Chapter 178 178: Stolen
[Check Out My P4treon For +30 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! And get chapters before publishing them here for free on my p4treon][https://p4treon.com/talkfictome]
===
The "Veil (Barrier)" falling over Jujutsu High was set up specifically for Gojo Satoru.
Its purpose was singular: to keep him out.
This could be considered another application of a "Heavenly Restriction."
Therefore, while the barrier appeared massive in scale, it was actually just for show for anyone other than Gojo Satoru, having no actual effect; anyone else could enter and exit at will.
Kenjaku's goal in designing all of this was merely to draw Teacher Gojo's attention.
This way, it would be easy for the Cursed Spirits under his command to successfully enter Tengen's barrier and find the sealed Sukuna fingers and the Special Grade Cursed Objects—the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings (Numbers 1 through 3).
There's no need to explain the detailed process; once Kenjaku successfully diverted Gojo Satoru's attention, the final result was bound to be a success.
From a certain perspective, these Death Paintings could be considered Kenjaku's offspring.
In the early Meiji era, a woman appeared with a unique constitution that allowed her to conceive children with Cursed Spirits.
Kenjaku, who occupied the body of Noritoshi Kamo at the time, forced the woman through nine pregnancies and abortions, using his own bloodline to create nine half-human, half-Cursed Spirit hybrids.
Because of these actions, the Kamo Clan gained an indelible stain and was attacked by the Jujutsu World for a long time.
Thus, Kenjaku is both the father of the nine Cursed Wombs and the mother of Itadori Yuji.
With this layer of relationship, and following the order of birth, Itadori Yuji is essentially the younger brother of the nine Cursed Wombs by different parents, ranking tenth.
Although Kenjaku achieved the goal of this trip, the price paid was somewhat too heavy, which was beyond his expectations.
Two natural disaster Special Grade Cursed Spirits actually fell at the hands of a freshman?
Of the four Special Grade Cursed Spirits originally by his side, only Dagon, who had not yet fully gestated, remained.
This made it impossible for Kenjaku to truly smile.
Gojo Satoru alone was enough of a handful; how did a guy capable of dealing with Jogo and Hanami simultaneously suddenly pop up? Heavens were being a bit too generous to Jujutsu Sorcerers.
What happened to the promised balance?
However, Kenjaku wasn't too upset; after all, over thousands of years, he had encountered countless failures and was already used to it. If he were so easily discouraged, he would have retired long ago.
And this time, Kenjaku was the closest he had ever been to success.
Speaking of which, he really had one person to thank.
That was Toji Fushiguro.
His appearance broke the cycle of destiny and the causal links between the 'Six Eyes,' the 'Star Plasma Vessel,' and 'Tengen,' leading to the failure of Tengen's assimilation and the start of an irreversible stage of evolution.
This was the true opportunity that allowed Kenjaku to achieve his long-held wish.
Otherwise, even if another thousand years passed, he would not have succeeded.
This causal fate, orchestrated by Tengen, could only bind those in the Jujutsu World or Cursed Spirits, but Toji Fushiguro, who had no Cursed Energy, stepped completely outside of destiny, not even appearing in Tengen's observations or prophecies.
You can't even imagine the dumbfounded expression on Tengen's face at that time.
It would be fine if Special Grade Cursed Spirits like Hanami, Jogo, and Mahito truly died, because according to the world's balance, Cursed Spirits of the same grade would soon be born; he would just need to spend a little more effort searching for them.
Kenjaku thought this while simultaneously considering his next move.
He didn't know how to deal with Kael for the time being, but the plan to seal Gojo Satoru definitely had to continue; this was something he had planned for a long time and had made full preparations for.
With such out-of-spec combat power, if he could deal with one first, he would try his best to do so.
As for what comes after, he would take it one step at a time.
In any case, Kenjaku had plenty of patience and time.
What Kenjaku didn't know, however, was that Mahito and the others hadn't truly died in the literal sense; the Cursed Energy belonging to them had not flowed back into nature.
Balance was maintained in another form.
...
...
Inside the conference room of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
As a First Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer and the greatest contributor to this intrusion incident, Kael was naturally invited to join the meeting.
"I say, can you stop fiddling with those two heads?"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu said with annoyance.
Watching two unexorcised Special Grade Cursed Spirits dangling in front of him was a bit too much mental pressure for an elderly man.
Kael lifted his eyelids, ignored him completely, and continued to toy with the two wide-eyed, glaring heads in his hands.
This kind of disregard made Gakuganji Yoshinobu lose his composure even more than Gojo Satoru's verbal provocations.
An old-fashioned man like him valued seniority and respect above all else.
If he didn't know he couldn't beat Kael, Gakuganji Yoshinobu would have challenged him to a duel long ago.
"Don't worry about such insignificant trifles. If it weren't for Kael this time, Jujutsu High would have lost all face,"
Teacher Gojo said with a smug look.
His student had really done him proud; those were Special Grade Cursed Spirits that could even escape from his own hands, with strength levels exceeding the standard for ordinary Special Grades.
Just as Gojo Satoru was showing off to Gakuganji Yoshinobu, the final First Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer also arrived at the conference room.
She was a tall, voluptuous older sister with striking white hair that was extremely eye-catching.
"Hello there, Mei Mei-senpai, I have a seat right here."
Kael's eyes lit up the moment he saw her. He pushed Gojo Satoru away and cleared a seat for her.
"It seems you, as a teacher, don't have much status in your student's heart."
Seeing this, Gakuganji Yoshinobu suddenly felt much better.
Mei Mei's gaze fell on the Cursed Spirits in Kael's hands. Feeling that highly oppressive Cursed Energy, her pupils constricted slightly, but she quickly relaxed, sat down beside him, and gave a charming laugh.
"The junior students these days are truly remarkable."
Kael smelled the faint, delicate fragrance beside him and felt his whole being refreshed.
Step on me, Big Sis!
"Mei Mei-senpai, do you have a boyfriend?"
Kael launched a direct pitch.
"What, do you want to pursue me?"
"Mhm, mhm!!"
"Well, strength alone won't do; the most important thing is to have money."
Mei Mei glanced at Kael and elegantly toyed with the ponytail hanging before her.
Compared to Shoko or the Zenin sisters, Mei Mei-senpai indeed possessed more feminine charm.
"How much money? Just say the word, Senpai, and I'll go rob a bank for you right now."
Kael rolled up his sleeves, looking full of drive.
He liked this kind of clear pricing.
If possible, it would be best to skip the romance part and go straight to the 'love' (verb); rather than appreciating her inner self, Kael was mainly greedy for Mei Mei-senpai's body.
"Let me think~."
Mei Mei tapped her chin with a long, fair finger. From her serious gaze, it was clear she was actually considering the question.
"Hey, hey, hey! Robbing a bank is going too far! We are Jujutsu Sorcerers! If you're short on money, you can ask me, your teacher! Isn't it just a dating fee? The Gojo family has plenty of money."
Gojo Satoru quickly leaned in, fearing Kael might actually go rob a bank in a moment of heat.
He didn't doubt for a second that his student would do such a thing.
"Enough! Is this the time to be discussing this?"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu reached his limit and struck his cane hard on the floor. The young people today were getting more outrageous by the minute.
"Let's add each other's contact info first."
Kael glanced at the old man, ignored him, pulled out his phone, and smiled with extreme enthusiasm.
"One million."
Mei Mei's red lips curled up slightly.
This was already a discounted price. Although Mei Mei preached a money-first philosophy, it didn't mean she could ignore the other party's strength.
"Teacher, send the money."
"Now you know to call me teacher."
Gojo Satoru had Mei Mei's account and transferred a sum over directly; after all, he had promised to introduce him to a big sister before.
Ding!
The wonderful sound of money entering her account made Mei Mei's smile even more brilliant. She took out a lipstick and wrote her number on Kael's hand.
Big sis is too good at this!!
"Are you even listening to me!"
Gakuganji Yoshinobu felt a sharp pain in his heart.
At that moment, Ijichi walked in, holding the compiled casualty report.
Although no students from either school were injured thanks to Kael, quite a few guards at the warehouse and standby sorcerers were killed or injured, including one Semi-First Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Adding them all up, there were nearly ten people; this number was considered quite large.
One must know that Jujutsu High doesn't even have ten graduates a year. Human resources in the Jujutsu World are very scarce, and so many sacrifices at once was a significant blow.
However, sacrifice was already a norm in the Jujutsu World, and it didn't cause too much emotional fluctuation among the sorcerers present.
What truly made their expressions grave was the theft of the Sukuna fingers and the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
No one knew what the person behind the scenes intended to do by causing such a big commotion to steal these cursed tools.
"Let's suppress the information. We can't let other sorcerers know about the theft of Special Grade Cursed Objects."
Yaga Masamichi spoke up.
On this point, the sorcerers present reached a consensus.
"Did the captured sorcerer provide any information?"
Yaga Masamichi continued to ask.
Ijichi's expression was a bit awkward. It wasn't that the sorcerer's lips were sealed, but rather that he was just a hired hand and his mind was somewhat unstable.
Most wild sorcerers who strayed from the path were like this; frequently dealing with curses easily polluted one's spirit.
"So, do you two have anything to say?"
Kael poked Jogo's eye; the other party glared at him intensely without saying a word.
Although they had captured these two Special Grade Cursed Spirits, no one expected to get any information from them; a sorcerer's interrogation and torture methods couldn't be applied to Cursed Spirits.
However, this didn't mean Special Grade Cursed Spirits were without value.
Gakuganji Yoshinobu's eyes unconsciously sparkled as he looked at Jogo and Hanami. If they could be tamed as shikigami...
But the old man only thought it in his head and didn't say it aloud. He was old-fashioned, not stupid.
With two Special Grades of this Cursed Energy volume, how many sorcerers could be absolutely sure of taming them?
Even if Geto Suguru, who was once ranked strongest alongside Gojo Satoru, were here, he might suffer a backlash.
It was like burying a landmine next to oneself.
Only a freak like Kael could hold their heads in his hands and fiddle with them like beads.
To this day, Gakuganji Yoshinobu still didn't understand how Kael had sealed the Cursed Energy inside Jogo and Hanami; such a method made an old man like him very wary.
After all, Kael was clearly in the same camp as Gojo Satoru.
If these two ever decided to rebel one day, who could stop them?
Just thinking about it made him go bald.
Gakuganji Yoshinobu couldn't help but start calculating his retirement date. Since he couldn't handle the trouble, he might as well let the next principal deal with the headache.
"Speaking of which, how did these two Cursed Spirits break through Lord Tengen's barrier?"
Iori Utahime asked.
This had never happened before.
It felt like the Cursed Spirits nowadays were increasingly exceeding their past understanding.
"It's because of this Cursed Spirit, right? Its Cursed Energy is very special, very close to an elemental spirit, and it can hide in plants. It must have been the one to bring the other Cursed Spirit in."
Gojo Satoru also imitated Kael, fiddling with Hanami's head.
Compared to all this, the current Goodwill Event seemed to have no need to continue.
Yaga Masamichi spoke up.
"With this happening, the Goodwill Event will surely be terminated."
"No, this isn't for us to decide,"
Gojo Satoru countered.
The Goodwill Event was a matter between the students.
Even though Gojo Satoru was a teacher, he always respected every student as an equal.
Everyone's gaze focused on Kael.
"Then let's change the format!"
Kael slapped the table; he was undoubtedly the one with the most say among the students.
...
...
"This is the 'heart-pounding battle' you mentioned?"
Todo Aoi tilted his neck and stared at Kael in disbelief; he had been full of expectations for this.
Isn't this just Aeroplane Chess?
Looking at the spinning dice on the board, Todo Aoi roared in his heart.
"Don't worry, I have other preparations."
Kael brought out a mahjong table and playing cards.
"Character is revealed through cards. Playing cards is also a form of exchange. Tonight I'll be the dealer, and I'll definitely crush you all until you're left with nothing."
Kael's aura was imposing, as if he were about to blow the roof off.
"Ha? You're kidding! I, the Mahjong King of Morioka, won't be afraid of you! I admit I can't beat you in a fight, but wanting me to back down at the card table is absolutely impossible!"
Kugisaki Nobara sat down in front of Kael without showing any weakness.
Zenin Mai followed suit and sat down, then gave Zenin Maki a provocative look.
"Wait, I don't know how to play this."
Nishimiya Momo pouted in dissatisfaction.
"This definitely wasn't Teacher Gojo's suggestion."
Fushiguro Megumi muttered softly; based on his understanding of Gojo Satoru, it shouldn't be this ridiculous.
In fact, Gojo Satoru had originally intended to organize some sports for the exchange between the two schools, but Kael, in his capacity as the Student Council President, made the decision for the rest of the students.
As for how he became the president, it was actually very simple: as long as the principals of both schools nodded in agreement.
As for how they were made to nod, don't ask.
In any case, Gakuganji Yoshinobu's neck had some issues these past few days, and he probably wouldn't be able to lift it for a while.