The curse, trapped within the barrier, grew thicker and more concentrated.
It couldn't escape—but the finger kept drawing energy in... So, it was absorbing from somewhere not in this physical space?
Sōjun Minamoto opened his palm.
A moment later, streams of cursed energy rushed toward him, gathering into a swirling black vortex in his hand. He glanced at it, then clenched his fingers, shaping it into a hollow sphere.
The sphere seamlessly absorbed the cursed energy emanating from the finger, creating a perfect equilibrium between the two.
Inside the barrier, the cursed energy began to thin, while the black sphere grew denser and deeper.
Seeing this, Kenjaku dispelled the barrier.
Sōjun kept his eyes on the sphere, momentarily lost in thought.
This energy wasn't of much use against humans—but for cursed beings, it was another story. It would be valuable even for things like the Fly Head and other cursed clones.
And it could be absorbed...
The only question was—how much?
In the silent living room, both men watched the black sphere quietly.
Kenjaku couldn't see the finer details—just the general form. He was waiting for Sōjun's response.
Meanwhile, Sōjun was waiting to see when the finger would reach its limit.
But even after a while, there was no sign of it weakening. It seemed like the limit wasn't anywhere close yet.
"Alright. I'll keep the finger with me," Sōjun finally said, looking up at Kenjaku and giving a nod.
Kenjaku smiled faintly. "Then later, I'll leave my kid in your care, too."
"Heh." Sōjun gave him a sideways glance and chuckled.
"Sure."
Such a doting parent... but this sure seemed like an elaborate setup to pave the way for Sukuna.
Not that Sōjun cared.
A strand of hair atop his head extended and slipped into the cursed field surrounding the finger, coiling downward to the fingertip as it formed a specialized structure—
The [Demon-Rousing Curse of Resentful Binding].
Countless runes lit up within the field, and once they formed the final symbol—a seal of the word "Seal"—the entire pattern latched firmly onto the surface of the finger.
A brief flash of black light flickered.
The finger stabilized.
The hair thread split along its length, with one end sealing the finger and the other linking into the black sphere.
Sōjun tossed both into the shadow beneath his feet. After safely storing them away, he clapped his hands.
"Alright. If that's everything, I'll be heading out."
He raised the back of his hand, revealing a half-marked sigil.
"Get in touch if you need anything."
Veteran sorcerers like them had long since pushed the limits of Binding Vows. What was originally a restriction shared between both sides had now been cleverly modified into a convenient messaging system.
No range limitations, highly discreet—very useful.
In fact, either of them could cancel the vow at any time, as long as they were willing to pay the price to offset the constraint.
Their vow wasn't nearly as rigid or punishing as Sukuna's.
"Alright," Kenjaku replied simply. He glanced at the half-mark. The other half was etched into his soul.
He couldn't see it, but he could sense it.
If he ever harbored intense malice toward Sōjun Minamoto, the Binding Vow would reveal itself without mercy.
That was the outcome of their first encounter—it wasn't clear who got the better deal.
Because right after forming the vow, Sōjun discovered the same mark had appeared on the hand of one of his clones.
Meaning the vow of "no harm during cooperation" applied to his standard clones too.
But soon after, he realized the Fly Head and other cursed-entity clones didn't carry the mark.
Then it clicked.
The vow didn't apply to specialized clones.
Which made sense. Even the balance mechanism couldn't distinguish between a main body and a unique clone—much less a mere Binding Vow.
After all, a Binding Vow was still just a lower-tier force under the balance system.
With that thought, Sōjun gave Kenjaku a passing glance.
Through the mark on his soul, he could identify Kenjaku's true body.
And Kenjaku, for his part, knew that one of Sōjun Minamoto's clones was stationed inside Jujutsu High.
Which was exactly why—even while cooperating directly with Sōjun—he was asking for help with the school.
…
Sōjun Minamoto left Kenjaku's house.
He gently pulled the door shut behind him, and in the next instant, his body turned ethereal—he entered soul form, his entire figure becoming a sky-blue spirit shadow.
He looked over himself.
His appearance was identical to his physical form—same face, height, brows, Star Eyes... every detail remained unchanged.
Everything was intact.
External items like clothes had already vanished into his shadow. What he was wearing now was a matching outfit, woven entirely from spiritual essence.
Not that it was necessary...
Unless someone possessed soul vision, it would be nearly impossible to detect him—much less touch, let alone harm him. Just like how that Cursed Spirit earlier had bitten at nothing.
He felt perfectly secure.
...Still, the psychological discomfort of being "naked" was something he preferred to avoid when possible.
He focused inward, examining the power of his soul. Compared to his physical body and cursed energy, this felt denser, more grounded—solid and unwavering.
Back in the basement, he had only spiritualized his forearms. In the living room, only his upper body. Those were partial states—now he was fully transformed.
The sensory experience was completely different. A faint, misty haze hung over his surroundings—not obstructing his vision, but adding a surreal depth to it.
It felt freeing, like a fish slipping back into the sea.
He floated above the ground, surrounded by the mist. Up, down, left, right, forward, back—he could move in any direction at will.
If he wished, he could soar freely like an island whale, untouchable by the outside world.
Sōjun Minamoto smiled.
There was no real purpose to this soul form—he simply wanted to test its full capabilities.
Wandering aimlessly, he drifted through the streets, phasing through buildings and pedestrians without resistance.
As he passed by several Cursed Spirits, he stopped and hovered in front of them.
The Cursed Spirits kept mumbling nonsensically, utterly unaware they were being observed.
As expected, most Cursed Spirits couldn't perceive souls. Whether human or cursed, those with soul-based perception were extremely rare. And given how unintelligent most Cursed Spirits were, the odds were even lower for them.
Sōjun Minamoto mused quietly.
He stretched out his right hand and randomly chose a target, brushing it gently.
His hand passed through its body, but this time, his fingers hooked slightly—and when he drew them back, he pulled out a translucent, pale blue head.
The Cursed Spirit clutched its own head in agony, mirroring the expression of the extracted soul. Sōjun gave a gentle tug, and out came the complete soul.
The process was smooth and effortless.
The Cursed Spirit wasn't strong, and its soul lacked stability. But more than that, Sōjun's own soul was so firm and overwhelming that it could easily drag others out of their bodies.
The Cursed Spirit collapsed instantly, trembling.
Sōjun clenched his fingers, shaping the captured soul into a small orb.
One breath, two, five...
Soon, the Cursed Spirit's body began twisting into a similar vortex-shaped orb, mirroring the soul in his hand.
It resembled the technique of a certain Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
After a brief moment of thought, he realized—at its core, this process relied on the interaction between soul and flesh.
That Cursed Spirit simply layered a technique atop it, letting it manipulate souls with greater speed and ease.
Sōjun, by contrast, did it purely through the raw strength of his own soul—dragging others out and then reshaping them as he wished...
He glanced at the soul orb, then casually popped it into his mouth and swallowed it. The Cursed Spirit's body dissipated almost instantly, vanishing without a trace.
Absorb everything you consume. His cursed energy had already reached its limit, but both his soul and body still had room to evolve.
He sensed his soul deepen by the faintest margin.
Satisfied, he gave a small nod.
Soon, he returned home.
It wasn't far from Kenjaku's—just half a block away.
And with his soul form letting him phase straight through obstacles, the distance shrank even further. He arrived in no time.
At this point, distance barely mattered. As long as he had been somewhere before, he could appear there instantly.
Standing in his own living room, his sky-blue body began to solidify.
The air felt cold...
Expressionless, Sōjun reached into his shadow, pulled out a set of clothes, and put them on.
That part... wasn't great.
It should've been impressive to materialize out of thin air. But what actually appeared? A naked body.
He really needed to find a clothing-based Cursed Tool—or better yet, craft an entire set of Cursed Garment Tools.
Sōjun rubbed his chin in thought.
Then he summoned a black vortex and casually tossed Sukuna's finger into it—sending it off to the Cursed Body of the Church of the Stars.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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