In the original work, only four Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers were publicly acknowledged. In the eyes of the Jujutsu world, a Special Grade was vastly stronger than a Grade 1, but exactly how massive was that gap?
There was actually a very clear benchmark for a Special Grade Sorcerer, spoken from the mouth of Kenjaku himself.
Every single Special Grade Sorcerer possessed the individual capacity to overthrow an entire country on their own—and that included superpowers like the United States.
Meanwhile, a Grade 1 Sorcerer only needed to guarantee they could defeat a Special Grade Cursed Spirit. It was quite literally a night and day difference.
The four publicly recognized Special Grade Sorcerers were:
Yuta Okkotsu: Possessed the highest volume of Cursed Energy in the entire Jujutsu world, surpassing even Satoru Gojo. His Innate Technique was 'Copy'. As long as certain conditions were met, he could use any Innate Technique. He was summarized simply: boundless Cursed Energy, unconditional mimicry.
Suguru Geto: His Innate Technique was Cursed Spirit Manipulation. He could subjugate and control any Cursed Spirit without limit, including Special Grades or existences adjacent to them, with zero cap on the number he could hoard. One man was a literal army. Kenjaku, piloting Geto's corpse, boldly claimed he could conquer the United States and didn't even fear nuclear weapons.
Yuki Tsukumo: Her Innate Technique 'Star Rage' allowed her to imbue herself with virtual mass. She could freely increase her own density to the point where her punches carried the kinetic impact of falling meteors, yet she completely ignored the effects of that mass on her own mobility. She was the ultimate stat stick. Before she died, she removed her limits to manifest a black hole in a bid to take Kenjaku down with her. If it hadn't been for Tengen's barriers and her own underlying will, that black hole would have compressed the Earth into a two-centimeter glass marble.
And finally, Satoru Gojo:
A sorcerer who simultaneously awakened the 'Six Eyes' and the 'Limitless' technique. Needless to say, he was the 'Strongest of the Modern Era.'
You're telling me these things were human?
How the hell could monsters like this be classified as human?
Mahito didn't believe for a second that his current self could fight any of those four. Let alone his current self, even the absolute peak Mahito from the original manga would have been instantly annihilated by any of those four Special Grade anomalies.
Hakari's assessment was entirely correct. Logically speaking, Mahito should have stayed hidden and farmed experience until he was strong enough to trade blows with a Special Grade before coming out to cause chaos. Popping his head out while he was still basically a digi-egg was just asking for a Special Grade to show up and exterminate him.—From a general perspective, anyway.
The entire *Jujutsu Kaisen* manga spanned nearly 300 chapters, which felt long, but if you closely tracked the in-universe timeline, you'd be horrified to realize the entire story took place over the course of roughly half a year.
Half! A! Year!
The manga explicitly stated the story began in June 2018. And the manga was incredibly clear about exactly when the final climax took place—
December 24, 2018.
Just thinking about that condensed timeline made Mahito feel like ants were crawling under his skin. How could he *not* desperately grind his levels? How could he dare stop moving? Forget stopping—he was terrified that if he didn't level up frantically enough, six months from now he wouldn't even qualify as cannon fodder!
Mahito's own research had bottlenecked. He didn't have the time to slowly accumulate technical data. He needed to evolve as violently fast as possible.
Since normal growth wouldn't cut it, he had to resort to shortcuts. He needed a Special Grade template!
Grade 1s had lost all value to him. The four Disaster Curses (including himself) had already been thoroughly mapped out. Now, he was desperately thirsting for a Special Grade Sorcerer—
Kinji Hakari was his target.
Just like how the 'Four Heavenly Kings' always secretly had a fifth member, if there were four publicly acknowledged Special Grades, there was bound to be a hidden one.
Kinji Hakari was that hidden fifth. The Uncrowned Special Grade. Just how strong was he? Two Special Grade Sorcerers had directly vouched for him:
Satoru Gojo: "Hakari and Yuta are sorcerers who will one day stand on par with me."
Yuta Okkotsu: "When he's on a roll, Hakari is stronger than me."
How did you think he managed to run this underground fight club? This was no legal business, and Curse Users flocked here constantly, including vicious killers like Jiro Awasaka who rivaled or even slightly surpassed traditional Grade 1 Sorcerers.
Did he manage them through standard business administration?
Hell no. He managed them with his fists!
Mahito wanted him desperately. Compared to Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon, Hakari's capabilities were vastly superior. While the intelligent Special Grade Curses were fiercely loyal and lacked ulterior motives, they were too rigid. They made fantastic frontline generals, but they couldn't be field marshals.
To build an empire, you needed field marshals. Kinji Hakari, the uncrowned Special Grade, was the man Mahito had chosen to be his field marshal.
As for Kenjaku? Mahito would kill him sooner or later. Most importantly—
Hakari was the *only* Special Grade Mahito was entirely confident he could defeat right now!
It wasn't that Hakari was weak; quite the opposite. Hakari's Innate Technique combined with his Domain Expansion made him virtually invincible. Even original-manga Peak Mahito would have likely been beaten to a bloody pulp by him.
But the current Mahito wasn't the original Mahito. The current Mahito was confident he could utterly counter Kinji Hakari. It was a complete matchup advantage! That was precisely why he was sitting here.
Crushing someone physically birthed the ambition to conquer them mentally. Mahito was radiating absolute confidence, determined to claim Kinji Hakari!
Hakari slammed his fist onto the table. "Are you underestimating me, Curse?!"
*Ah, right on cue.*
Jogo couldn't hold back anymore. Acting as Mahito's bodyguard, he fiercely stepped forward.
"Watch your tone, relic!" Jogo spat venomously. "Sitting before you is a candidate for the divine throne, one who can grant evolution to humans and Curses alike! If you don't want to be discarded in the new world, you'd better—"
Mahito raised a single hand. Jogo swallowed the rest of his sentence. His expression twisted in frustration, but he clamped his mouth shut.
Hakari didn't even spare Jogo a glance, his deadly glare locked entirely on Mahito. His voice was a low rumble, like a tiger preparing to pounce.
"I do find the current Jujutsu society utterly repulsive, but I haven't fallen so low as to turn against my own teacher. Did you think just because a bunch of Curse Users hang out here, I'm one of them? Don't insult me! Yes, I was suspended from Jujutsu High, I run an illegal fight club, I harbor Curse Users to turn a profit, I break society rules by openly telling non-sorcerer VIPs about Jujutsu, and I even have a warrant out for me."
He enunciated every word like a hammer strike: "But I am still a registered Jujutsu Sorcerer. A Curse wanting to team up with me to destroy the Jujutsu world? What a fucking joke!"
He called it a joke, but there was no trace of a smile on his face. His eyes were locked dead onto Mahito, his Cursed Energy boiling as if he were ready to rip Mahito's head off in the next second.
It was true. Even though Hakari had been slapped with a warrant and had broken numerous major taboos, he wasn't genuinely a 'Curse User'. His 'warrant' was essentially just an order to drag him back for disciplinary confinement because he stubbornly refused to admit he was wrong—it wasn't the same type of lethal execution warrant issued for actual Curse Users.
He truly was a registered Jujutsu Sorcerer!
Mahito had been fully prepared to throw hands within five seconds of walking through the door, knowing his condescending opening line would deeply offend a traditionalist delinquent like Hakari. But he hadn't expected Hakari to actually hold back his punch?
His immediate thought was that Hakari was holding back for Kirara's sake, enduring the insult to secure his partner's dream. But Mahito's sharp eyes quickly caught the fluctuations in Hakari's soul. Hakari was acting perfectly like a powder keg about to blow, but deep down, his soul showed zero actual intent to strike.
This wasn't restraint; it was calculation. He was bluffing.
This was the first time Mahito had encountered a true verbal blade. Before this, even that ancient fox Kenjaku hadn't played him like this.
...*Ah, right.* Mahito suddenly understood. Because Hakari had no idea Mahito possessed eyes that could read the very shape of the soul. So Hakari was using his own street-smart methods to probe Mahito, trying to squeeze out more intel.
*Should I play along?* Mahito mused.
*Splash, splash.* Seemingly oblivious to the suffocating tension, Kirara smoothly and casually poured the liquor. They placed two glasses down, one in front of Hakari and one in front of Mahito.
Kirara asked casually, "So, if we asked you to use your technique for me, what would you require in return?" After a beat, they added:
"Oh, by the way, if you're going to ask me to whisper in Kin-chan's ear and try to change his mind, I'll have to decline. Even though I really, really want your technique, Kin-chan is vastly more important to me. Whatever Kin-chan decides, I'll follow unconditionally."
Mahito glanced at Kirara and smiled. Looking back to Hakari, he said, "You've got a good woman."
Kirara beamed with pride.
Hakari furrowed his brow. *Did the bluff not work? Or is this King of Curses genuinely certain he can beat me? Or does he just not know what my technique is? But that doesn't make sense. I rarely fight in the arena, and whenever I do, I make sure to traumatize my opponent... but those Curse Users desperately begging for 'evolution' certainly wouldn't keep my technique a secret from him.*
Mahito interlaced his fingers and rested his elbows on the table, propping his chin on his hands.
"Kinji Hakari. Innate Technique unknown, supposedly related to luck or gambling. But compared to your unrevealed technique, your Domain Expansion is far more famous. Domain Expansion: Idle Death Gamble. Modeled entirely after the legal gambling game, Pachinko. As long as you line up three identical symbols, you hit the jackpot. Upon hitting the jackpot, you receive a specific bonus reward."
Hakari remained dead silent.
Mahito continued with immense amusement: "The rules themselves are simple, but what isn't simple is the reward. Since it's based on Pachinko, the odds of winning should mirror the actual game. But you rely on your unknown Innate Technique to manipulate probability, ensuring you hit that jackpot with a 100% certainty. And the grand prize is—"
Mahito paused, delivering the final words with heavy emphasis: "—Infinite Cursed Energy."
Behind him, both Jogo and Hanami let out low gasps. Mahito wasn't finished:
"From the exact moment you hit the jackpot, for 4 minutes and 11 seconds, you possess infinite Cursed Energy. Furthermore, if you take any damage during this period, your body reflexively triggers Reverse Cursed Technique to heal you. In other words, for those 4 minutes and 11 seconds, you are literally immortal. After the 4 minutes and 11 seconds end, the Domain dissipates, but because you had infinite Cursed Energy during that time, your reserves remain completely full, allowing you to instantly cast your Domain Expansion all over again."
Spamming Domain Expansions in an endless loop! This was something not even Satoru Gojo or Ryomen Sukuna could pull off! But Kinji Hakari could.
Jogo and Hanami were struck entirely speechless. Jogo even felt a sudden, chilling dread creep down his spine.
No wonder this man hadn't given him a single glance since they walked in. Jogo had assumed it was blind human arrogance, but it wasn't arrogance; it was absolute confidence. Hakari was absolutely confident that a Special Grade Cursed Spirit like Jogo was no different than a pebble on the side of the road or an ant near a pond.
They were genuinely in completely different dimensions.
Wasn't this literally, by the strictest definition of the word—invincibility? How were you supposed to fight something like this?
Hakari slumped back into the sofa, a smirk spreading across his face.
"Looks like you've done your homework. Saves me the breath. King of Curses, you're standing in my arena. I'll respect the rules I set myself. You haven't caused any trouble for me or my club, so I'll guarantee no one harms you while you're here."
He crossed his arms, his tone turning deadly calm:
"But I'm also not going to just let your little insult slide. I'll give you a chance: use your technique to grant Kirara's wish, and I will leave you with an avenue of survival, letting you walk out of here alive."
Jogo immediately wanted to scream at the man's audacity, but this time Mahito didn't need to intervene; Hanami quickly grabbed Jogo's arm to hold him back.
Before this, Jogo and Hanami hadn't bothered to research the owner of this underground club at all. Honestly, they never believed a lone human could pose a genuine threat to them, so they had blindly followed Mahito here.
Just like how they had blindly followed Kenjaku's suicide plot to attack Satoru Gojo. If Mahito hadn't fallen from the sky, they would still be foolishly trailing behind Kenjaku. Now that they had Mahito, they felt even less need to worry about the 'small details'.
But now, this 'small detail' had become a potentially fatal threat. At this point, they could only leave it in Mahito's hands.
Mahito suddenly asked, "Want to try me?"
Hakari paused.
Mahito slowly extended his hand, placing it palm up on the table.
He said, "Want to test if my technique works on you?"
Mahito looked up, his heterochromatic gold and blue eyes gleaming as if they could illuminate a person's very soul.
Idle Transfiguration: Heterochromatic Projection - Emotional Ignition!
Hakari's heart violently pounded in his chest!
His eyebrows shot up like drawn swords as he stared directly into Mahito's eyes, his hands twitching with the urge to move. He was heavily tempted—not by Mahito's 'evolution' nonsense; he didn't buy that for a second. Any sorcerer who had reached his level of strength possessed infinite confidence in their own potential. Even if 'evolution' existed, Hakari believed he could achieve it on his own without Mahito's help.
What tempted him was the chance to uncover the true nature of the King of Curses' technique. This was a golden opportunity.
But his overwhelming, borderline-irrational self-confidence didn't completely cloud his judgment. Before Mahito had arrived in his office, Hakari had already received the report on Jiro Awasaka's condition. He knew Awasaka was currently lying in the infirmary with zero external or internal injuries, completely unable to wake up. That was unquestionably Mahito's technique.
With a technique that bizarre, he didn't want to just blindly make physical contact.
"What's wrong? Worried my technique will work on you?" A faint, starlight-like glow surfaced in Mahito's heterochromatic eyes. The corners of his mouth hooked up, his tone perfectly composed: "Then I'll take a step back... I will allow you to use your Domain Expansion. If you can land even a single hit on me, I'll agree to your request."
—Silence.
A drop of cold sweat simultaneously rolled down Jogo and Hanami's faces.
Kirara handed Hakari his glass. He took a deep breath, grabbed the glass, and downed the liquor in one shot.
*It's a provocation,* Hakari thought. *I can't fall for it. I need to stay calm, calm, calm, ca—fuck this!*
"I'm going to rip your fucking tongue out, King of Curses!"
He slammed his hands together to form a hand sign, roaring in absolute fury: "Just as you wished! Here is the Domain Expansion you wanted so badly—"
"—IDLE DEATH GAMBLE!!!"