Toji lost, and he lost completely.
The same Toji who had defeated Satoru not long ago using intel and tactics, was thoroughly crushed in a direct confrontation against the awakened Satoru.
During the fight, Toji constantly felt a strange sense of wrongness.
His instincts screamed at him, Run. Run now.
But Toji treated this battle as a rebellion against fate, and so he refused to flee until the very end.
To strike Satoru mid-air, Toji combined the Inverted Spear of Heaven with the Chain of a Thousand Miles and swung both continuously.
The Chain of a Thousand Miles lashed at Satoru from countless angles like a chain scythe.
But every strike missed.
Even when he used debris to obstruct Satoru's line of sight, Satoru still dodged with ease.
The wild expression on Satoru's face faded.
In that moment, he felt incredibly clear and free.
It was as though the entire world existed within the perception of his Six Eyes.
Satoru's body moved effortlessly in midair.
Bathed in golden light like an ocean, his gestures seemed divine.
"Throughout heaven and earth, I alone am the honored one."
His voice was calm, as if stating a simple fact.
Eichi, who had just arrived, saw this scene.
Eichi stopped. He knew the outcome had already been decided.
Toji continued swinging his cursed tools in desperation, the deep sense of crisis driving him to push his limits.
But it was futile.
Light converged in Satoru's hand.
In Toji's disbelieving eyes, the imaginary mass that should not exist in this world pierced through his body.
Hollow Technique: Purple.
"Still... alive?"
At this moment, Toji's left arm had been blown off.
"I didn't expect to survive in the end thanks to that woman."
Toji understood clearly. If not for Medea's parting words, Satoru's attack would not have stopped with just his arm.
Satoru slowly descended, his gaze passing Toji and settling on Eichi.
"I spared his life. So, what now?"
His voice was calm, with a faint trace of mercy.
"It's over, Satoru."
Eichi formed hand seals. The Giant Elephant appeared and began healing Toji.
"Satoru... are you alright?"
After some hesitation, Eichi asked.
"I'm fine. I healed myself with Reverse Cursed Technique. Is that all you wanted to ask?"
Looking at the completely changed Satoru, Eichi felt an inexplicable sadness.
But he pushed that emotion aside.
A smile broke across Eichi's face.
"Come on. Suguru and the others are waiting."
He stepped forward and patted Satoru's shoulder.
"You're going to explain everything later."
Satoru's expression gradually returned to normal.
"Worry about yourself first. You planning to see Amanai looking like that?"
Eichi glanced at Satoru's bloodstained school uniform.
"Huh? You're way more disheveled than me."
After a battle at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Eichi looked just as bad.
After all, Jujutsu Kaisen doesn't feature clothing that magically stays intact after a fight...
Night, aboard a cruise ship in Tokyo Bay.
Artoria caught a large fish from the sea and handed it to Emiya.
Emiya then prepared a full-course fish feast.
At the table sat Eichi, Suguru, Satoru, Artoria, Emiya, Medea, Kuroi, and Riko, enjoying the meal together.
"Amazing knife skills, Emiya-san. Are you a professional chef?"
Kuroi picked up a slice of sashimi.
The sashimi was so thin it was nearly transparent. She could see the scenery behind it through the slice.
"It's just practice."
Emiya picked up a piece of fried fish.
"Kuroi, stop admiring it or there won't be any left."
Kuroi, who had been considering whether to ask Emiya for cooking tips, was pulled back to reality by Riko's voice.
"Huh?"
Looking down, the sashimi that had been in front of her was already gone.
"Hey! That was mine, give it back!"
Turning her head, she saw Riko and Satoru fighting over the fish.
"Nope. First come, first served. Nom nom."
As Riko gritted her teeth, Satoru popped the piece of fish into his mouth and exaggerated a look of bliss.
Riko's fists clenched.
"Satoru, show some respect for your elders and care for the young. Here."
Suguru placed a boneless piece of fish into her bowl.
He's clearly helping me, but why do I feel even angrier?
Riko was speechless inside.
Before long, the table was wiped clean.
Emiya, with maxed-out domestic skills, took the dishes to clean. Artoria went to the deck to enjoy the moonlight and sea breeze. Medea went to reinforce the ship's barrier.
"Emiya's cooking is as good as ever."
Suguru patted his stomach in satisfaction.
"Seriously. Hey Eichi, ever consider summoning a chef class Heroic Spirit?"
Satoru sprawled on the sofa, a toothpick in his mouth.
"You want a chef to exorcise Cursed Spirits?"
Eichi looked at him with a twitching brow.
"What's wrong with that? Actually, Suguru, do Cursed Spirits taste any good?"
Though his eyes were hidden behind his sunglasses, Eichi could tell Satoru was seriously considering eating a Cursed Spirit.
"The taste of a Cursed Spirit... if I had to compare, it's like a rag soaked in vomit."
"Huh? Are there no sweet-tasting ones?"
"How could there be? Cursed Spirits are formed from negative emotions."
Suguru gave Satoru a tired look.
"But if you're really that curious, you could ask Medea to make a potion that makes everything taste sweet."
"...Yeah, no thanks."
Satoru looked genuinely disappointed.
The ship fell quiet for a while. Suguru and Satoru both turned to look at Eichi.
"It's my turn, huh?"
Eichi already knew what they wanted to ask.
"You're all aware of Amanai's identity, right?"
"Yeah. The star plasma vessel meant for Tengen's assimilation," Suguru answered first.
"Correct. The star plasma vessel, Tengen, and the Six Eyes—these three are linked by karma through the Cursed Energy System. So, to truly save Amanai and free her from that fate, we had to break the karma."
Eichi looked over at Riko.
"That's why I used Toji."
"Karma might sound mysterious, but you can think of it as a highly precise and complicated program."
"With interference from Toji, someone who can't be read by that program, Amanai also became untrackable by the karma of the Cursed Energy System. That's how she was saved."
Eichi's method was simple. Following the original course of events, Toji was used to make Riko temporarily "die." Then Medea sealed her entirely within a barrier, isolating her from the world, and finally resurrected her inside.
This caused the karma system to misfire when Toji killed Riko.
Afterward, Medea brought Riko abroad.
It was confirmed that Cursed Energy and Cursed Spirits only flourished in Japan. Cursed Energy in foreign countries was extremely thin, and the number of both Cursed Spirits and Jujutsu Sorcerers was far lower.
The karma between Cursed Energy was also barely perceptible overseas.
Therefore, by taking Riko abroad, the Cursed Energy System's influence on her was weakened significantly. Once Tengen began evolving, that karma would shatter entirely, allowing Riko to finally live freely.
(To be continued.)
◇◇◇
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)