The massive, translucent barrier in the sky hung like an inverted glass bowl, completely isolating this ruin of blood and fire from the rest of the world.
Kenjaku had vanished with the Prison Realm.
He left behind only the chilling words "Culling Game," which echoed in the air like the most poisonous of curses.
Yoru knelt amidst the rubble, the Shiranui in his hand letting out a low whine. The heart-stopping crimson glow of the blade finally faded, returning to a pitch black.
His hands trembled violently, the webbing between his thumbs and forefingers torn open long ago. Blood dripped down the hilt, staining the gray dust drop by drop.
*Huff... huff...*
Every breath felt like a white-hot blade churning frantically inside his lungs.
He had barely managed to hold on until now by relying on the endless vitality of Sun Breathing, Thirteenth Form during the previous battle against Sukuna.
Had he been an ordinary jujutsu sorcerer, he likely would have died instantly from cursed energy exhaustion and physical collapse after enduring such high-intensity, back-to-back death matches.
Yoru gritted his teeth, thrusting the tip of his blade into the ground to steady his swaying body.
His vision had begun to blur, yet the Transparent World continued to passively feed him information about his surroundings.
Not far away, Yuki Tsukumo withdrew her gaze from the sky.
The bone-like shikigami, resembling a swimming dragon, circled her, radiating a heart-stopping pressure.
She turned her head, looking once more at the blood-soaked youth who radiated a strangely familiar aura.
In her merged memory fragments, she vaguely recalled seeing a similar silhouette back in the distant year of 2006.
A mysterious boy who, during the Star Plasma Vessel incident, had stood against the Sorcerer Killer with a mortal body and even spoke of a "third path" in front of the Star Religious Group.
But the Yoru standing before her now felt possessed of an unprecedented weight and unfamiliarity.
"Are you... the child who saved Suguru back then?"
Yuki Tsukumo's voice was faint in the night, carrying a hint of inquiry.
Yoru didn't answer. He simply gave a slight nod before stumbling from sheer exhaustion.
His body was currently like a piece of porcelain covered in cracks, liable to shatter at any moment.
But he couldn't fall.
At the very least, he couldn't fall until he confirmed that all his companions were safe.
Watching his stubborn gaze, the fanaticism in Yuki Tsukumo's eyes was gradually replaced by a touch of admiration.
"Without a shred of cursed energy, you're able to unleash a destructive force that even Special Grade Cursed Spirits would fear."
"Toji was the pinnacle of the physical Heavenly Restriction, but you... it's as if a sun is hidden inside your body."
She withdrew her shikigami and walked to Yoru's side, her tone turning serious.
"The Culling Game has begun. This is an unprecedented reshuffling of the jujutsu world."
"I won't directly interfere in Jujutsu High's affairs, but I will investigate the true motives of Master Tengen and Kenjaku from the shadows."
"Young man, strive to survive. This game has only just begun."
With that, Yuki Tsukumo turned and vanished into the darkness, leaving behind only the sight of her departing back.
Yoru watched her leave, taking a deep breath and forcing down the metallic taste of blood in his lungs.
"You've worked hard, Yoru."
A gentle voice, though heavy with unmistakable fatigue, came from behind him.
Yoru turned around.
He saw a man in a Jujutsu High uniform with long black hair, his body covered in slash wounds of various sizes, walking slowly across the rubble.
Suguru Geto!
The real Suguru Geto!
During the purgatory-like rampage of Sukuna just moments ago, he had pushed himself to the limit, using the ultimate output of Cursed Spirit Manipulation to stubbornly tank most of the slashes within Sukuna's domain!
It was precisely because of his life-risking delay that tens of thousands of ordinary civilians in this area of Shibuya had been saved.
"Suguru."
Yoru looked at Suguru Geto, a faint smile barely tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Suguru Geto walked to Yoru's side and reached out to steady him by the shoulder.
"Stop pushing yourself. Your muscles are screaming."
Suguru Geto's eyes were full of complexity and emotion.
In the eyes of this Special Grade Sorcerer who had reclaimed control over his body, the youth before him, devoid of cursed energy, had already become a spiritual core capable of standing side-by-side with Satoru Gojo.
"I'm fine... Where's everyone else?"
Yoru used Suguru Geto's support to stand upright, his gaze sweeping over the distant ruins.
Time had quietly slipped into the early hours of November 1st.
The first ray of dawn finally struggled through the lead-heavy clouds, shining indifferently upon this land that had become a living hell.
"Follow me."
Suguru Geto sighed and summoned a flying cursed spirit, carrying Yoru toward the temporary medical station.
Along the way, Yoru looked down upon Shibuya.
The once-bustling crossroads had been turned into a massive crater, and skyscrapers looked mangled as if gnawed on by some great beast.
Lingering low-level cursed spirits still prowled the rubble, searching for surviving flesh.
"Clean them up."
Yoru's gaze turned cold. Despite his physical weakness, he tightened his grip on Shiranui.
Suguru Geto nodded, the two coordinating seamlessly in mid-air.
Yoru unleashed waves of crimson sword ki while Suguru Geto released countless cursed spirits to harvest the remaining threats.
Like autumn leaves swept by the wind, they cleared away the curse users and cursed spirits along their path one by one.
At the edge of the ruins, Yoru spotted Mei Mei and Ui Ui.
This mercenary pair of siblings had not fled to Malaysia as they originally would have.
Under the weight of Yoru's previous heavy payments and shows of force, they had chosen to stay.
Ui Ui was drenched in sweat, deploying Simple Domains and teleportation techniques to transfer batch after batch of the critically injured out of the danger zone.
Mei Mei swung her massive battle-axe, guarding these potential clients as if she were protecting a vault.
"Good job," Yoru said simply as he passed by.
Mei Mei looked up, flashing a shrewd smile:
"As long as the pay is right, my service is always top-tier, little brother Yoru."
Soon, the two landed in front of the Metropolitan Expressway toll booth.
This place had been converted into Shoko Ieiri's temporary medical station. The pungent smell of blood mixed with disinfectant was enough to make anyone gag.
Sorcerers and assistant supervisors lay all over the ground, wailing in pain.
Yoru pushed aside the tent curtain and immediately saw Shoko Ieiri busy at work.
The dark circles under her eyes were severe, and a half-burnt cigarette hung from her fingertips, yet her hands moved like dancing butterflies as she performed the Reverse Cursed Technique.
"Shoko, what's the situation?"
Suguru Geto asked softly.
Shoko looked up. The moment she saw Suguru Geto, her hands jerked, and her eyes instantly reddened.
But she suppressed her emotions, glancing at Yoru beside him.
"Better than expected... thanks to this reckless kid."
Shoko pointed toward several hospital beds in the corner.
Yoru walked over quickly.
Kento Nanami lay on the first bed.
The left side of his body was covered in severe burns, a mark left by Dagon's domain.
But thanks to Yoru's forceful intervention, his soul hadn't been touched by Mahito as it had been in the original story, and he had miraculously survived.
"Nanami..."
Kento Nanami opened one eye, looking at Yoru with a weak curl of his lip.
"I told you, I hate overtime... but this time, thank you for giving me another chance to build a house in Malaysia."
Yoru's eyes stung slightly as he gave a firm nod.
Nobara Kugisaki was on the second bed.
Her left eye was wrapped in thick gauze, blood still seeping through.
Though she had lost half her vision and her appearance was scarred, her breathing was steady. The damage to her soul had been forcibly halted by Yoru's Bright Red Nichirin Sword.
"Don't look at me like that."
Nobara gave a weak huff, her remaining right eye still flashing with defiant brilliance.
"Even with only one eye, I'm still the prettiest woman in Tokyo."
Yoru smiled, feeling deeply relieved.
On the third bed was Aoi Todo.
His hands were wrapped in thick bandages; his continuous overexertion of Boogie Woogie in extreme conditions had led to a severe backlash of cursed energy.
Although he couldn't clap as freely as before for the time being, thanks to Yoru's intervention, his soul and body hadn't been completely destroyed by Mahito.
With a period of rest, this strongest monster of the Kyoto School would surely return to the battlefield.
Yet Todo grinned widely, tears streaming from the corners of his eyes.
"My best friend! Did you see? We won! We blew that disgusting stitched-face freak to smithereens!"
"I saw. Great job, brother."
Yoru walked over and lightly bumped Todo's shoulder.
Finally, Yoru's gaze fell upon Yuji Itadori in the corner.
Yuji was leaning against the wall, his hands clenched so tightly that his nails dug into his palms without him even noticing.
Although Yoru and Suguru Geto had already shown him through their actions during the previous death match that most lives had been saved, and he had reclaimed his resolve as a cog...
the sight of the devastated Shibuya still left a heavy weight in the boy's eyes.
"Are you still thinking about Sukuna?"
Yoru walked up to him. His voice was hoarse, yet it carried a reassuring strength.
Yuji looked up. His eyes, once filled with despair, were now bloodshot but shone with a tempered resolve.
"Yoru, I'm just thinking..."
Yuji took a deep breath, his voice low.
"If I could become stronger, if I could have controlled this power sooner, maybe these ruins wouldn't even exist."
He looked out at the ravaged land outside the tent.
"Senior Geto saved many people, and you saved everyone... but as for me, my current strength is far from enough."
Yoru looked at Yuji and gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder.
"Becoming stronger is for the future. Right now, you've done well enough."
"Remember the resolve you had when you landed that Black Flash in the subway station."
Yoru stared into Yuji's eyes, his tone solemn.
"You are the key cog to ending this nightmare. In the battles to come, I'll still need your fists."
Yuji looked into Yoru's crimson eyes, which seemed to burn with fire. He exhaled a heavy breath and gave a forceful nod.
"Yeah, I know."
He stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. Despite his exhaustion, the flame of fighting spirit had taken deep root within his soul.
After comforting everyone, Yoru turned and walked out of the medical station.
He went alone to the center of Shibuya, to the edge of the massive crater where Satoru Gojo had been sealed.
A cold wind blew, swirling the ash on the ground.
Suguru Geto had walked up to his side at some point, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.
"That idiot Satoru... he always tries to carry everything on his own. He finally paid for it this time."
Suguru Geto shook his head with a wry smile.
Yoru looked down into the crater, Satoru Gojo's cocky yet reassuring face surfacing in his mind.
"Sensei will be fine."
Yoru tightened his grip on Shiranui, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"Kenjaku escaped with the Prison Realm, and the Culling Game has begun."
Suguru Geto looked at the sky as it gradually brightened in the distance, a flash of coldness in his eyes.
"We need to find him, but it's like looking for a needle in a haystack."
However, Yoru slowly straightened his back.
He turned his head toward Suguru Geto, a chilling sneer curling his lips.
"No."
"I know exactly where he is."
Suguru Geto was stunned, looking at Yoru in disbelief.
"How could you know? He can travel through barriers at will!"
Yoru didn't explain. This was his absolute mastery over the original plot as a transmigrator.
He knew Kenjaku's calculating style all too well.
"Since he intends to start the Culling Game, he will inevitably appear at the intersection of those barriers. That's the only place he can control the overall situation."
Yoru unsheathed Shiranui from his waist in one swift motion!
*Clang!*
The crisp ring of the blade echoed suddenly in the morning breeze!
Driven by nothing but ultimate sword intent, without a hint of cursed energy...
the blade of Shiranui once again radiated that heart-stopping, bright red glow!
This light, as hot as fresh blood, appeared exceptionally piercing and dazzling amidst the dead silence of the ruins.
"I don't care which rat hole he's hiding in, or how messed up the rules of the Culling Game are."
Yoru pointed toward the distant sky, as if he could already see Kenjaku's hypocritical smile.
"I will drag him out with my own hands."
"And then, I'll take this entire game, along with him..."
"...and slice it all to pieces!"
As the morning light broke, the faint glimmer of dawn failed to penetrate the deathly silence of the ruins.
Yoru looked into the distance, vaguely sensing countless cursed energy barriers rapidly forming across Japan. Countless slumbering demons were about to wake for this frenzied game of slaughter.
And at this moment, with the jujutsu world leaderless...
those corrupt higher-ups hiding in the shadows have likely already begun sharpening their bloody cleavers for everyone who has lost the protection of Satoru Gojo.
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
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