Not long after Sonic jumped into Elder Centipede's mouth, a continuous stream of flames erupted from it. He burned his way from the monster's head all the way down to its tail using Fire Release.
However, Elder Centipede's body contained corrosive fluids potent enough to melt machinery—there was no way for Sonic to deal with that. His destructive output stopped there.
Very quickly, the wounds burned open by the fire jutsu regenerated at a visible speed.
Sonic crawled back out of its mouth in frustration, silently resolving to train his Fire Release harder and master more powerful ninjutsu.
Tatsumaki curled her lips. "I told you it wouldn't work. This isn't an ordinary Dragon-level monster."
"Leave it to me!"
Her patience had reached its limit. She planned to crush Elder Centipede directly with psychic force.
Chu Yang suddenly appeared, one hand pressing down on Tatsumaki's head. "I said it's experimental material."
Tatsumaki angrily slapped his hand away. "So troublesome—do it yourself!"
Chu Yang stretched lazily. He simply didn't trust Tatsumaki not to go overboard, so he decided to handle it personally.
He grasped the air with his right hand. Fengdu silently appeared in his grip. With a few casual swings, several unremarkable-looking sword energies shot toward Elder Centipede.
The sword qi pierced straight through its head, carving rice-character-shaped gashes and slicing all the way down to its tail.
It felt like slicing sashimi.
Elder Centipede died without a sound, without stirring even the slightest ripple.
High above, Phoenix Man—who had been monitoring the House of Evolution—didn't hesitate for a second. He turned and fled at full speed, sonic booms thundering behind him, wishing he had grown another pair of wings.
With Elder Centipede's massive body gone, sunlight finally poured down over the House of Evolution.
Below, Saitama poked his head out the window and shouted, "Can I air my bedding now?"
Chu Yang flashed him an "OK" sign.
"What was that just now?"Tatsumaki was still dazed.
"Swordsmanship."Chu Yang slowly landed back on the windowsill.
"How does he always have these random, ridiculously strong abilities…?"Tatsumaki found Chu Yang increasingly unfathomable.
Moments later, the sound of artillery ceased. The remaining monsters outside were wiped out by the Iron Man Legion.
This attack by the Monster Association felt more like a probe—they hadn't dispatched many elite forces.
Or perhaps they believed Elder Centipede alone would be enough to wipe out the House of Evolution.
Chu Yang actually hoped they'd send a few more waves. More materials delivered straight to his door would save him the trouble of hunting them down himself.
As for counterattacking the Monster Association—
There was no rush.
Better to develop steadily for a while. At this stage, Chu Yang didn't want to draw the attention of that so-called "god."
The more he learned, the clearer it became that this "god" harbored blatant malice toward humanity.
With Elder Centipede dealt with, the House of Evolution enjoyed a brief period of calm, allowing Chu Yang to focus on research.
…
The World of Jujutsu.The Star Religious Group.
"Just like you said—some woman dug up my grave, but couldn't find my body."
"She was furious."
"That woman… was it Kenjaku?"Geto Suguru sat on the sofa with a glass of red wine, his expression dark.
"More precisely, it was Kenjaku's current body,"Chu Yang said with a playful smile from the bar across from him."He's really something—playing both father and mother, producing a whole batch of Cursed Wombs."
The more Geto listened, the more disgusted he felt. If he were truly dead and ended up being possessed by something like that, he wouldn't find peace even as a ghost.
"So what's next?" Geto asked eagerly."Do we deal with Jujutsu High first, or wipe out those cursed spirits?"
"No rush," Chu Yang replied calmly."Wait for them to show themselves. Their goal is to use the Prison Realm to seal Gojo Satoru."
"You want them to seal Gojo?""Don't you?"
"You're different from me. If he knows I'm still alive, he'll definitely come kill me," Geto said bitterly."I don't want to go all out against Gojo-senpai. If I did, even Nanami-senpai would stand against me. Better to finish what needs to be done while he's sealed."
"You're surprisingly sentimental,"Geto suddenly burst into laughter—laughing harder and harder until tears streamed down his face."What you're talking about… don't tell me it's killing all the higher-ups at Jujutsu High?"
Chu Yang grinned. "Why not?"
"Then you really might be insane," Geto shook his head."Even Gojo once had similar thoughts—but he never acted on them."
Chu Yang poured himself a drink and downed it."Alright, jokes aside. I asked you to find Sukuna's fingers. How many did you get?"
"Three," Geto spread his hands."The rest are impossible to locate. Are you planning to eat them now?"
Chu Yang shook his head."I'll stockpile them and eat them all at once. Otherwise it's too much trouble. I don't want to keep wasting time dealing with that guy."
Without Sukuna's complete form, Chu Yang's domain—Corridor of Mortal Combat—couldn't acquire all of his abilities. Fighting him in pieces would be meaningless.
At best, he'd gain fragments of the opponent's domain—hardly worth the effort.
Geto handed over the sealed fingers, saying with envy,"I'd love to cross hands with the legendary King of Curses myself."
"You'll get the chance someday," Chu Yang replied with a smile.
After taking the fingers, Chu Yang left the Star Religious Group.
Geto watched his retreating back, lost in thought.
Just outside the gate, Chu Yang received a call from Gojo Satoru.
"Where are you?"
"At a massage parlor."
"Wow, young people really have stamina. Take me next time."
"If you're paying, I'll consider it."
"You're seriously stingy. We've known each other this long and you've never treated me!"
"Sorry, senpai. Been a corporate slave too long—some habits stick."
"Enough nonsense. Come over, I need you for something."
Chu Yang took a taxi to Jujutsu High. Before he even reached the gate, he saw Gojo's infuriating grin—standing beside him was a pink-haired boy.
"As expected of Jujutsu High's brightest new star—your walking posture alone is handsome!"
Gojo immediately started his sarcastic nonsense.
Chu Yang ignored him, his gaze fixed on the boy beside him.
Itadori Yuji.
He still became a jujutsu sorcerer…
Chu Yang sighed. Perhaps the inertia of fate really was that strong.
"Haha! Know where I found this kid?"Gojo laughed."At the same school where we fought!"
"These days, self-awakened sorcerers are rare."
Chu Yang rubbed his temples."Senpai, if you keep talking nonsense, I'm leaving."
Gojo flashed beside him, slung an arm around his neck, and whispered,"Don't go. Help me mentor him—and handle a mission while you're at it."
"The pay is generous."
At the words "generous pay," Chu Yang instantly perked up."I don't have many virtues, but I love guiding juniors. Ask Yuta Okkotsu if you don't believe me."
"I know! Our little Yang is the most considerate!"Gojo laughed and slapped his shoulder.
"The mission's location is a movie theater."
"Make sure you take good care of him."
"Special-Grade Sorcerer."
"Yang."
Since Yuji was no longer Sukuna's vessel, his enrollment didn't draw much attention.
Those old higher-ups had no reason to target him either.
He was treated like an ordinary student.
Just like the original timeline, Yuji teamed up with Fushiguro Megumi after entering Jujutsu High, but he hadn't encountered any truly difficult missions yet.
This haunted-theater incident would be the toughest one so far.
A light rain fell steadily.
Chu Yang and Yuji stood beneath umbrellas in front of a movie theater.
"Nanami-senpai was supposed to take you," Chu Yang sighed."Blame Gojo for his sudden whim…"
"Yang-senpai," Yuji said carefully,"you seem to really dislike Gojo-sensei."
"That's not quite accurate," Chu Yang replied.'Disgusted' fits better—especially when he randomly calls my name."
"…Yeah, that part isn't great," Yuji admitted.
The two of them chatted as they walked into the movie theater.
Because an extremely vicious incident had occurred, the theater was shut down—there wasn't a single person in sight.
The moment he pushed the door open, Chu Yang was hit by an overwhelmingly pungent stench.
It was the smell of cursed spirits.
The scene was filled with traces of cursed energy. The culprit hadn't bothered to hide anything at all.
This incident was caused by a special-grade cursed spirit named Mahito.
Mahito was born from the hatred and fear that existed between humans.
At first glance, it looked like a young man in his twenties—long blue hair, its entire body covered in stitched seams, like a ragdoll repeatedly sewn back together.
The evil of cursed spirits was usually very pure, since they were born from negative emotions.
But Mahito's evil was a particularly nauseating kind—one rooted in grotesque amusement.
It took pleasure in playing with others.
Its malice was the closest to human depravity, placing the ugliest aspects of humanity right in front of your eyes.
Mahito's technique was called Idle Transfiguration.
The principle was simple: by altering the shape of the soul, it could in turn remodel the body.
When used on itself, it allowed Mahito to maintain the integrity of its soul and forcibly restore its body to its original state—achieving a form of regeneration.
If you couldn't damage its soul, then physical attacks were completely meaningless.
It sounded intimidating, but in Chu Yang's eyes, it was nothing special. As long as one's cursed energy was strong enough to constantly envelop the soul, Mahito's Idle Transfiguration would be completely useless.
Following the residual trail, Chu Yang and Yuji arrived at another exit of the theater.
At that moment, the aura of the cursed spirit reached its peak.
Yuji suddenly turned his head and saw a cursed spirit leap toward them from the rooftop.
He immediately coated his fists in cursed energy, preparing for close-quarters combat.
Chu Yang stopped him.
"Senpai, why are you holding me back? The cursed spirit is attacking!" Yuji shouted anxiously.
Chu Yang acted as if he hadn't heard, suppressing Yuji's movements and standing silently in place.
Just as the cursed spirit was about to collide with them—
A completely white ancient sword, faintly tinged with cyan from hilt to tip, suddenly appeared and floated in front of Chu Yang, perfectly blocking the attack.
The moment the cursed spirit's hand touched Tianque, a piercing scream tore from its mouth, sending chills down one's spine.
Why did it sound like… a human screaming?
The thought startled Yuji, leaving him momentarily stunned.
Tianque burst into brilliant white light, engulfing the cursed spirit—and an astonishing scene unfolded.
The cursed spirit slowly began to transform into a human form…
"A human?!!"
Yuji was horrified.
The "cursed spirit" before them was someone Mahito had created by twisting the soul of an ordinary person.
And Tianque possessed the ability to correct and restore the soul to its original state.
Strictly speaking, this wasn't even a Shikai ability—it was an innate trait of the blade itself.
Chu Yang still hadn't fully mastered this Zanpakutō.
Both Fengdu and Tianque were fundamentally different from all Zanpakutō in the Soul Society.
Even as their master, Chu Yang only understood them superficially.
The victim, reverted back into a human, was rapidly losing vitality. From the moment he was transformed into a cursed spirit, death had been almost inevitable.
Yuji rushed forward and held him. The victim was very young—only a few years older than Yuji. As if aware that his end was near, a look of relief appeared on his face.
"Thank you… for helping me escape the pain…"
After those words, his breathing grew weaker and weaker—until it vanished entirely.
"Why did this happen? Why did he become like this?!"
Watching a life fade away right before his eyes, the crushing helplessness made Yuji lose control. He screamed hysterically at Chu Yang.
"The cursed spirit we're dealing with can alter the shape of the soul," Chu Yang said softly."If you encounter it, remember to coat every part of your soul with cursed energy. Only then can you defend against its technique."
"He was turned into this by a cursed spirit?" Yuji's eyes turned bloodshot."Where is it?! I'm going to kill it!"
Bang!
In the narrow alleyway, a trash can suddenly toppled over and rolled toward them.
Yuji looked up and saw another cursed spirit. He immediately charged forward.
"Is it you, you bastard?!"
Yuji sprinted through the rain, his mind filled with nothing but punching it.
Then—
Chu Yang suddenly appeared and kicked him flying.
"Learn to stay calm and observe before throwing your fists around. Otherwise, you'll die sooner or later at the hands of a high-level cursed spirit."
As he reprimanded Yuji, Chu Yang used Universal Pull, dragging the cursed spirit straight toward him.
Tianque shone once more.
The cursed spirit writhed and screamed in agony, then slowly reverted to human form again, just like before.
Ignoring the pain, Yuji felt a wave of fear wash over him—he had almost killed someone with his own hands.
This victim was a girl. Her condition was far better than the boy's earlier—it seemed she hadn't been transformed into a cursed spirit for long.
She could still be saved.
Chu Yang bent down and placed a hand on her head, channeling life force into her.
She murmured faintly. Though still unconscious, the terror on her face only grew more intense.
Chu Yang sighed. With trauma this severe, even if she survived, she would be nearly broken as a person.
With that thought, Chu Yang cast magic and erased her memories of the incident.
In the process, he saw fragments of their relationship.
The boy and girl were a college couple nearby. They had come to this theater on a weekend date—only to be unlucky enough to encounter Mahito.
As the memories of the boy vanished from her mind, Chu Yang saw tears slip from the corners of her eyes.
"Senpai… what are you doing?"
Yuji's voice had grown much quieter after nearly making a fatal mistake.
"Erasing her memories," Chu Yang replied.
"Then… why is she crying?"
Yuji asked in confusion.
"She forgot someone very important to her,"Chu Yang said, his gaze drifting toward the boy's corpse.
Yuji seemed to understand something. His fists clenched tightly, teeth grinding in fury.
Even without her memories, fear would still linger like an instinct, etched deep in the girl's heart. That was something she would have to overcome on her own in the future.
Chu Yang lifted the girl and placed her into Yuji's arms. "Contact Iijichi Kiyotaka. Have him handle this properly."
Yuji nodded. Seeing Chu Yang about to leave, he hurriedly asked, "Senior, where are you going?"
Chu Yang's voice was icy to the bone.
"To take out the trash."
There was still the presence of a third cursed spirit at the scene. Chu Yang was certain it was Mahito, so he followed the lingering aura all the way.
If the girl hadn't survived, Chu Yang would have taken Yuji along and taught him a lesson the hard way.
But now—
He only wanted to smash the bastard's head into pieces.
Following the foul stench, Chu Yang arrived at an abandoned sewer.
The sewer's own filth couldn't even mask the stench of the cursed spirit.
"This really is where trash belongs,"Chu Yang said coldly.
"How rude. I actually quite like sewers."
With flowing blue hair, if not for the terrifying stitches covering his face, Mahito's appearance could have easily charmed many young girls.
Mahito tilted his head, staring at Chu Yang with innocent curiosity. "You found me so quickly. You must be a pretty strong sorcerer, right?"
"You're a recently born cursed spirit. Under normal circumstances, any cursed spirit with half a brain would run the moment they saw me,"Chu Yang snapped his fingers.
The sewer exit collapsed instantly. The only escape route was completely sealed.
"You seem very confident—blocking the exit and all. But what if the one who dies here is you?"Mahito asked curiously, studying Chu Yang.
Chu Yang picked up a stone, infused it with cursed energy, and flicked it toward Mahito. A sharp sonic boom rang out in the air.
Boom!
Mahito didn't even have time to react—one of his arms exploded into pieces.
"How about now?"Chu Yang smiled gently."Am I allowed to be a little confident?"
Mahito's expression grew serious. "You're not an ordinary sorcerer."
As he spoke, he spat out a grotesque creature.
The monster's body rapidly expanded, resembling the altered humans Chu Yang had seen in the theater.
Chu Yang grasped Tianque.
A sweep of sword light—
The creature screamed, reverted to human form, and quickly lost all signs of life.
Mahito's pupils shrank.
That sword countered his ability.
If my transfigured humans are useless, I'll have to attack his soul directly.
Mahito abandoned the idea of overwhelming Chu Yang with altered humans and instead attempted to get close, intending to reshape Chu Yang's soul directly.
Sensing his intent, Chu Yang used Universal Pull, dragging Mahito straight toward him.
Mahito was stunned for a split second—then ecstatic.
The moment he touched Chu Yang, he would activate Idle Transfiguration.
Chu Yang grabbed Mahito by the throat.
At the same time, Mahito clutched Chu Yang's arm, grinning triumphantly.
"Hahahaha! You're about to taste despair!"
Mahito burst into manic laughter and immediately activated Idle Transfiguration.
Chu Yang was laughing too.
Moments passed.
Chu Yang's appearance didn't change at all.
Mahito froze.
"Why… why can you withstand my technique?!"
"Your cursed energy shouldn't be this strong!"
"What grade are you?!"
Mahito rambled hysterically, his expression growing more unhinged by the second.
"Special grade."
Chu Yang grabbed Mahito by the head and smiled."Just got promoted recently. Please take good care of me."
Mahito stared at him in disbelief.
In the next instant—
Chu Yang crushed his head in one grip and tossed the body aside.
Mahito staggered back to his feet. The wound rapidly regenerated, and before long, his head was completely restored.
Tianque could correct distorted souls, but it couldn't interfere with Mahito forcibly maintaining his own soul's shape.
The regenerated Mahito smiled and asked excitedly, "You're Yang, right? Ryomen Sukuna's new vessel?"
Chu Yang, who had been planning to kill him outright, suddenly restrained his killing intent and examined Mahito with interest.
If Mahito knew him, then the cursed spirit group behind him knew as well.
Which meant—
Kenjaku knew that Chu Yang was Sukuna's new vessel.
"Those damned higher-ups really do tell everything,"Chu Yang muttered."I'm getting more and more tempted to wipe them out."
He knew the information had come from the higher-ups of Jujutsu High.
There was some kind of connection—or deal—between them and Kenjaku.
"If I kill you, will Ryomen Sukuna resurrect right here?"Mahito's eyes flashed with madness as he pressed both hands against Chu Yang, repeatedly activating Idle Transfiguration.
Chu Yang stared at him coldly.
As Mahito's excitement faded and reason returned, he finally sensed something was terribly wrong.
Chu Yang's cursed energy was like an unbreakable wall—utterly unmoving, impossible to penetrate, let alone influence his soul.
"I was planning to kill you,"Chu Yang said calmly,"but now I need your memories."
"Domain Expansion."
"Corridor of Mortal Combat."
In a daze, the scenery shifted.
Chu Yang and Mahito now stood in the center of an endless corridor.
Mahito was first shocked—then his expression turned strange.
He felt his power surge dramatically, nearly ten times stronger than before.
What kind of domain made the enemy stronger?
"Hahahahaha! Interesting! This is hilarious!"Mahito clutched his thighs, laughing hysterically."A domain this stupid actually exists?!"
"Tenfold amplification? Not bad luck,"Chu Yang was even happier than Mahito.
If Mahito gained a tenfold boost, then upon victory, Chu Yang would gain ten times the reward.
The greater the risk, the greater the return.
That was the rule of the Corridor of Mortal Combat.
"In that case, I can't waste your kindness."
"Domain Expansion."
"Self-Embodiment of Perfection!"
With his confidence skyrocketing from the tenfold boost, Mahito directly expanded his domain inside Chu Yang's domain.
The collision between domains wasn't as violent as expected, giving Mahito the illusion that his domain had "overpowered" Chu Yang's.
"Within this domain, my Idle Transfiguration doesn't require physical contact,"Mahito said smugly."Can you withstand a ten-times-strength Idle Transfiguration?"
He activated his technique repeatedly, watching Chu Yang with eager anticipation.
At tenfold strength, Idle Transfiguration did cause Chu Yang some pressure.
This time, it wasn't just Tianque—
Even Fengdu stirred, manifesting on its own to guard Chu Yang.
One black blade and one white blade circled him, like sun and moon alternating—endless and unceasing.
Suddenly—
Chu Yang felt something resonate within him.
He reached out and grasped Fengdu, softly uttering twelve words.
To Mahito's ears, they rang like thunder.
"Below the Yellow Springs, above the Netherworld—Eternally fall into Fengdu."
Only now did Chu Yang finally speak Fengdu's Shikai release phrase. Before this, his understanding of Fengdu's abilities had always been fragmentary at best.
As the release words were spoken, Fengdu erupted with a terrifying aura. The connection between it and Chu Yang deepened, becoming even more spiritually attuned.
Mahito's heart pounded violently. The moment Fengdu appeared, an invisible fear wrapped tightly around it.
"Ghost Gate."
Just like the first time he used Yellow Springs, Chu Yang softly uttered two words.
A massive, ancient gate abruptly manifested behind Mahito.
Countless hellish murals were carved into the gate—grim, grotesque scenes of torment—resembling the Gates of Hell from the world of the Shinigami.
Mahito turned his head.
The Ghost Gate swung open!
From beyond the gate, countless ghostly hands stretched out, grabbing hold of Mahito's body.
An overwhelming terror surged forth, shattering Mahito's former composure.
It frantically activated Idle Transfiguration, yet still couldn't stop itself from being dragged toward the gate.
Amid shrill, agonized screams, Mahito was completely swallowed and vanished without a trace.
After Mahito was devoured by the Ghost Gate, Chu Yang obtained all of its abilities, along with fragments of its memories.
Within those memories, Chu Yang saw a dazzling golden beach. A group of cursed spirits lounged on deck chairs, sunbathing like humans.
Among them, the most eye-catching was a woman with a faint scar on her forehead.
Kenjaku.
Unable to obtain Geto Suguru's body, Kenjaku was still inhabiting its previous host.
In Mahito's memories, Kenjaku and the cursed spirits were discussing Geto Suguru.
"Gojo Satoru clearly killed Geto Suguru. Where is his body?"
"Is it possible that Gojo never actually killed Geto?"
"Their relationship was close. It's not impossible that Gojo spared him."
"Gojo isn't the indecisive type. Things had already gone that far—there's no reason he wouldn't kill Geto."
"Then there's only one possibility left…"
"Someone stole Geto Suguru's body before we could."
"Who would that be? Didn't anyone from Jujutsu High notify you?"
"My relationship with them is transactional, not master and servant. They wouldn't lift a finger without profit."
In the original course of events, Kenjaku only began cooperating with these special-grade cursed spirits after taking Geto Suguru's body.
But now, the two sides had allied in advance, and their relationship appeared even closer.
After a long discussion, they finally brought up the Prison Realm.
"Without Geto Suguru's body, should we still proceed with that plan?"
"We can worry about Geto later. We can't waste all the Sukuna fingers we worked so hard to gather."
"Jujutsu High has already created a new vessel. I've heard he's hard to deal with."
"No matter how troublesome he is, he's not Gojo Satoru. For us, the only one we truly need to be cautious of is Gojo."
"We can capture the vessel while sealing Gojo at the same time."
Jogo and the others spoke animatedly, but Kenjaku remained silent. His ultimate goal differed from that of the cursed spirits.
The cursed spirits wanted the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, to return and lead them in creating a new world.
Kenjaku, from beginning to end, cared only about himself.
To achieve the optimal evolution of cursed energy, Kenjaku set his sights on Tengen's endlessly evolving technique.
And to obtain that technique, he first needed Geto Suguru's Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
The ultimate form of Cursed Spirit Manipulation—Maximum: Uzumaki—allowed the extraction of cursed techniques from cursed spirits, transferring them to the user and granting multiple techniques.
However, techniques obtained this way could not be strengthened. Their power would forever remain capped at the original owner's level.
And not only cursed spirits—existences similar to cursed spirits could also become targets.
Compared to humans, Tengen was indeed closer to a cursed spirit.
Before acquiring Maximum: Uzumaki, Kenjaku was unwilling to take risks. Even successfully sealing Gojo Satoru in the Prison Realm would be nothing more than a waste of time to him.
The awkward part was that if Kenjaku voiced opposition now, the alliance with the cursed spirits would collapse immediately.
So he chose a compromise.
"Without Geto Suguru's identity, sealing Gojo Satoru will be difficult. We might as well focus on the vessel first."
"As far as I know, that person always acts alone. Gojo isn't by his side."
"We can prioritize reviving Ryomen Sukuna."
Kenjaku knew Sukuna's temperament well. Sukuna would only bring chaos—never lead cursed spirits to build a new world.
But what did that matter to Kenjaku?
Let chaos reign. He could take advantage of it to pursue his own goals.
Kenjaku's thoughts were entirely occupied by Geto Suguru. Everything else was beneath his concern.
Jogo was the first to nod, stating he could handle the matter alone.
He didn't even fear Gojo Satoru—let alone other sorcerers.
Mahito lounged nearby, sunbathing with a mocking smile.
The memory ended there.
Perhaps Mahito itself never expected that it would enter the Ghost Gate before Jogo ever encountered Chu Yang.
Chu Yang stroked his chin.
Since those cursed spirits had already marked him as a target, he might as well play along—give them an opening and seize the opportunity to take the Sukuna fingers from their hands.
After finishing Mahito's memories, Chu Yang smashed open the blocked exit with a single punch and walked out.
The rain had stopped.
The sky cleared once more.
Standing in the sunlight, Chu Yang glanced back at the dark sewer behind him. It had buried not only Mahito, but countless innocent civilians as well.
He took out his phone and notified Jujutsu High's assistants to handle the aftermath.
Once that call went through, Kenjaku would soon learn that Mahito had been eliminated.
Before long, Ijichi Kiyotaka arrived with Yuji.
"Senior, is that cursed spirit dealt with?" Yuji asked anxiously.
Chu Yang nodded. "How's the girl?"
"She's stable for now. We've already sent her home. But… she doesn't seem to remember what happened during this period."
"Yuji told me you erased her memories. According to regulations, sorcerers aren't allowed to casually use jujutsu on civilians."
"Mr. Yang, this counts as a violation…"
Ijichi's voice was calm, mechanical—like an automated response.
Yuji immediately panicked. "How can that be?! Yang-senpai didn't do anything wrong! If he hadn't erased her memories, how could she possibly live her life after this?!"
Ijichi stood in the sunlight. The glare off his glasses made Chu Yang uncomfortable, and he waved his hand impatiently.
"So?"
Ijichi smiled. "So I don't intend to report this incident to the higher-ups. I believe you did the right thing. I only hope you'll be more cautious next time."
Chu Yang smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
Yuji realized he'd misunderstood Ijichi. His face flushed red as he scratched his head awkwardly.
"Even if this won't be reported, the details of the exorcism still need to be recorded," Ijichi continued.
"What grade was the source cursed spirit?"
"Special-grade cursed spirit—Mahito," Chu Yang replied.
"It possessed a human-like appearance and intelligence. Its personality is… hard to describe. As for its cursed technique…"
Chu Yang explained everything he could, letting Ijichi record it for archival purposes, to be stored in Jujutsu High's records.
Those archives held countless cursed spirit reports—most of them spirits already exorcised by Jujutsu High.
If similar cursed spirits appeared in the future, these records would help later generations find ways to deal with them.
Listening to the entire account, Yuji felt his scalp tingle.
He asked himself honestly—if he had encountered such a cursed spirit, what could he have done?
The answer was simple.
Nothing.
Without Sukuna, the newly enrolled Yuji had no solution at all.
The realization left him quietly disheartened.
(End of Chapter)