“Oh…
A Soul Slayer Blade can truly reach such a realm?”
Inside the darkened room, the woman with a long horizontal scar across her forehead gasped softly.
She had just received information regarding the incident at the Gojo estate, her hands continuously busy with bizarre experiments on the table before her.
Sitting in front of her was the Soul Slayer Blade that the Kamo clan had recently acquired—a weapon she had borrowed under the guise of “researching for the family.”
A blade capable of manifesting as a physical, living entity.
She lightly turned the steel in the dim light, her sharp eyes narrowing slightly: “The key lies in that energy hidden deep within…
A power born from the soul itself?”
For the longest time, the jujutsu world had fiercely debated whether the body or the soul came first.
Looking at this sword, she seemed to have found her own answer.
“This power is entirely distinct from ordinary cursed energy.
Truly fascinating…
Perhaps this is the final piece of the puzzle for the destination I have sought for over a thousand years.”
She attempted to channel a fraction of her cursed energy into the sword, but the steel remained icy cold, without the slightest tremor.
A subtle, meaningful smile appeared on her lips: “Even a sword can recognize that I and this body are not one and the same?
Heheh…”
“Waaah…
waaah…
waaah…”
The sudden cry of an infant shattered the quiet stillness of the laboratory.
It was a baby with soft, light-pink hair, wriggling inside a crib.
“There, there…
Mommy’s here.”
The woman stepped over and lifted the infant into her arms.
She patted the child gently, yet the sinister smile on her lips was entirely unfitting for a motherly nature.
She gazed into the child’s innocent eyes, then cast her glance toward the north—where the Gojo estate stood.
“Gojo Kaito…”
She whispered the name softly.
As if tasting it on her tongue.
“I’m starting to become quite curious about you.”
Her eyes lowered back to the child in her arms.
“…Yuuji.”
Her finger lightly brushed his cheek.
“You need to grow up quickly too.”
“We… still have so much work to do.”
The smile remained fixed on her face.
Yet within her eyes—
There was not a single trace of warmth.
.
.
.
At the Star Tomb Pavilion—
The atmosphere was so quiet it felt almost detached from the outside world.
A white-haired woman dressed in a traditional kimono was slowly pouring tea.
Her face looked young… yet her eyes bore the heavy tracks of time.
Seated opposite her—
A young girl in a sailor uniform.
Long blonde hair, a tall build, carrying a lazy yet razor-sharp gaze.
“Soul Slayer Blades…”
The white-haired woman echoed softly.
“It seems… they are far more than mere weapons.”
She took a slow sip of tea.
Her eyes lowered slightly, as if pondering something far into the distance.
“The person who created them… makes me quite curious.”
The blonde girl flipped through a few pages of a document.
“Word is he’s just a kid.”
Her lips curled into a smirk.
“And pretty cute, too.”
A brief pause.
“For over a thousand years…”
The white-haired woman spoke softly. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
“This is the first time I have ever seen something like this.”
She set down her teacup.
A very faint sound… yet it vibrated clearly in the quiet space.
“If I could speak to that boy directly…”
“It might prove to be quite interesting.”
“Hmph.”
The blonde girl snapped the document shut.
“Say what you want directly.”
Her eyes flicked over.
“Tengen.”
The white-haired woman did not object.
She merely offered a faint smile.
“Then… won’t you help me?”
“Yuki Tsukumo.”
“Fine by me.”
Yuki stretched her arms, her voice laced with laziness.
“But don’t you think the timing is a bit terrible?”
“Your day of assimilation… is right around the corner, isn’t it?”
“Precisely because of that,”
Tengen answered immediately without a moment’s hesitation.
“I need to meet that boy all the more.”
Yuki knit her brows.
It was rare to see Tengen… speak with such absolute certainty.
“What do you see in him?”
Tengen remained silent.
For a long time.
“It’s not what I ‘see’,”
she said softly.
“It’s what… I cannot see.”
Her eyes deepened.
“That boy’s destiny—”
“Even I… cannot reach it.”
A very light smile appeared.
Yet it held something… unpredictable.
“And that very fact…”
“Makes me believe—”
“He… will bring something truly fascinating to this world.”
.
.
.
Swish!
Swish!
Each stroke of Kaito’s blade sliced through the air, decisive and cold.
Beside him, Hyōrinmaru quietly observed.
Kaito felt clearly that ever since the moment he heard that call, the resonance between them had stepped into an entirely new realm.
“I have a feeling our power doesn’t stop here.
We can still unlock even more,” Kaito paused, his breathing steady despite having just gone through an intense training session.
Hyōrinmaru looked deep into his eyes, his deep, warm voice resonating: “Your strength has reflected into me.
And likewise, I can reflect my true self into you.”
Just like understanding a person, it didn’t end at knowing a name, but involved a deep empathy toward their inner self, thoughts, and every minor vibration.
Sword and wielder had now truly begun to merge into one.
“Hyōrinmaru, thank you so much for what happened back then.
If not for your guidance, perhaps my mother would have…”
“That was the result of your own willpower, Kaito.
You seized it from the hands of fate yourself.”
Kaito nodded softly, though one question remained in his mind: “How did you know so clearly about Minazuki’s ability back then?”
“Just as you can sense every Soul Slayer Blade you forge, our souls also have a way of communicating with one another.
“The true self of a sword, huh?” Kaito muttered to himself.
He understood this truth better than ever.
Every blade was not merely an unfeeling chunk of iron and steel, but a living soul with its own heart and ideals.
“Thank you, Hyōrinmaru.”
He concluded his practice, and Hyōrinmaru’s form dissolved, returning to rest peacefully within its scabbard.
Checking his watch and seeing it was still quite early, Kaito decided to drop by Yorozuya—or as everyone had comfortably come to call it: Toji’s Detective Agency.
.
.
.
“Is this little girl named Tsumiki?”
Kaito observed the small girl sitting obediently in a corner of the office.
Tsumiki was only about three years old, her hair tied in a high ponytail with bangs framing her chubby face.
Her eyes still carried a trace of moisture, likely having cried quite a bit after being separated from her mother.
“Yeah, her mother is an old acquaintance of mine.
Due to the nature of her job requiring frequent travel, she wanted to entrust the girl here for a while,” Toji explained, his voice dropping slightly.
“Leaving such a small child so far from her mother…
that’s a heavy burden,” Kaito let out a soft sigh.
Sharing a similar experience, Kaito could empathize with the girl to some extent.
He stepped closer, gently patting her head:
“Hello Tsumiki, I’m Kaito.
From now on, feel free to consider this place your home.”
Kuina looked at Tsumiki with affectionate eyes, gently taking her small hand: “Our house has a baby brother too; why don’t you go inside and play with him in a bit?”
Kaito turned his glance to Kuina, his eyes narrowing as he noticed the prominent dark circles under her eyes.
“Have you not been getting enough rest lately?”
“Ah, just a little.
It’s probably the changing weather, plus my body hasn’t fully recovered after giving birth,” Kuina smiled, waving her hand dismissively.
“If you need, I can ask Shouko to come check on you,” Kaito was extremely sensitive to health indicators; he didn’t want anyone around him to suffer a slow decline like his mother had.
“It’s really alright, I’m fine.”
Kuina stepped out of the office to head downstairs.
Yet, the moment her foot touched the top step of the staircase, a wave of severe dizziness struck, sending the scenery spinning before her eyes.
Oh no…
Kuina lost her balance, her body tumbling forward, falling freely down the steep flight of stairs.
Hearing the strange noise, everyone in the office rushed out in panic: “Kuina!”
Kuina squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a painful impact.
Strangely, however, she felt herself landing on something exceptionally soft and warm.
“Ara ara…
Even Toji hasn’t gotten to touch ‘that spot’ yet, you know.”
The one who had stepped in just in time to cushion Kuina was Katen—one of Toji’s two sword spirits.
She had manifested in an extraordinarily seductive posture, using her materialized physical body to catch Kuina.
“Thank you…
But what did Toji even do to you?!” Kuina forced a weak smile, trying to regain her composure.
“That’s no way to speak to your savior, now,” Katen teased, before her eyes turned unexpectedly serious.
“If you have health issues, address them immediately.
Don’t let regretful mistakes happen.
This giant brute over here might look tough, but he’s remarkably ‘fragile’ inside.”
Katen flicked her gaze toward Toji, her eyes harboring deep care behind her flirty facade.
Toji got the message; he stepped closer, nodding faintly: “Thank you.”
“Heheh…
Just make sure you repay me properly.
I’ll ‘drain’ you dry later.”
Katen’s suggestive words left Kaito and the others completely speechless—there were children present, after all!
Tsumiki, however, didn’t seem to mind the banter, running anxiously over to help Kuina up.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard again,” Toji wrapped his arm around his wife’s shoulders, his tone dripping with remorse.
“I’m sorry…
Maybe you’re right, I really should go get a proper checkup.”
A tiny divergence.
A single split second.
Enough to alter—so many Destinies to come.