Everyone's eyes went wide as Choso shouted, "What do you mean starting with Kiyotaka?!!"
Tengen sighed and said, "Ayanokoji Kiyotaka. Vessel of Sukuna. Child of the White Room. You were possibly at the highest level a human can achieve without the use of Cursed Energy of a Heavenly Restriction, both mentally and physically. In fact, you dwarf the second and third place in those regards."
Megumi looked to Kiyotaka, thinking, 'I knew he was strong, but that strong?'
Kiyotaka sighed and said, "I think I understand. Kenjaku and the man who calls himself my father manufactured me. Then, when I proved myself as the best in the White Room, they decided to make me the template for this Merger."
Tengen nodded, saying, "Indeed."
Tsukumo sweated and asked, "So he's trying to create people of that level?"
"That's the goal my father is striving for. The mass production of equally excellent people. Using me as a template makes sense for that. Also, if Kenjaku wants to create chaos that he can't control, then someone who has already surpassed his expectations is the choice that makes sense. That person being me."
Kiyotaka said this as everyone felt tense.
Megumi then said, "Hold on. Tengen's assimilation should only be possible with a Star Plasma Vessel."
"Previously, that was true. But since I started evolving 12 years ago, assimilation with someone other than a Star Plasma Vessel is possible."
Tengen said this as Choso with a tense voice, "But you're just one person, right? How would you assimilate with multiple people?"
Tengen looked to them and said, "What you see before you right now isn't my real self. Now that I've evolved, my soul is everywhere. The world itself is who I am, now", as they multiplied into a hundred clones.
Many sweated at this revelation as they went on saying, "People who assimilated with me now become something more than a sorcerer. They would become a new being that's both there and not there."
ID-Card silhouettes began appearing around Tengen as they continued saying, "I'm able to retain my shape and reason after evolving because of my barrier techniques. However, if mankind were to evolve, then if even one of them went out of control, the world would end."
Kiyotaka sighed and said, "I see. Because if you're merged with everyone, then technically, there are no barriers between individuals. Even one going out of control would create an instant chain reaction."
Tsukumo smiled, thinking, 'This guy is really keeping up with this conversation so easily? He really is interesting. I need to ask what type of woman is his type later.'
Kiyotaka nodded and said, "That's likely why I'm being chosen as the template. I have a level of self-control that surpasses any other human in history. Still, I don't believe that would be enough to guarantee that all 8 billion people and rising would adopt that same level of self-control or if that level would even be sufficient."
Tengen nodded as Maki asked, "But wouldn't everything be fine as long as you rejected the assimilation?"
"That's the issue. Now that I've evolved, my nature is closer to that of a Cursed Spirit than a human. So... I can be targeted by Cursed Spirit Manipulation."
Everyone's eyes widened, including Kiyotaka's, as he thought, 'The evolution of Humans is directed strongly to becoming like Cursed Spirits?!!'
Tengen continued saying, "Considering Kenjaku's strength as a sorcerer, I would likely be absorbed the moment he made contact. That's why my main body is rejecting everything in the Tombs of the Star right now."
Yuta then asked, "That's why you want us to guard you?"
Tengen nodded, saying, "Kenjaku is second only to me in his skill with Barrier Techniques. I don't know when he'll manage to break the seal on the Tombs of the Star."
"Why now? You were stopped from assimilating with the Star Plasma Vessel. Now you've been forced to evolve, and he seeks to absorb you with Cursed Spirit Manipulation. Kenjaku also seems to have connections to Sukuna. So he's been a sorcerer for at least 1000 years. So why now?"
Tsukumo asked this as Tengen answered, saying, "Because I, the Star Plasma Vessel, and the Six-Eyes are all connected by fate. Twice in the past, Kenjaku was stopped by the sorcerer with the Six-Eyes. The second time, Kenjaku was thorough. He killed both the Star Plasma Vessel and the bearer of the Six-Eyes within a month of their birth. Despite that, the Six-Eyes and the Star Plasma Vessel still appeared on the day of my assimilation. After that, Kenjaku altered his strategy to focus on sealing the bearer of the Six-Eyes instead of killing him, and he began searching for the Prison Realm because there cannot be two people with the Six-Eyes at the same time. However, twelve years ago-"
Kiyotaka's eyes sharpened, thinking, 'Twelve years ago. The bloodstains.'
Tengen went on saying, "-something unpredictable happened. Zenin Toji interfered. He was physically gifted through a Heavenly Pact. And he was unique among them for being completely free from Cursed Energy. Since his Heavenly Pact placed him outside of fate, he destroyed the fate connecting us. Then, a young man with the power of Cursed Spirit Manipulation appeared. Without even trying, he now had all the necessary pieces other than the Prison Realm. Then, six years ago, the Prison Realm made its way into Kenjaku's hands, as well."
Megumi then asked, "Then why is the Culling game being hosted?"
"It's likely a procedure to make sure that the assimilation goes smoothly. A cull of the population to reduce the burden and battles to the death will forcibly enhance the Cursed Energy of the participants in the Culling Game, providing higher quality participants for the Assimilation process. Additionally, it's likely a Cursed Energy gathering mechanism to make the activation of the assimilation possible."
Kiyotaka answered this question, and Tengen nodded, saying, "It is also a ritual to send the Japanese people to the other side. However, in order to establish that ritual, Kenjaku should have been forced to accept several pacts. One of them is that Kenjaku cannot be the Game Master of the Culling Game himself."
Nobara smiled and said, "That's great! He ain't some omnipresent prick with full control then!"
Tegen shook their head and said, "No. He is not, but that also serves as a disadvantage to you all, because it means that killing Kenjaku won't end the Culling Game. Either all of the players must die, or all the players must refuse to participate and die. The Culling Game won't end until then. The continuation mentioned in the Culling game's rules is insurance to prevent the ritual from being stopped."
[Rule 6: By spending 100 points, not counting the initial point value assigned to them, Players may negotiate with the game master to add an additional rule to the Culling Game.]
Kiyotaka nodded and said, "We'll need to participate in the Culling Games as well."
Yuta nodded, saying, "We'll need to create a rule that creates a way out of the game for Tsumiki-san and those reluctant to participate."
Megumi looked serious and said, "We also need to free Gojo-Sensei at the same time. That man could resolve everything on his own."
Tengen looked to them and said, "Now decide who will stay."
Kiyotaka looked to Yuta and said, "I would advise that Okkotsu-Senpai stay behind. From what I could tell at first glance, you're stronger than Kenjaku. If we add one more, then maybe Choso."
Choso nodded, saying, "That's fine by me. [Noritoshi Kamo]... If Kenjaku is coming after Tengen, that's all the more reason for me to stay. Because slaying him will save my younger brothers."
Yuta deadpanned, saying, "Please don't call me Senpai. It feels weird to be called that by someone a whole year older than me."
"You're a Second Year, though."
Yuta acknowledged it but said, "It still feels strange. As for me staying behind, I understand what you mean, but I'm not actually sure about it. There are many innocent people out there who need protection. Also... I don't want to be separated from everyone anymore either."
Tsukumo stepped forward and said, "It's fine. I'll stay behind. After all, I'm still not finished talking with Tengen."
Maki then said, "Yuta and Tsukumo-San are both Special Grades. If one of them can handle it, then the other should be able to do it too. If not, then that's that."
Nobara raised her hand and said, "I'm staying behind too. It's not like I can move around properly anyway, so it's better if I stay put."
Tsukumo smiled and said, "Got it. We're counting on you."
Kiyotaka sighed and said, "If you're dead set on it, then there's no point in continuing on about it. Also, I acknowledge that there's a possibility that there will be threats in the Culling Games that require Okkotsu's participation. In that circumstance, restricting Okkotsu to this place would be playing into Kenjaku's hands. As for myself, I have commitments that I can't attend to from this place. Let's work up a plan from here."
Tengan closed her eyes and said, "Thank you", before pulling out a box from a black fire-like tear in space, and saying, "This is the [Back] of the Prison Realm, that you'll need in order to free Saotru Gojo."
Many looked surprised as Tsukumo then said, "First I've heard of it."
Tengen went on saying, "Before Kenjaku found it, the Prison Realm was outside of my barriers. Probably somewhere abroad. By keeping this [Back] sealed, I concealed the presence of the [Front], but it didn't work. Storu Gojo is also sealed within this [Back] gate."
Kiyotaka crossed his arms and asked, "I'm assuming that freeing him won't be as simple as we would hope?"
"The authority to open the gates rests with the owner of the [Front]- Kenjaku."
Tengen said this as they continued saying, "In order to break this one open, you need either the Inerted Spear of Heaven that can force the cancellation of Cursed Techniques, or the Black Rope that can disrupt and cancel out the effects of a Cursed Technique. However, twelve years ago, Satoru Gojo either sealed the Inverted Spear of Heaven abroad or destroyed it. The Black Rope was also completely expended against Satoru Gojo last year."
Megumi gritted his teeth, saying, "What was that man thinking?!"
Yuta then said, "Oh. Miguel-san and I were searching Africa for more of that Black Rope."
Megumi's eyes turned to Yuta, saying, "So that's why you were abroad."
"It was a complete waste of effort, though. It's all gone."
Yuta said this as Tsukumo asked, "There's still some way, right?"
"Yes. Among the Players participating in the Culling Game, there's a sorcerer from 100 years ago who calls herself [Angel]. Her Cursed Technique can extinguish any other Cursed Technique."
Tengen said this as Megumi repeated the statement, asking, "Extinguish any Cursed Technique?"
Tengen confirmed, saying, 'Yes. The Angel's Cursed Technique can open the Back of the Prison Realm."
Megumi then asked, "Do you know where she is right now?"
"She's in the Colony on the east side of Tokyo. The Culling Game's barriers reject me, so I don't have more information than that."
Suddenly, a hologram of Japan appeared above everyone wth red circles signifying Colonies as Tengen said, "Let's start going over things from here."
Everyone looked up as Tengen then said, "There are eleven Colonies across Japan. They are linked by Barriers designed to ferry the people of Japan to the other side."
Kiyotaka's eyes widened for a second as he said [ANHS Colony] and thought, 'They assigned a specific colony for ANHS?'
Then the hologram showed a percentage meter filling up, and when it reached 100%, a curtain expanded across the holographic Japan, blanketing it as Tsukumo asked, "Is Hokkaido excluded because of the Jujutsu Society's barriers?"
"That's right. That land is already established as a vast sacred ground."
Tengen confirmed this as they went on to say, "[Ferry them across to the other side] may sound dramatic, but everyone in Japan was cursed in preparation for the assimilation. Once the process is completed, Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's soul will be sifted to the front and ferried first as a Template for the other souls."
Megumi then asked, "How long will this ritual take to complete?"
"That depends on the Culling Game, but it'll probably be over within two months."
[Rule 1: After awakening their Cursed Technique, players must go to a colony of their choice within 19 days and pledge their participation in the Culling Game.]
Maki then said, "It's currently 9 am on November 9th."
Yuta then said, "The players awakened as Sorcerers around midnight on October 31st."
Megumi sweated, saying, "We have about ten days and fifteen hours before Tsumiki's forced to participate.
[Rule 2: Players breaching the First Rule shall be stripped of their technique.]
Megumi then said, "Tengen-sama, you said earlier that people would die if they refused to participate."
"Yes."
Maki then said, "Then it's as Shoko-San anticipated. Stripping of one's Technique leads to death, but that also means there's no risk to sorcerers without any Cursed Technique, like me. And what'll happen to Panda? Does he even have a brain?"
[Rule 3: Non-Players shall become Players upon entering a Colony, and their entry shall be taken as pledging to participate in the Culling Game.]
Nobara then asked, 'Hey. What about the civilians already living in these spots?"
Tengen responded, saying, "It means they're guaranteed at least one chance to leave."
Kiyotaka sighed, thinking, 'I thought that would be the case, but I feel better having it confirmed.'
"I suppose the premise of [Players entered of their own free will] is important. Probably to ensure the strength of the barriers in keeping Players inside the barriers."
Kiyotaka said this as Tengen nodded in confirmation.
[Rule 4: Players will receive Points upon ending the life of another player.]
[Rule 5: Points shall be designated based on the value that the Game Master gives their life, and fundamentally, a sorcerer will be worth 5 points, while non-sorcerers will be worth one point.]
Then Megumi clicked his tongue and asked, "Tengen-sama, who is this Game Master?"
"Every individual Player is given a Shikigami called [Kogane]. To be precise, Kogane isn't the Game Master-it's an interface. It's best to think og the Culling Game system itself as the Game Master."
[Rule 6: By spending 100 points, not counting the initial point value assigned to them, Players may negotiate with the game master to add an additional rule to the Culling Game.]
Tsukumo then said, "[Add] huh? So no eliminating existing rules."
Kiyotaka shook his head and said, "That's not certain. Nothing in the rules says that we can't, so we shouldn't assume it isn't possible yet. We might be able to add a rule to allow the removal of rules."
Megumi nodded, saying, "Even if we can't, we might be able to replace or refute them in some way."
[Rule 7: The Game Master must approve any additional rules requested under Rule 6 above, except when the Rule would significantly hinder the continuation of the Culling Game.]
Choso then asked, "Is this allowed?"
Maki seemed to agree with Chosos's surprise, saying, "Right? It leans too heavily on their judgment."
Tengen then said, "No, you should be able to expect a fair decision here. They're already imposing such strong rules on the Players. They're already imposing such strong rules on the Players. Jujutsu Sorcery wouldn't allow them to favour Kenjaku any further."
[Rule 8: Players who don't show a change in points within 19 days of joining or acquiring points shall be stripped of their technique.]
Maki sighed and said, "We've managed to organise our information for now. That just leaves the roles of each of us. Tsukumo-San, Choso and Kugisaki will remain here to guard Tengen-sama. I need to return to the Zenin house and retrieve their Cursed Tools. Shortly after Satoru was sealed, the Kamo and Zenin Clans both took their Cursed Tools out of Jujutsu High's forbidden vault, so it's empty. However, Megumi's now the head of the Zenin Clan."
Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow before saying, "So that's why Naoya wanted you dead."
Megumi deadpanned at this, thinking, 'That asshole.'
Maki went on saying, "Thanks to that, we're free to rummage through the Zenin Clan's forbidden vault. But before that, Tengen-sama..."
Tengen looked to Maki, saying, "I know. Juzo Kumiya's atelier, right?"
Maki turned to Tengen, saying, "Thank you. Once I'm finished, I'll look for Panda and help deal with the Culling game."
She turned to Yuta and asked, "And you, Yuta?"
Yuta smiled and said, 'I'll enter a Colony and participate in the Culling Game right away. I'd like to gather as much information as possible before Tsumiki-san and Fushiguro-kun participate in the Culling Game."
Megumi sighed in relief, saying, "Thank you."
Kiyotaka then said, "I'll only ask that you leave the ANHS Colony to me."
Yuta nodded, saying, "That's fine. But I guess this will mean that I'll be acting on my own again, but the prevent us from clashing with each other, and to avoid running into her is something does happen to Tsumiki-san, I'll stay away from nearby colonies. The colonies might cut off reception, so I might be out of contact for a while..."
Kiyotaka stopped him and said, "What I said back then was only a safeguard. Also, I don't think Sukuna will try anything for a while. If he's looking for a loophole, then he won't be able to find it so quickly."
Yuta sighed and said, "Alright then."
Megumi turned to Maki and Yuta and said, 'Snepai..."
Maki nodded, saying, "Ayanokoji. Before you head to the ANHS Colony, go see Kinji with Megumi."
"The third year? He's a Grade 1, right?"
Kiyotaka asked this, and Yuta nodded, saying, "Yes. He's strong. After all, when he's pumped up, he's stronger than me."
Kiyotaka deadpanned, thinking, 'I don't really want to think that there is someone potentially stronger than you other than Gojo-Sensei, Sukuna and Kenjaku.'
Maki then said, "That's impossible", refuting Yuta's claim that Hakari is stronger.
The group began walking out as Nobara shouted to Kiyotaka and Megumi, "If you two die, then I'll kill you. Do you hear me?"
Kiyotaka and Megumi smiled slightly at this as Choso called out, "Kiyo."
"Yeah?"
Choso smiled, saying, "Don't die out there."
Kiyotaka replied, "I'll say the same to you. Keep each other alive."
Choso held his face with his hand as the group left, and Tsukumo asked, "Are you crying?"
Choso waved his hand saying, "Shush shush."
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Chapter?
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