Ch.156 Sealing Chamber

"My courtyard? My big, spacious courtyard? How did it all disappear after just one night?"

Early the next morning, Akira woke up on the tatami mat, utterly confused.

The bedroom had several intricately carved lattice windows, allowing light to stream in from both the north and south. Not only did they provide excellent lighting, but they also offered a view of the front and back gardens.

But now, the scenery was gone.

In its place were countless cursed talismans.

Thousands?

Tens of thousands?

Akira didn't have the patience to count. All he knew was that they filled his entire field of vision, wrapping around the entire courtyard.

If it weren't for recognizing the "seal" character on the talismans and sensing the cursed energy flowing through them, Akira might have thought he had transmigrated again.

As for why the scenery had changed so drastically and the effect of the talismans, Akira figured it out after testing his cursed energy.

The once fine and freely flowing cursed energy disintegrated the moment it moved, dispersing into the air before being absorbed by the densely packed talismans.

Seeing this, Akira didn't stop. Instead, he increased his output, letting his dark purple cursed energy and golden reverse cursed technique spread through the air like colorful lanterns on the surface of a river during the Obon festival, or like fireflies gathering in the deep mountains in summer.

Only when the entire room was filled with scattered cursed energy did Akira finally stop, smiling as he asked Gardevoir, who was helping him tidy the bed:

"How is it? Does it look good?"

"Sha~" Gardevoir nodded, but her eyes showed concern. She put down the neatly folded blanket and pointed at the surrounding talismans.

"You mean this? If I'm not mistaken, this is probably a variant of the infamous 'Sealing Chamber' of the jujutsu world. It completely seals off cursed energy and is specifically used to imprison jujutsu sorcerers."

Jujutsu sorcerers have a wide variety of techniques, and conventional prisons can't hold these superhumans.

Thus, the "Sealing Chamber" was created to solve the problem at its root.

From what Akira remembered, Yuta Okkotsu and Yuji Itadori, who were sentenced to death, were imprisoned here to suppress Rika Orimoto and Sukuna.

Now, Akira was enjoying the same treatment.

And it was even more advanced than what those two Special Grade threats had experienced.

Those two were simply locked up, but Akira had been lured into a specially prepared or modified chamber, a classic "inviting the guest into the urn" tactic.

The reason why Mai's "Construction" scanning didn't detect it was because the mastermind's setup was too well hidden.

The talismans weren't inside the courtyard but were hidden outside through mechanical structures.

The key to the sealing array was buried deep underground, beyond the reach of Mai's scanning. Even if Akira discovered it, they could claim it was part of the defense mechanism.

After all, this was headquarters. There was no such thing as too much security.

"All those tricks earlier—the welcoming gestures, the beauty trap, the symposium speech—were just distractions. The goal was to divert my attention. If I fell for the 'sugar-coated bullets,' great. If not, they had a backup plan. From the moment I stepped into this courtyard, I was in their 'hands.' Such an elaborate treatment is truly flattering."

"Gardevoir!!!"

While Akira was still joking around, Gardevoir was filled with nothing but anger.

Her master had been tricked.

Those black-hearted villains had indeed been up to no good. In that case...

Her white dress fluttered without wind, and her emerald hands slowly rose, only to be gently held by Akira:

"Don't get worked up. Let's play along. If we don't let them finish their act, wouldn't all this setup go to waste? Come on, let's go meet them and see what they're really up to. What gives them the confidence to turn against me?"

"Sha~" Sensing Akira's calm and confidence, Gardevoir finally relaxed, silently following behind him as always.

She had been doing this for eight years and didn't mind continuing for another eight, or eighty, until the end of her life.

As if reading her thoughts, Akira naturally took the Pokémon girl's hand and walked into the courtyard, now completely covered in talismans and unrecognizable, pushing open the door that countless jujutsu sorcerers feared.

Outside, there were just as many talismans, stretching as far as the eye could see.

And there were people waiting.

Unfortunately, they weren't the righteous, thick-browed protagonists but a group of fully armed,杀气腾腾 (murderously intent) enforcement officers.

Seeing Akira walk out, they all raised their weapons, and the captain stepped forward, barking, "Go back!"

"Go back? Go back where?" Akira smiled faintly. "I seem to recall being invited here as a guest, not a criminal. There's no reason to restrict my freedom."

"You are now." The captain pulled out an official decree from his pocket, clearly prepared. "Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer Akira, you are charged with multiple serious crimes, including attempting to overthrow the Jujutsu Union and deceiving the council. You are sentenced to indefinite imprisonment."

Akira let out an exaggerated "Wow." "Life imprisonment? Such a heavy crime. Yesterday I was the rising star, and today I'm a major criminal. The flip is faster than turning a page. Gardevoir, Gardevoir, I'm so scared. Let's run away. Kyoto is too dangerous. Tokyo is better."

"Gardevoir." Gardevoir nodded seriously.

The black-hearted higher-ups' performance didn't interest her much, but Akira's acting was another story.

The enforcement team, however, wasn't buying it. Their voices rose an octave:

"I'll say it again. Go back, or—"

"Or what?" Akira remained calm and composed, not at all like a prisoner.

"We will use force to maintain order!"

"You mean force like this?"

Bang.

Faster than lightning, the enforcement captain, a burly man standing just a step away from Akira, was sent flying, his chest caved in. He slid over ten meters on the ground before coming to a stop.

His eyes were filled with shock, and he didn't even bother checking his injuries, just staring at Akira in disbelief.

Akira's smile widened:

"Surprised? Even without cursed energy, I'm still strong. If you want to stop me, go ahead and try."

The physique of a superhuman was just that overpowering. Even without cursed energy, Akira could still hold his own against Maki, though his chances of winning were lower due to the gap in skill.

"Try, then." Someone responded.

An elderly man with white hair and a vigorous stride approached, followed by more enforcement officers.

"I remember you—" Akira narrowed his eyes. "Enforcement Chief Ijūin?"

"Correct. My duty is to uphold the rules of the jujutsu world. Akira, you are indeed strong, but that's no excuse to break the rules." The old man spoke with righteous authority.

"So, Chief Ijūin, are you going to personally teach me a lesson?" Akira raised a hand, almost quoting the famous line from Ip Man.

"I have no need to fight a criminal like you. To deal with you, this will suffice."

The old man waved his hand, and the newly arrived enforcement officers all reached into their coats, pulling out handguns.

Looking at the twenty or so black gun barrels pointed at him, Akira felt a pang of frustration.

"Is this your way of teaching me that times have changed, sir?"