Kenjaku's tone shifted to one of slight helplessness. "But the incarnation or awakening of these ancient Jujutsu Sorcerers requires extremely precise guidance and activation on the soul level."
"Especially since most of the vessels they inhabit are not naturally born Jujutsu Sorcerers with Cursed Energy, but rather another layer of my arrangement—a vast number of ordinary non-sorcerers into whom I secretly implanted special Cursed Objects."
"These Cursed Objects can slowly change their bodies and accumulate Cursed Energy, but they lack the final key to ignite the soul and activate the Cursed Technique."
He looked at Sukuna. "And that key was originally Mahito's Cursed Technique—Idle Transfiguration. Its ability to touch the essence of the soul and freely change its form was the perfect tool to perfectly activate the brains of those non-sorcerers modified by Cursed Objects, guide the ancient Jujutsu Sorcerers' souls to merge with their vessels, and finally awaken them."
"With it, not only could the success rate and stability of the awakening be ensured, but the state of the awakened could also be optimized or even strengthened to a certain extent."
Sukuna interjected, a flash of realization in his eyes, "So, having Mahito run around using Idle Transfiguration to cause chaos and modify humans wasn't just to create Transfigured Humans for panic and disorder."
"It was more of an experiment and warm-up? To accumulate experience for the large-scale awakening of ancient sorcerers in the future and test the adaptability of the vessels?"
"You are perceptive." Kenjaku nodded.
"Mahito was a key link connecting the beginning and the end of the plan. His death means we have lost our most convenient and irreplaceable key. Now, those seeds buried for a thousand years, those ancient powerhouses waiting to wake up, and those modified non-sorcerer vessels who have yet to be activated, are all stuck in an awkward state of stagnation. Forcing them to awaken using other methods would have an extremely high failure rate, easily cause uncontrollable mutations, and might even result in a backlash."
Sukuna remained noncommittal. Mahito's Cursed Technique was indeed unique. Its manipulation of the soul was exquisite and dangerous, making it suitable for such "awakening" work.
But why was this old fox telling him all this? To complain? To ask for help?
Seemingly sensing Sukuna's doubt, Kenjaku continued, his tone becoming more solemn, "Of course, while Mahito's death is troublesome, it is not irreparable. With a thousand years of planning, I naturally have a backup. It just requires more time and a more massive amount of energy. And this leads to another part of my plan, the core of what I wish to honestly share with you today."
He took a deep breath, as if calming some surging emotion, and said slowly, "My ultimate goal is to have Tengen assimilate with the entire human population of Japan."
For the first time, a visible ripple appeared in Sukuna's four crimson eyes. It wasn't shock, but a light mixed with absurdity, amusement, and a genuine shred of interest.
"Tengen? That old fossil bound to the barriers of Japan?" Sukuna grinned.
"You want to merge that half-dead 'concept' with all of humanity? Old fox, your appetite is even larger than I thought, and also... much stupider."
"It is not a simple merging into one." Kenjaku corrected, a light akin to the near-fanaticism of a pure idealist burning in his eyes.
"It is evolution. Tengen has guarded the barriers of Japan for a thousand years, and their very existence is deeply bound to the rules of this land, nearly becoming an incarnation of a natural will."
"However, their individual consciousness and form have become rigid and stagnant, and they have even begun to evolve into something more indescribable, posing a threat to the barrier itself."
"And what I intend to do is provide this evolution with new, inexhaustible fuel and possibilities—namely, the Cursed Energy, souls, consciousness, and possibilities of all humans in Japan."
"Through an unprecedented large-scale barrier ritual covering all of Japan, Tengen will be connected to every person in Japan. At that time, Tengen will no longer be a lonely guardian. Their existence will diffuse and merge into every human in Japan, forming an unprecedented, unified new race where everyone possesses Cursed Energy, shares consciousness, and evolves together."
"The boundary between the individual and the collective will blur, the utilization of Cursed Energy will reach new heights, and we may even touch the realm of the gods."
Sukuna listened quietly without interrupting.
Kenjaku's concept possessed a hair-raising "beauty."
Merging over a hundred million people with an ancient barrier consciousness to create a "hive mind" type of jujutsu civilization?
This idea was much more interesting and twisted than his own past wars fought purely for slaughter and rule.
"A very grand blueprint." Sukuna commented, his tone neither praising nor condemning.
"But the power required for this is likely not something your current assets can support, right? That old thing Tengen has lived for over a thousand years, they are a massive black hole of Cursed Energy and a distortion of rules. To forcibly stir them together with over a hundred million people..."
"Hah, the Cursed Energy required would likely drain the life force of this land for centuries to come."
"You are absolutely right." Kenjaku admitted frankly.
"Therefore, fuel is needed. Vast amounts of high-quality, active and possible Cursed Energy. Cursed power bred from simple fear and negative emotions is too chaotic and unsuitable as kindling for evolution. What we need is the most refined and powerful Cursed Energy, purified and filtered, bursting forth from intense conflict and life-and-death struggle."
He paused, uttering the name word by word. "The Culling Game."
"By establishing specific barrier nodes across Japan, I will filter out Jujutsu Sorcerers with sufficient Cursed Energy and aptitude, and throw them into a mandatory, endless game of slaughter."
"The rules will be set by me. Winners gain rewards, and losers lose everything. In the endless cycle of battle, death, struggle, and breakthroughs, the most refined and powerful Cursed Energy will be continuously generated, along with countless exceptional individuals whose potential has been thoroughly triggered by pushing their limits on the brink of death."
"The Cursed Energy and exceptional individuals produced in this game will become the most critical fuel and catalyst for driving Tengen's assimilation ritual. At the same time, the Game itself will greatly weaken the existing power of the Jujutsu World, clearing out unstable factors and paving the way for the descent of a new era."
After finishing, Kenjaku looked at Sukuna quietly, waiting for his reaction.
Sukuna was silent for a moment. His four crimson eyes flickered dimly in the night, as if digesting this suffocatingly massive amount of information and weighing the "fun" and "value" contained within.
"A fine stage." Sukuna said slowly after a long while, his voice unreadable.
"Gambling with the fate of a nation's people to build a slaughterhouse like a jar of venomous insects, all just to feed your unrealistic dream of evolution. It's ruthless and also... boring."
Sukuna glanced at Kenjaku, a flash of understanding in his crimson eyes. "As for those tens of thousands of Cursed Spirits you've contracted, they're to be used to maintain the barriers, serving as obstacles, rewards, or consumables in the 'Game,' right? Truly making the best use of everything."
Kenjaku bowed slightly. "I wouldn't dare hide anything from you. Indeed, it is so. A millennium of accumulation, all for this day. Now, the stage, the actors, and the script are all ready, only missing the final and strongest lead actor, as well as the absolute power sufficient to suppress all variables."
He looked up, his eyes burning as he gazed at Sukuna, finally stating his true purpose, "Sukuna, you have fully revived, and your power is unrivaled in this world, perhaps even surpassing past understanding. If you join my plan, it will be like a tiger with wings."
"Once those ancient sorcerers awaken, they will need a true 'King' to rule them. The chaos and the strong produced in the Culling Games will need the undisputed strongest to set the tone. And the final ritual of assimilation with Tengen will require power beyond imagination to control, guide, and even... replace when necessary."
"Replace?" Sukuna's lips curled.
"Yes."
Kenjaku's voice was full of temptation. "When the Cursed Energy, souls, and consciousness of a hundred million people merge with Tengen, an unimaginably massive existence will be born. The dominant consciousness of this existence may not necessarily be Tengen. If there is a stronger, more suitable existence that can take the lead during this process, or even devour and merge with it..."
He didn't finish, but the meaning was already crystal clear. He was inviting Sukuna to join this mad plan and promising the fruit of nearly "becoming a god" that could ultimately be obtained.
Sukuna stood quietly, his crimson eyes looking down at the thousand-year schemer before him, who had staked all his ambition, schemes, and even the entire world.