Chapter 116: Shengzai: Who

Fukuroi Megumi hadn’t expected that the two-faced Sōnō’s finger swallowed by Gojo had been suppressed all this time, yet could still surface in this manner.

And now even a fool could see that the two-faced Sōnō’s words just now were never sincere.

Fukuroi Megumi didn’t know what the two-faced Sōnō’s true goal was, but he could tell that the two-faced Sōnō had deliberately provoked Gojo to lure him into this “curse barrier.”

Normally, Gojo would indeed remain wary of the two-faced Sōnō’s words.

But today, Gojo was already deeply anxious about facing the Special Grade Curse Spirit Shengzai alone, and the two-faced Sōnō’s provocation struck right at his psychological weakness.

Watching Gojo charge into the “curse barrier,” Fukuroi Megumi hesitated no longer and quickly followed him inside.

After all, Gojo’s situation was unusual, and the two-faced Sōnō’s intentions were deeply suspicious—he couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.

And though they had only known each other a short while, Gojo’s character and integrity had already made Fukuroi Megumi consider him a friend.

Seeing his squadmates enter the barrier one after another, the one left behind, Nails, paused for a moment, then resolutely charged in after them.

As for the other side, Shengzai, who entered the barrier right after Gojo and the others, began searching for the curse spirit’s whereabouts the moment he stepped into the “Innate Domain.”

Due to the effect of the “Innate Domain,” the building appeared to have only a few floors from outside, but inside, it was an entirely different world.

The vast, crimson domain contained over a dozen levels, yet even after entering, Shengzai failed to immediately locate the Special Grade Curse Spirit.

Even low-grade curse spirits in Tokyo possessed intelligence comparable to humans, let alone a Special Grade Curse Spirit.

Even if this curse spirit had only recently been born, upon sensing an intruder, it did not immediately strike—but instead cleverly assessed the intruder’s strength first.

Since the entire Innate Domain was formed from its own power, Shengzai couldn’t even track its location by sensing cursed energy.

After searching several floors, Shengzai, who had been suppressing his cursed energy and aura, knew inwardly that the Special Grade Curse Spirit had been watching him in secret all along—and now that it had judged his true strength, it was about to strike.

The curse spirit’s aura had merged completely with the Innate Domain; frankly, Shengzai couldn’t pinpoint its exact position.

As is well known, those who cultivate martial arts or swordsmanship possess senses far sharper than ordinary people.

Though Shengzai couldn’t sense the curse spirit’s location or aura, the persistent feeling of being watched and the faint yet undeniable sense of danger assured him that the enemy was moving nearby.

And as time passed, Shengzai could feel that this sense of danger was growing steadily stronger.

This meant the enemy’s patience was nearly exhausted—and it was about to attack.

Yet though Shengzai had raised his vigilance to the utmost, his expression remained utterly calm.

Clearly, the hidden Special Grade Curse Spirit sought to break his will, waiting for him to lower his guard before launching a surprise attack.

But for Shengzai, this was also a perfect opportunity to turn the tables.

When the enemy struck, it would be at its most vulnerable moment—and if Shengzai suddenly spun around and struck back, could the Special Grade Curse Spirit react in time?

Shengzai wandered through the domain, glancing left and right, while the hidden Special Grade Curse Spirit watched from the shadows, both silently plotting to kill the other in the next instant.

Just as Shengzai turned into a dead-end corridor, his mind screamed a warning—the sense of danger from behind reached its peak.

Anticipating the enemy’s move, Shengzai clenched his fist, ready to unleash a killing technique and catch it off guard—only to find that the moment he turned around, the overwhelming sense of danger vanished instantly.

Even as Shengzai turned, he saw only a white figure flash past at blinding speed, its frantic motion resembling a man spotting a giant lizard.

Shengzai, who had planned to surprise the enemy, stood frozen, staring at the rapidly retreating Special Grade Curse Spirit—he hadn’t even delivered his surprise, yet the enemy had already given him one.

“Did this Special Grade Curse Spirit realize I was pretending? That’s impossible—I completely suppressed my cursed energy and killing intent.”

If I had been exposed, it wouldn’t have followed me this long, nor would it have prepared to strike just now.”

Since the problem isn’t with me, then the only explanation is that some other factor caused the Special Grade Curse Spirit to abandon me.”

“Damn it—who the hell is ruining my chance? I was this close!”

Watching the Special Grade Curse Spirit flee, Shengzai had no choice but to give chase; the Innate Domain was vast, and if the enemy hid again, finding it next time would be far harder.

Moreover, Shengzai could tell this Special Grade Curse Spirit had only recently been born, so dealing with it now was still manageable.

Once it began adapting to its own power, this Innate Domain would likely evolve further—and its threat level would skyrocket.

As for why the Special Grade Curse Spirit abandoned Shengzai, the reason was simple: it sensed new prey entering its domain.

And among these three new intruders, the Special Grade Curse Spirit felt one young man possessed a deadly allure to it.

Without needing to say it, the one who attracted the Special Grade Curse Spirit was none other than Gojo Yūjin.

This domain was born from the two-faced Sōnō’s finger, and since both the domain and the finger shared the same source of power, a natural connection existed between them.

Just as the Special Grade Curse Spirit was drawn to the two-faced Sōnō’s finger inside Gojo, the two-faced Sōnō within Gojo had deliberately manipulated him into entering here—to reclaim its own power.

In the two-faced Sōnō’s view, Gojo, though a unique vessel, still had inherent limits.

Originally an ordinary human, Gojo had perfectly suppressed the power of one finger—but when he swallowed the second, though the two-faced Sōnō couldn’t control his body, it had already begun to surface.

Why did Gojo bring Gojo to Jujutsu High? One reason was to monitor his condition; another was to push the limits of Gojo as a vessel.

(End of Chapter)