Summary:
Master Tengen was finally revealed. They are willing to provide information about Pseudo-Geto’s identity and how to unseal Satoru Gojo. However, Tengen requires some of the group to remain in the Tomb as security. When the question arises as to how an immortal being’s life can be threatened, Tengen uncovers the aftermath of a fate-changing incident eleven years ago.
Plot:
While everyone else is surprised by Tengen’s appearance, Yuki questions why Tengen didn’t address her in their greeting. Tengen replies that this is not the first time they have met. Yuki’s next question is why the Star Corridor Tombs were closed. Unable to see into the human heart, Tengen feared that Yuki might have been aligned with “Kenjaku”.
Kenjaku is the name of a body-switching entity that was once Noritoshi Kamo and now inhabits the body of Suguru Geto. Yuji interrupts an important conversation to ask why Tengen looks so weird. Megumi silently thinks that Yuji has the guts to do that. Tengen explains that despite their cursed technology, it provides immortality, not anti-aging. Eleven years ago, a new plasma vessel did not appear, so the Tengen’s aging process accelerated and their self-awareness as individuals decreased. They were forced to evolve and became one with the world itself.
Megumi and Yuta get to the point and ask about Kenjaku’s goals and how to unseal Gojo from the Prison Realm. Tengen will provide the information under one condition, at least two of the three people present who are assigned to a special grade must remain in the tomb to serve as Tengen’s guards. Willing to provide more information at first, Tengen explains that Kenjaku wants to force the evolution of all people in Japan. He can’t do it with Tengen’s barrier with Idle Transfiguration because it requires a huge amount of cursed energy. Initiating an evolution of this magnitude using a cursed technique is inefficient.
The method Kenjaku has chosen to force evolution on a massive scale is to merge the Tengen with humanity. Since advancing to a new state, it is possible for Tengen to bond with someone who is not a Star Plasma Vessel. A human who fuses with Tengen evolves into something beyond wizards that is both there and not part of the physical realm. Tengen has stabilized and is able to maintain self-control even after evolving due to barrier techniques, but the world would end if humanity reached this state. There would be no boundaries between individuals and the impurities of millions of people would flood the world. What happened to Tokyo would engulf the entire planet. The Tengen cannot refuse the merger, as their evolution has made them more cursed than human, a perfect target for manipulating cursed spirits.
Due to the threat of Kenjaku coming to unseal the Tomb, the corridor rejects anyone who approaches. Kenjaku was the one who set the plan in motion that stopped the fusion eleven years ago. They were involved with Sukuna over a thousand years ago, so Yuki wonders why she’s making the move now. Tengen, the star plasma vessel, and the Six Eyes are apparently linked by “fate”. Kenjaku was defeated by two Six Eyes users in the past. After his second defeat, Kenjaku killed a star plasma vessel and another Six Eyes user soon after they were born. Despite his efforts, they both showed up on the day of their merger with Tengen. This made him switch to the method of sealing the Six Eyes instead of trying to eradicate them.
However, the unexpected happened eleven years ago when Toji Fushiguro intervened. He was a man who had escaped the cursed energy and therefore was not bound by the chains of fate that affect the world of jujutsu. In reality, Toji destroyed the fates of Tenge, the star plasma vessel, and the six eyes. Along with him came Suguru Geto, a boy who could manipulate cursed spirits. Once Kenjaku secured the Prison Realm six years ago, all of his plans fell into place.
The Culling Game is a ritual to prepare the people of Japan for unification. He uses the cursed energy of the players and the barrier to transport everyone “to the other side”. Through this custom, Tengen can be forced to merge with humanity. To get something out of this level, Kenjaku limited himself to binding promises. One vow stipulates that he is not the master of the Culling Game, meaning that the game will not kill him. The Culling Game can only end when all players are dead and rules are in place to ensure that nothing can interrupt the ritual. Yuji and the next best course of action is to spend a hundred points to add rules where Tsumiki and other unwilling participants can escape the game. Freeing Satoru Gojo would also obviously be ideal. Before Tengen reveals how to do it, they demand that the group choose a combination of Yuta, Yuki, and Choso to act as a guard.
Yuki and Choso volunteer to protect Tengen. Choso knows that Yuji will need Yuta or Yuki’s help and this will also give him a chance to protect his brothers should Kenjaku come for Tengen. Yuki hasn’t made arrangements with Tengen anyway and would like to stay as long as Yuta doesn’t mind. Wanting to stay with the other students, Yuta happily agrees.
After expressing his gratitude, Tengen takes out the Prison Realm “back”, a separate cursed item that will be necessary to unseal Satoru Gojo. It serves as the back gate to the Prison Realm and was hidden by Tengen to try to conceal the existence of the front. Kenjaku found it anyway and has full authority over the Prison Realm as the front gate bearer. Breaking the back would require cursed tools that can cancel cursed techniques such as the Inverted Spear of Heaven or the Black Rope. However, both were lost in separate battles with Satoru Gojo. Yuta searched for another Black Rope in Africa with Miguel to no avail.
There is still one way to open the back gate of the Prison Realm. A thousand years ago there lived a witch who called herself an “angel”. She had a cursed technique that could extinguish other cursed techniques. Her name is Hana Kurusu and she incarnated as a Culling Game player.