mahito dissect it as he pleased, he really might be able to mass-produce Special Grades, but obviously, that was never going to happen.
The only reason he could even mass-produce Grade 1 sorcerers was because, when forming his first Binding Vow with Kenjaku, he had briefly brushed against Kenjaku's soul. That fleeting contact gave him the conceptual blueprint for a sorcerer's progression. But he had already burned through that inspiration over the past period. He urgently needed a more advanced template.
As for why, despite only being able to elevate a sorcerer's talent to Grade 1, he could so easily spread fake news about 'evolution' without Jogo, Hanami, or even Kenjaku doubting it for a second—
—Don't underestimate Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers! Did you think Grade 1s were just cheap cabbage you could buy at the market? On the contrary. Ignoring the freak-of-nature Special Grades, Grade 1 Sorcerers were the true ceiling pushing Jujutsu society forward. As for Special Grades... every single Special Grade Sorcerer was a fucking anomaly. Whether you could even classify them as 'human' was highly questionable.
But Mahito wasn't satisfied with just this. He wanted to go further. He needed a Special Grade template.
Since Kenjaku wouldn't give him one, he naturally had to find someone else.
The owner of the underground fight club he was currently standing in was a perfect candidate. This was one of the primary reasons for his visit.
"Mr. Mahito, the boss is inviting you up," the accompanying staff member said, naturally transitioning to the next topic as if he hadn't heard a single word of Mahito and Jogo's conversation.
No, it wasn't "as if." He literally couldn't hear it.
Because the moment Mahito took the white shirt from him, Mahito had masked his hearing. Right now, he could only hear the sounds Mahito explicitly allowed him to hear. Mahito had grown to the point where he could organically tweak another's soul without them noticing. If the target's aptitude as a sorcerer was too low, they wouldn't even realize their soul had been modified.
Mahito smirked. "I'm looking forward to it."
Jogo and Hanami naturally followed behind him.
Mahito asked casually, "How is Jiro Awasaka?"
Jogo asked with interest, "Jiro Awasaka was your opponent in the arena just now, right? Is his Innate Technique that special? To think you actually care about his condition."
It was indeed very special. Mahito was extremely interested in that unique technique. Super interested.
The staff member, unable to hear Jogo, answered hesitantly, "The situation is... hard to say. His external injuries are easy enough to treat, but for some reason, he just won't wake up. He's breathing, his heartbeat is fine, and even his brainwaves are completely normal. But he simply cannot wake up. Our doctors suspect he's trapped in a nightmare he can't escape. Is this your Cursed Technique, Mr. Mahito?"
As a long-term employee here, while his sorcerer aptitude was low, he was very knowledgeable. He clearly understood concepts related to a sorcerer's Innate Technique.
Mahito replied coolly, "I'll give him two days. If he hasn't woken up in two days, I'll go back and cancel my technique. Don't call me cruel; this is a blessing. If Jiro Awasaka can't wake up after two days, I will simply have to regrettably revoke my 'blessing'."
He wasn't lying. This really was a blessing. Because he hadn't transfigured Awasaka's soul; he had only isolated it. This isolation carried a massive benefit: it allowed the sorcerer to clearly perceive the contours of their own soul. Once a sorcerer understood the shape of their soul, it inevitably led to a much deeper comprehension of their own Cursed Energy core.
For a Jujutsu Sorcerer, there was no greater gift. This would inevitably make Jiro Awasaka vastly stronger, deepening his understanding of his Innate Technique and potentially even allowing him to grasp Domain Expansion.
—Of course, when Mahito eventually retrieved this 'isolation layer', the secrets of Jiro Awasaka's Innate Technique and his soul would fall perfectly into his grasp. *As the price for getting stronger,* Mahito thought, *Jiro Awasaka should be thanking me.*
They walked down the corridor and took the elevator up, eventually stopping in front of a door on the top floor. The staff member knocked politely, and a voice from inside called out, "Come in."
Jogo clicked his tongue in displeasure. "What an arrogant relic of a human. Facing us, shouldn't he open the door himself?"
*You're the arrogant one, Jogo,* Mahito kept his face perfectly straight and didn't retort. Hanami muttered a few words to soothe Jogo. Then, the door opened.
It was an unexpectedly small room. A bank of security monitors covered one wall, displaying the activity across the entire underground fight club. In the corner sat a liquor cabinet, alongside a sofa and a low coffee table.
The owner of the fight club was sitting on the sofa. Beside him stood a scantily clad woman (?).
Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi.
Kinji Hakari was the boss of this underground arena, and the man Mahito had come to see. He had dyed his hair blond, slicked back with pomade to expose a clean forehead. His eyes were small, and his sharply groomed eyebrows looked like twin blades. Rather than a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he looked more like a fledgling Yakuza straight off the streets.
Wearing a thick black fur coat, he slouched deeply into the sofa. Seeing Mahito enter, he waved a hand casually, a look of mild amazement on his face. "The legendary King of Curses... you live up to the name. The entire arena is screaming for you. Did you hear it? Your fever has already set the world ablaze, as if everyone is ready to crown you in the very next second."
His voice carried a grin, his narrow eyes flashing sharply as if he were savoring the afterglow of the frenzy, intoxicated like a drunkard.
He was a bizarre man, completely out of place in modern Jujutsu society.
"I thought my name only circulated among Curse Users. I didn't expect you to know it too," Mahito said, stepping into the room. Jogo and Hanami stayed quiet this time, relinquishing all authority to Mahito. They followed him in and closed the door behind them.
"I take in all sorts of sorcerers who can't survive in mainstream Jujutsu society. Unfortunately, proper sorcerers rarely want to come running to me. It's only the Curse Users, suppressing their vicious natures to make a quick buck, who are more than happy to flock here. Dealing with Curse Users so often means I get my hands on intel only they are privy to—and you are the centerpiece of that intel, King of Curses." Hakari shot a brief glance at Jogo and Hanami but paid them no mind.
Beside him, Kirara Hoshi stood up from the sofa, retrieved a bottle and glasses from the liquor cabinet, and placed them on the low table. Kirara looked nervous, asking with a slight tremble in their voice:
"Rumor says you can force ordinary humans to evolve into sorcerers, and push existing sorcerers to evolve even further. They say you can freely reshape a human body to perfectly adapt to its 'evolved' form. Is that true?"
Mahito sat down across from Hakari, observing Kirara closely. Kirara had an incredibly feminine appearance and style. A loose top wrapped tightly around their chest, showing noticeable curves. There was no Adam's apple, they wore black leather pants, and their skin was as fair as jade.
They had a beautiful pair of heterochromatic eyes—left eye purple, right eye green. Their black hair was styled into neat bangs and side locks, with the long hair at the back left flowing free. Likely due to their Innate Technique, they had distinct cross-shaped piercings just below their lower lip—four in total.
Despite being such a stunning beauty, unfortunately, Kirara was officially designated male. Mahito suddenly smiled. "You want to become a woman. Completely and perfectly."
"Can you do it?" Kirara's heterochromatic eyes sparkled with desperate hope.
Kirara leaned eagerly toward Mahito, accidentally brushing against Jogo and Hanami. Jogo glared in disgust, and Kirara quickly and cautiously backed away.
"Easily," Mahito said.
Kirara looked so overjoyed they almost jumped in the air.
Hakari spoke up coolly, "Kirara hopes to become fully female, without any flaws whatsoever. The first time she heard about you was through a warning sent by Mr. Gojo. Among the incoming students at Jujutsu High, someone was flawlessly gender-swapped by you. Shoko Ieiri personally verified that your procedure was so perfect it would put every modern medical expert to absolute shame."
He used feminine pronouns when referring to Kirara. Mahito noticed this detail.
Although officially recognized as male, in the original story Kirara possessed distinct female characteristics, leading to rampant fan speculation that Kirara had undergone gender reassignment surgery. It seemed that theory held significant weight.
Mahito asked curiously, "You knew I was coming?"
"A Cursed Spirit working alongside Curse Users. This was the first piece of intel that surfaced about you. You are recognized by Jujutsu society as the very first recorded instance of an intelligent Cursed Spirit. In the entire history of Jujutsu, there has never been a precedent for a Cursed Spirit like you. Your existence caused an earthquake throughout the Jujutsu world; naturally, intel on you is top priority. I was only notified because Mr. Gojo knows I can pull first-hand intel straight from the Curse User demographic."
Hakari sat up from his slouch, leaning forward with immense interest. He looked at Mahito and continued:
"Since I knew you were eager to cooperate with Curse Users, I figured you would inevitably drop by my turf. This is one of the few places Curse Users can gather openly. If you're looking for Curse Users, there's no better spot than here. From that moment on, Kirara has been anxiously awaiting your arrival... I just didn't expect you to show up this fast."
"Fast?" Mahito asked.
"You should only dare to show your face here once you possess the strength to challenge Mr. Gojo. That's not just my assessment; it's Mr. Gojo's as well."
Hakari looked genuinely puzzled at this point. He asked curiously:
"I watched your fight with Awasaka. While it was an excellent bout, and your learning speed is spectacular—you are still leagues away from being a match for Mr. Gojo right now. What gives you the nerve to appear before me? Do you not know I'm a suspended third-year student at Jujutsu High? Or did you think just because I'm suspended, I cut all ties with the school?"
Mahito started laughing.
"Let me be direct," Mahito said. Hakari extended a hand in a 'go ahead' gesture.
"Kinji Hakari." Mahito placed both hands flat on the table, as if bracing himself against an emperor's desk. "The current Jujutsu society must look like a massive eyesore to you, doesn't it? Are you interested in joining me... to completely crush this boring, rotting Jujutsu world into dust?"