The shattered streets of the city lay in ruins.
Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro moved cautiously along a relatively intact road, their eyes scanning the surroundings with vigilance. After the collapse of the Culling Game's barrier, the lingering presence of cursed spirits had thinned considerably, but danger still loomed.
"Where the heck is this 'Angel' supposed to be?" Yuji muttered, scratching his head in frustration. Without the game's rules to guide them, finding her felt like searching for a needle in a haystack.
Megumi was about to respond when he froze mid-step, his body tensing as if facing a predator. His gaze locked onto the shadows at the mouth of a nearby alley.
"What's wrong, Megumi?" Yuji instantly dropped into a fighting stance, following his friend's line of sight.
A figure slowly emerged from the shadows.
It was a slender girl in a plain white dress, her shoulder-length hair swaying lightly. She stared at Megumi, her eyes betraying a faint, almost imperceptible flicker of emotion.
"Megumi Fushiguro," she said, her voice calm and clear, like cool stream water.
"You're…" Megumi's pupils constricted as he recognized her distinct aura. "…Hana Kurusu? The Angel?"
"Whoa, that's her?!" Yuji's eyes widened, darting between the girl and Megumi in disbelief. "Talk about luck!"
Hana ignored Yuji's outburst, her gaze still fixed on Megumi. "The barrier's gone. The bindings… they've loosened. I sensed you." She tilted her head slightly. "You want to… free the Prison Realm?"
"Exactly!" Yuji stepped forward eagerly. "We need your power! Please, help us break the Prison Realm's seal and save Gojo-sensei! He's the only one who can take on Sukuna and Kenjaku!"
Hana paused, her golden eyes sweeping over the two boys. "The Prison Realm…" She seemed to weigh her words. "My technique can nullify any cursed technique, including the seal. But… there's a cost."
"We'll pay it, whatever it is!" Yuji pleaded, his eyes brimming with sincerity and urgency.
Megumi's voice was steady but firm. "We need Gojo Satoru's power. This matters to everyone—including you."
Hana looked at them, as if on the verge of saying something. But in that fleeting moment—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the air! A wall from a nearby building collapsed into a massive hole, debris and dust flying everywhere. From the chaos, a swift, steady figure burst through the smoke like a leopard that had been lying in wait, charging straight at Megumi!
It was too fast! Megumi barely caught a glimpse of familiar blonde hair and glinting glasses.
"Nanami-san?!" Megumi's shocked cry barely left his lips as Kento Nanami closed the distance.
Nanami's right hand gripped his cloth-wrapped cursed tool—a blunt blade—and with a sound like tearing silk, he swung it mercilessly at Megumi's side!
There was no hesitation in the strike. It was a killing blow.
"Megumi!" Yuji's eyes blazed with fury. His body moved faster than his mind, instincts kicking in as he unleashed a terrifying burst of speed. His fist, wrapped in cursed energy, roared toward Nanami's blade.
CLANG!
The impact echoed like a thunderous bell. A shockwave erupted from the clash, the ground beneath them cracking and sinking.
Yuji was sent flying backward by the sheer force, slamming into a broken wall that collapsed under the impact. Pain shot through his arm, and a metallic taste rose in his throat.
He could tell—Nanami hadn't held back at all.
A massive owl-like shikigami screeched as it surged from the shadows, its lightning-wreathed claws slashing at Nanami.
Nanami, unfazed, dodged with an almost supernatural sidestep, avoiding the claws. His left hand shot out like lightning, grabbing the shikigami's ankle.
Cursed energy flared. "Ten Strokes Cursed Technique—Collapse!"
Thud!
The owl's massive form was sliced apart, disintegrating mid-air into fading cursed energy.
The entire sequence unfolded in a flash. Nanami's movements were precise, efficient, and ruthless, showcasing the overwhelming combat experience and destructive power of a Grade 1 sorcerer.
"Nanami-san! Why?!" Yuji struggled to his feet from the rubble, wiping blood from his mouth, his voice a mix of shock and anger.
He couldn't believe the mentor who had always looked out for him, the ever-just Nanami, would suddenly try to kill them.
Nanami adjusted his glasses, the lenses glinting coldly.
"Itadori, I have no personal grudge against you or Fushiguro. I'm just… doing my job."
The words hit like a sledgehammer.
Yuji's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. Megumi's pupils shrank, cold sweat beading on his back. They understood instantly—this was an order from the higher-ups of the jujutsu world. Kill Yuji. Prevent Gojo's release.
"Nanami-san…" Yuji's voice trembled, not from fear, but from rage.
He remembered the civilians slaughtered in Shibuya, the moment Gojo was sealed. And now, even their most dependable senior was trying to kill him?
Megumi's hands formed a seal. "Nue!"
He lowered his voice, whispering to Yuji, "Get ready to break out. The Angel's still—"
"Yuji Itadori?" A deep voice cut through the tension.
All four turned toward the sound. A man in a black suit with a stern, bitter expression approached. His dress shoes clicked sharply against the ground as he stopped.
"I am Hiromi Higuruma," he said, pages of a book flipping open without wind. "I'm here to judge your crimes in the Shibuya Incident."
The air grew heavy.
Nanami frowned. "A trial? Now's not the time." His blade remained aimed at Megumi.
Higuruma's voice was flat, emotionless. "Under current regulations, Yuji Itadori, as Sukuna's vessel, bears joint responsibility for the 23,411 civilian casualties in the Shibuya Incident."
Yuji's face paled. The memories flooded back—blood, screams, Sukuna's maniacal laughter inside him…
Megumi stepped in front of Yuji. "That's ridiculous! It wasn't his fault!"
His shadow began to twist. "It was Kenjaku and Sukuna—"
"Objection overruled," Higuruma said, raising a hand. "Guilt will be determined by the court."
A complex array of cursed technique patterns unfolded beneath his feet. Chains shot out from the void.
"Domain Expansion—Deadly Sentencing!"
A blinding white light engulfed them. When their vision cleared, they stood in the center of a massive courtroom.
A towering judge's bench loomed above, where a giant black-robed shikigami spread its arms, holding a scale in each hand. Higuruma stood before it, gavel in hand.
Nanami and Megumi sat in the witness area, Yuji at the defendant's stand. Surprisingly, Hana Kurusu sat in the jury box, her golden eyes thoughtful.
"Court is now in session," Higuruma declared, striking the gavel. The space trembled as the shikigami's voice boomed, "Yuji Itadori is suspected of mass murder in Shibuya on October 31, 2018."
Megumi whipped his head toward Nanami, noticing his mentor's furrowed brow. Megumi tried to summon his cursed energy, only to find it stripped away by the domain.
The sheer power of the domain left him stunned.
All eyes turned to Yuji. Moments ago, he'd been panting, but now he was eerily calm.
Facing the shikigami, he spoke evenly, "Yeah, I killed them. That's not a lie, and I'm not denying it."
"Guilty! Confiscation! Death penalty!"
The shikigami's roar shook the courtroom. An invisible weight slammed down on Yuji, forcing a grunt from his lips. His body felt heavy, his cursed energy drained like a well run dry.
This was the rule of Deadly Sentencing—it stripped away cursed energy.
"Yuji!" Megumi shouted, his face pale as he tried to summon his shadows, but they didn't respond.
Nanami's eyes sharpened behind his glasses. His muscles tensed as he tried to stand, but the domain's rules pinned him to the witness stand.
His heart sank. This is bad. Higuruma's serious. Nanami had only meant to feign compliance to buy time, but now Yuji's life hung in the balance.
Higuruma's expression remained impassive as light gathered in his hand, forming a deadly white sword—the Sword of Execution.
"Submit to judgment," he said coldly.
Whoosh!
Higuruma vanished, leaving an afterimage. The sword aimed straight for Yuji's heart.
Yuji's pupils contracted. Stripped of cursed energy, he had only his battle-hardened body to rely on.
At the brink of life and death, instincts honed through countless battles took over.
"RAAH!" Yuji roared, slamming his foot into the ground, cracking the concrete. With raw muscle power, he shifted his body half a foot to the left.
Rip!
The white light grazed his right side, slicing through his jacket and flesh. Blood sprayed out.
"Itadori!" Megumi screamed, struggling against invisible restraints, his knuckles white from effort, but it was futile.
Nanami's eyes locked onto Higuruma's movements, his mind racing. The rules… the domain's compulsion… there has to be a weakness!
Higuruma's first strike missed. With a flick of his wrist, the light sword swept horizontally, aiming to cut Yuji in half.
The sword's range was too wide to dodge.
Yuji's eyes burned with defiance. Instead of retreating, he charged forward like a tiger. At the last second, he dove into a roll, the sword grazing his back and slicing a few strands of hair.
Boom!
Yuji hit the ground, rolling awkwardly. Pain seared through his ribs, but he'd closed the distance.
"Not done yet!" he roared, springing up. With sheer physical strength, he spun, unleashing a whip-like kick aimed at Higuruma's head, tearing through the air.
A desperate, all-or-nothing attack.
For the first time, a flicker of surprise crossed Higuruma's cold eyes.
He hadn't expected Yuji, stripped of cursed energy, to counter with such ferocity. Instinctively, he raised his left arm to block.
Thud!
The impact reverberated. Higuruma's body swayed slightly. Yuji's full-force kick had actually rattled the Grade 1 sorcerer.
"I got him…!" A spark of hope lit Yuji's eyes.
But Higuruma's blocking arm didn't budge. His right hand, holding the light sword, moved like a viper, silently thrusting toward Yuji's throat.
The distance was too close. The sword's tip locked onto Yuji with icy killing intent.
"It's over," Higuruma declared.
Yuji was spent, still airborne, unable to dodge. He could only watch as the deadly white light grew larger in his vision.
"Yuji!" Megumi's desperate scream echoed.
At the critical moment, as the sword was about to pierce Yuji's throat—
"Covenant… Separation…"
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