Chapter 34: Name Your Price
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation... no wonder you set your sights on such a fine vessel."
Placing the teacup down, Mirai slowly stood up, his hand gently brushing the surface of the coffin lid.
"Before Yuta appeared, there were only three special-grade sorcerers in the vast world of Jujutsu."
Mirai paused and then smiled, "Well, perhaps you could also count me among them."
"But of all of them, Suguru Geto is the easiest target."
As he noticed the fleeting darkness on Kenjaku's face, Mirai continued with a sly smile, "Is arrogance a common affliction among sorcerers?"
"You lot really don't care much about non-sorcerers, do you? You treat them like nothing more than monkeys."
Mirai returned to his seat on the sofa, crossing his legs nonchalantly. "Even after living for a thousand years, you'd think you'd learn a thing or two."
"Relying solely on residual cursed energy to monitor people..."
"That's a habit you should probably change. You never know, one day it might cost you dearly."
"Technology has advanced over the centuries, and let me tell you, it's not something to be underestimated."
Kenjaku nodded slowly, picking up the warm tea. "Ah, so besides sorcerers, there are non-sorcerers keeping watch from the shadows as well."
"Add that to the cleverly disguised surveillance equipment, and it's indeed difficult to detect."
"The Zen'in clan's puppets... still in service, I see."
Seeing Mirai offer no rebuttal, Kenjaku let out a subtle, sinister smile. "Clever. You've really set me up this time."
During his time disguised as Itadori's mother, Kenjaku had, from afar, discreetly observed Suguru Geto.
It was likely then that he had felt the faint sensation of being watched, coming from the non-sorcerer armed forces of the Zen'in clan.
'No wonder he used Suguru Geto to lure me into this trap.'
Suddenly, Kenjaku plunged his fingers directly into the scalding hot tea, stirring it. His voice turned hoarse as he asked, "So, my old friend, this little performance of yours..."
In that moment, cursed energy erupted from Kenjaku in an overwhelming surge.
Boom!
Dust and debris filled the air, leaving nothing of the sofa but splinters drifting in the wind.
A massive pit now lay before them, stretching into an abyss of endless darkness.
The ground trembled violently, loose stones bouncing near the edge of the pit, while distant, dull echoes rumbled from below. Kenjaku's cursed energy swirled and surged like a black tide, crashing into the pit, filled with immense gravitational force.
———
Separated by two layers of barriers, the loud crashes from outside, and the immense cursed energy—unfamiliar and oppressive—shook the underground chamber.
Dust fell from the ceiling, and two figures in the second basement level exchanged silent glances—Zen'in Naobito and Zen'in Shinchi..
In another room, Ryuza, in the middle of crafting a cursed tool, paused mid-swing, his hammer suspended in the air.
Not far away, Haruta accidentally destroyed the cursed spirit core he was slicing through, turning the spirit to ash.
The door creaked open, revealing a crack of light.
———
"I admit, I haven't paid much attention to the existence of non-sorcerers," Kenjaku murmured as he stood at the edge of the pit, peering into the void.
"But sorcerers, especially those like you, a special-grade..."
"Do you really think I'd come here without knowing what I was up against?"
Kenjaku's information came from the Kamo clan, along with details from the higher-ups at Jujutsu High.
Zen'in Mirai...
A prodigious sorcerer who made his debut in the outside world at the age of eleven.
Confirmed by Shoko Ieiri herself and recognized within Jujutsu High as... a special-grade!
Kenjaku had his own network of spies and special information sources.
The Ten Shadows Technique, space manipulation, unknown special-grade curses...
No curse technique is without flaws.
Every technique has its weaknesses—some bigger than others.
For instance, Mirai's intangibility. Based on his observations during the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, Kenjaku had deduced the limitations of his technique.
His source? A Kamo clan sorcerer who had personally witnessed the event.
During the battle, while riding atop his Shikigami high in the sky, the upper half of his body had ignored the wind, but her pant legs had shown clear signs of being affected.
His intangibility could negate all physical attacks—but it wasn't active 24/7.
Whether walking, moving, or even just lifting a teacup, those were all moments of vulnerability.
As long as he seized the right moment with an attack that could encompass his entire body, his intangibility would be rendered useless.
Kenjaku stepped over the pit and approached the coffin.
He wasn't particularly interested in Mirai's motivations.
As far as he was concerned, if he was dead, then his motivations didn't matter.
That last gravity curse combined with the black tides of cursed energy... even for a special-grade sorcerer...
Except maybe Satoru Gojo.
All that should be left now is a mangled mess.
Kenjaku grinned maliciously as he reached for the coffin lid.
"So impatient, aren't you?"
Suddenly, a mocking voice echoed from the bottom of the pit. A terrifying surge of cursed energy erupted from below like a volcanic explosion, shooting straight up into the sky.
Countless withered branches, sharp as blades, shot upward like a reverse starry sky.
Boom! Boom!
Kenjaku, stunned, immediately reinforced his gravity technique to resist the enormous force rising from the depths.
A throne made of gnarled branches slowly ascended from the pit, Mirai sitting atop it, one hand propping up his head, his crimson eyes gleaming.
"If I'm going to switch vessels soon anyway, a few injuries now shouldn't matter, right?"
"Domain Expansion: Tremor."
Like a stone dropped into a still pond, invisible ripples surged out from Mirai toward Kenjaku.
In that instant, Kenjaku's face twisted in shock.
"W-wait—"
Just as Kenjaku tried to speak, his face contorted in agony.
From his legs down, muscles, tendons, bones, even blood, all screamed in protest.
"Boom!"
Both his legs exploded into a fine red mist, scattering into the air.
With nothing to support him, Kenjaku collapsed face-first into a pool of his own blood, lying prostrate before Mirai, much like a sinner awaiting the king's judgment.
"You really can't underestimate someone like you, Kenjaku."
Mirai's expression was cold as he spoke. "If it weren't for these eyes of mine, you might've gotten away with it."
"Couldn't we have just discussed this like adults?"
"This was supposed to be a generous gift for you. Was all of this really necessary?"
His voice carried a tone of pity, as if lamenting Kenjaku's needless suffering.
———
Not everyone who knows Reverse Cursed Technique is a top player.
But every top player knows Reverse Cursed Technique.
The flickering candlelight reflected off Kenjaku's pale face as the remnants of his legs began to regenerate, bones and muscles visibly reforming.
His new legs, untouched by clothing, shimmered with blood. They were long and slender, almost tantalizing—if not for the dark, brooding expression on his face above them.
"Name your price."
Despite occupying a female body, Kenjaku seemed unfazed by Mirai's gaze lingering on his lower half.
"See, isn't that better?"
The gnarled branches of the Kamui Dimension extended, gracefully arranging two fresh sofas back in the pavilion.
Mirai even thoughtfully laid out a pair of men's trousers for Kenjaku.
Though Kenjaku didn't seem to care about his exposed lower body, Mirai still found it a bit embarrassing.
Sitting once again above the bottomless pit, the two resumed their positions, facing each other.
"Now then, let's discuss the price for purchasing Suguru Geto's body."
Mirai's eyes gleamed as he spoke.
Kenjaku brushed his hair from his forehead, his voice as cold as ice.
"Name it."
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