Chapter 108 — The Operation Begins
Having learned the only possible way to rescue Gojo Satoru, the group fell silent, each lost in thought as the weight of their next steps pressed down on them.
Megumi was the first to speak, his tone calm but firm.
"According to the first rule of the Culling Game, we have just over ten days left before the deadline. Every player marked for participation must enter one of the colonies before that time expires."
He paused, doing the math in his head. "If we don't… those who've been marked will have their cursed techniques forcibly revoked."
Yuji frowned. "And that's basically the same as—"
"—destroying the brain," Megumi finished grimly. "Which means death, whether you're a sorcerer or not."
The air grew heavy with that truth.
Megumi's jaw tightened. "I've already decided what to do. I'll enter the Culling Game myself."
He turned toward the others. "If I can earn enough points — one hundred to be exact — I can add a new rule. Something that allows my sister to live without participating. If I can make that happen before the deadline, Tsumiki won't have to fight."
"And if you can't?" Nobara asked quietly.
"Then she'll have to enter the Game," Megumi replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "Even though my father and uncle would protect her, I won't leave it to them. I'll do whatever I can to end this myself."
Across from him, Maki leaned back against the wall, her arms crossed.
"So… the punishment is for losing your technique, right? Then people like us — who don't have one — shouldn't be affected, technically."
The group turned to her.
She wasn't wrong. Maki had no cursed technique, and Yuji, as Sukuna's vessel, technically didn't either.
Tengen nodded approvingly. "That reasoning is sound. However…"
They raised a hand, symbols flickering faintly in the air.
"The fourth and fifth rules define how points are earned. Killing a non-sorcerer grants one point. Killing a sorcerer grants five.
And if the player you kill has accumulated extra points, you inherit all of them."
A ripple of unease ran through the group.
They paused, letting the information sink in.
"As of now, there is no rule allowing anyone to leave the Game. But if you wish to save your loved ones, or free certain participants, you may use the points you earn to add new conditions. Whether those conditions are accepted…"
Tengen's gaze shifted meaningfully.
"…depends entirely on the administrator's judgment."
Amanai Riko groaned softly. "Ugh, so it really is like a video game now. All these mechanics, conditions, point systems… And the admin decides what counts? What if they're biased toward Kenjaku?"
Tengen chuckled softly. "That is unlikely. The system binds all players equally. If the administrator were to favor Kenjaku too heavily, it would destabilize the entire framework and collapse the ritual itself."
"In other words," Yuki murmured, "the Game has to be fair to function."
"Exactly," Tengen said. "Curses or not, rules are rules."
Yuji had been quiet through most of this, staring down at the glowing symbols Tengen had summoned. Then, his hand slowly clenched into a fist.
"Each player," Tengen continued, "is also assigned a Golden Cursed Spirit Insect — an overseer of sorts. Through it, players can communicate directly with the Game's system to propose new rules."
"That last rule…" he said quietly. "It says that if a player's score doesn't change within nineteen days — they'll lose their technique, right?"
Everyone turned toward him.
Yuji lifted his head, his expression grim. "Which means if you don't kill anyone in nineteen days… you die."
The words echoed through the chamber like a curse.
Silence followed — the kind of silence that burned.
This wasn't just a game.
It was a cage.
A blood-soaked ritual disguised as a system.
And every single one of them was about to walk into it.
They were being forced to slaughter one another.
Megumi didn't seem fazed — he already had a plan.
"All right, everyone, move out."
"I'm heading back to the Zen'in house first," Maki said.
The high school's cursed tool vault had been looted during the Shibuya incident by the Zen'in and Kamo families; all she had on hand now was one stray weapon. She needed a full set.
"I'll enter a colony first and scout," Yuta Okkotsu volunteered. As a Special Grade, he didn't need a team — he could go alone and report back.
"Megumi, Yuji, Nobara — go recruit Third Year senior Tachikawa." Okkotsu added. "He's stubborn, but he respects Zen'in-sensei. If you ask him on Shinsuke's behalf, he'll listen."
"Tachikawa? The third-year who showed up in Shibuya?" Yuji asked, curious — he'd never actually met third-years at Tokyo high.
"His condition's unstable, but when he's good he's stronger than even a Special Grade," Okkotsu replied. "Which is why you don't approach him lightly."
Nobara sniffed. "Sounds like another weird one."
They split up and set off.
Kusakabe (or the likes) had already made excuses and bailed.
Across the country, the Culling Game's effects were showing: ordinary people were waking up with cursed techniques. Some gifted civilians leapt to power comparable to Grade-1 sorcerers. That was the result Kenjaku wanted — evolution in action. More and more ordinary humans awakened techniques and joined the Game; what humanity's "ultimate form" would look like was anyone's guess.
— — —
Somewhere in Tokyo, Zen'in Shinsuke shattered a Grade-1 cursed spirit with a single punch. A faint warmth rose from the sutra scroll at his side and flowed into his heart.
His heart beat twice, strong and resonant, like a drum.
A rush of exquisite sensation spread through his body; every cell leapt as if transfigured.
"Finally…" Shinsuke smiled. Days — no, nights — of relentless killing had finally filled his last reserves.
He sank into thought and began flipping through the sutra pages.
[Open Gate: 100%]
[Rest Gate: 100%]
[Life Gate: 100%]
…
[Fright Gate: 100%]
[Death Gate: 100%]
Eight pages. All eight gates opened.
The Eight Gates Formation was complete.
"The Culling Game's been running for days," he murmured. "Time to swing by Tokyo high and maybe take Tsumiki for a spin in the Game."
When he struck the deal with Kenjaku, he'd anticipated Tsumiki's marked status. Kenjaku hadn't been able to fix that; she remained a Player. And since she'd been asleep for years and was half a sorcerer now, Shinsuke figured taking her along might be harmless — and maybe he could turn the ancient sorcerer living in her body into an ally rather than an enemy. If the spirit inside her refused to die, the best route was to win it over.
— — —
Megumi, Yuji, Nobara and the others moved on their tasks. Maki went to retrieve a full armory. Okkotsu dove into a colony to gather intel. Megumi and Yuji prepared to recruit Tachikane. The support teams readied to respond anywhere.
The world was changing fast; evolution — forced or otherwise — was rewriting the rules of power.
In the ruins, Shinsuke kept killing, harvesting the final blood and qi he needed. Each drop gathered, each breath taken, readied him for what was next. He'd filled his eight gates — now it was time to walk the next path, whatever it might demand.