Chapter 261: Stars Rise

The cursed energy, as steady as flowing water, spread across the tropical jungle of Kyoto, overcoming the madly rotating formation with irresistible force.

...Is everything going to end?

Looking at the giant flower shaking and contracting violently from afar, Jiang Lai felt as if he was walking in the clouds.

However, he knew that the smooth sailing at present was all due to the bumpy road ahead. This was the perfect ending that he and his friends had won together.

The true blessing of the Four Guardians, plus the power of [Existence], turned into new rules of the highest authority, which gradually suppressed the old rules that were implemented by the brains with the help of bugs.

As the last glimmer of light from the setting sun disappeared, the giant flower in Kyoto finally exhausted its last bit of strength. It twisted and trembled, screaming silently as if it had life. After the trembling, it fell into a kind of stillness.

After a brief eerie silence, the giant flower that had not yet fully opened suddenly exploded!

Rose-colored petals were flying all over the place, and Kyoto seemed to be under a huge red rain.

The vines that originally covered the entire ground seemed to be drained of moisture in an instant and dried up completely. They were then blown into even smaller pieces by the evening breeze and dissipated into the air.

As these giant plants disappeared, the hidden city of Kyoto slowly revealed its original appearance.

The ground was littered with the ruins of buildings that were propped up and squeezed by vines, and it looked desolate everywhere.

This once prosperous town now looks like a historical relic that has been weathered by wind and sun for thousands of years.

The shackles of rules that spread from the core of Kyoto to the entire island were finally removed. The semi-transparent screen of the rule book that was previously suspended in the air also shattered like a water mirror!

People far away in other cities looked up at this scene in shock, with expressions of disbelief.

The heavy pressure of rules and constraints that had been weighing on everyone's hearts had now disappeared, and people felt refreshed for a moment.

"…Why is that regular light curtain broken? And the points are gone? Do these things still count?"

"This crazy game has to end! I told you, this mess can't last long!"

"I don't know what's going on... but I do feel a lot more relaxed than before."

Kagome stood at the entrance of the alley, his eyes looking in the direction where the powerful force had just come from - if he remembered correctly, that was the location of Kyoto.

Kyoto. Kagyu Ken's heart fluttered as he silently chanted the name, his eyelids lowered as he thought slowly.

Wu just sent a message saying that he was going to Kyoto to find Lai, and entrusted the situation outside to me. I don't know how they are doing now.

However, the current elimination of the rules seems to be going smoothly, right? A smile gradually spread across the narrow and raised eyes of Geto. As expected of Satoru and Rai.

At the side of his shoulder, the small liquid fox suddenly shook its body. Xia Yujie turned his attention to the liquid fox and asked, "What's wrong, nightmare fox?"

"Feeling the call of the rules." The Nightmare Fox still spoke in that half-hearted way, jumping with each word, "Change. New world. The inner world. The home of the cursed spirits."

Having lived with the liquid fox for more than ten years, Xia Yujie already had a tacit understanding with it. He extracted the key points from the nightmare fox very smoothly: "You mean... now there is a new rule, and this rule is related to you cursed spirits?"

Xia Yujie's expression became a little serious, and his narrow eyes narrowed.

"The surface world belongs to humans. The inner world belongs to cursed spirits. No conflict." The liquid fox said in a childish voice, "Everyone has their own home." After a pause, it added inexplicably, "Delicious scent."

But Xia Youjie understood: "This new rule was made by Lai?"

Since it is a rule made by a friend, there should be no problem.

Xia Yujie subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, then replayed the Nightmare Fox's words in his mind. As he further understood the meaning of the new rules, his heart beat even louder.

Even though Nightmare Fox put it simply, of course, Xia Yujie saw changes that were enough to shake the world!

The previous discussions about the relationship between the two parties were nothing more than the possibility of one party existing and the other party perishing. No one had ever imagined such a path - the world was divided into the inside and the outside, and humans and curses were separated.

Is this vision truly achievable? Is there now a possibility that the two sides can finally reach a truce in their endless struggle?

No matter what, as a special cursed spirit, the Nightmare Fox's personal feelings cannot be false.

What further confirmed the truth of this rule was what Xia Yujie witnessed next.

He looked forward, watching the low- and middle-level cursed spirits lurking not far away being magically taken away by a wave of ripples and disappearing on the spot.

A little further away, the intelligent cursed spirit that was fighting with the sorcerer seemed to sense something. It stood still for a few seconds before being sucked away by the ripples in the air.

Visibly with the naked eye, cursed spirits of all sizes began to disappear.

They were not exorcised, but merely transferred—transferred to another so-called underworld belonging to cursed spirits.

The cursed spirits in Geto Kagome's ritual also show signs of being attracted, but because Geto Kagome is still the controller, they will not leave on their own and go to the inner world.

The liquid fox naturally avoided the wave, and it did not want to go to the inner world. Of course, the wave was not mandatory, so it avoided it if it wanted to.

Xia Yujie stood where he was, looking at these magical scenes, his mind still in shock.

Is he strong enough to do this?

While feeling happy for his friend, Kagome couldn't help but feel a little worried. His hands in his wide sleeves tightened slightly.

...You have to pay for everything you gain. So what will Lai pay this time? Or what has he become to be able to do this?

——

On the other side, Kyoto City.

Jiang Lai stood at the starting point, but somehow he could sense the process of the world being gradually divided into the inside and the outside - he knew that a new era was about to come.

Ripples appeared around Ryomen Sukuna, calling him to the other side of the world belonging to the cursed spirits.

However, what was a little surprising was that Ryomen Sukuna raised his eyebrows and did not rush to agree to go. Instead, he waved his hand and released a spell to disperse it.

The loyal Ume stood silently beside him, always following Ryoumen Sukuna's steps.

Jiang Lai's attention was not on Ryomen Sukuna, he was still looking ahead.

The sun had already set, and the night had enveloped the entire sky. A single moon hung high in the sky, its gentle light casting a hazy glow.

Under the moonlight, a clear road inexplicably appeared under my feet. It started from Jiang Lai's feet and extended all the way to the boundary line in the distance that was beyond my sight, as if it led all the way to the sky.

"..." Jiang Lai looked at the road from afar, and his mind was filled with endless peace. He subconsciously took a step forward and walked forward along the road instinctively.

"Where are you going?"

Jiang Lai's wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Gojo Satoru held Jiang Lai's right wrist, and his blue eyes widened slightly: "Where are you going, Lai?" He raised the last tone of his voice.

Jinpei Matsuda, Kagemitsu Morobushi, and Akira Kurosawa also gathered forward. Although their electronic screen faces could not show any expression, one could still feel the atmosphere of tension and concern.

Ryomen Sukuna, on the other hand, was still standing there, looking leisurely as if he was enjoying the show.

Jiang Lai was brought out of his trance by Gojo Satoru's sudden pull.

He blinked slightly, looked down at Gojo Satoru holding his hand, and tilted his head to look at the moonlit road.

After a few seconds, Jiang Lai said, "...I don't know." He shook his head slightly, and withdrew a little from the state of floating everything just now, and replied, "I have a feeling that makes me move forward."

Gojo Satoru stared at Jiang Lai, but he didn't reply.

Jiang Lai smiled and said, "Don't be nervous. I don't think it's a bad thing." He said, "Everything seems to be over, but it's not. If you want to truly eliminate the remnants of the old rules, you still need the power of time and space reversal."

Jiang Lai thought for a moment and said, "Maybe... it's the world's consciousness that is guiding me to have a good beginning and a good end."

He intuitively sensed that this was not the end.

But if there is no ending, he can't go home. Comics must have a happy ending, and the story must have a definite ending, so that the dimensional wall will be reopened.

"You are not the savior, so this is enough - haven't you done enough?" Gojo Satoru curled his lips, raised his voice, paused, and said, "And time and space are reversed. As I said before, we can use the domain combination. Is this enough?"

"But I don't have the sufficient strength I had a thousand years ago." Jiang Lai's eyebrows relaxed, and he sighed, "Unlike the power that your subconscious mind gave me in the Forked Road Tower, now I can't support enough time and space reversal."

"My instinct told me that I had to reach the end of this path to regain all my strength and more."

"Can you come back?" Gojo Satoru's white eyelashes fluttered as he looked at Jiang Lai, "What is the end of the road?"

Ending point...

Jiang Laiyao looked at the road paved by moonlight. This road belonged to nature, and it was light and bright in the dim night.

He recalled the words of [Gen] and the stubbornness of Gojo Kyufuin. At a certain moment, Jiang Lai guessed that perhaps this was a path to becoming a true god.

If he went up, would he be able to come back? Jiang Lai was not sure.

Logically speaking, there are no gods in the world. If he chooses this path in the two-dimensional world, he may have to say goodbye to all his friends in the two-dimensional world.

Jiang Lai hesitated.

The scientific friends have been following comics all the way here, and now they have guessed what the end of this road will be.

In a gentle voice, Morobuchi Jingguang said, "If you want to leave, just follow your heart. No matter what, as long as you turn around, we are behind you."

"Well, adults have to make their own decisions." Matsuda Jinpei deliberately used a lazy tone to cover up other emotions, "Whether you want to leave or stay, it's up to you."

Kurosawa Akira didn't say anything extra. He just called softly, "Brother."

Jiang Lai looked at them. He didn't know if he could meet his scientific friends again after becoming a so-called true god.

In fact, even though [Yuan] once said that he was the most suitable one, he never thought about going down this path.

Jiang Lai has always positioned himself as an ordinary person, and he is willing to be one of the millions of people.

So he remained silent.

"It sounds like everyone is very tolerant and gives you the right to choose~ But I'm a selfish person, I won't give you a choice." Gojo Satoru said in a brisk voice. He tightened his grip on Jiang Lai's hand, staring at Jiang Lai with his beautiful blue eyes like glass beads, and paused for every word, "Stay."

Although Gojo Satoru said "this is out of selfishness", Jiang Lai understood that the other party's six eyes saw through his thoughts and said such words.

——Gojo Satoru knew what Jiang Lai really wanted.

"No matter whether the world is destroyed or reborn, let it be!" Gojo Satoru's eyes sparkled like dazzling diamonds. He raised his voice, "It doesn't matter how the world changes - at this moment, I just want you to stay."

"If a true god wants to pursue the most perfect ending, then give me a perfect ending first. God can't give up the near and seek the far, right?" He laughed loudly, his voice full of magnetism, "I am your first believer, right?"

"Even the world consciousness has to be reasonable. No one can force a choice against one's will." Gojo Satoru removed his gaze from Jiang Lai and looked into the endless moonlight. "Hey - did you hear that, the guy behind the scenes? No matter what, there is a first come first served."

Jiang Lai was amused by Gojo Satoru, and the corners of his lips curled up: "Okay, Satoru."

The longer he talked with his friends, the more stable his wandering thoughts became.

Jiang Lai's consciousness was no longer as calm as before; now, his emotions were aroused again.

The shining humanity eventually overshadowed the ethereal divinity.

Jiang Lai exhaled and slowed down his pace. He stood still and said, "I want to stay. But this incident must have a real end."

"You just said that the power of time reversal is not enough, right?" Matsuda Jinpei said, "Just now you only counted yourself and Gojo. But we can definitely help you."

Jiang Lai was slightly stunned.

Morofushi Jingguang added: "In fact, not only those of us present, but also many more people who are not present, are also involved in this ending."

"Whether we know them or not, they are part of this world. Since this is a change related to the world, they also provide power like the lingering fire."

"Faith is a kind of power." Kurosawa Akira said calmly, "Maybe they don't all know you, but everyone lives in time and space and recognizes the rules of time and space. So this is a kind of faith,"

What Akira Kurosawa didn't say is that in the other world, comic book audiences are also crossing the dimensional wall and providing a power of faith that is unique to them.

Jiang Lai slightly widened his eyes, and ripples appeared in his brown pupils.

At this moment, I am not alone.

The ending of the story should be written by everyone.

"...I understand." Jiang Lai let out a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

Beside him, Ryoumen Sukuna, who had been silent the whole time, tutted his tongue and said lazily, "It would be too much of a loss to let you go like this - we haven't settled our accounts yet."

"I just felt that the bond of not harming each other is still there. It seems that it has not ended yet. Let's end it quickly. When it ends, it will be time for us to settle the accounts."

"Sure." Jiang Lai responded to Liangmian Sukuna. He smiled and said, "I'll be there anytime."

At this moment, Jiang Lai finally dispelled the vagueness and confusion. He stood firmly in the same place, standing beside his friends.

He looked at Gojo Satoru, stretched out his hand, and said with a smile: "Combination domain?"

"Of course." Gojo Satoru raised the corner of his lips, stretched out his other hand and made a gesture.

Just like in the world of the Forked Path Tower, Jiang Lai and Gojo Satoru linked their hands.

Behind them are familiar scientific friends, temporary partners Ryomen Sukuna and Ume, as well as many more known and unknown people from the world of magic and the world of science.

The cursed powers intertwined and blended, and a huge force swept up, accompanied by more cursed powers floating in the distance.

——【The infinite and eternal hexagram】.

In the boundless realm, an endless white river surged up, and the land beneath my feet and the sky above my head seemed to be flowing with the sun, moon and stars. The vast background was the endless night sky with stars.

The ruins of Kyoto were being rebuilt at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the disappeared figures were emerging from the withered remains of plants and vines. Everything that was lost was being recovered.

The scenery of the territory merges with the natural sky, and in the night, a vast meteor shower suddenly appears from nowhere.

But unlike the previous falling stars, this time, all the meteors were flying against the wind.

They rise from the mountains, dragging their long white tails, and then fly up to the night sky above, forming a stunning starry gallery.

Thousands of years ago, many stars fell from Kyoto City, but now, all the stars have reappeared in the world.

They soared into the sky, becoming a rising group of stars that was even more dazzling and shocking than the sunset over Heian-kyō Castle.