The moment that name left his lips—Mo Gojo—it clicked.

  I recognized him.

  That voice. That posture. The wild confidence that made reality itself seem like his playground.

  He was my friend. The one who had warned me about Truck-kun, back before everything changed. But what the hell was he doing here, in this world, fighting like he was born for it?

  Then, without a flicker of hesitation, he raised his hand and said with a calm smile:

  > “Domain Expansion: Barren Wasteland.”

  The air around us warped. The buildings, debris, and echoes of battle disappeared. In an instant, Uraume and Mo vanished—teleported to a sprawling desert of bone-dry sand and blazing sun. A cracked earth stretched endlessly beneath a white-hot sky, the pressure alone enough to choke a weaker sorcerer.

  Uraume stood across from him, her ice-infused cursed energy radiating furiously. But even she couldn’t hide the subtle twitch of her eye—the unmistakable feeling of impending doom.

  Mo stood there, arms raised, and the ground behind Uraume trembled.

  Then—

  An entire mountain of sand erupted, crashing forward with the speed of a landslide. It buried her in seconds.

  From above the dunes, Mo stretched one arm forward, pointing at the shifting mound like a god judging a city.

  > “Hollow Purple.”

  A tiny glowing orb formed on his fingertip. It spiraled, split light into purple, violet, and white—and then exploded forward as a colossal beam of destructive force.

  The blast disintegrated the entire mountain.

  And Uraume with it.

  The domain dissipated like smoke in the wind, revealing Mo Gojo standing unharmed as the desert unraveled behind him. He brushed imaginary dust off his coat and turned toward me, flashing a grin.

  > “Hey, Yuji. Long time no see.”

  My heart skipped a beat. That wasn’t my name here.

  He walked up and leaned in, whispering beneath the sound of crackling curses around us:

  > “I got the Truck-kun treatment too. But all the playable characters were taken… so I made my own.”

  I stared at him for a second before nodding slowly.

  He grinned wider and opened his palm, revealing three Sukuna fingers. The cursed energy radiating off them almost made Nobara gag.

  > “Uraume dropped these. Yours now.”

  I didn’t hesitate. I took them. I devoured them.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Nineteen.

  Now only one remained.

  Mo turned to the others and said with a sudden seriousness, “Let’s go. We need to talk to Master Tengen.”

  ---

  Arrival at Jujutsu High — Tomb of the Star

  We arrived at Jujutsu High’s deepest chamber, beneath layers of ancient cursed seals. There, surrounded by glowing floating talismans and barrier inscriptions, was the Tomb of the Star Corridor.

  And waiting in its center was Tengen.

  A being beyond gender. Beyond time. Their face covered by a veil of golden talismans like a haloed priest. Their voice was neither man nor woman—just presence, ancient and calm.

  > “You’ve arrived,” Tengen said without turning. “And you’ve brought what I needed.”

  I stepped forward. Tengen’s aura was suffocating in its stillness, like standing inside a thought that had lasted a thousand years.

  > “There’s someone waiting for you,” they continued, “at the back gate of the Prison Realm.”

  They turned and began walking through a corridor behind the chamber. We followed in silence.

  At the gate, light spilled from cracks in the earth.

  There, we met her.

  ---

  Hana Kurusu — The Angel

  She floated just slightly above the ground. Her hair shimmered like starlight, silver strands framing her glowing eyes. A golden ring of light hovered behind her back like angelic wings.

  She radiated divine cursed energy.

  Hana Kurusu, or as some called her: The Angel.

  > “You are the ones seeking to unseal Gojo Satoru,” she said, her voice gentle but filled with judgment.

  Tengen nodded.

  Hana raised one arm toward the sealed cube.

  > “Jacob’s Ladder.”

  A beam of celestial light shot down from above, crashing into the Prison Realm. The ground shattered under the holy pressure. The light grew so bright that we shielded our eyes—and from the center of it all, a familiar figure began to rise.

  ---

  The Return of Gojo Satoru

  A ripple tore through the fabric of cursed energy.

  And from that blinding column of divine light, he stepped forward.

  Gojo Satoru.

  Wearing his black coat. Blindfold resting on his forehead. That smirk of pure chaos on his face.

  > “Yo. Long time no see.”

  The whole world seemed to exhale.

  He turned to me then. The smile faded.

  His voice dropped into something heavy, something final:

  > “Yuji. Go get the last finger.”

  I nodded once. No questions. No hesitation.

  ---

  The Hunt for the Final Finger

  [Search Montage Begins]

  We scoured ruins. Battled scavenger curses in decaying temples. Climbed into the belly of a half-collapsed mountain rumored to house ancient cursed artifacts. Each time I got close, it would slip away—protected by barrier after barrier.

  I fought cursed spirits. Dodged traps. Stole forbidden maps.

  And finally, in a shrine so silent it hurt, I found it: resting in the skeletal jaws of a dead priest.

  The twentieth finger of Ryomen Sukuna.

  It pulsed with more energy than I’d ever felt. The air distorted around it. My soul screamed at me not to touch it.

  I grabbed it anyway—and ate it.

  My eyes went black for a second. My knees buckled.

  But I stood.

  I had all twenty.

  ---

  Back at the Battlefield

  I returned to the heart of Tokyo.

  Gojo stood in the ruins, arms crossed, facing off against a shadowy battlefield lit by cursed flames.

  Next to him stood a young man with a distant, solemn look—and an enormous spectral figure looming protectively behind him.

  Yuta Okkotsu.

  Hair dark and unruly. Eyes sunken but sharp. His aura was calm, dangerous, like a knife hidden in water.

  And behind him—Rika.

  A massive, monstrous shikigami wreathed in cursed energy. Bound to Yuta by love and death, her form shifted like a nightmare given flesh.

  Gojo turned to me. His face was the calm before a storm.

  > “This is it. The final battle.”

  He placed a hand on my shoulder.

  > “This battle will change the world forever.”

  He leaned closer and whispered:

  > “Switch now, Yuji.”

  And just like that…

  I felt Sukuna’s presence clawing through my mind.

  I closed my eyes…

  And let go.

  ---