Chapter 127: The Challengers Are Assembled

Even with Asuramaru's permission, Yuji still hesitated.

Let them challenge Asuramaru?

What if one of them actually succeeded?

The thought alone made his heart tighten.

But when he looked at Junpei and Mrs. Yoshino, bound and helpless in midair, the hesitation crumbled. He had no choice. He could not stand there and watch them die in front of him.

Yuji gritted his teeth.

"Make a Binding Vow."

Kenjaku's eyes curved with interest beneath the shadow of his mask.

Yuji continued, his voice hard. "You're not allowed to harm Yoshino Junpei or his mother in any way. And you have to restore Mrs. Yoshino's arm to normal."

Kenjaku's lips lifted slightly.

"Mahito."

"Eh?" Mahito looked genuinely disappointed. "What's wrong with that arm? I made it more interesting."

Yuji's grip tightened around his swords.

Mahito pouted, but he still reached out.

His Cursed Technique activated, and Mrs. Yoshino's twisted arm gradually returned to its original shape. The grotesque flesh folded back into place. The bones straightened. In a few seconds, her arm looked human again.

Only then did Kenjaku speak.

"Then let the vow be formed. We will not lay a hand on Yoshino Junpei or his mother. In exchange, we will receive the opportunity to subdue Asuramaru."

Jogo and Hanami remained silent behind him.

The Binding Vow took shape.

Yuji felt the invisible weight of it settle into the room.

Only then did he release a breath, though his nerves remained stretched tight.

He asked inwardly, "Asuramaru... will you win?"

Asuramaru's reply came with a faint, playful lilt.

"Who knows?"

Black smoke poured out around Yuji.

It did not spread wildly. Instead, it formed thin strands like silk threads, snaking through the room and wrapping around Kenjaku, Mahito, Jogo, and Hanami.

Their bodies did not move.

But their consciousnesses were pulled away.

In the next instant, the world changed.

Sky and sea stretched endlessly in every direction.

When Kenjaku and the others opened their eyes, they found themselves standing at the boundary between the two. Above them was a clear sky. Beneath their feet was a surface as calm and reflective as still water.

There was no wind.

No city.

No Yoshino household.

Only this breathtaking, silent world.

Ahead of them, a single figure sat with its back turned, perched quietly upon the hilt of a sword embedded in the ground. The posture was relaxed, almost careless, yet the mystery it carried was so dense that it seemed to press against the entire space.

Kenjaku's eyes brightened.

"An Innate Domain?"

His gaze locked onto the figure's back, curiosity and excitement stirring beneath his calm expression.

"So this is the legendary deity, Asuramaru."

Nearby, Mahito immediately began wandering around, looking left and right with childlike fascination. He even drifted toward Jogo with a teasing smile.

"Jogo, look. It's so pretty here."

The volcano atop Jogo's head spat sparks.

"Understand the situation, Mahito! This is no time to play around!"

The current Jogo was no longer the same arrogant fool who had charged at Gojo Satoru with absolute confidence.

Being beaten half to death had a way of teaching even a Cursed Spirit humility.

"Don't be so serious," Mahito said lazily.

The next moment, another presence appeared.

Sukuna.

He stood beside the group, arms relaxed, eyes fixed ahead.

Kenjaku was not surprised to see him.

Of course Sukuna had come in too. He wanted Asuramaru more than anyone, and he likely intended to use this opportunity to gather information about the sword's rules and abilities.

Sukuna did not speak immediately.

His attention was on Asuramaru's back.

Greed, interest, and something close to fascination gleamed in his eyes.

Then Asuramaru turned.

The figure revealed was graceful and beautiful enough to seem unreal, carrying the delicate charm of a fairy and the cold danger of a drawn sword. Crimson eyes swept over everyone present.

Yuji stood beside him, glaring furiously at Kenjaku's group.

Asuramaru spoke first.

"This is an Innate Domain. Death here will not affect your real bodies."

His tone was calm and unhurried.

"To gain my recognition, you only need to defeat my first Sword Master."

The surface beneath them rippled faintly.

"If you succeed, I will transfer into the recognized individual's body as a Cursed Technique and serve that person. You may challenge alone or together."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"However, the strength of the Sword Master you face will change accordingly. Whoever ultimately defeats my first Sword Master will become the new one."

The rules were simple.

Clear.

And terrifying.

Jogo's earlier confidence had already shrunk considerably.

He had not even been able to defeat Gojo Satoru, the strongest sorcerer of the modern age. Now he was being asked to challenge the strongest Sword Master across all history?

Ridiculous.

Kenjaku glanced around.

"I will sit this one out," he said with a smile. "Does anyone else wish to try?"

He had no intention of rushing forward.

He wanted to observe.

To watch the so-called first and strongest Sword Master. To understand the rules. To see what Asuramaru was truly hiding.

Mahito raised his hand immediately.

"I'll try."

Then he slid between Jogo and Hanami, smiling brightly.

"Jogo, Hanami, why don't you two join too? It's not like we'll die."

"Hmph."

Jogo snorted, but did not refuse.

Hanami released a low, strange sound.

The meaning flowed directly into everyone's minds.

"Then we will do it together."

Mahito's gaze shifted toward Sukuna.

The stitched lines across his face twisted with his smile.

"What about you, Sukuna? Want to join us?"

The air changed.

Sukuna slowly turned his head.

"Who gave you permission to speak to me like that?"

His voice was quiet.

The pressure behind it was not.

Mahito's smile vanished.

For an instant, the playful Cursed Spirit felt as though blades were pressed against every inch of his soul.

If they had been in the real world, Sukuna would have already used Dismantle and sliced him apart for that insolence.

"For Asuramaru's sake, I'll let it pass this time," Sukuna said. "Don't do it again."

Mahito's eyes narrowed, his mind working quickly.

Sukuna's total Cursed Energy might not be as massive as Jogo's in his current state, but that suffocating pressure was on another level entirely.

So this is the King of Curses.

If Sukuna is this strong...

Mahito's gaze drifted toward the empty arena space forming ahead.

Then how strong is the greatest Sword Master in history?

The challengers were decided.

Asuramaru raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

The sound echoed across the sky and sea.

The world transformed.

The boundary of heaven and ocean collapsed inward, sinking into itself. Stone rose from the water. Massive walls formed in a circular shape, tier upon tier, until the battlefield resembled an ancient Roman colosseum suspended within the Innate Domain.

Asuramaru, Yuji, Sukuna, and Kenjaku appeared along the upper edge, looking down.

Below, Jogo, Hanami, and Mahito stood within the arena.

Across from them, a figure slowly materialized.

A young man in red samurai attire stood there, a sword at his waist.

Tanjiro Kamado.

Mahito tilted his head, studying him.

"I can't sense any Cursed Energy. No presence either. He feels just like an ordinary person."

His tone was carefree, but his eyes were not.

He was observing more carefully than anyone.

From Mahito's perspective, something was wrong. He could not see the outline of Tanjiro's soul. There was no normal consciousness, no unstable human emotion, no living fluctuation.

A puppet?

That conclusion made him even more curious.

Jogo, however, did not dare to underestimate the figure at all.

Gojo Satoru had already taught him what happened when he judged an enemy by appearances. The lesson was still carved into his pride like a fresh burn.

Even if this Tanjiro emitted no Cursed Energy, no killing intent, and no obvious aura, Jogo's instincts screamed that something was wrong.

He took a stance.

"You two, be careful. I'll test him first."

The volcano atop his head opened.

More than a dozen curled insects shot out, their bodies folded tight like burning seeds. As they flew through the air, they unfurled their wings one after another.

Ember Insects.

They swarmed toward Tanjiro, carrying heat, sound, and explosive Cursed Energy.

.....

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