Upon hearing Kenjaku's voice, Uraume immediately disengaged from Yuki Tsukumo.
"Ice Coagulation Cursed Technique: Direct Cascade!"
Uraume slammed their hands to the ground, and countless ice blocks erupted from the earth, forming a frozen jungle that concealed both them and Kenjaku.
"Wind Breath!"
Yuta Okkotsu swung his Dojigiri Yasutsuna, the sharp slash slicing through the ice.
But Kenjaku and Uraume had vanished long ago.
Somewhere deep underground, Kenjaku and Uraume reappeared, while Mahito had already returned.
"Oh? Is it over?" Mahito licked his lips, a note of lingering dissatisfaction in his voice.
Kenjaku nodded. "Yes, it's over. Jogo and the others' boundary-breaking vajras are all shattered. Those three should be returning to Tokyo soon."
Thinking of it made Kenjaku wince. That vajra was a Cursed Tool he had spent centuries crafting, and he hadn't even been willing to use it himself.
Over three hundred years ago, the Gojo Family produced a Six Eyes user, named Gojo Kaneki, the one who had perished alongside the Zen'in Family's Ten Shadows Technique user.
In terms of strength, Kaneki Gojo was the most powerful Six Eyes aside from the generation of Gojo Satoru and Gojo Shion. Kenjaku had once crossed Kaneki Gojo, but a single lapse had nearly cost him his life.
Determined not to repeat that mistake, Kenjaku created a special Cursed Tool capable of blocking the Six Eyes, buying him a chance to escape. After a century, he forged the boundary-breaking vajra. Though disposable, it could generate one second of spatial distortion, teleporting the target and even nullifying the Limitless Cursed Technique for a brief moment.
Over three centuries, Kenjaku had produced only three of them. Now, all were gone.
"Sigh… Forget it. Reviving Sukuna is the priority!"
Kenjaku knew his priorities. Compared to a few Cursed Tools, the Cursed Womb: Death Painting was far more important.
Coughing suddenly echoed from the sewer, and Jogo limped out from the shadows. Bruised and battered, he had no spare Cursed Energy to heal himself.
"Huh? You're in such a sorry state?" Kenjaku asked, approaching with a smile. "Jogo, you didn't clash head-on with Suguru Geto, did you?"
Jogo fell silent, guilty. Before leaving, Kenjaku had warned him repeatedly to avoid direct confrontation and stick to guerrilla tactics. But facing Suguru Geto, his desire to win had clouded his judgment.
"Oh dear… I told you not to be impulsive. You can't defeat those three monsters head-on."
"Shut up!" Jogo roared in shame and anger, moving to the side to sit and brood.
"I… am… back…"
Suddenly, Hanami's brainwaves surged into everyone's minds.
All eyes turned, and the group gasped. Compared to Jogo, Hanami's condition was far worse. Half of their upper body had been obliterated, and the two branches on their head were gone, leaving bleeding, gaping wounds.
"Hanami!" Jogo and Mahito rushed forward to help. Jogo's single large eye turned blood-red with rage.
"Bastard Gojo Shion! I'll kill him one day!"
Kenjaku ignored Jogo's outburst, anxiously waiting for Dagon's return. He sensed something had happened. While Jogo and Hanami's vajras shattered normally, Dagon's had broken in less than a second. Gojo Shion had likely bypassed its defense before Dagon was teleported. His fate was predictable.
After nearly three hours, there was still no sign of Dagon. Foreboding filled the air.
"Dagon is dead." Kenjaku's words cut through the silence, cold and abrupt, igniting Jogo's fury.
Boom!
In a blind rage, Jogo punched Kenjaku, who blocked with crossed arms, retreating while scraping a long mark into the ground.
"Kenjaku! What kind of joke is this? Believe me, I'll burn you to ashes!"
Kenjaku shrugged. "Face reality. Dagon's been gone too long; he's surely in grave danger."
"Bastard! Didn't you say the vajra could block the Six Eyes?" Jogo grabbed Kenjaku by the collar, eyes burning. "If something happened to Dagon, I'll make you pay with your life!"
Kenjaku raised his hands in surrender. "It's not my fault. Whether the vajra worked or not, you and Hanami know best. The problem lies with that monster, Gojo Shion."
"You…"
Jogo clenched his teeth, throwing Kenjaku aside before storming off.
"Where are you going?"
"To avenge Dagon!" His face twisted in rage, heat radiating from him, distorting the surrounding space.
"Don't be impulsive! Stop him!" Mahito and Hanami moved quickly, restraining Jogo. Hanami pressed his head to the ground.
Jogo shouted, voice raw: "Hanami, Mahito, hold me! Otherwise, I won't be able to stop myself from killing Gojo Shion!"
Kenjaku shook his head. "Actions driven by anger are reckless. Don't worry, Jogo. We will avenge Dagon, but not now."
He turned toward the Incubator of the Cursed Womb: Death Painting, eyes burning.
"This operation has left half of Tokyo strewn with corpses, feeding the area with enough negative emotion. It's time to reactivate the Cursed Womb: Death Painting."
Kenjaku carved countless Array Runes around the Womb. Activating his Cursed Technique, the array drew negative emotions from a hundred-mile radius, converting them into pure Cursed Energy and channeling it into the Womb.
After a full day and night, the Womb changed. Black runes crawled across its body, transforming into tattoos identical to Ryomen Sukuna's. An overwhelming aura radiated from it, making everyone uneasy even through its glass cover.
Jogo swallowed hard. "Is this Ryomen Sukuna?"
"Not yet," Kenjaku said. "To evolve Daiten into a high-quality vessel for Sukuna, incubation takes time. Meanwhile, there's another task."
Uraume asked, "What is it?"
Kenjaku's expression darkened. "Gojo Shion bypassed the vajra. His strength exceeds what even the Six Eyes could measure. We have only thirteen of Sukuna's Fingers. Summoning him now might not be enough to match Gojo Shion."
Uraume snorted. "Even with thirteen Fingers, Lord Sukuna can defeat Gojo Shion."
"You mortals have no idea of Sukuna's peak!" Kenjaku chuckled reluctantly. "The more Fingers, the safer. Sukuna surely wants his full power."
Uraume nodded. "Agreed."
Kenjaku's eyes darkened. "Next operation: steal the sealed Sukuna Fingers within Tokyo Jujutsu High."