"Azuma Eichi? The man the Jujutsu World calls equal to Satoru."
Ever since his defeat by Satoru, Jogo had paid extra attention to information about Gojo, and thus also knew of Eichi's existence.
"That's right. While Azuma Eichi is very strong, he isn't invincible," Kenjaku said in a calm tone, as if everything was within his control.
"Azuma Eichi's strength lies in his versatility."
This time, Kenjaku directly pulled out a stack of photos.
The three Cursed Spirits present twitched at the corners of their eyes. The previous photos had been of troublesome targets, and now there was a whole stack?
Were they really the villains?
Shouldn't it normally be the protagonists who were outnumbered, while the villains were numerous and powerful?
How had it been reversed for them?
So, they were the protagonists after all, and their ideals were indeed correct!
Jogo's conviction was reaffirmed.
"Destructive power capable of completely annihilating any Cursed Spirit, no matter how strong."
A photo of Artoria was placed on the table.
"A magician capable of breaking through any means, even opening the Prison Realm."
"Unparalleled mobility..."
"Hard-to-detect, fatal assassination..."
"A guardian who has traversed countless battlefields and can handle any combat..."
"If Azuma Eichi cannot be dealt with beforehand, I can assert that sealing Satoru will absolutely not succeed, and even if it does, he will undo it."
One by one, photos of Heroic Spirits were placed on the table by Kenjaku, and the hearts of Jogo and the others grew heavier.
Kenjaku watched with satisfaction as the Cursed Spirits' faces grew solemn. He had completely taken control of the rhythm in the room, becoming the de facto commander.
"But he is a Shikigami user. If we can find a way to separate him from his Shikigami, even you, Jogo, will have a chance to kill him, to kill Azuma Eichi, who is on par with Satoru."
'Kill an existence on par with Satoru...'
Kenjaku's words echoed like a devil's whisper in Jogo's heart.
"I'll take care of Azuma Eichi."
"No."
"Huh? Are you messing with me?!"
Kenjaku enjoyed Jogo's frustrated expression and continued, "Your opponent is him."
Kenjaku pointed at Toji.
Jogo grew even angrier, feeling that Kenjaku was looking down on him.
Satoru's strength was undeniable, Eichi was his equal, and Suguru's strength had always been feared by Cursed Spirits.
But what about Toji?
Toji, a social outcast who had retired early to live like an old man at Tokyo Jujutsu High. His title of Heavenly Restriction had almost been forgotten by the Jujutsu World.
Among so many powerful enemies, Kenjaku insisted on having him deal with an unknown person. What was this, if not looking down on him?
"But the Inverted Spear of Heaven in his hand is very important. With it, our success rate for sealing Satoru will greatly increase. What should we do?" Kenjaku said, feigning a headache.
As expected, Jogo, who was willing to sacrifice everything for the great cause of the Cursed Spirits, compromised.
"I understand. I'll take on the task of eliminating this pretty boy."
'A mere Cursed Spirit showing such a posture. It truly makes one laugh.'
"Alright, I'll leave it to you."
Although Kenjaku was filled with contempt for Jogo, who, despite being a mere Cursed Spirit, fantasized about replacing humans, he put on an expression of "thank goodness for you."
"What about Azuma Eichi, then? Who do you plan to send?" Mahito asked.
"Since he's a Shikigami user, let another Shikigami user handle it."
"Oh? Are there still Shikigami users in this world who can fight him?"
"Yes. Abe no Seimei, the strongest Shikigami user who once reigned over an era, feared and worshiped by countless people, whose existence even later generations couldn't conceal."
"He's still alive?" Mahito narrowed his eyes and asked seemingly casually, yet his heart was not as calm as his face suggested.
In these few short days, it was one thing for one powerful person after another he did not know to appear.
Now even historical figures like Sukuna and Abe no Seimei were going to appear?
'This world is truly full of malice, as expected.'
"He once sealed himself to obtain a complete body, then sent out his Shikigami to prepare for his regeneration ritual, but unfortunately, he failed. The Shikigami left behind by Abe no Seimei were defeated by others, and he has remained sealed ever since."
Unless absolutely necessary, Kenjaku did not want to revive Abe no Seimei.
Because Abe no Seimei's wish was contrary to what he pursued.
During his lifetime, Abe no Seimei had established an orderly Jujutsu World with his powerful strength.
However, repeated curse incidents before his eyes made him realize the evil of human nature. He realized that curses would not disappear as long as humans remained in their current state.
So Abe no Seimei wanted to screen humanity and lead the chosen humans to evolve.
However, the Abe no Seimei of that time lost to time. His short lifespan could not support him in achieving his wish.
That was why he used Shikigami to seal himself, waiting for other Shikigami to awaken him.
However, Kenjaku, knowing Abe no Seimei's wish, was unwilling to see him revived, so he secretly acted to eliminate all the contingencies Abe no Seimei had left behind.
Kenjaku pursued the possibilities of Cursed Energy, the chaos uncontrolled by anyone.
Abe no Seimei, on the other hand, in a sense, pursued the controllability of Cursed Energy, promoting human evolution through Cursed Energy.
Abe no Seimei's wish was somewhat similar to Yuki's and Suguru's in the original work.
Only his plan was more radical than Yuki's and more complete than Suguru's.
But then was then, and now is now.
Given that Sukuna, as a trump card, might not be effective, Abe no Seimei was indeed a good card.
After all, for Abe no Seimei to achieve his wish, he had to defeat the current Jujutsu World, which made them natural allies.
Moreover, with Abe no Seimei's inclusion, the success rate of the plan to seal Satoru and kill Eichi would also greatly increase.
These few Special Grade Cursed Spirits alone could not shake the current Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Abe no Seimei's Cursed Technique could create various Shikigami. As long as there were enough materials like Cursed Tools, Cursed Spirits, Cursed Tools, and Cursed Energy, Abe no Seimei alone was a complete army.
This was also why Abe no Seimei could become the strongest of an era.
And as a fellow Shikigami user, Abe no Seimei would certainly know what Shikigami users feared most, which would greatly increase the success rate of his plan.
"Where is that Abe no Seimei?" Jogo asked with a frown.
He actually did not want to increase the human side's combat power, but Kenjaku's previous groundwork had indeed made Jogo realize that their Cursed Spirit side's power was completely insufficient.
"Kyoto."
"Kyoto?" Jogo looked at Kenjaku in surprise.
"Such a powerful person has been in Kyoto for so long, and no one has unsealed him?"
"The Jujutsu World higher-ups didn't want someone they couldn't control to appear. When Abe no Seimei was alive, he truly acted against them."
"I see, because of fear, then." Jogo immediately understood Kenjaku's meaning.
'To push such a combat force to our side because of fear. How foolish, old humans.'
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)