As the days passed, the plan continued smoothly.
After several consecutive days of meetings, the Jujutsu Headquarters finally came to a realization—or rather, they were finally forced to accept a harsh truth: if they didn't change, they would perish.
Plenty within the Jujutsu world held resentment toward them. Many wanted them gone. If given the chance, those people wouldn't hesitate to crush them completely.
The recent string of misfortunes had already made that much clear.
The Higher-Ups sat around a massive round table in a specially designated meeting room. The table's size kept them far apart, shadows cast over their faces, obscuring any readable expression. Silence filled the space.
Once, they had held all the power and had nothing to fear. But the emergence of a few Special Grade sorcerers outside of Headquarters had thrown things subtly off balance. While they were still figuring out how to handle these Special Grades… a more urgent crisis had already arrived:
Anyone—literally anyone—who entered one of the Ten Great Barriers could obtain immense power.
The Intelligence Department made sure to stress that word: anyone.
From the moment the first sorcerer stepped out from one of the barriers, the news swept through the entire Jujutsu world before they could even react. And just as they were scrambling for answers, the news spread again—this time reaching the general public. The most critical detail? Ordinary people could now see the barriers...
The entire landscape was about to be upended.
The Ten Great Barriers had opened the door to power for everyone.
"Form a team. Head into the barrier!"
Someone finally broke the silence.
"And send all auxiliary personnel out to locate Satoru Gojo and the Prison Realm. Bring him back."
In the end, the Higher-Ups of the Jujutsu Headquarters issued just two commands.
...
Deep within Tokyo Jujutsu High, in the Taiji Hall meeting room, Masamichi Yaga sat at the head of the table. He was the strongest among those present now.
After hearing everyone's report, he scanned the room, taking a moment to look at each person's face.
"Get ready," he said calmly. "We're heading into the barrier together."
Everyone here was on the same side. With the Jujutsu Headquarters overwhelmed by their own problems, Yaga and the others had no interest in playing political games anymore.
"Yes!" the group responded.
They had never given up on retrieving the Prison Realm—it had always been part of their plan.
With the orders issued, Yaga, looking a bit weary, waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.
"Are you going too?" Suguru Geto asked after the others had left.
"I am."
Yaga lifted his gaze to the window. His eyes grew distant. Where the students were, that was where Jujutsu High belonged. There was no need to stay behind and cling to one place.
In the corner of his vision, the white bone tree stung his eyes.
He turned away, fiddling with the old phone in his hand. The cursor on the screen hovered over a number, scrolling up and down repeatedly—reflecting his hesitation.
"Click—"
He shut the phone. In the end, he didn't make the call.
...
Their team quickly assembled at the main gate of Jujutsu High. Looking down at the winding mountain road below, Yaga turned for one last glance at the school. The towering white-boned tree swayed slightly in the wind.
'It's grown taller.'
His heart stirred for a moment before he composed himself. Then, turning forward, he raised a hand and shouted, "Move out!"
...
They soon arrived at the nearest barrier.
The group stood in front of it.
It was a type of curtain none of them had seen before.
The barrier gave off an overwhelming presence. Its peak stretched high into the clouds, with no end in sight.
Nothing inside could be seen from the outside.
Without wasting any time, Masamichi Yaga stepped in first. With the intel already circulated, there was no room for hesitation.
The world went dark before their eyes...
"Welcome to the Jujutsu Paradise!"
A gentle voice echoed, soft as a whisper by the ear, stirring a ripple of unease in the heart.
The Jujutsu High group quickly steadied themselves—the effect wasn't too deep.
They began scanning their surroundings.
It felt like stepping into a different world. Though it was still daytime outside, inside it was already night. A vast starry sky spread above them, countless pale-white lights flickering. Starlight and city shadows intertwined.
A strange peace settled over everyone, a feeling like returning home.
The streets were empty. Doors and windows along the road were tightly shut. Not a sound could be heard.
They moved toward the center.
Following the moonlight, the closer they drew to the heart of the barrier, the clearer everything became—and gradually, sounds emerged. The area was coming alive.
Cursed Spirits and Shikigami began to appear, spaced far apart, clinging to the buildings, eyeing the group with restless hunger.
The instinct to grow stronger exists in all life. Here, they only needed to eat—anything—to get stronger.
And Cursed Spirits have another instinct: to coerce humans.
It's embedded deep in their behavioral makeup. As long as humans generate enough negative emotion, the Spirits benefit in countless ways.
Which is why humans draw their interest most.
These were the catfish Sōjun Minamoto had selected—though, frankly, they seemed unnecessary.
The humans within the barrier had already started turning on each other.
It served as a brutal lesson to the Cursed Spirits: why humans stand at the top of the food chain.
When humans go mad, Cursed Spirits barely stand a chance.
Dressed in bizarre outfits, people rampaged through the streets.
"Freedom! This is real freedom!"
They stormed into homes, smashing and tearing things apart as they laughed wildly. Destruction trailed behind them. Screams, wails, and sobs echoed briefly from within the houses—then silence.
Night magnifies emotion. It frees people to act on impulse. Under cover of darkness, they reveal the things they normally keep buried.
"Pfft—pfft—pfft!"
A series of sharp, rapid stabbing sounds followed. The leader, held in place by those around him, was forced to bow his head—and stabbed several times. His body slumped to the ground, lifeless.
The crowd went silent.
"Hahaha! I've had enough of your crap!" The attacker laughed and turned.
"From now on, I'm in charge!"
"Who the hell do you think you are?" someone shot back immediately.
...
Voices grew louder, chaos erupting from a simple "I don't like you." No one looked back at the body. Soon, Cursed Techniques were flying. Screams mixed with laughter, echoing through the streets.
The Cursed Spirits could only shiver in the outskirts—they had retreated as far as they could. There was no longer room to survive inside.
A new "leader" quickly emerged—an unfamiliar face. He cackled and marched toward a locked door.
"Shhhk—"
A sound tore through the air. In the next instant, a bloody hole opened in the center of his forehead.
Through it, one of his companions caught sight of the Jujutsu High uniforms. His heart sank, but he puffed up his chest and began forming hand signs, preparing to release a spell—
"Shhhk—"
He froze. A matching hole bloomed in his forehead. Another body dropped.
"Contain them."
Masamichi Yaga scanned the room—several mutilated corpses lay in full view. He shut the door.
"Rioters—exorcise them."
His voice burned with anger. Adorably designed puppets dropped from his body like rain.
Then, he suddenly froze.
The moment those two died, a soft voice echoed in his mind:
"…Would you like to switch techniques? Plunder cursed energy?"
One after another, powerful techniques flashed across his consciousness. Cursed energy appeared quantified, revealing his current level—and the energy he could gain from each kill.
His chest tightened. The voice was like a devil's whisper, prying at his heart.
The night seemed darker. He felt a growing detachment—from the world, from those around him. Sounds grew distant. He looked on coldly, removed...
"Sensei!"
Suguru Geto's voice snapped him back.
He blinked, looking far ahead—toward the center, the other nine barriers surrounding this one...
A chill ran down his spine.
He couldn't say for sure whether the shift in his state had been caused by the voice—or by something buried deeper within himself.
Instinctively, he averted his gaze, avoiding the crowd.
Still, whether it was a curse or a blessing—so long as one had the courage, anyone could gain power. At the very least, they could pray to the so-called "gods."
And some god would answer.
...
Jujutsu High.
From a wide enough vantage point, one could see the White Bone Tree at the heart of the Ten Great Barriers, welcoming curses and flourishing wildly.
Its crown pierced the sky.
Sōjun Minamoto and Riko Amanai now stood within the Shrine Domain, high above the stars.
Beneath the stars, the scenes from within the Ten Great Barriers reflected clearly.
He saw Masamichi Yaga.
Similar chaos played out in other barriers.
Endless curses surged upward, gathering in the sky, twisting violently.
A spiritual field was about to form.
Suddenly, Sōjun Minamoto turned his gaze aside, brows rising.
"Whoosh—"
He heard waves again, louder and clearer than before. Lifting his eyes beyond the Shrine Domain, he saw a boundless black sea stretching across the sky.
The sea churned against the domain, generating streaks of black lightning. The waves howled and crashed ceaselessly against the boundary.
"What's wrong?"
Sōjun Minamoto snapped back, lowering his head.
Riko Amanai was looking up at him. Their eyes met.
"Did you hear something?" he asked, glancing skyward again.
"No," she replied, following his gaze but seeing nothing.
Instead, her attention lingered on the shrine. It was her first time in the domain, and she was far more intrigued by its design.
Especially the stars beneath her feet. Standing this close to the cosmos was something she'd never imagined.
Sōjun Minamoto understood.
Just as normal people couldn't see curses, other sorcerers couldn't see the black sea. That was a relief. The moment he saw it, even he had felt its pull. If others couldn't see it, they couldn't be influenced.
A sense of urgency flared within him—but alongside it, a flicker of exhilaration.
'It's finally coming.'
He quickly regained control, suppressing unnecessary emotions.
"I want to go into the barrier," Riko Amanai said, tugging at his sleeve.
She hadn't heard the voice—but Sōjun Minamoto's question had tipped her off. Watching him fall into thought, she pressed her lips together.
"Why? It's danger—"
He met her determined gaze.
The rest of his words stalled, then shifted.
"Go, if you want. Just stay safe."