Chapter 701: Give your all to atone for the past—and then kill yourself!

"A decisive act! But unfortunately, what I want, you cannot give."

Su Han walked calmly and confidently to stand before the Son of Heaven and Tōdō Kikujō, sat down on a chair with ease, and regarded the two before him with keen interest.

"Without discussing it, how could you possibly know?"

Tōdō Kikujō remained unruffled, unhurried.

"What if I said! I demand you enact policies most favorable to the Cursed Children, and severely punish those... who dare harm them! Spread this policy across the entire world, gather all the helpless Cursed Children, would you agree?"

Su Han asked in return.

Tōdō Kikujō's expression turned extremely grim.

He was a statesman of great resolve and cunning, known throughout his rule for his iron-fisted methods.

Moreover, everyone familiar with Tōdō Kikujō knew he despised the Cursed Children above all else.

Had the one making this demand not been Su Han, who held absolute military superiority, Tōdō Kikujō might already have erupted in rage.

"Could you propose another condition?"

Tōdō Kikujō's voice was hoarse, "Something that serves your own selfish desires!"

"Of course."

Su Han nodded cheerfully, before Tōdō Kikujō could even show relief, Su Han whispered softly, "Then I ask you—submit to me."

In a breath, Su Han's eyes instantly transformed into a Mangekyō Sharingan.

Tōdō Kikujō's pupils shrank sharply; he instinctively sensed danger and tried to look away, to break eye contact—but it was too late.

He was directly hypnotized by Su Han.

"From this day forward! All hatred you harbor toward the Cursed Children shall be transformed into love for them!"

Tōdō Kikujō's face twisted slightly, clearly resisting something.

But for Su Han, whose Rinnegan had reached such power that its influence was unimaginable, Tōdō Kikujō's resistance was as fragile as glass—shattering at the slightest touch.

Tōdō Kikujō's expression gradually calmed, his voice now hoarse and low.

"No problem! From this day forward... whoever dares harm a Cursed Child shall face my furious retribution."

"I will not allow anyone to harm the Cursed Children!"

The Son of Heaven's cheek twitched.

Though her nature was not strong, seeing this, even if she wished to speak, she now dared not utter a word—frozen in terror.

She did not dare move.

"Good."

Su Han smiled faintly, "Once you have completed Tokyo's transformation—turned it into the most suitable city for the Cursed Children, and made all preparations—then atone for your past crimes against them..."

"And then kill yourself."

Tōdō Kikujō's face was calm; he nodded.

His voice was quiet yet resolute.

"Yes! The sins I committed... cannot be forgiven! I will devote every ounce of my strength to atoning for them."

"Once I have built a safe world for the Cursed Children, I shall take my own life to make amends!"

Tōdō Kikujō's gaze grew solemn; then suddenly he rose, completely ignoring Su Han and the others before him.

He ignored the chaos filling the entire room.

He bowed deeply to the Son of Heaven.

"Allow me to withdraw for now. The Cursed Children still suffer unimaginable torment within this city—it is wrong."

"I cannot tolerate this for even a single minute!"

"Son of Heaven, please permit me to act!"

With that, Tōdō Kikujō walked out of the room, his expression resolute.

One-Way Street: ""

One-Way Street stared blankly as Tōdō Kikujō's demeanor changed utterly; when she finally grasped what had happened, her brow twitched several times.

She looked at Su Han in silence.

"...... That's a bit too cruel, isn't it?"

"Do you think I did wrong?" Su Han asked in return.

One-Way Street fell silent for a long while, then gritted her teeth and nodded, "No! You did right... or rather, you did: absolutely right."

One-Way Street, having seen the memory copies, had a rough estimate of how deeply Tōdō Kikujō hated the Cursed Children.

If all that hatred were turned into love... One-Way Street suddenly smiled, "Fascinating. The nightmares of those who abused the Cursed Children are about to begin, aren't they?"

If all hatred were transformed into love... A Certain Passage suddenly laughed, "Fascinating! The nightmares of those who abused the Cursed Children are about to arrive, aren't they?"

Su Han said nothing in response.

Su Han certainly despised Tōdō Kikujō, but he would never deny his capabilities.

Su Han certainly despised Kikunojo Tendo, but he would never deny Kikunojo Tendo's abilities.

His skill and influence far surpassed those of the Son of Heaven; indeed, if Tōdō Kikujō wished, he could completely sideline the Son of Heaven.

Though Su Han and his allies were powerful, changing the entire social structure would be extremely difficult.

But if Tōdō Kikujō threw himself fully into it, he might actually succeed.

One-Way Street shook her head, exhaled slowly, her voice tinged with complexity.

Yifang Tongxing shook his head, exhaled a breath, his voice tinged with complexity.