Jujutsu Kaisen: I have everything I need now!

The college is located on the second basement level.

This place used to be used to store corpses. But now, it has been transformed into a fully-equipped operating room.

Fukuro Megumi lay on the bed in the middle of the ward.

Although the mask was removed, the scars on his face were shocking.

His once smooth skin was now covered with fine, dark red cracks, and what was terrifying was that these cracks were not just on the surface; they were like plant roots, deeply embedded in his flesh.

Shoko Ieiri was wearing a white lab coat, with an unlit cigarette dangling from her mouth and a freshly printed physical data report in her hand.

"These are not values ​​that humans should have."

Shoko slammed the report on the table with a soft thud.

"How so?"

Gojo Satoru leaned against the wall, still wearing his blindfold, with his hands in his pockets.

"His physical body has been repaired, and his internal organs are mostly fine. The Reversal Technique can heal all physical damage." Shoko pointed to the faint curves rising and falling on Fushiguro Megumi's chest. "But the problem lies in his magical energy circulation, and... his soul."

"soul?"

"The mask isn't just parasitic; it's a fusion." Shoko patted Fushiguro's head. "Now that the mask has been removed, the roots are still severed inside."

"Moreover, this remaining 'root' is undergoing some kind of strange chemical reaction with his original technique. Something unexpected might happen."

After a long while, Gojo Satoru straightened up, stretched, and his joints made a cracking sound.

"I see."

"Since it's a 'root,' it will eventually be dug out. As long as people are alive, there is still hope."

He walked to the door, placed his hand on the doorknob, and paused for a moment.

"Shoko, don't tell Hisahito and the others about this yet. Those kids have been through enough trouble these past few days, let them get some rest first."

"I'm a doctor, I know what I'm doing."

……

The rooftop of the male dormitory at a vocational college.

This is a place where everyone gathers, and it's usually very lively, but now it seems unusually deserted.

Yuji Itadori sat atop the water tank, holding a can of warm cola, staring blankly at the distant sky.

"What are you thinking about? Why do you look like you've been dumped?"

A voice broke his reverie. Kugizaki Nobara limped up, her left leg in a cast, leaning on a wooden stick. Despite her disheveled appearance, her spirit remained strong.

"Kugizaki..." Itadori turned and glanced at her, forcing a smile, "Is your leg alright?"

"It's just a broken bone, it'll be fine in a few days." Kugisaki laboriously climbed onto the water tank, sat down next to Itadori, snatched the cola from his hand, and gulped down a large mouthful.

"ha--!"

"It tastes awful, it's all flat."

"Feel sorry."

"What are you apologizing for, you idiot?" Kugizaki crushed the empty can and tossed it aside. "Fushiguro was saved, everyone is alive, that's the best outcome."

"But..." Itadori lowered his head, looking at his palm, "I always feel..."

"I used to think that as long as I ate all of Sukuna's fingers and died with Sukuna, I could end all of this. But now that the threat to Sukuna is gone... there are more enemies now, not just cursed spirits, but also those mysterious shadows, and that persistent ghost, Rōsō."

"And, Fukuro..." Itadori's voice trembled slightly.

"That's not Fushiguro, that's a mask." Kugizaki slapped Itajima on the back, making him wince in pain. "Stop obsessing over that! If Fushiguro really wanted to kill you, you'd be a pile of mangled flesh by now. Didn't he stop at the last moment? That was proof that he was fighting back!"

"We are sorcerers, not gods."

"Remember this! We can't save everyone, and sometimes we can't even save ourselves."

Kugizaki looked at the distant sky, his eyes softening.

"But as long as we have a breath left, we have to grit our teeth and keep going. For those who have died, and for those who are still alive."

Looking at Kugizaki's vibrant profile, Itadori felt a glimmer of light in his heart.

"You're right, Kugizaki."

He clenched his fist, his eyes regaining their resolve.

"We need to get stronger. Strong enough that next time we encounter that situation, I'll smash those annoying shadows and chains to pieces!"

"That's more like it." Kugizaki grinned.

"Let's go to the cafeteria. I'm starving. I heard that Maki-senpai is forcing Panda to treat us to hot pot."

"Oh! Hot pot!"

……

Tokyo Vocational College, back mountain.

Compared to the bustling dormitory area, this place was almost too quiet. The only sound was the rustling of leaves in the wind.

Zhen leaned against an ancient tree, meticulously polishing the jet-black "Black Queen." This pistol, formed by blending shadow energy with the [Tiger] talisman and condensing it using the transformations of the [Monkey] talisman, did not reflect sunlight. Instead, it resembled a black hole, constantly absorbing the light that shone upon it.

On the first day of the twelfth month, he stood beside her, closing his eyes to rest.

After that battle underground, his soul was greatly depleted. The act of forcibly entering another's mental world and severing the soul chains with the power of talismans was a considerable burden for him, who had only unleashed less than half of his power at the moment.

"How are you?"

Zhenyi didn't look up, but simply asked a question.

"Thanks to the landlady, I'm not going to die for now." December 1st opened her eyes. "But this time we really lost out. Not only did we not get to unleash stronger power, but we also got noticed by the world."

"Actually, it wasn't entirely without gains."

Mayi stopped wiping, raised her gun, and aimed it at the air.

She pulled the trigger.

No bullets were fired, but the air at the muzzle instantly distorted, and a black ripple spread out silently, instantly turning a falling bamboo leaf into powder.

"This gun is growing." Zhenyi looked at the weapon in her hand, a strange light flashing in her eyes. "It seems... to be yearning for something."

"Oh?" December explained, "Could it be that its core is the energy source of that shadow soldier? After you kill a shadow soldier with it, it will absorb that shadow energy, and the more it absorbs, the greater its power becomes."

"It seems that this is still a weapon that can be improved."

"It sounds like some kind of evil magic sword."

"It's good enough as long as it works."

Zhenyi put away her gun, turned her head, and looked intently at the first day of December.

"Shuo".

"Um?"

"When we were underground... you said you wanted to go into the shadow of Fukuro." Mayi's eyes flickered, as if she hesitated to ask, "What did you see inside? I sensed that you've been distracted ever since you came out."

December 1st was taken aback.

He recalled the bottomless black ocean, the malicious whispers, and the small figure huddled in the cage.

And...in the deepest part of that spiritual world, there is that enormous eye that seems to be watching everything.

The moment he pulled Fu Hei out, he made eye contact with that being.

A single glance sent shivers down his spine. It was a being similar to him, not belonging to this world; that was the true "King of Shadows."

"It's nothing," December 1st chuckled. "Just a sea of ​​shadows."

"Oh, right!"

"There was also a little crybaby. Other than that, nothing special."

Zhenyi stared at him for a few seconds, seemingly trying to find a flaw in his expression.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." Mai turned around. "Ms. Shoko asked me to go for a follow-up examination. Let's go together."

"Yes, ma'am."

Watching Zhenyi's departing figure, the smile on December Shuo's face gradually disappeared.

"The King of Shadows..."