Pulp Castle has always been a symbol of Neon Nation, the palace of the Heavenly Locust. It's not just in East Tsume; there's one in Kyoto too.
Though the so-called "Heavenly Locust" is now more of a symbolic figure, in the hearts of Neon's people, he remains a supreme, almost divine presence. His residence? That's sacred ground.
Even if the Heavenly Locust doesn't always stay in East Tsume's Pulp Castle, its sanctity still holds strong.
But tonight, everything changed.
A jagged tear ripped across the night sky above Pulp Castle. Countless streams of fiery rain poured from the rift, their crimson glow lighting up the darkness. The people of East Tsume watched in horror as the castle—once a beacon of "holiness"—turned into a blazing torch.
02 tilted her head back, her green eyes reflecting the distant fire-rain. Her fingers lightly tugged at Gaio's sleeve. "Darling, is that fire the same as this morning's?"
Gaio glanced down at her, his fingers gently ruffling the top of her hair. "Yeah, it's the flames of Ryūjin Jakka."
---
Gojo Satoru had just returned to Jujutsu Tech with his three students when he suddenly frowned. "Hey, you guys smell that?"
Itadori raised his head, sniffing the air. "It's fire. Smells stronger than this morning."
Nobara rubbed her arm, goosebumps crawling up her wrist. "It's like something's burning my skin."
Gojo slipped off his sunglasses, his icy blue eyes catching the distant firelight. The flames were identical to the ones that scorched the Yasukuni Toilet this morning—maybe even fiercer, like they could burn a hole through the sky. "Oh, wow. Looks like Little Gaio's really pissed this time~"
A grin tugged at his lips. "Burning down the imperial palace? That's a bold move~"
Itadori leaned in, staring at the fiery rain with eyes like lightbulbs. "Gojo-sensei, should we go check it out?"
Gojo slid his sunglasses back on and hooked an arm around all three students' shoulders. "Go? What, you wanna get beat up by Little Gaio?"
The trio shook their heads in unison.
"Exactly~ Let Little Gaio vent his anger on something specific. Better than him losing it completely and tearing down all of Neon, right?"
The three nodded again, and Gojo glanced at the "giant torch" in the distance, chuckling carelessly.
---
In the living room of the Prime Minister's residence, the Prime Minister slumped onto the sofa, only to jolt upright at the sound of piercing sirens outside.
Mizawa stumbled in, nearly dropping the tablet in his hands. "Prime Minister! Pulp Castle—it's on fire!"
The Prime Minister shot to his feet, hurling a pen to the floor. "What?! How could Pulp Castle catch fire?!"
Mizawa handed over the tablet, and the screen made the Prime Minister's face go pale. Fire-rain poured from the sky, the palace roof was burned through, and golden ridge-end tiles melted in the flames. Firefighters sprayed extinguishers at the towering fire, but the water turned to steam on contact, not quenching a single spark.
"This… this is the same fire as this morning!" The Prime Minister's voice trembled, his fingers digging into the sofa's armrest. "Who's doing this? Who's targeting us?!"
Kazumasa stood in the corner, pushing up his glasses, the lenses glinting with the screen's light. "Prime Minister, I may have a guess."
He slid a photo across the desk.
The Prime Minister grabbed it, staring at Gaio's face. A guttural growl escaped his throat. "Ne… Nero?! No way! Why's he standing in front of the Strelitzia?! What about our mechs and our base?!"
Kazumasa shook his head. "I tried contacting them. We've… lost all communication."
The Prime Minister collapsed into his chair. "So the emergency evacuation order in the bay this morning… that was the jujutsu world finding our base and mobilizing?"
Kazumasa looked at the Prime Minister's defeated expression, sneering inwardly but keeping his face respectful. "I believe so."
The Prime Minister let out a heavy sigh, fear gripping him. Then something clicked, and he sat up straight, turning to Mizawa. "Mizawa! Where's His Majesty the Heavenly Locust?!"
Mizawa swiped at the tablet and let out a relieved breath. "Phew~ His Majesty and the imperial family are in Kyoto for a banquet with the zaibatsu tonight."
"Thank goodness, thank goodness." The Prime Minister exhaled.
"Prime Minister, we can't afford to relax," Kazumasa said softly. "Transferring His Majesty to safety is the priority. If Nero finds him, the consequences are unthinkable."
"He wouldn't dare!" The Prime Minister slammed the table. "Does he want to make an enemy of all Neon?!"
"Sir, don't forget what Mr. Gojo said. This Nero is someone we cannot afford to provoke." Kazumasa ignored the Prime Minister's anger, pressing on.
The Prime Minister's words caught in his throat. If even the head of the Gojo family—the ceiling of the jujutsu world—said that, he had no choice but to swallow his temper and redirect his frustration.
"Fine, forget Nero for now! What about His Majesty? You talk about transferring him?!" The Prime Minister glared at Kazumasa, veins bulging on his forehead. "Do you think His Majesty is some package to be shipped around?!"
Kazumasa adjusted his glasses, his tone methodical. "Sir, His Majesty's life is more important than the pomp of 'sacredness.' Look at Pulp Castle's fire. If this person can burn an 'inviolable' symbol into a torch, they can certainly follow the scent of 'holiness' to Kyoto."
He pointed at the tablet, where Pulp Castle still burned, molten gold dripping from the eaves. "Burning East Tsume's Pulp Castle might just be the start. Kyoto's imperial palace could be next."
The Prime Minister's fingers twisted his tie unconsciously. "Fine… fine! Mizawa, contact Kyoto's Metropolitan Police immediately. Deploy the First Guard—no, the elite Self-Defense Forces! Get His Majesty to an underground bunker within twenty minutes!"
He grabbed Kazumasa's wrist, nails digging into his skin. "If anything happens to His Majesty, you're done!"
Kazumasa didn't flinch, gently pulling his hand back. "Rest assured, sir. I've already had the Cabinet Intelligence Office set up in Kyoto. But…"
He paused, pulling out another photo—02 standing behind Nero, with the Strelitzia in the background. "According to intel, Experiment 002, cloned by Dr. Franxx, is now with Nero. She's the perfect 'pistil' for our mechs. If you want to control the jujutsu world, I suggest capturing her alive."
"Don't be ridiculous, Kazumasa!" Mizawa roared. "If 002 is with Nero, how could we possibly capture her? Even Gojo Satoru doesn't want to mess with him!"
Kazumasa's mechanical expression darkened, turning cold and venomous. He pulled out a phone, tapped a few times, and the office's big screen flashed with files—each one featuring a different girl.
"These women all have close ties to Nero. Based on intel, they're currently at the old Zen'in estate, now the Gaio family mansion."
He pushed up his glasses, the lenses hiding his eyes.
"I've made two plans. First, while Nero's distracted, we capture these girls to use as leverage against him—maybe even make him work for us."
The room fell silent, only heavy breathing audible.
After learning of Gaio's power, the so-called "mech project" felt like a joke. A man who could summon unquenchable flames at will seemed far more reliable than any mech.
But… did they really want to provoke this man?
Still, among those women were daughters of the Shinomiya and Yukishita families. If they could get those girls to whisper in Nero's ear, maybe his anger could be defused.
"What's the success rate?" the Prime Minister asked suddenly.
Kazumasa glanced at his nails, then slowly pulled a silk cloth from his pocket, wiping his hands before meeting the Prime Minister's eyes with a faint smile. "Success rate?"
He pointed at the burning Pulp Castle on the screen. "Nero's focus is on the Heavenly Locust right now. The Gaio mansion is unguarded."
"But—" The Prime Minister's throat bobbed. "One of those girls is a Shinomiya heiress. If we anger the Shinomiya family, my next election…"
"Doubts?" Kazumasa smiled faintly, his finger tracing Shinomiya Kaguya's face on the screen. "Sir, have you forgotten the jujutsu world's loyalists who escaped Gojo Satoru's purge? And Kyoto Tech's principal, Rakuganji, who helped us steal Tengen's body?"
"What's the second plan?" the Prime Minister pressed.
"When Nero rushes back to defend his mansion, we seize the chance to capture Experiment 002."
"And if Nero takes 002 back to the mansion? Doesn't that ruin your second plan?"
"That could happen, so we split the battlefield. Keep Nero stretched thin, unable to cover both fronts."
"Success rate, based on calculations, is seventy percent," Kazumasa said confidently, adjusting his glasses.
"If necessary, sacrificing some personnel is acceptable."
"And if it fails? Have you thought about how to handle Nero's wrath?" Mizawa interjected.
Kazumasa's earlier smile vanished, his expression icy. "The Prime Minister can announce my defection and issue a warrant for my arrest one minute before the operation. If it fails, the Prime Minister's office stays clean."
If I succeed, though, I'll be the one ruling Neon.
That was Kazumasa's true ambition.