The next day.
The Tombs of the Star Palace were temporarily closed to the public—not that it made much of a difference.
There was still one day left until Tengen's evolution.
He was really looking forward to the day after tomorrow.
Sōjun Minamoto shook his head. All he could do now was wait. He was always ready.
As he put it, everything that needed to be prepared had been prepared. So what was the point of delaying? The only option was to give it their all. Hesitating wouldn't improve the chances of success; it would only lead to emotional unrest and undermine everything.
...
The gears of Jujutsu High were once again grinding at full capacity, running hot beneath the surface. It looked relaxed, but in truth, everything was wound tight.
A large number of guards had taken position in the shadows. The personnel stationed outside Sōjun Minamoto's attic had increased dramatically overnight. They no longer bothered hiding—openly surveilling him now. If anything went wrong, they'd immediately take Riko Amanai to Tengen.
Masamichi Yaga and the others had also arrived. Familiar faces and strangers alike crowded the living room—Shiko Mishima, Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo, Shoko Ieiri, Utahime Iori, Mei Mei, along with two new students, Kento Nanami and Yu Haibara.
Each of them had their own role to play.
If the evolution failed, it was hard to say whether they would follow their convictions—or stand on the other side.
So the room was filled with silence.
Ironically, the two people at the center of it all, Sōjun Minamoto and Riko Amanai, were still casually going through Jujutsu lessons. One taught with a grin, the other learned with a laugh.
Masamichi Yaga could only rub his temples in frustration.
"How are the preparations coming along?" he asked Sōjun Minamoto. "What are the chances of success?"
Sōjun Minamoto gave a slight shrug and said nothing, making Yaga pace anxiously back and forth.
Times like these revealed people's true mindsets. The younger ones didn't seem too concerned, while the lone actual old man—and a few with equally aged mentalities—were growing impatient.
How do you expect to accomplish anything like this? Yaga thought bitterly.
Sōjun Minamoto rolled his eyes inwardly.
Even if Tengen lost control, it wasn't that big of a deal in his eyes—there were plenty of countermeasures.
These sorcerers were always so dramatic. They seriously lacked composure.
...
The following morning. Tengen's evolution would take place that night.
Time was running out.
Everyone gathered again at Sōjun Minamoto's place.
But Sōjun Minamoto was already at the Tombs of the Star.
Tengen had prepared all the materials needed for the Barrier. Five Sōjun Minamoto avatars dispersed to re-confirm each location—there could be no room for error in the setup.
Once the checks were complete, Sōjun Minamoto began crafting the stakes and drawing talismans. He buried each cursed object into the ground with precision, the positions subtly linked to one another. Forming a sword seal with his hands, he chanted:
"Emerge from the darkness, blacker than darkness. Purify that which is impure."
The Barrier took shape, integrating into Jujutsu High's main Barrier and linking through the Divine Tree to Japan's ten great Barrier points.
Sōjun Minamoto tested it—everything was fine.
He looked to Tengen, who nodded in response.
Though intricate and complex, these arrangements were a form of Binding Vow. In return, they gained a Soul Barrier operating at peak power.
Correspondingly, personnel were already stationed at all the key Barriers, tasked with guarding against Cursed Spirits during the vulnerable period.
Everything was in place, and it was only halfway through the day.
With nothing else to do, Sōjun Minamoto started double-checking the details.
"This is it..." Tengen said, half to himself, half to Sōjun Minamoto.
Their mindsets couldn't have been more different.
"Evolution is bound to go through a phase of instability. Are you confident you can handle it?" Tengen asked, now calm.
"If you want, I can leave some arrangements on you as a last safeguard."
Sōjun Minamoto could sense his concern. But they had rehearsed this countless times.
As always, everything had been thoroughly prepared. And if something really went wrong, he had contingency plans.
"Of course, if you're not comfortable, that's fine too."
He honestly didn't understand why Tengen was so wary of him. During the consciousness-splitting phase, and when Tengen's consciousness left his body, there would be a period of total silence. If Sōjun Minamoto truly had any ulterior motives, he'd had plenty of chances—including during previous experiments.
Tengen looked at him deeply. "Fine."
He finally relented.
Sōjun Minamoto didn't mind either way.
He stepped forward, forming a star-like eye at his fingertip and pressed it into Tengen's forehead.
The moment it made contact, the stars flared and trembled violently. Crimson veins spread around the eye. Sōjun Minamoto poured in massive amounts of Cursed Energy, and the eye quickly stabilized and shut tightly.
He broke off his index finger—it regenerated instantly. The severed digit turned into a short, glowing white spike in his palm.
He stabbed the spike into Tengen's left arm.
Then his fingers detached one by one, each turned into a spike and was stabbed into Tengen's right arm, left leg, right leg, heart, liver, spleen, both lungs, and both kidneys.
Eleven in total.
Each spike was connected to a strand of vivid red hair.
In Tengen's soul, eleven identical white spikes manifested.
Sōjun Minamoto sensed it—the red threads pulsed faintly but stayed steady. The insertion points were stable, subtly interlinked and synchronized.
When the evolution began, he would try to maintain Tengen's form using his technique. If Tengen failed to regain self-awareness and completely lost control, then...
Silence fell again. Sōjun Minamoto began walking around the Divine Tree, observing its peculiarities.
Tengen felt conflicted—hoping time would speed up, yet wishing it would slow down just a little more.
...
It was getting dark.
Tengen sat cross-legged on the ground and gave a nod to Sōjun Minamoto.
Sōjun Minamoto jumped down from the railing, stretched lazily, and finally got started.
Forming a sword seal with his fingers, he murmured, "Begin."
A new Barrier unfolded.
Gripping the Soul Scalpel, Sōjun Minamoto swung it several times through the air toward Tengen. Blue light flared from his palm. In his vision, silver-white threads began to converge toward the blue glow, drawn into the Barrier, vibrant and active—
The consciousness drive was complete.
Tengen's head drooped lifelessly as black cursed energy surged around him. His flesh multiplied in chaotic layers, twisting and merging. His soul bloated, swelling beyond recognition...
His body was turning into a curse. His very form began to resemble... a Cursed Spirit?
What kind of evolution is this?
Sōjun Minamoto didn't understand.
Starlight glinted in his eyes as he stepped back from Tengen. The other's flesh and soul swelled rapidly.
Cracks spread across Tengen's body. Eleven short spikes held his form in check, halting its wild expansion. Crimson light leaked from the fractures, blanketing him and clashing against the Immortality Technique.
The two forces fought within Tengen's body, vying for space. Eventually, they reached a tenuous balance, and the growth halted.
Sōjun Minamoto guided the consciousness into the soul.
Tengen began to tremble... His flesh showed signs of collapse. The crimson energy flared again, splitting the battlefield—one side in the flesh, the other in the soul.
Sōjun Minamoto watched Tengen's soul closely. If the man failed to regain awareness, he would use the short spikes to completely assimilate the body, then extract the soul and try to fuse it with the Barrier.
That was Sōjun Minamoto's final contingency—when flesh fails, let the Barrier ascend.
And if even that failed, he had one last resort... and another beyond even that.
Tengen started expanding and contracting—words that no longer applied to anything fully human.
His barely recognizable mouth moved faintly, mouthing fragmented words. Sōjun Minamoto read his lips:
"I'm... leaving it... to you..."
Had he failed?
The crimson glow burst forth.
Tengen wasn't powerful. That had always been one of Sōjun Minamoto's greatest advantages. No matter what condition Tengen fell into, he could deal with it—just like now.
Tengen's evolution had gone halfway out of control. The crimson light had claimed absolute dominance, body and soul alike.
Assimilation completed in an instant. Sōjun Minamoto severed the soul with a slash, formed a sword seal, and chanted softly, "Release."
The Barrier entered its second phase.
He plunged the soul straight into it.
At that moment, outside, the ten great Barriers aligned in a straight line. Across Japan, the land trembled. The Barriers' strength drastically weakened, nourishing Tengen's soul, slowly bringing it back to consciousness.
Sōjun Minamoto sealed away Tengen's physical body. A five-eyed, bucket-head-like pattern appeared on his surface.
That was their agreement. If evolution failed, the rest would be left to Sōjun Minamoto. Tengen's price—his body.
As for the Immortality Technique, half was inscribed onto the body, the other half into the soul—each took one part.
...
Under the pitch-black sky, Jujutsu High stood tall among the mountains, silently awaiting the dawn.
When the first hint of morning light touched the horizon, no one knew how many people quietly let out a breath of relief.
Sometimes, nothing happening is the best result.