"Hahahahaha!"
The three judges across from them burst into uncontrollable laughter.
The audience below the stage was no different, each person doubled over from laughing so hard.
A spotlight shone down on Takaba's face, casting a dark shadow across his expression.
The emotionally charged Takaba from moments ago suddenly looked lost and wistful.
He understood.
The performance was over.
For more than thirty years, he had achieved nothing.
A fringe member of society who had never once been favored by fate, Takaba had finally fulfilled a dream that should have been impossible—with White Zetsu's help.
The tightly packed cheering fans below the stage.
Recognition from famous top-tier comedians.
"…I really don't want this to end…"
Even knowing it was only a fleeting illusion, he still didn't want to wake up.
Tears streamed uncontrollably down Takaba's face, growing more intense by the second.
White Zetsu comfortingly placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't cry. You're killing the mood."
Takaba nodded tearfully.
For the last time, he patted his partner's chest and voluntarily ended the beautiful, unrealistic dream.
"It's enough now."
The dazzling stage instantly transformed back into the ruined streets of reality.
His bright stage costume faded in the blink of an eye, becoming a plain white burial robe.
Satisfied, Takaba slowly closed his eyes and softly said to the partner beside him:
"Thank you, White Zetsu. I won't resist anymore."
Having found fulfillment, Takaba decided to accept death willingly and stop standing in White Zetsu's way.
Sensing the strange cursed energy gradually dissipating, White Zetsu chuckled.
"What's the rush, Takaba?"
"Now that we're done experiencing a kid's life, it's time to enjoy some adult fun!"
Immersed in Takaba's constructed illusion, White Zetsu seemed to have gained even greater control over his soul.
Before the technique fully ended, White Zetsu grabbed the Takaba who was about to lie down and spun around.
The dilapidated streets.
Dust drifting through the air.
"Welcome!"
Pink, suggestive lighting illuminated the room, along with rows of tall, shapely…
Humanoid cursed spirits.
A pink high-rise building stood prominently nearby, with a flashy sign hanging above it:
[Jujutsu Kaisen — Sakura Club]
A dumbfounded Takaba was dragged by an excited White Zetsu into a luxurious private room.
Lowering his voice, White Zetsu began introducing the place:
"You know, the fairy tales sold in Japan are all fake."
Takaba instinctively played along.
"Why?"
White Zetsu lounged comfortably onto the sofa.
"Because fairy tales always say princesses live in castles…"
"But in reality, they live in hostess clubs."
"And the ones accompanying them aren't princes, but—"
"Boss White~"
The private room door suddenly swung open.
Two seductive-looking humanoid cursed spirits walked in carrying large buckets of footbath water.
"You haven't visited in so long. We missed you to death~"
They had snake-like waists, tree-trunk-sized heads, and limbs made from thick vines.
"Well, Little Red," White Zetsu said casually, "Zetsu-san's been busy lately. But the moment I had free time, I brought my buddy here to spend some money at your place."
White Zetsu chatted warmly with the "technician," while Little Red bent down teasingly and began washing his feet.
White Zetsu pointed toward the humanoid cursed spirit washing Takaba's feet and laughed.
"Pretty loyal of me, right?"
"She's the top girl in this cursed-spirit establishment—Miss Gege Up-Up."
A duck's head.
Compound eyes.
Chicken claws…
The "Miss Gege" dressed in a hostess uniform raised her head and flashed Takaba a flirtatious smile.
Having already gone through the "Storming Causeway Bay" incident alongside White Zetsu, Takaba was no longer frightened by the bizarre appearance of cursed spirits.
While enjoying the sensation of a steel scrubber scraping the dead skin off his feet, Takaba blinked and glanced beside him.
"White Zetsu… your mental state is really something else."
"BOOM!"
Black-and-red waves of cursed energy exploded outward.
Yuji's full-power punch slammed forward, yet failed to shake the invisible barrier at all!
"SHHK!"
The high-speed blood projectile met the same fate, stopping completely before it could reach Mirai.
Feeling the repulsive force field around Mirai—one even stronger than Gojo-sensei's—Yuta suddenly generated a pale blue domain aura beneath his feet.
In the original manga, the man who seemed even more like the protagonist than the protagonist himself:
The Pure Love Warrior.
As a sorcerer, Yuta's talent and potential were absolutely on par with Satoru Gojo.
It had been less than two years since Yuta went from an ordinary person to a jujutsu sorcerer.
Only one year earlier than Yuji Itadori.
After Rika passed on, Yuta had been demoted from Special Grade to Grade 4 sorcerer.
Yet within only a few months, he climbed from the bottom of the jujutsu world back to the pinnacle of Special Grade once again.
During the Shibuya Incident, he still needed the special cursed tool Black Rope to break through Mirai's intangibility.
But now, only half a month later, Yuta had already mastered both Simple Domain and Domain Amplification.
His clenched fist slowly but steadily pushed through the layers of resistance.
The five-meter aura spreading beneath Yuta's feet was Domain Amplification, capable of neutralizing cursed techniques.
As Mirai's repulsive force field was neutralized, not only Yuta's fist, but even the continuously fired blood projectiles began inching forward.
But before Mirai, who possessed the Rinnegan, the attacks of the three of them were no faster than crawling turtles.
To Yuta's surprise, Mirai suddenly canceled the defensive barrier in front of him.
"What a shame."
With a soft sigh, Mirai tilted his head to dodge the incoming blood projectile and violently drove his knee upward!
What Mirai found regrettable was that Yuta's unconditional copy ability couldn't replicate techniques strengthened through special traits.
For example:
Gojo's continuously active Limitless empowered by the Six Eyes.
Or Mirai's Kamui enhanced by the Sharingan.
Otherwise, Yuta would have become the next White Zetsu No. 1.
An indescribable pressure and sense of danger surged upward.
Yuta's expression changed instantly as he crossed both arms in front of his chest!
"BOOM!"
It was merely a casual knee strike, but empowered by an overwhelming amount of cursed energy, its force rivaled Yuta's own full-strength punch.
"Not bad."
Crack!
The sound of forearm bones breaking rang out as Yuta was blasted away!
The instant he sent Yuta flying, Mirai abruptly turned toward Yuji!
The black flashes surging around Yuji's fist were effortlessly caught in Mirai's hand.
Meeting Mirai's gaze at such close range, Yuji's pupils contracted violently!
The expected heavy blow never came.
After freezing for a moment, Yuji struggled with all his strength against Mirai's grip.
Mirai carefully observed the soul inside Yuji's body, as well as his now inhuman-looking arms.
This mutation had occurred after Yuji consumed the remaining six Death Painting Wombs.
The bones in both arms had thickened and darkened, while sharp claws had grown from his fingers.
His arms actually resembled Piccolo's from Dragon Ball.
Looking at Yuji's determined expression, a faint smile appeared on Mirai's lips.
"Yuji Itadori… you've grown quite well."
He hadn't completely lost composure because of Gojo Satoru's death.
The Black Flash he had unleashed earlier—a strike requiring absolute concentration—was proof enough.
And Yuji's response to Mirai's praise was—
A suddenly expanded Domain Amplification.
And accompanying it—
Sukuna's ferocious face appearing directly before Mirai at point-blank range!
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