The air underground felt different.
Not colder exactly—
but heavier.
Like the space itself remembered everything that had ever happened there.
Yuji, Megumi, Yuta, Maki, Choso, Takeru, and Hakari stood together at the entrance of the Tombs of the Star Corridor, deep beneath Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Kirara stayed just behind Hakari, watching quietly.
No one spoke at first.
Even Hakari didn't crack a joke.
Megumi exhaled.
"…We're here."
Yuta nodded.
"…Tengen is deeper inside."
Choso looked ahead.
"…The source of the barrier systems."
Yuji swallowed slightly.
"…Feels like we shouldn't be here."
Maki adjusted her grip on her weapon.
"…We don't have a choice."
Takeru stepped forward first.
"…Objective: consultation with Tengen. Strategy formation."
Hakari smirked faintly.
"…Sounds fancy when you say it like that."
Kirara sighed.
"…Try not to mess this up."
They moved.
The Tombs of the Star Corridor
The space opened into something unnatural.
Endless columns.
Floating light.
A quiet that pressed against the ears.
And at the center—
a presence.
Master Tengen.
Not quite human.
Not quite anything else.
Yuji blinked.
"…That's… Tengen?"
Megumi nodded.
"…Yes."
Tengen's voice echoed—not spoken, but felt.
"Welcome."
The group stopped.
Yuta stepped forward slightly.
"…We need information."
Maki followed.
"…Kenjaku. The Culling Games. Everything."
Choso added quietly:
"…And how to stop it."
A pause.
Tengen responded.
"The world you stand in is already unraveling."
Silence.
Yuji clenched his fists.
"…We already know that."
Megumi's voice stayed steady.
"…We're trying to fix it."
Tengen continued.
"To free Satoru Gojo… you must understand what binds him."
Yuta nodded slowly.
"…The Prison Realm."
A shift in the air.
Takeru spoke next.
"…And Tsumiki Fushiguro?"
Megumi stiffened slightly.
Tengen's presence lingered.
"Her situation is tied to the Culling Games."
Choso's eyes narrowed.
"…Kenjaku's doing."
Tengen did not deny it.
Hakari crossed his arms.
"…So we break Gojo out, rescue Tsumiki, stop Kenjaku, and survive a nationwide death game."
Kirara muttered:
"…Sounds about right."
Yuji looked down for a moment.
Then up again.
"…We can do it."
Maki glanced at him.
"…You say that too easily."
Yuji shook his head.
"…Not easily. Just… necessary."
Silence followed.
Tengen's voice returned.
"You will need coordination. Strength. And resolve beyond what you have shown so far."
Yuta nodded.
"…Understood."
Megumi tightened his grip slightly.
"…We'll get stronger."
Choso stepped forward half a step.
"…For my brothers."
Takeru added calmly:
"…For survival."
Hakari smirked again.
"…And for the chaos of it, apparently."
That got a faint reaction from Kirara.
"…Of course you'd say that."
The group stood together in the vast, unnatural silence of the Star Corridor.
No enemies here.
No curses.
No fighting.
Just truth.
And what came next.