A dazzling purple flash, powerful enough to destroy everything in its path, filled the entire field of vision.
Kenjaku's eyes snapped open.
He had woken from his dream.
Middle East. November 16th. 8:20 AM.
Sitting up in bed, he remained dazed for a long time on the soft hotel mattress before finally regaining his focus.
His face twisted into a mix of fear and excitement, with a hint of obsessive curiosity.
"The past really did change…" He couldn't help but grin. "I wonder what kind of impact this will have on the present. It's so fascinating."
"No, the fact that I can see these changes in my dreams already proves that the present is being affected."
He instinctively began to think things through.
"But when I recall the past, everything still feels the same as before. Do the changes only appear in my dreams?"
"So, is it possible for these changes in the past to completely overturn what we consider to be our history?"
I'd love to study this properly.
Was there really a sorcerer in this world capable of manipulating time, or was this caused by some other unknown phenomenon? Either way, Kenjaku was deeply intrigued.
He had no real ambitions, only a thousand years of curiosity and research into cursed energy and humanity itself. He wanted to understand the true potential of this power—how far could it go? And what kind of future awaited those who wielded it?
To uncover these mysteries and satisfy his endless curiosity, he needed time—centuries, at the very least.
And the innate technique he possessed happened to solve that problem perfectly.
It was as if his very existence in this world was meant for this research.
He was completely absorbed in it, and he enjoyed every second of it.
If the drastically altered past in his dreams could truly influence reality, then Mahito should have been born earlier in the timeline. And if the past had unfolded as he originally planned, his past self—after realizing the current situation—would have made sure Mahito survived.
It seemed his decision not to completely destroy Tengen's barrier was indeed the right one.
Kenjaku set aside his thoughts about the past and present, got out of bed, changed into his usual monk's robe, and left the hotel.
The moment he stepped outside, a massive creature nearly three meters tall appeared behind him.
Its body was bronze-colored and covered in thick muscles. A strange white skull helmet sat atop its grotesque face, and sharp bone spikes jutted out from its joints. The aura surrounding it was as heavy as the dust of a battlefield.
There was no doubt—it was a powerful special-grade curse.
"Kenjaku," the curse rasped. "Are you leaving?"
"No, there's still something I need to do before returning to Japan," Kenjaku said with a slight smile. "What about Death?"
"I don't know. Wherever it's headed has nothing to do with me."
"Well, whatever. I'm heading to India next. Want to come along?"
"India…" The curse thought for a moment, then grinned, letting out a raspy laugh. "Fine. I'll bring war along with me."
And with that, the two of them left the hotel.
The day before, in a war-torn region of the Middle East, an ongoing battle came to an eerie and abrupt end.
Every single soldier from both sides was dead.
Not a single survivor.
…
"I was the traitor."
The mechanical body that had been carefully crafted to compensate for a flesh body stolen by Heavenly Restriction now spoke calmly, revealing a long-hidden truth in front of his allies, his teacher, and his principal.
Everyone present was stunned, their faces filled with shock and disbelief.
The silence in the hall lasted a few seconds before a clear, melodic voice broke through.
"…Huh?"
Miwa Kasumi, with her long, silky blue hair and delicate features, stared in shock at the person who had gathered them all, claiming to have discovered the traitor's identity.
"W-what are you saying, Ultimate Mechamaru?" She forced an awkward smile. "Did you hit your head or something?"
"No." Ultimate Mechamaru's tone remained calm. "Ever since the first attack on Jujutsu High, I have been providing information to a man named Suguru Geto and a cursed spirit called Mahito."
"I made a binding vow with Mahito—I would give them intel about Jujutsu High, and in return, he would use his Idle Transfiguration technique to heal the body that was taken from me by my Heavenly Restriction."
"The reason I knew Mahito was dead was because the vow was passively broken."
"Later, Geto contacted me again, saying he had extracted Mahito's technique using Cursed Spirit Manipulation and could heal me the same way. I panicked and agreed without setting up a binding vow."
"Looking back now, I was tricked."
Ultimate Mechamaru calmly laid out every detail of his dealings with the enemy, as if the one who had betrayed Jujutsu High and sided with the enemy wasn't him at all.
His mechanical voice, laced with a faint electric hum, sounded eerily emotionless.
"Ultimate Mechamaru, you…"
Kamo Noritoshi, the squinting heir of the Kamo family, stared at his former comrade, momentarily at a loss for words.
Zenin Mai and Nishimiya Momo also remained silent, but their gazes toward Ultimate Mechamaru gradually changed.
Miwa Kasumi's face was still frozen in shock, as if she hadn't fully processed the overwhelming truth.
Iori Utahime, Ultimate Mechamaru's teacher, pressed her lips together with a complicated expression.
Only Todo Aoi, with his muscular frame and arms crossed, scowled with boredom. He snorted dismissively, saying, "Don't waste my time with this nonsense."
With that, he turned and walked away without hesitation, leaving behind a single sentence that echoed through the quiet hall.
"You don't deserve to call yourself a jujutsu sorcerer."
Ultimate Mechamaru said nothing. His artificial eyes flickered with a green glow.
The situation was clear. After a brief silence, Principal Gakuganji finally announced his decision.
"Seal him for now."
As for his real body—Kokichi Muta—he had been afflicted by Heavenly Restriction since birth. He lacked a right arm and everything below his knees. He had no sensation from the waist down, his skin was so fragile that even moonlight could harm him, and he lived in constant pain, as if needles were piercing every pore. He could only survive by being submerged in a special nutrient solution at all times.
Now, he was sealed inside a metal container filled with that very solution, locked away in a room covered in jujutsu seals.
…
Special Task: Reach World Line Accumulated Points 874,632 / 1,000,000
Yukinoshita Yukino swiped away the floating blue translucent screen in front of her and let out a small sigh. A faint white mist escaped her lips, dissolving into the air.
Purging cursed spirits alone wasn't enough to quickly accumulate points. To gain large amounts at once, she relied on completing system-issued missions.
However, as her strength grew, the system seemed to issue fewer and fewer tasks, as if silently telling her—
You are getting closer to the strongest.
…
…
(End of Chapter)
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