Chapter Text
Chapter 261: I've Been Waiting for You for a Long Time, Emiya
After a brief exchange, Emiya discovered from the intelligence provided by Nanami Kento that the reality was far worse than he had imagined. For instance, he originally thought he had been away from the Jujutsu world for at most a day, but Nanami revealed that a full seven days had passed since his disappearance... and an entire week was more than enough time for many things to happen.
First, the Grade 1 sorcerers who were originally trapped deep within the [Magari-no-Ume] had all escaped safely, but they brought back the news that Gojo Satoru had fallen in battle within the barrier.
The reason they gave was that the curses within the [Magari-no-Ume] far exceeded expectations; not only were there a massive number of Special Grade Cursed Spirits, but there were also unique entities formed from the fusion of multiple "curses." Even Grade 1 sorcerers found it impossible to move a single inch.
Normally, given Gojo Satoru's strength, no matter how powerful those curses were, they shouldn't have been able to directly rival him. However, to ensure the safe evacuation of the many sorcerers present, he had actually carved a path of blood through the crowd, forcibly tearing an opening through the infinite sea of "curses."
The price for this feat was that Gojo Satoru remained alone within the [Magari-no-Ume, allowing the remaining dozens of sorcerers to evacuate safely.
Initially, a significant portion of the Jujutsu world refused to believe that Gojo Satoru could perish in such a place. Even the higher-ups, who had always been at odds with him, held an extremely skeptical attitude.
It wasn't until a day after all the sorcerers had successfully evacuated that the only sorcerer who had remained behind with him emerged... carrying Gojo Satoru's lifeless body on his back.
Coincidentally, at that same time, traces of Cursed Spirits began to appear in massive numbers near the Shibuya district—which was connected to the [Magari-no-Ume] and was supposed to no longer have cursed energy leakage.
Faced with the bloody reality, no matter how hard it was to accept, they could only grasp at a single reason to comfort themselves: even the "strongest" sorcerer was still human. His cursed energy and stamina were not infinite, and he too could be ground down to nothing by an endless wave of "curses."
The worst part was that on the other side, Emiya had yet to return after descending deep into a [Reality Marble] to fight Itadori Yuji, who was possessed by Ryomen Sukuna.
Under normal circumstances, a battle could not possibly last that long. Therefore, after careful deliberation, the higher-ups of the Headquarters were forced to confirm a conclusion that was terrible for humanity but counted as "good news" for them: Emiya and Sukuna had likely perished together.
Even if they were shocked by the young man's terrifying combat ability that far exceeded expectations, now that the problem was "solved," he was no longer a problem.
The key issue was that Kenjaku had made no moves since the Shibuya Incident, and most people weren't even aware of the existence of this ancient curse user.
Finally, on the fourth day after the disappearance of the two threats—Emiya and Gojo—whom the entire Jujutsu world found difficult to resist, the higher-ups of the Headquarters and certain clan factions began to extend their hands toward Tokyo Jujutsu High, a place they had never been able to fully control.
"To stabilize the outside, one must first pacify the inside"—this was a simple truth many understood. In the eyes of these people, now was the perfect moment to show their hand. These individuals didn't care at all about the "bigger picture."
As of now, their suppression has manifested as an overt and covert attempt to constantly squeeze and seize Tokyo High's survival space and various resources...
Such behavior could be called "wrong," but the right to interpret the criteria for judgment lay in their hands. As long as they were clever enough, it was hard for others to find grounds for accusation; at most, they would just be labeled as "immoral."
Nanami Kento also knew that things couldn't continue like this, but the core of the Jujutsu world was still occupied by clan-based sorcerers. Even those sorcerers who had been rescued by Gojo Satoru from the [Magari-no-Ume] would not challenge the Headquarters just to protect Tokyo High's interests.
The debt of saving a life is important, yes, but such a debt needs a living recipient to be useful.
Even as a Grade 1 sorcerer, Nanami Kento—who never touched any groups or factions—had no influence over any of this. This was why he chose to dive deep into the curse-occupied Shibuya district, attempting to numb himself through constant combat.
Though most residents had evacuated Shibuya along with them back then, there were inevitably some who were missed... Over the past few days, he had indeed saved dozens of survivors, but such things couldn't change reality.
However, he never expected to encounter Emiya—who was thought to have died along with Sukuna—in the middle of Shibuya.
Emiya's safe return didn't just mean Tokyo High had a reliable pillar again; more importantly, it was absolute proof that Emiya possessed combat power that transcended even the "King of Curses," Ryomen Sukuna!
Nanami Kento couldn't fully comprehend what kind of realm that was, but he figured that crushing the rest of the Jujutsu world with "strongest" level power wouldn't be an issue.
"By the way, what about Itadori-kun...?"
Suddenly thinking of this, Nanami asked subtly. It was only then that Emiya realized what he had overlooked.
Well, leaving Itadori in the magecraft world for now shouldn't be a problem. That [Second Magician] should have considered this; he didn't seem to have any ill intent...
However, Emiya couldn't explain this reason directly to Nanami. He could only say that the boy was temporarily placed in another safe and hidden location.
Fortunately, Nanami Kento had sufficient trust in Emiya. After confirming that Itadori Yuji's life was not in danger, he chose a route that was difficult for others to detect and quietly led Emiya out of Shibuya, heading back toward Tokyo High.
Nanami himself wouldn't participate in partisan struggles, true; he only returned to the Jujutsu world to protect as many valuable people as possible during the process of eradicating curses. But that didn't mean he was ignorant of the situation.
Emiya's sudden appearance while the Headquarters was beginning to openly target Tokyo High made it hard to say if the other side would suddenly enact some "reactive" measures. Thus, the best course of action was to have Emiya regroup with the others first before slowly discussing the next step.
With Gojo Satoru and Emiya both gone, the leader of Tokyo High had naturally become the principal, Masamichi Yaga.
But given his personality, it was clearly impossible for him to do something like start an outright war with the Headquarters. It wasn't that his personality was weak; it was primarily that, because he cared for his students, he couldn't make a decision that would likely result in heavy casualties.
Moreover, such a sacrifice would be completely meaningless and wouldn't help the cause of "exorcising curses" in the slightest.
If giving up the survival of Tokyo High would keep the students safe, Masamichi Yaga might even be more inclined to make that choice.
When Emiya successfully returned within the barrier of Tokyo High, the first person he met was not Principal Yaga, who should have been leading everything, but Shoko Ieiri, the doctor.
Although she had early and inseparable ties with the Headquarters due to her [Reverse Cursed Technique] that could be applied to others—and those people wouldn't let such a talent wander freely—Shoko only handled matters of healing. She didn't participate in any factional business, remaining a "pure doctor."
As a relatively neutral professional, Shoko's credibility with both sides was quite good. At least from Nanami Kento's perspective, as a former upperclassman and a comrade of Gojo Satoru, she was completely trustworthy.
From the Headquarters' perspective, their level of trust was also not bad—otherwise, why would Gojo Satoru's remains be left at Tokyo High, kept in Shoko's operating room?
Unlike the remains of ordinary sorcerers which had to be destroyed, they firmly believed Gojo's body still hid secrets they didn't know. Thus, they chose Shoko Ieiri, the most professional physician in the Jujutsu world, to complete this task.
After Shoko Ieiri expressed her request to meet Emiya, Nanami Kento unhesitatingly left them alone.
A sorcerer sent by the Headquarters originally guarded Shoko's side. But after Shoko gave a slight glance, Emiya easily knocked the man unconscious before he could even react.
Only when the sorcerer responsible for monitoring her went silent did Shoko's expression suddenly relax. She raised her palms and stretched her body with force.
"You're finally back. Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment?
It's bad enough being busy with work every single second, but to be watched the whole time on top of that... it's just not a life for a human."
As she spoke, Shoko—staring through dark circles under her eyes—pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.
"Waiting for... me?"
The intelligence Emiya got from Nanami was that everyone thought he had died with Sukuna. Why did she say she had been waiting for him?
"Yeah. How should I put it? Let's just say that idiot Satoru was convinced you'd come back. I've just been held hostage by his request.
Anyway, it's good that you're back."
Even if Shoko didn't say it, Emiya was still a student she had taught for a time; the appropriate concern was there.
"Gojo-san... but Nanami-san said..."
Emiya was confused. Why did the intelligence Shoko was leaking seem completely different from what he got from Nanami?
"That's what they say, but explaining it might be a bit of a pain... Forget it, just come with me."
Chapter 262: We Are the Strongest
The information Emiya received from Nanami Kento explicitly stated that Gojo Satoru was dead, and as of now, the situation certainly appeared that way... Yet, why did Shoko Ieiri's expression lack any trace of grief? Instead, she looked as though the "deceased" Gojo had left her with a long list of instructions.
The stark contrast between the two accounts left Emiya in a state of uncertainty, unsure which version of the truth to believe. Fortunately, the reason Shoko had led Emiya into the underground research facility was to explain exactly why this had happened.
CLANG!
As the heavy iron door was pushed open, a gust of frigid air rushed out due to the temperature difference. Even with Emiya's resilient constitution, he couldn't help but feel a piercing chill.
"Look, that idiot Satoru is lying right over there."
Shoko pointed a finger forward and led Emiya toward the operating table. There, on the stark white surface, Gojo Satoru lay motionless, his eyes closed.
Though his face looked as lifelike as ever, his body generated no heat. Only a savage-looking scar on his abdomen, though stitched up, served as a grim testament to why all of this had occurred.
"So, Gojo-san really is..."
As Emiya stood there, grief beginning to well up in his heart, Shoko suddenly nudged him with her elbow.
"Don't you dare cry on me. That guy already tricked one round of tears out of me. If he sees you doing the same, there's no telling how happy he'll be, and I have no desire to satisfy his twisted sense of humor."
Meeting Emiya's confused gaze, Shoko explained: "As you can see, Gojo Satoru did 'die' once, but that 'death' was only based on the standards of modern human medicine. He utilized a special method to preserve his brain and body.
Just like that time—I remember Itadori Yuji's heart was literally ripped out, wasn't it? Yet Sukuna was still able to bring him back to life.
Now, I can't perform that kind of logic-defying treatment on others, and it can usually only be precisely executed by a person on themselves... but what can you do when the guy in front of you is an indescribable madman?"
As her final words fell, Shoko lightly tapped Gojo's forehead. Immediately, a strange cursed energy reaction began to surge within the lifeless body.
"What's going on?
Wait... [Reverse Cursed Technique]?!"
Emiya could clearly feel the cursed energy within Gojo's body being converted into positive energy, which then rapidly flowed into his limbs and organs, sustaining the vessel that should have been cold and dead.
In just a few seconds, Emiya heard the crisp sound of a heartbeat thumping within Gojo's chest, officially awakening the "deceased" body. Finally, after about a minute, Gojo's body fully restored itself to a normal state. The "Sleeping Beauty" on the operating table snapped his eyes open, revealing pupils as icy blue as the vast sky.
The very first moment his consciousness returned, Gojo's words were a complaint:
"Ahhh, this isn't at all how I imagined it! Weren't we agreed that it should be like Sleeping Beauty—where the technique only triggers after I'm kissed?
Who told you to go and secretly change my technique settings!
Alright, Emiya-kun, let's just pretend none of that happened. How about we try one more time?"
"Gojo-san!"
Emiya felt as though his emotions had been severely toyed with. If the man didn't provide a reasonable explanation, Emiya would definitely make Gojo Satoru realize the error of his ways personally.
"Haha, alright, alright. It's actually not that complicated~
I simply borrowed from your experience, Emiya-kun—the way you engrave techniques onto blades—and I engraved the [Reverse Cursed Technique] into my own body.
Once my body ceased to function and certain conditions were met, the dormant [Reverse Cursed Technique] would begin to operate, restoring my body to a predetermined state—
So, what do you think? Am I amazing or what?"
Just as Gojo finished boasting, Shoko suddenly punctured his bubble: "It's not as easy as he makes it sound. Resurrecting the dead... since when is that a simple feat?"
"Setting aside how to engrave the technique and the strict time limit... remember that the most crucial key to [Reverse Cursed Technique] is 'imagination'." Shoko made a light horizontal cutting motion across her own neck with her palm. "And obviously, dead people don't have things like imagination.
In other words, to pull this off, one must completely calculate the extent of their injuries and the state of their body before losing consciousness. Otherwise...
One would actually stay dead."
It sounded simple in theory, but who could possibly preset exactly how they would die, or what state their body would be in some time after death? Without the ability to foresee the future, such a feat was virtually impossible.
Yet, Gojo Satoru stood before them, perfectly intact. The proof was in the pudding: he had succeeded.
"It's fine, it's fine. I intended to die on purpose, so how could I not know the extent of my own injuries?
As long as I don't want them to, those guys could never inflict more damage on me than I allowed."
Gojo spoke with absolute conviction, but no matter how powerful he was, he could only control events during his life; how could he possibly intervene in what happened after he passed?
"In any case, this was far too dangerous. Gojo-san, what was the point of doing all this..."
Before Emiya could finish, Gojo cut him off: "Of course there was a point!
If you hadn't gone missing, Emiya, and if I hadn't 'died,' how would the higher-ups at Headquarters ever have become so impatient?
And now, since they've already made the first move, what we need to do becomes very simple, doesn't it?
We just have to kill every last one of them."
Gojo said these incredibly cruel words with a smile, yet Emiya didn't offer a single word of protest. Emiya had long known that maintaining peace could never be achieved through compromise; it required a much more blunt approach. Since Gojo had made this choice, Emiya would support it.
"I thought you would never make a decision like this."
"It can't be helped. Haven't the students already become fully capable of standing on their own? As their teacher, I must clear some obstacles for them."
Gojo nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world, then suddenly changed the subject to reminisce: "Though, looking back, the situation at the time was indeed quite thrilling.
Ignoring those mindless, stupid Cursed Spirits, the real issue was the appearance of several sorcerers claiming to be the 'strongest.' What was that one guy's name... Kashimo Hajime?
Since such troublesome opponents appeared, I simply went with the flow—killing them while allowing myself to become exhausted.
If everything went according to plan, the mastermind behind all this is still gloating over their success... What do you think we should do now, Emiya-kun?"
Gojo stared quietly at Emiya's face, his meaning clear: whatever Emiya suggested, he would likely follow.
Facing this inquiry, Emiya hummed in thought for a moment before analyzing: "It's obvious that those 'strongest' individuals are ancient sorcerers Kenjaku successfully reincarnated using his technique. Since he believes we are no longer threats, his next step will naturally be to execute his final plan.
There is a crucial link in his plan, yet so far, there hasn't been any prelude to its execution... I can only conclude that he must have already completed this step.
Combined with the previous circumstances... I have reason to believe that [Tengen] is no longer on the side of humanity."
For the Jujutsu world, [Tengen]—who ensured the persistence of the vast majority of barriers—was undoubtedly vital. Almost no one would suspect that [Tengen, who had aided the Jujutsu world for nearly a thousand years, would betray them.
However, betraying the Jujutsu world doesn't necessarily mean betraying humanity; Kenjaku even wants to evolve humanity into a new stage. For the "all-knowing and all-powerful" [Tengen, he certainly had the ability to expose Kenjaku's plans and actions several times in advance, yet he never did.
Emiya now believed it was highly likely that Tengen no longer opposed Kenjaku's plan—and might even have shifted to supporting it.
"Is that so? You mean... even Tengen-sama doesn't have high hopes for us?"
Gojo's tone held a hint of a sigh, but Emiya understood exactly what that sigh was directed toward.
"Are you trying to say, 'What a shame'?"
"Naturally, naturally."
Gojo nodded and looked toward Emiya, speaking clearly:
"Because I...
We are the strongest."
The End
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Thank you everyone for your support, this is unfortunately the final chapter.
I hope that I will see you on my other Fanfictions!