Sukuna chose Shinjuku as the battlefield. Once a bustling district, the Culling Game had turned it into a desolate wasteland.
Of course, this also aligned with Mukuro and Satoru's wishes. Neither of them wanted to fight in a crowded area.
Sukuna had no objections either. After all, he did not want too many flies buzzing around during this battle of the strongest. What he wanted to do and how many people he wanted to kill could all wait until after his victory.
On this day, Sukuna dressed formally. Or rather, he wore the exact clothes he felt least restricted his movements, allowing him to be at his most relaxed.
"The Jujutsu High crowd is probably already waiting for you. How about it? Want a ride?" Kenjaku asked, raising his hand. He had made a special trip just as the war was about to begin.
With a wave of his right palm, which already had God Feeding Art activated, dozens of crows made of cursed energy gathered and merged under his command, transforming into a giant bird.
"Sure. It saves me the trouble of walking." Sukuna rolled his shoulders, his tone carrying a hint of anticipation, as if he had been waiting for this day for a long time.
"Sukuna-sama, then I—"
"Just stick to the plan. Satoru Gojo and Mukuro Fushiguro are not opponents you can handle."
There was no trace of worry on Uraume's face, only a sincere and desperate desire to help her master. However, before she could finish, Sukuna had already cut her off. The three of them each had their own roles to play in this great war.
"I will follow your orders, Sukuna-sama."
As Sukuna's most loyal follower, Uraume obeyed his words with absolute devotion. Even if Sukuna ordered her to die, she would not hesitate for a second.
"But if you end up fighting both of them at the same time, even you, the King of Curses, might find it difficult, Sukuna."
Except for Yuki, who was rarely active in the core jujutsu world, they had clear information on all the other special grade sorcerers. Though they previously lacked intelligence on Mukuro, Sukuna had already figured out his general capabilities during the previous battle in Shibuya.
Once Mukuro used that special ability, both he and Satoru possessed a level of power that put them in a completely different league from the rest of the jujutsu world, even compared to other special grades. Therefore, Kenjaku could not help but offer a warning.
Of course, if those two really tag-teamed Sukuna as he suggested, it would be the most ideal outcome for his plans. Only when the two most troublesome guys were too busy to care about anything else could he merge Tengen with all of humanity across the country in the shortest time and with the highest efficiency.
Although he had never tried it, such a massive undertaking could never be completed in the blink of an eye.
"You don't need to worry about that. You don't understand them at all," Sukuna said as he looked into the distance, a smile appearing on his face that Kenjaku could not fathom.
It was as if he wanted to stare down those two across the vast distance between them.
This was something Kenjaku, who had been lurking in the shadows for a thousand years, could never understand.
As an absolute powerhouse whose soul had slept for a millennium, Sukuna could see the deep pride and isolation buried beneath their carefree exteriors.
When a human stood at the peak with absolute power, completely separated from everyone else, he ceased to be human. He became a monster.
When a wild beast that had been bound for so long finally faced a once-in-a-thousand-years chance at freedom, who could resist turning into a glutton to feast to their heart's content?
"Suit yourself. And take this as my insurance policy and a gift to you. Whether you use it and to what extent is entirely up to you. Of course, it also depends on what they do."
Before leaving, Kenjaku presented a grand gift and thoughtfully offered a suggestion. "I have an idea. Care to listen?"
A certain conspiracy, or rather a plan, was brewing.
"Heh, hahaha… You really are a sinister bastard. But against that shameless bunch of sorcerers, it's perfectly acceptable."
After hearing the suggestion, Sukuna couldn't help but grin wildly.
Rika's figure emerged in the dark shadows behind him. No one knew what kind of plot these two ancient foxes were cooking up.
* * *
In the meantime, over in Shinjuku.
Under the intervention of Jujutsu High and the political higher-ups, even though the Culling Game barrier here had been settled, the place remained deserted. The entirety of Shinjuku, and even all of Tokyo, was empty. Almost all civilians had been forced out of Tokyo over the past week, or moved to the fringes of the city.
Right now, a biting cold wind swept through the streets. In this dead silence, only a few crows circled continuously in the sky, their occasional caws echoing through the air.
At the same time, the view from the crows was being broadcast on the televisions of wealthy families across the country.
Inside a building near Shinjuku, the Jujutsu High group had also gathered in front of several television screens displaying surveillance feeds.
This was one of Mei Mei's abilities. Through her Black Bird Manipulation, she could not only see through the crows herself but also share their vision with others.
For a long time, there had always been wealthy ordinary people seeking cheap thrills who wanted to watch battles in the jujutsu world and even place bets on them. As long as they kept it a secret, Mei Mei made a fortune this way.
And this time, she even got the nod from the jujutsu higher-ups to share the crows' vision on a massive scale. Even without setting up a betting pool, Mei Mei had already earned over five billion yen just from ticket sales.
"I feel like... the atmosphere is so serious..." Hana, who was the only one who hadn't personally experienced Sukuna's terrifying presence, felt a bit nervous looking at the expressions of the people around her.
"Of course. The Disgraced One's strength is beyond doubt. Though I hate him, I've never seen anyone stronger than him." On her cheek, Angel's mouth opened to explain.
The already oppressive atmosphere grew even heavier after her words fell. Even though the Jujutsu High students had survived many crises, they had never seen a scene like this.
What was more terrifying than death was the despair of not knowing whether they would live or die.
"It's fine, it's fine~ We'll fix everything. When the time comes, please prepare a super luxurious dessert feast for me. Sugar is very important~" Satoru still maintained his playful smirk, breaking the tension.
"Let's go to Sendai then! I remember Gojo-sensei seems to like the desserts there." Yuji was the first to raise his hand in response. He still remembered the scene when they first met.
"I can pay." Megumi, who rarely joked around, joined in, and the other students began to make their recommendations as well.
Ring, ring~
Just as everyone started to relax, Mukuro's phone suddenly rang.
"He's coming."
The call was brief. After putting down his phone, Mukuro only said those two words, and the atmosphere instantly snapped back to how it was before. Then he stood up.
"I'll leave things here to you guys."
The call just now came from Suguru, who was currently guarding the Tombs of the Star Corridor. The message was simple: Master Tengen is starting to lose consciousness.
That meant Kenjaku had begun attacking the barriers. Any one of the barriers could be his target, not just the one where Tengen resided. Mukuro had to go deal with him now.
"Good luck, Fushiguro-sensei!"
Todo, who was usually beaten to a pulp by Mukuro during physical training, actually stepped forward boldly and patted his chest.
"Good luck, Fushiguro-sensei!"
The Kyoto Jujutsu High students offered their encouragement one after another.
"Don't make it sound like we're saying goodbye forever. If he could beat me, he wouldn't need to hide." Mukuro waved his hand and turned around.
"Let's see who finishes first, shall we? Naturally, we start counting the moment the fight begins."
As they were about to part ways, Satoru suddenly spoke.
Mukuro paused, then turned halfway and glanced back to meet his gaze. Looking at each other, the two spoke at the exact same time.
"I'd win."
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