Before the doors of the storehouse.
*Bang!*
With a dull thud, the blasted iron doors of the storehouse were pushed open once more.
Mahito and Jogo stepped out, one after the other.
"Hmph, that was easier than I thought."
Jogo glanced at the fallen corpses of the guards and let out a disdainful snort.
"Those human sorcerers are far too weak."
"Don't get overconfident, Jogo."
Despite his words, a smug grin played on Mahito's face.
"We've got the goods, so let's get out of here. Hanami is still holding the line outside."
However.
As they stepped out of the storehouse's shadow and prepared to leave...
Two figures stood before them, blocking their path like twin mountains.
On the left was the 'unscrupulous merchant' Hayashi En, dressed in his suit vest and gold-rimmed glasses.
On the right was a bizarre mechanical puppet—Mechamaru.
"Yo."
Hayashi En sat by the mahogany tea table he hadn't cleared away yet, idly twirling a black kunai in his hand.
"Leaving so soon, gentlemen?"
"It seems you haven't paid the... toll yet."
"You again!"
Mahito's face twisted instantly.
His hand had been blown off by this man in the sewers, and he'd just been blocked by him at the entrance moments ago.
Old and new grudges surged within him.
"Do you really think the two of you can stop us?"
The volcano atop Jogo's head began to smoke, and the surrounding temperature spiked.
"Get out of the way if you want to live!!"
"Now, let's not be in such a rush."
Hayashi En wasn't intimidated by Jogo's murderous intent. He remained seated calmly, even casting a glance toward Mechamaru.
"Muta-kun, show them the footage."
"Understood."
A beam of light shot from Mechamaru's electronic eyes, projecting a holographic image into the air.
In the recording, Gojo Satoru's figure was clearly visible.
It was the footage captured by the mechanical bird.
The black curtain covering the entire Jujutsu High—the one supposed to 'deny entry to Gojo Satoru'—was currently riddled with cracks.
And outside the curtain...
A white-haired man wearing a black blindfold hovered in mid-air, a single finger extended as a despair-inducing red light gathered at the tip.
That was...
The precursor to [SYSTEM: Cursed Technique Reversal: Red].
"Go... Gojo Satoru?!"
The moment Jogo saw that figure, his arrogant bluster was instantly halved.
After being treated like a soccer ball by Gojo Satoru last time, he had developed a deep psychological trauma regarding the man.
"I've already had Muta-kun inform Gojo Satoru of the situation here. I imagine he'll be arriving any second."
Hayashi En adjusted his glasses, his voice cold and mocking.
"You're betraying us? Have you given up on healing your body?"
Since things had come to this, Mahito stopped hiding and questioned Mechamaru directly.
"If there were a better way, I naturally wouldn't have associated with the likes of you."
Mechamaru's eyes flickered with light.
"Enough talk, just kill them both!"
Jogo was losing his patience, ready to resolve the matter with violence.
Hayashi En stood up and walked toward Mahito and Jogo.
He was less than five meters away.
This was an incredibly dangerous distance.
But he showed no fear.
"Now, there are only two paths before you."
Hayashi En held up two fingers.
"First, try to fight us and get cornered by Gojo Satoru, who will be here in one minute. You and those fingers will be turned to ash together. Or, you can pray that you two cripples can deal with us in under thirty seconds."
Mahito and Jogo exchanged a glance.
As much as they hated to admit it, Hayashi En was telling the truth.
This man's methods were bizarre, and combined with Mechamaru's ability to fire large-scale energy blasts, stalling for time would be trivial.
And once Gojo Satoru arrived...
It would be a total wipeout.
"And the second path?" Mahito asked through gritted teeth.
"The second path is a deal."
Hayashi En pointed at the cloth bag in Mahito's hand.
"Hand the fingers over to me."
"Hah?!" Jogo roared in fury. "In your dreams! We went through so much trouble to—"
"Let me finish."
Hayashi En cut him off.
"Give them to me for safekeeping."
"In exchange, I give you my word."
Hayashi En leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a low, seductive tone.
"I promise you."
"These fingers will eventually find their way back to Sukuna's stomach."
"I can even... provide a plan to ensure Sukuna 'cooperates' with his resurrection."
"After all, I also want to see the King of Curses return to this world."
"Why should we believe you?" Mahito sneered.
"You don't have a choice."
Hayashi En checked his watch leisurely, then produced a contract infused with the power of a Binding Vow and threw it toward the two Cursed Spirits.
"You have about forty seconds left."
Mahito and Jogo were backed into a corner.
If they didn't hand them over, they would all die together.
If they did, they could at least survive. Besides, having the fingers in Hayashi En's hands was still better than Gojo Satoru taking them back.
It was a simple choice that required no deliberation.
The two Curses signed the contract and threw the fingers over.
"If you dare trick us..."
"I'll hunt you down to the depths of hell and burn you to a crisp!!"
Hayashi En caught everything steadily.
[SYSTEM: Recovered Sukuna's Fingers x6.]
[SYSTEM: System Valuation: 300,000 points.]
Jackpot!
Hayashi En suppressed his wild joy, produced a black card, and tore it, teleporting everything back to his shop.
"Pleasure doing business with you."
"Now, beat it."
Hayashi En snapped his fingers.
Without a moment's hesitation, Mahito and Jogo took off.
"Hayashi En! We'll settle this score later!"
Mahito left a parting threat as his figure vanished into the woods.
"Phew..."
Hayashi En exhaled in relief. Overall, the plan had been a close shave but a success.
"Are they gone?"
Mechamaru's voice called out.
"They're gone."
Hayashi En stretched his limbs.
"We should also—"
Before he could finish his sentence...
"Hollow Technique: Purple!!"
A roar that seemed to descend from the heavens thundered through the air.
Immediately following it.
The world changed color.
A devastating purple sphere, carrying the power to erase everything in its path, blasted forward from the sky kilometers away!
It was Gojo Satoru's board-clearing ultimate move.
Its target was exactly where Mahito and Jogo had fled.
"Holy crap!!"
Hayashi En's pupils dilated in shock.
If he got hit by that, forget points—not even his ashes would remain!
Hayashi En lunged toward nearby cover.
Mechamaru reacted instantly, deploying every single shield.
"BOOOOOM—!!!!"
The purple sphere grazed the edge of the storehouse.
Though not a direct hit, the terrifying shockwave still leveled half the forest.
Mechamaru's puppet was blown into scrap metal.
Hayashi En was sent flying dozens of meters by the blast, crashing heavily against a snapped tree and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Cough, cough..."
Dust and smoke filled the air.
Hayashi En lay in the debris, staring at the massive, smoldering trench above him.
This was...
The strike of the modern era's strongest.
"Thank goodness... it only grazed the edge."
Hayashi En crawled out from the ruins and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
In the distance.
That white-haired figure was teleporting over.
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