Utahime Iori finally saw the legendary King of Curses.
"Pfft."
Then her dream shattered into pieces.
"Pfft ha."
Utahime Iori said with an expressionless face, "Go ahead and laugh if you want to."
"PFFT HAHAHAHA, HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Mahito laughed extremely loudly.
Utahime Iori gritted her teeth.
Since the King of Curses destroyed the Zenin Family, all ambitious Jujutsu Sorcerers would study that battle in detail, and Utahime Iori was no exception. She was also one of the lucky ones; she often quarreled and bickered with Gojo Satoru, but both she and Gojo Satoru trusted each other deeply. Because of this, Utahime Iori knew more than others.
Others merely knew the King of Curses was terrifyingly powerful, cruel, and tyrannical, but she knew the Zenin Family had brought it entirely upon themselves.
On the contrary, the image of the Lord of Curses was quite good in her eyes. He had suffered humiliation, yet he did not take cruel revenge on the Zenin Family.
At that time, the King of Curses went alone, personally visiting their doorstep on a stormy night. All the surviving elderly and children of the Zenin Family could hear the thunderous self-introduction, like an ancient warrior dismantling a clan single-handedly, truly elegant and unrestrained.
He indeed possessed the demeanor of the ancients. He spared the elderly and the young, leaving a seed for the Zenin Family.
But now...
"Pfft hehe, hehehehe."
Mahito couldn't stop laughing.
He wore an ordinary white shirt, dark-colored trousers, and was barefoot. His white hair fell over his shoulders, slightly messy from lack of care. He sat on a zabuton cushion, very rudely with one leg crossed and the other propped up, looking like a college student casually lounging on a tatami mat at home.
If it weren't for the reactions of the people around her confirming he was the legendary King of Curses, Utahime Iori might have really mistaken him for some carefree college student.
Because there wasn't a trace of gloom about him, let alone solemnity and dignity; she could even detect a hint of innocence and naivety in him.
Damn it!
Utahime Iori really thought she was going crazy, actually seeing innocence and naivety in the King of Curses!
Utahime Iori had a very familiar feeling.
Damn it, isn't this Gojo Satoru?!
This guy is just the Cursed Spirit version of Gojo Satoru!
Her dream was truly shattered!
Utahime Iori muttered gloomily, "If you're going to kill or torture me, please hurry up."
Mahito adjusted his breathing several times before finally managing to suppress his laughter.
This was simply too comical.
A teacher from the prestigious Kyoto Jujutsu High, captured by a patrolling Intelligent Cursed Spirit, and moreover, captured because she actively approached it.
Mahito truly never dreamed such a thing could happen.
"Master, this Jujutsu Sorcerer wanted to understand our ideals, so I brought her to meet you," the Chisato said earnestly and methodically.
She was kneeling properly and respectfully beside Mahito. On his other side was Kazeha, also kneeling properly.
Utahime Iori sat opposite them.
Beside Utahime was Ogami Granny, listening to the conversation with great interest. Behind them sat a cross-legged young man.
There were six people in the reception room, but it didn't feel crowded. Each person had a low table in front of them, and they sat on soft zabuton cushions.
"You want to know our ideals?" Mahito asked with interest.
Utahime Iori was now completely in a state of self-abandonment.
Perhaps the Chisato had no intention of killing her, but clearly, she wasn't the one in charge. The subordinates of a faction could be naive, cute, and foolish, but the leader of a faction would never be like that.
Unfortunately, the person who would absolutely never be like that was right before her eyes.
Utahime Iori said solemnly, "Everyone in the Jujutsu World wants to know."
"Overthrow the Jujutsu World, become gods," Mahito said in a flippant tone. "I thought you could guess that much."
"Of course we can guess that. What we can't guess is your true intentions," Utahime Iori asked straightforwardly. "The moment we learned of the appearance of Intelligent Cursed Spirits, we guessed you wanted to overturn the Jujutsu World, and becoming gods was also within our speculations. But that can only be called ambition, not ideals. I want to know your true ideals."
That was a well-posed question.
Mahito's flippant expression faded slightly.
"This shouldn't be a question coming from you. I thought you held infinite confidence in Gojo Satoru. No matter how much power I displayed, it couldn't shake the image of the invincible Gojo Satoru in your heart."
Because asking this question was practically like preparing for the possibility of Gojo Satoru's failure, before Cursed Spirits truly ruled the world.
"I do have absolute confidence in Satoru," Utahime Iori said frankly. "But that doesn't prevent me from wanting to understand you better. There's no contradiction."
No, it's already contradictory.
Because if we were truly insignificant pawns, you wouldn't be interested in our ideals at all.
Your intense interest now proves you already have a premonition of Gojo Satoru's failure.
It seems the destruction of the Zenin Family really struck a sensitive nerve in the Jujutsu World.
Yuki Tsukumo's failure hasn't spread yet. If it does, Mahito is certain a large wave of traitorous Sorcerers would actively contact him.
No matter how powerful Yuki Tsukumo is, powerful enough to sink Japan with a single punch, she still has to walk on two legs, still has to take a plane to return to Japan.
But Mahito is different.
With a curtain drop, he returns to Japan in an instant, with no distance in between.
Ui Ui's teleportation is just so damn useful.
Mahito looked at Utahime Iori.
Utahime Iori met his gaze unflinchingly with a stern look.
Mahito suddenly asked, "Do you believe in fate?"
Utahime Iori frowned.
"You're not going to say you're some destined lord or something, are you?"
"You should believe in fate. All Jujutsu Sorcerers should," Mahito said calmly. "This country has a population of over 126 million people. Among them, Jujutsu Sorcerers number less than ten thousand. Among those ten thousand, those possessing an Innate Technique number less than a thousand. Have you ever wondered why you became one of them?"
Utahime Iori actually knew this argument.
She showed a mocking smile.
"You're talking about the traditionalist rhetoric of the Jujutsu World. I understand it better than you do."
"Jujutsu Sorcerers are naturally superior by one level. Those possessing great power should rule the world. It's not about whether the Jujutsu Sorcerers are willing, but that they must. Because if those with great power don't stay in their proper place, and are occupied by mediocrities, it will only bring disaster."
Utahime Iori looked at Mahito's unchanged expression, her mockery intensifying.
"That kind of rhetoric can fool others, but I'm a teacher at Kyoto Jujutsu High! Of course I know what kind of disaster it would cause if those with power don't stay in high positions. From an empirical standpoint, that statement is correct—"
"—but this is nothing more than brainwashing rhetoric!"
Utahime Iori's voice grew loud and clear, without a trace of fear or timidity in her eyes.
She stared at Mahito, speaking with imposing dignity:
"Modern society is a precise gear structure. No one can exist apart from others."
"The clothes you wear now, the food you eat, even the place you live—none of these things can exist without tailors, farmers, and workers."
"In ancient times, a powerful hermit only needed to wear a straw raincoat and sit by a river fishing to eat delicious fish every day, so they were content. Even if a daimyo came to invite them, they would scoff."
"But if they tasted modern food, got used to modern phones, and enjoyed air conditioning on a scorching summer day, I swear even the most serene hermit would be conquered by modern society."
"But these things, a hermit simply cannot achieve alone. They can only rely on the functioning of modern society."
"Therefore, as powerful Jujutsu Sorcerers, protecting ordinary human society is of course and undoubtedly the most righteous thing to do. This isn't just a moral issue; it's about safeguarding our quality of life and protecting our homeland."
At this moment, even though she was a captive, Utahime Iori's voice was as firm as a warrior's.
She stared into Mahito's heterochromia, like a steel-willed teacher reprimanding a disappointing disciple.
"And why does modern society have such powerful charm? Because of knowledge! Because of culture! Because of population!"
"Powerful industrial chains require advanced knowledge. Rich entertainment requires the inheritance of national culture. And all of this, only a large population can accomplish."
Here, Utahime Iori revealed a cold smile.
"Just as you said yourself, how many Jujutsu Sorcerers are there? Can they accomplish all this?"
"Only ordinary people! Only the vast population of ordinary people can accomplish this!"
"To farm! To harvest crops! To fish! To process! To transport! To be chefs! Finally, for chefs to serve your favorite dishes on your table."
"In this whole series of processes, which powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer is willing to complete each step one by one?"
Even if they could, they wouldn't want to!
"Many Jujutsu Sorcerers complain that fighting in the Jujutsu World is dangerous. For safety, they choose to return to society immediately after graduation, choosing to live as ordinary people. But many of them choose to return within a few years. Why?"
"They can't bear to live out their remaining days as mere cogs in the societal machine!"
Utahime Iori's voice grew louder and more resonant.
The flippant look on Mahito's face had completely vanished. He did not interrupt Utahime Iori's speech, instead listening quietly.
Utahime Iori held nothing back, loudly reprimanding:
"Take you, for example. Do you understand sociology? Do you understand management? Can you allocate resources fairly? Do you have the social skills of a born king?"
"If you truly had that ability, guess why the Jujutsu Higher-Ups don't directly replace the Japanese government's functions and choose to huddle in the darkness as shadow rulers? Is it because they don't want to?"
"It's because they can't!"
"These power-centric theorists who preach that those with power must hold high positions, in fact, understand better than anyone that power alone cannot accomplish everything!"
"They also need comfortable environments, they also need good food, they also need imposing and dignified clothes."
"These can only be supplied by the vast population of ordinary people."
"Just because you have great power, you think you're the master of life?"
"Don't make me laugh!"
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