"We shall formally begin laying out the board. The first game— the Star Plasma Vessel mission of 2006."
"You wish to break the destined cycle binding Tengen, the 'Six Eyes,' and the 'Star Plasma Vessel.' Your primary objective is the death of Amanai Riko. Your secondary objective is the death of Gojo Satoru. Your ultimate objective is the failure of Tengen's fusion, forcing him to evolve into an existence akin to a cursed spirit."
"My primary objective is Gojo Satoru's survival. My secondary objective is for Gojo Satoru to become the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern era. My ultimate objective is to ensure that Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru pass through this mission without any lingering knots in their hearts."
"Now then—what important bargaining chips does madam hold in her hand?"
After finishing his statement, Asou Akiya carefully posed the question to the imagined Kenjaku before him.
["The Kamo clan of the Three Great Sorcerer Clans."]
"Kenjaku" smiled softly, eyes curved with quiet satisfaction.
["A portion of the authority within the Jujutsu Headquarters, connections among curse users, infiltrators planted within the Star Religious Group, and cursed tools and money sufficient to make Fushiguro Toji willing to sell his life."]
Asou Akiya replied without hesitation, every word crisp and precise.
"I, on my side, hold partial influence within the Gojo clan of the Three Great Families; Gojo Satoru's black card; the trust of Tokyo Jujutsu High; networks among assistant supervisors; and the full protective backing of first-grade sorcerer Yaga Masamichi, semi–special-grade sorcerers Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, as well as logistics support Ieiri Shoko, all of whom are willing to shield me at any cost."
"Kenjaku" pondered for a moment before speaking again.
["Our chips are not of equal value. You are one move behind me."]
"Kenjaku" pointed out coldly:
["Without your external interference, Fushiguro Toji alone can sequentially assassinate Gojo Satoru, Getou Suguru, Ieiri Shoko, and Yaga Masamichi—wiping out the Gojo clan and all assistant supervisors in their entirety."]
Bitterness crept into Asou Akiya's chest. Whoever controlled Fushiguro Toji controlled the strongest trump card of the current era.
And yet—he simply could not get his hands on Fushiguro Toji.
Drawing a slow breath, Asou Akiya said, "I admit that Fushiguro Toji is your ace. He is terrifyingly strong. But as you yourself said—if I provide external support, he will never achieve such a result. His greatest weakness is simple: he cannot fly."
Then, with sharp, targeted precision, Asou Akiya continued, "As for the Kamo clan of the Three Great Families—you are not the clan head. You cannot openly command them. The higher-ups of the Jujutsu Headquarters are deathly afraid of dying; even you can only guide their decisions from the shadows. Your curse-user connections?" He gave a soft, derisive chuckle. "You make it sound as though those rats lurking in the gutters are indispensable. Spend money on the dark web and you can hire plenty of them. As for the infiltrators of the Star Religious Group—useless. As a jujutsu sorcerer, dealing with those ordinary people is effortless. I could slaughter them all by myself."
Asou Akiya smiled with naked malice.
"At critical moments, I can even turn around and place a bounty on the Star Religious Group's leader instead."
Seen this way, Kenjaku's advantage could be leveled by his own hand. The gap was not as insurmountable as it first appeared.
"Kenjaku" applauded lightly.
["Are you trying to become a curse user yourself?"]
Asou Akiya answered calmly, without the slightest wavering.
"Kong Shiyu—that man is a talent. Judging by the location and circumstances of his appearance, I can seize him at the appropriate time and force him to become my intermediary. If he refuses—he dies."
"Kenjaku" nodded, acknowledging the usefulness of "Kong Shiyu." His existence could, at the very least, eliminate the risk of Asou Akiya having to switch paths and become a curse user himself.
["I cannot afford to reveal much more,"] "Kenjaku" said. ["For now, the chips on both sides are barely balanced."]
Asou Akiya had cleared the first hurdle.
["Asou-kun,"] "Kenjaku" continued, ["I am actually quite afraid that you will send Amanai Riko to Tengen and ruin my subsequent plans."]
["On this point,"] "Kenjaku" added, ["we can discuss things thoroughly."]
["Do you think that, once they understand the significance of the Star Plasma Vessel, the probability of them letting Amanai Riko go is high?"]
Asou Akiya fell into thought. "Judging from the original storyline, Gojo himself doesn't particularly care whether Amanai Riko lives or dies; he simply doesn't want to be the one to personally send her to her death. In the 'Star Plasma Vessel Incident,' his stance is ambiguous. But Geto…"
Asou Akiya spread his hands slightly. "If Geto suddenly has a surge of compassion and decides to save her, Gojo will probably not object."
"Kenjaku" pressed a hand to her chest, as if smoothing her breathing, and spoke with exaggerated relief.
["Geto Suguru is a good person. I am truly grateful for his kindness."]
Asou Akiya: "..."
He felt nauseated by his own hallucination.
Asou Akiya felt utterly powerless—because his allies were too kind, to the point that even the enemy felt compelled to thank them.
"As for Amanai Riko," Asou Akiya said coldly, "I'm not particularly invested in her fate. Her parents died when she was young, and she was raised by the jujutsu world. She has never lacked food or clothing, attends the finest private girls' school. I investigated the 'Renchoku Girls' Academy'—the tuition is exorbitant. It's a school reserved for true daughters of elite families. When she refers to herself as 'this humble one,' there isn't a trace of inferiority in her at all; she's proud to the core, and perfectly aware of why the jujutsu world spends money to support her."
"Kenjaku" burst into laughter.
["Hahahahaha! You really are strange. If both are being raised like livestock, what difference is there between the pigs I raise and the pigs Tengen raises? Or is it that the boar and the sow are different, and you simply favor the boar who possess greater combat power?"]
Asou Akiya was repulsed to the very depths of his being.
"Take that back."
"Kenjaku" mocked him openly.
["You don't want to admit it? Geto-kun is nothing more than a piglet I raised with meticulous care."]
A violent wave of nausea surged in Asou Akiya's chest, so strong it made him want to vomit.
He deliberately avoided the topic. "This has nothing to do with Geto. I simply look down on Amanai Riko. She may also be a Star Plasma Vessel, but the one I truly respect is Yuki Tsukumo. She tore herself free from fate, held the jujutsu world in contempt, and lived like a bird that shattered its cage and flew away."
"Kenjaku" leaned forward slightly, her tone laden with implication.
["Why don't you consider this possibility—perhaps it was precisely because of Yuki Tsukumo's precedent that the jujutsu world decided to cripple her from the start, denying her any chance at all? After all, she too was a Star Plasma Vessel."]
Asou Akiya murmured under his breath, "…How utterly dark."
"Kenjaku" replied calmly, almost gently.
["Everything you instinctively shy away from—those are precisely the methods I would employ without the slightest hesitation."]
She guided the conversation step by step, deliberately releasing the darkest facets of human nature.
["The plot you know—I know it as well, even as a hallucination. The information you refuse to think about in depth—I know that too."]
["Tell me—why do you think Toji-kun killed Gojo-kun, yet spared Geto-kun?"]
["Do you think his intelligence came from one of the Three Great Families, perhaps the Zen'in clan?"]
["No, no, no. Toji-kun had been separated from the jujutsu world for far too long. He would never have been interested in dusty ancient records about cursed spirit manipulators. And yet, after so many years, the jujutsu world finally produced a new cursed spirit manipulator—and Toji-kun knew his detailed information. He even feared that killing Geto-kun would cause the cursed spirits inside him to spiral out of control."]
["That includes Toji-kun's special-grade cursed tool, the Inverted Spear of Heaven—the weapon capable of nullifying the 'Limitless' technique."]
["Why not assume the worst?"]
["Dear Asou-kun—it was me. All of it. I was the one who provided that assistance in the original story."]
["I do not want Geto-kun to die too early."]
A wave of nameless sorrow swept through Asou Akiya's heart, grief born not of loss alone, but of the tangled conspiracies lurking behind the so-called battle of the strongest.
Kenjaku gave him no time to breathe.
["Let me ask you the simplest possible question. If Geto-kun wants to save Amanai Riko, can he truly save her?"]
On "Kenjaku's" face rested a counterfeit pity layered over genuine, merciless coldness.
["Do you still remember the model of the handgun Fushiguro Toji used against Amanai Riko?"]
Asou Akiya remembered. He recited the information he had obtained in his previous life.
"The model was a SIG P228. A compact pistol. Rate of fire, 5.82 rounds per second. Thirteen rounds per magazine. Suitable for continuous fire, specifically designed to punch through bulletproof vests."
["Then tell me—can you block that bullet?"]
"No."
["Then tell me—can Geto-kun block that shot? Can he block Fushiguro Toji's assassination?"]
"No."
["Then tell me—will you intervene in this matter?"]
"…Yes."
Driven to the brink by the relentless interrogation of his own heart, Asou Akiya finally broke down and shouted, "He's only sixteen years old! How can I let him stand there and watch a little girl's temple be pierced by a bullet, smiling as she collapses right in front of him?!"
"Kenjaku" tugged idly at the stitched seam across her forehead and asked, her expression one of utter boredom,
["And how, exactly, do you plan to save her?"]
Asou Akiya fell silent.
Kenjaku's voice followed immediately, light and almost playful, as if he were offering encouragement rather than pushing a blade deeper.
["Just think about that single situation for now. Do your best—I have high expectations of you."]
Asou Akiya grabbed at his hair, his fingers digging into his scalp as his body began to tremble uncontrollably, every nerve screaming under the strain.
The muzzle velocity of a SIG P228 was simply too fast.
He could not split the bullet. Geto Suguru would not even have time to react. The only conceivable option would be to warn Geto in advance, to have him deploy cursed spirits to shield Amanai Riko at all times—but that would never work. The moment Fushiguro Toji noticed the presence of cursed spirits, he would, without question, switch methods and execute the assassination another way. Toji was not a man bound to a single plan; he was a predator who adapted instantly to any change in terrain.
Asou Akiya's greatest advantage lay in his knowledge of the plot itself. If he wanted to save someone, the ideal solution was to do so without disrupting the established flow of events—but how was that even possible here?
Who would save Amanai Riko?
And beyond that—who would save Geto, preserve that pure, untainted conscience of his before it shattered beyond repair?
Among every potential rescuer Asou Akiya could think of, not a single one stood a chance against Fushiguro Toji. A thin veil of despair crept into his eyes as the images forced themselves into his mind: Satoru lying in a pool of blood, Geto collapsed on the ground. That failed mission would carve itself permanently into their memories, an unerasable scar that would follow them for the rest of their lives.
Facing Fushiguro Toji, the Tyrant of Heaven, the conditions required to save Amanai Riko were brutally exacting.
The rescuer would have to be close—close enough to intervene in an instant. They would need extraordinary foresight, the ability to predict the exact moment of attack. Their speed would have to border on the inhuman. They would need the courage to face Toji head-on, unflinching even as he pulled the trigger of a rapid-fire handgun. And the moment Riko was seized, there would be no second chances—they would have to flee immediately, without hesitation, without looking back.
This was a race against death itself, a fleeting opportunity measured in fractions of a second.
It was not an opportunity Asou Akiya could grasp.
Could he reach that level after mastering Black Flash?
He asked himself the question again and again, desperately, as if repetition might change the answer.
Apparently not.
Asou Akiya had always placed immense expectations on Black Flash, believing it to be the key, the breakthrough that would allow him to stand on the same battlefield as monsters like Toji. Yet now, when he needed it most, he could not grasp the elusive thread in his mind. The insight slipped away each time he reached for it, leaving him with nothing but the echo of his own helplessness.
"Godlike speed…?"
He murmured the words under his breath, his thoughts racing.
"In the jujutsu world, is there anyone whose technique is truly built around godlike speed?"
At that very instant, a spark of insight flashed through his mind.
Asou Akiya did not waste the clarity born of extreme pressure. The answer burst from his lips almost reflexively:
"Projection Sorcery!"
One of the Zen'in clan's inherited techniques—held by the current head and the heir of one of the Three Great Families of the jujutsu world. Projection Sorcery was notoriously complex in its principles. It demanded extraordinary predictive ability and immense computational power from its user, forcibly dividing a single second into twenty-four distinct frames. Within those frames, the sorcerer had to predesign movements and precisely imitate them, binding their body to those predetermined actions. In simple terms, it allowed its user to move as though they possessed divine speed, transforming them into a being that seemed impossibly fast to the naked eye.
Joy flooded Asou Akiya to the point where he could barely contain himself.
Because Fushiguro Toji—fresh from defeating Gojo Satoru—would be brimming with confidence and indulging his own cruel sense of amusement. In such a state, Toji's behavior would be almost completely transparent. The angle of the shot, the exact timing of the trigger pull, even the precise point where Amanai Riko would be struck—Asou Akiya already knew all of it. This was prediction taken to its absolute extreme; nothing could surpass such perfect foresight.
As long as the wielder of Projection Sorcery was present, the "godlike speed" required to save someone could be pushed to its absolute limit.
"Zen'in Naoya," Asou Akiya said aloud, his voice shaking with excitement. "The key to breaking the deadlock of the Star Plasma Vessel mission is Zen'in Naoya!"
But his thoughts did not stop there.
"More than that—if the two young heirs of the Zen'in and Gojo families were to join forces and forcibly drag the Three Great Families into this mess, they could absolutely arrange to secretly escort Amanai Riko overseas. In that case, Satoru wouldn't have to shoulder the crushing pressure imposed by the higher-ups of the Headquarters all on his own."
Asou Akiya's mind raced, calculating timelines and power levels with cold precision.
"Zen'in Naoya is fourteen this year, turning fifteen next year. Using Fushiguro Megumi as a reference point, his current strength should fall somewhere between a semi–Grade 2 and full Grade 2 sorcerer. He should already have mastered the Zen'in family's secret techniques—Falling Blossom Emotion and Simple Domain. He's a genius the Zen'in clan has praised and nurtured since childhood."
"And Zen'in Naoya hasn't enrolled in any school yet. If I can get him into Tokyo Jujutsu High, he could be in the same class as Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu. During the Land God mission in 2007, if he were involved—even if the mission itself failed, they could still retreat safely. Nanami Kento and Haibara Yu could be saved."
Asou Akiya allowed himself a slow breath.
He could question Zen'in Naoya's character all he wanted. He could doubt his morals, his personality, his future choices.
But one thing was beyond dispute.
He could never doubt Zen'in Naoya's strength.
And now, the greatest problem had finally surfaced—
How was he supposed to make the ill-tempered, viciously arrogant Zen'in Naoya obey him, willingly enroll in Tokyo Jujutsu High, and obediently step onto the battlefield to save people?
Damn it.
Wasn't this even harder than making Geto Suguru give up on saving Amanai Riko?
Asou Akiya's mouth twitched uncontrollably. At that moment, "Kenjaku" continued to pour cold water on his thoughts, his tone dripping with mockery:
["You? A mere Grade Three sorcerer, trying to scheme against the Zen'in clan's heir? No matter how you look at it, Zen'in Naoya is a stronger sorcerer than you are. He wouldn't even spare you a second glance."]
Asou Akiya shot back without hesitation, "No. He can't compare to Satoru. His heart is riddled with weaknesses—far too many of them!"
"Kenjaku" pressed on, his voice smooth and insidious:
["And you're not worried that after enrolling at Tokyo Jujutsu High, during the Star Plasma Vessel mission, he'll refuse to follow orders? That he might betray you at the critical moment and help the Zen'in clan finish off Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru while they're lying on the ground, unable to move?"]
Asou Akiya's voice dropped, icy and resolute. "As long as I master Black Flash, I won't need to fear his betrayal. The moment he dares to harbor killing intent, I'll be standing not far behind him—becoming the one who holds the line he cannot cross."
He was ruthless enough when it came to Zen'in Naoya.
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind," Asou Akiya said coldly. "At best, he's just the mantis."
The moment the words left his mouth, Asou Akiya froze.
He was startled by the sheer contempt he felt toward Zen'in Naoya, and at the same time, he became acutely aware of what growing stronger truly meant. It expanded the range of things he could dare to do. Setting aside the dazzling aura of the Zen'in clan's heir, Zen'in Naoya was ultimately nothing more than a young sorcerer with strength hovering between semi–Grade Two and Grade Two. He's foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, and far less oppressive than either Gojo Satoru or Geto Suguru had ever been.
A sudden clarity struck him, his thoughts opening like a floodgate.
"This man has serious issues deep in his heart. He's an extreme worshipper of strength—but his definition of strength isn't the same as that of a normal jujutsu sorcerer. His idol is Zen'in Toji, the man with zero cursed energy, simply because he saw him once in childhood and has never been able to forget him since."
"In a sense," Asou Akiya murmured, "Zen'in Naoya is someone whose loyalty to the strong borders on fanaticism."
"He submits only to those he truly acknowledges as powerful."
"In his heart, Number One is Fushiguro Toji, and Number Two is Gojo Satoru."
"In his eyes, a strong person does not even need to be a jujutsu sorcerer—so long as they are someone capable of defeating all other strong individuals, that alone is enough."
Asou Akiya narrowed his eyes unconsciously, rolling the words over and over in his mind, tasting their weight.
"Someone who defeats all strong ones… a stronger strong."
["Asou-kun,"] "Kenjaku" asked softly, almost gently, ["do you think you are that kind of strong person?"]
"Why couldn't I be?" Asou Akiya laughed, the sound sharp and unrestrained, bordering on madness. "I can create that image."
"When my strength is close enough to Zen'in Naoya's, that will be the moment I can openly scheme against him. I can position myself in places where ambushes are possible, train day and night in assassination techniques, and raise my odds step by step. I can make Zen'in Naoya feel fear—true fear—until he howls for me, sobs for me, and finally admits that intellect itself is a form of power."
"And at the very edge of death," he continued calmly, "I'll force him to establish a Binding Vow, one that compels him to obey my orders."
"Next year—the Star Plasma Vessel incident."
"Gojo Satoru on the brink of death. Geto Suguru unconscious. Fushiguro Toji dead."
"What a perfect opportunity."
"And I," Asou Akiya said, his eyes burning, "will become the most terrifying schemer in Zen'in Naoya's eyes—the one who toys with the Gojo clan's heir, the Zen'in clan's heir, the cursed spirit manipulator, and the Heavenly Restriction tyrant alike, all within the palm of my hand."
"I will shatter the image of 'the strongest' that Zen'in Naoya worships."
"And to prevent that rainbow-cloud pig from instinctively discriminating against anyone outside the Three Great Clans—so stubborn that even when pushed to the brink of death he still refuses to bow—I should fabricate a background within the Three Great Clans for myself."
"For example…" Asou Akiya mused, voice low and thoughtful, "a legitimate son of the Kamo clan, hidden away in the early years, born without an innate technique?"
"As long as a Binding Vow is established," he concluded coldly, "he's finished. He won't be able to play both sides or offer obedience only on the surface."
Asou Akiya licked his dry lips. Countless details of traps, schemes, and contingencies for ensnaring Zen'in Naoya surged through his mind in a relentless tide. This was no idle fantasy—it was a plan that had to be carried out.
"Kenjaku," he said decisively, "the key to breaking the first round of the game is Zen'in Naoya."
["And how do you intend to control him?"]"Kenjaku" asked.
"Getting him into Tokyo Jujutsu High is the easy part," Asou Akiya replied without hesitation. "We'll use Toji as bait. And if that still isn't enough—then I'll ask Satoru to simply tie him up and drag him over."
["Asou-kun, stop raving,"] "Kenjaku" interrupted coldly. ["I'm asking how you intend to control him."]
"By exploiting an overwhelming information gap."
"By bullying him—bullying him mercilessly—until his mind collapses completely."
["And what, exactly, qualifies as a collapse?"]
"Of course—it means—!"
Asou Akiya abruptly lifted the black-and-white go stone box and overturned it in one sharp motion. The pieces spilled out with a loud clatter, cascading across the board in chaos. Black stones and white stones piled atop one another without order or pattern, a tangled mess of offense and defense, life and death, indistinguishable from one another.
Amid that chaotic board, only Asou Akiya laughed.
It was a laugh of release, of grim clarity, as though the confusion itself had finally aligned with his inner vision.
"I'll make him realize that the life and death of every so-called strong person…" he said softly, almost tenderly, "rests entirely on a single thought of mine."
"One Star Plasma Vessel mission."
"And I will be the only one who walks out from behind the curtain as the victor."
Just as he himself feared the hidden Kenjaku lurking in the shadows, Asou Akiya intended to force Zen'in Naoya to taste that same terror—no, something far greater, something deeper, something that would hollow him out from the inside.
This absurd, bleak world.
This hellish, blood-soaked human realm.
He would make Naoya see it clearly—painfully clearly.
—I will take control of you, Naoya, slowly and completely.
—I'll be waiting for you. And when that day comes, you'd better cry beautifully.
Author's Notes:
Kenjaku is a hallucination! He is an imagined opponent constructed by Akiya based on his knowledge of the original story!