In the blink of an eye, Getou Suguru instinctively released Rainbow Dragon in order to save Zen'in Naoya and Amanai Riko.
As Getou Suguru's favorite cursed spirit, Rainbow Dragon possessed the greatest hardness, the strongest defensive capabilities, and the most versatile utility among all the cursed spirits under his control. It normally served as his primary means of transportation.
It did not disappoint.
The ferocious dragon's head burst forth first, followed by its enormously long body. It intercepted the enemy's pursuit of Zen'in Naoya, blocking the attack and forcibly slamming a black shadow into a nearby building.
"This won't do, Getou-san!" Zen'in Naoya retreated with the others behind Getou Suguru's back, his eyes darting anxiously in every direction, utterly devoid of any sense of security. "Do you have any stronger cursed spirits?"
"Who fired that shot?"
What concerned Getou Suguru was an entirely different matter.
"It was Toji!"
Zen'in Naoya answered immediately. Even in the poor lighting, he had recognized the man.
"...Zen'in... Toji?"
As Getou Suguru spoke the name aloud, he turned in confusion toward the dust-filled area ahead.
There, standing amidst the shattered opening, was a man in training clothes, completely unharmed despite Rainbow Dragon's attack. Resting a blade on his shoulder, he stared at someone with open disdain.
"That technique," he remarked lazily, "belongs to that old Zen'in bastard, doesn't it? Pretty fast, though."
"Cousin! It's me, Naoya!"
The moment he saw his idol, Zen'in Naoya could not stop himself from speaking.
"Stop right there."
Fushiguro Toji immediately cut off his enthusiasm. Having already gathered the necessary information, he had no interest in further conversation.
"I don't want to know you."
"..."
Zen'in Naoya's expression did not change in the slightest.
"When is Gojo-san getting here?" he asked Getou Suguru, unable to find any opportunity to escape.
"He should be here very soon..."
Getou Suguru muttered the words, confusion once again surfacing in his eyes.
Rainbow Dragon swept back to his side and encircled the group, protecting its allies. At that moment, Amanai Riko finally snapped out of her frozen state.
"Ahhh!"
A startled scream escaped her lips.
Zen'in Naoya said coldly, "Stop screaming, Star Plasma Vessel. I saved your life. Otherwise, you would already be dead from Toji's bullet."
Getou Suguru's perception of the world drifted in and out of focus. His heart turned cold, and the voices of everyone around him became distant and indistinct.
There was only one thing he wanted to know.
Only one thing he cared about.
"Where's Satoru?"
Had Satoru met up with Akiya? Was that why he still hadn't come to find him?
Among all the possibilities, Getou Suguru refused to consider any others.
Yet the fear inside him continued to rise.
"Why are you here?!"
His cursed energy surged violently as he raised his voice and demanded an answer from the Sorcerer Killer.
"What, is that so strange?" Fushiguro Toji understood exactly what his enemy was asking and flashed a grin. "I don't think there's anything surprising about it. After all, even the Zen'in Clan's little piece of trash was willing to help save someone. That's a pretty rare sight."
Toji was under the impression that he had just witnessed a spectacular piece of infighting within the jujutsu world. The students of Tokyo Jujutsu High collectively rebelling against Tengen?
The thought put him in an excellent mood.
"Answer me!"
The look in Getou Suguru's eyes was terrifying.
Toji gave a couple of absent-minded "Oh, sure, sure" responses, his tone utterly perfunctory, as though he were only answering because he had been threatened into doing so.
"—I killed Gojo Satoru."
The moment those words left his mouth, silence fell.
Getou Suguru froze.
His mind went completely blank.
Zen'in Naoya's arm loosened involuntarily. Amanai Riko slipped from his grasp and crashed to the ground in an undignified heap.
"Gojo—no way, Gojo is strong!"
Amanai Riko didn't even cry out in pain. Instead, she shouted in shock, her voice snapping the others out of their stupor.
"That's impossible."
The horrified words that Getou Suguru could not bring himself to say were instead voiced by Zen'in Naoya.
"Gojo-san's Limitless isn't a defense that someone like Toji can break."
Zen'in Naoya hurriedly sought confirmation.
"Toji, stop joking around. If Gojo-san were that easy to kill, the Zen'in Clan wouldn't treat him as Public Enemy Number One."
Hearing even the heir of the Zen'in Clan acknowledge Satoru's strength so unequivocally, Getou Suguru finally began to recover from his cold sweat and panic.
For the first time in his life, he found Zen'in Naoya's voice pleasant to hear.
"Inverted Spear of Heaven."
Fushiguro Toji readily revealed the name of the Special Grade cursed tool. It was an extremely obscure artifact, known to only a handful of people.
Getou Suguru had no idea what the name signified, but Toji's words left Zen'in Naoya, who had been raised within the Zen'in Clan, staring in disbelief.
"The legendary Special Grade cursed tool capable of forcibly nullifying cursed techniques? I thought it had been lost for ages!"
Getou Suguru's emotions lurched violently from one extreme to another. He abruptly demanded,
"It can nullify Satoru's Limitless?!"
Zen'in Naoya hesitated.
"No one has ever tested it... but in theory... it should be able to..."
Fushiguro Toji raised the handgun in front of him and yawned lazily. The muscles in his arm bulged beneath the motion.
"I tested it."
His teeth reflected a ghostly white gleam in the dim light.
"It works."
Throughout the mire of his life, there had been few moments when Fushiguro Toji could truly hold his head high. Yet at this moment, he was brimming with confidence, laughing with unconcealed satisfaction.
"I used it—"
Switching weapons, Toji raised the strangely shaped dagger known as the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
"Six Eyes was a troublesome opponent. Fortunately, he was too concerned about me assassinating the others. He'd lost the sharpness he usually possessed and relied entirely on his cursed technique to defend himself. Once I approached him from behind, I was able to drive this straight into Six Eyes' throat."
Toji traced a downward motion with the blade.
"Then I dragged it downward and effortlessly tore open Six Eyes' chest. The young master even tried to struggle in his final moments."
Fushiguro Toji wanted his enemies to lose their composure.
And the Cursed Spirit Manipulator's emotions were unraveling exactly as he had hoped.
"In the end," Toji continued, "I pierced his skull."
How immature.
That was Toji's merciless assessment of sorcerers.
In a casual tone, he added, "I released a large number of low-grade cursed spirits outside. Tokyo Jujutsu High is probably in complete chaos by now. But that's none of my concern. I only care about completing the job."
Getou Suguru snapped.
The Special Grade cursed spirit he had subjugated was unleashed, and its Domain Expansion manifested, forming a prison intended to trap the enemy.
Yet Fushiguro Toji moved through the domain of Kokkuri-san as freely as if nothing existed around him. A mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"What a worthless piece of trash."
To the cursed spirit's perception, he was not a human being at all.
The Special Grade cursed spirit Kokkuri-san's Domain Expansion could not lock onto Fushiguro Toji, whose complete lack of cursed energy made him resemble nothing more than an inanimate object.
Nevertheless, merely obstructing Toji's sight, hearing, and sense of smell was enough.
Zen'in Naoya immediately grabbed Amanai Riko and sprinted away.
Compared to watching the battle unfold, preserving his own life was far more important.
He had to fulfill the task specified by the Binding Vow.
Cold sweat poured down Zen'in Naoya's back. He did not even dare gamble on how long Getou Suguru could hold the enemy off.
He had to run.
He had to escape before Toji defeated Getou-san.
In the first second, Zen'in Naoya broke away from the battlefield.
In the second second, he charged into the return passageway.
In the third second, he reached the end of the corridor and saw the corpse of a woman lying on the ground.
In the fourth second, he dragged Amanai Riko into the elevator leading back to the surface.
In the fifth second, Amanai Riko's heart-rending cries echoed throughout the elevator. She threw herself toward the edge and caught sight of the woman's body.
"Misato!!!"
The battle between Getou Suguru and Fushiguro Toji intensified dramatically the moment Zen'in Naoya fled with Amanai Riko.
His retreat had been far too decisive.
He had shown absolutely no intention of staying behind to fight alongside Getou Suguru. Instead, he shamelessly dumped the enemy on the Cursed Spirit Manipulator and ran for his life.
"Hurry! Hurry!"
Zen'in Naoya stared fixedly at the rising elevator indicator.
Every passing second felt like a countdown from the Grim Reaper.
The thunderous sounds of battle drew nearer and nearer. Getou Suguru desperately employed different combinations of cursed spirits in an effort to delay Fushiguro Toji. Among the vast collection of cursed spirits at the Cursed Spirit Manipulator's disposal, there were always some capable of affecting Toji.
As for Toji, he felt that the Cursed Spirit Manipulator was like an irritating piece of gum stuck to his shoe. The man's strength was not particularly impressive, but he was far more troublesome than expected.
The moment they reached the surface, Zen'in Naoya activated his technique again with impeccable timing. He did not dare waste even a single second. In his state of extreme speed, he once more "froze" Amanai Riko into a paper-like figure incapable of speaking.
Without the slightest regard for her wishes, he grabbed her and sprinted toward the school gates.
The helicopter arranged by the Zen'in Clan was waiting outside the campus.
With his dynamic vision, he only had enough time to glimpse the chaotic swarm of low-grade cursed spirits around the entrance—and... Gojo-san?!
By then, however, Zen'in Naoya was incapable of stopping.
The limitations of the Projection Sorcery technique prevented its user from freely altering predetermined movements.
As a result, Zen'in Naoya was forced to continue charging straight through the school gates. After knocking Amanai Riko unconscious, he stuffed her into the helicopter and issued rapid-fire orders.
"All units, take off immediately! Split up and head in different directions! Fly overseas!"
"Do not stop until you've reached your destinations!"
Seven rented helicopters rose into the air and scattered in different directions, creating a smokescreen to prevent any one of them from being shot down.
At 3:30 p.m., Amanai Riko officially left the territory of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Zen'in Naoya's fingers trembled as he finished typing and sending a text message:
[The Star Plasma Vessel has been escorted outside the school grounds.]
The implications of Fushiguro Toji killing Gojo Satoru were simply too horrifying.
The Gojo Clan would never let the matter rest.
The Zen'in Clan would inevitably be dragged into the conflict as well.
Was Toji's name still recorded in the Zen'in family registry?
Hopefully not.
Without hesitation, Zen'in Naoya immediately sent another message to his family:
[Dad, something terrible has happened. Toji killed Gojo-san.]
The weather today was beautiful and clear, yet Zen'in Naoya felt as though his entire worldview had been shaken to its foundations.
A storm was coming.
He had first met Gojo-san at the age of six.
He had first met Toji at the age of ten.
Now, at only fifteen years old, despite all the praise he constantly lavished upon his cousin Toji both publicly and privately, deep down he had always believed that Toji's strength lay in his physical abilities. Toji possessed the kind of overwhelming martial prowess that men instinctively admired.
But when it came to cursed techniques, the strongest had always been Gojo-san—the once-in-five-hundred-years prodigy of the Gojo Clan.
The Zen'in Clan revered cursed techniques above all else.
Yet Toji had overturned centuries of accepted wisdom through his own power alone.
Zen'in Naoya had never imagined that the outcome of a battle between "the strongest" would be Toji victorious and Gojo-san defeated.
It was too unbelievable.
Even now, Zen'in Naoya felt as though he were trapped in a dream. Every time he regained his senses, the situation still felt unreal.
"My Binding Vow with Kamo has been fulfilled."
Only then did the realization finally dawn on him.
Afterward, Zen'in Naoya did not immediately flee the school grounds.
Instead, his pupils shifted. His green eyes trembled as he looked back toward Tokyo Jujutsu High, which had already descended into chaos.
That place of great misfortune seemed to contain something that was drawing him back.
He acted against the most basic instinct for self-preservation.
Summoning every ounce of courage he possessed, he headed toward the place he had glimpsed through his technique—
The place where Gojo Satoru had died.
"I need to see it with my own eyes... just one more time."
Had the greatest threat feared by the entire Zen'in Clan truly died?
Covering a distance of several dozen meters in a single leap, Zen'in Naoya arrived at the scene and finally saw Gojo Satoru lying in a pool of blood.
The impact of the sight nearly made him dizzy.
Gojo-san was beautiful.
Gojo-san was powerful.
He was a jujutsu prodigy blessed with flawless looks.
And the dead Gojo-san was even more breathtakingly beautiful.
Toji had not been lying.
Every wound was fatal. The final strike had pierced straight through his skull. His snow-white hair was matted with blood and flecked with pale traces of brain matter.
The face of the white-haired boy, only one year older than Zen'in Naoya, was utterly hollow now, completely devoid of life.
"How beautiful..."
Zen'in Naoya sighed in heartfelt admiration.
He was certain that he would never witness a sight more stunning than the death of Gojo-san.
"I told everyone Toji was the strongest."
Zen'in Naoya's thoughts rapidly transformed. His worship of Fushiguro Toji reached an unprecedented peak. A cruel delight surfaced on his face, while an almost unhealthy flush spread across his cheeks.
Gojo-san.
A dead strong man was no longer strong.
Zen'in Naoya nearly wanted to cheer.
To celebrate.
To rejoice that the world no longer contained a jujutsu prodigy capable of looking down on him.
Once again, the Zen'in Clan stood at the head of the Three Great Clans.
And the Gojo Clan had fallen to the bottom.
As for Gojo-san's classmate and friend, the Cursed Spirit Manipulator—
Toji could simply kill him as well.
Even in the midst of his ecstasy, however, Zen'in Naoya did not forget the danger surrounding him. If he was careless, his cousin might casually cut him down too. Furthermore, the corpse of the Six Eyes had to be left for the Gojo Clan to handle. Anyone who touched it would be inviting endless trouble upon themselves.
Just as he was preparing to retreat and swear never to return to Tokyo Jujutsu High again, he suddenly noticed something.
One of Gojo Satoru's fingers twitched ever so slightly within the pool of blood.
[It moved?]
Zen'in Naoya stumbled backward three steps in fright.
[Was that an illusion?]
He looked again, more carefully this time.
Gojo Satoru remained exactly where he was, motionless.
The amount of blood he had lost was staggering.
[No, I couldn't have seen it wrong.]
Zen'in Naoya's thoughts and heartbeat once again descended into chaos.
For someone as proud and self-assured as him, he placed immense trust in the accuracy of his own senses.
"His brain was pierced through... and he's still alive? That's impossible!"
The person with the greatest vitality Zen'in Naoya had ever known was Toji. Even so, he could not imagine Toji surviving injuries this catastrophic.
His gaze remained fixed on Gojo Satoru without wavering as he concentrated cursed energy into his eyes.
Cursed energy was the most truthful thing in the world.
Amidst the chaotic remnants of cursed energy left behind by the battle, Zen'in Naoya discovered that traces of cursed energy fluctuations still remained within Gojo Satoru's head.
The rest of the body had fallen silent.
Only the head retained a faint spark of life.
Zen'in Naoya's voice became almost dreamlike.
"Reverse Cursed Technique?"
The Reverse Cursed Technique—
One of the highest and most advanced applications of cursed energy in the modern jujutsu world.
No—
NO!!!
Zen'in Naoya nearly screamed.
As a member of the Gojo Clan's greatest rival family, he understood better than almost anyone what it meant for Gojo Satoru to master Reverse Cursed Technique.
Six Eyes + Limitless + Reverse Cursed Technique = the strongest being in the jujutsu world.
For top-tier sorcerers, the true hallmark was not Domain Expansion.
It was mastery of Reverse Cursed Technique.
A sorcerer who could not use Reverse Cursed Technique could still be worn down and killed through prolonged battles or coordinated attacks. Such a person would never truly be qualified to claim the title of the strongest in the jujutsu world.
The previous individual who had reached such heights had lived during the Edo period.
The former Six Eyes user had left such a profound psychological scar upon the Zen'in Clan that, in the end, it had taken a clan head who possessed the Ten Shadows Technique sacrificing his own life to force a mutual death.
That was the pinnacle of healing techniques.
Once mastered, it allowed a person to heal themselves and break free from death's grasp.
In an instant, Zen'in Naoya's expression became extraordinarily complicated, a mixture of malice and jealousy so intense that it defied description.
Then he smiled.
"Gojo-san…"
Zen'in Naoya slowly took a step forward and drew a dagger from inside his clothes.
"A dead Gojo-san is the most beautiful of all."
His killing intent condensed into absolute resolve.
For the sake of his own interests, he was willing to take the risk.
"It's pathetic for a sorcerer to carry around an ordinary blade," Zen'in Naoya said softly. "But sometimes, something like this comes in handy."
He glanced at the dagger in his hand.
"It's not a cursed tool. It won't leave behind any traces of cursed energy."
His gaze returned to Gojo Satoru.
"If I stab it into the existing wound, it will match the injury to your head perfectly."
A twisted smile spread across his face.
"All I have to do is help Toji add one more strike."
"And then you're finished."
Zen'in Naoya had already made his decision.
He had even selected the perfect scapegoat.
Toji.
As long as the jujutsu world believed that Toji was the killer—and as long as Toji himself believed he had killed Gojo Satoru—then even if the truth were exposed someday, there would be little for the Gojo Clan to do. The Zen'in Clan would be more than capable of ensuring his safety.
His heart was beating faster than it ever had before.
Blood rushed through his veins.
The sensation was even more exhilarating than standing on the brink of death.
This was Gojo-san.
Fate had placed the opportunity to kill Gojo-san directly into his hands.
What incredible luck.
Had anyone else discovered Gojo-san's body, they either would not have been observant enough to notice that faint thread of life still lingering within him, or they would have lacked the courage to strike the final blow and eliminate the Six Eyes heir whom the Gojo Clan had spent countless years cultivating.
Zen'in Naoya took another step forward.
Now he stood only a short distance away from Gojo Satoru.
At the collar of his school uniform, three golden spiral-shaped buttons gleamed beneath the sunlight, reflecting a metallic bronze luster.
[Three.]
A silent countdown echoed from within the darkness.
[Two.]
A trace of killing intent appeared, only for its owner to lower his eyes and conceal it perfectly.
[One.]
Directly ahead, Zen'in Naoya raised the dagger in his right hand and aimed it at Gojo Satoru's head.
In that split second, he sensed danger approaching.
A sorcerer's instincts kicked in immediately, causing him to simultaneously activate both Falling Blossom Emotion and Projection Sorcery as a double-layered counterattack.
Falling Blossom Emotion reflected cursed energy with cursed energy.
Projection Sorcery was prepared to kill within a single second before evading the attack coming from behind.
Yet one second was both too fast—
and far too slow.
The buttons on Zen'in Naoya's uniform suddenly burst into flames.
The unexpected burn and surge of pain interrupted Projection Sorcery midway through its activation. The backlash from the technique immediately followed, freezing his body and turning him into a motionless statue for one full second.
His Falling Blossom Emotion counterattack also failed.
His attacker had not used cursed energy or a cursed technique to inflict harm.
A similar dagger pierced through Zen'in Naoya's lower back from behind, drawing a howl of agony from his throat.
Countless rehearsals within his mind and a limited number of practical training sessions culminated in this single moment.
Asou Akiya exploded forward at the fastest speed of his life.
Like a venomous serpent striking from concealment, he launched himself forward and drove the blade home, delivering a devastating blow at the exact moment Zen'in Naoya had let his guard down the most.
At the school gates, victory and defeat were decided within a single second.
Asou Akiya grievously wounded Zen'in Naoya's abdomen. The dagger tore through his intestines and disrupted the source of a sorcerer's cursed energy—the region surrounding the navel.
He yanked the dagger free.
Blood sprayed into the air.
Then he drove the blade into Zen'in Naoya's back, directly behind the heart.
Two consecutive strikes.
Both aimed at a sorcerer's vital points.
The pain was so intense that darkness flooded Zen'in Naoya's vision. Had it not been for a sorcerer's enhanced constitution, he would have collapsed on the spot.
Standing directly behind him, Asou Akiya pressed his body against Zen'in Naoya's. Their builds were similar enough that, from a distance, they might have appeared to be a single person.
His voice was dripping with malice and mockery.
"You were right. The cold weapons sorcerers carry around always end up being useful."
"Kamo—!"
Zen'in Naoya's chest throbbed with unbearable pain.
"Are you trying to kill me?! Do you think you'll escape punishment from the jujutsu world?"
He did not dare move.
If Asou Akiya withdrew the dagger, the resulting blood loss alone might finish him off.
Asou Akiya's laughter carried a note of playful cruelty.
"Not just you."
"I'll also kill Gojo Satoru, who's on the verge of awakening Reverse Cursed Technique."
The mantis stalked the cicada, unaware of the oriole waiting behind.
And Asou Akiya was that oriole.
In one swift motion, he snatched away Zen'in Naoya's weapon and phone. He threw them to the ground beneath his feet and crushed them with all his strength, ensuring that Zen'in Naoya had no chance to call for help or suddenly turn the blade against him.
Zen'in Naoya felt as though he had fallen into hell.
Just a moment ago, he had been the victor among the Three Great Clans.
The Hero of the Zen'in Clan.
The next moment, he had become a defeated man ambushed by another.
The Kamo heir intended to wipe the board clean, eliminating the successors of both the Gojo and Zen'in Clans and leaving the two families severely weakened for years to come.
Leaning close to his ear, Asou Akiya whispered,
"The Cursed Spirit Manipulator will die. Your cousin Toji's son will die as well."
Zen'in Naoya blurted out in disbelief,
"Didn't you only hate the Kamo Clan?"
Asou Akiya laughed.
"I hate the Kamo Clan? What a joke."
His voice turned cold.
"I hate every genius in the jujutsu world."
"In my eyes, even Heavenly Restriction is an exceptionally rare combat talent."
"You've all been protected by your clans for far too long. You understand nothing. You stumble forward like fools, taking every step exactly where I want you to go."
His tone dripped with contempt.
"The naive malice inside you and the naive kindness inside Gojo Satoru—I saw both of them clearly from the very beginning."
With his free hand, Asou Akiya grabbed a fistful of Zen'in Naoya's hair and yanked backward.
Pain shot through Naoya's scalp.
Forced to arch his neck, he could only feel the cold dagger embedded in his chest, a constant reminder that his life hung by a thread.
Asou Akiya looked down on him with open disdain.
"So what if you're a Special Grade sorcerer?"
"So what if you're the Six Eyes?"
"So what if your cursed energy surpasses mine?"
"A Grade 2 sorcerer? A high-level inherited technique? The Zen'in Clan's secret art, Falling Blossom Emotion?"
His lips curved into a mocking smile.
"Naoya, intelligence is also a form of strength."
Using reality itself as a lesson, Asou Akiya taught Zen'in Naoya what true strength looked like.
"My cousin Toji is coming this way," Zen'in Naoya spat through gritted teeth. His hatred for Asou Akiya had reached its limit. "Once he sees us here, he won't mind killing both of us."
He was willing to invoke the name of the Heavenly Tyrant in order to threaten him.
Asou Akiya simply revealed the truth.
"Don't worry."
"He'll die too."
"Impossible!"
Zen'in Naoya shouted. Blood continued to pour from his abdominal wounds as he hurled curse after curse at his enemy.
"Kamo, you liar!"
"You may have deceived me today, but you'll never truly gain a foothold in the jujutsu world!"
"The geniuses you hate are the ones who rule it!"
His voice grew increasingly hoarse.
"You're nothing but a worthless failure!"
"The Zen'in Clan will avenge me!"
Asou Akiya repeated, "Trash?"
Seeing that the other man had no intention of begging for mercy, he was more than willing to indulge Naoya's attempt to stall for time.
"Didn't you want to see Toji? I'll grant your wish."
Asou Akiya's hand slid downward and clamped around Zen'in Naoya's throat, forcibly turning him to face another direction.
Fushiguro Toji strode forward with his blade in hand. His flat-soled shoes landed lightly against the ground, his movements as nimble as a prowling beast. Looking at Naoya's miserable state with obvious amusement, he remarked, "Isn't this that kid from the Zen'in family? Got stabbed by one of your classmates?"
Fushiguro Toji lifted his head to look at the helicopters circling overhead and frowned.
"What a pain."
He had already defeated Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru one after another, draining a considerable amount of his stamina. Now there were seven helicopters approaching from different directions, making pursuit much more difficult. Unlike Gojo Satoru, he had no way to fly freely through the air, and that was his greatest disadvantage.
He needed money.
He still wanted to catch up with them.
Otherwise, Toji thought to himself, his only option would be to turn back, haul away Gojo Satoru's corpse, and sell it for cash.
Just as Fushiguro Toji found himself caught between two choices, Asou Akiya's calm, unhurried voice rang out, offering him another path.
"Mr. Fushiguro, there's no need to rush. Have you received your new assignment yet?"
Fushiguro Toji looked at him in surprise.
"...You're the client? The one who spent fifty million to convince Kong Shiu?"
The last traces of color drained from Zen'in Naoya's face, replaced by naked terror.
Was Kamo the mastermind behind all of this? The bounty wasn't even over? And the lawless monster Toji actually had a rule against killing his own clients?
"Yes," Asou Akiya replied. "I'm the client for your new assignment. I'm hiring you to kill the person in charge of the Star Religious Group."
Then, with a chilling smile, Asou Akiya said to Fushiguro Toji,
"Go and kill without any worries. As for the bodies here, I'll arrange for Zen'in Naoya to murder Gojo Satoru before taking his own life out of fear of punishment. Let the Zen'in clan and the Gojo clan tear each other apart like dogs biting dogs."
For perhaps the first time ever, Fushiguro Toji let out a derisive laugh.
"Dogs biting dogs? Not a bad idea."
If someone else was willing to shoulder the blame for him, why would he refuse?
"Mr. Fushiguro, is Getou Suguru dead? I mean the Cursed Spirit Manipulator."
"He's not dead. Once I'm gone, do whatever you want with him."
With that, Fushiguro Toji completely ignored the pleading look in Zen'in Naoya's eyes and broke into a full sprint.
No matter what, he would first try shooting down a few of those helicopters and see whether his target was aboard one of them.
Having said that, Fushiguro Toji completely ignored the desperate plea in Zen'in Naoya's eyes and strode away without hesitation.
No matter what, he intended to try shooting down a few helicopters first and see whether his target was aboard one of them.
Zen'in Naoya's throat was being crushed so tightly that only strangled sounds escaped him. He could do nothing but watch helplessly as Toji continued his pursuit of the Star Plasma Vessel.
Asou Akiya spoke softly, almost gently.
"How pitiful, Naoya."
"Toji doesn't care about you at all."
"You will never understand the way Toji thinks."
"You couldn't even become friends with Gojo Satoru."
Asou Akiya continued,
"I can understand them."
"I can understand their wishes and their desires."
"In this world, only by seeing into a person's heart can you place them in the position where they belong and achieve the outcome you want."
Tears blurred Zen'in Naoya's vision.
He was furious.
Humiliated.
Yet stubbornly unwilling to lower his head.
[Kamo is only good at manipulating people's hearts!]
[Gojo-san was defeated by Toji, and Getou-san was defeated by Toji as well! Kamo merely picked up the rewards afterward!]
Asou Akiya saw straight through his temperament.
"I know you're unwilling to accept it."
"And I will shatter that pride of yours for you."
Ignoring the chaos unfolding around them, Asou Akiya fixed his gaze upon Zen'in Naoya.
Zen'in Naoya's pupils contracted violently.
His entire body trembled.
Then Asou Akiya enunciated every word with deliberate clarity.
"Naoya, since I'm in a good mood, I'll tell you something."
"I have never considered you a genius."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You?"
"You are nothing more than a mediocre man with an inflated opinion of himself."
"Let's establish a second Binding Vow."
[A mediocre man with an inflated opinion of myself?!!]
Zen'in Naoya felt as though his heart had been pierced repeatedly throughout this single day.
Tears nearly fell from his eyes.
"This is the only way you'll survive."
The contents of the second Binding Vow were shocking.
Zen'in Naoya wanted to live.
Yet he was unwilling to bow his head.
The sheer shamelessness of the proposal made him want to curse Asou Akiya to his face.
"Tokyo Jujutsu High has a five-year curriculum."
"You will remain here and complete those five years of study until graduation."
"Before graduation, you will serve as my servant."
"You will obey every command I give."
"You will not disclose any information about me."
"You will not defy any order issued by your master."
Asou Akiya finished listing his demands in a single breath.
Only then did he loosen the fingers gripping Zen'in Naoya's throat slightly, leaving behind dark purple bruises around his neck.
Zen'in Naoya said in a hoarse voice,
"You... dream on!"
Asou Akiya was not surprised by his reaction.
The smile that never seemed to leave his face appeared especially terrifying at this moment. Zen'in Naoya felt as though he had fallen into a bottomless pit filled with schemes and conspiracies.
This was different from fighting with blades and fists.
This was a world governed by intellect and calculation.
A world ruled entirely by coldness.
Entirely by reason.
Cursed techniques, cursed energy, status, courage—these were merely chips placed upon the table.
Asou Akiya looked at him at eye level.
Yet it felt as though he were looking down from above, gazing directly into the soul of the Zen'in heir and seeing the fear hidden within it.
"I know that you regard Toji as the strongest person in your heart."
"What happened today has only strengthened that belief."
After Fushiguro Toji had disappeared into the distance, Asou Akiya continued,
"How about we make an interesting wager?"
"Let's bet on Fushiguro Toji's fate."
"If you win, I'll spare your life."
"If you lose, you'll agree to my conditions."
The light returned to Zen'in Naoya's dim green eyes.
More than he trusted himself, he trusted Toji's strength.
He believed Toji was the strongest person in the jujutsu world.
Asou Akiya calmly declared,
"Before sunset today, I wager that he will die in a one-on-one battle."
The statement landed like a prophecy.
Zen'in Naoya stared at him in stunned silence.
The black-haired, black-eyed youth stood there with complete confidence, as though every outcome was already within his grasp.
There was not the slightest hint of hesitation.
The burning intensity in his eyes seemed to scorch Zen'in Naoya.
Everything hurt.
His wounds hurt.
His chest hurt.
Even his eyes hurt.
His vision blurred with tears until he could barely keep them open.
Zen'in Naoya wanted to curse him.
Wanted to shout until his voice broke.
Wanted to prove that Toji stood at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world and could never lose—
But he was afraid.
The combination of intelligence and that gentle smile made Asou Akiya's face appear extraordinarily mild.
Yet the words coming out of his mouth were filled with a madness that stood in complete opposition to that appearance.
"I'll add one more clause," said Asou Akiya.
He stepped closer.
The malice behind his actions went far beyond merely killing someone.
Zen'in Naoya understood.
The other man did not simply want him dead.
He wanted him to kneel willingly.
He would never agree…
Never…
The last remnants of his wavering pride collapsed under a single sentence from Asou Akiya.
"If I lose, I'll be your dog."
"For the same period of five years."
"During those five years, I'll help you become the next head of the Zen'in Clan. I'll help you learn Domain Expansion. I'll help you obtain the Special Grade power you've always dreamed of."
Asou Akiya smiled at him sweetly.
"I guarantee it with my intellect and my life."
"There is no deception involved."
"Once the Binding Vow is established, if I lose, I will absolutely be capable of fulfilling those promises."
The power of intelligence and the confidence born from genuine conviction were things that even the laws governing Binding Vows recognized.
[After the jujutsu world loses Gojo Satoru and Getou Suguru, wouldn't I become one of the most outstanding geniuses among the Three Great Clans?]
[Twenty is the age at which a traditional sorcerer's potential is usually exhausted.]
[Kamo is saying he can help me learn Domain Expansion and ascend to the pinnacle as a Special Grade sorcerer within five years?]
[You've got to be joking.]
[Can Kamo really accomplish something this absurd through intelligence alone?!]
Zen'in Naoya's pupils widened.
The prospect felt like a dream.
He had never dared imagine a day when he would touch the threshold of Special Grade.
Grade 1 had always been the limit he envisioned for himself.
He had believed that, at most, he would one day reach the same height as his father.
Faced with the tangible temptation of power, authority, and strength, every defensive wall around Zen'in Naoya's heart crumbled completely.
He pushed all his chips onto Toji.
A sorcerer's instincts made him greedier than ever.
"You have to swear it upon your soul..."
Asou Akiya was more than happy to comply.
"Of course."
Then he reminded the other man,
"The same applies to you, Naoya."
The complete Binding Vow was established as follows:
The two of them swore upon their souls, bodies, and lives, creating a wager that placed both freedom and dignity upon the line.
The subject of the wager was the fate of Fushiguro Toji—formerly Zen'in Toji—before sunset on that very day.
Asou Akiya wagered that Fushiguro Toji would die in a one-on-one battle.
Zen'in Naoya wagered that Fushiguro Toji would survive.
If Asou Akiya won, then Zen'in Naoya would obey Asou Akiya's orders for five years, attend school obediently, and remain there until graduation.
If Zen'in Naoya won, then Asou Akiya would obey Zen'in Naoya's orders for five years, assist him in every matter, and help him ascend to the rank of Special Grade.
With that, the Binding Vow was complete.
Unless one of them died, neither side would ever be able to back out.
___
Author's Note:
Akiya really can help Naoya learn Domain Expansion and obtain Special Grade-level combat power.
Here's a dark little joke:
According to the original canon, all you have to do is let an ordinary person kill Naoya.
Once he becomes the Cursed Spirit Naoya, he's already at the Special Grade level and even possesses a Domain Expansion.