Chapter 97: Kenjaku, I've Been Waiting for You
"Nanami."
"Yoshino."
"Nobara Kugisaki."
"Todo."
One name after another left Yuji Itadori's mouth as blow after blow capable of tearing apart the soul smashed into Mahito's face.
Mahito had no idea who these people were. He had never heard any of those names before.
Even so, Mahito couldn't make a single sound, nor did he have the right to defend himself.
All he could feel was the agony of Black Flash striking his body again and again. Each surge of power pierced through his body, while Cursed Energy gnawed at every cell like venomous insects.
It wasn't merely his flesh being destroyed by punch after punch. Even his soul was being gradually devoured.
The pain of having his soul torn apart was far greater than any physical agony.
Fear, pain, and despair had already driven Mahito to complete collapse, while his soul crumbled beneath the repeated attacks.
Through the data on souls left behind by Yuki Tsukumo, as well as his subsequent journey into the Soul Passage with Maru, Yuji Itadori knew that even if a soul suffered severe damage, it could reincarnate as long as its fundamental nature remained unchanged.
He intended to erase even Mahito's chance of reincarnation.
He would never give Mahito another opportunity to commit evil.
Before Mahito completely collapsed, there was one thing he simply couldn't understand.
Why had Yuji Itadori appeared here?
Why could Yuji Itadori attack the soul?
Why did Yuji Itadori harbor such immense hatred toward him?
And why… was Yuji Itadori so strong?
However, he would never find the answers to those questions because he had long since stopped thinking.
As Mahito's soul completely disintegrated beneath Yuji Itadori's fists, his physical body also began to collapse piece by piece.
Soon, Mahito's body became a puddle of sludge before gradually turning into dust.
Yuji Itadori stood up, looked at the now-empty crater before him, and let out a long breath.
Mahito had been completely erased from this world.
With this, he could no longer continue creating tragedies in this world.
"Yuji."
Beatrice walked over to Yuji Itadori and extended her small, chubby hand, gently touching his.
Although Yuji Itadori's expression had remained unchanged from beginning to end, she could still sense that the emotions he had suppressed in his heart for so long had finally been released.
Beatrice knew that this was Yuji Itadori's past timeline. Since he had deliberately chosen to return here, it meant there was something he wanted to change.
Something must have happened in Yuji Itadori's past—something he would never be able to forget.
Beatrice wouldn't take the initiative to ask. She merely wanted to remain by Yuji Itadori's side and help shoulder his emotions, even if only a little.
"That person was a very, very bad man, I suppose!"
Yuji Itadori nodded, then quickly smiled and nodded at Beatrice.
"Sorry, Betty. I made you worry."
"Betty wasn't worried at all, I suppose! Betty knows very well that the person chosen by Betty is super strong!"
Beatrice said with a pout.
"Also! What you used earlier was Magic similar to a Barrier, wasn't it? Oh, you call them Cursed Techniques here, I suppose!"
"That's right. It's called a Curtain. Its main purpose is to prevent battles with Cursed Spirits from causing panic among ordinary people. After all, most people in this world don't know that Jujutsu Sorcerers exist, much less about Jujutsu."
"No wonder you wouldn't let Betty use Magic carelessly, I suppose! But the next time you use a Curtain, Betty can help too! Betty's Yin Magic can accomplish the same thing!"
"I'll leave it to you next time, Betty."
Beatrice nodded vigorously, making her braids sway along with her.
"Is there anything else we need to do now, I suppose?"
"There's still one person who must be dealt with."
Yuji Itadori narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward the entrance of the Movie Theater.
His Curtain prevented Mahito from leaving, but as part of its Binding Vow, other beings possessing Cursed Energy could enter, whether they were Jujutsu Sorcerers or Cursed Spirits.
Moreover, this Curtain didn't conceal the presence of Cursed Energy.
In other words, Jujutsu Sorcerers nearby could sense Mahito's and Yuji Itadori's Cursed Energy—
This wasn't merely a Binding Vow. It was also bait.
Yuji Itadori knew that Mahito was an incomparably important existence to someone else.
After sensing Mahito's Cursed Energy gradually weakening, that person would undoubtedly come here.
Kenjaku.
If Kenjaku wanted to initiate the Culling Game, then he absolutely needed Mahito's Cursed Technique, Idle Transfiguration.
Without Idle Transfiguration, none of Kenjaku's plans could be carried out.
Therefore, Yuji Itadori was certain that Kenjaku would come once Mahito's Cursed Energy began to disappear—
Soon, Yuji Itadori sensed someone passing through the Curtain.
He turned his head and met a pair of eyes he hadn't seen in a very long time.
As expected, Kenjaku had come.
Mahito used the nearby sewers as his base, while Kenjaku constantly operated in Mahito's vicinity.
On the surface, they had a cooperative partnership.
In reality, Kenjaku intended to monitor Mahito's and the other Cursed Spirits' every move and use them for his own purposes.
Although the deaths of Jogo and Hanami had indeed been a considerable loss to Kenjaku, the two of them combined were nowhere near as important as Mahito alone.
Recently, Kenjaku had also been driven to distraction by a series of events.
After Jogo and Hanami died, Kenjaku had been trying to investigate Yuji Itadori.
He couldn't understand how Yuji Itadori's strength had grown so immense.
It hadn't been long since he swallowed Sukuna's Finger. How could he possibly possess such tremendous power?
Even if Sukuna had taken control of his body, the number of Fingers inside Yuji Itadori at the time couldn't possibly have granted him such immense strength.
Kenjaku had initially planned to use the spies he had planted within Jujutsu Headquarters to investigate the matter.
However, Kenjaku discovered that all the Puppets he had planted had been killed.
Not only that, the entirety of Jujutsu Headquarters had undergone a purge.
Only Satoru Gojo could accomplish something of this magnitude.
But… this was completely unlike Satoru Gojo's usual way of doing things.
Although Satoru Gojo truly had a poor relationship with Jujutsu Headquarters, he would never have done something like this before.
What exactly had happened to make Satoru Gojo choose such a course of action?
Furthermore, because he had lost two special-grade Cursed Spirits, Kenjaku needed to gather more fighting power, so he secretly attempted to contact Curse Users.
However, Kenjaku had never imagined that during this period, the Curse Users he regarded as potential recruits would be successively eliminated by Jujutsu High.
Before he knew it, all of Kenjaku's plans had fallen apart.
He simply couldn't understand what was happening. It was as though someone had seen through every one of his plans in advance.
What the hell was going on?!
Kenjaku couldn't understand it at all. The plan he had prepared for a thousand years should have been flawless. There was no way anyone could have known about it!
If he wanted to expand his fighting force next, he would have to find an opportunity to retrieve the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings from Jujutsu High and use Mahito's Cursed Technique to give them Incarnation.
Just as Kenjaku was struggling to determine his next course of action, he suddenly sensed Mahito's Cursed Energy rapidly weakening near the Movie Theater.
Realizing that Mahito had likely been attacked by a Jujutsu Sorcerer, he had no choice but to retrieve Mahito's Cursed Technique at all costs.
He would use his current body, Geto Suguru's, to absorb Mahito's Cursed Technique.
Whenever Kenjaku changed bodies, he could also inherit the original owner's Innate Technique—
And Geto Suguru's Cursed Spirit Manipulation allowed him to subjugate Cursed Spirits and use them for himself.
That was also why Kenjaku had been willing to cooperate with the four great Cursed Spirits.
Kenjaku now had to absorb Mahito's Idle Transfiguration before Mahito was exorcised.
He noticed that the Curtain's effect only targeted Mahito, so he believed that even if something unexpected happened after he entered, he should still be able to protect himself.
However, the moment Kenjaku saw the appearance of the person standing before him, his narrowed eyes suddenly widened.
"Yuji… Itadori?!"
Only then did Kenjaku realize that Mahito's Cursed Energy had completely vanished, as though it had never existed.
Had Mahito been exorcised?
Why was Yuji Itadori here?!
"Geto Suguru—no, I should call you Kenjaku, shouldn't I? I've been waiting for you for a long time."
Yuji Itadori looked at Kenjaku and slowly spoke his name.
"What… are you talking about?"
Upon hearing those words, nothing remained in Kenjaku's heart but astonishment.
In the current world, no one should have known his true identity.
Even the four great Cursed Spirits believed that he was Geto Suguru.
Except for Sukuna.
Was the Yuji Itadori before him actually Sukuna?
Kenjaku immediately rejected that possibility.
There wasn't even the slightest trace of Sukuna's presence on him.
The Yuji Itadori before him was definitely not the one he knew—the scars on his face and the profound gaze far beyond his age both proved it.
Furthermore, Kenjaku had personally witnessed Yuji Itadori fighting last time.
That level of strength was likely no weaker than Satoru Gojo.
Perhaps it even surpassed Satoru Gojo.
It was impossible for a Jujutsu Sorcerer like this to exist in this world!
Kenjaku had lived for a thousand years. If someone this powerful truly existed, there was no way he wouldn't know about them!
"Who the hell are you?!"
Kenjaku gritted his teeth and stared fixedly at Yuji Itadori.
"I am Yuji Itadori—"
Yuji Itadori slowly stated his name.
"You were created to serve as Sukuna's Vessel."
"You already… know?"
The corner of Kenjaku's mouth twitched slightly.
The Yuji Itadori before him already knew his own identity?
But why did he know everything about Kenjaku as well?
Was it a mind-reading Cursed Technique? Or something else?
No, no, no, no. There was no such Cursed Technique. Even if there were, it could never belong to Yuji Itadori.
Yuji Itadori existed solely as a vessel. He shouldn't possess any other Cursed Technique!
Could Jujutsu High possess information that even he didn't know about?
A series of questions exploded within Kenjaku's mind. For the first time in his thousand-year existence, he encountered questions he was completely incapable of answering.
However, Yuji Itadori ignored Kenjaku's words and merely continued speaking—
"I'm Grandpa's grandson, and I'm also the younger brother of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings."
"Why do you even know about the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings?!"
Kenjaku's voice had already begun to tremble. He realized that he no longer had any secrets at all.
This guy was dangerous!
This Curtain shouldn't be able to restrict my movements—
Wait.
This wasn't a Curtain?!
Kenjaku suddenly realized that the Barrier behind him, which resembled a Curtain, wasn't Jujutsu at all, but something entirely different!
Something Kenjaku had never encountered before.
It was Beatrice's Yin Magic.
The instant Kenjaku confidently stepped inside, Beatrice had already cast her Magic in secret, isolating this place from the outside world.
Kenjaku had considered countless possibilities and only entered because he believed he could handle them all.
However, he had never imagined that what awaited him was an existence beyond anything he had seen or heard of throughout the past thousand years.
A power from another world.
'Mahito's Cursed Energy was able to leak through the Curtain because they deliberately wanted to lure me here?!'
Kenjaku finally realized that everything had been a trap set by Yuji Itadori.
This guy was actually capable of going this far?
How was that possible?
From the looks of it, was fighting his only remaining option?
Should he first summon a Cursed Spirit to test his opponent?
Such a test would be meaningless.
Only by attacking with everything he had from the very beginning would he stand a chance!
In that instant, Kenjaku completed his preparations for battle.
For someone as calculating as him, doing this was no different from exposing his trump card in advance. It was extremely risky.
However, Kenjaku knew that this was now his only choice.
Every path had already been sealed, and everything happening now had completely deviated from the script he had devised.
He had to seize the initiative before his opponent could act!
"Domain Expansion! Womb Profusion!"
Behind Kenjaku, a massive statue composed of countless masses of flesh and Cursed Wombs surged into existence.
This Domain was imbued with a Cursed Technique capable of manipulating gravity, allowing it to crush another person's body with ease.
Moreover, Womb Profusion was an open-barrier Domain without a boundary. It could envelop another person's Domain and crush it.
As long as he could activate his Domain first—
Crack.
Kenjaku froze for a moment as he heard a piercing noise behind him.
Seeming to realize something, he turned his head toward the statue of flesh behind him.
Countless lines gradually appeared across its surface, growing increasingly distinct.
In the next instant, the twisted creation constructed from flesh and Cursed Wombs was sliced into pieces and reduced to dust.
Kenjaku stared at the scene in disbelief, unable to comprehend what had happened for a moment.
His Domain had failed to activate?
How was that possible?!
What had Yuji Itadori done?!
Was it Sukuna's Cursed Technique?
No, even if it was, it couldn't possibly accomplish something like this!
In Kenjaku's eyes, Yuji Itadori hadn't moved even once from beginning to end.
Just as Kenjaku prepared to do something else, he discovered that he couldn't move his arms or legs at all.
It was as though invisible hands had seized him.
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T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
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Shilling time!
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