Tokyo, an underground horse racing track.
The air was a thick cocktail of cheap tobacco, low-grade perfume, and the sour stench of desperate gamblers.
The thunderous roar of hooves blared from the giant screens, punctuated by hopeless curses and hysterical cheers, turning the underground space into a surreal, nightmarish arena.
"Damn it! What is that stupid horse doing?! Run!"
"It's over... everything's gone... My house, my life savings..."
In an inconspicuous corner, a massive man leaned against a rusted railing.
He wore a simple black tight-fitting T-shirt, his muscles rippling like solid granite.
The savage scar at the corner of his mouth added a feral, predatory edge to his presence.
Toji Fushiguro.
Known as the Sorcerer Killer, a name that struck terror into the hearts of countless sorcerers, he now looked like a common vagrant, bored as he shredded his worthless betting tickets into confetti.
"Missed again."
Toji yawned, his eyes showing no frustration over the lost money—only a pure, hollow nihilism.
He lived as if searching for any spark of stimulation to fill the vast void within him.
Suddenly, the cacophonous track fell eerily silent for a brief moment.
It was as if a terrifying predator had unexpectedly stepped into a sheep pen.
Toji didn't turn around, but his sharpened physical instincts sensed a dangerous presence approaching.
There was no cursed energy, but it carried a searing heat that felt like it could ignite the very soul.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
Steady footsteps stopped behind him.
"Toji Fushiguro."
A voice, calm yet laced with frigid killing intent, rang in Toji's ear.
Toji turned his head.
He saw a young man with black hair and red eyes, a jet-black blade strapped to his waist.
"Oh?"
Toji looked Yoru up and down, a predictable, arrogant smirk tugging at his lips.
"The freak without cursed energy? What's wrong? Tired of playing bodyguard in Okinawa, so you came to this dump to find me?"
"I guess my exhaustion tactics didn't work as well on a monster like you."
Yoru looked at the man who had sold himself to the Zenin family and single-handedly thrown the jujutsu world into chaos.
"Let's get straight to the point."
Yoru ignored the provocation, his tone as casual as if discussing the weather.
"Give up on the mission to assassinate the Star Plasma Vessel."
"Whatever the Star Religious Group is paying you, I'll double it."
Yoru knew Toji was a mercenary who would do anything for the right price.
If money could solve the problem, he didn't mind acting like a nouveau riche.
However, hearing Yoru's offer, Toji rubbed his chin, putting on a show of deep, interested contemplation.
"Double? That's sixty million yen..."
He turned around, his previous arrogance replaced by a mock-serious expression.
He even pulled a battered calculator from his pocket, ostentatiously tapping at the keys.
"Sixty million. That wouldn't just clear my gambling debts; I could live comfortably for years."
"It sounds like a truly irresistible offer."
Toji narrowed his eyes, his tone turning playful.
"But how are you going to prove you have that much? I can't just take the word of a penniless brat without a drop of cursed energy."
Yoru frowned slightly but played along.
"I can pay half as a down payment."
"Half? Thirty million?"
Toji gave an exaggerated whistle, leaning back against the railing in a relaxed posture.
It seemed as though he were actually considering the deal.
"That's no small sum. How do we do this?"
"Bank transfer or cash?"
"I only take cash. Transfers are too easy for the Star Religious Group to track..."
Toji began rambling about the details, from money laundering channels to exchange rates, dragging the conversation out for over ten minutes.
As Yoru listened to the business talk, the feeling of being pulled into Toji's rhythm grew stronger.
Just as Yoru was about to cut him off and finalize the transaction.
Toji suddenly tossed the calculator aside and clutched his stomach, letting out a roar of hysterical laughter.
"Hahahaha!"
"What a naive kid! You really thought I was negotiating with you?"
"Double? Kid, do you have any idea what the Star Religious Group's offer really is?"
Toji laughed until tears nearly came to his eyes.
He suddenly leaned in close to Yoru, his predatory eyes gleaming with mockery.
"Even if you actually had double the money..."
"I'd still refuse."
Toji's laughter vanished instantly, replaced by a gaze of obsessive madness.
He had intentionally used his words to make Yoru believe he could be bought or stalled.
"Why?"
Yoru's brow furrowed.
"Because that so-called 'strongest' guy really pisses me off."
Toji sneered, leaning back again as he casually lit a cigarette.
"Satoru Gojo, the Divine Child who was born with everything."
"I just want to see the look of despair on his face when I personally tear apart that Limitless he's so proud of."
"This is the ultimate revenge from a monkey abandoned by the jujutsu world against those high-and-mighty elites."
Looking at Toji's face, which was a mask of madness and misanthropy.
Yoru knew this man had completely fallen into the abyss of self-abandonment.
He lived only to exact revenge on the world that had discarded him.
"Even if you won't think of yourself..."
Yoru took a deep breath, deciding to play his final trump card.
"At least think of your son."
"Megumi Fushiguro."
The moment that name left Yoru's lips.
The hand holding the cigarette stiffened for a fraction of a second—just a fraction.
"Oh? You've been digging into me?"
Toji blew out a cloud of smoke, his gaze not wavering, but instead becoming colder and more ruthless.
"That kid... sell him if I have to."
"Just like I sold myself to the Zenin family back then."
Toji looked at Yoru coldly, as if discussing a cheap commodity.
"As long as there's money, what does a son matter?"
"Don't try to measure me with your hypocritical morals, kid."
"In this world, only power and money are real."
The negotiation had utterly failed.
Yoru looked at the man who was beyond redemption. The warmth in his eyes faded, replaced by an absolute chill.
He slowly rested his hand on the hilt of Shiranui.
If words failed, only the most primal method remained.
"Want to go?"
Toji instantly sensed Yoru's killing intent.
Far from being afraid, he licked his lips in excitement, the terrifying power within him beginning to surge like a volcano.
"Perfect. I've been wanting to see..."
"How much power a freak like you, who also lacks cursed energy, can actually unleash."
However, just as the tension reached its breaking point and combat was imminent.
*Bang!*
The doors to the betting hall were kicked open by a group of armed mobsters.
"Who the hell dares to cause trouble in here?!"
The crowd instantly devolved into chaos, screams and gunfire intermingling.
Using the panicked crowd as cover, Toji vanished into the shadows like a ghost.
"The next time we meet will be the day you die, freak."
Toji's voice, thick with killing intent, echoed in Yoru's ear.
Just before he merged completely into the darkness, a contemptuous yet pointed whisper reached Yoru:
"By the way, since you love investigating people so much..."
"Why don't you check out that house?"
"You might find something that surprises you."
Yoru didn't give chase.
He knew that catching the Sorcerer Killer—a master of stealth—in such a chaotic environment was nearly impossible.
Furthermore, he sensed that the appearance of those mobsters was no coincidence.
This was a play Toji had orchestrated to escape or stall for time.
Yoru looked toward where Toji had disappeared, his brow furrowed.
The negotiation was a failure.
Toji had not only refused to abandon the mission, but his resolve to kill Satoru Gojo and Riko was now even firmer.
But just as Yoru prepared to leave, his gaze fell upon the railing where Toji had been leaning.
There was a strange pattern discreetly carved there—it looked like an inverted cross, or perhaps an abstract family crest.
What was this?
Why would Toji leave a mark like this before leaving? And then there was that parting hint.
That house?
Did he mean the Fushiguro household he had married into? Or where the young Megumi Fushiguro was currently living?
A flash of realization struck Yoru's mind.
"Could it be..."
Yoru's eyes shifted as he analyzed the deeper meaning behind Toji's words.
Although he knew the man was cunning and treacherous, since the negotiation had failed, this might be the only chance to intercept him.
"There must be something hidden there... a key to restraining him."
Yoru gripped his sword hilt, his mind made up.
Whether it was Toji's hideout or his true weakness, he had to investigate before the final battle erupted.
At this moment, Yoru didn't realize that this seemingly promising lead had already been laced with deadly poison by that man.
He took a deep breath, and his figure vanished from the ruins of the betting hall, heading at full speed toward the address in his memory.