"Clack… clack…"
Within a dim, cramped space, countless skulls trembled and rattled endlessly.
Lying on a floor piled high with bones, Satoru Gojo idly fiddled with the bandage at the corner of his eye, using the Six Eyes to scan the interior of this peculiar prison.
"So physical time doesn't pass here… that's a real hassle."
The skulls surrounding him were formed from innumerable rare curses.
At this moment, Gojo Satoru was essentially trapped inside a closed domain that operated around the clock.
Or rather—he was enveloped within a living barrier.
"This is bad… I'll have to leave the troublesome stuff to them."
"…Well, things will work themselves out when the time comes."
"Guess I'll take a nap first."
His tone sounded relaxed.
But within those faintly visible azure eyes lay unmistakable gravity.
21:44 — Shibuya, Meiji-Jingumae Station
Entrance to the subway leading to Basement Level 5.
Mei Mei, Ui Ui, and Yuji Itadori suddenly stopped in their tracks.
"Can you hear me, Yuji Itadori?"
A strange voice suddenly came through the earpiece used to communicate with the auxiliary supervisors.
Yuji froze for a moment—then tore off the earpiece and slammed it hard onto the ground!
Clang!
Unexpectedly durable, the earpiece bounced back intact.
"Wait—wait!"
The mechanical voice urgently called out from within it.
"I'm not an enemy. I'm Mechamaru from Kyoto Prefectural!"
"Mechamaru…"
Yuji murmured as recognition flickered in his mind, his grip on the earpiece loosening slightly.
"There's no time to explain in detail—just listen carefully."
"Satoru Gojo… has been sealed!"
Hearing the shocking news, Yuji stood there in stunned disbelief.
A flash of surprise crossed Mei Mei's face before she spoke in a low voice,
"What proof do you have for that claim?"
"…Sorry. None at all."
Resting in Yuji's open palm, Mechamaru spoke calmly.
"If I had to give a reason—me being able to contact you right now is the proof."
"Only when my main body has died, and Satoru Gojo has been sealed…"
"…when both conditions are met, will the triple failsafes I left behind activate."
"I, over ten days ago…"
Cold sweat slid down Yuji's forehead as he spoke in disbelief:
"So the cursed object that sealed Gojo-sensei…"
"…is in the hands of either Zenin Mirai—or Fake Suguru Geto?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"We can't confirm who ended up with the Prison Realm… but Satoru Gojo has definitely been sealed inside it."
The terrifying battle that took place earlier on Basement Level 5…
The fact that Mechamaru's failsafe lasted until Gojo was sealed before being destroyed by the aftermath—was already incredibly fortunate.
After hearing his brief explanation, the three chose—for now—to believe him.
"Yuji, you need to quickly relay the fact that Satoru Gojo has been sealed to the sorcerers outside the barrier."
"Have Jujutsu High prepare and call in reinforcements."
"Mei Mei-senpai, please use your crows to investigate as much as possible…"
"…and find out who took the Prison Realm."
Based on the current information, Mechamaru calmly proposed the most reliable course of action.
Even though Yuta and that gambler were also in Shibuya, it still wouldn't be enough against Zenin Mirai.
Mei Mei's Black Bird Manipulation allowed shared vision.
Using crows to track the Prison Realm was far safer than sending sorcerers near those two.
"Please… for the future of the jujutsu world…"
"I'm counting on you both to risk your lives!"
Taking the giant axe handed to her by Ui Ui and resting it lightly on her shoulder—
"Helping out is fine."
She casually glanced at the earpiece in Yuji's hand, her tone turning slightly heated.
"But Mechamaru-kun… your bank account hasn't been frozen yet, right?"
Ruined Basement Level 5 — Subway Passage
Stepping over piles of rubble, Kenjaku walked side by side with Mirai through the darkness.
For now, Kenjaku couldn't take the Prison Realm away—it still hadn't finished processing the Six Eyes information.
Since Mirai had no time to wait, he stored it in the void and traveled alongside Kenjaku for the moment.
"Your strength, old friend, is truly unfathomable."
Catching the now-processed Prison Realm tossed to him by Mirai, Kenjaku narrowed his eyes in admiration.
To withstand both Satoru Gojo and Yuta Okkotsu—two special-grade sorcerers—so effortlessly…
Even considering the constraints of terrain and civilians forcing them to hold back—
Still, terrifyingly strong.
What intrigued Kenjaku even more was—
What exactly happened in that instant when Gojo's domain shattered?
At the moment the barrier broke, all he saw was Gojo with a severed arm—and Mirai completely unharmed.
Glancing sideways at Mirai's indifferent expression, Kenjaku wisely chose not to ask.
If it were that easy to extract someone's trump card, he wouldn't have survived as a mastermind for a thousand years.
By Kenjaku's estimation—
The ancient being residing within Zenin Mirai's body
Was roughly on par with Sukuna at his peak.
A fifty-fifty match.
Which meant—
The situation was still under control.
"Oh?"
Kenjaku raised an eyebrow toward the darkness ahead, where a sharp wind whistled through.
"That seems to be Mei Mei-senpai—the one you were rumored to be involved with at Jujutsu High."
He glanced sideways at Mirai with a teasing smile.
"Want me to go easy on her? Letting her leave wouldn't be a problem."
"Do as you like."
Mirai's expression remained completely unchanged, his crimson eyes cold as ever.
Kenjaku shrugged.
"You really are a heartless man."
As expected—
Choosing not to use the Prison Realm against this ancient monster had been the right decision.
After Mirai displayed part of his strength during the exchange event, Kenjaku had considered it.
But not only was Mirai already wary of him—
The strict conditions required for sealing made it nearly impossible.
Kenjaku couldn't even imagine a person capable of triggering Mirai's memories.
Mirai glanced at the Prison Realm in Kenjaku's hand and silently thought—
Unless someone like an Ultraman…
A lifelong genin…
A straw-hatted pirate…
Or a grade-school detective…
Possessed him—
There would only be a one-percent chance of sealing him.
"Yuta Okkotsu and Kinji Hakari are here. It'll be hard for you to act, right?" Mirai said calmly.
"I'll leave this area to you. I'll deal with those two."
Kenjaku steadily absorbed Mahito and initiated a large-scale summoning ritual—just one step remained.
At this stage, Mirai wouldn't allow those two to disrupt the balance of the battlefield.
Mahito needed to evolve.
And Yuji…
Did as well.
Taking a step into the void, Mirai's figure vanished.
Kamui Space
Within a boundless void, Mirai silently reviewed the earlier battle.
Things had already diverged.
The course of events was no longer predictable.
Now, he couldn't rely solely on the original storyline—
He needed more independent judgment… and planning.
The surveillance and failsafes Mechamaru left behind in Basement Level 5—
Kenjaku truly hadn't noticed them.
But with the Mangekyō Sharingan, and a White Zetsu already controlling Mechamaru's original body—
Mirai had discovered the hidden anomaly in the ceiling long ago.
Allowing it to successfully witness Gojo's sealing—
Was something Mirai had subtly ensured multiple times.
And not just Mechamaru's failsafes—
Pushing Kenjaku into action…
Stopping Gojo ahead of time…
Preventing Suguru Geto's residual soul from awakening—
All of it—
Was intentional.
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