Chapter 114 114: That's Your Problem

One Tanjiro Kamado was already unreasonable.

The thought that every sword surrounding that enormous central blade might be a record of someone powerful enough to be preserved by Asuramaru's Domain made even Gojo Satoru fall silent.

If all of them attacked at once...

If their assaults were combined with the sure-hit effect of that Domain...

Just imagining it was enough to make the situation absurd.

As far as Gojo knew, both he and Sukuna had already been recorded by Ashura Kannon. Beyond them, there were at least a dozen more swords standing around the giant blade. Each one might represent a defeated enemy or former Sword Master.

And that was before even considering Tanjiro Kamado himself.

That man's close-combat ability was monstrous. Every slash carried that invasive energy, the strange power that seeped into the body after injury and attacked from within. It targeted the brain, where a Cursed Technique was engraved, and the abdomen, where Cursed Energy was gathered.

For a Jujutsu Sorcerer, those were fatal weaknesses.

Once either was destroyed, death was inevitable.

Gojo reached a simple conclusion.

He could not win.

At least, not under the current conditions.

Since force was hopeless, the only remaining possibility was Yuji. If Yuji could somehow awaken a desire strong enough to move Asuramaru, perhaps there was still room to maneuver.

Still, Gojo had one more thing he wanted to confirm.

He raised a hand, his tone light again, as if the brutal defeat had never happened.

"Then, Miss Asuramaru, can I lend my chance to use your power to someone else?"

Asuramaru immediately understood what he was thinking.

Megumi Fushiguro.

More precisely, Gojo likely wanted to use this opportunity to help Megumi tame Mahoraga.

That was not a bad idea.

Recording Mahoraga inside Ashura Kannon would be extremely useful.

With that thought in mind, Asuramaru looked at Gojo with crimson eyes and replied indifferently, "That's your problem."

It was not a promise.

It was not a refusal.

But for someone like Gojo, that was already enough.

His smile widened as he put his blindfold back on.

"Thank you very much."

So Asuramaru is a tsundere?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when Asuramaru's voice cut through the air again, noticeably colder this time.

"Also, I'm male. Don't call me 'Miss' again."

Gojo froze.

Yuji froze too.

Before either of them could react properly, Asuramaru sent them both out of the spiritual world.

At the same time, the system's voice rang inside Asuramaru's mind.

[Ding! Detected intense negative emotions from Gojo Satoru, the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer of the modern era. Obtained 5,000 emotion points!]

Outside, consciousness returned to their bodies.

For a moment, neither Gojo nor Yuji spoke.

Even Gojo Satoru, who could treat most things in the world like an amusing roadside attraction, could not help shaking his head.

"I really can't believe he's male. That appearance is way too misleading."

Then, almost immediately, his mood recovered.

A mischievous smile crept across his face.

"But now I'm really curious. How will that serious little Megumi react if he calls him 'Miss' and then learns the truth?"

Yuji also recovered from his surprise.

He was startled, of course, but he did not dwell on it for long. Whether Asuramaru was male or female did not matter much to him. There were already too many things he did not understand today. Adding one more mystery to the pile barely changed anything.

Gojo's expression, however, soon turned serious.

"Yuji."

Yuji looked up.

"You must not tell anyone what happened here today. Not about Asuramaru, not about the spiritual world, not about the details of your Cursed Technique. If word gets out, trouble will follow you everywhere."

Yuji nodded honestly.

"Okay."

He was simple, not stupid.

If Gojo told him this mattered, then it mattered.

With that settled, Gojo returned to the original question.

"So, back to business. Do you want to die now, or die after collecting all of Sukuna's Fingers?"

He lifted one finger as if explaining a school assignment.

"Of course, you could also try gaining Asuramaru's approval. I believe he might have the ability to destroy Sukuna's Fingers. But your odds of success are, well... almost zero."

He said it casually.

In truth, Gojo had already decided that he would not let Yuji die so easily.

Even if it meant killing every stubborn higher-up in the Jujutsu world, he would not hand Yuji over without a fight.

Yuji did not answer immediately.

For the first time, he truly felt something pressing against his heart.

The desire to live.

Until now, death had seemed distant, vague, something that belonged to old age, illness, or tragic news heard from other people. But now it sat directly in front of him, wearing the face of a choice.

Even so, there was something more immediate he had to do.

"Can I leave here first?"

Gojo tilted his head.

"Normally? No."

Yuji's expression tightened.

"But with me here, it's not a problem."

Yuji looked relieved at once.

"Then, before I answer... can I attend my grandpa's funeral?"

"Of course."

Gojo agreed without hesitation.

Then, as if rules, seals, guards, and prohibitions were all polite suggestions written on cheap paper, he took Yuji and walked straight out of the sealed room.

No one stopped him.

Or rather, no one could.

Meanwhile, inside Yuji's body, Sukuna had also learned the outcome of Gojo's challenge through the lingering memories.

Within his Innate Domain, he stood atop a shrine built from bones, his expression twisted with excitement.

"Asuramaru..."

His smile widened.

"You truly fascinate me."

That battle had revealed many useful things.

The terrifying effect of Ashura Kannon.

The ability to record former Sword Masters and slain enemies.

The possibility of reproducing even Gojo Satoru himself.

If Sukuna obtained Asuramaru, any Jujutsu Sorcerer, any Cursed Technique, any power he desired could be taken and used.

More importantly, Asuramaru had still not revealed everything.

No one knew what else that sword was hiding.

The thought alone made Sukuna's blood boil.

Still, Sukuna did not believe victory was impossible.

Gojo Satoru had lost so quickly largely because their Domain compatibility was terrible. Unlimited Void had been hard-countered. That did not mean Gojo was weak. Against almost anyone else, his Domain was a near-certain death sentence.

Even Sukuna could not guarantee that he would always defeat him under every condition.

But Sukuna's own Domain would not necessarily lose so badly against Asuramaru.

And if Asuramaru continued limiting himself to summoning only one Sword Master at a time, then Sukuna believed there was still a way to fight.

The desire to obtain the legendary Asuramaru burned hotter in him than ever.

Several hours later, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.

Sugisawa Hospital.

Yuji went to the third floor to visit the two seniors he had saved that night.

When he saw one of them still lying unconscious in the hospital bed, guilt pressed hard against his chest. If he had not handed Sukuna's Finger to them, they never would have been dragged into any of this.

They were ordinary people.

They had only wanted to fool around with something strange after school.

Because of him, they had nearly died.

After speaking with them and explaining what he could, Yuji left the ward without looking back.

Gojo accompanied him downstairs to the crematorium in the adjacent building.

Smoke rose from the chimney.

Outside, Yuji and Gojo sat together on a bench. The sky was pale, the air quiet, and the smell of smoke clung faintly to everything.

Gojo glanced at him.

"So? Have you decided?"

Yuji did not answer right away.

Instead, he asked, "Are there many people who suffer because of curses?"

Gojo's expression did not change much, but his voice lost some of its usual playfulness.

"Your situation is special. Most of the time, when someone runs into a curse, being able to recover a body at all is considered lucky. Even if that body is in pieces."

Yuji lowered his eyes.

"If we search for Sukuna's Fingers, things like this will happen often?"

"Definitely."

Gojo looked at him directly.

"So choose your poison."

It was blunt.

Too blunt, almost.

But it was also the truth.

Yuji entered the cremation room afterward.

There, looking at the ashes of his grandfather, he remembered the old man's final words.

You're strong, so save people.

Be surrounded by others when you die.

The senior girl crying uncontrollably.

The senior boy trembling with fear.

His grandfather, reduced to a box of ashes.

Yuji stood there for a long time.

Then he spoke.

"If Sukuna disappears, fewer people will die because of curses, right?"

Gojo's answer was immediate.

"Of course."

Yuji looked down at his grandfather's ashes.

His hands slowly clenched.

"Then I'll do it."

.....

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