Sendai Barrier.
Kenjaku waited quietly in his own home, occupied with something unclear.
All he had to do now was be patient. Every obstacle had already been removed—he just needed to wait for the spiritual field to reach its final stage.
The sign would be unmistakable:
When the concentration of curses in the outside world dropped to the level of ordinary humans, all but the lowest-tier Cursed Spirits would be unable to survive.
At that point, curses would have only two options—retreat into one of the Ten Great Barriers, or gradually fade into nothing.
When peace spread across the world, it would mean the spiritual field had reached its peak.
And then, all mysteries would begin to unravel.
Was there truly a place that had gathered every curse since the dawn of humanity? Did the so-called Balance really exist?
Though he had his suspicions, he still wanted to see it with his own eyes.
After that, it would be time to study Sōjun Minamoto.
Yet another fascinating project—this was the purpose behind his thousand years of survival. As the thought crossed his mind, a pleased smile crept across Kenjaku's face...
—Huh?
A sudden jolt ran through him. He threw himself backward as a beam of light narrowly grazed the side of his head.
"Shhh—"
The sound came an instant later.
The beam struck the wall, expanding outward like ripples on water. The entire wall dissolved in total silence.
"Rumble..."
With one side gone, the building began to collapse. Kenjaku darted outside—only to find his home reduced to rubble.
But this was only the beginning.
"Shhh—" "Shhh—" "Shhh—" "Shhh—"
A barrage of beams rained down. Kenjaku dodged one after another, leading the assault away from the residential area and into open ground.
That's when he finally saw the attacker.
"Heh, if it isn't the little sidekick," he sneered, eyes dark with killing intent.
Another beam answered him.
Riko Amanai didn't consider being called Sōjun Minamoto's follower an insult. Besides, she wasn't a follower—Sōjun never treated her like one.
So the words didn't bother her. If anything, they made her even calmer.
In fact, she thought Kenjaku was the real sidekick. What was this guy doing, tagging along with Sōjun all the time?
Her gaze was sharp, filled with suppressed fury.
Kenjaku had been forced here. The unnatural light from the sky cast uneven shadows across the ground.
She'd chosen this battleground carefully.
And to prevent any unexpected interference, she had already exorcised that stitched-face Cursed Spirit days ago—and gained even greater power in the process.
Other curses that got in her way had met the same end.
She didn't buy into conspiracy theories about the spiritual field. This kind of power—she could claim it without hesitation.
Now, only this stitched-up freak remained. Once she exorcised him, Sōjun Minamoto's remaining nuisances would be cleared.
The light above subtly shifted. Her emotions steadily settled, until her heart was perfectly still.
Kenjaku stared at her. Pressure built in his chest. Outwardly, he still looked smug—but inwardly, his caution was rising.
He had entered the Sendai Barrier of his own accord, with a goal in mind.
In all his centuries, the only meaningful insight he'd gained about power was this: after reaching the limit, no further growth was possible.
But now—he had witnessed a miracle.
To him, Sōjun Minamoto's spiritual field was that miracle. Something he once believed fundamentally impossible.
He had planned for a thousand years to locate the outer boundary of power. Even if it wasn't for himself, he still wanted to see where the apex lay.
But now...
He wanted to study this power that transcended limits. Yet when it came to actually claiming it for himself, he hesitated.
Which was why, to this day, he had never accepted that power.
And across from him, his opponent was Special Grade. Even before, they could fight on even footing—maybe not 50-50, but certainly 60-40.
And now she was even stronger. On top of that... this was a barrier constructed by Sōjun Minamoto.
Compared to the current danger, Kenjaku didn't regret entrusting the barrier setup to Sōjun. Deep down, he still had confidence.
He glanced up at the round moon overhead.
...
Jujutsu High was now empty. The vast building was silent, shrouded in stillness.
Tap... tap... tap...
Footsteps echoed as a man stopped before the flawless White Bone Tree.
Sōjun Minamoto.
The drop of gray crystal blood had successfully entered the real world, becoming this clone.
He looked up. The tree's dense crown stretched high into the sky.
The sky above was dark and oppressive—the Black Sea loomed directly above the tree.
The Black Sea remained locked onto the White Bone Tree. After all, this was the final battleground.
Sōjun had chosen this location.
Countless branches extended upward like roots, piercing into the sea.
He pulled out the skull with six eyes—Tengen's remains. Its soul still lingered inside.
A single branch extended out, slowly piercing the skull and lifting it skyward.
Then eight more branches shot forth from different directions, embedding themselves into the skull. Complex runes appeared, spreading across the skull and the branches alike.
It was a sealing technique—[Demon-Sealing Curse: Enemy-Binding Formula]—refined through countless iterations. As the barrier activated, the skull finally stabilized.
"The vessel is ready," Sōjun murmured, gazing at the skull with quiet anticipation.
Whether it was the balance mechanism or something more profound—so long as something descended, that would be enough.
Across the scattered Ten Great Barriers, a brief stillness took hold. Their boundaries trembled slightly, then began to sync. A flood of cursed energy surged toward the White Bone Tree, which in turn channeled it into the skull.
Beneath the skull, a faint silhouette began to form—as if a body was taking shape.
Sōjun Minamoto nodded in satisfaction.
The volume of cursed energy was immense. It would take time for the transfer to complete.
Now, it was time to clean up the rear lines and eliminate every remaining threat.
…
"It feels like we're back twelve years ago, during the Tengen incident. We were on that mission together too."
"The target's the same—Riko Amanai."
Suguru Geto added that last part silently, then chuckled casually.
He and Satoru Gojo had already arrived in Sendai. For some reason, though, he felt a bit on edge. To ease the tension, he started talking.
Gojo stayed quiet. Around people like Geto, there was no need to pretend he was relaxed.
They stepped into the Barrier and looked up. Distinct Cursed Energies floated above like beacons, guiding them straight to Riko Amanai's location.
But there was another powerful Cursed Energy nearby.
They exchanged glances. It wasn't Sōjun Minamoto—his presence couldn't be sensed, and the energy in question was already weakening.
Just then, the barrier in the sky abruptly froze, followed by a faint tremor. Everyone could feel it. Some panicked, while others became even more reckless.
The two picked up their pace.
"Shhh—"
A beam of light pierced through Kenjaku's throat. The glow spread, silently dissolving his head.
"Trying to kill Kenjaku?" Sōjun Minamoto tapped his temple. "Then you need to kill the head."
Riko Amanai remembered her earlier conversation with Sōjun Minamoto.
"Brain? It's so cooked it evaporated. It should finally be dead now, right?" She glanced around, spotted a large tree, clutched her stomach, and slowly leaned against it to sit down.
The bark was rough—not as smooth as the Bone Tree. She frowned, shifted her back against it, and adjusted to a slightly more comfortable position.
"I've used up all my Cursed Energy. I can't use the Reverse Cursed Technique right now. I need to refine more as soon as possible."
"Come on, Riko. Think of something that makes you mad."
Instead, a faint smile tugged at her lips before she forced it down. Her thoughts started to scatter.
"Blindfolded guy… bangs guy… and…?" A hallucination seemed to blur her vision. She saw Sōjun Minamoto.
"Hehe~."
"Amanai?"
Gojo and Geto reached Riko, seeing half her waist and abdomen gone, with her organs weakly twitching.
"Should've brought Shoko with us," Gojo muttered.
This moment mirrored that moment from the past.
Gojo was just about to lift her and take her back to Tokyo Barrier for treatment—
When a soft sigh came from behind them.
Huh?
They both spun around...
Sōjun Minamoto stepped forward, looking down at the dazed Riko Amanai.
"Hehe~," she laughed.
Sōjun let out a helpless sigh, squatted beside her, and gently ran his hand over her. A blue glow shimmered across her hollowed abdomen as flesh and tissue regenerated and began to heal.
He picked her up.
"You're not gonna explain?" Gojo lowered his blindfold.
A black vortex opened halfway before them. Sōjun Minamoto halted just before stepping through, not looking back.
Kenjaku was already dead—taken out by Riko.
Sōjun didn't really want to kill anyone else, but just in case, he had to handle some things ahead of time.
Still, he didn't have the patience to hunt everyone down one by one.
"Seven days from now," his voice rang out, "if you want to stop me, come to Jujutsu High."
Seven days—that's when the vessel, the ultimate Cursed Spirit, would be complete.
If the balance mechanism or some so-called will of heaven really existed... well, whatever came after, it couldn't be worse than before.
He didn't want to waste time, so he invited them all at once.
More importantly, that drop of blood still had a crucial role—it was needed to bring his true body into the present world.
It was too soon to reveal it.
Gojo froze mid-motion, hand still on his blindfold.
He hated being led around, but somehow, Sōjun's proposal seemed like the most reasonable option—for everyone.
Jujutsu High wasn't fully ready. They only had one shot. If they couldn't take him out in one strike, all they could do was watch.
From past fights to the current setup, Gojo had come to understand how tightly Sōjun controlled the pace.
"Hah..." he exhaled long and deep in his heart.
Against a foe like this... if he wanted to break the deadlock now, he had only one choice—
Go insane or die trying.
He pulled his blindfold back over his eyes.
Under their gaze, Sōjun Minamoto stepped forward into the vortex and vanished. The lingering Residuals swirled like dying embers, fading completely without a trace...