"Pfft—hahaha! HAHAHAHAHA!" Mahito mocked loudly. "What's the matter, Kenjaku-sensei? We haven't seen each other for a few hours, how did you end up looking so pathetic?"
Mahito had already returned to their safe stronghold—still the same beach Domain, but now all core members were gathered in the villa situated on the sand. Mahito had unequipped the Dragon God armor, and looking at the sight before him, he literally could not stop laughing.
It was three hours post-battle. Not even Mahito could have predicted that even with the processing power of the Dragon God, it would still take three full hours to eliminate the risk of brain death after being struck by Infinite Void.
Satoru Gojo was truly a monster. Perhaps that man really could slay a god, just as Ryomen Sukuna had slain Enma in ancient times.
Kinji Hakari, looking thoroughly disgusted, held Kenjaku's severed head by the hair and dropped it onto the table. "This bastard said he didn't need my help, that he could take down Tengen all by himself. Next thing I know, he uses some unknown Cursed Technique to signal me for an extraction. I had to brawl with my junior, Yuta Okkotsu, just to save his damn head."
Reduced to nothing but a head, Kenjaku looked incredibly depressed. "I never expected Tengen to be so ruthless. She actually gave a piece of her own body to Yuta Okkotsu, allowing Okkotsu's Cursed Technique to record her immortality Cursed Technique. The current Yuta Okkotsu is utterly terrifying. Not only does he have limitless cursed techniques, but because his body recorded her immortality, he is practically immune to fatal wounds. Short of sealing him, even I have no idea how to fight him."
This was exactly why Tengen dared to follow closely behind Satoru Gojo in her true body:
She had surrendered a piece of herself to Yuta Okkotsu, letting him use his Copy technique to record her immortality. The great barriers of Japan were maintained by Tengen's immortality Cursed Technique. In other words, the core of the barrier wasn't Tengen herself, but the technique. As long as the immortality technique existed, the Japanese barriers could be maintained normally. So even if Tengen left, Yuta Okkotsu—holding the exact same technique—could take her place!
This was, of course, executed by bypassing the Jujutsu Headquarters entirely. Tengen had learned her lesson the hard way. The entire process was kept strictly hidden from the higher-ups; even the spies who had infiltrated the Headquarters couldn't possibly leak the information.
But what was even more terrifying than Tengen was that, while Yuta Okkotsu's barrier techniques were subpar, his frontal combat capabilities were monstrous! Kenjaku had strutted in brimming with confidence, eager to personally butcher his millennia-old nemesis, only to find that Tengen wasn't playing his game. She simply dropped a combat powerhouse possessing true immortality right in the Tombs of the Star to wait for him. And so, Kenjaku obliviously walked right into Yuta Okkotsu's meat grinder.
And thus, Kenjaku got to personally experience the taste of Tengen's traps.
There was no need to elaborate on the process. It was brutal. Absolutely brutal. So brutal that only his head barely managed to survive.
Kinji Hakari rolled his neck, turning toward the equally miserable Ashiya Sadatsuna. "Compared to this heartless bastard Kenjaku, old man Ashiya looks even worse off."
Ashiya Sadatsuna's face was completely bruised and swollen, battered beyond recognition. His upper garments had long been shredded, exposing a fairly muscular physique, but that flesh was completely covered in livid bruising, as if every bone in his body had been pulverized. Yet, he still forced himself to stand, his swollen face making it difficult to even speak:
"I... I'm fine. I just exchanged a few blows with Yuki Tsukumo. I was at a slight disadvantage, that's all."
*You call that a slight disadvantage? Your face is completely caved in!*
Still acting tough? Does acting tough prove you didn't get your ass kicked? Do Yuki Tsukumo's fists hit hard or what?
Mahito tried desperately to hold back his laughter, but ultimately failed. "Hahahaha! I never thought Mr. Ashiya would end up in such a miserable state! You guys got absolutely pummeled!"
Ashiya Sadatsuna looked entirely unconvinced. "If I were in my prime, I'd string Yuki up and beat her!"
Hakari couldn't take it anymore. He covered his face with his hand. "Just drop it, old man. If Senior Tsukumo hadn't been avoiding tearing up our façade with Mahito, she would have ground you into powder with Star Rage ages ago. Honestly, this whole offensive was a colossal failure. We made everyone think we were some kind of comedy troupe! Especially Tsumiki Fushiguro!"
Standing off to the side, Tsumiki Fushiguro was the most pristine of the group that assaulted Tokyo Jujutsu High. She looked elegant, her black school uniform clean and spotless, as if she had merely gone on a campus tour to visit her little brother rather than leading an assault on a violent Jujutsu institution.
Tsumiki was holding a kitten in her arms. She now handed the kitten to Mahito, who received it naturally.
She spoke calmly, "I said before the attack began: I was only going to see Megumi. I wouldn't lift a finger otherwise. In fact, not only did I stall Megumi, but I stalled all the students of Tokyo High, including Sukuna's vessel, Yuji Itadori. I over-completed my mission."
Hakari snapped, "You call that stalling!? You literally just stood in front of them and had a pleasant chat with your brother! You dragged your feet the whole time, and by the end, you were literally acting like a teacher, earnestly analyzing and refining the combat styles and systems of all the students, including your brother!"
"Did you forget you were on a battlefield?"
"Damn it, at least I remembered my role! I pulled old man Ashiya out when he was on death's door, and I extracted Kenjaku when he was reduced to a single head! You literally did absolutely nothing!"
Mahito chuckled. "Don't be like that. Letting my clone physically touch every student in Tokyo was the best safety net I could ask for. That alone is enough."
The kitten was Mahito's clone. During the invasion, Mahito had purposefully split off an innocent, clean kitten clone to be held by the safest person there—Tsumiki Fushiguro. Everyone assumed it was her Companion Spirit. Since Hakari had a baby dragon Companion Spirit, it wasn't overly shocking for Tsumiki to have a kitten Companion Spirit.
The original canon Mahito could do similar things. He could even morph humans into his clones. Aside from being unable to use Idle Transfiguration, their thoughts were perfectly linked with the main body, and their physical specs were identical.
The current Mahito had taken it a step further. He could even partition his own soul and inject it into the Construction technique. Of course, in order to optimize his duel with Satoru Gojo, the soul fragment he separated possessed almost no sentience. It was just like when the canon Mahito fought Ultimate Mechamaru—even after Mechamaru blew apart a chunk of Mahito's soul, Mahito could simply regenerate and fill it back in. The kitten operated on the same principle.
It had to be said, the potential of Idle Transfiguration was truly bottomless, with countless mysteries waiting to be explored. The canon Mahito had squandered a godly gift.
While Tsumiki Fushiguro was 'playing around' with the Tokyo students, this kitten had sneakily made physical contact with everyone except Yuji Itadori.
At this moment, the kitten had recorded the Innate Techniques of everyone else: Nobara Kugisaki's Resonance; Toge Inumaki's Cursed Speech; Panda's Abrupt Mutated Cursed Corpse. And Megumi Fushiguro's Ten Shadows Technique.
The moment Mahito touched the kitten, it was equivalent to the kitten transferring all the recorded simulated soul data directly to him.
The kitten let out a final *meow*, melting into a water-like fluid that crawled up Mahito's arm before finally vanishing, re-assimilating into his body.
Noticing Tsumiki sighing with a hint of regret, Mahito smiled. "If Miss Fushiguro wishes, I can give you the same immortality package as Hakari right now. As for the specific appearance of your Companion Spirit, you can design it yourself."
Tsumiki showed no trace of embarrassment. She nodded gently. "Thank you for your patronage. I gladly accept."
Toji Fushiguro, standing nearby, asked, "How's that brat Megumi?"
"A bit slacking." Though she used the word 'slacking', a fond smile unconsciously bloomed on Tsumiki's face. "But he has a group of wonderful friends. He is no longer alone."
"Is that right." Toji nodded, his face devoid of emotion. "Didn't think you'd actually care about him."
"He was the one I handed off to Satoru Gojo right before I died," Toji said flatly. "I don't care about him. I just wanted a simple status update."
Mahito heavily clapped Toji on the shoulder. "Being a tsundere isn't in style anymore in this era, especially for grown men!"
Toji replied without changing his expression, "In our era, 'tsundere' was still a trending word."
"Mahito, you spoiled these people rotten!" Hakari had reached his absolute limit, even cursing out his own boss. "Fuck me, I actually thought we were just playing house! We are supposed to be the darkest, most evil syndicate aiming to overthrow the Jujutsu world, not a goddamn comedy troupe! We need to violently course-correct this vibe!"
Mahito continued to smile, consoling Hakari. "Alright, alright. You think attacking Tokyo Jujutsu High was a joke, but didn't we get excellent results? Besides, if we had gone in for a serious bloodbath, I don't think you would have been willing to do it either, right?"
Hakari choked on his words.
Thinking about it... it was true. If he was actually ordered to slaughter them, he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to do it!
Kenjaku rallied his spirits. "At least our baseline objectives were met. Mahito acquired the Cursed Techniques of all the Tokyo High students, and I managed to smuggle the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings out of the Star Corridor's hazard warehouse. Mahito has grown stronger once again, and we can add three Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers to our ranks... well, Choso might reach the level of a Special Grade Sorcerer. As for the others, they'll at least baseline at Special Grade Cursed Spirits."
Mahito looked thoughtful. "Heavy casualties at the Tombs of the Star?"
"No, I stopped him from killing anyone." Hakari said coldly. "Mahito, this guy is dishonest. He's constantly digging pits for you to fall into. He wanted to completely destroy the Japanese barriers!"
The most vital duty of the staff at the Tombs of the Star was to assist Tengen in maintaining the barriers and keeping the facility operational. When the original canon Kenjaku invaded, besides grabbing the Death Paintings, his primary objective was actually wholesale slaughter. The more people he killed, the heavier Tengen's workload became, preventing her from interfering with his schemes.
Indeed, during the crucial Shibuya Incident where Gojo was sealed, the reason Tengen didn't lift a finger was precisely because too many people had died at the Tombs of the Star. The increased workload forced her to abandon Gojo and focus entirely on stabilizing the Japanese barriers.
Furthermore, in Tengen's mind, if Satoru Gojo had taken the field, wasn't victory already guaranteed?
It had to be said, Kenjaku understood Tengen far too perfectly. He calculated her every move from beginning to end. Tengen's defeat in canon was truly earned.
But the current Mahito had laid his cards on the table: he was aiming to rule the Jujutsu world. The Japanese barriers naturally couldn't be destroyed, or else Cursed Spirits would run rampant—what would there be left to rule? Setting everything else aside, if Mahito actually did that, even if he ruled the world by sheer force, the uprisings beneath him would be endless.
Violence is always a necessary condition for rule, but it is never the only condition.
The reason Kinji Hakari could so confidently and casually meet with Satoru Gojo was because his own hands were clean, and Mahito's hands were clean. Sure, Mahito had wiped out the Zen'in Clan, but by Jujutsu society's own twisted rules, the Zen'in Clan brought it upon themselves. Mahito had never harmed innocents, and he actively restrained Curse Users and Cursed Spirits. Within the Jujutsu world, his record was genuinely spotless.
Didn't Maki Zen'in annihilate the clan in canon? She was far more ruthless than Mahito, even hunting down the Hei members who were away on missions, slaughtering the old and the weak without mercy. Yet, didn't she openly participate in the final decisive battle? After they won, she attended the protagonist group's post-war debriefing without any restrictions whatsoever.
Mahito was much better than Maki. He spared the elderly and weak of the Zen'in Clan and ignored the members who were away. Putting aside his identity as a Cursed Spirit, he was more merciful than any Jujutsu Sorcerer. Even though he destroyed the clan, everyone acknowledged his ultimate benevolence—this was the reason why.
Such methods would drastically reduce the resistance he'd face when he eventually took over the Jujutsu world.
Kenjaku immediately defended himself. "I had absolutely no such intention. Those staff members are Tengen's diehard loyalists. Without killing them, even I couldn't find Tengen."
This was the truth. In Mahito's vision, Kenjaku's soul didn't waver in the slightest. He was speaking honestly. Kenjaku glanced at Mahito and continued explaining.
"The reason I eventually found them was only because I never expected the one anchoring the barrier to be Yuta Okkotsu, who isn't even adept at barrier techniques. If I had known Okkotsu was the anchor, I wouldn't have killed the staff at the Tombs."
This was also true. Kenjaku's soul remained completely still.
But how could Mahito not see through Kenjaku's petty tricks?
Mahito looked down at Kenjaku, asking softly, "Kenjaku-sensei, do you still remember the Binding Vow between us?"
Kenjaku's eyes darted around, and he smiled. "Of course. I remember it perfectly:"
"Both parties are sworn allies. Neither shall betray the other, whether through direct action or indirect means."
"I must surrender every ounce of knowledge I possess, holding nothing back, in exchange for your assistance in my time of absolute need."
"The above Vow will be dissolved upon the overthrow of the Jujutsu world."
Mahito said seriously, "Kenjaku-sensei, you crossed the line. You shouldn't have deliberately attempted to massacre the staff at the Tombs of the Star."
"Although from the outcome, it really was unnecessary," Kenjaku sighed helplessly, "at the time, I genuinely didn't know Tengen wasn't in the Tombs."
His soul didn't waver. It was the truth.
"In the plan, Tengen was an ultimate objective, not a mandatory one. I believe we had a consensus on this." Mahito pressed forward without hesitation. "You sought Tengen out on your own initiative. The moment you realized you had to slaughter the staff to find her, you should have decisively aborted. But you didn't. Therefore, you crossed the line."
Kenjaku's smile slowly faded. He felt the scorching bloodlust emanating from Mahito's heart. He looked at Mahito in confusion.
"You want to kill me? Why? I've never shown you any malice. On the contrary, I've been earnestly helping you all along."
"Almost all of your current knowledge was taught by me. The people around you were gathered by me. Even the second-generation species you are meticulously cultivating... it was me who provided Jogo with the targets so he could find them."
This was entirely true. Although the forces currently gathered around Mahito respected and followed him as their master, they had all initially been assembled with Kenjaku acting as the middleman—even down to the newly born sapient Cursed Spirits.
Even Mahito's original core crew: Jogo, Hanami, and Dagon, were all brought in by Kenjaku.
"I am merely reminding you, Sensei. Do not test my patience," Mahito said flatly.
Kenjaku's mind raced, and he immediately realized something. "Your duel with Satoru Gojo... what was the outcome?"
The corners of Mahito's mouth curled up. "We were evenly matched... No, I was at a slight disadvantage."
Kenjaku fell silent.
He took a long, deep look at Mahito and sighed. "The youth truly surpass the old."
Pausing for a moment, he raised his smile again. "My apologies, my apologies. I overstepped. I swear I won't pull a stunt like that again. The Jujutsu world hasn't been overthrown yet. I'm still very useful, aren't I? Even if I lose my usefulness, tossing me into another world would at least make me a good guard dog, right?"
*I know exactly how to read the room, you see,* Kenjaku said with a beaming smile.
Those words were true. Mahito didn't even need to check for soul fluctuations to know that.
After all, in the original canon, Kenjaku had willingly loitered around Ryomen Sukuna, and he had openly stated the reason: the moment he dared to step away from Sukuna, he would be instantly killed by Satoru Gojo.
Although Kenjaku was chaotic and lived for entertainment, he was no fool. He was a survivor, heavily pragmatic. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lived for a thousand years. Keep in mind, not only did he want to kill Tengen, but Tengen wanted to kill him just as badly! Yet, right under the nose of Tengen—the master of the Japanese barriers—he continuously hijacked brains and reincarnated, completely evading detection.
Now, sensing Mahito's murderous intent, he decisively folded.
Mahito nodded. "I want every scrap of knowledge you have accumulated over the past thousand years, Kenjaku-sensei."
This was the demand Mahito had made when they first forged the Binding Vow, and now, he was presenting it a second time.
Kenjaku smiled. "It seems your battle with Satoru Gojo has completely exhausted the nutrients of your current growth. You need to begin accumulating again."
"Then, my answer remains the same as before." Kenjaku looked around. Hanami, Dagon, Kinji Hakari, Ashiya Sadatsuna, Tsumiki Fushiguro, and Toji Fushiguro.
Aside from Toji, who knew nothing of Kenjaku's true nature, everyone else was glaring at him with a trace of malice, itching to strike.
He looked earnestly at Mahito. "I will share everything I know, holding absolutely nothing back."
His words were more sincere than they had ever been.
"First things first, then." Mahito reached out a hand, gently touching the sutured scar on Kenjaku's forehead. "Let me restore your body. Lower your soul's defenses. You know I will only read your soul's data, not alter it. Unlike you, I don't play petty tricks."
Kenjaku pursed his lips, let out a mournful sigh, and lowered his soul's defenses.
The Binding Vow to overthrow the Jujutsu world was originally designed to protect Mahito. But from this exact moment forward, the Vow had mutated into something protecting Kenjaku.
From here on out, their roles were reversed.