Chapter 182 (Patreon)

“Sukuna, it appears human history will continue after all.”

The Anti-Savior Beast offered no response.

Only after several moments of silence did its voice resound across the ruined world.

“Destruction is inevitable. Your attempts to rewrite that conclusion are meaningless.”

Bzzzt—!

Upon the palms of the thousand arms spread behind Sukuna, enormous eyes formed from cursed energy began to emerge.

Their swollen pupils rolled several times before snapping open in unison.

“No matter how fiercely you struggle, human history will still reach its end.”

Rumble—!

The earth split apart.

Violet-black cursed energy erupted from the depths of the planet, flooding the surface like an advancing tide. Cracks spread across the sky, and within the darkness beyond them, countless cursed eyes slowly opened.

“The wounds of abandoned faith weep black oil, while corrupted prayers coil around the hands of false saints.”

“Temples built in reason’s name enshrine profit as their god, while banners of liberty remain stained by crimes committed beneath them.”

“The old gods have fallen silent. Only the distorted faith of their followers remains.”

Sukuna’s thousand arms formed rites and mudras drawn from countless religions.

“Therefore, receive…”

Its voice deepened.

“The final roar of mercy.”

All thousand hands came together.

“Place your palms together. Offer your prayers.”

The cursed eyes upon them opened wider.

“And then… die.”

“Thousand-Armed, Thousand-Eyed Dharma Wheel—Great Compassion Avalokiteśvara!”

Sukuna’s voice became a trinity of cathedral bells, temple chimes, and distant war horns.

High above the world, a colossal spectral palm appeared.

It seemed both infinitely distant and close enough to touch—substantial yet illusory, divine yet steeped in an immeasurable curse.

As the palm descended, space bent around it.

Time fractured.

The entire world cried out beneath its pressure.

“What is it this time?!”

Suguru Geto looked up at the descending palm.

It tore through the spatial layers of the world through sheer force, crushing every form of resistance in its path.

“Suguru, forget what’s happening above us!” Gojo shouted. “Clear out the curses first!”

Gojo had noticed the palm as well.

However, neither he nor the other sorcerers possessed the qualifications to interfere in that battle. Merely observing it for too long could cost them their lives.

The clash above them had already surpassed everything that could be called human.

It was nothing less than a war between gods.

The outcome of the battle between Sukuna and Ragnar Kagenou would decide whether human civilization survived.

Until that verdict arrived, Gojo and the remaining jujutsu sorcerers had only one responsibility.

They had to preserve as many remnants of humanity as possible.

Even if the road ahead had been swallowed by darkness, they would burn away their own lives and become the flames that illuminated it.

“No… I can’t do this anymore!”

One of the surviving sorcerers collapsed.

“We can’t win! There’s no way anyone can defeat something like that!”

The endless tide of cursed spirits was already enough to grind away anyone’s sanity. Combined with the divine catastrophe descending from the sky, the sorcerer’s last defenses finally crumbled.

“Please, pull yourself together.”

Shoko Ieiri approached him.

“We haven’t lost yet.”

The sorcerer recoiled from her outstretched hand and clutched his head, staring at the heavens in terror.

“How can you say that?! Look at it! Tell me how we’re supposed to fight something like that!”

Geto noticed the commotion.

“Shoko…”

“It’s fine,” she replied. “I can handle this.”

Shoko crouched beside the trembling sorcerer.

“Listen to me. I know everyone is afraid. I know you’re exhausted, and I know nothing about this situation makes sense anymore.”

Her voice remained calm despite the darkness consuming the world.

“But someone is still standing ahead of us.”

She looked toward the lone figure facing Sukuna in the heavens.

“He is fighting to prevent humanity’s destruction. He is risking everything to protect those of us who remain.”

Shoko did not tell the sorcerers to abandon their fear.

Nor did she ask them to believe victory was assured.

“I’m not asking any of you to overcome your fear.”

She slowly rose.

“But please… remain standing long enough to witness humanity’s final struggle.”

Rumble—!

A golden pillar descended from the heavens.

Within the darkened world, it became the sole remaining light of hope.

The end had arrived, and humanity’s continued existence hung by a thread.

In answer to that crisis, the Holy Sword of the Planet appeared before Ragnar Kagenou.

He reached forward and closed his hand around its hilt.

The instant his fingers touched the sacred weapon, the entire planet began to resonate.

“Seal Thirteen—Decision Start!”

Golden radiance erupted from Ragnar’s body and surged into the sky, carrying the determination to annihilate the great evil threatening the world.

“This is…”

The surviving sorcerers raised their heads.

They stared at the golden light stretching beyond the heavens.

“This is hope,” Shoko said.

The moment those words left her lips, eleven more pillars descended.

Twelve pillars of golden light now stood at the summit of the world.

The darkness that had smothered the planet was driven back, and the last light of humanity shone once more.

A solemn voice issued the first judgment.

“This battle is fought so that others may survive.”

“Approved—Kay.”

A second pillar blazed.

“This battle is against one stronger than oneself.”

“Approved—Bedivere.”

The third restraint opened.

“This battle does not violate the Human Order.”

“Approved—Gaheris.”

The fourth pillar answered.

“This battle is fought in pursuit of truth.”

“Approved—Agravain.”

The fifth restraint released.

“This battle is not waged against an Elemental.”

“Approved—Lancelot.”

The sixth pillar illuminated the broken heavens.

“This battle is fought one against one.”

“Approved—Palamedes.”

The seventh restraint opened.

“This battle is free from personal desire.”

“Approved—Galahad.”

The eighth pillar thundered.

“This battle is honorable.”

“Approved—Gawain.”

The ninth restraint released.

“This battle is fought beside those of courageous heart.”

“Approved—Tristan.”

The tenth pillar burned brighter.

“This blade shall not be raised against one who is pure of heart.”

“Approved—Gareth.”

The eleventh restraint opened.

“This battle is waged against evil.”

“Approved—Mordred.”

The twelfth pillar rose.

“This battle will save the world.”

“Approved—Arthur.”

The blade of the Holy Sword flashed twelve times.

The twelve pillars converged, becoming a single radiance capable of piercing the darkness surrounding the planet.

Every restraint imposed by the Knights of the Round Table had granted its approval.

Whenever the world approached unavoidable destruction, the final hope forged to eliminate an existential threat would reveal its true form.

A voice belonging neither to a knight nor to a human resounded from the planet itself.

“Human history is being overwritten.”

“The Planet is facing destruction.”

“Authority to deploy the world-saving armament has been granted.”

“All conditions confirmed.”

“Holy Sword—final restraint released.”

The thirteenth pillar erupted from the earth.

Countless motes of starlight gathered within Ragnar’s body. An instant later, that accumulated radiance exploded from him and surged beyond the atmosphere.

The Holy Sword of the Planet was now completely unsealed.

It no longer functioned merely as an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm. With the Planet’s authorization granted, Excalibur had returned to its original purpose—a decisive weapon forged to eliminate threats capable of destroying the world.

Boundless energy coursed through Ragnar.

The power gathering within the golden blade was sufficient to erase an enemy on a planetary scale.

Ragnar raised the sword.

“Excalibur—Sword of Promised Victory!”

A torrent of golden light erupted from its blade.

It struck the spectral palm descending from the heavens and tore straight through it.

The enormous manifestation of Avalokiteśvara disintegrated beneath the Holy Sword’s radiance, and the golden torrent continued toward Sukuna without losing momentum.

The entire world was illuminated.

“All Phenomena—Reflected.”

Behind the Anti-Savior Beast, an enormous halo of extinction appeared.

The halo began to rotate, gathering enough destructive force to sever even the light of Excalibur.

Rumble—!

The golden torrent collided with the halo.

There was no prolonged struggle.

Excalibur cut through it instantly.

The Holy Sword’s radiance struck Sukuna’s colossal Beast body and erased nearly half of it.

The surviving portion of the Anti-Savior Beast staggered within the heavens. Black fluid poured from the destroyed sections of its body and rained upon the world below.

Anything touched by that fluid was immediately transformed into a curse.

When it reached the ocean, the corruption spread across the water at a terrifying speed. Within moments, the surrounding sea had become a vast expanse of black.

“Did… did he win?”

The surviving sorcerers stared at the sky.

Little remained of Sukuna’s once-colossal form beyond a massive, ruined foundation suspended above the earth.

For one brief moment, the battlefield became silent.

Click.

The hand of the Clock of All Things moved forward by a single division.

The world changed.

Everything began flowing backward.

Everything except the humans who had already vanished.

Buildings rebuilt themselves from their ruins. Fractured ground closed. Torn space reconnected before Ragnar’s eyes.

Then the reversal accelerated.

Human civilization began regressing through history.

The twenty-first century disappeared.

Then the twentieth.

The nineteenth century passed, followed by the eighteenth.

Cities vanished. Roads faded. Machines broke down into their raw materials.

Humanity was dragged through the Bronze Age and back into the Stone Age.

Dong—!

An ancient bell tolled across the world.

Ragnar and the jujutsu sorcerers protected by Anti-Enforcement Defense remained untouched by the Clock of All Things.

They did not disappear with civilization.

However, one of the golden plates surrounding each survivor quietly shattered.

——————

Noble Phantasm: Excalibur—Sword of Promised Victory

Rank: EX

Type: ???

Description:

The radiant Holy Sword that safeguards the Planet.

A golden blade forged to repel external threats seeking to destroy the Planet and the human history upon it.

Under ordinary circumstances, numerous restraints limit its output, allowing it to function as an Anti-Fortress Noble Phantasm.

When the world faces unavoidable destruction, the restraints imposed by the Knights of the Round Table may be released through collective judgment.

Once every condition is fulfilled and the Planet grants its final authorization, Excalibur regains its original purpose as a world-saving armament.

In that state, its light possesses the power to eliminate an existential threat on a planetary scale.