[71] : Clash of the Strongest!

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It was certainly unexpected.

Whether it was Gakuganji or Gojo Satoru, neither had imagined Bokue Keikain would actually start their conversation with something like—

"Let's discuss the price first."

They couldn't help but question whether the long, tedious 'introduction' arranged by the Jujutsu Association during Bokue's trip here had actually worked.

Logically speaking, it should've been completely useless—after all, Bokue had immediately flipped the tables as soon as he arrived.

Yet, on second thought, if it really had no effect at all, why would Bokue calmly sit down and negotiate with them?

Historically, onmyōji families—in fact, all onmyōji clans—had always been notoriously domineering.

In their daily lives, they might appear gentle and refined, courteous in their manner. Yet when it came to professional matters, their attitudes would immediately change—domineering, absolute, leaving no room for discussion.

When supernatural threats appeared, ordinary people had absolutely no space to negotiate with an onmyōji. Their only option was complete obedience.

Want to survive? Then just obey their instructions. Want to do things your way? If you died, that was your own problem.

That was pretty much how things had always been.

The simplest repelling barrier was born precisely from such logic.

Onmyōji wouldn't cordon off incident scenes with police tape, nor dispatch personnel to maintain order. They wouldn't shout explanations to curious bystanders, either.

They'd simply cast a barrier, and it was done. No conflicts arose, no guards were needed—ordinary people wouldn't even get close enough to glimpse the onmyōji's face.

Even jujutsu sorcerers had historically been regarded by onmyōji as mere "ordinary people," never recognized as equals in supernatural battles.

Especially if both sides encountered each other during a mission, the onmyōji would mercilessly expel the jujutsu sorcerer along with all their equipment, then immediately reinforce their barriers, not removing them until their tasks were completed.

Whether the expelled sorcerer finished their own mission afterward? Well, that wasn't the onmyōji's concern.

If an onmyōji refrained from immediately kicking them out upon first sight, instead politely explaining their own urgency before acting, they would actually be praised by their peers as "generous and gracious."

For Bokue to briefly show his dominance upon arrival and then calmly sit down to negotiate a price—that would likely earn him scorn as weak-willed among his own peers.

All of this ultimately came down to differences in strength and attitude.

Jujutsu sorcerers were often self-taught, their capabilities inconsistent and their mentalities varied.

Precisely due to their rougher backgrounds, most jujutsu sorcerers lacked the concept of "with great power comes great responsibility and authority."

They'd directly skip responsibility, jumping straight into "power means authority."

A classic example would be someone like Homelander from The Boys.

That was exactly what elitist onmyōji families—rigorously trained from childhood—despised most.

Even centuries ago, when the legendary Gojo ancestor possessing the Six Eyes and Limitless technique appeared, the Keikain clan had barely spared him a glance.

Because of this, Gakuganji and Gojo had mentally prepared themselves for a predictable scenario today:

Most likely, Bokue Keikain wouldn't even bother entering the room, merely tossing a command like—

"Send all Sukuna fingers directly to my residence."

—and turning away without another word, utterly treating them as subordinates.

Thus, Bokue's proper, businesslike demeanor completely threw these two jujutsu leaders off balance. They were utterly blindsided by this unforeseen development.

Gakuganji coughed lightly, exchanging a glance with Gojo.

"About Keikain-dono's question, perhaps we could put it aside for now."

He continued slowly,

"As we all know, the curse spirit issue in Japan is severe. Our manpower is stretched extremely thin. Even Master Tengen's barrier can only detect curses' appearances; perfect accuracy is impossible—"

Bokue calmly interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

"And your point is?"

He already guessed what this old man wanted to say.

Gojo lightly interjected from the side, waving a hand.

"What our dear old man here means is—he wishes to discuss a possible collaboration between the Jujutsu Association and the Keikain family."

Principal Gakuganji remained silent, but his expression told all.

Clearly, the higher-ups desired a lasting solution to the curse issue across Japan.

Indeed, this wasn't particularly complicated. Deploy enough talismans or magic formations nationwide, absorbing and purifying negative spiritual energy, and the curse spirit issue would essentially vanish.

However, cost and manpower remained enormous obstacles.

If the government didn't contribute, even the mighty Keikain clan couldn't possibly finance a nationwide anti-curse effort singlehandedly.

But—if the Keikain clan cooperated with the Jujutsu Association, sending their numerous students to handle repetitive, menial tasks, professional onmyōji could handle core operations easily.

That made the previously impossible plan feasible. The Keikain clan would profit, the Association would have a perpetual revenue stream through maintenance work, and young sorcerers could stop risking their lives needlessly.

A perfect triple win.

Yet, just as Gakuganji proudly anticipated Bokue's answer, he saw the young man sitting across him impatiently click his tongue—

"Ah~ and why exactly are you telling me all this?"

"Huh?"

Gakuganji's eyebrow twitched.

If not you, who else would we discuss this with?

Bokue lazily continued, leaning back:

"I mean—if you truly want to discuss this matter, just directly visit the Keikain family in Kyoto. The current head may be elderly, but he isn't dead yet. Why bother coming to me? It's not like they'll throw you out just because you're jujutsu sorcerers."

Bokue glanced at the clock, seeing it tick from 9:10 to 9:30. He sighed again impatiently.

"Anyway, I came here purely to discuss how much you'll pay for handling Sukuna's fingers. Why are we going in circles—wait. What's that?"

Mid-sentence, Bokue's eyes abruptly focused on the distant scene outside the window.

In the distant forest, a massive black dome-shaped barrier silently appeared.

Only then did Gojo and Gakuganji notice too, both momentarily stunned.

"Isn't that the site of today's Sister-School Goodwill Event...?"

"We didn't authorize any barrier like that!"

The two jujutsu leaders instantly realized something was terribly wrong.

At the same moment, a blazing figure shot through the sky like a meteor, hurtling straight toward their tower.

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