Jin and Kaori sprinted down the dimly lit street, their breaths ragged as they followed Seijuro's instructions.
"W-Where's the hotel?!" Kaori shouted, panic evident in her voice.
"Just keep running! I'll lead us there!" Jin replied, his voice strained but determined.
Their footsteps echoed loudly as they turned a corner, only to come to an abrupt halt. Standing in their path was a man with slicked-back black hair, wearing a dark yukata. His presence was overwhelming, suffocating them with the sheer weight of cursed energy emanating from him.
Kaori instinctively grabbed Jin's arm, her knees trembling. "W-Who the hell are you?!" she demanded, her voice shaking.
The man tilted his head slightly, a chilling smile spreading across his face. "Ah, where are my manners?" he said in a smooth, almost mocking tone. "I'm Kenjaku."
Jin and Kaori froze at the name, though they didn't fully understand its weight. The suffocating aura around Kenjaku pressed against their very souls, making it hard even to breathe.
Kenjaku's gaze locked onto Kaori, his eerie smile widening. He extended a hand toward her and said with unnerving calmness, "You, my dear, are exactly what I need."
Kaori's eyes widened in horror as she took a shaky step back. "J-Just, what do you want from me?!"
Kenjaku's grin grew darker. "It's simple," he said, his tone almost playful yet laced with malice. "I want your body."
Both Jin and Kaori froze, the implication of his words chilling them to the core.
Kenjaku raised his other hand, his fingers glowing faintly with cursed energy. "Slicing Exorcism," he muttered.
Instantly, a streak of blood-red energy surged from his hand, slicing through the air like a blade. The sheer speed of the attack left no room for hesitation.
Jin's eyes widened in horror as the attack shot toward them. Without thinking, he shoved Kaori to the side with all his strength. "Move!"
The blood-red streak blasted past them, narrowly missing Kaori as it tore through the air, obliterating the building behind them. Debris scattered as the structure collapsed, sending shockwaves through the area.
Kaori scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding as she stared at the destruction. "Itadori-san!" she shouted, her voice trembling.
Jin stood, his body tense and trembling as he locked eyes with Kenjaku, who remained eerily calm. Kenjaku clasped his hands together in mock applause, his expression one of amusement.
"Oh, how impressive," Kenjaku said, his voice dripping with mockery. His gaze flicked to Jin, a faint smirk curling on his lips. "As expected... of his twin brother."
Jin froze, his mind racing. 'Twin brother? Who is he talking about?'
Kenjaku's expression turned cold as he raised his hand again, cursed energy swirling ominously. "But let's see how long that luck of yours lasts... Convergence."
Blood seeped from Kenjaku's hand, pooling into an ominous orb that pulsed with malice. The cursed energy radiating from it made the air feel heavy, suffocating both Jin and Kaori.
Kaori stared at the blood orb, frozen in fear. Jin's instincts flared—this attack wasn't just powerful; it was lethal.
Kenjaku smirked, his eyes glinting with cruel delight. "Piercing Blood," he whispered, clapping his hands together.
The blood orb condensed into a single, concentrated beam that tore through the air like a laser, heading straight for them.
Jin's eyes widened as he acted on pure instinct. "Get down!" he shouted, shoving her to the side once more.
-Boom!
The cursed energy struck with devastating force, resulting in an explosion that ripped through the street. Jin was flung backward by the impact, his body crashing into a nearby building with a sickening thud.
Dust and debris filled the air as Kaori scrambled to her knees, coughing and shielding her face. Her wide eyes darted toward the crumbling building where Jin had been thrown.
"Itadori-san!" she screamed, her voice cracking with panic. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stumbled toward the rubble.
Kenjaku, still standing amidst the chaos, chuckled darkly. "My, my," he mused. "So much effort for someone so... ordinary." His gaze shifted back to Kaori, and his smile returned, colder and more menacing than before. "You're next, my dear."
Kaori gritted her teeth, clutching her fists tightly. She felt powerless, utterly outmatched in the face of Kenjaku's overwhelming presence. Her legs trembled, but her spirit refused to let her give up. If she was going down, she would at least go down fighting.
Desperately, she grabbed a nearby piece of rubble, the jagged edges cutting into her hands as she hurled it at Kenjaku with all her might.
Kenjaku raised an eyebrow and caught the rubble effortlessly, holding it in his hand like it weighed nothing. He tilted his head mockingly, his lips curling into a wicked grin. "That's cute," he sneered, dropping the rubble to the ground with a dull thud.
With deliberate slowness, Kenjaku began walking toward her, his steps echoing ominously in the empty street. Kaori stumbled back, her breath quickening as she tried to think of a way out. She couldn't run—her legs wouldn't move fast enough—and she couldn't fight someone like him.
-Rumble.
A sound broke through the tension, coming from the pile of rubble where Jin had been buried. Kaori's head snapped toward the source of the noise, her heart racing.
The rubble shifted again, louder this time. Kaori's eyes widened as she heard a familiar voice groaning in effort.
"Ngh..."
"Itadori-san?!" she gasped, hope flickering in her chest.
The pile of debris suddenly erupted as Jin pushed upward, his hand gripping a massive chunk of rubble. Dust and debris cascaded off him as he stood, his shirt torn to shreds, revealing a lean, muscular build Kaori never expected from the soft-spoken man. His chest heaved as he took in deep breaths, his gaze fiery with determination.
Kaori's jaw dropped slightly, both relieved and stunned. 'He... looks like a completely different person...' she thought, momentarily distracted.
Jin locked eyes with Kenjaku, his body trembling but his spirit unyielding. "Hah!" he shouted, mustering his strength as he lifted the massive rubble over his head.
Kenjaku, still advancing on Kaori, stopped in his tracks. He turned his head slightly, a curious glimmer in his cold eyes. "Oh? Interesting."
With a loud grunt, Jin hurled the massive piece of rubble straight at Kenjaku, putting every ounce of his strength behind the throw. "Take this!"
Kenjaku's grin widened, his confidence unwavering. He didn't even flinch as the rubble came hurtling toward him.
-BAM!
The rubble smashed into Kenjaku with an earth-shaking impact, sending him flying backward into a nearby building. The structure crumbled under the force of the collision, erupting in a cloud of dust and debris. The explosion echoed through the street, briefly lighting up the dark sky.
Kaori shielded her face from the flying debris, her heart pounding as she turned back to Jin. "Itadori... that was incredible!"
Jin stumbled slightly, his breaths ragged, but his eyes focused. He clenched his fists, refusing to let his exhaustion show. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice steady despite the strain in his body.
Kaori nodded quickly, a newfound respect gleaming in her eyes. "Yeah... thanks to you."
The dust settled, and a low chuckle echoed through the air.
"Hah... not bad," Kenjaku's voice called out from the wreckage. Kaori's stomach dropped as she turned to see him emerging from the rubble, completely unharmed. His yukata was slightly torn, but his twisted grin remained intact. "I didn't expect you to have such strength... but unfortunately, that's not nearly enough."
Kenjaku dusted himself off, his eyes gleaming with sadistic amusement. "Let's see if you can pull off a stunt like that again."
Kaori's eyes widened in shock while Jin shifted into a combat stance, his hands raised defensively.
"You know how to fight, Itadori-san?" Kaori asked, her voice trembling with both fear and awe.
Jin glanced at her, his expression focused but uncertain. "I don't know... but I somehow do. It feels natural, like my body knows what to do even if my mind doesn't." His tone was calm, but even he was trying to process the sudden confidence in his movements.
Kenjaku chuckled darkly, his grin widening. "Oh, that makes perfect sense. After all, you're his twin brother."
Jin's brows furrowed, his stance faltering slightly. "Whose twin?"
Kenjaku's gaze sharpened, his voice dripping with intrigue. "You, Jin Itadori, are the reincarnation of—"
-Fwoosh!
Kenjaku's words were abruptly cut off as a powerful gust of wind swept through the area, carrying a strange, otherworldly energy with it. The suffocating atmosphere vanished, replaced by something serene yet undeniably unsettling.
The scene around them shifted in an instant. The dark alley disappeared, replaced by an endless expanse of white flower fields. The gentle breeze carried the faint scent of blossoms, and the moon overhead shone brighter, its light bathing the landscape in an ethereal glow. An impossibly tall castle stood at the horizon, its silhouette dominating the surreal dreamscape.
Jin's stance wavered as he glanced around, his jaw tightening. "What the hell is this place...?"
Kaori's breath hitched, her heart racing as she clung to Jin's arm. "Where... where are we?"
Kenjaku's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the new surroundings. A mixture of amusement and unease crossed his face. "A domain... no, this is something else entirely."
Kaori's grip on Jin tightened as she glanced nervously at Seijuro, who now stood a short distance away, his body rigid and his eyes blank, almost lifeless. "Gojo-san...?"
Kenjaku's attention shifted to Seijuro, his grin returning. "So, this is your doing, Seijuro Gojo. Or perhaps... something inside you?"
The rustling grass drew their attention, and all three turned toward the source. A woman emerged from the field of flowers, her long, flowing blonde hair shimmering like liquid gold under the moonlight. She wore an opulent white dress, corset-like at the waist, that seemed to belong to another era. Her crimson eyes locked onto Seijuro with an empty, enigmatic smile.
Kenjaku's grin faltered for the first time. "Who... are you?"
The woman didn't answer. Instead, she stepped gracefully through the flowers, her gaze fixed on Seijuro's still form as though no one else existed. Her oppressive energy sent a chill down everyone's spine, even Kenjaku's.
Jin swallowed hard, the overwhelming presence of the woman making his newfound instincts scream at him to protect Kaori. Kaori clung to Jin tighter, her voice barely above a whisper. "What... is she?"
Kenjaku's unease morphed into a grin of curiosity as he crossed his arms. "Now this is interesting... a third player on the board. Seijuro Gojo, what exactly are you hiding?"