A full moon hung high in the sky.
Soft moonlight spilled across the earth as invisible night winds stirred in restless currents.
High above, a loose white robe fluttered loudly in the air.
Having agreed to deal with Yuta Okkotsu and Kinji Hakari, Mirai took a single step—crossing from Shibuya into Tokyo.
Above Jujutsu High.
The White Zetsu body that had been confined within the school served perfectly as a spatial anchor.
Mirai looked down coldly at the vast complex a thousand meters below.
Terrifying crimson cursed energy surged upward, and the void beneath his feet visibly twisted and warped.
From the Kamui space opened at his side, the Gedo Statue in its initial form extended a massive blood-red tail.
That tail pulsed with equally horrifying cursed energy.
"Cycle."
"Bloom in chaos."
"Between lingering and crossing."
"Between life and death."
As the final word of the incantation fell—
A dazzling crimson light erupted in Mirai's pupils!
"Void Technique—Release. Collapse!"
BOOM!!!
A deafening explosion like a nuclear detonation!
The space beneath Mirai tore open violently, forming a massive abyss nearly a hundred meters wide!
Within the void lay darkness deeper than night itself.
The gaping maw spread downward, as countless meter-wide spatial fractures layered over one another, splitting open!
A terrifying suction force—like a black hole!
Before the fractures even reached the ground, buildings below began collapsing and rising upward!
The roar continued endlessly as an apocalyptic scene unfolded over Jujutsu High!
BOOM!!!
A crimson beam, condensed with immense cursed energy, erupted from the Gedo Statue's tail!
Like a world-ending beam from a sci-fi nightmare—or a volcanic eruption suppressed for millennia—
It did not strike Jujutsu High.
Instead, it shot off at an angle, streaking across the night sky.
The fleeting crimson light vanished, trailing a long tail of flames.
Shibuya Frontline
A massive barrier trapped tens of thousands of civilians.
At the perimeter, along with the many transfigured humans released by Mahito, curse users lurking in the shadows were beginning to stir.
The casualties were not limited to civilians—many sorcerers from Jujutsu High who had entered the barrier were also dead or injured.
Principal Masamichi Yaga, along with medical staff Shoko Ieiri, had arrived at the front slightly later than Satoru Gojo and Yuji Itadori.
At a hastily assembled open-air medical station, several auxiliary supervisors assisted Shoko.
Ring—ring—ring—
Yaga frowned as he pulled out his phone.
Seeing the specially marked number, a bad premonition rose in his chest.
As the terrified voice on the other end spoke, his already grim expression darkened further.
The number belonged to the guards stationed at the Tomb of the Star Corridor.
The moment he hung up—
the phone rang again.
"...The higher-ups."
A harsh voice from the Jujutsu Headquarters relayed a new order.
Jujutsu High.
The Headquarters.
Two locations—both of which had just been attacked by Mirai.
Shibuya — Basement Level 3
Unlike the ruins of Basement Level 5, the third level corridors were brightly lit, with small groups of civilians occasionally passing through.
Below a massive crater—
was endless darkness.
At the edge of the pit—
pushing aside rubble, Kinji Hakari shook his dazed head.
"..."
Brushing dust and debris from his bare upper body, his memory lingered on the fight with that androgynous opponent.
Then—
he had been blasted away by Mirai's spatial tear, crashing all the way down to Basement Level 3.
Aside from a slight dizziness, Hakari had no visible injuries.
Thanks to his domain, Idle Death Gamble.
The nearly four minutes of invincibility ensured that his body was constantly healed by reverse cursed technique.
The moment he was injured, cursed energy would automatically repair the damage.
"...Tch."
He spat a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva onto the ground.
Staring down into the pit, Hakari's gaze darkened.
"That monster down there…"
"…the odds of winning are basically zero."
Even without witnessing Gojo's sealing firsthand, the silence at the bottom of the pit—
and the disappearance of Gojo's overwhelming cursed energy—
were enough for Hakari to deduce the outcome.
Without the man known as the strongest in the fight…
Hakari hesitated whether to leave the barrier immediately.
"Senpai."
A slightly weak voice came from behind.
Hakari spun around instantly.
"Damn, you scared me!"
"I thought that monster came up with you."
He patted his chest in relief before turning toward the exit.
A gamble with no chance of winning—
wasn't something he wanted to be part of.
"Senpai, please—help me!"
Blood traced the corner of his mouth, his white uniform stained red.
Yuta Okkotsu looked at Hakari's back, his eyes resolute—yet pleading.
Without Hakari's help—
there would be no chance of reclaiming the Prison Realm.
Hakari stopped walking.
"I've lived my life addicted to gambling—obsessed with the thrill."
Running his hands through his messy hair, his voice turned low.
"I don't mind staking my entire life on a near-impossible bet."
"But—what can you offer as stakes?"
"And one more thing—I've already been expelled from Jujutsu High. Don't call me 'senpai.'"
Without turning back, he resumed walking toward the stairs.
"Go back, Yuta. That monster isn't something you can handle."
With that final piece of advice, Hakari disappeared from Basement Level 3.
The man who could ensure the legitimacy of his gambling operations—Gojo—had already fallen.
Hakari had no intention of risking his life in a gamble with no reward.
Yuta stared blankly at his disappearing figure, unable to say a word.
Leaning against the cold wall, his expression dimmed instantly.
Of course.
Hakari had always hated the higher-ups—and had been expelled a year ago.
To ask him to risk his life for the very institution that had harmed him…
Yuta couldn't bring himself to say such words.
And he didn't want Hakari to walk back into danger.
From that brief battle below—
Yuta understood all too well.
Zenin Mirai…
was another kind of invincible—no less than Gojo.
Ring—
Still lost in thought, Yuta slowly took out his phone.
"Ijichi-san…"
Signals from outside couldn't reach inside the barrier, and Yaga needed to remain behind to protect Shoko and the others.
So Kiyotaka Ijichi had entered the barrier to relay messages.
"Yuta, this is a new order from the higher-ups."
"Jujutsu High has suffered widespread destruction. The Headquarters has also been attacked."
"They're ordering you to return immediately and ensure the safety of Master Tengen."
Yuta's expression changed.
"But Gojo-sensei—"
"Yuji has already relayed the information. Principal Yaga wants you to prioritize protecting Master Tengen."
"The barrier protecting Jujutsu High—and even the one covering all of Japan—"
"depends on Tengen."
"Tengen's safety must come first."
Ijichi's impersonal tone conveyed Yaga's message.
"…Also…"
"If possible…"
"…have Kinji Hakari come to the Headquarters to protect the higher-ups."
Even though it wasn't his own request, asking an expelled student to protect them—
Ijichi's voice faltered, as if embarrassed on their behalf.
Crack!
Yuta nearly crushed the phone in his hand.
For the first time, the usually gentle Yuta spoke with a curse-like snarl—
"Damn it!"
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