Tokyo Jujutsu High, training grounds.

Zenin Kyūjō stood alone—facing off against every single first-year student of Jujutsu High in a mock battle.

At the front lines stood Panda, bracing himself with his Cursed Corpse Cores fully activated, shifting into his Gorilla Mode.

To his left and right were Yuta Okkotsu, gripping a long katana, and Maki Zenin, holding the crescent-shaped Blue Dragon Spear, both poised to strike at a moment’s notice.

Ten meters behind them, Toge Inumaki—the user of Cursed Speech—was watching carefully for an opening to unleash his technique.

At the very back, hidden behind the trees with a pistol in hand, was Mai Zenin, offering long-range support.

Despite holding back both his strength and speed, Zenin Kyūjō still held his own against Panda, keeping the balance… but just barely.

And even so—his mastery of the sword allowed him to overpower the trio on the front lines.

The clash of metal rang out sharply as Kyūjō’s blade struck the weak point of Maki’s Blue Dragon Spear with surgical precision.

Then, with a single flowing movement, he knocked Maki’s spear sideways—launching it straight toward Yuta.

Reacting quickly, Yuta deflected the oncoming spear with his katana—but in doing so, the perfect opening appeared between the three of them.

Kyūjō moved in like lightning.

He evaded Panda’s cursed-powered punch and, with his left hand—his non-sword arm—delivered a heavy blow right to the cursed energy core at Panda’s chest.

And just like that—one of the three frontliners was down!

Without missing a beat, Kyūjō spun behind Panda’s large body, using it as a shield.

From the rear, Toge Inumaki frowned in frustration.

Zenin Kyūjō’s movement was outrageous. His combat awareness bordered on supernatural. Not once did he give Toge a clean line of sight to activate his Cursed Speech—he kept weaving between the frontliners, always out of position for a clean target.

Then, as if mocking their teamwork, Kyūjō hurled Panda’s unconscious body straight toward Inumaki!

The looming shadow snapped Toge out of his hesitation—but it was too late. Kyūjō was already there—right beside him—and his sword was already in motion.

A blur of movement—then the sound of rapid gunfire.

Six bullets tore through the air in a perfect straight line—fired precisely by Mai Zenin just in time.

Kyūjō exhaled slowly.

He activated his perception.

Everything slowed.

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “Not bad… That was actually pretty good.”

They’d forced him to use Breathing Technique. That alone was a compliment.

“Thunder Breathing: First Form—Thunderclap and Flash!”

A blinding flash burst from his blade.

In a single stroke, he sliced all six bullets mid-air and brought the edge of his sword to rest gently against Toge’s neck.

“You’re out, Inumaki.”

Before the words had even settled, Kyūjō was already standing dozens of meters away—perched casually atop a tree branch.

Then—flick—he snapped his fingers against Mai’s forehead.

“You too, Mai.”

With that, he turned back toward the last two standing: Yuta Okkotsu and Maki Zenin.

The battle reignited—but the outcome was obvious.

Against Zenin Kyūjō wielding a sword, they didn’t stand a chance.

Not even close.

— — —

A slow clap echoed from the sidelines.

Gojo Satoru, who had been watching the entire time, finally stepped into the training field.

Still clapping, he smirked and said, “Tsk, is that it? Zenin Kyūjō wasn’t even going all out, and you still lost? Maybe we should just send him alone for next week’s Kyoto exchange.”

Kyūjō raised an eyebrow and cut in. “Ignore Gojo Satoru’s nonsense. You guys actually did great.”

“I definitely broke the rules a little and used more power than you could handle. Technically, you won… but there’s still room to grow.”

“You all need to keep pushing.”

He looked toward Yuta.

“Yuta. Your Cursed Energy is enormous—that’s your strength. But unless you learn to control it properly, it’s meaningless. Work on precision. Learn to wield it like it’s part of your own body—like moving your arms or breathing.”

“When that happens… that’s when you’ll become a true Special Grade Sorcerer. You’ve got the talent. Keep fighting.”

Then he turned to Maki.

“Maki. The more aggressive your fighting style becomes, the more you need to manage your breathing. Remember what I told you—forget your old style. Make my technique your second nature.”

“If you can reach that point, your body itself will become your strongest weapon.”

“Panda, Inumaki, Mai…”

Kyūjō took the time to address each of them, like a real instructor—calm, thorough, and honest.

Gojo, meanwhile?

Yeah… total salary thief.

Let’s not even talk about him.

— — —

Three days later.

The students of Kyoto Jujutsu High finally arrived.

The Student Exchange Event officially began.

The format was straightforward: both schools competed by exorcising as many Cursed Spirits as possible in one day. But direct combat between students was also allowed—defeating an opponent meant stealing their points.

If a team lost all its members, they were disqualified.

Zenin Kyūjō didn’t participate.

He wasn’t interested.

Crushing kids wasn’t his idea of fun.

Besides, he wasn’t needed.

Compared to Kyoto, Tokyo’s first-years this year were on another level.

And they’d all trained under Kyūjō for the past six months.

If they still lost to Kyoto’s second or third-years after all that… then there was a problem.

Upper limit: Candidate for Special Grade—Yuta Okkotsu (without summoning Rika, the Special Grade Curse).

Lower limit: Mai Zenin—already ranked Grade 3.

Panda, Maki Zenin, and Toge Inumaki were—according to Kyūjō’s evaluation—solidly Grade 1, or at least near-candidates.

As for Kyoto’s side?

Only one student was remotely interesting: the second-year muscle-head, Aoi Todo.

He was probably Grade 1 in actual power.

But still… not a real threat to Tokyo’s team.

— — —

And sure enough, things played out exactly as expected.

Kyoto was wiped out even faster than anticipated.

Aoi Todo, who charged in without coordinating with his teammates, was the first to fall.

After that, Yuta Okkotsu took down the rest of Kyoto’s squad—solo.

The match ended in under thirty minutes.

Kyoto’s principal, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, looked like he’d swallowed a hornet.

He didn’t even stay for lunch.

He just grabbed his students and left.

This year, the gap between Tokyo and Kyoto was undeniable.

And the most absurd part?

Tokyo’s team was made up entirely of first-years.

That meant, at least on paper, Kyoto was doomed to lose again next year.

And the year after that too…

As long as Yuta Okkotsu hadn’t graduated, Gakuganji saw no hope of victory.

After all—he was a student on par with Gojo Satoru in his school days.

— — —

Following the conclusion of the student exchange event between Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High, Zenin Kyūjō and the others returned to their usual routines—training, undergoing special instruction, and carrying out cursed spirit exorcism missions all across Tokyo.

Naturally, Kyūjō was no exception.

As the higher-ups in the Jujutsu world began to recognize his power and potential, more and more field missions were assigned to him—each one more dangerous than the last.

And then came that day—November 5th, 2017.

While Kyūjō was away on assignment outside the city, a certain uninvited guest happened to sneak through a blind spot in the barrier network—bypassing all security.

The intruder slipped directly into the Tokyo Jujutsu High compound without detection.

At the same time, deep in the administrative wing, Satoru Gojo was locked in a serious conversation with Principal Masamichi Yaga regarding a deeply concerning matter—

A resurfacing threat.

A Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer who had once been Gojo’s closest friend—

Suguru Geto.

Neither of them expected that the man they were discussing… would appear right in front of them.

The moment they sensed the cursed energy signature, both their expressions turned grave.

Without hesitation, they bolted toward the source—located at the center of the school grounds.

— — —

A deafening impact shook the main courtyard.

A giant white bird landed with a thunderous flap of its wings, sending a gust of wind rolling through the area.

From its back, a robed figure leapt down with serene composure.

Suguru Geto.

Wearing his signature priest-like attire, he was accompanied by a small entourage of loyal followers. Calmly, almost leisurely, he stepped into full view of the Tokyo first-years gathered nearby.

With a single casual step, Geto closed the distance to Yuta Okkotsu.

He reached out, clasped both of Yuta’s hands gently, and said in a soft, almost kind voice:

“You must be Yuta Okkotsu. Such immense power… truly beautiful.”

Before anyone could process what was happening, Geto followed up with a declaration that froze every student in place.

“Yuta Okkotsu. Lend me your strength. I need it. Together, let us erase every non-sorcerer from this world and create a society meant only for Jujutsu Sorcerers. Doesn’t that idea excite you?”

The words hung in the air like poison.

And before anyone could respond—Gojo Satoru appeared.

He stood silently behind Geto, his voice low and laced with unfiltered menace.

“Suguru Geto… Stop trying to infect my students with your delusions. If you keep spouting that crap…”

A pause.

“I might not be able to stop myself from killing you.”

Geto slowly tilted his head, cracking his neck with a smirk, then turned around to face Gojo with a theatrical bow.

“Oh? Look who’s here. The number one sorcerer in the world. The man with absolute supremacy—Satoru Gojo himself.”

He laughed lightly, voice full of mocking admiration.

“But I’ll admit… I underestimated you. Not only your strength—but your ability to teach. These kids… they’re stronger than I expected.”

“A Special Grade Cursed Spirit user. A mutated Cursed Corpse. The heir of Cursed Speech. And two rejects from the Zenin Clan…”

He chuckled coldly, scanning the group.

As his eyes landed on Maki and Mai Zenin, his gaze twisted into open disgust.

To be clear—his hatred wasn’t directed at Mai. Only Maki.

Why?

Because Maki was born with a Heavenly Restriction—a body incapable of manipulating cursed energy. In Suguru Geto’s eyes, she was worse than useless. She was less than ordinary.

And Geto despised the ordinary.

To him, non-sorcerers were the root of all evil in the world. Creatures who produced negative emotions and gave rise to curses without even knowing it. In his mind, they were a plague—and the only cure… was extinction.

That twisted ideology was what brought him here, standing proudly before Tokyo Jujutsu High.

And today, of all days, Zenin Kyūjō was away.

Even Gojo himself hesitated to start a full-on battle. With so many students around, collateral damage would be unavoidable.

But then—

Smack!

Yuta slapped Geto’s hands away, his eyes cold and unflinching.

“I don’t know what kind of insane logic you live by. But I’ll tell you right now—I’ll never help you.”

“And one more thing…”

“You don’t get to insult my friends.”

With that, Yuta drew his katana in one swift motion.

Cursed Energy surged around the blade like a storm.

And with a powerful cry, he slashed directly at Suguru Geto.

“Hehehe… angry, are we?” Geto grinned, disappearing in a flash—reappearing several meters away in an instant, as if he’d teleported.

“What’s your goal, Geto Suguru?” Gojo asked, stepping forward to block his path.

His tone was icy.

Geto’s grin widened.

“My goal? Fine. I’ll share it with everyone.”

He turned to the crowd, voice rising as he addressed every student—and every sorcerer watching.

“Listen well, all of you in Jujutsu High. And all you so-called protectors of the weak.”

“I have come to declare war.”

“On December 24th, I will launch an operation.”

“Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.”

“Thousands of cursed spirits will be unleashed on two sacred grounds: Shinjuku in Tokyo… and Kyoto, the so-called holy city of Jujutsu.”

“And I’ll command them… to wipe out all of humanity.”

“If you don’t want to see hell manifest right before your eyes, you’d better stop me. If you can, that is…”

With a theatrical spin of his robe, Geto turned away and began walking back toward the giant white bird.

“You think I’ll let you leave that easily?” Gojo called out, voice firm.

Geto merely smiled.

At that very moment—

Boom.

The ground trembled.

From beneath the earth, dozens—no, hundreds—of cursed spirits emerged.

Each one radiating deadly energy, forming a thick perimeter around the entire courtyard.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you, Satoru.”

“All of your precious students are within my range.”

“One wrong step… and they die.”

— — —

Geto climbed onto the white bird’s back and clutched its claws tightly as it prepared to take off.

With one final smirk, he called out behind him—

“Well then… I’ll see you all on the battlefield.”

“December 24th.”

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

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