Culling Game Arc

**The Culling Game Arc** (死 (し) 滅 (めつ) 回 (かい) 遊 (ゆう) 編 (へん) , *Shimetsu Kaiyū-hen*?) is the ninth arc in Gege Akutami's *Jujutsu Kaisen: The Star, The Blight, and The Rose*. It follows Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Nozomi Bugendai, and their allies as they enter the Culling Game with the intention of rescuing Tsumiki Fushiguro and Ai Barahata from participating, freeing Satoru Gojo from Prison Realm, and protecting Tengen from Kenjaku.

## Synopsis

### Tokyo No. 1 Colony: Angry Man

Yuji, Megumi, Nozomi, Mimiko, and Nanako enter the Tokyo No. 1 Colony in order to track down Hiromi Higuruma and Kosen to convince them to add a new rule to the Culling Game.

#### Enter the Culling Game

In addition to incarnated sorcerers from past time periods, Kenjaku has made players out of modern-day people like Hiromi Higuruma as well. Higuruma is a lawyer who awakened his cursed technique during a fit of rage when his defendant, Keita Oe, was unjustly found guilty during his trial. Higuruma eventually became one of just two players in the Toyko colonies to have scored at least one hundred points.

Non-players who begin inside the colonies are given a chance to exit. Such is the case of Yuji's hometown friends, Setsuko Sasaki and Takeshi Iguchi, who were both in Sendai City when the Sendai Colony barrier was formed. The former was escorted out of the barrier by Kenjaku personally. Everyone taken outside the colony met Kenjaku, but Sasaki received special treatment for befriending his son, Yuji. This occurred on November 1, 2018, around 6:00 AM just hours after the Shibuya Incident concluded.

In preparation for entering the Culling Game, Kinji Hakari decides that Yuji, Megumi, Nozomi, Mimiko and Nanako will infiltrate the Tokyo No. 1 Colony to find Higuruma and Kosen. Hakari and Panda will take the No. 2 colony to track down Hajime Kashimo and the Angel. On November 12, 2018, around noon, all four of the Jujutsu High students, Yuji, Megumi, Nozomi, Mimiko, Nanako, Hakari, and Panda, declare their participation in the Culling Game.

Megumi and Nozomi warn Yuji about past sorcerers who desire to fight to the death and they all head inside the Tokyo No. 1 Colony barrier. They group of five is unexpectedly split up once inside, with the barrier transporting players to different parts of the colony by dropping them from the sky. Yuji is ambushed while in mid-air by a player who targets rookies using an airplane hair cursed technique named Hanyu. She's guided through the air using flight batons by the unwilling Rin Amai, a weak player who recognizes Yuji.

Yuji makes short work of Hanyu and is confronted by her partner, Haba, shortly after, meeting up with Nanako who was drawn to the commotion. Meanwhile, Megumi meets up with Mimiko and clashes with a troublesome girl named Remi who he decides to ask about Higuruma. However, Remi is difficult to deal with and says she'll only help Megumi if he promises to be her knight. Elsewhere, Nozomi encounters a reasonable player, Shosano Ongaku, who promises to lead him directly to Kosen's Group's base of operations.

Yuji defeats Haba's helicopter hair technique and meets Rin Amai, who's also from his hometown of Sendai City. Remi informs Megumi that modern-day sorcerers have gone into battle mode after almost two weeks in the Culling Game, meaning he accidentally mislead Yuji. At the same time in different places, Rin and Remi both claim they have information leading to Higuruma. However, Rin tells Yuji he's in Ikebukuro while Rin insists to Megumi and Mimiko that he's in Shinjuku. One of them is being led into a trap laid by a receipt hoarder named Reggie Star.

Rin earnestly leads Yuji to Higuruma's base of operations while Remi leads Megumi and Mimiko into an ambush, quickly incapacitating Mimiko upon their arrival. This leads to a direct confrontation between Megumi and Reggie where the former is fed up with Remi's antics and summons Divine Dog: Totality to dispatch them both. Around that same time, Nozomi and Shosano confront Kosen's group, a band of powerful sorcerers, and upon hearing of Kosen's desire to kill a Culling Game Player by the name of Ai Barahata, Nozomi prepares to kill all of Kosen's group, with Kosen herself calling him "quite the animal".

Inside a theater Higuruma has been using as his headquarters, Yuji and Nanako are able to find the former lawyer. Yuji asks to use Higuruma's one hundred points to add a rule that will negate the forced killing of the Culling Game. However, Higuruma isn't in his usual state of mind and has become discontent with the justice system since Keita Oe's trial. Yuji believes he can negotiate with Higuruma because he's someone from the present day who might listen to reason.

However, Higuruma refuses Yuji because he wants to see the rules of the Culling Game lawfully enforced in real-time. When their conversation breaks down, Yuji is forced to demand the points and Higuruma definitely stands against him with his cursed technique activated.

#### The Trial of Yuji Itadori

Higuruma immediately traps Yuji inside his Domain Expansion, Deadly Sentencing, locking Nanako out. It is a court-based, non-lethal domain that doesn't permit any violence inside its parameters. It simply forces Yuji to follow the rules of the cursed technique. Higuruma's technique puts Yuji on trial with his shikigami, Judgeman serving as its namesake. Yuji is accused of entering a pachinko parlor underage and is ultimately found guilty after being outclassed by Higuruma's superior skills in a courtroom. Judgeman strips Yuji of his ability to wield cursed energy as a result of the verdict.

While Yuji can resist Higuruma's early onslaught thanks to his superhuman physical skills, its not long before he's completely overpowered. Nanako's use of her tricky cursed technique operates to do little more than stall Higuruma's attacks, as Higuruma proves to be an elite sorcerer with a genius intellect but his technique has one compensatory weakness. Before he's crushed, Yuji exploits this by demanding a retrial, putting them both back inside the non-violent domain. However, Yuji's second trial accuses him of mass murder during the Shibuya Incident. Still guilty over what happened in Shibuya, Yuji takes responsibility and doesn't deny the charges.

Yuji's admission earns him the Death Penalty, granting Higuruma the Executioner's Sword that can kill a target with one hit. Despite being able to destroy his opponent with a single cut, Higuruma is distracted by Yuji's confession. The proceedings of his technique provide evidence during the trial, which proved that Sukuna was responsible and not Yuji. Higuruma was always a lawyer who fought for innocent defendants regardless of the odds stacked against them. He never closed his eyes to the truth before and he's unable to prosecute an innocent man himself now. Higuruma was also moved by Nanako's attempt to get in-between Yuji and his instant death sword, as when she was locked in his domain during Yuji's retrial, he had seen her crimes as a result. Seeing the young girls renouncing of being a curse user, and that she was now a "***jujutsu sorcerer***", Higuruma allows himself to be bested by Yuji by willfully deactivating his cursed technique instead of securing a victory.

Higuruma reveals to Yuji that he was reminded of why he became a lawyer in the first place. Returned to his normal state of mind, Higuruma sits with Yuji and they're able to talk. He asks Yuji why he would take responsibility for what Sukuna did and the Jujutsu High student explains it only happened because he's too weak. Higuruma values that weakness that only exists in humans and realizes there are still more weak people that need help. He agrees to help Yuji by adding his preferred rule to the Culling Game.

By successfully negotiating with the game master through Kogane, Higuruma gets the rule accepted. The new rule, rule ten, allows players to transfer points between one another. This directly affects score calculation for rule eight, which punishes players for stagnating their score with cursed technique removal.

Higuruma gives one of his remaining two points to Yuji so they'll both remain unaffected for nineteen days and begins to leave the theater. Yuji tries to stop Higuruma and asks for his skills in further combating the Culling Game. However, Higuruma feels he needs to take responsibility for murdering the Judge and Prosecutor from Keita Oe's trial and plans to turn himself in. He also believes being around Yuji would make him hate himself more and decides to depart, leaving Yuji and Nanako alone.

#### Ferocity of Tainted Love

Back with Nozomi, he constructs multiple sharp barriers, to which Kosen calls his threat adorable. She then activates her technique, Tainted Light Ray, sending Nozomi flying with a burnmark on his face, but not before Nozomi telling Shosano to occupy Shizen Kyuketsuki, who he identified as the second strongest of the group.

Upon landing in a nearby park, he is immediately confronted with Kataiyoroi, who attempts to hit Nozomi with his technique, but is easily blocked by Nozomi's barrier. Nozomi is then dragged across the ground by a black orb, the technique of Antantaru Gozen, who tells Nozomi to give up. Infuriated, Nozomi breaks free of the gravitational pull, calling Antantaru the weakest one there, and proceeds to eliminate him with a barrier reinforced blow, immediately gaining five points, much to Kataiyoroi's shock. He and Nozomi become quickly entangled in a battle of resilience, which Kataiyoroi loses, being killed by Nozomi in the process, who tells himself to calm down, knowing that he's losing precious points.

He then rushes back to where Kosen is waiting for him, who apologizes for underestimating the young sorcerer. She then locks into combat with Nozomi, with neither of them being capable of dealing significant damage to the other, locking them in a stalemate. Elsewhere, Shosano is using her technique against Shizen, who calls it splendid and cuts Shosano's cheek, quickly consuming the blood she drew from her. Now armed with an immunity to Shosano's techniques effects, she closes in on the awakened sorcerer, calling her technique too little.

Back to Nozomi, he and Kosen become more and more tired, before their battle is interrupted by an unknown player, who yells at Kosen to surrender. Kosen laughs at him, calling him a nobody, but Nozomi takes her opening to land a critical blow on her side, to which she calls him cheap. Nozomi and the unknown player, now identified as Junpei, begin to coordinate. Kosen fires a light ray at him, to which he responds by summoning his shikigami and narrowly blocking her attack, redirecting the beam to Nozomi, who reflects it back to Kosen, blasting her into a building. As both Nozomi and Junpei charged at her, being able to slowly pressure her, forcing her to blast many enlarged beams. With help from Nozomi shielding him with his barriers, Junpei is able to land a surprise attack, stabbing Kosen using his shikigami, but is blasted away by Kosen’s final attack, but not before Kosen is afflicted by the poison of Moon Dregs burnt by blisters with massive black spots. As she calls the attack pointless, healing herself with Reverse Cursed Technique, Junpei then he tells Nozomi finish her off, to which Nozomi and he takes control of the entire Tokyo Colony No. 1 barrier, using it to attack Kosen omni-directionally, then forcing her into a small barrier, which forces her to surrender all of her points to him or her heart stops. She then asks Nozomi why he would go to such lengths for "some person", to which he replies he won't fail to protect her again.

Afterwards, he finds Shizen carrying an unconscious Shosano, to which he tells her to let her go. After inquiring if Nozomi defeated Kosen, he confirms this, to which she hands him Shosano's limp body, then departing without another word, which Nozomi finds strange. Junpei then asks about her, but Nozomi only thanks him for his help, telling him to find shelter. Junpei then departs, but not before muttering under his breath his desire to find the player known as "Itadori".

Upon Shosano's awakening, Nozomi tells his new ally of his need to regroup with his friends, inviting her to join him. Nozomi then uses his newly gained 100 points to create the new rule that allows for communication between colonies. However, Nozomi is confused why his name in the Culling Game is labeled as "Gai". From a distant building, a man hidden in the shadows commends Nozomi on his victory, stating that he must be of great importance to Kenjaku, hence why he hid his name with his rule. Directly after this, Nozomi's Kogane announces Yuji's rule being added, before the pair spot a girl in red standing across the street of where they're walking, pointing a large cursed tool at them.

As she opens fire on them, Nozomi recognizes her and calls out to her as "Ai". The girl says she "wants nothing to do with this bodies past", identifying herself as Hanabira, before firing more shots at him and Shosano. Shosano attempts to counterattack, but Nozomi stops her, telling her to find cover while he deals with her. As he continues to reason with "Hanabira", she becomes less and less capable of offensive abilities, and begins to trip over herself, yelling at herself to "stop interfering". As Nozomi presses her, she angrily reveals that she is co-piloting her vessel, who is indeed Ai Barahata.

As the battle goes on, Hanabira manages to land a direct hit on Nozomi's chest, which he doesn't try to block. This makes Ai's personality shine through, where she cries out to Nozomi, but is immediately shut back in by Hanabira, ordering her to shut up. She switches her cursed tool from a rifle to a sword, and slashes Nozomi's abdomen, causing him to collapse. As she attempts to deal the finishing blow, Nozomi confesses that he wants to save her the way she saved him, which causes Ai's personality to take over completely, shutting out Hanabira for good. Before passing out, Nozomi uses his reverse cursed technique to heal himself. As Ai frets over Nozomi's condition, she remembers his earlier words, as well as their childhood, with Nozomi's promise for the two of them "to live life without regrets". She then kisses Nozomi, thanking him for bringing her back.

#### Sorcerers are Con Artists

Back with Megumi, he threatens his adversaries with Divine Dog's presence but Reggie surprisingly applauds him. He can tell Megumi is strong just based on the shikigami and asks him to join up with his group. He also asks what Megumi knows about the Culling Game. Megumi gives the explanation that Master Tengen provided without mentioning them, but Reggie believes that explanation is a bluff, or at the very least secondary to Kenjaku's main goal. He has solid reasoning to believe that Kenjaku will put a late twist on the Culling Game and it will have served its purpose once only the strongest players remain.

Megumi only agrees to join Reggie's group if they transfer all their points to himand release Mimiko, and negotiations immediately break down. Chizuru Hari, another player in Reggie's group, tries to ambush Megumifrom behind but he's easily incapacitated. Reggie injures Divine Dog and another member of the group, Iori Hazenoki, bombs Megumi with a surprise attack using his own flesh.

Hazenoki's severed eyes and teeth function as explosive projectiles without any regard for Remi's safety. Megumi avoids suffering any fatal damage but he's worn down and Remi keeps bothering him because she's unable to come to terms with her situation. Hari rejoins the fight and Kogane announces a tenth and eleventh rule that has been added to the Culling Game. It's the rule Yuji and Nozomi added, giving Megumi inspiration to keep fighting. With increased morale, Megumi overpowers Hari and even eliminates him, determined to wave away any difficulties that cross his path.

Remi withdraws from the fight but Reggie and Hazenoki pursue Megumi. Before Megumi has to suffer getting hit by more bombs, a newcomer enters the fray and takes the hit from an explosion for him. The newcomer is Fumihiko Takaba, a player with zero points and a comedic attitude who tries to play off his new injuries by claiming coward's attacks do zero damage.

Takaba decides to help Megumi even the odds but everyone is taken back by his goofy attitude. Thanks to his unexpected strength and determination to entertain, Takaba is able to separate Hazenoki from Reggie. Megumi finally gets Reggie one-on-one and announces that his goal has already been completed in this colony, so he can fight earnestly without holding anything back now. He uses a combination of shikigami that includes Max Elephant in order to try and nullify Reggie's Contractual Re-Creation technique, which manifests items written on receipts. Megumi expends a lot of cursed energy to do so and he's already been worn down the earlier explosions. Reggie manifests a spa treatment to recover his stamina and is confident Megumi doesn't have any big moves that can effectively finish the fight without Divine Dog.

Megumi acts like he's fleeing and lures Reggie into a gymnasium only to be quickly overwhelmed by Reggie's uncanny combination of martial arts and re-created items. Reggie knows Megumi is up to something but he's always suspicious because he believes sorcerers are nothing but con artists. Before Megumi loses too much ground, he reveals his trump card and activates Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden. The gym is a perfect fit for Megumi's domain, and by converting the space into Chimera Shadow Garden, he's able to forcibly enclose the barrier and trap Reggie inside. Reggie underestimated Megumi and didn't figure Megumi to be a sorcerer of this level. Megumi tells him that he never admitted to not having any big moves.

The domain doesn't incorporate a can't-miss attack but the Ten Shadows Technique is pushed to 120% of its potential. This is enough for Megumi to overpower Reggie and nearly defeat him. However, Reggie doesn't allow himself to lose and summons three cars that drop into Megumi's shadow. Reggie deduced that Megumi has to bear the weight of anything in his shadow and turns the domain's conditions against him. Megumi counters using the shadows above Reggie to drop Max Elephant right on top of him, turning the fight into a contest of withstanding immense pressure.

Reggie attempts to activate his "ace" while holding up Max Elephant only to fall into the shadows. He falls indefinitely through the darkness until he commands one of the cars he dropped inside earlier to take him back to the surface. Once rescued, Reggie uses his "ace", summoning a small house guaranteed to crush Megumi with its weight. Megumi hides in his shadow and dispels the domain so the house breaks the floor of the gymnasium and sends both fighters falling into the basement pool below. Megumi gets a hold of Reggie and nearly drowns him, forcing the latter to dispel the cars in Megumi's shadow to get rid of the weight.

Both combatants get out of the pool and claim to be unable to use their cursed techniques any longer, agreeing to settle their fight with a physical exchange. Reggie believes Megumi can still summon a shikigami and is still confident it won't be Divine Dog. He tries to pressure Megumi into panicking and summoning a shikigami so he can counterattack at that moment. However, Reggie is dealt a fatal blow from behind by none other than Divine Dog itself. Megumi used the domain and the pool to get his opponent to completely dismiss the shikigami, a mistake Reggie pays dearly for. Collapsed on the ground and bleeding out, Reggie reiterates a sorcerer is nothing but a con artist. Dignified in defeat, Reggie transfers all 41 of his points to Megumi before he dies. In his last moments, Reggie asks Megumi to let fate play with him before he inevitably suffers a foolish death.

Meanwhile, Hazenoki is unable to make any headway while trying to bomb Takaba. None of his explosions seem to have any effect no matter how many times he appears to score a direct hit. As he attempts another attack, he is hung by his neck by a sudden appearing noose, the effect of Mimiko's technqiue, who had just dispatched two of the weaker members of Reggies group. As Takaba gets Mimiko to release Hazenoki, Kogane informs Hazenoki that Reggie has been eliminated and the sorcerer gives up fighting Takaba and leaves. Takaba is so powerful because his Comedian technique makes anything he thinks will be funny into reality. It's a technique so strong it could oppose Satoru Gojo, but Takaba is utterly unaware of it. Remi flees the area while panicking about how men have influenced her life. Divine Dog tracks her down and corners her to make good on Megumi's threats, but Tsumiki's voice suddenly dissuades him. Megumi collapses from exhaustion and suddenly the Angel, Hana Kurusu, descends upon him.

#### Burdens of Lifetimes

Elsewhere, Tsubasa watches on as three weak Awakened Jujutsu Sorcerers are quickly dispatched by a loose cursed spirit, which Tsubasa finds funny while yawning. As the curse turns it attention to Tsubasa, he claims he's not that tasty, and advises the curse to move on. As the curse charges him, Tsubasa yawns and easily decapitates the curse with his hand, picking up its head and consuming a portion of it, noting it tastes disgusting, but notes it "had a long life ahead of it".

After tossing aside the "lifeless" curse and letting it disintegrate, Tsubasa takes to the sky, flying to the top of the Tokyo Colony No. 1 barrier, loudly questioning where his sister could be. Suddenly, he sees a foot flying at him from the corner of his eye, and juts upward, narrowly missing the kick aimed at his head. The unknown figure lands on a nearby roof, quickly accompanied by another, slimmer figure. As they raise their heads, Tsubasa notices the feminine one, questioning it by the name of Fumi. “Fumi” doesn’t respond, and immediately raises her hand and twists it, with Tsubasa flying out of the way again, noticing that the top of the building behind him had been crushed nearly flat. He sighs, noting that this “Fumi” was likely either a fake or a puppet, which he tiredly asks “Fumi”. She plainly replied that he shouldn’t be talking to a corpse as though the person were still alive, which confirmed Tsubasa’s suspicions about the pair. He theorizes that the two present are inhabiting the corpses of others, with “The Fold Woman” inhabiting Fumi’s. Tsubasa yawns and stretches in the air, claiming he will give The Fold Woman a quick end.

Tsubasa finishes stretching and says "2 years: consume", with a short sword with a circular hilt appearing in his hand. Immediately, The Fold Woman activates her innate technique, Fold-a-Motion, folding the space between Tsubasa and the air around him. Tsubasa flys out of range of the attack, commenting on The Fold Woman's apparent lack of expertise with the technique, claiming that the original owner was far superior. From behind him, The Cloaked Man appears behind Tsubasa, large amounts of steam emitting from him as he attempts to slash him, having activated his secondary cursed technique, Black Claw. Tsubasa blocks the attack with his sword, cutting The Cloaked Man's face in the process. Tsubasa admits surprise at The Cloaked Man's ability to have two cursed techniques, let alone using both simultaneously, before grabbing The Cloaked Man's arm and throwing him into a large multistory building. The Fold Woman seemingly teleports in from of Tsubasa, missing his face by inches with her Black Claw covered hand. Tsubasa says "1 year: consume", with a light ray blasting The Fold Woman through three building roofs, only to be caught by The Cloaked Man. Tsubasa lands gracefully on the ground, contemplating the pair. He taunts them on their hesitation to attack him again, while theorizing to himself. After a short silence, Tsubasa speaks up, stating that they are scared to attack him again due to the nature of his cursed technique. The two figit, which acts as conformation to Tsubasa's theory. He then claims that the two are strong, stating that they could give the a modern day special grade sorcerer trouble, but that he wasn't so easily intimidated. Tsubasa yawned, telling the pair to come at him.

The Cloaked Man activated his innate technique, Haze Exhaust, at maximum output, attempting to speed blitz Tsubasa. He lands a kick on Tsubasa's body, only to find that his foot had been impaled by Tsubasa's sword, to which he grabbed The Cloaked Man's leg, sapping away his cursed energy and lifespan. The Cloaked Man attempted to move, only to realize that he had been decapitated, a floating claymore like blade hovering where The Cloaked Man's head used to be, with Tsubasa saying "5 years: consume". As the Cloaked Man's body fell to the ground, The Fold Woman attempted to get behind Tsubasa, only for him to have turned around already, attempting to cut her with both his short sword and floating claymore. She managed to dodge by doing the splits, only to look up to see Tsubasa floating in the air, both of his weapons having disappeared. Tsubasa then says that Fumi will forgive him for liberating her, and then says "8 years: salvage", summoning his massive shikigami, Nigen-sei, which creates a large black, stary orb. Tsubasa smiles as a gigantic light ray blasts through multiple buildings, incinerating The Fold Woman. As Tsubasa lands on a nearby roof, he contemplates who, or what, had targeted him specifically, before wondering if Sage is having the same problems he is out loud.

### Sendai Colony: The Height of the Feast

Yuta Okkotsu faces off against the strongest players in the Sendai Colony.

#### Standoff in Sendai

The battles of the Sendai Colony escalated quickly after the Culling Game began. By the twelfth day, the pure viciousness of the battles far exceeded that of the Tokyo No. 1 Colony. Due to conflicting techniques and personalities, the colony entered a deadlock between four elite players: Dhruv Lakdawalla, Takako Uro, Ryu Ishigori, and Kurourushi.

The standoff was ended by none other than Yuta Okkotsu, who entered the colony more recently as a part of his comrades' plan to combat the Culling Game. Having already scored thirty-five points, Yuta effortlessly cut down Dhruv Lakdawalla and inadvertently put the other player's attention directly on him.

Ryu and Uro watch Yuta from a distance to observe his abilities. **Kurourushi,** a Special Grade cockroach cursed spirit, was at a disadvantage against Dhruv. With him out of the way, Kurourushi awakens from his dormant state and begins to feed on unsuspecting victims trapped in the culling games. Using swarm of cockroaches through his innate technique Cursed Cockroach Technique to target the group of civilians under Yuta's protection, bringing him in direct conflict with the cockroach curse. Awakened in a state of starvation, Kurourushi's instincts direct him to immediately devour Yuta.

Aware he's being watched, Yuta attempts to exorcise Kurourushi without using Rika or his reverse cursed technique. He initially holds the advantage against the curse with only his katana and the manipulation of his cursed energy. However, Kurourushi's unchecked power ultimately turns the tables on Yuta. Only when he's cornered does Yuta resort to using reverse cursed energy to "exorcise" the curse. Uro takes notice of Yuta's ability to use reverse cursed technique and with Kurourushi out of the way, she makes her move next.

#### Battle Royale

Uro attacks Yuta with her innate technique, the ability to manipulate the sky by turning it into surfaces. Rather than continuously fight, Yuta tries to reason with Uro and asks why she's killing so desperately for her own gain. This only serves to annoy Uro, reminding her of her past lover, and leads her to take out her grudge against Yuta's ancestors on him. Ryu interrupts their squabble with his signature Granite Blast attack, inserting himself into the fight. Yuta decides it's best to deal with him so his attack range doesn't threaten the civilians being protected by Rika. He avoids an array of cursed energy blasts and closes the distance on Ryu, demanding they bring the fight into close quarters.

Before they come to blows, Ryu explains to Yuta about his experiences in his past life. Ryu was never gratified with a proper fight he likens to a plentiful desert. He hopes that Yuta will be able to provide that experience and the two of them clash. Despite Yuta's immense volume of cursed energy, Ryu's overwhelming cursed energy output overpowers him. Uro jumps back into the conflict and hits Yuta as well, irritating Ryu. After Uro redirects a blast back at Ryu, Yuta gets back up and decides it's time to go all out. He wanted to put more distance between the civilians and the fighting but now he's been left without a choice. Ready to unleash his full power, Yuta calls Rika to his side and asks her to give him everything.

Rika comes to Yuta's aid completely manifested. She refills his cursed energy and helps him take back the momentum of the fight. Yuta uses cursed speech on Uro and corners her while Rika duels with Ryu. Yuta tells her that acting selfishly will only get her so far but Uro refuses to hear him out. Ryu decides to ramp up the intensity of the battle and everyone is forced to unleash their domain, creating a three-way domain expansion.

However as they internally fight inside the domain the domain barrier is pushed by the presence of a familiar face Kurourushi unexpectedly reappears, saying thanks for helping me realize having reproduced his own cursed energy based cells to keep himself from being completely destroyed by reverse cursed technique and he actually said to Yuta "I can speak you know and thanks for helping me want to devor you even more in the eternally abyss i was thrown in" promoting Uro and Ryu to be shocked at his skills of communication. Due to several factors including Kurourushi's intrusion, and the three domains being just glass shells without hit factors caused it to collapse before the barriers ever fully form said hit factors. This leaves the sorcerers in a state where they're unable to use cursed techniques.

Yuta targets Kurourushi first because of his being distracted by Uro and easily overcomes him during a small skirmish thanks to Yuta throwing Uro into him and he quickly turns to hit Yuta's katana, before vanishing completely and back to him quickly fighting Uro she's at a disadvantage against him. Unable to defend herself, Uro's arm is severed by Kurourushi. Uninterested in fighting either of them, Ryu takes Uro and Kurourushi with one shot from his Granite Blast, leaving Ryu and Yuta alone after Yuta destroys the cursed spirit with a blast of cursed energy. Yuta and Ryu would take this opportunity to fight each other alone.

#### Dessert

Yuta and Ryu clash cursed energy beams in an exchange where the former decides to indulge his opponent's four hundred years' worth of hunger. Yuta loses the initial exchange but uses the explosion to close the distance while using Rika as a diversion. Ryu blocks Rika's second beam with one hand and aims his own attack at Yuta, only for it to be redirected by Yuta copying Uro's technique.

Yuta's connection with Rika ends and he enters one final exchange of blows with Ryu, a clash the latter considers to be the dessert he's longed for. Suddenly Ryu's beam comes raining down on him and defeats the sorcerer, with Yuta having redirected it before Rika disappeared. Satisfied, Ryu doesn't lament his defeat and thanks Yuta for helping satisfy the hunger.

After the fighting concludes, Yuta confronts Uro and Ryu to obtain their points. Uro claims Yuta is reaching his limit because the only thing that surpasses great strength is ruthless aggression that disregards everything like a calamity, referring to Sukuna from 1,000 years ago, with a vistage of Shichihyaku Fujiwara smiling at her appearing in her vision, causing her to shed a tear. Ryu refuses to commend Yuta for sparing him, a sentiment Uro shared, both believing that not taking the life of an opponent is pointless. He also asks about the conversations with Uro but Yuta explains that they're unable to communicate because he's been blessed. Following their conversation, Ryu transfers his points to Yuta, giving the young sorcerer a total of 190 points.

### Tokyo No. 2 Colony: Incredible Luck

Kinji Hakari and Panda venture into the second Tokyo colony to track down Hajime Kashimo.

#### A Creator's Despair

Kinji Hakari and Panda are separated upon entering the Tokyo No. 2 Colony barrier. Hakari happens upon Charles Bernard, a young aspiring manga creator whose future aspirations have been stolen by the Culling Game. Hakari agrees to ride a functioning ferris wheel with Charles and expresses far more optimism about the future, believing things will return to normal. Charles believes that his reality has been overtaken by jujutsu and things will never be the same. He needs a reason to participate in the killing of the Culling Game and asks Hakari to bring out the requisite hatred in him. Hakari insults his passion for manga and provokes a fight between them.

Charles's innate technique allows him to conjure G Warstaff, a cursed tool that can grant him foresight into the future of anyone he draws blood from. Charles attacks with G Warstaff while elaborating on his despair. Hakari remains cool-headed and deals with his opponent's abilities accordingly, always holding on to the advantage throughout the battle. He stays in Charles's blindspots to negate his foresight and declares that he has to go all out and utterly break Charles so he doesn't pick a fight with anyone else. Charles gets small doses of Hakari's blood with G Warstaff, enough to see two seconds into his future. Hakari responds and intensifies the battle by activating domain expansion.

Inside Hakari's pachinko-themed domain, Idle Death Gamble, Charles is instantly informed of the rules and fights while trying to get used to the game flow. He has trouble trying to keep up and see Hakari's future while dealing with his relentless pressure at the same time. When Hakari appears to miss a second consecutive jackpot, Charles uses the motivation and apparent swing in momentum to land a direct hit. Hakari is hurt but his domain reveals that he actually did hit the jackpot. Hakari uses his bonus of infinite cursed energy to defeat Charles in an instant.

#### Winds of Rememberance

Farther in the colony, Saibankan Urami finishes killing a Culling Game Player, calling his abilities weak. Tossing the corpse aside, he openly yells for anyone to fight him. Nearly instantly, he feels a gush of wind, and turns around to see a cloaked man wielding a sword, who immediately asks for the whereabouts of a Culling Game Player known as Benika Kokatsu. Saibankan immediately registers him as a powerful enemy, claiming him to be the first real opponent he'll face, at least until he can find The Angel or Kashimo.

Saibankan immediately charges at the stranger, who dodges with ease, only for Saibankan to feel a slash across his chest. To his surprise, he had been cut by the mysterious swordsmen, not even seeing his sword being drawn. Saibankan became nervous, and activated his cursed technique for good measure, only for the stranger to tell him it would do him no good, activating New Shadow Style: Simple Domain, trapping Saibankan in the technique-nullifying domain, decapitating the sorcerer in seconds. The stranger then continues onward toward an abandoned building, noticing familiar clawmarks.

Upon entering the building, he finds a woman sitting on a couch, where two sorcerers the stranger identified as strong lay dead. Upon greeting the stranger, Benika reveals his name to be Sora Sage, who told her she looked good after all these years, to which she responded that "its reincarnation, idiot. Not everyone can make immortality deals". As she draws closer to Sora, she embraces him, saying she's missed him, to which he apologizes for "his stupid actions".

#### Bye Bye

Panda ends up in a shipping yard after being separated from Hakari. He initially decides to camo as a harmless bear but then decides to try and find the Angel without Hakari. Panda unfortunately happens upon Hajime Kashimo, who uses his Kogane to identify Panda as a rival player.

Hajime effortlessly overpowers Panda and even Gorilla Mode does little to slow him down. Hajime wants to know about Sukuna but Panda refuses to put his kohai in danger. Panda transforms into his sister core's Triceratops mode but Hajime acts faster. He unleashes a bolt of lightning that eviscerates Panda's body, leaving only his head in a pool of the cursed corpse's blood.

In a vision that represents Panda's relationship with his sibling cores, Gorilla, Triceratops and even their father have to leave Panda behind. This reflects the fact that Panda's sibling cores have been destroyed completely. Hajime interrogates Panda's head but the ladder doesn't reveal any information about Sukuna. Before Hajime finishes Panda off, Hakari arrives to save him while overflowing with cursed energy.

#### Jackpot! Luck VS Lightning

Kashimo fights Hakari and is fascinated by his unique abilities. The two of them make an agreement that if Hakari wins, he'll get Kashimo's points. If Kashimo wins, Hakari will tell him about Sukuna. Supercharged with unlimited cursed energy, Hakari proves challenging for Kashimo. Kashimo hits him with lightning, but the cursed energy coursing through Hakari's body during the bonus round doesn't allow his body to break using an automatic reverse cursed technique. Hakari's bonus round ends but he opens his domain right away, something he can do over and over as long as continues to hit jackpot.

Kashimo learns about the rules of the domain and easily overpowers Hakari while he's not unkillable. Hakari hits another jackpot and Kashimo decides to try and kill Hakari during the round instead of waiting it out. Kashimo has always been a sorcerer dissatisfied with his battles and views Hakari as a proper challenge. The only reason he agreed to Kenjaku's terms and agreed to the Culling Game four hundred years ago was to fight the strongest ever, Sukuna.

In order to deal with Hakari's healing, Kashimo tries to destroy his heat in one shot. A bolt of lightning hits Hakari's face but he heals while he breaks. With just eight seconds left in the round, Hakari doesn't expect Kashimo to shoot more lightning and goes all in. However, Kashimo has an extra electric charge on his staff and he receives it as electrical feedback through Hakari. The lightning bolt destroys Hakari's lower left midsection just as the round ends. In an attempt to survive the fatal injury, Hakari gambles on expanding his domain again.

Kashimo doesn't believe Hakari could possibly hit the jackpot before he bleeds out but he does just that. Hakari's domain comes apart and drops them both over the sea. Kashimo finds footing on cursed spirits but Hakari destroys them and knocks him into the sea. Hakari plans on keeping this up until Kashimo is drained but he suddenly falls sick and plummets into the water. Kashimo creates chlorine gas using his electrified cursed energy and uses it to poison the reverse cursed technique user. Hakari unconsciously detoxifies and goes back on the offensive with just five seconds left in the round. Kashimo grabs ahold of him and uses all his remaining cursed energy to unleash a giant steam explosion.

Kashimo returns to the surface, drained of all his cursed energy, but he believes he's won. However, Hakari resurfaces as well and lands the final blow of their fight. He's missing his left arm but Hakari is alive and is the victor. He survived using a binding vow that sacrificed the arm Kashimo grabbed onto to protect the rest of his body. Hakari cuts a deal with Kashimo to work with him in exchange for fighting Sukuna. Afterward, Hakari visits Charles again and encourages him to continue drawing manga. Momo Nishimiya finds Hakari with Charles and informs him of their group's new plans for the Culling Game.

### Sakurajima Colony: Ressurection

Maki Zenin and Noritoshi Kamo face off with a mysterious yet familiar foe.

#### A Vengeful Curse Descends

On November 3rd Noritoshi returned to the Kamo clan's main house several days late after the Shibuya Incident due to the collapsed transportation system. What he returned to was not home as the attendant did not remember him and Kenjaku was already in full control. He revealed that he had his clutches on Jujutsu High already and crushed all Noritoshi's hopes to flush out any traitors. Kenjaku didn't view Noritoshi as a threat and told him to leave the house without resorting to violence.

On November 16th, Kyoto Jujutsu High students enter the colonies to relay critical information for cooperating for the Culling Game to their allies. Noritoshi enters the Sakurajima colony and meets up with Maki after she defeats the remaining players and cursed spirits. While discussing new developments to the plan, Maki and Noritosho are interrupted when an unknown curse descends into the colony. Something about the situation feels off to Maki and Noritoshi when suddenly the curse flies through the city at high speed. It targets Maki and manages to pin her down, revealing its face as none other than Naoya Zenin, who's been reincarnated as a cursed spirit.

Maki is surprised to learn that her mother killed Noaya. Noritoshi uses his arrows to help back Naoya off of Maki and they work together to injure Naoya's cursed spirit body severely. Naoya's injury implodes and his body changes into the shape of a cocoon. Maki and Noritoshi recognize that Naoya is a cursed womb and they shoot it with Noritoshi's Piercing Blood to no avail. Naoya evolves to a much more powerful state and nearly takes out Noritoshi with his first attack. He builds up more speed than ever before and even overpowers Maki with an attack three times the speed of sound.

#### Swordsmanship and Sumo Wrestling

Noritoshi comes to Maki's rescue before Naoya finishes her off. He tries to buy Maki time while she withdraws to recover but Naoya is too powerful and things quickly become dire for Noritoshi. Noritoshi doesn't mind sacrificing himself for Maki or losing the battle because he has nowhere to return to after the fighting. He Feels as if has nowhere to call home whether it be related to the Kamo clan or his mother. Before Noritoshi is killed by Naoya, two newcomers suddenly join the fray.

Hagane Daido and Rokujushi Miyo are reincarnated players whose passions have lost their popularity and practicality over time. Daido is a peerless swordsman who is obsessed with katanas and Miyo is a sumo enthusiast with no one to wrestle. Maki returns to Noritoshi's side before she's fully recovered and lends her blade to Daido. Despite being a non-sorcerer that can't see Naoya, Daido can slash the cursed spirit and deal serious damage. Daido claims he can see everything else, so there's no difference to him. Maki struggles to understand what she's not seeing and Miyo invites her to participate in sumo inside his simple domain.

Maki decides she needs to clear her head and blow off some steam so she agrees to Miyo's offer. Sumo is Miyo's great passion and he defeats Maki in their first bout. He can tell she's strong and that something on her mind is holding her back. He offers her advice on what she isn't seeing and explains it to her through sumo wrestling. Through countless bouts of sumo, he teaches Maki to unconstrain herself from her environment and to use those experiences to live freely in the moment. Doing so boosts Maki's mental state and unlocks her full potential, allowing her to perform at her best.

#### A New Demonic Fighter! Maki's Best

Time moves quicker in Miyo's domain, which allowed for over a thousand wrestling matches in just under a minute. While Maki is performing at her peak, not even Naoya can outmaneuver her. Not only can she perceive subtle differences in inorganic matter, but she uses it to her advantage to overwhelm Naoya. Maki and Daido cut Naoya's cursed spirit body in half, enraging him. A replica of what appears to be his human body erupts from the lower half and casts domain expansion.

The domain, Time Cell Moon Palace. The domain's auto-hit quickly incapacitates Daido and Miyo but Naoya is unable to track Maki at all. Maki retrieves the Split Soul Katana from Daido and uses it to effortlessly destroy Naoya thanks to Oboro's sudden appearance into the domain in order to confuse Naoya. His domain has no way of recognizing or targeting her without any cursed energy to target. Twelve years after his death, a fighter equal to Toji Zenin has been realized in Maki. Before Naoya dissapears entirely, Oboro absorbs him using his copied Cursed Spirit Manipulation.

Victorious, Maki returns to Noritoshi's side and informs them that they've won with the help of the newcomers. Noritoshi, Daido, and Miyo are all seriously injured by they survive. While helping Noritoshi walk to safety, Maki learns about his personal issues and having no familial home to return to. Nortoshi shares this with Maki because he knows she can relate and she tells him to try talking to his mother again. Maki admits she may have made the mistake of not talking to her mother again before she died. Unbeknownst to Noritoshi, his mother awaits the day he comes home to her.

Shortly afterwards, Noritoshi, Maki, and Oboro are greeted by Kaito Yuki, who came with news he received from Ui Ui. According to Ui Ui, An unknown sorcerer contacted his phone, informing him of his capability to revive Maki's supposed dead sister Mai, with the help of another sorcerer, Benika Kokatsu, whom Sora already located. This news leaves Maki speechless, with the Split-Soul Katana rattling in her hand.

### Offering to the Unknown

Main Article-Under the Veil Arc

Kenjaku convinces a foreign military to invade the Culling Game and capture its players under the pretense of studying them to develop an alternative energy source.

In the months before the Shibuya Incident or the Culling Game, Kenjaku met with numerous national governments and revealed the reality of jujutsu sorcery to them. He presented them with the idea of capturing sorcerers with their militaries in order to study them. As Cyrus Veil of the United States Office of Energy and Environment explained, cursed energy has the potential to become the cleanest renewable resource in history. Kenjaku and Cyrus Veil pressured the President into authorizing the operation. Lieutenant General Garry K. Johnson initially believed a few battalions would be enough to accomplish their goal. Kenjaku displayed the might of a sorcerer against Johnson's soldiers and convinced him they would need hundreds of soldiers to go hunting for sorcerers.

During the months prior, Veil amassed a group of Marines specially trained to combat sorcerers, naming them Death Angels and arming them with cursed tools given to him by Kenjaku and stolen from The Scythe Family after their annihilation and merging.

#### Direct Talks

Megumi wakes up from his fight with Reggie in a hotel room two days later. He was rescued by Hana Kurusu who happened to have met up with Yuji and Fumihiko, and then Nozomi, Ai, and Shosano around the same time. After Megumi gathers himself, Yuji reveals that their senpai gathered more than enough points to rescue Tsumiki. With that objective cleared, they move on to asking about the Angel.

A mouth appears on Hana's face in a similar fashion to how Sukuna speaks through Yuji. The Angel explains that she shares Hana's body and her goal is to wipe out all incarnated sorcerers. Megumi asks if the Angel could destroy the seal on Prison Realm. While the Angel's innate technique could break any seal, she has one condition: they must eliminate the sorcerer known as the "Disgraced One". At the moment of the Angel's request, Yuji's mind is called into Sukuna's innate domain.

Sukuna reveals that he is the Disgraced One and Yuji is immediately pulled back into reality. He uses a series of clever and clumsy non-verbal cues to communicate this to Megumi without alerting the Angel. Megumi figured things were going too smoothly and now his main concern is that Yuji will sacrifice himself. Before things progress, the Angel suddenly comments on hundreds of players suddenly entering the colony.

#### The Hunt for Jujutsu Sorcerers

The operation begins in the middle of the night of November 14th in the Tokyo No. 1 Colony. The soldiers capture several weak players like Remi but struggle mightily against the stronger sorcerers like Hazenoki. However, the soldiers weren't sent in at night to give them an advantage. In fact, Kenjaku never intended for there to be a clash between the military and the sorcerers. He released cursed spirits into the colonies to perform a one-sided massacre on the soldiers. This will fill the colonies with the requisite amount of cursed energy for the merger with Tengen.

Yuji, Megumi, Hana, and Fumihiko defeat a group of soldiers attempting to capture them. They learn about the operation to hunt and capture sorcerers, as well as figure out Kenjaku's true intentions. Yuji suggests they help the soldiers but the Angel refuses. She argues against putting Hana in unnecessary danger when the Tokyo No. 1 colony has already been filled with cursed energy. They quarrel and Yuji says that he's going to act regardless of the Angel because he never trusted them to begin with. His phrasing makes it unclear if Yuji is talking to Hana as well, irritating her.

Despite Yuji and the Angel's comments, Hana decides to rescue the soldiers from the cursed spirits. Megumi saved her when they were young and she always believed fate would reunite them. She wants to save people and be someone worthy of standing by his side. Megumi eventually calls Yuji out on his behavior. Yuji explains that was afraid of Hana replacing Nobara. Hana regroups with the boys and gives Yuji the chance to apologize.

During this time, several, if not all of the Death Angels sent into the colonies perish, save for one, Ramon Morningstar, who kills 12 sorcerers, before being confronted by an unknown man, who advises the marine to come closer. Ramon attempts to attack, but is immediately trapped in the sorcerers technique, sitting in front of a shogi board, while the man announces himself as Shichihyaku Fujiwara, and tells the marine to express himself. Ramon finds this stupid, and enacts the forfeit rule Shichihyaku explained to him, before being trapped in the technique again, the sorcerer insisting on Ramon opening up. Upon hearing this, Ramon divulges his past, and even insinuates that both he and Shichihyaku lead similar lives upon hearing Shichihyaku's story, which "the strongest" sorcerer shoots down immediately.

Shichihyaku divulges his and Ramons colossal differences, explaining that he only wanted to use the marine as a practice dummy to use to improve his words to sway his lover. Ramon chuckles at this, urging the sorcerer to say what he feels now, when he has time. Shichihyaku then lets the marine leave, calling his existence pitiful, and tells the marine to find a way to live with his shame, and make up with his daughter. Shichihyaku later introduces himself to Yuji and company, explaining his involvement in keeping Nozomi's involvement a secret from Kenjaku, establishing himself as an ally.

### Eons Adrift, A Rude Awakening

Elsewhere, Kenjaku sits waiting for a man to wake up as Doku questions why Kenjaku chose to wait to awaken this sorcerer. Kenjaku explains that the sorcerer they have in front of them is too strong for the Culling Games, and that he would've eradicated everyone had they chosen to awaken him sooner. As the man jolts up, Kenjaku smiles and welcomes him back to the land of the living. The man immediately tells Kenjaku to shut up, and gets to his feet. He looks around and voices his disgust at the modern era, mocking the clothes he's currently wearing, calling his vessel stupid for "having no taste."

Kenjaku asks if the man needs to warm up, pointing at the nearby Culling Game Colony, to which he replies if he's asking if hes in working condition. Doku scoffs, claiming that the man in front of them is all bark and no bite. The man laughs at Doku's remark, calling the modern sorcerer cute for saying that. He cracks his neck and suddenly begins to float, a large black cube appearing under him, crushing the surround ground instantaniously within 20 feet on him. As he rises into the air, Doku asks "what that thing is". As the man begins to summon hundreds of large, black cubes, Kenjaku explains that the man they've reincarnated is none other than Kyuhyaku Fujiwara, the Clan Head of the once prestigious Fujiwara Clan, and older brother to their greatest adversary. As Kyuhyaku drops the cubes on the colony, as his Kogane begins to call out "5 points have been added", "5 points have been added", "5 points have been added", "5 points have been added". Over and over, as his point count continues to rise, Kyuhyaku swears vengence upon his "little brother", as the Kogane reports to all players that the entire Aomori Colony has been wiped out, much to every players shock.

#### The Man who lives with the Dead and the Living

After his loss against Shichihyaku, Ramon moves somewhere else to the Sakurajima Colony. Ramon Morningstar still remains in the Culling Games, even after he is aware that almost all of the Death Angels are dead, and the military retreating. Yet he still operates inside the Culling Games due to them still having their strongest members and still having many elite members of the scythe clan are with them as well and he is purely aware that all is hostile inside the Culling Game's and he just after more Culling Game Players for to train himself more and get stronger by this way later traveling inside the Culling Games once more he ended up inside a City surrounded by dozen of Culling Game Players that said why a strange United States Dweller is here.

They attacked him first with their weakest members and after being swarmed and he didn't wait for them to attack him and he would use his overwhelming prowess to counter them all and was able to jump into the air and he immediately with Jujutsu Bane wiped and killed the recognizable inexperienced culling game players that attacked him without thinking about what and who they were fighting and he would see even way more of their members running with blinding speeds he goes around killing much more of them until he is blasted away by a member he didn't see and thus blast had him going through into dozen of the buildings meeting the leader of the overwhelming amount of Culling Game Player in said Group.

These more powerful members of this powerful group of culling game players had been watching to wait fof his guard to be down however this ambush on him as it did nothing as he got up unscathed surprising them about his dexterity and durability overall and he say "that attack was way to soft and always it a nice warm to be hit" up now much powerful individuals to increase his own powers and abilities, he would first face off against the third wheel powerhouse of the group Kinniku and his Jujutsu was Muscle Armour and it created blobs of reinforced muscles that were created from his cursed energy and the battle would end with the two fighting for about 5 entire seconds due to Jujutsu Bane being able to pierce his entire face and this would pierce through his skull destroying his entire brain and head with this strike proving he had actually learned from his first fight.

### Blood, Stars, and Oil

Yuki Tsukumo and Choso along with Oboete and Taiyototsuki defend Tengen from being seized by Kenjaku and Meirei.

#### Death Painting Wombs Fire!!!!

During her time in the Tombs of the Star Corridor, Yuki finally got to have the talk she was eager to have with Tengen. Yuki starts off by asking what happened following Riko Amanai's death and she ends up aggravated by Tengen's indifference to the Star Plasma Vessels. Tengen then explains their reasoning behind not merging with Nozomi when he was discovered by Satoru Gojo, as they didn't know the effects that could happen, as Nozomi is the first and only recorded male Star Plasma Vessel. As a former Star Plasma Vessel herself, Yuki feels it's her duty to make Tengen feel responsible and refuses to share what the individuals they've merged with are communicating, before Tengen mentions that Nozomi could hear them as well, feeling that Nozomi could be the end of this cycle of absorbtion and death. Unfortunately, their chat is cut short when Kenjaku makes his move and invades the empty barriers above the Tombs of the Star.

Choso is the first to intercept Kenjaku. When the curse user arrives, Choso is already there waiting for his father inside the barrier. After trading insults to one another, Choso agrees to listen to Kenjaku's plan. Kenjaku manipulates the barrier to show Choso a film of one possibility for his grand scheme. Kenjaku essentially wants to discover the next stage of cursed energy by turning everyone into sorcerers and then conglomerating the citizens of Japan into a new entity. Choso wants to know why Kenjaku wants to do any of this but the maniac simply replies that it sounds fun. Kenjaku even adds says if the conglomeration of cursed energy ended up being a funny face, it would be hilarious. This maniacal attitude infuriates Choso and he immediately attacks his father in an attempt to end his schemes.

Kenjaku outclasses Choso in battle with contemptible ease, severely injuring him with swarms of cursed spirits. While Choso is down, Kenjaku expresses disinterest in all of his "mediocre" creations, referring mainly to the Death Painting Wombs. He then divulges the reason for his interest in Nozomi. In actuality, Kenjaku plans on taking over the special grades body for his status as the Star Plasma Vessel, as well as his Barrier System technique, where he can use it to merge humanity, with or without Tengen. When Choso questions Kenjaku's plans for Yuji, he dismisses it as he doesn't have specific ideas for Yuji's future. Kenjaku claims Yuji is a signal fire for a new era and the cycle of curses will never end as long as he and Sukuna are around. Choso refuses to believe that Yuji is responsible for the chain of curses and blames Kenjaku for all the twistedness spreading in the world. He rejects Kenjaku's notions about his brothers and uses their image to push him to get back to his feet. Choso uses unconventional techniques inspired by his brothers to take Kenjaku by surprise, eventually forcing him to unveil a cursed technique other than Cursed Spirit Manipulation.

#### Rage of a Star

Kenjaku has unveiled his ability to manipulate gravity. With one of his formerly hidden cards now firmly laid out on the table, Yuki makes her move. Yuki tags in for Choso, commending her new "big brother" before telling Kenjaku that she likes the rough type of man. Tengen and Yuki formulated a plan to defeat Kenjaku prior to his invasion. Their plan is to force Kenjaku to expand his domain so that Tengen can manipulate the empty barrier to dispel it. Yuki should be able to overpower Kenjaku while his cursed techniques are burnt out from domain expansions. Yuki starts strong and even surprises the ancient sorcerer with her powerful innate technique: Star Rage.

Kenjaku expands his domain, Womb Profusion, earlier than Yuki expected, quickly after the two fighters finish feeling one another out. However, Yuki and Tengen miscalculated. Kenjaku doesn't incorporate an enclosed barrier around his domain, leaving no outer edge for Tengen to target. While Tengen tries to compensate, Yuki attempts to buy herself time with Simple Domain, but it's ripped apart in seconds. Tengen figures out a way to dispel the domain at the last moment but it's too late, as Yuki is hit by the domain's can't-miss attack and severely injured. Yuki falls to the floor below the dispelled empty barrier, bloodied with mangled limbs, but she keeps fighting Kenjaku. She quickly reaches her limit but just when Kenjaku believes he has her beat, Choso suddenly rejoins the fight to ambush him.

Choso nearly commits patricide with his surprise attack but Kenjaku narrowly avoids a fatal blow. Yuki and Choso fight together to push Kenjaku into a corner while he can't activate cursed techniques. Choso buys time for Yuki to heal her injuries but Kenjaku replenishes his cursed techniques as well. Choso is immobilized by Kenjaku's gravity attack and Yuki uses this chance to analyze it. She employs a strategy to counter it and appears to overwhelm her opponent. However, just as Yuki goes for the win, Kenjaku reveals he mislead her and deals a surprise fatal blow using a miniature Maximum: Uzumaki.

Choso can't get up but his last-ditch effort is another blood attack in an attempt to save Yuki. However, Yuki tells Choso to live on and Tengen removes him from the fight, sparing his life instead. Kenjaku uses gravity to bisect Yuki but she refuses to die without fighting until the end. Yuki uses her technique to compress so much density within her body that transforms into a black hole. The black hole's catastrophic potential is quelled by Yuki, only destroying a portion of Jujutsu High. Kenjaku barely survives the black hole using a complex blend of sorcery and finally reaches Tengen's body, completing his goal of seizing his old friend.

#### Unholy Clash

During the same time as Choso and Yuki battled against Kenjaku, Meirei also invaded the Tomb of the Star in search of Tengen, only to be confronted by her fellow commandments. As Oboete attempts to reason with her, she shoots her down, calling The Angel weak and states her intention to kill her. As the battle ensures, both Oboete and Taiyototsuki are shocked by Meirei's improved capabilities, with even Taiyototsuki's technique proving to be more and more ineffective.

In a last ditch effort to stall Meirei for time, Oboete activates her maximum cursed energy output and unleashes a massive final barrage, which completely obliterates the empty barrier the three were fighting in, causing the Tomb to shake, but not before experiencing Yuki's last ditch effort to kill Kenjaku. As Meirei immerges from the rubble, she commends Oboete's final attack before meeting up with Kenjaku, who proudly announces his seizing of Master Tengen.

### Fearsome Womb: Recurrence

The plan to rescue Tsumiki is upheaved by several unexpected developments that occur one after the other and drastically altering the fate of Megumi and his comrades.

#### The Ripening

The day after the military invasion, Maki and Kokichi Muta's Mechamaru rendezvous with Yuji, Megumi, Ai, and Nozomi in the Tokyo No. 1 Colony. She informs them that Tengen was seized and the preparation for the great merger has been completed. Unable to do anything about this for the moment, Megumi, Maki, Nozomi, and Yuji focus on moving along with their plan to rescue Tsumiki while Mechamaru escorts Nanako and Mimiko to the edge of the barrier. Megumi negotiates with Kogane to create a rule to leave the Culling Game. 100 points can be spent to substitute a player with someone outside the colonies.

Assistant director Ijichi escorts Tsumiki to the Tokyo No. 1 Colony with Maki. Tsumiki enters the colony and quickly meets up with Yuji, Nozomi, and Megumi. After quick introductions, Megumi gives Tsumiki a hundred points and tells her to use it to exit the Culling Game. However, instead of using the points as Megumi directs, Tsumiki suddenly adds a new rule to the game. The rule allows entry and exit across colony borders.

Megumi assumed Tsumiki was the awakened type of player and never considered she could be an imposter. Completely taken off guard, Megumi is horrified and demands to know who this person is. "Tsumiki" taunts him before revealing she is a sorcerer named Yorozu from the past. She took Megumi's points because he offered them but she used them according to her desires. Yorozu expresses wants to choose the place where she'll engage Sukuna in battle. She grows insect-like wings and flies off, leaving Megumi behind without a second thought.

Yuji and Hana attempt to pursue Yorozu but Sukuna suddenly recites the phrase "**En Chain**". This gives Sukuna control of Yuji's body for one minute, a binding vow the latter was tricked into accepting after his death. Sukuna safely knocks Hana unconscious and divides his soul into one of his fingers, dodging Nozomi's attempts to restrain him. He tears the finger off and takes a moment to celebrate his successful gamble. The binding vow prohibits Sukuna from injuring anyone, but since he still has control over the body, this means it doesn't include self-harm. Sukuna calls Yuji a fool and Megumi tries to initiate an exorcism ritual to summon Mahoraga in response. Sukuna disrupts Megumi's hand sign to prevent him from summoning the shikigami and then force-feeds him the severed finger as Nozomi screams at Sukuna. This successfully incarnates Sukuna's soul into Megumi's body. Yuji regains control of himself only to see that Sukuna moved over to his friend.

Yuji and Nozomi are paralyzed with despair and denial, calling out to Megumi. Sukuna responds by hitting Yuji through several buildings and incapacitating him, then repeating the same to Nozomi, who was charging up an attack. Maki, Takaba, and Ai notice the commotion and head to the location. Sukuna sees them coming and uses Megumi's technique to summon a much more powerful version of Nue. It strikes the ground with haphazard bolts of lightning that impede Maki and Takaba. Hana suddenly ambushes Sukuna from behind and uses the Angel's technique to attempt to strip him from Megumi's body. She injures Sukuna with the Angel's light of extinguishment and he pretends that Megumi has regained control to fool her. Sukuna gets Hana to let her guard down and then brutally attacks her once she gets close enough to embrace him.

Sukuna rips Hana's arm off and tosses her off the side of the building. Immediately afterward, Mechamaru attempts to charge Sukuna, who easily chops it to pieces, with Kokichi expressing shock and worry from his terminal. Yuji is in full view of the assault and angrily attacks Sukuna. As their skirmish leads them through multiple buildings, Sukuna calls Yuji a freaky creation of Kenjaku, then attempts to cut him, only to find his cursed energy is being tampered with by Megumi as Yuji lands a punch on Sukuna. As he comes to this realization, Maki and Nozomi appear on opposite sides to Sukuna, with Sukuna noting his inability to notice Maki.

As the three engage in a close quarters battle, Sukuna notes Nozomi's prowess and targeting Sukuna's soul specifically, before breaking the ground with his "**Spiderweb**" technique, landing a blow on Maki. As the fight progresses, Uraume arrives and encases the three sorcerers in his Maximum Output:Frost Calm, which Sukuna commends him for. As the pair leave, they notice Yuji attempting to follow them, laughing at him as they escape. Mid-air, the two feel a presence, which Sukuna quickly notices and turns to see Shichihyaku Fujiwara in mid-air, who punches the large Nue into a building, calling out to Sukuna. Sukuna becomes immediately nervous, attempting to cleave the sorcerer, who easily evades and lands a multitude of blows on The King of Curses, noting how pitiful Sukuna was in this state. Sukuna is suddenly pierced by a blast of red cursed energy, noting Ai's sharpshooting. Shichihyaku easily dropkicks Uraume through a building, then shreds Sukuna's face with an unknown technique, asking Sukuna if it gives him déjà vu. Shichihyaku then throws Sukuna through the roof and into the sky, where he summons Nue again and retrieves Uraume in a hurry, flying away as Shichihyaku mockingly waves at them.

#### The Bath

Back at the Zenin Clan complex, Kenjaku and Uraume discuss the conclusion of the Culling Game as well as the ancient ritual known as the Bath. Sukuna uses the bath to submerge Megumi's soul in darkness and then seeks out his sister to drown it completely. Despite what he told Choso, Kenjaku can't merge humanity with Tengen without ending the Culling Game. In order to establish the Culling Game, Kenjaku took on the binding vow to "end what was permanent". Uraume doesn't care about how Kenjaku plans on doing so and tells him to simply do it. However, Kenjaku is interested in the Bath, which Sukuna is currently submerged in. It is traditionally a ritual used to protect family heirlooms by turning them into cursed tools. It required soaking in a solution of cursed energy formed from crushing and straining venemous creatures through a process known as kodoku.

Kenjaku is interested that Uraume was able to reconstruct this ritual using cursed spirits in the Zenin clan's disciplinary pit. Normally cursed spirits would disappear after they're destroyed but Uraume pinned them down and froze their cores before slicing them apart and filtering them. Sukuna is using the bath to be closer to evil, which submerges Megumi's soul into submission. Sukuna emerges from the bath and Kenjaku asks if he's going to keep his face as Megumi's. Sukuna explains that he believes Megumi's overall appearance is more fit for combatting sorcerers in this situation. Sukuna looks at a cut on his finger and asks his Kogane for the locatiion of Tsumiki Fushiguro.

Megumi's Kogane reveals that Yorozu is in Sendai and Uraume asks why she would be there when players are no longer confined to the colonies. Exasperated, Kenjaku condescendingly explains that she is probably there because it is close to her hometown. He finds it interesting that Sukuna would go out of his way to fight her but the King of Curses clarifies it is to kill Tsumiki and completely drown Megumi's soul. Kenjaku uses a giant fish-like curse that swims through the air to transport Sukuna to Sendai in exchange for Megumi's points.

Takako Uro and Ryu Ishigori immediately notice Sukuna's arrival in the colony due to his massive cursed energy. As a former member of the Sun and Moon Squad that was decimated by the King of Curses, Uro knows this feeling too well. Ryu can't resist an opportunity this sweet and confronts Sukuna directly. Sukuna walks closely up to Ryu and asks if he's going to run or not. Ryu goes to throw a punch and Sukuna cuts him across the torso with his technique. Sukuna is amused, laughing and admitting that he meant to cut Ryu in three. He mockingly apologizes for taking Ryu too lightly and promises not to hold back again. Ryu tries to gain some distance to fire off his Granite Blast, but Sukuna completely blitzes him and slices his head into three.

Afterward, Sukuna meets Yorozu in the stadium where Yuta defeated Dhruv Lakdawalla just days earlier. Yorozu comments on how Sukuna is in a different body now and Sukuna replies that he likes his new appearance more.

Yorozu asks Sukuna why he's keeping Megumi's face when he has the power over his vessel to change it at any time. Sukuna simply spins this question back on Yorozu, to whom this also applies. This amuses her and she says that she agrees using these appearances for now will serve them better later. With utter disregard for Yorozu's confidence, Sukuna asks if she truly believes she'll live until later. This provokes Yorozu to attack with two thick streams of black liquid metal. Sukuna avoids the thrusting streams of liquid metal but Yorozu rides atop one of them to close the distance.

Sukuna and Yorozu exchange blows, parrying one another until Sukuna kicks her back. However, Yorozu nullifies the impact by constructing a square-shaped plate of metal to block the impact. She teases Sukuna and asks him why she noticed him when not even the Angel did before. Sukuna isn't interested in talking but Yorozu continues on, giving credit to love. She proclaims that she wants to kill Sukuna and she wants him to be the one to kill her. She asks Sukuna what he'll give her if she defeats him and he responds with "everything".

Yorozu begins to send spear-tipped streams of liquid metal at Sukuna before suddenly stopping. She asks why Sukuna is only using his vessel's innate technique and not his own Shrine. Sukuna refuses to use his own technique because he wants Tsumiki's blood to be on Megumi's hands in a sense by only using the Ten Shadows Technique. This infuriates Yorozu, who finds it disrespectful for Sukuna to touch his future wife with someone else's technique. Not only that, she's also insulted that Sukuna believes he could beat her without using his Shrine.

Yorozu's innate technique is Construction, allowing her to replicate almost any substance with enough practice. Having constructed numerous weapons on her way to becoming a seasoned sorcerer of the Heian era, she narrowed down specific creations to make up her arsenal of choice. This heavily features her liquid metal, which has a changeable shape and volume with stable physical properties due to semi-autonomous cursed energy. She uses that to create insect armor that appropriates numerous biofunctions from multiple strands of evolution. In response, Sukuna Mahoraga's wheel above his head and says this is a perfect time for a test drive.

It is revealed that Yorozu was a veteran sorcerer of the Heian era who only lacked behind her peers in one aspect: inefficiency in utiliizing cursed energy. Construction consumes vast amounts of cursed energy. This forced Yorozu to come up wiith weapons and armor that used her resources most efficiently. She heard rumors of insects that could cross the sea and saw the efficiency in their relatively great strength and speed. This convinced Yorozu that an insect's carapace was the pinnacle of her Construction technique. She could still wield liquid metal to fight at mid-range as long as she continues to channel cursed energy into it. Yorozu used this fighting style to best the Five Empty Generals, an elite unit of the Toh that stood on equal ground with Takako Uro's Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad.

Empowered by her insect armor, Yorozu uses her speed to blitz Sukuna and land several punches that send him flying back. Yorozu circles around behind Sukuna while he's reeling but he quickly regains his footing and summons Divine Dog in an unstable form again. Yorozu destroys the shadow and swings around the side of Sukuna in one motion. She kicks Sukuna across the stadium into a wall and taunts him, asking him if he's so sure about not using his Shrine.

Yorozu chases Sukuna and begs him to cut her open and witness her love. She attempts to skewer him with liquid metal shaped into a web of numerous spikes that strike all sides within the corridor. Sukuna summons Round Deer, using its reverse cursed technique to heal himself and dispel the liquid metal. Then he summons Piercing Ox, which rams horns-first into the insect-clad warrior. Earlier in the fight, Sukuna summoned Divine Dogs with an unstable form in order to expand the range of the Ten Shadows Technique while also preventing complete destruction. This came at the cost of the independence and attack power from the shikigami, but Sukuna's immense cursed energy capacity and output made up for it. Round Deer and Piercing Ox, however, are fully stable, making them the true embodiment of the technique. Yorozu pushes Piercing Ox back but it immediately recovers and comes rushing at her again. It rams into Yorozu again, breaking the armor plating over her eye. She realizes that it can only attack in a straight line but the trade-off is it gains more power the further it charges from. Sukuna uses Rabbit Escape to surround Yorozu and she demands him to stop hiding. Sukuna leaps high into the air and then drops Max Elephant on her from above, asking if his opponent will be able to withstand it. The impact nearly destroys the stadium and completely annihilates Yorozu's insect armor.

Sukuna mocks Yorozu, asking if this performance is all her love amounts to. She rejects his comment and proclaims that she'll be the one to teach Sukuna about love because she understands the loneliness that comes with being the strongest. Sukuna smirks as if he already knows what she's alluding to but Yorozu refuses to believe it. As passionate as ever despite her wounds, Yorozu demands she be the one to show him what real love is. She activates her technique and promises to construct her heart, the true manifestation of her love.

One thousand years ago during the Heian era, Sukuna was not only invited to the Harvest Festival, but featured as an idol to be worshipped. Everyone in the capital was well aware of Sukuna's feats, having decimated the Sun, Moon and Stars Squad and the Five Empty Generals. Yorozu bested the Five Empty Generals as well and earned a place in the Fujiwara clan. At this time, local nobles felt as if the capital was falling to the savages.

Yorozu's servent, who struggles to direct her in any way, eventually made Yorozu aware of the Harvest Festival. Yorozu decided to attend only for a select food that her servant tried to warn her wouldn't be there. She was mesmerized upon laying eyes on Sukuna. She instantly felt his solitude and ran up to him. She wrapped her arms around Sukuna and embraced him, shaming everyone for not making sure he didn't feel alone. Uraume forced Yorozu back and Sukuna cut her as well. She collapsed from her wounds despite her confident attitude but remained determined to keep Sukuna company in order to take in his loneliness all for herself.

In the modern day, Yorozu retains that same desire, to be the one who kills Sukuna. Using the pinnacle of her Construction, Yorozu creates a **True Sphere**. This is a shape thought to be impossible with no point of contact and thus untouchable due to the infinite pressure created along the surface. Then she uses Domain Expansion: Threefold Affliction to ensure it hits.

However, Sukuna doesn't open his domain in response. Instead, Mahoraga's wheel turns on his head, having completed its adaptation. Yorozu is confused as to why Sukuna hasn't opened his domain because he should know that if she activates her technique then she wins. Sukuna drops the wheel into his shadow, summoning Mahoraga to switch places with him.

Mahoraga destroys the True Sphere with a single stab from its Sword of Extermination. Yorozu is shocked that it destroyed her attack and then the shikigami strikes her down next. Yorozu's domain crumbles and she lies defeated with Sukuna standing over her. Sukuna explains that he adapted to the liquid metal that she uses to construct her insect armor and the perfect sphere. Yorozu is glad Sukuna knows so much about her tactics and is brought to tears. Sukuna isn't amused but Yorozu leaves him with one last gift from Construction at the end of her life.

Yorozu and by association, Tsumiki Fushiguro is killed. Megumi's soul weeps in the depths of darkness, fully immersed within Sukuna.

#### A Game of Love in the Sky

During the time Sukuna faced off against Yorozu, another ancient sorcerer also arrived in Sendai Colony to settle matters with another ancient love affair. Shichihyaku Fujiwara arrived in the colony, looking for Takako. Upon entering, every sorcerer, Sukuna included, felt his presence, with Takako noticing it immediately and becoming extremely angry. As Shichihyaku patrolled the streets, he notices a gust of wind behind him, easily maneuvering out of the way to dodge the attack, blasting the sidewalk in front of him. He turns around to see Takako flying overhead, screaming how she's waited to kill him, to which Shichihyaku responds with saying he's missed that fire in her. She fires another Thin Ice Breaker at him, which he dodges again, attempting to explain to her the reason for "his actions".

In the past, Shichihyaku was the second son of the former clan head of The Fujiwara Clan, but was a known shut-in who hardly spoke to anyone and was criticized for is apparent weakness compared to his older brother. However, he was always training his technique in secret, with only Takako stumbling upon it after an assassination mission, where he complemented her appearance under the moonlight. Upon asking her name, Takako replied she never had one, to which Shichihyaku smiled at her, and gave her the name "Takako Uro". Since then, she had become close to him, staying with him while he trained and then secretly becoming his lover. After Shichihyaku became the director of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad, Shichihyaku demonstrated his true strength, overshadowing his older brother, who had become the Clan Head. Takako recalls Shichihyaku's stalemate against Sukuna, cementing him as "the strongest", but then remembers her execution, believing it had been Shichihyaku who had ordered it. In the moments before her execution, Takako swore to kill Shichihyaku.

In the present, Takako becomes more and more angry, as all of her attacks have failed to even touch Shichihyaku, who has been calmly trying to talk to her. Takako continues to yell at him, calling him a liar. Eventually, Shichihyaku closes the gap between them, grabbing her by the waist and holding her wrists in one hand. He then tells her the truth behind her execution, which was formed by his brother as a final act of spite against his more talented brother, who had earned the title of "calamity". After seeing Takako's corpse, Shichihyaku had killed everyone present, including his brother, and learned to become a cursed object, and with the help of his caretaker, Mamoribito, had staged a plan over 1000 years to incarnate into the present so he could find her and kill Sukuna. Upon learning this, Takako attempted to apologize to her lover, who consoled her, apologizing himself for being unable to protect her from his clan, and said that once he has killed Sukuna, the two of them could live a life away from jujutsu, taking her hand and walking towards the stadium, threatening Sukuna with his final days in his mind.

Upon walking into the battleground of Sukuna's victory over Yorozu, he finds Yorozu's corpse laying in a crater. Annoyed, he activates his innate domain, and immediately forfeits the shogi match. As per a condition of his first innate technique, should Shichihyaku lose, he must give something to the victor. As Yorozu was dead, he gave her a second chance at life, resurrecting her, and by association, Tsumiki Fushiguro. As Yorozu reawakens, she notes Shichihyaku's appearance has changed since she last remembered him, to which he says the same went for her. Shichihyaku tells her of her second chance of life, but forces her into a binding vow, which restricts her from doing anything Shichihyaku doesn't allow, much to her's and Takako's discomfort, which Shichihyaku brushes off as him upholding his deal to being Megumi back, even if he has to force Yorozu to pretend to be Tsumiki.

### Satoru Gojo's Comeback

Kenjaku uses his three hundred and nine points to add new rules to the Culling Game. His Kogane rejects the first proposal because the new rules would work toward ending the Culling Game. However, Kenjaku gains leverage by threatening to destroy the central barrier the game is built. This would forcibly stop the game but it would also prevent the merger with Tengen.

There are numerous pure barriers around the county that aid cursed spirit suppression and the barrier techniques of Jujutsu High managers. At the Holy Mountain of Hida is one of four essential pure barriers with the others being at the center of the Imperial Palace, the Tombs of the Star, and the Yamakuni Mausoleum. The Culling Game's barriers are built upon bon barriers that use Tengen's pure barriers as a foundation. Tengen could've prevented the Culling Game by releasing these millennia-old barriers but the repercussions would've been too great.

Kogane passes rule thirteen and closes off the Culling Game to all new players. Kenjaku also adds rule fourteen which will end the Culling Game when all players except for Suguru Geto, Megumi Fushiguro, and Shiori Himi have died. Afterward, the curse user notices Sukuna's mummified remains within the barrier and decides to take it to him as a souvenir.

The sorcerers of Jujutsu High are quickly made aware of the rule change and believe it's possibly a condition to activate the great merger. Maki says the rules simplify things by making it so they win if they can defeat Kenjaku and Sukuna. Ui Ui argues that is as great a challenge as taking down Satoru Gojo and Maki replies the very same man is about to make a comeback.

Shoko Ieiri treats the wounds Hana Kurusu sustained from Sukuna. Her arm was unable to be regenerated and the Angel reveals she only survived because of Rin Amai and Fumihiko Takaba. Yuta asks the Angel if they're able to switch bodies like Sukuna. She confirms it's not possible for her and that everyone who accepted the invitation to the Culling Game couldn't become cursed objects after death. Sukuna learned how to do so after the experience, while Shichihyaku Fujiwara taught himself how to do it. Yuta and the Angel agree that Hana's role is complete when Satoru Gojo is freed from Prison Realm. Hana is more concerned about Megumi and what's going to happen to him.

Meanwhile, Rin vents to Yuji about how he hated the person he used to be for always trying to ingratiate himself with bad people. Yuji tries to encourage Rin by pointing out that he saved Hana. He goes to regroup with his allies but Rin tries to stop him because Sukuna is no longer inside him. Yuji clarifies that Sukuna never helped him in the first place and he's like a cursed object steeped in his cursed energy. As Yuji leaves, he tells Rin that he'd "eat anything" to kill Sukuna.

Yuji regroups with the others and wants to propose an idea to save Megumi. Yuta has an idea of his own but Maki emphasizes that no matter what they'll need to incapacitate Sukuna first. Choso and Yuki give him a book of notes on the soul to Yuji. Yuji thanks Choso not only for the notes but for his brothers as well. Choso tells Yuji that their brothers will live on inside him. Shoko watches all of the young sorcerers and recalls Satoru telling her about his dream of fostering strong and intelligent allies. Even if hell froze over, Shoko would never have fallen for Satoru or Suguru. Even so, she's offended that Satoru would feel alone when she was always beside him. Shoko notes the large group of powerful comrades surrounding her who are all awaiting Satoru Gojo's return and tells her friend it's time to come back.

Satoru Gojo's allies execute a plan to restore hope and free him from Prison Realm. Satoru doesn't appear before his allies, however, leaving them to ponder his fate. Instead, the world's strongest sorcerer immediately confronts Kenjaku and sets the course for the future of the jujutsu world. Yuji and Takaba take out the back of Prison Realm in the middle of a room. Confused, Hana asks if they're planning to unseal Satoru Gojo within the confines of the small space. Takaba takes her comment as if they need to freshen things up and be more lively for a welcome party. The Angel is aware that time doesn't flow in Prison Realm and emphasizes that this could have affected Gojo's mental state. Everyone agrees to relocate and they move the back gate to Jujutsu High Training Ground No. 4 in the Kiroko Minne of Saitama Prefecture.

When Takaba and all the students are in a safe position, Toge gives Hana the signal. She uses Jacob's Ladder on the back of Prison Rrealm while everyone watches on in anticipation for the return of the strongest sorcerer. However, when the dust settles, the cursed object is gone with no sign of Gojo. Hana gets defensive about the lack of Gojo's presence and denies it being her fault when suddenly there's an earthquake.

Elsewhere, Kenjaku reveals that he placed Prison Realm in the subduction zone in the deepest area of the Japan trench. He put it down there and surrounded it with layers of seals and cursed spirits that served as detectors. This measure was put into place after Tengen informed Kenjaku about the back gate. He believed these preventative measures could kill Satoru Gojo if he got free but failed to do just that. Kenjaku reveals all of this as he comes face to face with the returning bearer of the Six Eyes. Kenjaku taunts Gojo about his long rest but the latter tells him to choose his last words more carefully.

Ready to put an end to the imposter, Gojo activates Blue and generates a large force of attraction. Kenjaku tries to resist the force of Blue when Sukuna steps in to confront Gojo in mid-air. Gojo comments on Megumi looking differently and Sukuna asks if he remembers something as they descend to the ground. Sukuna reminds Gojo that he promised to kill him once he gained control of his vessel. Sukunan switched bodies but still plans to make due on his threat. Gojo replies by mocking Sukuna for running from Yuji, upsetting Uraume. Gojo responds to Uraume's aggression with a punch that sends them flying back, asking who they are after incapacitating them. Suddenly, Shichihyaku appears behind Gojo, calling his return timely. Gojo, noting Sukuna's nervous aura hidden behind his grin, regarding Shichihyaku as an ally, who mocks Sukuna for running away from him after "hiding behind a child's body".

Kenjaku asks Sukuna to uphold his end of their deal before fighting. Gojo mocks Sukuna for taking orders from Kenjaku but he also thinks to himself about the things he needs to take care of before fighting as well. He wants to properly mourn his best friend but recognizes he won't be able to kill Kenjaku while he has a binding vow with Sukuna keeping them as allies. Sukuna recalls Yorozu's comment about love and agrees to wait for a proper showdown. Gojo suggests they have their final battle on December 24th so Suguru can maintain a single date of death. Taken aback by Gojo's confidence, he asks if the sorcerer doesn't expect to lose. After recalling Yuji asking if he would lose to Sukuna. Gojo gives Kenjaku the same answer he did his young student: "*Nah, I'd win*".

### Preperations for The Strongest

As the final showdown between Satoru Gojo and Sukuna approaches, both sides make their preparations. When December 24th arrives, the Jujutsu High students do their best to provide their sensei with encouragement as he heads into the most important fight of his life.

Uraume presents to Sukuna four of the five remaining fingers, apologizing for being unable to find the last finger no matter how hard they tried. Sukuna does not mind, however, as he surmised that Satoru must have stored away one of his fingers since he never had any intention to allow Yuji Itadori to be executed. Remembering their second humiliating defeat at the hands of Gojo, Uraume curses their aching wound despite having used reverse cursed technique to heal it. Sukuna assures Uraume that he can easily make up one finger's worth of power with what Kenjaku has given him: the mummified remains of his former body. Musing about the irony of how his mummy was dressed like a *sokushinbutsu*, Sukuna wonders if it was Kenjaku or Tengen's doing.

Meanwhile, Kenjaku faces a TV as he queries his Kogane on how many people have died from cursed technique removal due to never entering a colony. At Kogane's response of 61 players, Kenjaku postulates that the players didn't participate due to fearing death or having to kill, but then suggests that they lacked intuition considering how Hiromi's added rule could have allowed them to avoid both scenarios. He laments how the people of Japan always incorrectly believe their lives are stable when in reality they're always on the brink of ruin, and expresses his contempt of those who will not risk their lives and those who are willing to die at any time without any hope for the future. Believing that everyone should know the feeling of approaching their ideals step by step, Kenjaku states that he is talking to Tengen about this.

Gojo laments about how only him, Shoko, and Ijichi left, although Shoko comments that there's also still "one who hasn't fully recovered", which Gojo agrees. He admits that he always thought Nanami was the type who could survive no matter what, causing Ijichi to apologize for having survived while Nanami is dead, thinking Gojo would have preferred Nanami to live over himself. This causes Gojo to get exasperated as he tells Ijichi that he has one monumental task to carry out, so he should do his best. Shoko then states that Ino has something to say about the topic of Nanami as Ino removes his hat.

Meanwhile, Shichihyaku Fujiwara drills combat into the newly awakened Mai Zenin, who complains to Maki about Shichihyaku's teaching methods. Maki shrugs it off grinning, telling Mai to get over it at Shichihyaku tells her to get up and try again. Yorozu then chimes in, telling Mai to hone her cursed energy already, before getting shut up by Nozomi, who is training with Yuki and Toshihisa Negi, who tell him that they're not done with him yet.

Meanwhile, Mei Mei is hosting a betting game of the outcome of Gojo's fight with Sukuna with Manami Suda's help, happily relishing in the fact that the jujutsu regulation changes after the Shibuya Incident increased the clientele base for these previously barely legal services, allowing her to earn a steady five billion by selling pay-per-view broadcasts even without betting. Mei Mei expresses how she's never been as grateful as she was now to have her cursed technique while Ui Ui reminds her to fatten up the crows. The two then watch Yuji and Kusakabe spar with judo techniques, with Yuji swiftly throwing Kusakabe down before demanding he get a handle of "it", with Kusakabe uncharacteristically responding with enthusiasm. All the while, Yuta and Toge walk down a dark hallway lit only by candles and talk about how Yuji doesn't know about Toge's cut-off arm as it was solely on Sukuna.

On December 24th, at Shinjuku, Sukuna, Uraume, and Kenjaku are standing on a building as Kenjaku is about to leave and hunt down the remaining players of the Culling Game. Uraume is more than willing to let him go as they lament he should have left long ago, but Kenjaku reminds them that if he had left any sooner, Gojo would have killed him. In addition, he didn't intend to move until now because he's counting on Yuta, Hakari, Nozomi, Ai, and Maki remaining in case Gojo is defeated by Sukuna, as they only have this opportunity to beat Sukuna, meaning he will be able to move freely.

At the side of the jujutsu sorcerers, Gojo's students are wondering on how to motivate their teacher, as they have always been confident that he will win until now. Gojo finally appears, wearing a white robe and being accompanied by Utahime and Gakuganji. His serious demeanor as he walks forward causes his students to feel tense. However, Yuji suddenly asks Gojo to dispel his Infinity so they can give him a slap on the back, which makes Gojo chuckle as he removes his robe and does exactly so. Everyone present proceeds to hit Gojo with their respective gestures and give him their encouraging words to show their support and confidence in him. With a smile on his face, Gojo assures them that he will win.

Meanwhile, Sukuna is impatiently waiting with a smile on his face as the battle of the strongest is about to begin...