Chapter 114: Everything Is Turned into Ashes!

Although the quality of Kagerō was high, it lacked unique characteristics.

Therefore, this forging was doomed to fail.

Satoshi felt a twinge of regret. If he missed this opportunity, it would be extremely difficult to find another Cursed Tool possessing both fire and death attributes.

There might be only one Special Grade fire-type Cursed Tool in existence. And because the properties of Kagerō had already been refined during forging, once the process failed, the weapon would be reduced to scrap metal—rendered unusable.

Thinking of this, Satoshi let out a deep breath and gently set down the Asauchi and Kagerō.

A look of calm washed over his face.

Though the forging had failed, he now understood why. This meant that as long as he fully prepared next time, he could avoid failure altogether.

Unfortunately, the cost had been too steep.

Using the failure of Ryūjin Jakka as a stepping stone to understand Zanpakutō forging... Satoshi couldn't say whether he had gained or lost.

No—he probably took a massive loss.

"Haha! Gojo Satoshi, you lose!"

Realizing that Satoshi had chosen to give up, Kamo Shin's face was filled with pride. Although he had lost the Special Grade Cursed Tool Kagerō, he had successfully resolved the Fire Affinity scandal.

His laughter echoed unpleasantly through the forge, making everyone except Kumaen visibly displeased.

The other four didn't know the terms of the bet between Kamo Shin and Satoshi, so they couldn't understand the joy Kamo was experiencing.

"Shut up."

Toji instantly appeared in front of Kamo, right fist raised and ready to strike.

"Toji, stop."

Kumaen's voice rang out. Toji's fist froze mid-air, then slowly dropped.

Satoru was also staring coldly at Kamo Shin, his Six Eyes filled with indifference. In his view, Kamo's laughter was not just mocking Satoshi but mocking the entire Gojo clan.

"Gojo brat, I win!"

Even though Toji's aura had briefly overwhelmed him, once Kamo Shin gathered his wits, he couldn't contain his smugness.

Watching Kamo Shi's triumphant expression, a flicker of disgust flashed through Satoshi's eyes. If this man were let go now, wouldn't he just use another cursed object, like in the Shoso case, to disturb him again in the future??

People like him were true scum in the Jujutsu world.

I really don't want to lose this bet…

Staring at Kamo Shin, staring at that smug smile Satoshi drifted into a daze. And in that instant, a bolt of lightning sparked in his mind.

Shoso?

Instinctively, he reached into his pocket.

Fire element… death?

The Cursed Object in his hand seemed to possess both attributes...

It might be worth a try!

A bright light surged within Satoshi's Six Eyes. Even Toji, with his back turned, could feel the excitement surging from behind him.

Dang Dang Dang—!

Satoshi picked up the hammer once more and began pounding with force.

Shunichi and Kumaen, who both knew the true context of the situation, immediately noticed the Cursed Object Satoshi had set aside earlier—Shoso.

They didn't know what he was planning.

But clearly, Satoshi had discovered another path forward.

A glimmer of hope bloomed in their hearts.

Next to the furnace, Satoshi tempered the sword embryo and Kagerō again. Then, he opened the container and took out the Shoso.

"What are you doing, Gojo brat?!"

Kamo Shin's voice rang out in shock.

Without hesitation, Satoshi tossed the Cursed Object into the furnace.

In that moment, the flames inside surged with newfound intensity, growing even fiercer.

The Shoso vaporized on contact, instantly filling the entire furnace with its presence.

Under the influence of this fuel, Satoshi felt the resistance between the blade and the Cursed Tool begin to fade.

Cursed Tool Kagerō and the Asauchi finally merged.

In that moment, the power of Ryūjin Jakka filled Satoshi's mind—every battle, every flame, every scorched battlefield he had seen from it.

As Kagerō and the Asauchi fused completely, Satoshi let out a low roar.

"All things in this world... turn to ash! Ryūjin Jakka!"

In an instant, the flames in the furnace were drawn into the katana in Satoshi's hand.

The entire room fell into darkness.

A second later, a dazzling column of fire erupted.

A raging inferno shot into the sky.

…

The blaze overturned the furnace, tore the roof from the forge, and soared into the clouds, vaporizing the dark storm overhead.

Not a single drop of the torrential rain reached the forge, it was all incinerated midair by the firestorm.

Centered on the Gojo estate, within a radius of a hundred miles, the cold of winter was instantly replaced by the heat of summer.

The moisture in the air was completely sucked dry. Everyone's lips cracked from the sudden dryness.

…

In the back courtyard of the Gojo estate.

"This fire pillar… is this the power of Young Master Satoshi's Zanpakutō? How could flames like this even exist?"

Gojo Taisho, a Grade 4 Jujutsu sorcerer of the Gojo clan, wasn't particularly strong, but his knowledge far surpassed ordinary people.

The ability to perceive techniques and curses separated Jujutsu sorcerers from the average citizen.

He stood frozen, staring at the blazing pillar of fire outside the window, his face bathed in its crimson glow.

"Honey, did Young Master Satoshi do something again?"

Beside him, Gojo Rin, an ordinary person looked curiously out the window. Though she couldn't see the flames, she could clearly sense the environmental change.

"It doesn't feel cold anymore. And it was raining heavily a moment ago… but now the sky is suddenly clear."

To ordinary people, sudden shifts in weather could evoke fear toward nature's unpredictability.

But in the eyes of Jujutsu sorcerers, all natural phenomena had their source.

Just like the winter cherry blossoms summoned by Young Master Satoru… just like the torrential rain caused by Gojo Shunichi's duel with Yagyū Saemon…

And now, the sky-scorching flames from Young Master Satoshi!

To Gojo Taisho, who had watched this miracle unfold, Satoshi—the one who could forge Zanpakutō—was now truly a miracle child of the Six Eyes.

…

"Satoshi… you didn't disappoint me."

In the main hall, the old patriarch lay weakly in his recliner, a trace of relief on his face.

Due to his health, he couldn't witness the birth of Ryūjin Jakka firsthand. But seeing the pillar of fire piercing the heavens, that no longer mattered.

All the effort the Gojo clan had poured into this Zanpakutō had been worth it.

He could feel it, the overwhelming power of the Zanpakutō, far surpassing any other blade.

If Senbonzakura and Katen Kyōkotsu were comparable to Grade 1 Jujutsu sorcerers… then this was undoubtedly Special Grade.

A true Special Grade weapon.

The smile on the old man's lips deepened.

Satoshi raised by his hand, once nearly discarded by the clan had brought true miracles back to the Gojo family…

(To be continued.)