"And that is how it happened—I was released," Yuki Tsukumo said.
"Hahaha, Tsukumo, you're hilarious."
Satoru Gojo laughed exaggeratedly, thoroughly amused.
"What is all this about the 'revolving lantern' infecting and resurrecting you, creating souls, and interfering with souls..."
"...anyone who didn't know better would think you were talking about the lore of a Supreme God in some manga."
Yuki Tsukumo's expression remained unchanged as she stared straight at Satoru Gojo without a hint of a smile.
Satoru Gojo's laughter gradually died away.
He turned to look at Tengen.
"Is this possible?"
After agreeing to the Binding Vow, Yuki Tsukumo did not linger and rushed back at top speed.
Upon arriving in Japan, she immediately contacted Tengen, requesting an urgent meeting in a space where no one could eavesdrop.
She wanted Satoru Gojo included if possible, but absolutely forbade anyone from the Jujutsu Higher-Ups from knowing about their conversation.
Tengen immediately realized that Yuki Tsukumo's next words would surely subvert the common knowledge of the jujutsu world.
It would also likely affect the Jujutsu Higher-Ups' current attitude toward the Lord of Curses; otherwise, she would not be so cautious.
Thus, Tengen notified Satoru Gojo and set up a barrier in the deepest part of the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
This was already the safest place in the world.
Unless someone attacked with brute force, no eavesdropping methods could possibly work here.
Here, Yuki Tsukumo spoke without reservation about what she experienced within the space of the revolving lantern.
Tengen had now completely lost her human appearance.
Although a humanoid shape could still be vaguely discerned, her entire being was in a monstrous state.
Her head and neck had merged into a cylindrical shape, and her face was etched with four eyes but lacked eyebrows or pupils.
She wore a set of oversized robes and trousers, making her look like a giant thumb wrapped in cloth.
Anyone who saw her would immediately realize one thing.
Tengen was truly no longer human.
She was indeed closer to a Cursed Spirit than a human now, existing in an intermediate state between human and god.
This intermediate state would be broken in the near future, and she would completely become "it."
Tengen crossed her arms and spoke thoughtfully.
"Theoretically, it is impossible."
"In fact, if Yuki Tsukumo hadn't returned in person, I wouldn't even be sure if the revolving lantern space truly existed."
"It involves the deepest secrets of the world, the so-called 'Secret of Death.'"
"Unfortunately, Immortal Master indeed has the ability to interfere with the world's deepest secrets."
"He has surpassed you, Tengen."
Yuki Tsukumo looked at Tengen's monstrous body and spoke slowly.
"You should have abandoned your human identity to embrace the status of a god long ago, but your hesitation has caused your progress to fall far behind."
"Today, your wavering has finally met its retribution."
"I've told you many times, Tsukumo," Tengen said indifferently.
"The reason I refuse to evolve into a god is that I cannot be certain what actions I would take after becoming one."
"Losing a human body means the hormones that maintain human thought processes also completely disappear."
"Can you determine how a higher-level lifeform, born purely of will and reason, would think?"
"The best result would be this kind of indifference, with no other changes in will."
"The worst result is that a god in charge of Japan's foundational barriers could, if they so wished, immediately force all humans in Japan to undergo the merger."
"Perhaps to 'it,' that would seem like the most beneficial outcome for humanity."
"At that point, no one would have the power to stop it."
Yuki Tsukumo shrugged.
"As it turns out, you were worrying over nothing."
Tengen was already in an intermediate state between god and human, yet her will remained completely unaffected.
This proved that her previous concerns had been entirely misplaced.
Tengen sighed and said no more.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing."
Satoru Gojo held his hands out and pressed them down repeatedly, imitating a soap opera heroine trying to stop a fight between the leading men.
"Aren't we discussing the Lord of Curses right now?"
"As for becoming a god or not... to tell you the truth, seeing Tengen's current tragic state, I certainly don't want to become any kind of god."
The "tragic" Tengen remained silent.
Satoru Gojo continued to rub salt in Tengen's wounds.
"I saw Tengen before, and she was truly a beauty."
"I remember she had long, light-colored hair."
"Though she was a bit unkempt, she possessed a dreamlike beauty."
"Just by looking at her, you could immediately recognize her as the sacred Master Tengen who governs Japan's barriers."
"But look at her now—"
Satoru Gojo clicked his tongue.
"I don't want to be mean."
"But going from a beautiful girl to a giant thumb... sorry, I really can't keep a straight face."
Tengen couldn't take it anymore and spoke coldly.
"This is all thanks to you."
Satoru Gojo shrugged.
"Well, it is thanks to me, that's true."
That incident had happened during Satoru Gojo's high school days.
At that time, Tengen was not in this thumb-like form; she possessed a sacred beauty just as Satoru Gojo described.
However, the price of maintaining that human form was that she had to merge with a Star Plasma Vessel every few centuries.
This Star Plasma Vessel was actually a human girl whose soul was compatible to undergo the merger with Tengen's.
Satoru Gojo's mission at the time was to safely escort the Star Plasma Vessel to Tengen.
According to Tengen, this was the destined mission of every wielder of the Six Eyes.
But that time, because of a man with a Heavenly Restriction, Satoru Gojo experienced the single failure of his entire life.
This resulted in Tengen losing her target for the merger.
From that moment on, her body began an unstoppable evolution toward godhood.
It continued until today, where her human form could no longer be maintained at all.
Incidentally, there were originally backup Star Plasma Vessels available, but Tengen had refused the merger.
Perhaps Tengen had also felt the shifting tides of the era and took the initiative to embrace evolution.
Unfortunately, she realized it a bit too late.
Yuki Tsukumo had once been a Star Plasma Vessel for Tengen as well.
After learning of her destiny back then, she had resisted fiercely.
Eventually, with Tengen's half-willing consent, she gained her freedom, mastered her Cursed Energy, and ultimately became a Special Grade Sorcerer.
Yuki Tsukumo started to get a headache.
"I'm starting to regret calling you here, Satoru."
"Can you stop messing around?"
Satoru Gojo raised his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright."
"I just saw how solemn you both were and wanted to liven up the atmosphere."
Pausing for a moment, Satoru Gojo's expression turned entirely serious.
"I understand the situation."
"The enemy I'm facing is a genuine monster."
"His monstrosity isn't just about the sheer scale of his Cursed Energy, but the fact that the concept of 'death' doesn't apply to him at all!"
"A creature that can endlessly resurrect and possesses limitless growth potential has completely matured right under our noses."
"It's my dereliction of duty."
Satoru Gojo frankly admitted his mistake.
"I thought that no matter how much the Lord of Curses grew, he couldn't possibly be my match."
"I thought that the moment my Six Eyes locked onto him, I could just twist his head off..."
"...but even in my wildest imagination, I never expected he could reach his current level."
"No, it's not your fault," Tengen sighed.
"It is my dereliction of duty."
"Within the Jujutsu Higher-Ups, there is a high-ranking official acting as a spy for the Lord of Curses."
"And it's not just any official—it is someone who has the clearance to contact me directly."
Satoru Gojo was genuinely shocked.
"Are you sure?"
"There should only be a handful of people with that kind of clearance, right?"
Even Satoru Gojo himself didn't have that privilege!
Because of Tengen's special status, the number of people who could contact her directly was incredibly small, and their authority was absolute.
Satoru Gojo originally held that qualification, but now that he was openly pushing for a radical reform of jujutsu society, the conservative higher-ups would never grant him such an honor.
The same applied to Yuki Tsukumo.
She was the type to openly flip off the Jujutsu Higher-Ups, so she certainly couldn't expect them to show her any respect.
In every era, Special Grade Sorcerers were considered the ultimate trump cards of the jujutsu world, and their supreme status was beyond question.
But this era was different.
Including Suguru Geto, who died a year ago, the modern Special Grade Sorcerers were far too rebellious.
It had reached a point where the Jujutsu Higher-Ups simply couldn't trust any of them.
Yuki Tsukumo explained further.
"I once discussed a plan with Tengen to use myself as bait to meet the Lord of Curses."
"Because Tengen was backing me up, as long as I met Immortal Master within Japan, he would never be able to escape her surveillance."
"At that point, the outcome of the battle would have been heavily in our favor."
"But you already know the result."
Yuki Tsukumo shrugged.
"Immortal Master never gave me the chance."
"After he contacted me, he almost immediately forced me to forge a Binding Vow and set our meeting place abroad."
"No matter how powerful Tengen's barriers are, she cannot monitor foreign soil."
Satoru Gojo frowned deeply.
"I find it hard to imagine..."
"...No, actually, it's not impossible."
"The current rulers of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups..."
"...they're all ancient old men, aren't they?"
"There isn't a single young person among them."
Satoru Gojo turned his gaze to Tengen to confirm his suspicion.
Tengen nodded in confirmation.
"Correct."
"Immortality..." Satoru Gojo lamented, finally understanding the motive.
The highest-level rulers of the Jujutsu Higher-Ups were supposed to be the most devoted individuals in the jujutsu world.
Only with that purity of purpose could they guide the future of jujutsu society with rational judgment.
Regardless of how decayed the Higher-Ups had become, they had at least performed their basic duties well.