Kenjaku kept stealing glances at the bandaged man.
"So curious," he thought, itching with anticipation. Relying on his sensitivity to Binding Vows, he recognized the figure as Sōjun Minamoto.
And that only made him more eager—he wanted to dissect him, study him in detail. This form had stirred a curiosity that had slept for over a thousand years.
It had been a long time since he felt this intrigued by someone. The last time was when he created the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings.
At that thought, his gaze shifted briefly to the man beside him—a high, spiky topknot, purplish bruises under his eyes, and a black cursed mark stretching across his nose.
This was Choso, the first of the Cursed Womb: Death Paintings. Previously taken from the Forbidden Vault by Mahito, he had been resurrected into flesh through Idle Transfiguration. Mahito had brought out three of the Death Paintings, but only this one remained—the other two had already been exorcised by Itadori and Kugisaki.
Kenjaku's eyes drooped as he withdrew his gaze.
But when he looked back at Sōjun Minamoto, the fire in his eyes reignited. Still, sealing Satoru Gojo came first.
He tamped down his excitement, unbothered by Choso's persistent glances from behind.
Sōjun Minamoto could clearly sense Kenjaku's shifting emotions, but he didn't care.
At this moment, he had no restraints.
He hadn't needed to participate in the sealing, but once Kenjaku called him, he came. The moment Gojo was sealed would also mark the start of his own plan.
The changes he'd set in motion were already taking effect. Things might not go the way he remembered. He came to ensure they didn't spiral out of control.
Kenjaku had the same thought. That's why he had summoned Sōjun unexpectedly.
Their goal was the same, so their actions aligned naturally:
Satoru Gojo must be sealed.
Tengen, the Star Plasma Vessel, and the Six Eyes—only he remained.
The sky had darkened. In the shifting season between autumn and winter, the sun set early. Streetlights on both sides cast a soft orange glow.
The group walked a few steps, melting into the crowd. Neon lights shimmered across the city, as if they'd stepped into a new world.
Kenjaku and the Four Calamities were all present.
Sōjun Minamoto didn't walk out with them. He stood on the rooftop of a nearby tall building. Riko Amanai hid within his shadow.
To ordinary people, only Kenjaku and Choso were visible. Occasionally, a gifted person might perceive the Four Calamities.
But no one was alarmed. In a sea of outlandish costumes—today was Halloween.
Those who did notice only curled their lips in disdain. Nothing special.
The crowd laughed and partied on as Kenjaku and the others strolled through them.
Naturally, they weren't the only participants. Curse Users, gathered by Kenjaku from who-knows-where, had already taken position around the area, centered on Shibuya Hikarie.
Kenjaku raised the back of his hand and looked toward the rooftop in the distance.
Sōjun Minamoto was nowhere in sight.
He furrowed his brow slightly, then looked away, his gaze landing on the large clock mounted on a nearby building—it pointed to 19:00, the peak of foot traffic.
Thanks to the holiday, this peak had swelled to an unprecedented height—Shibuya Grand Stage.
"Let's begin," Kenjaku murmured.
The moment his words fell, a barrier with a 400-meter radius enveloped the entire subway station. Then, a second, a third, and finally a fourth barrier unfolded within it.
A barrier to trap ordinary people.
A barrier to trap Satoru Gojo.
A barrier to block sorcerers from entering.
And, like the outermost one, another to trap ordinary people.
All four barriers were successfully erected.
The invisible walls unfurled. The Calamities burst into wild laughter as the nearby pedestrians were sucked into the air and vanished in a grotesque instant...
"Ah—!"
The crowd scattered, fleeing in all directions. Someone ran into the barrier and bounced back with a thud. In panic, they turned to flee the other way, colliding with the incoming rush. Chaos engulfed the streets.
Kenjaku and his group entered the underground station. Sealed off by the third and fourth barriers, the already-packed platform grew even more congested as trains kept delivering more people. Tension rose...
"Bring us Satoru Gojo, and you can leave." A voice echoed through the crowd.
No one responded.
Then flames erupted from several passengers, reducing them to black ash in an instant, leaving only stains on the ground.
Silence.
Screams broke out—then more fire. The station went quiet again.
"Bring us Satoru Gojo..." the voice repeated.
"Who's Satoru Gojo?"
"Who?"
"Does anyone know Satoru Gojo? Just bring him already..."
...
The murmurs of fear started to swell. Noise returned to the scene, but the flames did not.
Kenjaku's plan to seal Satoru Gojo was simple: lure him in, trap him in a tight space, and restrict his use of techniques and Domain with a dense crowd.
First, wear him down. It wouldn't take much. Just stall for a minute—and it would be done.
He assigned the opening strike to the Calamities, who accepted eagerly.
...
At 19:20, a Window detected a change in Shibuya.
At 19:50, Jujutsu Headquarters concluded an emergency meeting.
At 20:00, Satoru Gojo and his team departed for Shibuya Tower.
The support staff had already evacuated the surrounding civilians.
Windows were stationed at the edges of the invisible barrier. The atmosphere was oppressively tense, so much so that they instinctively stayed silent.
Everything around the first barrier was still and quiet.
Suddenly, a series of approaching footsteps broke the silence, making the guards tense. But when they looked closely, they let out a breath of relief—the team of jujutsu sorcerers had finally arrived.
The latest intel from the support team was relayed at the same time. Orders from above stated that the other sorcerers were to remain outside the barrier, while Satoru Gojo was tasked with descending to the underground station to suppress the Special Grade Cursed Spirits.
Accompanying him was—Suguru Geto.
"I'm a wanted man," Suguru Geto muttered with a lazy yawn as he stepped into the barrier.
"Why am I doing this with you?"
"Okay, okay," Satoru Gojo replied with a dismissive wave.
Suguru Geto didn't say anything more. His mood was unusually good, almost reminiscent of their days on missions together years ago.
But now, he too was a Special Grade sorcerer.
The two made their way toward the inner barrier.
At that moment, many Special Grade Cursed Spirits had already gathered beneath the Shibuya Building. The implication behind Jujutsu Headquarters' order was simple—Satoru Gojo was to handle the situation alone, to minimize losses.
And by "losses," they meant the lives of other sorcerers.
The two quickly stepped into the second barrier, sealing Satoru Gojo inside.
But he didn't mind. Soon after, they reached the third barrier. Suguru Geto unleashed his Special Grade strength, and the barrier failed to hold him back.
They entered the final barrier together.
...
Sōjun Minamoto had been watching them the entire time from the rooftop. He gave a slight shake of his head. This was the variable he had mentioned.
Suguru Geto, the curse buster.
With him here, the Calamities might not amount to much.
He watched Suguru Geto's figure.
Their relationship had shifted from allies to adversaries, and it was already affecting his actions.
But he had no regrets. The past was behind him. He had come for one purpose—to suppress this variable and guide events toward his intended outcome.
"Help me exorcise those Curse Users."
He extended a short gray knife behind him.
This knife could plunder techniques.
Kenjaku had a keen eye. Among the Curse Users he recruited, several possessed techniques that had greatly caught his interest.
Originally, he'd intended to retrieve them himself, but now it was clear he couldn't leave. He had to claim those techniques before Jujutsu High did—otherwise, if the Curse Users died, their techniques would vanish with them.
Still, entrusting the task to Riko Amanai was no problem.
A hand reached out and gripped the hilt. Pale skin shifted with definition as the short knife sank swiftly into the shadows. The darkness deepened—then a moment later, the shadow faded back to normal.
Sōjun Minamoto leapt from the rooftop and made his way underground.