HRU: Chapter 156/157

Chapter 156: Fortress Blaze
Satoshi's expression remained indifferent. There was no joy on his face, even after awakening Ryūjin Jakka.

The sight of his youthful frame holding a blazing Zanpakutō created a sharp contradiction.

He lifted his head slightly, eyes shifting to the upper right. The moment Ryūjin Jakka awakened, his Six Eyes had already locked onto Tengen.

The Six Eyes met her gaze.

I found you.

Satoshi's lips moved slightly, though he made no sound. Yet Tengen clearly understood his unspoken words.

---

You found me? So what? Can Satoshi really break through the spatial barrier of the Tombs of the Star?

Tengen raised an eyebrow, an amused smile curling at her lips.

She was looking forward to the surprise Satoshi would deliver next.

Under the expectant gazes of everyone present, Satoshi raised his Zanpakutō high. Flames continued to dance along its blade, evaporating the moisture in the air.

Everyone was waiting to see how Jogo would die.

But at that moment, Satoshi's expression shifted to a cold smile as he glared toward the one spying through the projection. The flames on Ryūjin Jakka surged violently.

Then, they heard one sentence.

"Jōkaku Enjō (Fortress Blaze)"

A massive fireball burst forward like a giant hand.

In the next instant, the projection shattered. The massive flaming hand, which should not have been able to manifest in that space, broke through and engulfed the area where everyone was watching. Raging fire formed a blazing prison, sealing off the entire viewing group.

At the same time, the Coffin of the Iron Mountain—the Domain that had been maintained by Tengen—was shattered by the very flames of Satoshi's attack.

Jogo felt a searing pain cover his body. As a Special Grade cursed spirit, this was the first time he had ever experienced the sensation of being burned.

I'm not dead?

Jogo was filled with confusion. He hadn't been incinerated by the flames of the Zanpakutō. In fact, he realized the young man before him had shown no hostility.

What's going on?

Weren't they just fighting to the death?

He could feel his skin scorched and cracked. The burning Zanpakutō still glowed in Satoshi's hand. Yet what filled Jogo's heart now was submission. The flaming sword held by Satoshi was the true king of fire.

This was no ordinary weapon. He could feel it clearly, his own soul was resonating with the heat of that blade.

It felt like Satoshi's Zanpakutō wasn't just a weapon… it was another cursed spirit.

In the end, Jogo could only watch as Satoshi ignored him and leapt through the broken space.

I was really spared...

"Why are you still standing there? Come on."

Satoshi's youthful voice called from beyond the portal. Jogo jolted slightly. After hesitating for a second, he followed.

He didn't know what awaited him, but... the worst case was death, right?

...

Inside the Tombs of the Star.

Tengen and the others were now surrounded by the massive flaming hand formed from Satoshi's technique. None of them had expected this.

This was the Tombs of the Star, Tengen's sanctuary. It was considered the safest place in all of Japan's jujutsu world.

And yet, right here, Tengen—revered as the highest authority—was trapped in a cage of fire.

Satoshi landed steadily on the ground, followed moments later by Jogo, who crashed down after him.

Though he hadn't taken the brunt of Ryūjin Jakka's flames in that mysterious space, he was still burned by the aftershock of Jōkaku Enjō.

He had expended a tremendous amount of Cursed Energy just to recover from those burns.

Seeing the group of people now trapped in the fire, Jogo immediately realized—his fight with Satoshi had been observed by all of them.

Though born just recently from a Cursed Womb, Jogo wasn't foolish. He quickly pieced together why he'd been brought here.

But strangely enough, he felt no anger.

After all, just witnessing the power of Ryūjin Jakka… he felt no regrets, even in death.

Still, Satoshi himself wasn't entirely satisfied.

Sure, he'd awakened Ryūjin Jakka, and he had successfully released its technique.

But that didn't justify the way he'd been manipulated.

...

Within the sea of flames, no one attempted to break out.

Even a glance was enough to distort vision.

The terrifying temperature made even approaching the fire unthinkable.

This flame did not belong to this world. It was the kind of fire that could reduce all things to nothing.

Only Tengen, protected by her immortality, dared to reach out and touch the flames, curiously savoring the heat.

It was the awakening of Ryūjin Jakka that led to all this.

For the first time, the world had witnessed the true power of Ryūjin Jakka.

Tengen could now confirm without a doubt—Ryūjin Jakka's flames came from beyond this world.

Satoshi was indeed a variable in this reality.

...

"Satoshi, you came out!"

Satoru scratched his head awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Toji remained silent as always. After all, he and Satoru had done nothing but stand aside and watch the whole time.

"Hey, Satoshi-kun, long time no see."

Yuto greeted him warmly. It was only then Satoshi noticed another familiar presence.

Standing next to Yuto, the young boy Geto Suguru made Satoshi feel the pull of fate.

He, Satoru, Geto, and Toji—gathered together in the Tombs of the Star. It all felt like destiny.

This place truly lived up to its reputation as the most mysterious location in the entire jujutsu world. A mysterious palace paired with a mysterious person, it all felt untouchable.

Satoshi had no intention of becoming Tengen's enemy.

Even though the process had been a little humiliating, her goal had been to help him grow. So he wasn't planning on making things difficult for her.

He had only used Jōkaku Enjō to scare her a little.

However, what left Satoshi speechless was the strange young woman among the group trapped inside the flames. She had actually reached out and touched the fire wall…

Was she trying to die?

(To be continued.)

Chapter 157: Cursed Spirit Manipulation, Jogo Refuses

Jōkaku Enjō, the technique following Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai, was overwhelmingly powerful—especially within the area engulfed by its flames.

Anyone trapped inside had to endure temperatures exceeding 6,000 degrees if they hoped to break through from within.

Ordinary people who touched it would be instantly reduced to ash.

Satoshi hadn't held back at all when he released the flame just moments ago. He never imagined someone would actually reach out and touch it after sensing that level of heat.

Could it be that this strange woman couldn't feel the heat at all?

...

Who was she, exactly? Why didn't he recognize her at all? Someone like her shouldn't be some background figure to appear here.

This was the Tombs of the Star.

Satoshi watched as the strange woman touched the flame, unable to react in time to stop her or withdraw the flames.

It looked like a tragedy was about to unfold.

...

"What's going on?"

The woman's hand touched the flames, but contrary to Satoshi's expectations, she wasn't burned.

As Yuki voiced her concern, Satoshi had already formed a rough guess.

So that's it. This strange woman… is actually Tengen?

Right now, Tengen appeared as a young girl, completely different from the multi-eyed image Satoshi had in his mind.

"Gojo Satoshi, are you satisfied with the gift I prepared for you?"

Tengen looked at him with a smile. Her tone was casual, as though she'd just done something trivial.

Satoshi felt a bit helpless.

This was a "gift"? He couldn't argue. It was true. But how much manpower and effort had been hidden behind that seemingly offhand comment?

This was the Cursed Womb of a Special Grade cursed spirit. From its discovery to its birth, the Tombs of the Star had clearly poured great resources into bringing Jogo into existence.

No doubt, Tengen had gone to great lengths to awaken Ryūjin Jakka for him.

And his so-called girlfriend, Yuki, had clearly played a major role in the whole affair.

His frustration with Ryūjin Jakka must have been passed along by her, which gave Tengen the idea.

No matter how you looked at it, he had benefited the most from all of this.

...

"Aren't you going to exorcise that cursed spirit?"

As Satoshi dispersed the flames, Geto asked subconsciously.

He was clearly a bit envious of the Special Grade cursed spirit. If Satoshi wasn't planning to exorcise it, he wouldn't mind stepping in himself.

"Geto Suguru, right?"

Satoshi glanced at the younger version of Geto and gave a small nod.

"With your current strength, can you control a Special Grade cursed spirit?"

The casual question made Geto's expression shift.

This was their first meeting. He was sure of that. But why could this stranger say his name and identify his Cursed Technique at a glance?

It felt like he'd been completely stripped bare, like there was nothing he could hide.

The azure glow of Satoshi's Six Eyes looked just like Satoru's, yet the pressure he gave off was far greater.

Geto fell silent, unsure how to respond.

Yuto and Yuki were also shocked. Neither expected Satoshi to know about the Cursed Spirit Manipulation technique.

But Yuki quickly recalled the day she first met him. Back then, Satoshi had guessed her Star Rage technique almost instantly.

Thinking of that, everything started to make sense.

"If you want, you can try to subdue him. If you succeed, he might become your strongest fighting asset."

As he spoke, Satoshi touched his chin, recalling how during Shunichi's evaluation, there had been another Special Grade cursed spirit resembling a snow monster in Hokkaido.

If Geto could subdue Jogo, it might be a good idea to let Shunichi take him to capture that one too.

Satoshi's suggestion made Geto feel tempted.

Even though he didn't know how Satoshi knew so much about his situation, he couldn't deny the appeal of having a Special Grade cursed spirit in front of him.

Swallowing cursed spirits was disgusting, but if it was one made from a Special Grade… he'd gladly endure it.

However, the way Satoshi talked like no one else was present irritated Jogo.

He didn't fully understand the nature of Geto's technique, but the name Cursed Spirit Manipulation already gave it away.

He had lost to Satoshi. That was a difference in strength.

But being taken by this boy with odd bangs?

Just through manipulation alone?

Jogo stared hard at Geto. As a Special Grade cursed spirit, he had his pride.

He could accept submission to Ryūjin Jakka, but not to some random boy.

Because of Jogo's resistance, Geto ultimately failed to subdue him.

All Geto could do was sigh.

"As expected, with my current strength, it's still too difficult to control a Special Grade cursed spirit."

He was disappointed, but not discouraged.

Jogo was capable of Domain Expansion. If such a powerful cursed spirit were that easy to tame, then he would have questioned his own abilities.

"I see."

Satoshi nodded, understanding Geto's situation.

"Jogo, what should we do with you?"

He looked at the one-eyed cursed spirit and called him by name.

The others had long grown numb to Satoshi casually knowing things he shouldn't. No one even reacted anymore.

Hearing his name called, Jogo felt a strange sense of acceptance.

The more powerful Satoshi's abilities seemed, the easier it became to accept his defeat.

By now, Satoshi had taken on an aura of unfathomable mystery in Jogo's eyes. He no longer dared to speculate on his intentions.

As for what to do with him?

As long as exorcism wasn't the outcome, Jogo was willing to follow this human.

And follow the Zanpakutō in his hand.

(To be continued.)