A withered, skeletal hand slammed heavily onto the conference table made of precious Phoebe zhennan wood.
"Lunatic! A complete and utter lunatic!"
"Releasing a thousand Special Grade and Grade 1 Cursed Spirits in Shinjuku and Kyoto at the same time?"
"That bastard Suguru Geto... does he want to drag all of Japan down with him?!"
Inside the core conference room of the Jujutsu General Headquarters—a room that remained in perpetual darkness, illuminated only by a few flickering, dim candles.
A group of high-level elders, hidden behind screens with their faces unseen, were letting out roars of panic and fury.
"Silence."
An elder sitting behind the main screen tapped his cane lightly on the floor. His old, raspy voice carried an undeniable authority.
"Suguru Geto's declaration of war is indeed an unprecedented crisis for us."
"But do not forget."
"Crises often come with great opportunities."
A cold, greedy light, like that of a venomous snake, flashed in the elder's murky eyes.
"Over the years, the younger faction led by Satoru Gojo has become far too arrogant and uncontrollable."
"Especially that Yoru, who appeared out of nowhere!"
"A non-sorcerer without a shred of cursed energy actually dared to sever Master Tengen's Star Plasma Vessel assimilation ceremony ten years ago, and has even repeatedly challenged the authority of our General Headquarters!"
At the mention of the name 'Yoru.'
The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became eerily silent. Many elders even trembled uncontrollably.
The black-haired youth from ten years ago, who looked like a god of slaughter descended upon the world, had left a psychological shadow far too deep for them.
"Great Elder, what do you mean...?"
One of the high-level officials asked tentatively.
"Hmph."
The Great Elder let out a cold snort, his shriveled lips curling into a cruel arc.
"Since Suguru Geto wants to play, we will play a bigger game with him."
"Pass down my orders!"
"Effective immediately, send all registered Grade 3 and Grade 4 sorcerers—and even those students who have just awakened their cursed energy and have no combat experience—to the front lines of Shinjuku and Kyoto!"
"Use them to fill the gaps! Use them to wear down the numbers of Suguru Geto's cursed spirits!"
Hearing this order.
Standing below the conference room, Masamichi Yaga's pupils shrank, and his fists clenched tightly.
"Great Elder! You're sending them to their deaths!"
Masamichi Yaga raised his head sharply. His usually expressionless face was now filled with uncontrollable rage.
"Those low-level sorcerers and students don't even qualify as cannon fodder against Grade 1 or Special Grade Cursed Spirits!"
"You are massacring the future of the jujutsu world!"
"Insolence!"
Another elder barked sharply.
"Masamichi Yaga, mind your place!"
"At this critical juncture where the survival of the jujutsu world is at stake, sacrificing some valueless low-level personnel is an inevitable price for the greater good!"
The Great Elder waved his hand for silence, then stared at Masamichi Yaga with cold eyes.
"Yaga, I'm not finished."
"Not just those low-level sorcerers."
"You are also to tell Satoru Gojo that he must remain at the front lines in Shinjuku without moving an inch!"
"Without an order from the General Headquarters, he is not to leave Shinjuku even if the sky falls!"
"As for that Yuta Okkotsu who possesses the Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit..."
Greed and calculation flashed unhidden in the Great Elder's eyes.
"Let him stay at Jujutsu High."
"Suguru Geto's true objective in launching the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons is definitely that monster named Rika."
"Since Suguru Geto wants her, let him go to Jujutsu High to snatch her."
"If Yuta Okkotsu and Suguru Geto can injure each other, all the better."
"Even if Yuta Okkotsu dies..."
The Great Elder's voice grew colder.
"Once Rika loses her vessel and goes berserk again, we at the General Headquarters have plenty of ways to reseal that Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit and claim it as our own!"
"You... you're all just a bunch of cold-blooded beasts!"
Hearing this, Masamichi Yaga finally snapped.
He slammed his palm onto the table, and terrifying cursed energy surged through the hall!
"Using Suguru Geto's hand to whittle down Satoru Gojo's strength, and even trying to reap the benefits by seizing control of Rika?!"
"You old fogies hiding in dark corners, who only know how to plot against your own people, don't deserve to be called sorcerers!"
"Masamichi Yaga! Are you planning a rebellion?!"
Along with several sharp shouts, a few Special Grade 1 guards hidden in the shadows drew their weapons, surrounding Masamichi Yaga.
"Enough!"
The Great Elder struck the floor heavily with his cane.
"Yaga, out of respect for your position as the principal of Tokyo Jujutsu High, I will not pursue your insolence today."
"But the order has been issued."
"If you or Satoru Gojo dare to defy the commands of the General Headquarters, you will be branded traitors to the entire jujutsu world!"
"Get out!"
Masamichi Yaga gritted his teeth, looking at the high-level officials behind the screens who reeked of rot and corruption.
He knew that in this place completely corrupted by power, further argument was futile.
He turned sharply and strode out of the conference room without a word.
The heavy wooden door closed slowly behind him.
Locking those rotten oranges, who claimed to control everything but were rotten to the core, inside their own dark schemes.
Inside the conference room, the Great Elder looked at the closed door and sneered, then beckoned to a dark figure behind a screen.
"Retrieve that item and give it to the assassination squad directly under the General Headquarters."
"Tell them to lie in wait near Jujutsu High. As soon as Yuta Okkotsu and Suguru Geto are both weakened, immediately use the Special Grade sealing cursed tool, the Chibiki Stone, to forcibly contain Rika Orimoto!"
"If students like Maki who side with Satoru Gojo try to interfere..."
A vicious glint flashed in the Great Elder's eyes.
"Kill them on sight under the pretext of harboring a curse user!"
"Yes." The dark figure vanished instantly.
At the end of the corridor.
A tall man wearing a black blindfold was leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, appearing to have been waiting for quite some time.
"What's wrong? Had a falling out with those old men?"
Satoru Gojo looked at Masamichi Yaga's ashen face, a mocking smirk curling on his lips.
"Satoru, they've gone mad."
Masamichi Yaga took a deep breath and lowered his voice.
"They're sending all low-level sorcerers to the front lines as cannon fodder and have strictly ordered you to hold Shinjuku, forbidding you from returning to help Jujutsu High."
"They want to use Suguru's hand to completely wipe out your students, especially Yuta Okkotsu!"
"I know."
Satoru Gojo's tone was unusually calm, and his characteristic nonchalant smile didn't even flicker.
"I could have guessed what those rotten oranges were thinking with my eyes closed."
"Then why do you still—"
Masamichi Yaga grew anxious, but he was cut off by Satoru Gojo waving a hand.
"Principal, don't worry."
Satoru Gojo turned his head and looked through the corridor window at the distant sky already covered by dark clouds.
"They think they're the ones playing the game."
"But they don't realize that on this chessboard, the real player has already accounted for their every move."
"Yoru isn't someone to be trifled with."
Masamichi Yaga froze for a moment. Seeing Satoru Gojo's confident demeanor, the heart that had been in his throat finally settled slightly.
Satoru Gojo leaned back into the shadows of the corridor, the mockery in his smile deepening.
He looked up at the waning moon gradually being obscured by dark clouds and tapped his blindfold with his fingertip.
"You're playing this game terribly."
His figure gradually blurred into the darkness. Meanwhile, in the forbidden area of the mountain behind Jujutsu High, a cold sword cry like moonlight quietly tore through the silent night sky.