Following the battle at the abandoned multi-story parking garage, Jogo had undeniably grown.
He had repeatedly doubted Satoru Gojo's strength in the past. Before this, he would have mercilessly mocked Gojo and shown absolutely zero reverence for the title of "Special Grade Sorcerer."
He still possessed zero reverence, but he had at least learned the value of gathering intelligence. For example—
"Fight me, Kinji Hakari," Jogo suddenly challenged.
The Q&A had concluded, and Kenjaku was preparing to arrange living quarters for Hakari and Kirara. This was a secret base known only to Kenjaku himself. To prevent any accidents, all travel in and out required his spatial portals. While a professionally trained spy might be able to deduce their geographical location through sun angles and temperature fluctuations, no one here possessed that specific skillset. It was incredibly secure.
The reason Hakari had tagged along was because of the "New Humanity."
After being defeated by Mahito, he had developed a massive interest in becoming a New Human. Mahito had promised to grant him this evolution, but he couldn't do it immediately. The fight with Hakari had severely drained Mahito's cursed energy reserves, and he needed time to recuperate. During this downtime, Hakari decided to shadow Mahito, and Mahito hadn't objected.
"Why the sudden urge to fight me?" Hakari asked. He cracked his neck and shrugged off his fluffy coat.
That simple action was all the answer needed: Hakari had absolutely no intention of backing down.
Kenjaku flashed an amused smile. He stopped his walk toward the living quarters and turned back to watch Jogo and Hakari.
[Aren't you going to stop him?] Hanami asked Mahito.
Mahito thought for a moment but couldn't quite grasp what Jogo was trying to achieve.
Jogo's personality usually leaned heavily toward bullying the weak and fearing the strong. This was blatantly obvious in the original timeline. Toward sorcerers weaker than him, he was endlessly arrogant and dismissive. Toward sorcerers stronger than him, he was overly cautious, refusing to take even the slightest risk. Yet, concurrently, he was perfectly willing to martyr himself for his ideals.
If it was for his grand vision, he wouldn't hesitate to throw his life away against an overwhelmingly superior opponent. But unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't throw his life away senselessly, nor would he pick fights with beings stronger than him.
Yet now, without any warning, he was choosing to pick a fight with Kinji Hakari. It directly contradicted his usual nature.
"Kinji Hakari possesses 'Infinite Cursed Energy.' Even I was only able to defeat him because my technique is a hard counter. I assumed you understood that perfectly well," Mahito said. "You are not his match, Jogo. What are you thinking?"
"I understand that perfectly well," Jogo rumbled darkly. "When it comes to the terror of 'Infinite Cursed Energy,' no one should understand it better than us Cursed Spirits. We are literal organisms of cursed energy. We feel its weight in our bones."
"What's the deal, then? You aren't just trying to teach me a lesson?" Having stripped off his undershirt, Hakari now looked profoundly bored. "Just a simple spar? Honestly, I'm pretty curious about your strength too. Anyone who can push Kirara that hard is someone I'd love to throw down with. But shouldn't we save it for later?"
It truly was bad timing. A newly recruited employee suddenly clashing with the senior staff was bad optics no matter how you sliced it.
"My fight with you has nothing to do with you," Jogo stated, dropping a bombshell.
"Say what?" Hakari blinked.
"My true target... is Satoru Gojo," Jogo clarified.
This caught Mahito completely off guard. Previously, Jogo had frequently questioned Gojo's strength, but Mahito had always managed to suppress him. Mahito was certain Jogo had already formed a rough estimate of Gojo's power level. While he might still harbor doubts, he shouldn't be rushing off to commit suicide.
Under Mahito's influence, Jogo shouldn't have been gunning for Gojo anymore. Yet, looking at him now, he seemed hellbent on it.
Mahito couldn't help but ask, "Jogo, are you in your right mind?"
Kirara was far more blunt. "You've completely lost it."
"I am perfectly sane," Jogo said calmly. "I know I am no match for Satoru Gojo. During your Q&A with that human earlier, I became absolutely certain of it. If I face him unprepared—no, even if I am fully prepared—as long as Satoru Gojo is serious, I wouldn't survive a single technique. Even fleeing would be a pipe dream."
"Then why...?" Mahito asked.
Jogo answered with absolute sincerity, "That is exactly why I must fight him. Even if I die."
*This logic is completely scrambled.* Mahito admitted he was getting dizzy trying to follow Jogo's thought process.
"Mahito. Since the day you were born, when have you ever actually seen Satoru Gojo with your own two eyes?" Jogo suddenly asked.
"I haven't," Mahito frowned.
"Then why do you fear him so deeply?" Jogo pressed.
Mahito was starting to lose his patience. "Because Satoru Gojo truly is just that strong. He is the undisputed Modern Strongest. Even if you combined every single sorcerer and Cursed Spirit on the planet, they wouldn't amount to a single finger of his. If he wanted to, he could slaughter the entire human race and laugh maniacally atop an ocean of corpses, all by himself."
"And *that* is exactly why I must fight him," Jogo declared.
Mahito was about to yell at him, but Jogo beat him to the punch, his voice booming across the beach.
He roared, "Mahito! You are the King of our kind. From the moment Cursed Spirits came into existence, you have been our undisputed, natural-born Sovereign. You are destined to lead us out of the wilderness of our base instincts. You are destined to ascend the throne of God, looking down upon the world until the universe burns to ash—this isn't just my expectation for you. It is the absolute, unquestionable path you *must* walk!"
Mahito actually blushed a little at the fanatical praise. But Jogo wasn't finished.
His single eye widened to its absolute limit, staring into Mahito's soul like a demon-revealing mirror.
He spoke with heavy gravity. "You can, of course, choose to avoid battle. You have not yet reached your absolute limits. If Satoru Gojo is truly as omnipotent as the rumors claim, avoiding him is not an act of cowardice. No one writing your future scripture will mock you for it—but all of that hinges on one critical prerequisite: That *you* have genuinely recognized Satoru Gojo's strength for yourself."
While Mahito was momentarily distracted by the concept of his own "scripture," the deeper meaning behind Jogo's words snapped him back to attention. He listened thoughtfully.
Jogo locked eyes with Mahito, slowing his cadence. "Everyone preaches Satoru Gojo's invincibility. Every sorcerer you encounter practically worships him, and even our newly acquired 'Infinite Cursed Energy' firmly emphasizes that Gojo cannot be defeated. This seemingly undeniable 'truth' has convinced you that Gojo is far beyond your current capabilities, planting the seed of fear within you. Mahito... can you feel the fear festering in your heart?"
*I can,* Mahito admitted internally.
Because Satoru Gojo was just that absurdly powerful. Anyone who stood against him was guaranteed to feel fear. Forget Mahito—even the ancient, scheming Kenjaku was terrified of Gojo. In the entirety of *Jujutsu Kaisen*, the only entity who dared to challenge Gojo to a fair, head-on duel was a fully resurrected Ryomen Sukuna.
Before Sukuna regained his full strength, even while possessing nineteen fingers, he hadn't dared to fight Gojo.
In fact, if Sukuna hadn't perfectly exploited Mahoraga's adaptation to expand the target of his cursed technique and unleash the 'World-Cleaving Dismantle,' even a complete Ryomen Sukuna might not have won that fight.
As proven by the manga's conclusion, a Sukuna without Mahoraga had genuinely struggled against Yuta Okkotsu piloting Gojo's body (with limited proficiency). That final clash served to reclaim some of Gojo's dignity.
How could Mahito *not* fear a sorcerer of that caliber? It was impossible not to fear him.
But Jogo was currently roaring in his face. "Stop screwing around! How can you allow yourself to be terrified by the rumors spouted by others?!
"You are the King of Cursed Spirits, destined to ascend to godhood! You are perfectly entitled to retreat, but the prerequisite is that you must judge the threat with your own two eyes!
"You must experience it personally! You must make contact! You must measure the gap yourself! The judgment must come from you alone! If you allow yourself to be paralyzed by hearsay, then your potential ends right here and now!"
*Then let me make contact and see for myself!* Jogo bellowed in his heart.
Mahito froze.
He wanted to say, *If you make contact, you'll die.* But the words wouldn't come out. Jogo obviously knew he would die. That was exactly why he was choosing to use his own life to test the validity of the rumors.
In the world of cursed energy, the fear in one's heart directly throttles one's physical strength. That is why almost every powerful sorcerer overflows with supreme arrogance. Even if they feel fear, they must charge forward relentlessly. Because the moment that absolute, reckless confidence shatters, their growth permanently stagnates.
In the original timeline, after Jogo's death, Ryomen Sukuna had spoken these exact words to him in the soul corridor:
*"You should have burnt your ideals and everything else to cinders. To hell with your future and your grand plans. You should have hungrily pushed yourself to the absolute limit until you reached Satoru Gojo."*
The exact same advice applied to Mahito.
Mahito was allowed to feel fear. He was allowed to retreat. But that decision could never be dictated by the influence of others. He could never allow mere rumors to shatter his resolve.
He had to see it with his own eyes!
Even if it cost his life, Jogo was resolved to shatter the illusions clouding Mahito's path. His decision was absolute.
Jogo shifted his gaze back to Hakari. Hakari had tossed his undershirt to Kirara and was staring at Jogo, deeply absorbing every word the Curse had just spoken.
Jogo's speech completely obliterated Hakari's prejudice against Cursed Spirits.
Curses were supposed to be incapable of self-sacrifice. Yet, Jogo's current actions completely defied Hakari's fundamental understanding of them. What Jogo was doing transcended the nature of a Curse. The entity standing before him could no longer be classified as a simple Cursed Spirit.
Mahito's desire for godhood still loosely fit the mold of a Curse—a massive, apocalyptic ambition, but an ambition nonetheless. But Jogo? Offering his own life purely to shatter Mahito's cognitive barriers and pave the way for his King?
That entirely surpassed the emotional capacity of a Curse.
*Human.* The highly intelligent Special Grade Cursed Spirit named Jogo... was *Human.*
Hakari reached a profound epiphany.
"Hey, 'Infinite Cursed Energy'," Jogo addressed him. "If you fought Satoru Gojo, how many rounds could you last?"
"That depends entirely on whether my Infinite Cursed Energy can adapt to Gojo-sensei's Infinite Void," Hakari answered seriously.
"If you can't adapt, you get one-shotted. Understood." Jogo took a slow breath, settling into a combat stance. "And if you can adapt?"
"4 minutes and 11 seconds," Hakari stated. "While I'm in my Infinite Cursed Energy state, even someone as monstrous as Gojo-sensei can't put me down. But the absolute second that state ends... in that exact fraction of a second, Gojo-sensei will kill me. Without fail."
Other sorcerers might not have the timing, but Satoru Gojo was different. Possessing the Six Eyes, he could calculate the exact millisecond Hakari's infinite cursed energy expired. And he possessed the lethal precision to instantly obliterate Hakari's brain and abdomen in that microscopic window.
A sorcerer's brain initiates the cursed technique; the abdomen refines cursed energy. If both are simultaneously destroyed, even Kinji Hakari dies.
Jogo nodded. "I understand. Then what I must do is decided."
Hakari and Jogo walked toward each other.
With every step they took, ripples of cursed energy distorted the sand beneath their feet. It looked like two localized hurricanes on a collision course, ready to violently clash, detonate, and expand.
Hakari already had his hands clasped in his Domain seal. Jogo held a one-handed seal. Both were primed for absolute violence.
"4 minutes and 11 seconds," Jogo declared.
He glared at Hakari, his cursed energy radiating outward in blistering heat waves. Everyone else consciously backed away to clear the arena.
"As long as I can last 4 minutes and 11 seconds, it proves I can at least pose a threat to Satoru Gojo. Is that the logic?" Jogo asked.
*There is no logic in that at all,* Mahito thought.
Even if Jogo survived the 4 minutes and 11 seconds, it would merely prove his strength was relative to Hakari's. The chasm in power between Hakari and Satoru Gojo defied linguistic description. Equating surviving Hakari to posing a threat to Gojo was the definition of a pipe dream.
But no one voiced that thought aloud. This was Jogo's dying resolve.
Hakari flashed a feral grin. He tilted his head, glancing back at Mahito. "What's the call? You want me to pull my punches?"
"Cursed Spirits are remarkably sturdy," Mahito shrugged. "Please, go absolutely wild. If Jogo can't even last 4 minutes and 11 seconds against you, then taking on Satoru Gojo is nothing but suicidal arrogance. If you can use pure, overwhelming violence to shut him up, I'd actually appreciate it."
"You'll owe me one?" Hakari asked.
"I'll owe you one," Mahito confirmed.
Before today, Hakari wouldn't have given a damn about a Curse owing him a favor. Because a Curse was a Curse. Even an anomaly like Mahito shouldn't have altered that fundamental truth. To a Cursed Spirit, the concept of a 'favor' was probably worth less than the sand on this beach.
But things were different now. Hakari recognized that these Curses were truly unique. Unique enough that—
*A 'favor' from them actually holds weight.*
Jogo's mouth twitched. "You're really looking down on me. You've already witnessed Mahito's Maximum technique, haven't you?
"Let me tell you something: I also possess a Maximum technique. In terms of pure, raw destructive output, mine easily eclipses Mahito's 'Advent'. I'm not entirely sure your 'Infinite Cursed Energy' can tank it. But since you couldn't handle Mahito's Advent, there's absolutely no way you're surviving my Meteor."
"Now that's something to look forward to," Hakari grinned. "Let's test that theory, Curse."
Jogo had finalized his resolve. Even though this was merely a mock battle, he was going to fight like his life depended on it. He was going to shatter the illusion of Satoru Gojo's invincibility and ensure Mahito kept marching forward.
Therefore. Therefore! Therefore—
His cursed energy boiled over. With a roar carrying the weight of his burning soul, he screamed:
"BRING IT ON—'INFINITE CURSED ENERGY'!"
27 seconds later.
Hakari was straddling Jogo's chest, ruthlessly hammering his fists into Jogo's face. Jogo was being ragdolled like a stuffed toy, completely at the mercy of Hakari's barrage. His limbs twitched sporadically like a dying insect.
Burn marks occasionally flared across Hakari's skin, but the injuries existed for less than a single second before vanishing. To a normal human's perspective, it probably just looked like Hakari was inexplicably emitting steam, the wounds healing too fast to even register.
The fight was utterly anticlimactic.
Jogo activated Domain Expansion! Jogo unleashed his fire technique! Jogo roared and unleashed an even hotter fire technique!
Hakari charged forward. Hakari threw a punch. Jogo went down!
The remainder of the time consisted entirely of Hakari mercilessly pummeling Jogo's face until the Curse's Domain Expansion forcibly collapsed. The fact that Jogo managed to endure a full 27 seconds of this was truly, *truly* impressive (read in a completely deadpan tone).
Mahito clapped loudly, openly mocking him.
"Excellent, Jogo! You actually lasted 27 seconds! Consider my eyes opened! Still want to go box Satoru Gojo?"
Jogo had been beaten so severely his consciousness was fading. He couldn't utter a single syllable.
Hakari delivered one final, crushing blow to Jogo's face. The volcano on Jogo's head was literally dented sideways. His single eye stared blankly at the sky, his bruised and battered face radiating a profound existential crisis. He couldn't utter a single syllable.
"Whew, that felt great. You were right, Curses really are sturdy." Hakari stood up, looking thoroughly refreshed. "The only slight disappointment is that the esteemed Cursed Spirit didn't get to use his Maximum technique. What a shame. Hey, is the destructive power of your Maximum really stronger than Mahito's?"
Was it that Jogo *didn't* use it? Or was it that he *wouldn't* use it?
He literally hadn't been given a single millisecond to use it before he was tackled to the dirt and brutally violently beaten to a pulp!
"Jogo's Maximum technique summons a massive, fifty-meter-wide meteor that crashes down from the sky. In terms of pure destructive yield, it is vastly superior to mine," Mahito admitted generously. "My current raw stats are actually lower than Jogo's. I was only able to defeat you because my technique is a hard counter. Jogo is different. He relies entirely on a frontal, overwhelming assault. Once that frontal assault fails, he's out of options."
Hakari nodded thoughtfully. In other words, Jogo's base stats were absurdly high—higher than Mahito's. But Mahito abused overpowered mechanics. His base stats didn't need to be high because his mechanics were broken. One touch seals a sorcerer's five senses, and he could transform into a mythic Dragon to unleash carpet bombing from the sky. Who could possibly deal with that?
Kirara walked over and handed Hakari his coat, which he casually threw over his shoulders.
"Honestly, managing to last 27 seconds in a direct brawl against Kin is actually incredible." Kirara wasn't being sarcastic; she genuinely thought Jogo was powerful. "Normally, when Kin has his infinite cursed energy going, Special Grade Curses go down in a few seconds. You're definitely stronger than any Special Grade Curse I've ever seen."
Jogo's lips trembled in absolute humiliation. Finally, he clamped his single eye shut and refused to make a sound. Even the volcano on his head looked dim and depressed.
Kenjaku sighed, looking completely unsurprised by the outcome. "Please, follow me, Hakari. I'll show you to your quarters."
Hanami slowly lumbered over to Jogo and gently picked him up.
He had spoken with such overwhelming righteousness, acting like a tragic hero marching toward his death. In the end, forget 4 minutes and 11 seconds; he hadn't even lasted half a minute before getting beaten into a coma. It was hard to know what to even say.
Mahito stroked his chin. Suddenly, he spoke.
"I've decided. Before the final battle, I am going to fight Satoru Gojo."
Everyone froze in their tracks.
"Are you serious?" Kenjaku furrowed his brow.
"Not right now, obviously," Mahito said leisurely. "Once I am fully prepared, I will make my move."
"Prepared?" Hakari asked.
"You still don't fully understand my Reverse Cursed Technique, do you?" Mahito smiled. "As long as I prepare adequately, even Satoru Gojo cannot kill me."
Mahito wasn't lying. Before acquiring Kinji Hakari, even if Mahito pushed his abilities to their absolute, theoretical limits, he wouldn't have survived an encounter with Gojo. The moment Gojo got slightly serious, Mahito would have been effortlessly slaughtered.
But things were different now. He had successfully recruited Hakari. Which meant he now possessed the 'template' of a Special Grade Sorcerer—and specifically, the template for 'Infinite Cursed Energy.'
His operational ceiling had just been exponentially shattered. He could now realistically vie for the throne of 'Infinity.'
The Gojo Clan's Limitless technique wasn't entirely unique to Satoru Gojo, so why was Satoru Gojo specifically so terrifying?
It was because Satoru Gojo possessed the Six Eyes. Aside from granting unparalleled ocular perception, the Six Eyes hyper-optimized cursed energy consumption. A normal sorcerer using 1 unit of cursed energy produces an attack with a power of 1. Gojo using 1 unit of cursed energy produces an attack with a power of 1000, or even 10,000. If he lands a 'Black Flash', that efficiency optimizes even further.
Yuta Okkotsu possessed the largest baseline cursed energy reserves in the Jujutsu world. He himself had admitted: In terms of raw reserves, he vastly exceeded Satoru Gojo. Yet, because Gojo had the Six Eyes, in a battle of attrition, Yuta would eventually run out of gas. Gojo never would.
[Image comparing Satoru Gojo's Limitless cursed energy efficiency via Six Eyes versus Kinji Hakari's Infinite Cursed Energy overflow]
Exactly how terrifying was a Limitless technique fueled by functionally infinite cursed energy? Satoru Gojo was the living answer.
And now, that answer applied to Mahito as well.
Mahito was eagerly looking forward to the day he fully digested Kinji Hakari's template. When he finally clashed with Satoru Gojo, he would discover the ultimate answer.
The energy crisis had been solved. All that remained were the required methods. Once his arsenal was complete—
"Even if it's Satoru Gojo," Mahito smiled. "I can go a few rounds with him."