"Suguru...?"
Satoru's brain stopped functioning at this moment.
The best friend he killed with his own hands. The youth he buried personally.
Why was he standing alive before him? Why was he looking at him with that familiar gaze?
Impossible! This must be a hallucination! Or some kind of shapeshifting technique!
Satoru's Six Eyes frantically read the information of the man before him.
Cursed Energy flow, physical characteristics, and that unique voice...
Every piece of feedback cruelly told him one fact.
The person in front of him was Suguru himself.
"How can this be..."
A fatal pause occurred in Satoru's thoughts.
Three years of memories of fighting side-by-side flashed back like a tide.
For an ordinary person, it was just an instant. But for the judgment of the Prison Realm's sealing conditions, the three years Satoru spent in his mind far exceeded the required "one minute."
"Prison Realm, open."
Kenjaku gave the order with a smile.
The flesh-colored box on the ground suddenly opened countless crimson eyes, and four thick chains made of Cursed Energy shot out, tightly binding Satoru's limbs and torso.
The moment he was bound by the chains, Satoru felt the Cursed Energy inside him completely cut off, he couldn't even move a finger.
"Damn... I've been played."
Satoru gritted his teeth, trying to break free, but it was in vain.
Kenjaku walked up to him, looking down at the trapped strongest of the modern era with a triumphant smile.
"Your Six Eyes didn't see wrong, Satoru. This body indeed belongs to Suguru. Thanks to you not destroying his remains back then, I was able to naturally take over this perfect shell."
Kenjaku pointed to the stitches on his forehead and let out a low laugh.
"For this moment, I've been dormant for twelve years. I avoided that monster who made you learn Reverse Cursed Technique and meticulously arranged this death trap. Now, the biggest obstacle has finally been cleared."
"Goodnight, Satoru. Sleep well in the Prison Realm until the new world arrives."
As Kenjaku's words fell, the Prison Realm began to shrink rapidly, pulling Satoru bit by bit into that cubic cage.
"Suguru's body... You bastard, get out of there!" Satoru let out an angry low roar, but his voice was eventually swallowed completely by the closing Prison Realm.
Clack.
A square, dice-sized cube fell to the ground.
"It's done."
Kenjaku leaned over and picked up the Prison Realm sealing Satoru, his heart finally settling completely.
"Great! We finally sealed this troublesome guy!" Jogo, standing nearby, was trembling with excitement.
"Geto! We succeeded! Next, we'll kill everyone in this basement and then hunt down Itadori Yuji!"
Kenjaku held the Prison Realm in his palm, feeling its heavy mass.
Although the Prison Realm had temporarily become extremely heavy and unmovable due to Satoru's resistance, the seal would stabilize after a while.
"Yes, we succeeded."
Kenjaku looked up, surveying the mess of the B5F platform, his eyes flashing with the arrogance of one who controls everything.
"Without Satoru, the Jujutsu World has effectively lost its overwhelming combat power. The remaining Jujutsu High students are nothing more than a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered."
"Next is the moment the Culling Game begins. I will rewrite the fate of this country."
—
Shibuya, Meiji Jingu Station, B2 Floor.
Inside the dark subway tunnel, the pungent smell of blood intertwined with the scent of ozone.
The lights flickered erratically, emitting an irritating electrical hum.
Boom!
Accompanied by a dull, massive thud, a bloated transfigured human covered in pustules was struck in the chest by a heavy straight punch.
The muffled sound of shattering ribs echoed through the tunnel. Before the transfigured human could even let out a wail, its entire chest cavity collapsed deeply, slamming into the concrete wall and sliding down into a lifeless heap of mush.
Yuji slowly withdrew his fist, exhaling a breath of hot white vapor. His breathing frequency was maintained at an extremely stable rhythm. This was the "Total Concentration Breathing: Constant" that had been carved into his bones after Yamada's hellish training.
It not only gave him inexhaustible stamina but also brought his control over Cursed Energy to an unprecedented level of precision. With every punch, the Cursed Energy no longer lagged as it had before, but instead fused perfectly with his physical explosion.
"Your movements have become much cleaner, Itadori-kun."
Not far away, Mei Mei, wearing a high-collared sweater, casually swung the battle-axe in her hand, bisecting two Cursed Spirits that had tried to ambush her from a blind spot.
Blood splattered onto the tracks, but she didn't even blink, maintaining her elegant posture like a shrewd businesswoman.
"It was worth the large sponsorship fee I took from Gojo to mentor you. Your growth rate is worthy of that price."
Mei Mei brushed back the long silver hair hanging by her cheek. Her younger brother, Ui Ui, stood obediently behind her, handing her a clean handkerchief.
"Thank you for the praise, Mei Mei-san." Yuji wiped the sweat from his forehead, his eyes alertly scanning the surroundings.
"But there are too many transfigured humans here, and the Cursed Energy residuals are very chaotic. I wonder how Gojo-sensei is doing..."
Just then—
Zzz... Zzz...
A faint sound of electrical interference suddenly rang in Itadori's ear.
Yuji touched his ear and discovered that at some point, a miniature communicator the size of a coin, shaped like Mechamaru, had attached itself to his collar.
"Hello? Itadori! Can you hear me? It's Muta Kokichi!"
Mechamaru's anxious and distorted voice came from the miniature speaker.
"Mechamaru?! How are you calling me here?" Yuji was stunned.
"Listen! There's no time to explain!" Mechamaru's voice carried a hint of uncontrollable trembling and despair.
"Notify everyone immediately! Gojo... Gojo-san has been sealed!"
These words were like a clap of thunder, exploding violently within the hollow and deathly silent subway platform.
The expression on Yuji's face froze instantly.
Even Mei Mei, who was wiping blood off her battle-axe nearby, suddenly halted her movements.
"What did you say?" Mei Mei stepped forward, staring at the miniature machine.
"This isn't a funny joke. Gojo sealed? Is there anything in this world that can trap that unreasonable monster?"
"It's the special grade cursed object, Prison Realm!"
Mechamaru spoke rapidly, giving a concise report of what had happened on the B5 floor.
"Geto Suguru... or rather, the Curse User who took over his body, used civilians as bait to stall Gojo-san and completed the sealing with the Prison Realm. Right now, the Prison Realm is processing Gojo-san's Cursed Energy and cannot be moved for the time being. We must take it back now."
Yuji's heart began to pound violently.
Gojo-sensei was sealed? The strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer, who in his heart was like an insurmountable mountain and always at ease, had actually been outmaneuvered by the enemy!
If Satoru was gone, the balance of the entire Jujutsu World would collapse in an instant. Those Special Grade Cursed Spirits and Curse Users lurking outside would surely launch a carnival of slaughter.
"Mei Mei-san! I have to go notify everyone!"
Yuji turned around and sprinted toward the stairs leading to the surface.
He had to deliver this news to all the Jujutsu Sorcerers guarding the perimeter of Shibuya in the shortest time possible.
"Gojo-sensei has been sealed!!!"
His shout followed the subway tunnel's vents, piercing through the heavy night and spreading in all directions across Shibuya.