Author Notes

Hello everyone. Firstly, this is going to be my first fanfic, and I've been having this complex idea for days to pour all of my unreal imagination into the story that I've constructed. In short, this fic will be a story about The World God Only Knows and Jujutsu Kaisen.

Why those two anime or manga?

It's because I've recently finished reading those two incredible stories (or in JK's case, I'm now catching up with the current chapter of the manga) and I was blown away of its sheer amount of quality storytelling. Furthermore, since there is no crossover fic regarding The World God Only Knows and Jujutsu Kaisen as of now, well this shall be the first.

For many days, I've been thinking hard. What'd happen if characters from The World God Only Knows and Jujutsu Kaisen existed in one universe? That's sure to be very fun to read, or at least in my opinion. So here you go. Early apologies if there are some grammar or pronunciation mistakes. English is not my first language and I'm still learning to become much better in that area of expertise.

Now with that explanation done, let's move to the basis of the story itself. This story will follow the TWGOK manga version, taking place in the middle of the Mai-High Festival and after the Vintage conflict has been resolved. Around the time when 2-B Pencils is having a performance, Keima's going through depression since he rejected Chihiro back in the time of the Search of the Goddesses. I'm not going to use the plotline of the Heart of Jupiter Arc, but I will take some essence from that arc to use in this crossover fic.

For Jujutsu Kaisen, it would be around seven months after the Death Painting Arc. However, I'm taking the divergent route from the canon as I need to make this compatible with the TWGOK universe and add my own OCs in this story. So everything that's happened in the Shibuya Incident will not happen.

One more thing about the fic, this story isn't going to be romance or comedy (like most of the TWGOK fics that have been released so far) as the majority will be focusing more on Keima's involvement with the hidden world of curses. I already made the plotline for the Second Chapter to mark the end of Part One, but let's see what happens in the future.

In relation to Keima's development, I've always wondered what would happen if he's completely serious with the conflict that's happening with the Real and detached himself from his own ideal within galge games forever.

In a situation where life or death is uncertain, Keima's ideology will be shaped far more distant than his canon counterpart; that means he's going to be much darker and more ruthless to get the job done in any necessary.

Regarding the upload schedule, I cannot say. But I will confirm that slowly, but surely, I shall finish this crossover fic, no matter how long it takes. The reason for that is I, likewise, wanted to read this by myself. Thus, what better way to not have a fear of discontinuation of fanfic that you loved than if you're the Author of the Fic themselves?

So bottom line, I write this story for myself and if anyone else likes it, that would be my honor.

I think that's it. I already covered like 95% of what I want to say in this Author's Notes. Sorry for the lengthy one, I'll see you on the flip side.

Oh, by the way, for this site version, I added another Author Note at the end. So if you have the time, be sure to check it out.

Disclaimer: I do not own The World God Only Knows or Jujutsu Kaisen. Both series were owned by respective authors. Support the official release!

Chapter Summary: With the Mai-High Festival almost coming to an end, Keima suddenly found himself in a dark and twisted pursuit by unknown new enemies, while a certain group from Tokyo Jujutsu High was trying to save him by any means necessary.

The real tragedy of Human existence is not that we are nasty by nature, but that a cruel structural asymmetry grants to rare events of meanness such power to shape our history.

— Steven Jay Gould, Eight Little Piggies (1993)

Intersection of Three Destinies: Prelude to the Parallel Story

Chapter I: The Fall After the Calm

Maijima Private High School Main Building A, School Park [10:00 PM]

A time of loss for love and joy for music. This is the peak of the Mai-High Festival; an annual school festival created by Maijima Private High School. The sound of fireworks echoed throughout the time of this special night, and many were cheering for the music performance that was performed by 2-B Pencils, especially with the surprise arrival of Kanon Nakagawa, Maijima's one of the most beloved idols.

Even though most people were enjoying the festival, a few people didn't.

These people were involved in a situation the majority thought to be impossible.

A distant war for the fate of the world, which results in the evil being destroyed by the hands of the opposing forces. The many heartbreaks created by a cruel man, whose ideal is only true within the fiction of galge games, but hides within a mask of coldness.

And the supposed Devil who almost loses everything because of her faith in the current hierarchy of the supposed reformed underworld society.

Over these last few days, things have escalated way too quickly, to the point of no return. Keima Katsuragi, a boy who got involved deeply in a conflict with Vintage, must do an act of cruelty and deception to reach his end goal: locate, find, and reunite the Goddesses. Of course, the path to that victory is long and arduous, as Keima needs to sacrifice his sense of morality to gain the affection of many girls he once conquered back in the past. For to persuade and gain back their love, he must be acting and lying his way to their trust.

It is like a game of werewolves, but it's something that must be done, and to succeed he must. As a result, for consequences of his failure would be a very fatal one. But thankfully, that shall never happen since Vintage has failed to execute their notorious plan and the Goddesses have successfully combined their power to end the evil with the support of New Devils and reunited safely.

That should be the end of the saga of this whole story.

Act I: Alternative Postlude to the Old Conquest

However, there's an absolute limit to everything.

And as for Keima himself, he has reached that particular limit. The trigger for that was his grand lie to say something cruel to Chihiro, leading their supposed relationship to reach a breaking point. Thus, forcing him to feel a sense of misery. Chihiro I'm sorry... I didn't really mean... what I said that time...

He has sacrificed too much at that point. And now, with Chihiro's pure love added to the list, Keima's mentality is just about to break completely. The only reason he's still keeping it together is his ideality to fiction, and he still believed that reality is shitty to Hell. Hence, everything that happened to him in his search to track down the Goddesses just proved his twisted argument even further.

Keima has had enough of the trickery and manipulation.

Sitting alone on a bench at the School Park while the 2-B Pencils still performing their song, he silently swore to himself that he would never involve himself with the Real ever again. Hypothetically speaking, he, helping the Goddesses to take down Vintage and their notorious plan also automatically seals up the remaining Weiss in this city, resulting in his contract with Elsie being done with and finally gaining his freedom at last.

As for Elsie, she was given an option by Chair Devils of the New Hell for her special contribution to Keima's plan in his search for the Goddesses and stopping Vintage once and for all, to either: continue her life as Keima's little sister but she, herself, would become Human in the process and cannot return to the New Hell; or return to the New Hell, continue her life duty as a Member of the Weiss Capturing Squad but she cannot return to the Surface World, and her memory regarding her Buddy shall be erased.

Of course, the choice of that option was very easy for her, much to Keima's dismay and annoyance.

And now she's going by the name of Elsie Katsuragi, Keima's little sister who's bonded by blood ever since they were born.

Anyway, back to Keima himself.

After much calculation for the mental weight of his declaration of freedom, Keima believed this was for the best. For him, the girls, and everyone. He will distance himself very much further from everyone else that he knows about so that he can finally achieve the Nirvana he's very much longed for. No more Real conquest. No more ridiculous pain that leads to heartbreak.

Most importantly, no more lies that he must force to say for the greater good. And this is what I've desired... the path that I wanted to choose for I am the God of Conquest! The Real shall be damned! Or so he thought at first before the doubt internally kicked in.

As he looked solemnly into the stars, he spoke to himself quietly. "That is the path... that I wanted... to choose, right?" The uncertainty in his eyes was covered by his bangs, with his tone was very much defeated.

Amidst another few fireworks that are blasting into the night skies, the music performance by the 2-B Pencils reached its end with a result of huge applause from Maijima students echoing throughout the school.

The song's over. Only gratitude remained within him. Chihiro, thank you for such a beautiful song. Knew that it was time to go, Keima with a sad smile got up from the bench to leave the School Park without any more words to leave behind.

Not aware of a terrible event that will change his life forever.

Emotions of longing negativity.
 A very foundation that became the source of Human cruelty and destruction.
 It is said that once negative emotions took over the mind of a Human.
 It would trigger a chain of reactions that bear unfortunate incidents and merciless conflicts.
 Creating an internal war between logic and feeling to clash with one another.
 As a result of a choice that would impact one's future.
 But what if there's an entity influenced by those negativities?
 Nobody would believe they exist.
 Nobody would know how to defend themselves from it.
 And the only way to escape from those threats was to run or forcibly accept their fate.
 At the end of the line.
 Such possibilities to even exist was a very terrifying thing indeed.

Maijima Private High School Old Theater [10:06 PM]

Meanwhile, inside of the Old Theater, standing in the darkness, lies a black-hooded figure with grey straight hair, blue eyes, and a scar across his face; accompanied by a black face mask that he wore to conceal his identity.

Within the palm of his hands, he's holding a mini-tablet while showing live footage of Keima leaving the School Park and heading straight down into the East Corridor of his school building, oblivious of a shadowy evil who watches over him.

"So it's finally time." Besides him, a Corrupted Blade which he'll carry, and an injection booster that's ready to be used were put nicely onto the floor.

"The curtain rises for these Cursed Spirits to try and hunt Keima. However..." The man then looked at another live footage, which showed four individuals: three males and one female on another side of the building. "How much time that these Cursed Spirits have for them to accomplish their goal?" He asked himself before whispering in a curious tone.

And how much time and energy that Keima has before they hunt him down, I wonder... Before everyone knows it, an unexpected intersection between revenge and duty will clash under the shadow of ignorance within the school.

Act II: Cursed Encounters

Maijima Private High School Main Building A, East Corridor [10:08 PM]

While walking, Keima stopped in his tracks with a wary feeling. He looked behind to see nothing but emptiness within the corridor, even though it felt like somebody was watching him. The uneasiness is growing within him, as the situation becomes more intense with each second passed.

Or was it just his imagination after all?

I sense someone, but they all should be outside enjoying the festival. Is it Old Devils from Vintage? Keima's delusion began to rise. No... that can't be... they all should be imprisoned within the New Hell by now. He's monumentally correct.

However...

But I can't help it. It felt like some growing danger was coming closer every time I took a step. Just, what the HELL is going on? Looking around once again, Keima tried to spot anything unusual.

But in the end, there's nothing worth that gained his attention.

"I don't know why, but I should keep my guard up. Maybe running is the best option for now." And with that, he decided to follow his instinct. Running as fast as his legs could carry him out from uncertainty.

Even though he still doesn't know why, he's assumed that this is the best course of action, at least for now. However, with his very limited stamina, Keima could only run for about seven seconds before he broke his sprint and tried gasping for air, with both of his legs stopped functioning temporarily.

"At... a time... like this... I wish... I've had... Ayumi's energy for... running..." He tried to breathe properly while hoping for something impossible.

C'mon my stamina... recover—! Keima forced himself. Ack! It hurts! Expectedly, it didn't go well. Dammit! This is why having the body of a Real can be such a pain! If I stop now...! The growing uneasiness within him is becoming stronger and stronger.

It felt as if he didn't keep moving...

Something terrible is surely gonna happen to me. By now, he's confident to assume, this tension is not like when he came face to face with Vintage Agents.

This is something else new entirely. Something currently unknown approached him from the shadows of this corridor.

I must keep moving no matter what. The God of Conquest shouldn't be tired at a time like these! Pushing beyond his physical limit, Keima motivated himself to move his legs as much as he could, even if there was a possibility that he could pass out cold in the process.

A horrifying outcome that will be the consequences of his failure.

Maijima Private High School Main Building B, Classroom 1-D [10:10 PM]

At another building, four unfamiliar people were watching Keima desperately running from an unknown threat at the west side of the classroom window. All of them were wearing an unusual school uniform; the almost identical pattern of that uniform was a black sleeve shirt with a high collar. The group consists of two boys, one girl, and a charming man with his eyes blinded with a black blindfold.

It seems like they're observing Keima's struggle to escape with whatever energy he has left within his own body.

"Uh... Sensei, it seems like he's about to run out of stamina, should we enter the scene now?" The boy with spiky pink hair asked curiously to one of his teammates. His name is Yuji Itadori.

"Let's wait for a few more minutes. The Loop Barrier is still active greatly, and that Cursed Spirit hasn't made a move to harm Keima. We'll keep observing the situation for now. Besides... I have a feeling things are about to get even more interesting from now on~" The man wearing a blindfold with spiky white hair answered with a playful tone to one of his students. His name is Gojo Satoru.

"Should we though? If we keep letting that Cursed Spirit do whatever it pleases to Katsuragi, the situation will become more severe by a minute." The eccentric girl with mid-length orange hair that's styled like bangs covering the left side of her forehead disagreed with her Teacher. Her name is Nobara Kugisaki.

"You just want to exorcise that Cursed Spirit because you're bored, aren't you, Kugisaki?" Yuji said with deadpanned voice.

"You know me well, Itadori," Nobara replied proudly. "I'm bored to the point of starving for something interesting right now."

"Heh, I knew it." Yuji seemed to be pleased with his answer.

"I feel like a proud father watching his kids getting along very well..." Gojo said emotionally with fake tears.

"We're not your kids!" Yuji and Nobara shouted at the same time, leaving Gojo mentally attacked by those two.

"Can you two just stop playing around?" The boy with spiky dark blue hair exclaimed annoyedly. His name is Megumi Fushiguro.

"Alright Dad~" Yuji and Nobara said at the same time with a playful tone.

"How is he the father but I'm not!?" Gojo exclaimed defeatedly. Unfortunately, his foolish complaint was ignored by the three, who quickly changed the topic into a more serious and professional matter.

"Anyway, based on our reliable intel, there are five Cursed Spirits that are targeting Katsuragi right now. We've already dealt with three of them." On their way to the classroom, the four of them have already confronted some Cursed Spirits and exorcised them pretty quickly.

Thus leaving others to be hunted down as swiftly as possible.

"Only two of those curses remain," Nobara said as she pointed out the fact logically. "I didn't think it was this fast."

"For us to realize that most of the Cursed Spirits that we've fought so far over these last four months in this city, they're surprisingly coordinated. You think that somebody's pulling the strings?" Yuji asked his Sensei. In his mind, it should be impossible to even control a Lower Grade Cursed Spirit.

"Honestly, I don't even know at this point." Gojo truthfully opens his thoughts. "The only information that I have is that these past few invasions of Cursed Spirits in this city were all connected to Keima." He explained while looking at the exhausted Keima before turning his back to face his students again. "And for the reason, I'm sure all of you have known." His students nodded their heads, indicating their acknowledgment of that factor. "However, if there is indeed somebody who's pulling the strings, then I want to assume, no, I'm sure and very much certain that those crappy Jujutsu Executives must be involved somehow."

Cannot contain his curiosity any longer, Megumi asked bluntly: "And how do you reach that conclusion, Sensei?"

"It's simple Megumi-kun, I've had this feeling that they're one of many factors who's behind this." There's no doubt in his tone, only absolute certainty. "We all know the basis of purpose on why we must protect Keima at all costs, right? Since he's an important variable in this ongoing conflict. But I'll bet you, those cowards were still in denial and afraid that if Keima's got indeed involved, their whole little lies would get exposed to the entire Jujutsu Society, causing their reign to fall completely." The students began to understand his point. "And because of that, they'll do whatever it takes to make him disappear before he knows the existence of the world of curses."

Those logical reasons cause Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi to flinch at Gojo's explanation. They all know how terrible the system within the Jujutsu Society is, especially the executives of Jujutsu who are responsible for everything that's happening on the political side of this dangerous world.

If they saw Keima as a threat to their current hierarchy of conservative traditionalists, of course, they will do whatever it takes to kill him.

Just like what they did to Yuji back in the past since how terrified they were to even learn that he's Sukuna's Vessel in the flesh. The cowardice of these Higher-Ups is one of many reasons why Gojo despises them so much; even willing to kill them to make the gear of change move once again.

And for his students, it looks like they're about to reach that same conclusion too.

"Then Sensei... what about me? I'm sure the Jujutsu Executives are still trying to find a way to kill me since I'm Sukuna's Vessel after all." Yuji felt a little terrified after he has gotten a little bit of a reminder of how screwed up those Higher-Ups were.

"Hehehe~ worry not Yuji. I've already made sure and personally confirmed that they won't do such a thing. At least, not until you find all of those 20 fingers of Sukuna, and they finally are allowed to execute you without any mercy." Gojo reassured Yuji's wariness of being hunted down from the shadow once more. Which of course, is not very reassuring to all of his students in the slightest.

It was like only throwing gasoline into a river full of alcoholic substances.

"Every single day, the more information that I've heard about those executives, the more that I wanted to kill those greedy idiots," Nobara spoke bluntly at the eccentric group without hesitation. "Unfortunately I can't though, even if I wanted to."

"I couldn't agree more with her." Megumi agreed coldly, he too felt anger on his own for the Higher-Ups.

The moment he heard those words from his students, Gojo couldn't help but feel a little bit emotional. "To think that both of my students have the same thought as I am to do something terrible to those traditionalist and ignorant fools... I couldn't be more proud as your Teacher!"

Hence, earning himself a serious glance from his students.

Maijima Private High School Main Building A, East Corridor [10:15 PM]

Keima just kept running until his dying breath ran out of his lungs. It's been like ten minutes of endless running. Even though there's a moment where he's about to pass out, his instinct tells him to not stop, causing the God of Conquest to continue his run like he's in some sort of tournament marathon.

But more than that, he's tired, from everything. He didn't know what kind of threat he was dealing with. He didn't know what to do next. The only option for him is to run but that option is about to become dry out since his stamina is already pushed beyond his boundary. However... one of the most bizarre occurrences of all: no matter how far he runs, he never reaches the end of the corridor.

Making Keima further realize how much deep the minacious situation that he's in right now.

Just as I suspected, it seems I'm stuck on some kind of ground loop. This realization hit him hard. Dammit! After so many supernatural fiascos that I've experienced in those times of conquests and that time with my search for the Goddesses, these kinds of things already feel very normal to me. Keima was at the understanding level where the supernatural overlaps common sense in this reality.

But that proves my point even further in this uncertain cause event. It's like whoever or whatever cast this sorcery, they have already targeted me from the start. He then started to open his eyes as he realized something sinister. A truth machinations that Keima has started to grasp and acknowledge. Could it be... they do this deliberately from the very beginning? The puzzle pieces started to assemble in his logistic mind. By making me feel those uncertain tensions, it caused me to run like Hell and led me to this loop of a hallway that finally forced this physical condition of mine to decline even worse.

One theory created a temporary answer.

It also ignited another.

But then who's the one that did all of this? The main question focuses on a matter that has started it all.

After reaching one ingenious conclusion of his own, Keima decided to rest for a while.

Leaning himself into a wall while sitting on a floor, aware of the fact that this is not a very good idea.

In that resting time, Keima deduces the identity of this new enemy. But nothing comes to his mind, except everything once more linked back to Vintage, Old Devils, and the New Hell conspiracy.

I am already certain that Vintage is not the one that is after me. Keima thought to himself in factuality. This kind of phenomenon is very similar to Vulcan's power in some way or another since she can control every object that she wants. He still remembered how brutal Vulcan was to protect Tsukiyo from his grasp a few weeks ago. In this case, the caster can easily bend reality to their own will, but with restriction limits to one area. Although the differences are miles away, the similarities in some retrospects in both supernatural skills were there. It could be other beings from Heaven, but that's also not possible since only Jupiter Sisters were deeply involved in the matter of Old Devils and Humans. All of the possibilities in his mind were rejected.

I actually have no idea who it is...! His analysis was concluded on a sour note. "Hah..." Keima gasped in exhaustion before looking up into the corridor ceiling. "Why is this always happening to me... this is why reality is such a shitty game!" In a location where only he existed, he started to lament over every scenario that had happened to him in the last six months.

"First, I was forced to do something I very much resented, which is conquering real girls and saving them from those Weiss. Next, I was involved in finding the Goddesses and reuniting them; nevertheless, that cost me to be a six-timing jerk and I, myself, was forced to break Chihiro's heart. Now, I'm in this situation where it seems like my life is on the line, even though all of the conflicts have been dealt with." The more he rants, the more anger he feels. "Sometimes... I truly wonder, when everything did go wrong. I just really wanted my normal life back without any bullshit romance from the Real... but it looks like that's impossible now." His monologue continued with his facial expression turned into pure agony and resentment.

"Ayumi, Kanon, Shiori, Tsukiyo, Tenri, and Yui remember everything about their conquest and are very much in love with me. The Goddesses are now involved with my own daily life of the Real. Elsie's now truly my little sister because of those Higher-Ups from the New Hell. Although I'm now free from that treacherous contract, my life will never be the same again. And if I think about it more, I'm becoming further chained than ever before. This... this is truly Hell!" Keima exclaimed hatefully, cursing the universe for making his life complicated.

But it was at this moment.

"I hate this... I can't keep up with this a—"

"A... n... Y... mOrE?"

A point of reversal was enacted as a voice from an source unknown interfered with his monologue.

Making Keima look over the right side of his viewpoint.

Shockingly chill him to the core and push him to instantaneously stand up from his resting position. What the... Hell is that...?

What he saw was a monster.

No, to be exact, an abomination with two big eyes, eight sharp legs, a frowning mouth that dropped the essence of blood, and a monstrous form like a spider from a hellish nightmare. It... it's not a Weiss... His expression started to change to pure fear. He had never seen something like this before. That's something else... A drop of sweat started to rain down from his forehead.

For a few seconds, there's only silence between him and this twisted beast.

"S... a... Y... SomE... tH... InG..." Until it tried to persuade Keima to respond with anything.

But how could he talk flawlessly when it is clear...

That Keima is so frightened, his mental process immediately vaporizes the moment he sees that monster.

For the first time in his life, he's truly scared and helpless beyond belief.

That is until his focus consciousness started to regain back, and Keima started to ask in a frightening tone. "Wh-What... are... you?"

"M... e...?" There's a delay in its answer.

And the reason for that was nothing more than disturbing. "I... Ju... sT... wAnT t... o... CoM... fOr... t... Y... Ou...!" Since it straight away rushed unto the God of Conquest with its bloodthirsty impulsion.

What the heck...!? Watching its abnormal movement towards him at full speed, to say the least, Keima was very shocked and scared. Thus with every fiber of his fragile body, he reflectively runs away at full speed.

Accordingly, the illusion that confined him in endless agony also immediately vanished into thin air.

Motioning him to get out from the East Corridor as fast as he could without ever looking back. The loop in the corridor has suddenly disappeared. But what the Hell is that thing!? He wants to scream for help, but of course, no one can help him right at this moment. He's on his own. No. Don't think of anything else right now. Run. Just run and don't stop!

At the same time, the Cursed Spirit who saw his prey immediately dashes away like there's no tomorrow, and commenced to chase him off until the end of Earth. "Wh... eR... e... a... rE... Y... oU... Goi... nG? Wa... iT... fO... r... mE!" And the voice of distortion quickly followed afterward.

Hence, with the threat exposed itself menacingly, a terrifying game of cat and mouse has finally begun, without anyone from the outside world of curses ever noticing such insanity is happening right underneath their innocent existence.

Maijima Private High School Old Theater [10:17 PM]

Intently observing the current situation, the mysterious black-hooded man has decided to make his next move after a certain event has escalated.

"Now that the Cursed Spirit already gained its attention, what would you do, Keima? Either you hide or lay out an escape plan, in the end, it's going to be my victory after everything is done." He muttered while watching the footage from his mini-tablet, before changing the feed to monitoring Gojo and his students. It seemed those people had started to make their move as well to complete their objective.

"And at last..." Satisfied with the flow of the current event so far, he then took the injection booster and stomped the device before leaving the Old Theater swiftly to finish what he'd started.

It's time for this act of mine to reach its ending.

Thus the evil has left the scene silently, with his blue eyes color now changed to yellow.

Maijima Private High School Main Building B, Classroom 1-D [10:18 PM]

As Keima was running away from the Cursed Spirit. Yuji, who witnessed the entire scenario, suddenly yelled at Gojo to gain his attention; a sudden warning of which became a notification that they should execute their course of action now.

"Sensei! The Loop Barrier in the corridor has broken, and the Cursed Spirit has made contact with Katsuragi just now!" The panic in his voice was noticeable.

"I guess this is it." Gojo smiled confidently at the turn of events. "Prepare to move out."

The students only nodded as they knew what must be done now.

However, it was at this point.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" The Cursed Spirit entered the class and roared monstrously behind them, forcing the group to cover their ear. "I... c... aNt... l... eT... Y... oU... G... o... aW... aY!" It has a form like a crab with two red spiky horns, with its claws forming an enormous light blue spark of Cursed Energy. There were no eyes in its frontal figure, however, a giant mouth that was covered with blood was its twisted replacement.

Seeing the Cursed Spirit that suddenly appeared, Nobara couldn't contain her excitement. At last! Some entertainment! And that term could also be applied to her friends and Sensei. "Well... well... well... right on time! Just as I'm about to get bored with all of this, some trash has decided to come to us."

Megumi, who had finished analyzing the enemy, warned her in a heartbeat. "Careful Kugisaki, it seems like it's no ordinary Cursed Spirit. The way those claws are flowing with Cursed Energy. We might be dealing with a Grade 1, or in a worse scenario, a Special Grade."

Hearing his analysis, Gojo couldn't help but correct the fact. "No~ it might look like a Special Grade. But in reality, this one is just a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit. its Cursed Energy is not stabilized yet."

"Is that how it is, Sensei?" Yuji asked with a serious tone. His fist was now consumed by a blaze of Cursed Energy. "Then that means this whole scenario has become a whole lot simpler for us. Let's take this filth out."

"Now we're talking!" Gojo exclaimed excitedly as he activated his Infinity. "It looks like our enemy this time is trying to distract us from protecting Keima. Let's show those bastards who we are." His murderous tone and the creeping smile on his face are very much visible.

"We will, Sensei!" The students responded at the same time again as they prepared and ready their battle stance.

However, it was at that moment, Yuji began a conversation with Nobara on a very peculiar topic. "Wanna bet this fight will be finished in like one minute?"

Nobara, with a devilish smirk on her face, responded confidently as she held down her nails which were already infused with Cursed Energy. "One minute? Let's narrow it to 50 seconds."

"You guys are all way above your heads." Megumi joined in on the fun. "I'll bet 40's for this to be over with."

And last but not least: "Calm down guys~ with me around, below 30 seconds should be very easy at least." Gojo declared assuredly to three of his students.

Listening to all the nonsense that's happening in front of them, the Cursed Spirit cannot take it anymore. "Yo... U... Al... L a... R... e... To... o... C... oN... fi—" But right before its threat was about to reach the end, without mercy, a ferocious punch was launched at the Cursed Spirit perfectly.

Leading the students and their Sensei to gain momentum for their harmonized yet brutal attacks. "Just shut up and die." Yuji coldly muttered under his breath, which was overshadowed by a bunch of merciless techniques afterward.

Act III: Walk Out From the Shadow

Maijima Private High School Main Building A, Within the Boys Restroom [10:35 PM]

The sound of gasping breath. The sweat coming down from his forehead.

Keima has been hiding for about 20 minutes.

He hides in whatever room closer to him the moment he's out from the East Corridor. And right now, the term such as scared might not even do the God of Conquest justice.

He's so terrified at this point, that he's kind of losing touch with reality for a few minutes.

Not only the monster is straight out of a nightmare, but this situation could also be one of the worst possible outcomes for Keima.

His fate was already sealed the moment he made contact with the Cursed Spirit and hid in the most cliché room ever to exist.

If the situation precisely follows the script of many horror movies, he definitely would not be going to survive this one. But of course, reality can be somewhat mismatched if compared to fiction, which he hoped would stay that way.

"I've been hiding here for quite some time now," Keima muttered to himself as he was trying to maintain his coolness after a terrifying encounter that almost gave him a heart attack. "According to one of those horror galge games that I've played in the past, the time estimation to hide from the enemy is around 10-20 minutes and another 30 seconds for absolute confirmation of safety. Even though I've chosen one of the worst hiding places possible, at least it could work if I maintain my composure and not let the fear take over my mind."

By now, the Mai-High Festival should be over with the last performance of Class 3-D. And with the time about to reach 10:37 PM, Elsie, Chihiro, and most of the Goddesses Hosts should also en-route to their home.

Realizing that Keima could merely gasp in relief, knowing the girls would not be involved with his matter in this horrifying confrontation. "At least the chance for them to be intricated with that monster is less than one percent... that's one good news." He said while making a sincere smile. Even though he acts cold and speaks harshly, however, the truth is far from that. He cares about Elsie and all of the girls that he's conquered back in the past.

They're his true heroines, and he will not going to let anything happen to them.

Plus whatever that unholy thing is, it's coming after him; hungry for his flesh and soul.

Thus, he shall deal with these circumstances alone.

Because that path was already decided.

"Now that I think about it, that... thing... is like a Weiss. But at the same time, it's not. Its figure is more twisted, terrifying, and definitely could kill a person with only a single attack. Plus, it could enter this school without anyone from the outside even perceiving it. That means either it infiltrates Maijima Private High School from an unknown place that nobody knows about..." He hesitated to say his next words because he knew he wouldn't like the flow of his theory. "Or everyone cannot even sense its arrival because it's invincible to the naked eye." He closed his eyes in defeat. "Just like those Devils and Weiss..." The second conclusion has been reached.

However, there are still many mysteries lingering around.

"Why is it after me? The fact that the loop disappeared at the same time after that monster appeared. Was it all a setup? If so, by whom? Everything still doesn't make any sense whatsoever." The frustration hit him hard, but he must stay calm above all else. "It feels like I'm missing a lot of vital pieces to the puzzle. Though of course, I couldn't rely on Haqua for information if I do survive this. There's a huge possibility that New Devils may not even know about the existence of that monster either." His assumption was correct once again. "She or Elsie never mention a Weiss that could kill a Human within the first contact, so the possibility of them knowing is very much non-existent." If the New Devils had already known about the monster's existence, they would have warned Keima from the beginning.

Yet, they never gave that crucial information as a warning.

"It's useless," Keima sighed as he rubbed his nose temple. "There shall be no end if I keep thinking about those enigmatic things. It'll best if I'm now starting to strategize my escape to get the Hell out of this place in one piece." His next move was decided.

Putting on his serious thinking position, Keima starts to think harder than ever before. "Based on my memories, the nearest exit should be located on the ground floor of the east center. If that monster's speed is still the same as he was trying to catch me like before. I unmistakably will die." Knowing his physical weakness, he won't take that chance. "The only way for me to escape is to evade it at all costs. But that's almost impossible since this school doesn't have that many hiding places to begin with." He sighed once again. "There's too many open spaces, stairs, locked rooms, and long corridors. Those annoying factors were limiting my only hope of evading that damn monster!" Right before he was about to be frustrated even further, he realized something crucial.

Wait a minute. Something that he missed greatly.

"Maybe I don't need to hi—" Unfortunately, the moment Keima muttered what was on his mind next, the sound of a creaking door captured his attention for the worse, signaling an impending danger had entered the area.

Aware that there's only one possibility that could happen, he immediately shut his mouth off for good to not alert the evil entity.

"W... hE... rE... Ar... E... YO... u...?" The Cursed Spirit asked creepily in search of Keima. "Pl... Eas... E... S... Ho... W... Yo... Ur... SeL... veS..." It continued as its tone became more apathetic with each second passed.

Dammit, it's here! Keima exclaimed frustratingly in his mind, as he was trying not to make any sound while hiding in one of the stalls.

Maijima Private High School Interconnected Corridor [10:38 PM]

Gojo and his students were running desperately to reach Keima's location at Main Building A before the Cursed Spirit got to him.

"Hey, Itadori! Are you sure you're alright?" Megumi asked in a little concerned tone.

"Yeah, I'm alright Fushiguro. It's just a little scratch." Yuji said openly as he scratched his head while remembering the moment when the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit almost got him badly. "But if you didn't slice that right claw back then, it would be a critical hit to me though."

"You're too careless Itadori. Maybe next time you should hand it to a Higher Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer before you could get yourself killed again." Nobara advised the spiky pink-haired boy with a smug on her face.

"Oi, who's the one that actually got careless, huh? Because from what I remembered, your Resonance Technique didn't even hit that Cursed Spirit. In fact, it was those infused nails of yours that almost hit me and Fushiguro!" Yuji rebutted her statement.

Nobara got instantly annoyed. "It's just that one time! And besides, my infused nails indeed got through its body at the last second, so you should thank me for being too considerate of your grand mistake!"

"She has a point you know~ Yuji-kun~" Suddenly, Gojo supported her argument.

"Sensei!" Yuji couldn't believe what he had heard from his Sensei, forcing him to resign and apologize immediately. "Okay fine... I'm truly sorry for my carelessness that almost got me killed." His tone was in pure annoyance. "And thank you for fixing my mistake, Kugisaki." That probably was one of the hardest sentences he ever said in his life, making him feel disgusted inside. Tch! You're lucky, Kugisaki... Sensei's supporting your mighty false statement.

On the other hand, feeling satisfied to hear the words from her friend's mouth, Nobara responds in high regard. "See? That wasn't so hard now, was it? Fine, since I'm in a good mood today, I'll accept your apology if you're willing to buy me a—" Sadly, her smugness was shattered instantly by the power of equality.

"And you should control your Cursed Technique better next time, Nobara-chan~ your nails could be your friend's end if you're not careful enough~" Another one of Gojo's remarks put Nobara to shame; Yuji instantly felt great and laughing maliciously from within. Hahahahaha! Who's laughing now, you sly and frightful woman?

Blushes in red, she exclaimed at the realization of fatal defeat: "Okay... okay! I will, Sensei! I'll practice my technique more!" At the same time, noticing her idiotic friend was having such a time of his life in secret, Nobara couldn't help but feel irritated. This isn't over, Itadori! I'll make sure of it! Her short monologue was kinda a little bit of villainy.

Among the duo's conflict that led to hatred, Megumi thought of something entirely different. Sensei... your Cursed Technique Reversal almost kill all of us too if Itadori hadn't reminded you regarding the impact of your full strength. That's true. Gojo's brutal attack was one of the main reasons why the crazy group could exorcise that Grade 1 Cursed Spirit within 25 seconds; such overkill that should be on the record of the fastest exorcism of Higher Grade Cursed Spirit in Tokyo Jujutsu High history.

"Anyway, Sensei. What do you think about the Cursed Spirit that chasing after Katsuragi right now?" Nobara asked calmly, changing the subject flawlessly.

Noticing her attempt to change the topic, Gojo played his part. "Hmm~ I suspect it would be a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, for how weak it fairly looks. However, what's genuinely caught my eyes is the one who cast that Loop Illusion Barrier Technique back in the East Corridor, considering it's a complicated Cursed Technique with a purpose to trap an unsuspecting enemy within the vicinity."

"Then just like we're suspected. We're dealing with a Curse User that could be hired by The Clementine Movement." Megumi addressed coldly as he nodded his head, solidifying their hypothesis.

"But come to think of it, the coordination of those five Cursed Spirits that are trying to kill Katsuragi right now is similar to how coordinated most of the Cursed Spirits were in this city. Maybe there's a slight chance we might be facing the same Curse User that's responsible for it all." That could be true since the gang hasn't encountered the person behind the invasion if they're indeed working for The Clementine Movement.

"Now that you mention it... that could be a possibility, Nobara," Gojo responded critically as he realized this shadowy attack could be a much larger picture. "If we're indeed facing the same enemy, then this mission of ours could bring a huge blow to that shadowy Non-Sorcerer faction." Without him knowing, an emotion of gratitude suddenly emerges from his heart. And such a threat to Keima could be lessened more than we anticipated.

"Four months..." Yuji muttered silently. We've seen the struggle of that boy Katsuragi to protect those who are dear to him. Although he was forced to do something that he didn't want to in the first place. The moment I saw his determination to romance the girls to protect them, it kinda reminds me of... He looked at two of his friends and then himself. Yeah, that's what I thought. His mouth then started to speak in an eerie tone. "If that's the case, The Clementine Movement must pay for what they did if it's proven they're the one behind this ambush."

After hearing what Yuji had said, none of the other three responded to the offensive idea.

However, Megumi and Nobara silently agreed and those serious looks were present greatly on their faces.

As for the Sensei himself...

Keima's protection is still our priority. We could not interfere back then because the Loop Barrier was surrounding most of the area. He's enjoying the effect of the aftermath. But now that's finally over, I guess we can be a little crazier to finish this quickly. Hehehe~ I do like the sound of that. He said to himself as his emotions were rising exponentially, with a smile that showed a true wickedness to his current delight.

Not even realizing what lies ahead of him.

A shadowy enemy that was personally connected to his best friend's tragedy.

It's said that there's always a single moment.
 Where the hero will rescue the hostages at the most perfect time possible.
 These moments were called predictable for how much readers could guess correctly.
 Especially characters that have plot armor in them.
 A collection of farcical events that led to a guaranteed happy ending.
 How beautiful it would be if it were happening to this reality.
 But sadly like any other unfortunate story.
 Sometimes everything could be out of Human mortally control.
 As the tragedy that altered Keima's destiny and identity viciously passed.

Maijima Private High School Main Building A, West Corridor [10:44 PM]

All of them stopped running. As coming out of nowhere, a black-hooded figure was standing from miles away.

Looking menacingly at all of them, he raised his left hand and then pointed his index finger at Gojo and his students, while his mouth was behind his dark face mask saying an abstract sentence that the group couldn't understand.

"You all failed." A declaration that confused everyone in the vicinity.

"Huh, excuse me?" Nobara asked annoyingly at the anonymous man. "What the Hell you're talking about?"

The figure then put his left hand unto his face. "So this is what it feels like to be in such a situation where you're losing, even if you don't realize it..."

"Who are you?" Megumi asked as he was on guard, while Yuji just stared at him intently.

In return, the mysterious man gazed coldly at all of them. "Me? I'm just a nobody. A rotten part of Jujutsu Society that should be ignored. I'm here to finish what I've started, that's all." He answered straightforwardly before shifting his gaze to Gojo immediately, ignoring the existence of the three. "Satoru. I'm sure you have no reason at all to be in this place with your students... why go all your way to protect a boy that contains no value to you?"

Gojo flinched as this man said his name like they'd known for years. But he won't divulge unto that matter. What he wanted to focus on is what he said about Keima that made him all of a sudden. "That's my business. You have no right to say that Keima has no value."

The causal response surprised the figure a little. "Of course. My mistake to judge him very quickly based on nothing but an assumption. But... you have to understand my surprise. As I learned further that he's nothing like his father, I realized his potential was only comparable to nothing more than obsolete." A bold statement that automatically makes Gojo and his students take their battle stance ready. "His prime involvement with the Weiss Capturing Squad and those Goddesses won't help either; a wasted potential that craved for an ideal rather than the truth of reality was gradually on the same level as a hypocrite."

"You know the existence of New Devils and the Goddesses?" Yuji was the one who asked.

"Don't act too surprised." The man reassured calmly to his expression and question. "It's common knowledge for the dwellers in the underground of Jujutsu Society to know those kinds of classified facts."

"I'm not surprised. I'm curious about how much you know Katsuragi and his connection to that world." Yuji calmly responded. "It sounded like you've known him for a long time that you could make such an audacious statement."

"How critically perceptive of you." The man sounded impressed with Yuji's conclusion. "I guess you could say the same to your Sensei right there, am I right?" He glanced at the blindfolded Sorcerer, who was fueled with hatred out of nowhere. "Don't you have anything to say, Satoru?" The coldness in his voice was maliciously shown.

Hearing that, Gojo was purely in silent mode. Not because he was stunned, but rather because something more sinister was happening within his mind that made him have a certain flashback. That gesture, tone, and the fact he knew him and my best friend. Could it be...!

It all happened 10 months ago.

The moment when he received a piece of news that his best friend was murdered by a serial killer known as Hunter of the Abyss.

Ever since that fateful tragedy, he's restless about conducting a personal investigation to track the killer down. At first, it was a struggle. But with some miracle, two months went by and he could finally identify the many characteristics, down to the tone of his targeted enemy.

However, no luck was on his side as he found nothing that could locate the dastardly fellow.

Yet secretly, his hope hadn't vanished, even until today.

Thus why, the moment when this mysterious man mentioned Keima's father and his son's connection to the world of New Devils.

It all suddenly clicked.

What was in front of him was not just an opponent.

Rather, an adversary that he's been trying to track for months. If my hunch is correct... then all of that hard work of mine over these past months wouldn't be for nothing. His upper face was covered in darkness; his bloody hands were grasping hardly to the notion of hate.

And when everything seemed to reach a breaking point, another monotone voice was uttered by the black-hooded figure. This time, he wanted an immediate answer from Gojo. "Well...?"

At the same time, his students looked at him with worry. "Sensei...?" They rarely saw Gojo like that.

When the time seemed sinisterly stopped, at last... Gojo opened his mouth.

And the first thing he said was: "So you're him. The one who murdered Keiichi Katsuragi in cold blood?"

"So you did remember what I did to your friend." A smile plastered on the man's face. "I'm indeed honored."

"Of course, you should be honored. It's me after all~" Gojo said sarcastically, changing his tone for the worse. "But the reason I even remember you is that you've chosen the wrong prey." He then took off his black blindfold, revealing his light blue eyes, which were clouding in vengefulness. "Keiichi is one of my closest friends that you have murdered in cold blood. After all these 10 months of me searching for you, you've appeared graciously so I can kill you myself." His wicked smile was formed in moonlight rays that appeared out from the window corridor. "Which is why I won't let this chance come to pass."

"A threatening sentence coming from the man himself. Even I cannot believe what I've just heard; to enact revenge against a lowlife like myself." The man responded calmly to Gojo's sinister words. "Let me ask you this: are you even aware of my identity that made me feared across the underground of Jujutsu Society?"

"Is that even a question?" With murderous intent, Gojo responded to his question: "Hunter of the Abyss. A serial killer who's only killing Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerers above the age of 25 all over Japan over these past two years. Trash among trashes, but not worse than an insect that's trying to survive in this cruel world."

Hunter of the Abyss flinched but quickly regained his calm after he heard that interesting choice of word. "An insect, huh... funny of you to say that way, despite in true nature you're the same as me... a Sorcerer who's justified violence as an excuse to move forward."

Perceiving quickly, Gojo shot down his adversary's statement: "You don't know anything about me, so shut the Hell up. We're not the same."

"Denial, as they say." Hunter of the Abyss simply said in a cold tone to his forlorn face, driving the situation into an unpredictable one.

The students were shocked as they watched their Sensei talking to Hunter of the Abyss without anything to hide. Especially, those shock factors came from the reveal of the enemy in front of them.

Hunter of the Abyss? That insidious serial killer who made themselves known through many acts of sinister murder? That man? Nobara's thought process was in fracture derailment. Nevertheless, she remained calm. One of the most fearsome Sorcerer killers is the one behind this ambush. She looked at Yuji and Megumi who were also surprised by this revelation. I need to admit, right now we're no match for him as of now. Even if we were trying to take him head-on, the huge gap in skills between us and this guy is like a world apart from each other.

Nobara hated to acknowledge it.

Even though she has become a Grade 1 Sorcerer alongside Yuji after their victorious battle against the Cursed Womb: Death Painting, her skills are still inferior to what Hunter of the Abyss has to offer.

Many horror stories she has heard when his title was uttered.

The story of some powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer who was brutalized without mercy.

An impossible murder of the Grade 2 Sorcerer that defies the logic of reality itself.

A confidential recorded video that contained the duel between him and his other target which lasted only 6 to 17 seconds.

Hunter of the Abyss was by no means an ordinary Curse User.

He isn't someone who can be taken down by some mere Jujutsu Students by any means necessary.

That means the only person who can face him is... She then gazed closely at the silent and hateful Gojo, with his hands exposedly shaking. Sensei... Strangely, Yuji and Megumi also thought the same as her.

Both of the boys realized their Jujutsu Technique was still inferior to their enemy in any way. But if the push comes to shove, they have no choice but to fight against this greater enemy with everything that they have within them.

However, Gojo has another thing in his frantic mind.

Without looking back at his crazy students, Gojo asked a small favor to them.

"Hey guys, listen to me." He said coldly, like someone who wanted to tear everything apart. "From now on, this will be my fight. So no sudden interruption." His eyes were shrouded in pure darkness. "Are we clear?"

At first, they glanced at each other. But understandably, all of them nodded without a single disagreement, with Yuji responding confidently. "Yes, Sensei. Good luck and show no mercy."

Hearing that, Gojo felt a little bit grateful as he looked back slightly at the pink-haired boy. "Thank you, Yuji." He faintly showed a sincere smile that instantly changed to a serious one again. And that's the plan. He turned his head like a hawk and opened his mouth to his supposed eternal enemy in front of him. "Now before I kill you, I want you to answer these three questions of mine without any lies."

Hunter of the Abyss raised his eyebrow, before realizing Gojo's thirst for reasons. "Ask away." He smirked as he held the card for now.

"Why did you kill Keiichi?" Gojo asked the first question. I need to know his motive first. That's more favorable than killing him immediately right now.

Interestingly, his question was easily guessed by Hunter of the Abyss based on Gojo's need for crucial information. "I killed him because I was ordered to. Nothing more, nothing less."

Ordered, huh... then I guess my assumption was true. If those Higher-Ups bastards were the ones behind this, then I'll...! Gojo calmed down a little. No... I need to not let my emotions get the better of me. He took a little breathing before continuing his question. "If that's the case, why are you hell-bent on killing Keima? Now that you've shown yourselves, I conclude everything that has been happening in this city over these past four months were you trying to kill him discreetly, without exposing the existence of curses to the third party that Keima was involved in with those Cursed Spirits as your cute disposal."

A sound of claps could be heard from Hunter of the Abyss. "Hit the mark perfectly, Satoru. Indeed... everything that has happened in this city was my doing, including the Tra—" He quickly switched to a more preferable term. "Cursed Spirits. But those were provided by Hanami and Mahito to make my hunt for Keima far more efficient, to which disappointingly you and your students exorcised them all before they even made their move."

Mahito!? Yuji thought in anger after he looked back on everything Mahito had done. So he's involved in this as well. He gritted his teeth. The memory of Junpei's death still lingered within him.

"As to why I wanted Keima dead, it's because I've longed to see Keiichi's legacy fall once and for all. After knowing he had a son, I was dead set on killing him by any means necessary. Thus honoring my own promise. Is that answering your second question?"

Gojo didn't answer his question. Instead, he thought to himself after he heard such an answer. He's not lying. Gojo felt conflicted. What did Keiichi do to make this utter trash despise him so much? I guess I'll investigate that later. But for now, I'll focus on this first.

It's time for the final question.

"You said before that we've failed to protect Keima. That means either the Cursed Spirit has gotten to him brutally, or you somehow killed him personally before we reached this building. Which is true? Depending on the weight value of your honest answer in this last one, I will kill you slowly or swiftly."

No respond.

For seven seconds, there wasn't any answer uttered by Gojo's adversary.

Instead, he was grinning like a Devil.

It was suffocating, and the silence itself felt like an eternity.

But when Hunter of the Abyss opened his mouth, that silence turned into pure tension and horror. "You want the answer to that one?" He then pointed his index finger far behind them. "How about you see ahead that's behind you at this moment?"

Wait, behind me? Confused by what he meant, Gojo looks behind him alongside his students in the direction of Hunter of the Abyss's index finger.

Only to reveal a single boy who's lying in a pool of blood.

Leaving many to be shocked at such a gruesome scene that's present in front of them.

No... no... it can't be... Fearing for the worse, Yuji and his friends quickly ran toward the body to confirm their worst fear.

And unfortunately for them, their fear has become their reality.

Because the poor boy's identity was indeed what they had feared.

A tragedy that has already passed.

"What... what the Hell? Is... is this... Katsuragi?" Yuji asked in panic as he looked at the body which had been stabbed mercilessly.

"It's him alright. Did we fail?" Megumi felt slight remorse for the boy. Not again... how many times that people died under my watch!? He felt frustration that hurt him to the core. Once again, another failure was added to his deceased list of known people.

While the boys felt a sense of defeat, Nobara thought of something different as she sensed something amiss. Did we truly fail to protect him? No... something is not right. This couldn't be the end. Or maybe it was just her way of not wanting to accept the current reality that was happening in front of her.

After a sudden terrifying revelation, Gojo looks again at Hunter of the Abyss with the intent to kill him badly.

"What did you do...?" That's the only question he could ask at this moment, all the while their gazes are piercing each other.

"You want to know? Sadly, I can't answer that." Hunter of the Abyss mocked openly; his left fingers forming a number three. "Three questions, remember?"

And with that, Gojo has had enough. I'm gonna kill you. Therefore, without any more hesitation, he disappears and emerges in front of Hunter of the Abyss to attack him without any mercy whatsoever.

However, something's not right.

And Megumi who noticed this immediately shouted as he realized the true gravity of this enigmatic situation: "SENSEI! WAIT!"

But regrettably, it's all already too late for the third party.

"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue." Gojo muttered as he activated his Limitless Inheritance Technique. By combining the mathematical concept of negative numbers and negative distances into reality, the Cursed Energy within him is amplified. And thus, forcing the current area to fill with the negative space by drawing everything and anything towards the factor of impossibility; crushing his enemies to implode instantly within a short distance.

That one attack should make his enemy vaporize completely.

Nevertheless, what came after was something unexpected.

"Actuality Technique: Null Reality." Another Inheritance Technique has been activated by none other than Hunter of the Abyss as well, clashing those denial concepts with his impossible foundation of manipulated reality; countering impossibility with another impossibility.

Huh? Actuality Technique? That's an Inheritance Technique from the Ashikaga Family. How is he able— It was at that moment Gojo truly realized, the effect of his Inheritance Technique attack had been nullified, leaving him with his eyes wide open as Hunter of the Abyss still standing there, unscathed from any physical damage entirely.

And those who were watching the scene could not believe what they had just witnessed.

"No way..." Nobara muttered in disbelief with wide eyes. It was a sight that should be impossible to see.

"He just negated the effect of Sensei's technique..." Yuji said in shock as he also couldn't believe what he had witnessed. "That shouldn't be possible..."

"It shouldn't be. At least... until now." Megumi added with an honest tone while still trying to maintain his composure from such a crazy moment that could ignite an uproar within the modern Jujutsu Society.

As the stand-off between the two Sorcerer has reached a certain stalemate, a voice broke the eerie silence among them.

"You're not the only one who could temper impossible concepts into reality, Satoru," Hunter of the Abyss said coldly as he walked into him. "My Inheritance Technique won't allow the reality to bend as others want it to be. Let's call it a rejection of their submission to manipulate space and distortion of time. But at the same time, it allows me to create infinite possibilities within a shorter scale area, in the form of actuality manipulation." He whispered silently as if trying to secure his victory against the Strongest Sorcerer. "In other words, your technique won't work on me, not even a bit. Such a shame."

"Heh, is that how it is...?" Gojo straight-up looked him in the eye with an egoistic attitude. "I know that technique. It's an Inheritance Technique passed down from the Ashikaga Family, a clan that was supposed to have fallen many years ago because of their arrogance in search for greatness and perfection." Hearing him mention that notorious clan made Hunter of the Abyss to be in quite a shock. "And since you can use that unique Inheritance Technique, I presumed you're a descendant of that family?"

That question wasn't in his expectation. "Now that's a surprising twist... you even know the existence of that forgotten clan. Many people that I fought in the past won't even know the backstory of this Inheritance Technique that I've adopted fo—"

Suddenly, a fist flew into his face.

And without noticing the punch aimed at him before he could react, the pernicious damage had already been done to him.

Sending him to the cold floor at the highest speed imaginable.

"Honestly I don't care if you're from that family or not," Gojo's eyes were now thirsty for flesh and blood. "All I care about right now is for you to die without any physical trace to be left behind." His tone was beyond sinister. He's not looking for his best friend justice anymore.

Gojo's looking for pure satisfaction.

"Taking into account that you also made a false mockery of my Limitless and Keima, I won't let you live to see the day of tomorrow and the next. You have my word." He then moves at high speed to where Hunter of the Abyss is.

Meanwhile, still trying to get up after such a sudden attack, the man felt a pain that was too painful to describe. Even though it's only one punch, most of his bones were fractured greatly. It was truly a remarkable strength that's beyond Human's comprehension.

Or perhaps, it's a strength that was built from anger that was manifested for a long time.

As he tried to barely recover and rise from his painful fall, his body was kicked mercilessly for the second time by Gojo, making the once fearful serial killer fly way further beyond the empty West Corridor; landing hard on the floor once more.

"ARGGGGHHH!" This time, blood has splurted from many wounds on his body. "Ghhh...!" And while Hunter of the Abyss tries to endure unimaginable pain albeit trying to get up as fast as he can, he notices a shadow in front of him as he pitifully lays on the ground.

The man looked up only to see Gojo standing there with his light blue eyes menacingly staring coldly at his soul.

The Strongest Sorcerer in modern history has already rushed to his location five seconds after he landed on the chilly floor.

"Still trying to think of a way to do a counterattack against me? Or perhaps you already gave up?" Gojo asked in a dark and heavy tone. "What did you say earlier? About my Limitless doesn't work for you? You're truly confident, huh? Did you think nullifying my Infinity is going to make me gravely weak?" He forcibly pulled up Hunter of the Abyss from his state of almost unconsciousness to stand on his own two feet. "Did you even think for one minute, why the Higher-Ups of Jujutsu Society fear me and only me?" The more he talked at him, the more hateful and joyful he felt. "It's not because of my family heritage, nor my Inheritance Technique that surrounds the concept of Infinity. But with how merciless I am to such shitty trash like you who KILLED my best friend!"

Thus without any clemency, the right fist of the Strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer goes straight through Hunter of the Abyss's upper body, causing his blood to be spilled all over the corridor floor. "GGAAHHHHHHHHH!" Plus his agonizing scream as the pain worsened with each second pass.

"I've told you, didn't I? Depending on the weight value of your honest answer to my last question, I will kill you slowly or swiftly. But since that honesty of yours was both valid and invalid..." Gojo's face was forming into a grin that looked a lot like a Demon. "I shall grant you an unforgettable death that you will remember even in your next life after fully reincarnated!" Exclaiming that declaration, he flexed his right arm ninety degrees to the other side of the West Corridor, automatically throwing the body of Hunter of the Abyss that was pierced by his right arm after that devastating and unmerciful hit.

"I'll end this now, for I'm alone an honored one..." Gojo said impassively. And with this, I've avenged you Keiichi. He closed his eyes before doing the deed that should have been done months ago.

For the third time he's falling onto the hard floor, Hunter of the Abyss could only groan in agony.

But interestingly, he's also easily accepting his unavoidable fate.

I guess this is it. Although I did know this was an impossible fight from the start, you didn't know that, did you Nii-san? A visible sad smile could be seen on him. Many times I've already warned you of the consequence of this confrontation, yet you're persisting to continue moving forward to finish the job. Deep down, he felt a sting of disappointment coming from his mind. How foolish you were... even if I'm the one who's controlling the wheel, the expected result cannot be changed. You'll perish at the hands of Satoru. Your fate was already decided the moment this ambush was set up.

Without him realizing it, tears started to fall from his eyes. Face this end game of yours with pride and earnestly, Nii-san. This is your choice.

A touch of a spark could be felt from within his brain immediately after those words were spoken internally. Our promise is no longer a duty for you to fulfill beautifully.

His eyes started to change color again, from yellow to blue eyes. May you rest in peace.

After that whisper, one consciousness vanished to replace another that soon regained control of his mind for one final time.

"I... I... I'm... sorry... Imoko, I'm so sorry I couldn't... keep our promise from... that day." Without any strength left, the man looked up front to see a light loaded with Cursed Energy and impossibility concept, filled with determination to end one life forever. "You've... warned me but I didn't listen to you. Please... forgive this idiot big brother... of yours." There's no hope left for him. His death was a guaranteed one. "If only... I could rewind time... I'll definit—" As the time moved slowly like a gentle aqua overflowing from a small cup of water, the reflection on his pupils revealed a shining light that emitted an unfamiliar kindness and nostalgia.

With every second passed, this strange radiance is coming closer and closer at him.

Until finally...

It slowly erased him out of existence.

Leaving nothing and anything behind in its broken wake.

One Minute Before

He saw his best friend's murderer land on the concrete floor for the third time.

But he didn't give a damn about that.

All he cares about at that moment is how Hunter of the Abyss is now rendered as useless as a broken doll. With Gojo's light blue eyes were filled with hatred and joy. He gazed upon his enemy like a piece of trash, before muttering another Limitless Cursed Technique to destroy the very source of Keiichi's demise.

"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red." With the powered Reverse Cursed Technique reversing the effect of negative variables into positivity; the impossibility brings forth such possibility into the concept of reality, creating Infinity as the main source of true equality.

At the tip of his index finger, the red orb of an infinite void was created that became the essence of convergence and divergence.

In this single moment, the fracture of time itself stopped for at least three seconds.

But within that abnormal three seconds, the opportunity to unleash the infinite void was unfolded.

Consequently, it creates a ray of such immense force that repels anything and everything in its way of unforgiveness destruction.

And the only thing left after that such terrifying onslaught is a linear crater that levels until the end of the West Corridor.

Back to the Present

Amidst the smoke of annihilation after a devastating attack by the most powerful Jujutsu Sorcerer in the world. Yuji and the gang began to compose themselves for everything that had crazily happened within those last 20 minutes.

"Well~ that should take care of it! Finally, it's over!" Gojo exclaimed cheerfully, now with his eyes covered with black blindfold once again.

However, Yuji didn't have that same cheerfulness on him. "Se-Sensei... you could at least hold back a little, right? The entire corridor looks like a wrack." He was very much surprised by the demolition that his crazy Sensei had left behind.

"Oh, come on~ come on~ Yuji... you know sometimes an extreme length is needed to get the job done." A casual response as expected.

"But, that's not quite a necessary thing to do especially in a school where it's still active, Sensei..." Yuji rebutted quickly Gojo's statement.

"You're no fun, Yuji-kun~ besides... that guy deserved it. Do you know how many months it took for me to hunt him down? Even I've never expected that he would be involved deeply in our mission in this quiet and peaceful city." Gojo responded as he looked back at the crater he'd created.

Yuji looked silently at the devastating crater too. "You do have a point there, Sensei." He paused for a moment before continuing his words. "So do you think that man's truly dead for good?"

Hearing his student's sincere question, Gojo couldn't help but wear a mask of positivity underneath. "Of course! I mean he completely extinguished to the bloody kingdom come. He should be dead. He has to be." He deepens his cheerful tone, but only for a mere second.

"But if somehow that man was alive from that..." His tone is getting colder and more serious. "Then I'll only need to kill him again and again until his death is confirmed by my own two eyes." The sadistic resolve in his Sensei mind causes Yuji to feel an intense chill and fear.

But what with this troubled feeling that I'm having? Something feels off somehow after he died like that. Gojo's suspicions ran amok in his mind like something was warning him multiple times that he shouldn't let go of this easily.

As Yuji and Gojo were having their own separate thought process, Megumi and Nobara walked toward them.

"This will be very much on the news tomorrow, especially at how massive the scale of the damage that you've caused Sensei." The Shinigami Sorcerer criticized his Sensei action while his hands were on the lower socket.

"Good thing there's nobody around at this hour anymore since the event was already over," Nobara mentioned that important fact. "Even with a Curtain Barrier, this calamity will surely trigger a chain reaction of conspiracies among the students when they arrive here tomorrow."

"That's true..." Yuji looked back once more at the crater and agreed with both of them instantly.

"Well, in any case, that's not our business anymore, agree? If we have the Goddesses on our side, then this little mess should be fixed pretty quickly. But predestinately even they don't know of our present existence." Gojo countered with a smile on his face before turning into a little frown as he thought deeper into his suspicion of Hunter of the Abyss's death. I may only notice this for over a second but his eyes... before he evaporated, his eyes were turned into blue. As if there's somebody who's controlling him. The anomaly of his adversary's eye contact color forced him the arrange such a possible theory.

He did say he killed Keiichi because he was ordered by someone, who I bet is a member of the Higher-Ups for his intention is to bring them down. The more he connected the dots, the more likely the culprit behind the order was a man in a higher organization hierarchy. But could it be that person is also the same one? In his critical mind, there's a greater chance it could be.

However, that came with a determined risk from an assumption without any proof.

Looks like things have even gotten more interesting than I initially speculated from the very beginning. Although Gojo did his investigation to find out the motive behind his best friend's murder, there's still a lot for him to uncover. This night has proven that.

And because of this event, he has made his choice.

But before he can make his next move, he must first deal with the unexpected situation resolving the supposed murder of Keima.

"Yuji, Nobara, Megumi. Good job for today. Even though we were entangled in some deadly encounters. And I, myself, successfully eliminated the very source that unleashed those invasions of Cursed Spirit in this city. The mission is still a success." Gojo declared proudly to his students.

Leading Megumi to be furious: "How can this mission be a success, Sensei!? Katsuragi's not breathing over there! He's dead! We failed to protect him!"

"That may be true. However, it's not the whole truth." He claimed as he ambled toward Keima's body, which was still lying in his own pool of blood. "There's still a chance for him to live. Hunter of the Abyss only stabbed his physical body. However, his soul... is still strongly intact, protected by his own infused Cursed Energy that was flowing within him." His face formed a sincere smile before contemplating Keima which reminded him of his once friend. Just like his father.

Gojo then looked toward Yuji and spoke in a serious tone. "Yuji... as a Sukuna's Vessel, your soul is also protected by him for you to stay alive, even after you've experienced a state of passing nine months ago." It was by far the most life-changing event in Yuji's life. "With the Reverse Cursed Technique, not only does it give you the ability to heal others but also allows yourself to be healed tremendously even at your most critical condition, as long as your soul remains intact that is."

"So what you mean is... he can be saved, even in that state?" Nobara asked curiously while pointing her hands at Keima.

"Yep, he can be saved. Good thing that Shoko joined us on our adventure in Maijima~" He answered cheerfully, reminding his little team that he brought his long-time friend for their ride to Maijima City.

Hearing his hopeful statement, Yuji and Nobara expressed their relief from fear.

On the other hand, Megumi thought frustratingly. Adventure... you call this suffering of ours over these past four months an adventure!? It's more like bodyguarding and exorcising while trying not to die at the same time! Of course, he's still keeping his poker face and little a bit of smile after knowing there's still a chance for Keima to live again.

"I guess our worries regarding Katsuragi's condition have been solved," Yuji said before he realized something. "But wait a minute Sensei, if we're gonna bring Katsuragi with us, would that not make his family worried? Especially with his special connections with New Devils and the Goddesses?" He has a point, but thankfully, his Sensei has it under control.

"Ah, that! Don't worry Yuji-kun~ I'll make sure to personally confirm that he will return home safely tomorrow morning. Besides..." Gojo gazed at Keima's body. "He already had enough for one Hell today."

Seeing Gojo's worried expression at that boy, made Yuji re-examine his experiences with him. To think Sensei seems to care a lot about Katsuragi in his own way, I never thought I would see him like this one day.

Admittedly, it was a very rare scene. "Indeed he is, Sensei." This urges him to have more sympathy for the fallen God of Conquest after what happened to him brutally at the hands of the merciless serial killer.

Realizing there was nothing to be done since their mission was completed, Megumi offered an idea to flee.

"Now that our objective has been confirmed to be done, should we leave now? It's about to get late, and tomorrow we're still having our part-time job to deal with remember?" He reminded his two dork friends regarding their other responsibilities.

"Wait..." Yuji seemed to remember something. "Oh, crap! I almost forget my promise to Uemoto to help her create a new ramen recipe tomorrow!"

"You only promised to make ramen, Itadori?" Nobara seemed salty about what she'd heard. "Lucky you... for me, I need to wake up twice as early because my Store Manager demanded to push back my shift to 6 AM since somehow Jun went sick suddenly." That order from her manager triggered her so much. "Dammit, what a pain... sometimes I feel like I wanna quit my part-time job. Besides, I have a bunch of money left from our usual job anyway."

Hearing that directly from her mouth, Gojo stops her verbal complaint right there. "No can do Nobara-chan~ remember the true reason you all did these part-time jobs in the first place."

"I know Sensei, but it's just that having to do the responsibility as a Jujutsu Sorcerer secretly, yet still need to abide by the Rule of Adherence by the MJSA... it's really hard to balance both at the same time without a passion to do another." Her argument was full of honesty. In truth, dealing with two situations to fulfill such responsibilities could take a large amount of physical and mental energy. Thus why, although that complaint could be justified, it wasn't wise to reveal such hidden emotion that marked one's weakness.

"Rule of Adherence, huh..." Megumi unintentionally experienced a flashback.

Based on the mission that they've given four months ago, the one who ensured it was the Maijima Jujutsu Sorcerer Alliance, or the MJSA for short.

They're a secret factionist that's formed with a concept of unity, consisting of more than 277 Jujutsu Sorcerers from Maijima City and Narusawa City, with one goal in mind: to protect Non-Sorcerers from the danger of the Cursed Spirit.

The MJSA has been keeping good terms with Tokyo Jujutsu High for 15 years now, so it's not strange when they tried to seek talented Sorcerers for a major mission that could impact their city as a whole, the Headmaster gave them only the best candidates.

That's when Yuji, Megumi, and Nobara came in. Three Sorcerers from the 1st Year have made remarkable achievements throughout their active status thus far. Alongside their Teacher, Gojo Satoru, they were assigned to protect the subject that was entangled with a matter of another world. But more than that, they also need to investigate the violent matter of their once ally-now-turned enemy, The Clementine Movement.

Coincidentally, the one that needed to be protected was none other than Keima Katsuragi, the son of Gojo's fallen best friend. So when he heard about this revelation, Gojo was serious about upholding the mission to the best of his ability, together with his students.

Regardless there's a catch: the mission also came with an additional price demand from the MJSA.

They called it the Rule of Adherence, a regulation that every Jujutsu Sorcerer in Maijima City under the age of 20 must follow. The purpose of that regulation is to control the suspicion of Non-Sorcerers to bypass their view toward teenagers of their daily activities in society.

In other words: to make them like a normal teenager.

It consists of five clauses, and one of them is for Yuji and his gang to have a part-time job.

A simple, nevertheless, exhausting responsibility to do.

As much as I've remembered how important the clauses in that regulation were, at least it's not asking us to do other things. The Shinigami Sorcerer was grateful for the lessened civilian law from the MJSA. But no matter how much they've kept a good relationship with our school, my inner feeling still told me there were other things they hadn't told us. Especially when we discover the concealed tension between them and The Clementine Movement was escalating quickly, to the point it could break into an unjustified all-out war. It was not known by them, at least until a few weeks ago, when they discovered a piece of information where the MJSA planned to go into a war against their former ally and brought the conflict into the light, causing another dangerous possibility that could harm the city infrastructure as a whole.

Anyway, let's return to the scene.

"Don't be a weakling, Nobara." Out of nowhere, Gojo uttered those words to her.

"Weak...?" Of course, she's dumbfounded by what her Sensei has said.

"You've heard what I said." He looked at her with a serious gaze. "Even though that bastard is dead, there's always a high possibility that The Clementine Movement would make their move to kill Keima, as for their attempt to take away a legacy that Keiichi had left in his life." Her eyes were wide open after she perceived the meaning of his statement that appeared abruptly. "If Keima died at their hands, that would mean a declaration of war to the MJSA. And when that happens, this city would suffer a terrible loss for both its citizens and its government. The only way for us to make our move is for all of you to abide by the MJSA activity regulation." Contemporaneously, The Clementine Movement also planned the same as the MJSA, but with a more extreme approach; provoking the united faction into a large-scale war against them.

Yuji and Megumi who are also listening to their Sensei, turned their expressions into a more serious one. This mission is more than to protect Keima from harm, but rather to prevent a war that would come between the two factions.

Despite they're quite an odd bunch, Yuji and the gang always take their mission and secret duty solemnly. If it involves Non-Sorcerers, they'll do anything to protect them from any Cursed Spirits that want to harm them, even if those threats also come from an internal conflict of Jujutsu Society.

What pushed them to do so was their experiences from many deadly missions that they've done over these past nine months, including their stay in Maijima City.

Gojo continued what he'd said earlier. "So if you can't even balance both responsibilities at the same time, then you could always return to the school and be a quitter for the rest of your life."

"Qu-Quitter!?" Now she cannot accept any more of his words. "With very much respect Sensei, just because I'm complaining doesn't mean I would give up entirely on this mission." Nobara won't back down easily just because her Sensei told her that fact. "That's not my way of life. I'd rather disown myself than leave halfway before the end in sight." She stood her ground.

Yuji, who saw his friend's determination, could only mutter silently: "Kugisaki..."

And listening to her resolve, Gojo's expression changed to one that was filled with understanding. "I see, so that's your resolution." He approached her gently and patted her head. "Keep that strong resolve of yours, Nobara, complaining to yourself is good but never show that weakness to others. You understand?"

A simple show of negative utterance led Nobara to be criticized. "Yes, Sensei. I won't show it again." But, instead of being embarrassed by her mistake, she embraced it and took responsibility for such a childish reaction.

Hearing her response, he stopped his reassurance action and switched to his puerile personality once more. "Now that's more like it~!"

That is until Yuji called out to him with a serious tone: "Uh... hey, Sensei."

"Hmm? What is it, Yuji-kun?" Looking at his student, the pink spiky-haired boy seems to be tense.

"What about Mahito?" He asked him curiously, his malicious tone was hidden quite well.

"What about him?" His Sensei asked back casually.

With a resolution in Yuji's eyes, he explained in detail. "Now that we know he's involved with that man, should we at least be prepared in case Cursed Spirit plans something sinister to Keima, or worse, this entire city as a whole?"

"That won't be necessary but do as you truly wish to gain satisfaction." Hearing that, his eyes became wide open as his Sensei recognized Yuji's hidden motive. "I did know your history with that slimy patchface Cursed Spirit after all~" He gave him a thumbs-up. "So do what you think is the best. Let the sense of revenge flow through just like mine."

The approval from Gojo made Yuji silently to be grateful. "Thank you Sensei." But deep inside he's furious as he reminds back to that Cursed Spirit. Mahito... I'll make sure to see the day when I destroy him for what he did to Junpei. The boy promised internally as he clenched his hands quite hard. But it's not only him who feels that way. Both Nobara and Megumi were also feeling the same thing as Yuji, with their eyes quite darkening a bit. They know the story of Junpei and how his death was caused by Mahito's deception and cruelty. It would be their pleasure to see him killed personally by Yuji for everything that he's done.

Wordlessly looking at his students, Gojo thought to himself. These three determinations and hatred to take down that Cursed Spirit remind me of myself a few minutes ago. or perhaps like looking at the mirror since he felt the same way when he fought Hunter of the Abyss fatally. I wonder what would happen if they do confront that Cursed Spirit in the future. His sinister smile began to creep slowly. That would be a fun moment to watch~

A heavy poundage of vengeance enveloped the students feeling to chase another justice.

The notion of a tragedy that has come to pass marks the end of their long night to fulfill their latest objective.

Causing their Sensei to calmly cheerfully to them: "Let's leave this place before somebody accidentally sees us~" And all of them were nodding to his command without any response to be given.

A finale of the Mai-High Festival grand event.
 The horror of an ambush that the God of Conquest didn't expect.
 A team that tried to protect a boy from his demise.
 The mysterious attacker from the past to fulfill his final command.
The hope of his survival led to the true beginning of an alternative story that was about to unfold.
 Yet the tale of that memorable night wasn't done by a long shot.
 As far away from the city of Maijima.
 There was another perspective of a story that hadn't been discovered.
 One that revealed a developing danger in the shadow.

Act IV: Another Side of a Coin

Docomo Tower Roof Level Platform, Sendagaya District, Shibuya [11:07 PM]

On top of a skyscraper building in Shibuya, standing there is a boy who's around 17 years old with brown hair, a casual white jacket hoodie, and yellow eyes before changing into a color red. This boy at first looked depressed, that is until he composed himself swiftly.

"What a shame." The look on his face was figurative. "That sudden deadly move wasn't in my calculation. But I guess even with the Fallen Lotus that I've given to him wasn't enough to at least take down the proud mentality of Satoru, however, it was worth trying." He ended calmly before hearing someone talking from behind.

"Seems this time is your loss, Imoko? That's rare. Considering it's you we're talking about after all." A female figure spoke horridly at him. She's wearing a black tunic-style hoodie that covers her orange-blond long hair with lifeless blue eyes which are staring at his very soul.

"Calm down, Shiina... at least Satoru now knows that he's not invincible anymore, so the observation was still a success." The boy said coldly, revealing his name to be Imoko Murata.

"And your big brother, Okura?" The girl asked inquisitively, her name is Shiina Kujou.

Forwardly, Imoko gave his reply to her simply: "Dead."

"As expected." She uttered as if that result was forecasted by them. "Then what about Keima? Did you kill him?"

The moment that name was mentioned to him, Imoko knew what must be said. "I've already made sure he's dead, to honor Okura's motives after all. But if there's a possibility; one of which Satoru brings Shoko Ieri and makes her use the Reverse Cursed Technique to heal him completely, then as long as he's involved with that conflict, he isn't relevant to kill anymore." His eyes looked at Shiina without any fear as he began further explaining. "Of course, as things stand, Satoru and his students should realize that the threat they've been targeting is gone; also for them to discover the threat motives: to kill Keima, I've directly captured their sole intention to the wrong side of a story margin and gave us more time to accomplish what we should do in Maijima for the next few weeks, as per our discussion three days ago." His detailed explanation gave Shiina a sense of chills, but that's also expected from his analytical skill.

"I see, that's one good thing to note." She closed her eyes solemnly before opening them once more as she continued their late meeting discussion. "Over these past two years, the only reason why Kusuma agreed with whatever you're doing as the substitute for Hunter of the Abyss persona was because he also learned of your brother's troubled connection with the Higher-Ups." She's pointing her index finger to Imoko. "However... after what happened 10 months ago with an unfortunate incident of Okura's killed Keiichi... Gojo has been running against his neck continuously." Even with that fact pointed at him, Imoko remained calm. "How convinced are you that that act will be tying up all loose ends?"

"Don't worry, at least for now Satoru should believe that Hunter of the Abyss is dead. So the satisfaction he's been longing for was fulfilled, which eliminated the possibility of him being a hindrance to the progression of our operation shortly." He already made sure that that factor was already under control. "I believe he's going to investigate the people who've ordered Hunter of the Abyss to kill Keiichi tomorrow."

Although his clarification was critically done, Shiina still has her doubts. "What about the factor of his students then? I surely believe they're not part of the equation that you have planned. How do you handle them now since they could be a potential valid threat to our operation?"

"For Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki, and Megumi Fushiguro, as long as they don't interfere with the progression of our operation, they will surely take their part in that tale of bad blood as I've explained earlier. So there's no need for further involvement." The light of a Moon shines on both of them as darkness encroaches from beyond the skies. "But more than that, I'll take your suggestion before and have sent our Actrix to keep an eye on them, in case of unexpected troubled variables emergence."

"So you chose to take a silent route..." Muttering to herself, she seems surprised to learn how Imoko chose to handle that potential threat factor with only a possible small risk probability. "Nevertheless, keep in mind that those three were under the wings of Gojo Satoru. Don't underestimate them."

Hearing her caution, Imoko responded with reassurance: "You know me. I won't."

"Even though you said that with confidence, let me give you your first warning." Shiina stared soullessly at him. "Remember our true objective in Maijima, and don't attract much attention to the masses if ever needed. Your action today with your brother has caused significant damage to one of the most regarded schools in this city that could attract not only the attention of the media but also New Devils and the Goddesses as well." She doesn't want other beings from another world to learn the existence of curses and Jujutsu Society.

Except Keima Katsuragi, as he was already tied up to that world because of his father.

"I'll take that warning to the heart," Imoko responded with an obnoxious grin, causing her to not trust him completely. "Although, let me also remind you, Shiina..." He looked at her with cold eyes. "You'll partly take the blame as well. That idea was yours in the first place."

"Yet, Satoru provocation wasn't part of the plan, was it?" Shiina retorted back without mercy. "There's no need to go that far."

What she said was correct. But even so, Imoko refuted that statement. "The only way for Satoru to make his move was to confront and provoke him directly." His eyes were cold as ice. "To measure the effectiveness of the Fallen Lotus, Satoru must unleash one of his most powerful techniques." He reminded of what happened in that school. "And because of that, we've got the data for it. Despite regrettably, a corridor was demolished in the process." With that, he's proven another one of his points.

Making Shiina to be reminded of how ruthless Imoko could be when it came to his duty. "I see." It felt now she was a foolish one. "Any mistakes would cost gravely to our hard work. That's why we can't allow another error to happen." She then turned her back on him. "But I guess since it's you..." There's silence for a little while. "A mere sacrifice was nothing more than a pebble." Having enough of their little meeting, she then decided to leave the area and headed for the exit door of the Roof Level Platform.

But suddenly, a voice called out to her, forcing her to stop.

"Wait." That voice was none other than Imoko.

"What?" Shiina asked him with a tone that could bring anxiety to one's mentality.

"You still haven't told me the progression of the First Phase on your end." Imoko wanted her reports.

"Now that's rare." Shiina turned her back to face him again. "Kusuma hasn't informed you yet?"

That tone irritated him a little. "If he did, I wouldn't ask."

"Or maybe you've already known and only asked to test my abilities to fulfill such responsibilities?" Shiina deduced critically.

She got him well. "I always knew you're a girl with a critical mindset, Shiina."

"I'll take that as a compliment." It was not hard for her to expose Imoko's inducement. "Anyway, to answer your question. It's still going as smoothly as I wanted without any risk of a potential setback. My Umbra Agent is currently controlling the situation as we speak." Her answer was concise. "Four hours from now, there will be a scheduled meet-up between myself and that egoistic boy from The Clementine Movement. When that occurs, you know what will happen next, won't you?"

Although Imoko has successfully deducted the result of the First Phase, he'll continue playing the role of a curious one to play her off. "No. Please explain to me in detail what shall happen afterward."

But sadly, his act won't pass Shiina that easily. "Acting foolishly won't work on me."

"I'm just joking with you." Now, she's glaring at him hatefully. "Of course, I know what'll happen after you do the deed. Which is why, I'm curious..." Suddenly, Imoko turned serious in a matter of seconds. "Do you even intend to stain your hands dirty?"

"It depends on the circumstances." Once again, Shiina answered vaguely. "Whether the situation would escalate or not, my action to kill would be undetermined."

"I see, I gues that's how it is." That's the only response he could give to her. I always know that she's different than me. But...

"Is that all?" Shiina asked for confirmation of his queries.

Of which, Imoko replied: "I have one more matter to ask."

"That is?" By looking at her body gestures, it was apparent that she wanted to finish this as soon as possible.

"How about your little sister? Ever sin—" Instantly, she answered without hesitation.

"I don't care about her." That personal question led Shiina to show her true emotions. "Sure, she's a Goddess Host alongside those five other girls. But she has already forgotten about me by the time I've returned." She would never forget about that single moment in her past. "Which is why... she has nothing to do with my life anymore." Her cold expression was truly a spectacle to be shown. "Is that answering your curiosity?"

"Absolutely. I'm truly relieved." For Imoko, Shiina doesn't care about her little sister anymore means that a worse scenario has been evaded. I don't have to worry for you to potentially become my enemy. He thought to himself sinisterly.

Seeing the way he replied to her, she understood one of his hidden motives straight away. "So that's why you ask..." It was very obvious. "If you want to kill my little sister for your twisted purpose, then you have my permission to kill at any time." She read his motive like a book. "I mean you've already tried to kill her beloved Keima, right? There's no need for hesitation now." There's no regret in her voice as she said scornfully, before continuing to walk away towards the exit.

Leaving Imoko alone amid the darkness above the height of Shibuya.

As Shiina left the platform of the skyscraper, Imoko felt a sense of dread, but also acceptance.

In the silence of the night, he coldly whispered to himself. "You said that, but you can't fool me Shiina... we'll see how long your cold mask can last." His tone became more sinister as he continued. "You do care for your little sister, while I on the other hand..." He gazes upon the stars above him. "I do not care about him in the slightest ever since we've separated for seven years..." Even though he's said that. Even though he doesn't want to admit it. Underneath his coldness, Imoko is in great agony that only he himself understands.

Since he lost again someone who's grown to be one of the most influential figures in his life.

"Sure, it's regrettable to know that my big brother decided to agree on the job to satisfy those Higher-Ups..." For some certain reason, tears started to dwell in his red eyes, but he tried to reject those emotional feelings at first. "However... he should have... listened to me from... the very beginning..." Which led his tears to pour significantly and fall to the ground.

To lose a family member in your life is a terrible thing, and no matter how much Imoko wanted to hide his emotional weakness, there's nothing more hurtful than to see another person that you deeply know die in a very unfortunate way.

And because of that... Even though he tried his best to ignore the sorrow within him.

He left me again... in this cruel world... A concede has been declared.

Hence he gave up on his cold persona at that very moment and succumbs to his true feelings.

Mourning alone, without anyone that he could lean on.

Solitary weeping at the possibility of what could have been.

At the same time, he's reminded of the past conversation between him and his older brother.

His final attempt to save him from his grim fate.

Three Days Before the Mai-High Festival, Night Public Park, Fukawa District [12:27 PM]

In the cold silence of midnight where everyone was asleep, a heated conversation at the park where only emptiness remained occurred.

"Don't you understand Imoko!? We have to use our Esoteric Eyes in orde—" Imoko's cold rebuttal sliced his older brother, Okura Murata, favor without mercy.

"No. I refuse." By that moment, his little brother had had enough. He quickly rejected his persuasion. "Esoteric Eyes was not an option anymore. Besides, Hunter of the Abyss was our shared identity. Our legacy. But we've agreed to abandon that persona ever since that accident." His big brother wanted to retort, but Imoko wasn't finished with his words yet. "Additionally, Satoru's already getting closer and closer to tracking your figure down. There's too much risk that I can't allow myself to forcibly accept."

"Then what about that boy Keima!?" Okura conveyed his franticness as each second passed. "If he's made contact with those Jujutsu Sorcerers, the Higher-Ups of Jujutsu Society will not only hunt me down, but you as well!" He's grasping his hand as hard as he could. "You're once the host of Esoteric Eyes and my family accomplice. They'll surely kill you one way or another, like those Sorcerers that violated their contract with them!" He couldn't keep his distress in check.

However, unknown to Okura, Imoko has already prepared for the fallout of his choice by the time he decides to become his big brother's accomplice. "In that case, it's fair." He put on a brave front. "If they wanted to hunt me down, then so be it. But I won't gonna go down without a fight." The way he delivered that last line was very sinister. "On the other hand, you shouldn't engage them."

His last statement made Okura confused. "Wh-Why?"

"It's a part of my contingency plan," Imoko said coldly, as he had already taken two steps ahead to ensure Okura's life. "I've already contacted my trusted network regarding your new identity. Tomorrow is the day you'll meet him and depart from this city immediately." His eyes were downcast to the ground slightly, realizing this news won't go well.

"You're kidding, right...?" Okura's reaction was proof of that. "I cannot accept that! What about you!?"

"I'll be okay, for a few days at least. The organization that I'm working with could protect me for a while. But it won't be long since those Higher-Ups also have a major influence on the leaders. So one way or another, I will leave this country for a long time." This news shocked his big brother more than anything else. "You may not even hear any words from me ever again." However, in contrast to Okura's reaction, Imoko seemed rather calm. "But that's okay, at least you're not involved with this anymore." A peculiar choice of word, or perhaps it was. "I don't want to lose anyone else close to me. I ha—"

Regardless, before his thought goes further to reveal his true intention, like revenge for earlier, Okura cuts him off before Imoko can finish what he wants to say.

"I'll be fine." He stated with a sincere smile as he looked at him.

Which caused Imoko to be bemused. "What?" A single word that he could mutter as of now. He couldn't...

"I said I'll be fine! I will return to you! No matter what odds and risks are gonna be!" Those words from him somehow gave his little brother a sense of disappointment. "This complication started because of me, remember? I'm the one who killed Keiichi, so I should be the one who's responsible to finish the order from those slimeballs!" Okura's voice became higher than before. "I'll gonna finish what I've started!" Confidently, he declared that without thinking about the consequences of his own fateful choice.

Causing Imoko to brush off his brother's optimism. "I refuse. Listen to me, Nii-san. Your physical condition is not fit to do dangerous battles anymore." His tone was stern but somehow gentle. "The manifestation of my Cursed Energy within your body has slowly begun corrupting your soul. Don't you think I won't realize that? You as a Non-Sorcerer, and me, as a Curse User. We both know what would happen if Cursed Energy is too much for one Non-Sorcerer to handle. Not only it will destroy your body, but also it will have a huge amount of possibility to destroy your mind completely." He's no fool. Imoko knew exactly what would happen if Okura continued to insist on finishing his last task, but even not everything that he said was true. Just walk away from this and accept my proposal Nii-san. You've done enough. Killing and staining your blood to survive, this is your chance to leave it all.

From the bottom of his heart, he truly hoped Okura would just give up and let his little brother take care of the rest. "You're a devoted, Nii-san. You've always been my ideal person to follow ever since we were kids." When Okura heard that, he looked at him emotionally. "Before that tragedy tore us apart, I was alone and empty, longing for revenge. So imagine my surprise when we're reunited after so long, I've felt a certain emotion that I couldn't express to anyone." At first, Imoko tried to ignore it.

However, the more he remembered, the more pain in his heart grew even more painful. "But I guess it doesn't matter anymore." It felt like a knife was thrown at his soul directly. "I'll always remember you Nii-san. No matter what you do in the future, don't let this unfortunate event chain you down." He turned his back away from him. "Cherish your life." Thus with that, Imoko began to walk towards the path that he had chosen.

And like thunderous storms zapped him numerous times, Okura couldn't believe what he'd heard. "Wa-Wait..."

All of his body was shaking like his stamina was draining away from him. "Imoko, wait...! I... I...!"

But what he could do at this point? His little brother has made his choice.

He wanted him to leave behind everything and run away, living his life to the fullest.

Nevertheless, could he ever accept such end?

As Imoko walks without looking back, the gamble for his big brother's final decision has started to reach its end game.

Please don't stop me, Nii-san. He thought to himself. Don't make a foolish decision that could cost your life.

Underneath the façade of his emotional action towards Okura, it was all but to test his drive to finish the job or not. Hunter of the Abyss was only a front to kill off the Higher-Up's political enemy; a hindrance to their power by disguising their murder as a serial killer case.

He remembered it like yesterday.

Back then, the main reason I chose to help you was because I wanted you to live another day, since by the time I realized the only way for you to survive was to become a dog for them. Below his layered emotions, the seed of hatred was growing day by day.

I don't want to kill people that don't deserve death, cause that would stain my ideology, but... A certain memory came to his mind. I did it anyway, even if you told me you're the one who's carried all the sins.

Whether he could accept his big brother's words or not, Imoko's hands were already stained with innocent blood.

Street of Fukawa District [12:36 PM]

Several minutes had gone by, and Imoko assumed the distance between him and his brother was far enough for him to accept the result.

"So he gave up and made a wise choice." He silently muttered underneath the cold silence. "I hope it will stay that way."

Suddenly, his phone was ringing unexpectedly. Imoko took out his smartphone from his pocket, only to see the name...

Shiina? Why she's calling me at this hour? Feeling confused, he accepted the call. "What do you want, Shiina?"

"Imoko, I'll straight to the point," The sound of coldness could be felt even across the wireless connection. "Are you still talking with your brother concerning that personal issue with him?"

Personal issue? I see... Imoko immediately understands the situation. "No. By now he should've realized that my proposal was the only way for him to survive." He didn't lie, at least that's what he believed as of now. "The chance of us to use him as a pawn to distract Tokyo Jujutsu High from discovering our operation has diminished greatly if that's what you're wondering." His response was explicit.

"You're sure? Because it seems to me there's a chance." But, Shiina thought otherwise. If Imoko saw a closure, what she saw was a temporary excuse.

"A chance?" He knew what Shiina was talking about. "Shiina, you seem to be forgotten." His tone now shifted into a much more austere one. "We've agreed not to use my brother's personal motive as a tool for our diversion strategy. Furthermore, Hunter of the Abyss was finished. Both he and I have agreed to that." That answer is what he wanted to believe and nothing more than subjective truth.

"Did he though?" Again, she's no fool. "Like you, I've also analyzed his traits and mindset."

Imoko was intrigued when Shiina said that. "And what's your conclusion?"

"I believe he'll not abide by your so-called approach." She answered straightforwardly at him.

"Interesting. But again, even if he's changing his mind, it won't change a thing." A strong resolve could be discerned from his voice.

However, the one he's communicating with also has that same essence within her statement. "We'll see." And with that, she'd hang up the call.

It took a minute for Imoko to digest her words. On one side, the possibility of Okura rejecting the offer and chasing him down was a probability he could very much see possible. But on the other hand, he also doesn't want to consider that said possibility.

Like a double-edged sword with a ticking bomb to boot.

"I really don't him to chase after me, but..." Imoko closed his eyes. If it comes down to that, I'll use him as my last resort. He tried to remain positive.

30 Seconds Later

However, that effort went in faint as his prime hope would be soon dashed away like a mirror that's gonna be thrown relentlessly at the ground.

Since suddenly, a shout from a familiar person could be heard from a far distance.

"IMOKO!" A call that made him freeze at his place.

What the...? Imoko was confused, but only for a moment as he looked behind to see upon the source of the yell that was calling out to him; much to his horror, his worst fear of possibility came true.

"Wait! Please...!" Because what Imoko saw was Okura himself, running toward him at full speed.

Hence, the moment he saw him, he raised both of his eyes in pure shock and disappointment.

No... Hatred and agony were the emotions that he could feel at that point.

You idiot... He reluctantly clenched his hands hard and his face was covered in darkness.

Why did you come? It was going well for him. But regrettably, of course, fate never goes what one wants.

Why are you always gonna be the stubborn one? He wanted to ignore his brother's approach.

But for some reason, he can't move from his spot.

What am I feeling? Imoko thought as he felt all of his nervous systems go away.

Is it fear? Every second wasted, Okura ran closer to where he stood.

Is it regret? He knew that wasn't it.

No... it's... He closed his eyes in peace as he finally found his answer.

Back to the Present

Moments later, he opened his vision. Now, no more tears have fallen from his eyes.

Alongside a single fatal word that was spoken from his mouth: "Retribution."

His face showed a sign of determination. "I am what I am. I won't let those pitiful memories taint my resolve anymore." Imoko said resolutely, before looking up into the dark sky. "Am I right, Kusuma?"

He's now standing at the edge of the skyscraper. "My brother was an idiot. But with it, his death also brought such data for the development of our work." Looking down without fear, he could see numerous vehicles and people buzzing around the street. "He's a fool... but..."

The hatred within him swallowed once more. "But..." Therefore, there's no need to hold back anymore. "I'm the BIGGER FOOL!"

And so, without hesitation, he jumped off the skyscraper while shouting his Cursed Technique. His right hand straightened fiercely as if he was trying to reach the impossible axis point.

ACTUALITY TECHNIQUE: REALITY OF DISORDER!

Gazing ahead at the street he's about to collide, Imoko could only grin sinisterly.

Like a bird that was free from any shackles that had chained him down for millennia.

In the midst of his falling, the sky above Imoko became the gravity that lured the ground below to push forward against him at high speed. Within this possibility of collision, the third dimension around the Curse User has become invalid, the supposed result of him dying from plummeting for his death was manipulated into him being alive; therefore, forced acceptance of reality resulted in disorder to dimensional chaos.

Creating a fracture in time throughout Imoko for around 200 meters, both above and below in less than 2.9 seconds, before the supposed reality fixes itself and branches into two world lines: first, where Imoko doesn't jump.

And the other where Imoko was already on the ground, staring emotionless at the Docomo Tower, which is his current present.

Thus after everything was over, Imoko turned his back as he was walking among the crowds while looking at two photographic pictures, revealing two familiar female figures from the Runaway Spirit Squad.

"I guess it's time for me to make my own move as well." He put those pictures back into his back pocket before muttering other words to the last person of his remaining family who has gone from this world for good. "Watch over me, Nii-san."

Hence with that, he continued walking away without any more regrets.

Disappearing into the masses at midnight.

Darkness was all he could feel at that moment.
 But underneath those miseries.
 Were the many emotions that kept haunting him temporarily.
 Like a ludicrous dream in which he's forced to stand out extraordinary.
 Forced to escape from his calamity.
 The same as the gear that has been stopped would once again turn drastically.
 Allowed him to once again enter the reality he once despised with.
 Thus he opened his eyes.
 Braving unto a world that he had never known before.

Act V: Intertwined Destiny

Tokyo Jujutsu High Current Base, Fukawa District, West Maijima [02:25 AM]

Keima can still feel it, the pain that became his nightmare. Three fatal stabs made him sever himself from the world of the Real. He cannot believe that he's still alive after that merciless attack. This situation shouldn't be possible. In fact, the whole narrative that he's been involved in over these past six months should be impossible. But at that moment, that monster, the loop phenomenon, and that black-hooded man with a Bloody Blade who gave him no mercy while his yellow eyes stared at him lifelessly.

Remembering all of these, Keima is terrified. For once, he doesn't what's going on. And to top all of that off, those recent memories at the last hour of the Mai-High Festival were dedicated to hunting him down.

Somebody wanted Keima dead.

Realizing this, Keima is even more terrified. Sure, he's a cold-hearted, egoistic, six-timing, and very brilliant boy with everything that he's done to protect those girls was too much in the end. But the danger that he's experienced along those lines is different than the one he's faced recently at his school. Thus why, Keima already concluded that the threat is not from either Vintage or Weiss.

That was something else entirely.

Something that he was sure was from another part of this world that even New Devils or the Goddesses didn't know. Which sparks twice of curiosity within him. Even though he doesn't give a damn about this reality. A deadly event that occurred with him as a target changed drastically his cold feelings and thoughts as of this very moment.

And speaking of moments and the unknown, it's been a while since he woke up.

Looking around the room that he is in, he notices several points that gain his attention.

Small size room with quite a dim light; a creaking floor made out of wood; a concrete grey-colored wall with a window at the corner west side of the room; and a bookshelf that contains at least 10 books worth of reading hours. The room itself is very simplistic, unlike his room, which makes quite a relief since Keima is now certain that whoever saved him from the impossibility of death and bizarre anomaly. At least, there's no enigmatic intention to harm him in any way possible.

But... this person could also be a key to every question that was lingering in his mind.

And whoever they are, he will get his explanation one way or another.

Meanwhile, in the other room, two individuals were seen talking casually to each other.

"So Shoko, how's he?" Gojo asked as he was sitting on a sofa while drinking a soda that he'd bought with him.

Which the woman named Shoko Ieri responded composedly: "He should be fine for now. That is, if you bring him an hour later although his soul is still intact, even I cannot save him with my current level of Reverse Cursed Technique."

"Hahahahaha, I see~ I see~ but in the end, you successfully brought him back, for which you have my gratitude." Her old friend said while smiling.

"I'm just doing my job," Shoko said calmly as she was about to take her cigarettes. "Anyway, do you intend to tell him what happened to his father?" A simple curiosity question, yet it was sharp.

Leading Gojo to instantly reply to her: "No. It's not that time yet. But maybe he has a chance to learn about his late father's fate without I need to tell him sooner or later." His words are definitely not a foreshadowing of what's to come between him and Keima.

"Well if you say so. However, make sure the boy is prepared mentally first, Gojo." Shoko advised openly without trying to show any care in the world.

"I will~ I will~" He said cheerfully as he drank more of his soda. "But until that time comes, at least he needs to know about his involvement with the current conflict of ours."

"The Clementine Movement?" Shoko asked, this time with a serious tone.

This causes Gojo's cheerless mode to be turned on too. "That one." He sharply nodded at her guess. "Even though Hunter of the Abyss was dead, the conflict between them and the MJSA would soon take their stage out from the shadow if there's still no mediatory." He explained comprehensively. "And the one who would trigger it—" Shoko cut him off.

"Either Akimitsu Uemoto or Sanzo Fukuhara." The moment she said those names...

"You got that right." Gojo felt a pang of regret after he heard those names. "Those damn idiots." He tried to decrease his frustration by drinking his soda again. Unfortunately, without him realized, his soda can was now empty, which disappointed him a little more. Sigh... But alas, he continued on. "All of these shits were happening because of Keiichi's death. If only I was more vigilant in handling those who were also close to him besides me." His tone became more frustrated than ever before. "Maybe this pointless conflict could be prevented."

It's been a while for Shoko to see him infuriated like that. And deep down she knew why. "But the real culprit is now dead, am I right? That means the conflict should at least have a chance to calm down if you tell the MJSA who's the one that killed Keiichi."

"Don't you think I've tried that before!?" All of a sudden, Gojo acted aggressively, which shocked her a little. "Sorry, I didn't mean to raise my voice." He quickly apologized. "It's just pointless to reason with them anymore."

"How so?" Shoko asked curiously at his statement, ignoring the fact that he had raised his voice at her earlier.

"Seven months ago, before the MJSA ensued this mission. I've met Akimitsu to give him true insight into the cause of Keiichi's murder." Gojo began explaining to her in detail. "At first, they were willing to listen since it's me. But, the moment I've mentioned the innocence of The Clementine Movement..." His face turned sour, reminisced about how they rejected him. "They started to refuse facts and reasons. I can already tell that they are dead set to destroy that faction once and for all."

With every word spoken, the more he's reminded of how much his best friend's demise impacted both factions. "And to make matters worse, based on the information that my students have uncovered. Very recently, that Non-Sorcerers faction was also planning to assassinate Keima to send the message to the MJSA, concerning their determined sign of an all-out war declaration against them." Their assumption was based on their gathered intels over the past few days. But with what happened last night, that conjecture was false after all.

"I once thought, those four months of Cursed Spirit invasions were connected to Keima because of the conflict between those two idealistic factions. But now with that revealed to be the work of Hunter of the Abyss that means The Clementine Movement has never made their move to kill Keima in the first place. It was those past assaults from the MJSA that triggered them to do so." Gojo continued as he looked upon the ceiling.

"This conflict has become more serious than I thought it would be," An essence of tiredness could be heard from his low voice. "Even with me and my students in charge to pacify both of the factions cold war. Subsequently, we're just following the wrong trail and wasting more time for us to complete another objective. Regardless we've successfully saved Keima from another attack caused by that bastard who's the source of it all." It was a disappointment for sure.

Suddenly, his phone started ringing, signaling it was time for him to get going, he got up from his sofa and headed into the unused room where Keima was.

That is before Shoko said another matter to him.

"Then what about that factor which made Keiichi's death to be The Clementine Movement's fault?" She asked calmly, who was now smoking her cigarette inside the living room with the window open widely. "You said it yourself, Hunter of the Abyss was ordered by someone to kill him mercilessly. And now he's made his move once again to finish what he's started, don't you think it's all just more than a coincidence? So much that this growing tense conflict is finally about to appear its ugly head?"

Stating that fact by her, Gojo knew what must be done. "About that, I'm going to investigate it on my own." He answered straightforwardly with a calm tone. "No matter how much I'm convinced that those old parasites were the ones who are behind everything. I still need more proof to take them down without any violence shed." His fist was now tightening, proving that his patience was about to reach its limit regarding all of those necessary problems. "Although believe me, I seriously wanted to kill all of them by myself."

"So you're gonna leave this conflict behind to investigate the person who ordered Hunter of the Abyss to kill Keiichi?" Once again, she asked him with her left eyebrow lifted a little, showing her curiosity.

"Of course not. It's not like me to abandon such responsibilities~" His cheerful tone returned. "That's why I've already called some other available 2nd-Year students to help Yuji, Nobara, and Megumi in case something like this happens again."

"And who those students might be?" Shoko asked again as she became more curious.

"I will not tell~ because that would be a spoiler~" Gojo showed his peace sign.

Dumbfounded by his reaction, she responded expectedly while rolling her eyes. "What an answer."

"Hahahahaha~" Gojo only laughed earnestly. "After I finish explaining to Keima, I will leave Maijima for a while. So be sure you'll be very kind to the kids, alright?" He requested Shoko in a hopeful tone, but the only response he got was an ambiguous one.

"I'll try." She answered whilst continuing to smoke and checking her phone at the same time.

"I knew I could count on you Shoko~" Gojo complimented while giving her a thumbs-up.

Vexed as she may be, Shoko somehow smiled at his foolish act after showing such a serious utterance before. "Yeah, yeah. Now hurry up and give your explanation to the boy. Don't waste any more time."

"Sure~" Gojo replied playfully as he perpetually walked forward to the room, before muttering in a low tone. "And... thank you again for saving him."

Hearing his sincere thanks, Shoko could only smile faintly as she continued to smoke peacefully, causing her to be alone in her free time at last.

Keima could hear somebody walking into the room that he was in. While he's getting nervous, nevertheless, he's determined to see this through till the end. Fear shall not be getting the best of him again, for the shitty reality that he's so despised shall be damned.

I need to know everything. Whether I'm involved in another wacky scenario or far worse than those conquests and Vintage. He put on a brave face while looking at the door with a frowning expression. This moment is the key to determining that once and for all!

Without him knowing...

Gojo was already in front of the door. But somehow, his right hand hesitated to push the handle. I'm already prepared for this. But... will he accept this other world of ours? A smile was formed on his face. Only one way to find out, or maybe...

Moving forward he shall, and the door handle was pushed gently up front. He should be forced to accept it.

And likewise, their twisted destiny intertwined.

Intersection of Three Destinies: Prelude to the Parallel Story

To Be Continued

Confidential Information Disclosure

Actuality Techniques: A Cursed Technique inherited by Imoko, from the forgotten studies of the Ashikaga Family. It allows the users to control the fabric of reality and the scale of the third dimension within a shorter spread, or a longer vertical direction. Depending on the scale of the techniques, the duration itself could be temporary or even permanent.

Esoteric Eyes: The powers that were granted by the Murata Brothers. After a certain accident in their youth, they've gained a spiritual connection that allows both of them to see one another, speak telepathically, and even control one of their preferred body. The indication of their active power was linked to their changing eye color. From blue or red to yellow. The Esoteric Eyes users can grant the Non-Sorcerer's physical body an enormous Cursed Energy, making them a true Jujutsu Sorcerer, as long as the one at the end of the connection is a Sorcerer themselves.

Maijima Jujutsu Sorcerer Alliance: A shadowy faction, consisting of Maijima and Narusawa Jujutsu Sorcerer. Their original objective was to liberate Maijima City from the threat of curses and other rogue Curse Users. However, after a tragedy that involved one of their own, they've determined to destroy the Non-Sorcerer faction that was once their ally for a murder they have committed. It's led by Akimitsu Uemoto.

The Clementine Movement: A shadowy faction, consisting of only Non-Sorcerers who have gained knowledge of the world of curses and thirst for revenge against the Cursed Spirits. They fight using Cursed Tools that is backed by the Zen'in Family. Their objective is to liberate Maijima City from the threat of curses, which eventually shifted to eradicate the MJSA at all costs after an injustice attack on a Ghastly Dawn. It's led by Sanzo Fukuhara.

Rule of Adherence: A civil regulation created by the MJSA, and approved by the majority of Sorcerers to be the basis of young Jujutsu Sorcerers disciplinary. The regulation applied to both locals and outsiders alike with no exception. At first, it may look like a ridiculous set of rules. But, its origin was far darker than anyone ever thought, leading everyone who attempts or deliberately breaks one of the five clauses to meet a terrifying punishment far worse than death.

Active Characters Disclosure

Keima Katsuragi (The World God Only Knows)

Gojo Satoru (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Megumi Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Nobara Kugisaki (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Shoko Ieri (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Yuji Itadori (Jujutsu Kaisen)

Imoko Murata (OC)

Okura Murata (OC)

Shiina Kujou (OC)

Updated Author Notes (07/11/2024)

If you have followed this fic since 2021, you probably noticed that I deleted this fic early this year. The reason for that is because I have lost my motivation to write, and also this site has screwed me over in more ways than one (hence I moved this to Ao3). However, many months have passed since then. I reflected quite a lot. I talked with many of my offline friends who went to creative writing. I read one story that ignited my passion back for writing. Also, the anime adaptation of the Shibuya Incident Arc of JJK happened (Mahoraga vs Sukuna was insane asf).

Therefore, after much consideration, I decided to upload this fic back to FF.

Now, the release of this fic will go straight to Chapter 3, including the many revisions that I've done, alongside the rewrite in some scenes to give a better context and reading experience (but I will update this continuously if I find some typos or even a sentence that doesn't give the storyline enough clarity).

For Chapter 4, I held it off because I wanted to rewrite it completely since this is the one chapter that I truly felt disappointed after it was released back in 2022. Maybe the grand reason for that was the sake of fewer words, hence it narrowed the story that I wanted to tell. Or maybe, the stakes weren't high enough in that chapter.

Either way, I wanted to add more context, stakes, character interactions, and perhaps fighting sequences. And after that is done, I will move to Chapter 5 later in 2025. The target for me to re-release Chapter 4 will probably be at the end of the year, or if that isn't possible enough, early next year.