Ryoumen Sukuna sensed a subtle reaction from his six fingers at the same time. Yet, he didn’t give it much thought.
Compared to the damage dealt when Ieiri Shoko had used Minazuki and Kaidō, this current effect was practically negligible. With the regenerative nature of his fingers, they only needed to sit undisturbed for a while to passively absorb ambient Cursed Energy and begin recovery.
However, he did feel a slight curiosity.
For so many years, no one had truly tried to destroy his fingers. Now, someone was actually attempting it?
Could it be that Gojo Satoshi held some personal grudge against him?
He was clearly a figure of the ancient world. There shouldn’t be any reason for him to be involved with someone like Gojo Satoshi, who was born in this new era.
Sukuna leaned back on his skeletal throne, resting his chin on his palm, lazily contemplating what this meant.
Ieiri Shoko’s failure had left him completely at ease. He had thought that her attempt was the final one. What he didn’t know was that Gojo Satoshi’s true performance was only just beginning.
Itadori Kaori watched the livestream, recalling the earlier battle where Gojo Satoru and Sukuna’s Finger Cursed Spirit had clashed. Her expression tensed. The arms holding the infant Itadori Yuji trembled slightly before she stilled herself again.
Yuji began to cry in her arms, snapping Kaori back to reality.
She didn’t know whether the Hainawa and Geki spells Satoshi used were curses or not, but unlike Zenin Ogi’s crowd, she wasn’t naïve.
She had been carefully recording the numbers Satoshi spoke.
What did these numbers mean?
If the technique Satoshi had used to kill the Cursed Spirit that devoured Sukuna’s finger was Hadō #31: Shakkahō and Hadō #33: Sōkatsui, the numbers being so close made it hard to judge their individual power just by watching the stream.
But the difference between Bakudō #4: Hainawa and Bakudō #9: Geki was exponentially larger.
One was a basic binding rope, the other a higher-level restraint spell with considerably greater complexity.
The larger the number Satoshi announced, the more powerful the technique—whether a Bakudō or Hadō—would be.
Some might think, is it even possible for one person to wield so many techniques?
The spells Satoshi had shown already exceeded standard classifications. They didn’t require a Zanpakutō and weren’t limited to one category of technique. It didn’t make sense scientifically.
Yet, Kaori, observing all this from the Cursed world, had a different take.
She wondered if these mysterious spells were in fact evolutions of Satoshi’s own innate technique.
Could it be that his innate technique had become the foundation for all these manifestations?
Her insight wasn’t far from the truth.
Even without knowledge of Reiryoku, of Satoshi being a reincarnator, or of his system, She had deduced this much. Her perception was extremely sharp.
And indeed, her theory was close to reality.
The Reiryoku that Satoshi wielded, foreign to this world, could theoretically be interpreted by others as a rare mutation or evolution of Cursed Techniques.
But very few people could truly understand it.
Tengen quietly put down her Urozakuro tea, eyes narrowing as she watched Satoshi’s application of Bakudō and Hadō techniques.
This was the third time Tengen had witnessed Satoshi using Kidō. The first had been during his battle with the Finger Cursed Spirit. The second, when he saved Nanami Kento and vanished. And now, this was the third.
Three times. That shattered the theory that Satoshi’s mysterious techniques were one-time-use spells.
Now, anyone could see with their own eyes—on-site or via the Curse Corpse broadcast—that Satoshi’s Kidō was a real, repeatable power.
He had just used Bakudō #4 and Bakudō #9. And soon, he would likely replicate the two Hadō techniques he had used before.
Such a mysterious power clearly didn’t belong to this world.
"Gojo Satoshi," Tengen murmured. "What kind of change will a twisted existence like you bring to this era?"
"Ryoumen Sukuna is the ultimate fear of this world. If you can truly destroy his fingers... will you replace him as the next terror?"
Her slender fingers brushed a lock of long hair behind her ear. A faint smile curved her lips.
"Urozakuro, hmm? Let’s see if you can give me a reason good enough to believe in you."
As her whisper faded, her gaze remained locked on the unfolding livestream.
At this very moment, the three oldest beings in existence—Tengen, Kenjaku, and Sukuna—all turned their attention to Gojo Satoshi.
Each waiting for the outcome he would bring.
Elsewhere, within the Tokyo Jujutsu High Treasury.
Gojo Satoru whispered beside Geto Suguru, "Back in that previous fight, Satoshi used this spell to bind the cursed spirit’s body. The next one should be that high-output spell."
He was speaking quietly to Suguru, but his eyes never left Satoshi for a second.
He too was eager to analyze Satoshi’s strange techniques.
That Finger Cursed Spirit had also consumed one of Sukuna’s fingers. Yet, even with both Satoru and Suguru working together, it had been difficult to subdue.
But Satoshi, without even using his Zanpakutō, had killed it using only those bizarre techniques.
Everyone assumed his Zanpakutō was broken, but Satoru knew that wasn’t true.
Satoshi’s Zanpakutō was completely intact.
Even his Limitless Technique held no advantage against it.
If Satoshi had used these same spells during their sparring match after waking up, Satoru might have lost even faster.
That was why he was determined to analyze these techniques.
Over the past nine years, his Six Eyes had become increasingly refined. Most techniques, once cast, only took a few seconds for him to decipher.
So now, he was confident that he could uncover the secrets behind Satoshi’s mysterious spells.