Chapter 106 — Audience with Tengen
And so, Zen'in Shinsuke continued down his blood-soaked path of slaughter — a lone reaper cutting through the countless cursed spirits that still swarmed the country.
Meanwhile, Yuji Itadori was openly escorted back to Tokyo Jujutsu High by Yuta Okkotsu and Fushiguro Megumi. No disguises, no hiding — they simply walked through the barrier and reunited with the remaining teachers and students.
"Oi, you idiot!" Nobara Kugisaki's voice was the first to ring out the moment she saw Yuji. She crossed her arms and glared at him with her usual mix of irritation and relief.
"Where the hell did you disappear to? We were running all over trying to find you!"
Yuji bowed deeply. "I'm sorry! I made everyone worry!"
Nobara huffed, but the tension in her shoulders eased slightly. "Whatever. You're back in one piece — that's what matters."
Before anyone could speak further, Kento Nanami adjusted his glasses, cutting through the chatter with his calm, steady tone.
"Alright, save the reunion for later. There's something you all need to know."
He glanced around the room, his voice lowering as he continued.
"That man — Noritoshi Kamo, or rather, Kenjaku — has created something he calls the Culling Game."
The name alone silenced everyone.
"This game," Nanami went on, "will forcibly pit every person who has been granted a cursed technique against each other in a battle to the death. Those chosen are called players, or 'swimmers.' Their actions will determine the future of the entire world."
He paused before adding gravely,
"Participants earn points by killing others. The more powerful the target, the higher the reward. It's essentially a live death game… a stage designed to accelerate humanity's evolution through bloodshed."
The room fell into an uneasy quiet as Nanami began reciting the rules that had been transmitted to them through jujutsu channels.
"Rule one," he began, his tone heavy,
"Any individual who awakens a cursed technique must, within nineteen days, enter one of the designated Culling Game colonies."
"Rule two — anyone who violates the first rule will be forcibly executed through the removal of their technique."
"Rule three…"
He listed all eight, each one worse than the last. When he finally finished, his expression darkened.
"This so-called 'game' will continue until Kenjaku's so-called golden age of jujutsu arrives — or until every last player is dead."
"What…?"
Fushiguro's eyes widened as the realization hit him like a hammer. "Wait — that means Tsumiki is considered one of the players too, right?"
If she had been marked as one of the "awakened," then…
According to the rules, if she didn't enter a colony within nineteen days, she would be killed automatically.
His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white.
It all made sense now — the smirk, the cryptic words Kenjaku had left behind. They'd been played.
The "promise" made to his uncle — to let Tsumiki "recover normally" — hadn't been a lie. But it hadn't been the full truth either.
Kenjaku had never said she'd be exempt from the Culling Game.
And even he, with all his power, likely couldn't override its rules.
From the moment Tsumiki was branded, her fate had already been sealed.
"Fushiguro? You okay?" Yuji asked cautiously, sensing his friend's silent turmoil.
"I'm fine," Megumi replied after a moment, his tone firm but his eyes distant. "Don't worry about me. Let's… talk about Gojo-sensei."
If it were just him, he would have already been tearing through the colonies trying to save his sister.
But his father and uncle were still alive — that alone steadied him. For now.
Nanami gave a solemn nod. "As for Gojo Satoru's situation — we'll have to rely on you to seek out Master Tengen."
He gestured for them to follow. "Come. There are a few people already waiting for you."
He led Yuji, Yuta, Megumi, and Nobara down the dim corridors of the school, to a heavily sealed chamber beneath the main building — a space few even knew existed.
When the doors opened, three familiar figures were already there, seated around a low table.
Yuki Tsukumo.
Zen'in Maki.
And Amanai Riko.
"You finally made it," Yuki drawled, reclining casually on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other.
Originally, she had planned to infiltrate the Tombs of the Star Corridor and speak to Tengen herself.
But when she arrived, the entire barrier had been sealed off — even she couldn't get in.
"Tengen didn't want to see me," she said with a wry grin. "So I've been stuck here waiting for you kids to catch up."
"...Maki?" Yuji's eyes lit up in surprise and relief. "Thank god — you're alive!"
Yuta's face softened with relief the moment he saw Maki standing there without a scratch. A genuine smile tugged at his lips — after everything that had happened, seeing his comrade alive and well was the best thing he could ask for.
"I'm fine," Maki replied coolly, brushing off the concern. "But you should go check on Inumaki when you have time. He's not doing too great."
Her voice was calm, steady — the tone of someone who'd long since grown used to fighting beside monsters. She had been around Shinsuke, Gojo, Yuki… "trouble" hardly applied to her anymore.
After a few brief exchanges, the mood turned serious as they gathered around.
"The problem we're facing now," Amanai Riko began, her expression solemn, "is that Tengen has completely sealed off the Tomb of the Star Corridor. We can't find any trace of them."
The Tomb wasn't just a single passage — it was a labyrinth of countless interwoven corridors, each one shifting in structure. Even Yuki couldn't determine which path actually led to Tengen.
"I can find them," came a calm, unexpected voice.
Everyone turned to look. It was Choso, standing quietly beside Yuji.
"The route to Tengen passes through the High School's Forbidden Repository — the vault that holds cursed tools and relics," he explained. "That's also where my remaining brothers are kept. I can use Blood Manipulation's lineage sense to locate the right path."
Everyone blinked in surprise. Nobara squinted at him suspiciously. "Uh, hold up. Before we go trusting random strangers — who the hell is this guy?"
Yuji rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Uh… for now, let's just say… he's my older brother."
"Brother…"
The word hit Choso like lightning. His eyes widened, and for a split second, emotion flooded his face — pride, relief, and the faint shimmer of tears. Little brother. His life had meaning after all.
Following Choso's lead, the group ventured deeper underground until they reached a massive sealed gate entwined with tree-like roots.
Yuki's eyes sharpened. "This is the place."
They entered an elevator that descended deep into the earth. The air grew heavy and cold. When the doors opened, Yuji noticed a faint impression on the dusty ground — the shape of a single, human footprint.
"Someone's been here before?" Yuji frowned.
Riko crouched beside it, her fingers trembling slightly as she touched the mark. Her gaze drifted across the dim corridor, to the familiar stone arches, the cracks in the walls — and then, her expression softened.
"This… this is where that man saved me."
Her voice carried both nostalgia and melancholy. "Back then, Gojo-sensei was killed. I almost died too… a single bullet away from disappearing completely. But he appeared and pulled me back."
She smiled faintly. "Guess my luck wasn't all bad."
Maki tilted her head. "Zen'in-sensei's been here before?"
As they continued down the corridor, Yuki fell silent, deep in thought.
Everything — the Star Plasma Vessel, the merger that never happened, the broken balance of the world — it all traced back here, to this very place.
She had heard Shinsuke mention it before. If not for his intervention all those years ago, Riko Amanai would have died, and Tengen's failed assimilation might have happened sooner.
Even so, Yuki realized grimly, the end result would've been the same.
Whether Riko lived or died, this crisis — Kenjaku, the Culling Game, the world descending into chaos — was inevitable.
It wasn't about individuals. It was the world itself correcting its imbalance.
With that thought, they passed through the final tunnel and stepped into what should have been the main chamber.
But instead of a grand temple, there was only blinding white light — endless and empty.
"What's going on?" Yuji muttered. "Did we come to the wrong place?"
"No," Yuki said, narrowing her eyes. "This is Tengen's doing. It's their way of rejecting us… or rather, rejecting me."
Her voice carried a hint of irritation. "Hasn't even been that long, and already they don't trust me. Typical."
"Let's go," Yuta sighed, turning back toward the elevator. "If Master Tengen doesn't want to meet us, staying here won't change anything."
He barely took a step before a calm, ethereal voice echoed through the chamber — neither male nor female, but something in between.
"Leaving already, descendant of the Michizane clan?"
A ripple of light twisted before them, and a figure slowly took form.
Its appearance was… unsettling — ageless, formless, with a face that seemed to shift every second.
"Welcome," it said, its tone placid. "Descendants of the Zen'in clan. The Cursed Womb: Death Paintings. The Vessel of Sukuna. The Star Plasma Vessel. And the sorcerers of Jujutsu High… greetings to you all."
It greeted everyone — except Yuki.
"Hey, you old hag!" Yuki snapped, arms crossed, glaring daggers at the immortal being. "What's that supposed to mean? You're not even gonna say hi now? We've met plenty of times before!"
Tengen's expression didn't change.
Yuki frowned, demanding, "Why did you seal the Tomb of the Star Corridor?"
"Simple," Tengen replied evenly. "I feared you might be conspiring with Kenjaku. But… judging by what I see now, that doesn't seem to be the case."
Then, the immortal's gaze swept the group again — as if searching for someone.
"By the way," Tengen added with a faint note of curiosity, "where's that rude young man of yours? The one who never bothers with formalities. Did you two have a falling out?"
Not seeing Zen'in Shinsuke among them, Tengen sighed softly — almost disappointed.
"I heard about his… accomplishments," Tengen murmured. "Such a powerful protector. It's a shame he isn't here to guard you this time."