A Bizarre Adventure That Begins in Jujutsu Kaisen

"Protecting the weak is the duty of the strong—I used to believe that too."

But I'm just a sorcerer, not some champion of justice.

Xia Youjie tilted his head slightly, looking at the sky that was cut off by the city's buildings.

"Later I witnessed countless tragedies and discovered that non-magicians were not only weak but also ugly."

They will trample each other out of fear, harm others out of ignorance, and hate those who are different out of narrow-mindedness...

They continually breed curses, yet show no gratitude to those who saved them.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Theo again, his smile still gentle, but something cold and resolute was hidden in his eyes.

That was not the fanaticism of a fool, but the sober awareness of humanity after completely abandoning illusions.

Even if we keep trying to prove our worth and do our best to save others, it will all be in vain in the end!

So I think—perhaps non-magicians don't need 'protection'. Perhaps what they need is a complete purification.

Dio remained silent for a moment.

The afternoon sun shone through the gaps between the old residential buildings, casting dappled light at his feet.

In the distance, the faint sounds of traffic, children playing, and the whirring of a television from a window drifted out—these were the noisy yet vibrant sounds of the ordinary world.

He asked again, as calmly as if confirming the known conditions of a math problem:

What are the differences between sorcerers and non-sorcerers? What is their respective population percentage?

Xia Youjie seemed to have been prepared for this question.

"The difference lies in the natural structure of the brain."

Without such a structure, it is impossible to perceive and manipulate magical power.

As for the percentage...

He paused briefly, carefully considering his words.

"Unfortunately, sorcerers are one in a million."

We are a higher species, possessing innate superhuman strength, and our numbers are naturally small.

There are probably only a few hundred thousand people in the whole world who possess magical powers or have the potential to possess magical powers.

Therefore, my ideal is not "enlightenment," but "the chosen people."

Although he expressed regret verbally, Xia You's voice revealed no trace of remorse.

Theo did not interrupt, but simply nodded slightly and raised his hand to gesture "please continue".

"Humans have already reached the top of the food chain, yet they still dream of a higher existence, which they call 'God' and place their faith in."

Don't you think that's strange?

God always protects people, and so do so-called sorcerers.

With sorcerers like us around, humans have no need to have such dreams at all.

He paused, then looked directly into Theo's eyes.

"But non-magicians would rather ignore beings who are better than them... even fear, reject, and try to eliminate them."

The weak, because of their sheer number, often overshadow those who should shine, leaving them to suffer in mediocrity—how tragic!

The paradise I envision only requires the strong—only those who are clear-headed, capable of seeing reality clearly, taking responsibility, and creating value.

Theo's voice was devoid of emotion: "So, how many people support your idea?"

"49," Xia Youjie answered without hesitation. "If you're included, that makes 50."

"So—how far have you progressed your plan? Or rather, how many non-magicians have you each killed?"

"I didn't count carefully, but there were probably over a hundred."

Xia Youjie said without changing his expression.

"The plan hasn't even started yet. We're still in the early stages of helping people solve problems with curses and accumulating funds."

"Me? Thirty-something? I think it was thirty-six?" The foreigner actually thought about it seriously for a moment. "Oh dear, I can't quite remember."

"More than forty," the bandaged youth said, giving a number whose veracity was also uncertain.

"Are all these people...innocent? I mean, innocent in the sense of being law-abiding and morally upright."

"Of course not."

Whether it's the clients who come to us to kill using curses, or the unfortunate victims, they're all basically capitalists whose very pores are dripping with blood and tears.

The foreigner's tone carried a sense of nonchalance and certainty.

"Xia Youqin—it seems like a village was massacred nine years ago."

However, that was because the ignorant villagers wanted to kill two innocent sorceress girls.

Even curse masters have their principles.

After all, we're supposed to be the ones sounding the clarion call for a new era; we certainly won't do anything too despicable.

"That sounds very good." Theo nodded. "Then one last question—have you ever seen an atom?"

The air fell silent for a moment.

The blond man raised an eyebrow, while the bandaged youth remained silent.

Xia Youjie tilted his head slightly, as if he had heard a harmless joke.

"How could a human possibly see atoms with the naked eye? Unless it's a one-of-a-kind exception like Gojo Satoru."

"Seeing it directly with the eyes?" Theo pressed. "Is his technique scanning tunneling microscopy?"

"No, that's a gift he was born with, a special visual organ known as 'six eyes'," Xia Youjie explained patiently.

"Oh, but I've seen atoms before too?"

Theo's voice carried a subtle hint of emotion.

"Through human technology, using quartz tuning forks and atomic force imaging, we can 'see' what atoms look like."

"Hmm? What are you trying to say?"

"If you truly considered yourself a god, you wouldn't hate non-magicians so much."

It is perfectly normal for a non-magician to be inferior to a magician—just as a child is inferior to an adult. This is the natural order of all things growing, so why be angry about it?

Ultimately, sorcerers will emerge from non-sorcerers, so sorcerers protecting non-sorcerers is like adults protecting children.

If I were you—I would rejoice in saving the world, and also in cleaning up the trash.

Your mistake was treating trash and children as the same thing!

There's no need to feel guilty about cleaning up trash!

Xia Youjie's pupils contracted slightly.

These words... pierced so precisely into that deep-seated wound in my heart that had been buried for so many years.

The cold logic he had long constructed to support the entire "righteous cause" was now being casually dissected and reorganized by someone he had just met, pointing in a direction that even he himself had never clearly examined.

Cleaning up trash and protecting children are two different things.

I realized I was wrong...

Noticing Xia Youjie's shock, Theo continued to analyze reality, his voice filled with piety and admiration:

"Remove the garbage and look again, and you'll see that humans are such powerful and energetic intelligent beings."

Just as ants are naturally unable to see the whole picture of the world, humans are also naturally limited by their senses and cannot directly see the essence of the world.

But at all times, humanity has been pushing the boundaries of cognition and technology with unimaginable enthusiasm, turning the unknown into the known.

Can you imagine?

In the future, humanity may be able to create virtual reality and develop artificial intelligence—not by recording reality, but by creating something from nothing, constructing entirely new worlds using the flow of 0s and 1s.

"Turns out he was a believer in science."

Xia Youjie's smile faded slightly, but he stubbornly retorted, refusing to admit defeat.

"If you're looking for investment and sponsorship, you can leave now. I'll spare your life out of consideration for our shared background as sorcerers."

"I never said I wouldn't accept your invitation."

"Oh?"

"But even if we join, who has the final say is another matter." Theo's voice finally carried a hint of a smile.

He stepped forward, extended his right hand, palm up, and made an inviting gesture.

"In the world of sorcerers, shouldn't the strong be respected?"

How about we make a bet?

"Let's have a fight. Whoever wins will be in charge for the next ten years, how about it?"