Peace. That's all he felt. Even though his conviction of being the strongest had been shattered, he felt as divine as he did the day he beat Toji. Not an ounce of regret. He knew he'd gone down fighting. And he knew he'd played fair.

But then why?

Why did he still feel this sense of purpose on his deathbed?

He opened his eyes.

In front of him, he could see Shoko, sweat dripping from her chin, a pained expression on her face as she concentrated. Her hands were on his mid-section.

He could feel it working, his mind and body were active. But he knew that was as far as he would get. There was no way he was living through today. But he knew he had to do something. Sukuna was still out there. And no way in hell was he gonna spend his last moments in the same gurneys as so many of his friends and colleagues had done, with a shroud over his face.

"Sho...oko", he rasped out. Good, his vocal chords worked. His plan would work.

The brunette sharply turned her head towards him, her face taut, teeth gritted into a smile, "Oh good! It's working. Gave us a hell of a-"

"It's not. Don't keep your hopes up. But focus on keeping me active for as long as possible. I have a plan. Get someone to get me a phone."

"As fun as this game has been, you guys aren't really strong one at a time. How about you all come at me at once? Maybe, you'll finally have a chance!"

Like hell you will

Kashimo was bleeding through multiple burns around his body. Mythical Beast Amber failed to have any effect on Sukuna and Kashimo was forced to disable it even if he now had to face its consequences. He was slowly healing back but Sukuna would finish him before he was done. The very fact that he was nowhere near capable of taking on Sukuna made his blood boil. Fuck it. If I'm going down I'm taking that bastard with me.

"Ryoiki Tenkai : Kaminarimon"

The world stilled and vibrated simultaneously as the giant Torii descended behind him, the walls of which held statues of the gods of lightning and wind, Fūjin and Raijin. The sky darkened as storm clouds formed over the battlefield and a cold gale began brewing. His domain had no boundary and was quite literally modifying the weather to his favour. Perhaps they had checked him off their list a bit too early.

"So...finally decided to use the contract, have you? Against Sukuna, no less. I'm impressed, didn't think you'd ever resort to it."

The presence had emerged into the room from an old sheet of paper, long forgotten, deep under the cursed vault of the Gojo's. He seemed expressionless but also happy at the same time. He was graced in a jaded green kimono, gilded with gold and had his black hair pulled back into a samurai-esque ponytail, a chonmage. His face was clear, not a single scratch or scar, you'd think he's never seen war but it would be a lie to say he's seen anything but.

"My apologies, but you and I both know I wouldn't do this if I had a choice. And anyway, you finally get what you want too."

"Three wishes. Shoot. I have 3 hours to kill and you've already ruined 10 minutes. And if I find your wishes boring" he pointed his thumb towards Shoko, "I'm eating her. Take that whichever way you want to."

Shoko grimaced. She hated this option and she definitely hated the cursed sorcerer. She'd read about his myth from the school's libraries but she'd never ended up asking Gojo if he was real, or even think it was possible to obtain such a way of existence. But now that she sees him in flesh she really can't process it. Amanatori Gojo, the cursed sorcerer, the undead contractor. He was of the Golden Heian Era, when Jujutsu was researched and utilized to unbelievable heights. The Gojo researcher at that time was a well versed fighter but at the same time was studying something thought to be impossible to gain, immortality. He came to the conclusion that it wasnt possible in a mortal body but this only fuelled him to take more risky methods leading to repeated failure and some unhealthy exposure to cursed energy which finally led him to wake up one morning, dead, very dead. But in the mortal sense. He had managed to become the very thing he was designated to destroy, a cursed spirit. Of course the Gojo clan didn't take a liking to it and sealed him off in a contract, effectively making him a Cursed Object, S-Class. Capable of unleashing some devastating Heian Era Jujutsu based on the contractor's will, but with the malevolent intent of a cursed spirit, the time limit of 3 hours, and the ability to take the wishes asked for in any sense he wanted. Effectively, he'd live on forever but only as a bound spirit, incapable of freedom.

"Eh. Sex with a genie doesn't sound too bad", Shoko pulled on the cigarette diffusing the presence's aura with a plume of smoke. She was so fucking tired of it all. Geto was gone and now Gojo would too. How come the weakest didn't die first?

"Hear me well then, for these are my demands", Gojo continued.

"Yeah yeah, hurry it up", the man had sat down cross-legged on the tiled floor of the medical bay. He was chanting something.

"One, I want you to unlock Yuuji Itadori's potential. I believe Sukuna has somehow managed to cut off the boy."

The presence remained silent.

"Two, I want you to fight Sukuna and hold him off for as long as you can."

"And lastly, I want you to make me into a cursed object and deliver me to Yuuji Itadori."