Future Yuji Itadori Joins the Chat Group

A few minutes later, inside the room, Geuse and Emilia finally reunited after nearly a hundred years.

The moment they saw each other again, both of them burst into tears.

Seeing that Emilia was safe and had already grown so much, the emotions in Geuse's heart surged like floodwaters breaking through a dam.

Emilia also tearfully apologized to Geuse—for having forgotten him. Geuse immediately comforted her and told Emilia not to mind it.

Yuji Itadori did not take part in this touching reunion. He merely stood outside the door, not wanting to disturb the reunion between this pair of 'father and daughter.'

"I never expected you to be capable of something like this, Itadori."

Beside Yuji Itadori, Puck's voice slowly rang out. His form seemed somewhat dimmer than before.

"Puck, you forcibly broke the Contract, didn't you? What kind of effect will that have on Spirits like you?"

Yuji Itadori asked.

"Normally, I would probably return to the stone and enter dormancy once my Mana was nearly depleted. After all, now that the Contract has been severed, I can no longer obtain Mana from Lia. As she is now, it would also be difficult for her to sign another Contract with me. But that child has been growing all this time. Once she has grown enough to stand on her own, we should be able to sign another Contract! I'll explain the situation to Lia in detail later."

Puck focused his gaze on the door as though his eyes could penetrate it and see everything happening inside.

However, a smile soon appeared on his face again. He folded his arms across his chest and struck an adorable pose.

"But! Because you injected Mana into the stone—no, it wasn't Mana, but something else—I can still move around freely for quite a long time. What exactly is this power?"

"It's Cursed Energy."

Yuji Itadori answered.

"Cursed Energy? I've never heard that term before."

Puck recalled the first time he had met Yuji Itadori. He had sensed an unknown yet incomparably terrifying power within the other party's body.

Come to think of it, Yuji Itadori had suddenly appeared like this and then helped them resolve one problem after another.

"Itadori, it's all thanks to you. Without you, this incident would probably have become very troublesome."

"No. I merely did what I should have done. Both Emilia and Natsuki Subaru possess the potential to surpass me. Even without me, they would have been able to resolve these problems. I only helped reduce their troubles slightly."

Yuji Itadori spoke in an incomparably calm tone.

"Itadori, the way you speak really makes you sound like an old man. Aren't you and Subaru the same age?"

"I'm over eighty years old too."

"Wait, you're over eighty?!"

Puck stared at Yuji Itadori in astonishment.

Aside from the scars on his face, no matter how one looked at him, Yuji Itadori appeared to be only a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, around the same age as Natsuki Subaru.

However, now that Puck thought about it, Yuji Itadori's eyes truly did possess a depth that surpassed those of his peers.

"To avoid unnecessary trouble, please help me keep this a secret from Emilia and the others for now, Puck."

"Don't worry, don't worry!"

Puck patted his round belly.

Yuji Itadori's gaze instantly shifted toward Puck, and the look in his eyes seemed to change.

"Um… you want to pet me, don't you?"

"May I?"

Yuji Itadori asked.

Even after so many years, whenever he saw something fluffy, he still felt the urge to pet it.

"Of course! I'm so adorable! It's only natural that you'd want to pet me after seeing me!"

Puck flew into Yuji Itadori's hands, and the latter reached out and skillfully stroked Puck's head.

He felt remarkably pleasant to the touch.

In the past, whenever Fushiguro Megumi summoned Divine Dog, Yuji Itadori would always give it several vigorous pats first.

"Puck, you're someone extremely important to Emilia, aren't you?"

Yuji Itadori narrowed his eyes slightly and focused his gaze on Puck's face.

"Of course! I'm Lia's dear old father!"

"I'm talking about the past."

Yuji Itadori slowly said.

He could sense that the relationship between Puck and Emilia went far beyond that of a Spirit User and her Contracted Spirit. There was a deeper connection between them.

Emilia still didn't know about it.

"The past—There's also a lot about the past that I've forgotten."

Puck said with a smile.

"Ever since I obtained this body, my former memories have been fading away little by little."

"You were created?"

"That's right. Echidna—the Sensei Roswaal is constantly thinking about—created me, as well as Betty."

"I see."

The first time Yuji Itadori saw Puck, he had felt something from him that was similar to Panda-senpai.

Their souls had both been transferred into other vessels.

In that case, if he wanted the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings—and Rui—to obtain new bodies, the same principle should apply.

It would have been great if Principal Yaga Masamichi were still around…

As Principal Yaga's former rival and friend, that old man Gakuganji should also have known something.

After taking his place among the higher-ups of the Jujutsu World, Gakuganji, who had originally belonged firmly to the Conservative Faction, instead implemented a series of reforms that at least made the Jujutsu World appear somewhat respectable.

If Principal Yaga had left behind any information related to Soul Transference, it should have been in Gakuganji's possession. He simply had not made it public.

However, Gakuganji had also passed away long ago.

Perhaps Todo Aoi, as his former student, might know something.

What was Todo doing at this moment?

Perhaps he was carrying out some mission together with his wife.

That guy had actually managed to marry Takada-chan, the idol he had once pursued so obsessively.

Come to think of it, it had also been a long time since he had last seen Todo.

He should return before long. When that happened, Yuji Itadori would go find him.

They could arrange to have a meal and play some pachinko together.

"The past no longer matters. All I want now is for my daughter Lia to grow up safely."

Puck's words pulled Yuji Itadori's thoughts back to reality.

"Yeah."

Yuji Itadori nodded. He now seemed to be gradually understanding Puck's feelings.

"By the way, Puck, how much do you know about Soul Transference?"

Yuji Itadori asked.

Because of what the Purge King had said, Yuji Itadori had originally planned to ask Roswaal about it. After all, Roswaal had survived until the present by continuously changing bodies.

However, Roswaal was currently dealing with the remaining Witch Cultists, so Yuji Itadori had not yet had the opportunity to ask him.

The one truly capable of accomplishing all of this should have been Echidna.

Having created both Beatrice and Puck, Echidna should be the most suitable person to create bodies for Choso and Rui.

"Sorry, but what I know is extremely limited. The one who truly mastered that technique was Echidna."

"Echidna is already gone, isn't she?"

Yuji Itadori said.

Echidna should already have died, which was why Roswaal wanted to resurrect her.

"Her body has been preserved in the Sanctuary, and her soul should also remain there—but I'm afraid it isn't complete."

Puck's expression became unusually serious, as though he had remembered something.

"Perhaps you can find the answer there."

"The Sanctuary?"

Puck then told Yuji Itadori some of what he knew about the Sanctuary.

It was a place once created by Echidna, hidden within a forest in the Roswaal Domain. However, without a special 'key,' it was impossible to find the entrance.

"Understood."

Yuji Itadori nodded.

Although he wanted to find a way to create suitable bodies for souls as quickly as possible, there probably wasn't enough time during this visit.

The next time he came to this world, there would still be many things he needed to do.

Go to the Sanctuary.

Exorcise the Sin Archbishop of Lust.

Find Fortuna.

And—

Find Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory.

At that moment, Puck raised his head and fixed his gaze on Yuji Itadori's face.

"Also, Itadori, I have a request."

"Is it about Emilia?"

"No. Not Lia. Betty."

"Betty?"

"Please save Betty. This long-awaited reunion will bring comfort to her heart, but it may also cause her to fall into even deeper despair."

Puck's gaze shifted toward the door again. Beatrice was also inside the room at this moment. Not only was she witnessing Geuse and Emilia's reunion, but she also had many things she wanted to say to Geuse.

Yuji Itadori recalled that when he first met Beatrice, he had sensed a certain sorrow within her.

That feeling was somewhat similar to how he had once been.

It was like the version of himself who had repeatedly watched the important people around him leave with his own eyes.

Perhaps he could understand Beatrice's feelings to some extent.

However, it was only to some extent.

He knew that Beatrice had guarded the Forbidden Library for more than four hundred years, several times longer than Yuji Itadori's entire life.

Her loneliness and numbness would likewise be several times greater.

"I understand."

Yuji Itadori nodded to Puck, making a promise of his own.

This was something he should do.

Something he had to do.

Help those who needed help and prevent tragedies that had yet to occur.

At some unknown point, the heart that should have become numb had begun beating once again.

"I'm truly sorry to trouble you, Itadori. Although we haven't known each other for long, I've constantly been asking for your help."

"It's no trouble. Some things simply have to be done."

Yuji Itadori answered.

Soon, the door was pushed open.

Yuji Itadori looked over and saw Geuse and Emilia emerging from the room.

"Thank you again, Lord Itadori!"

Their voices trembled with emotion, but their gratitude was incomparably sincere.

The next day, the sky had yet to brighten, but the sunlight seemed ready to break free completely from beneath the horizon.

After an entire night of rushing around, Roswaal finally finished dealing with the Witch Cult. The guards from the nearby city captured all the Witch Cultists in one sweep, marking the complete conclusion of this incident.

Meanwhile, in a forest on the outskirts of the Royal Capital—

A young woman dressed in armor arrived with a group of soldiers under her command.

Beneath her long green hair was a fair and beautiful face. Her sharp gaze filled her with a heroic air.

One of the Royal Selection Candidates, Crusch Karsten.

She was the head of the Karsten family, the most powerful noble family in the Kingdom of Lugnica. A talented heroine who had inherited the family estate at only seventeen years old, Crusch's illustrious military achievements and prestigious status had already placed her far ahead in the current election.

The Karsten family had served the Lugnica royal family for generations. After the royal bloodline gradually died out from a mysterious illness fifteen years ago, they took on the heavy responsibility of supporting the Kingdom.

After hearing that a major incident had occurred in the surrounding forest and that it was suspected to be connected to the White Whale, Crusch immediately rushed here with her subordinates.

It wasn't only because Crusch cared deeply about the people and hoped to eliminate the disaster known as the White Whale as soon as possible—among her subordinates was also someone who bore an irreconcilable blood feud against the White Whale.

Standing beside Crusch was a white-haired elderly man. His forehead was covered in ravine-like wrinkles, yet his eyes projected an incomparably sharp gaze.

Wilhelm van Astrea, a top-class warrior known as the Sword Demon and the grandfather of the current Sword Saint, Reinhard.

He was also the husband of the previous Sword Saint, Theresia, who had lost her life during the White Whale Subjugation Strategy.

It was precisely to avenge his wife that Wilhelm had left his family and joined Crusch's forces, all so that one day he could personally slay the White Whale and avenge his wife.

They had rushed over as quickly as possible after hearing that the White Whale had supposedly appeared.

However, at this moment, an incomparably shocked expression appeared on Wilhelm's face, despite his having witnessed countless bloody battles.

He wasn't the only one. Crusch's soldiers were the same.

"What… happened here?"

"It was Magic, wasn't it…? No… what kind of Magic could possibly accomplish something like this?"

"This is too absurd…"

Before their eyes was an entire forest that had been severed—and a hill that had been cleaved apart.

None of them could imagine what kind of power could possibly accomplish something of this magnitude.

It was as though the entire world had been cut apart.

"What exactly happened here?"

Even the calm and composed Crusch was unable to suppress the astonishment showing on her face at this moment.

The sight before her had completely exceeded her understanding.

But at that moment, the soldiers ahead seemed to notice something. Every one of them froze in place, motionless, unable to utter even a cry of alarm.

"What's wrong?"

Crusch asked in astonishment.

When she finally saw what lay ahead, Crusch's eyes also widened in disbelief, and her body trembled uncontrollably atop her Ground Dragon.

"How… How is this possible?"

"How could something like this have been done?"

"Who did this?"

Before them lay the remains of the White Whale, with only its head left behind. Its wide-open eyes seemed to be terrified of something.

Before its death, it had witnessed an existence capable of making even this Witchbeast feel fear.