The battle was over.
In order to kill Cain, the enemy had exhausted every possible method. They even deployed their ultimate technique, to trap him completely.
They tested him using a Sukuna Finger Cursed Spirit, dragged him into a domain clash to drain his stamina, and pushed their resources to the absolute limit to unleash the Maximum Technique: Uzamaki...
With such a sequence, theoretically, no one except Gojo Satoru, a transcendent combatant, could have survived.
Unfortunately for them, they made one fatal mistake.
They underestimated Cain.
Over the past ten days, One-Punch Cain had awakened the Mist Space, while DanMachi Cain received a blessing and leveled up twice.
With support from the other Cains, Jujutsu Cain not only strengthened his physical abilities but also rapidly mastered Barrier Techniques through sheer exploitation of advantages.
Aside from differences in innate techniques and the lack of something like the Six Eyes, the current Cain was not significantly inferior to Gojo Satoru.
With the Fusion Domain as his trump card, he even had a real chance of defeating him.
The enemy knew none of this.
They had carefully prepared an ambush, only to be crushed head-on. Their final safeguard, Hanami, was killed instantly, leaving them stunned.
But Cain had no intention of accepting surrender.
A merciless punch descended.
The already heavily injured enemy coughed up blood as they were sent flying.
The next moment, the Spirit Devouring Barrier activated.
Along with Hanami, whose body had already been reduced to a mist of blood, the souls of all three were forcibly extracted and absorbed into Cain's body as nourishment.
"What a satisfying battle."
After letting out a breath, Cain reached into the crater before him and picked up three fingers.
Including the one from the Juvenile Detention Center, he now had four Sukuna Fingers.
With the battle over, Cain no longer hesitated.
He swallowed all four fingers at once.
In an instant, Sukuna's will surged within his mind, attempting to seize control of his body.
"Quite cooperative."
Cain chuckled softly.
After previously dragging Sukuna's soul fragment into the Mist Space and crushing it, he had gained a deeper understanding of its true nature.
The Mist Space, rooted deep within his soul and connected to the Cains across countless worlds, possessed its own defensive mechanism.
It didn't matter if Cain himself sought death.
But if anything attempted to interfere with his soul, the Mist Space would retaliate.
Bang!
A sound that only Cain could perceive echoed within his consciousness.
Sukuna's presence was crushed before it could even fully manifest.
The Spirit Devouring Barrier activated once more, absorbing the remnants of Sukuna's soul into Cain's body.
The fingers, now devoid of their core, were also completely digested.
In just a few breaths, all four Sukuna Fingers were fully consumed.
A surge of power flooded his body.
Golden arcs of electricity flickered across his skin, and his perception expanded outward.
Ijichi, standing nearby, trembled slightly.
"Cain... Cain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Better than ever."
Extending his perception, Cain quickly located Itadori and the others inside a supermarket about a kilometer away.
They were fighting two Curse Users.
One was bald, wielding a cleaver with a manic grin.
The other had blond hair tied into a slanted ponytail and held a blade with a black-purple hilt.
Despite having the advantage in numbers, Itadori's group was losing.
Because they were protecting a small girl, both Itadori Yuji and Megumi Fushiguro were covered in injuries. Nobara Kugisaki had a deep wound across her abdomen, blood soaking her clothes.
"I see. Hostages."
Through his perception, Cain confirmed that the two Curse Users were not overwhelmingly stronger.
The real issue was the civilians being held hostage, forcing Itadori's group into a defensive position.
"What hostages?"
Ijichi looked confused.
"At the supermarket. Curse Users are holding civilians hostage."
Lightning gathered in Cain's hand, forming a spear.
"Let me think. The blond one's technique stores luck for absolute defense. I'll eliminate the other one first."
"Eh?"
Ijichi froze.
Before he could react, Cain stepped forward and threw the lightning spear.
It vanished instantly.
At the same time, a massive explosion echoed from the distance.
Boom!
"Next."
Lightning condensed again, this time forming a longbow.
Cain drew the string, and a golden arrow materialized.
In the next moment, multiple arrows shot across the sky toward the supermarket.
Because his companion had been instantly killed, Choso froze for a brief moment.
By the time he reacted, the arrows were already upon him.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The arrows pierced his body, pinning him to the ground.
His accumulated luck was completely consumed.
Then, they exploded.
Blinding lightning engulfed the area, leaving behind a crater several meters wide.
"Wha... what just happened?"
Nobara stared in confusion.
"I don't know, but that attack looks familiar."
Itadori turned toward the direction the arrows came from.
"It's Cain."
Megumi exhaled slowly.
He had watched Cain train over the past few days and recognized that golden lightning instantly.
"So he finished his fight already..."
Nobara sat down, clutching her wound.
"This is seriously embarrassing."
Earlier, she had told Cain to be careful and wait for backup.
Instead, he finished first and casually wiped out their enemies from a distance.
"Everyone! Are you okay?!"
A minute later, Ijichi rushed in with the support team and immediately began treatment.
"Mr. Ijichi, where's Cain?"
Itadori quickly bandaged himself and looked around.
Worst-case scenarios flooded his mind.
Ijichi cut him off.
"Cain is fine."
"He already returned to Jujutsu High."
"...Jujutsu High?"
"I'll explain later."
Ijichi sighed, recalling Cain's expression before leaving.
He had a good idea what Cain intended to do.
After organizing rescue efforts and securing the area, Ijichi finally found a moment to make a call.
"Moshi moshi~ Gojo Satoru speaking~ currently out and about~"
"Mr. Gojo! Something terrible has happened!"
Ignoring the tone, Ijichi quickly reported everything.
After listening, Gojo Satoru understood immediately.
But what concerned him more was something else.
"You encountered Geto Suguru?"
"...Yes."
Ijichi hesitated.
"When I saw him, half his body was missing. But he was still alive and speaking. It was... unnatural."
"Did he escape?"
"No. He tried to kill me using a powerful Cursed Spirit, but Cain arrived and eliminated everything. No remains were left."
"I see."
Gojo looked up at the sky, his expression complicated.
He had already learned from Cain that Geto's body was being used.
He had prepared for it.
Just not this soon.
"Mr. Gojo, about Cain..."
Ijichi began.
"Don't worry about him."
Gojo interrupted.
"I'll handle it. Focus on Itadori and the others."
"...Understood."
The call ended.
Ijichi knew his limits.
After witnessing Cain's strength, he had no intention of getting involved.
He directed the remaining operations, evacuating civilians and sealing off the area.
At this point, concealment was impossible.
Maximum Technique: Uzamaki, formed from hundreds of thousands of Cursed Spirits and powerful enough to break even a Fusion Domain, could not be hidden by a standard curtain.
The mushroom cloud that blew the Juvenile Detention Center into the sky back then could be seen by anyone in the vicinity who wasn't blind.
Considering the viral nature of the internet and the time that had passed since the incident...
Ijichi tremblingly raised his finger and tapped the phone screen.
[Breaking News! A mushroom cloud appeared in Tokyo, suspected to be an explosion caused by a gas tank leak!]
[Gas tank leak? Terrorist attack? The truth behind the mushroom cloud in Tokyo is...]
"Sigh, I knew it would be like this."
Ijichi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.
The famous Jujutsu Sorcerer, Mr. Kento Nanami, once said that Jujutsu Sorcerers are crap.
But in Ijichi's view, the Jujutsu Sorcerer logistics team is also crap, it's completely not a job for humans.
With the public outcry being this huge, he could forget about resting for the next few months, he'd be working overtime until he died.
...
Re@d adv@nce ch@pters on p@t
guilt_free_daoist
Jo!n d!sc0rd I!nk in synops!s.
GIVE ME YOU POWER STONES.