The Axiomatic Palace was frozen in the absolute, perfect authority of Malak, the Conceptual Monarch. The Nexus Seven, battered but desperate, focused on the prize: returning home.
Malak confirmed the terms: Two remaining conceptual protocols would earn their freedom.
MISSION PROTOCOL INITIATED: THE TEST OF NECESSARY VIRTUE (SEMI-MISSION)"Your current task is the Test of Necessary Virtue. It involves the elimination of a threat known as Koro-sensei," Malak stated, selling the lie of the mass murderer. "You will access 10% of your conceptual authority. There are no two ways around it: you kill him, or he kills you. Success secures your advancement to the final mission."
The Architects were deployed into Class 3-E, uniform-clad, their inherent conceptual weight immediately causing instability in the weak reality of the classroom.
The introductions were sharp, each Executor failing to blend in due to their overwhelming conceptual presence: Gojo's arrogance, Jin-Woo's cold focus, Saitama's conceptual purity, and Dazai's dramatic nihilism. Only Kazuma managed to look like a truly pathetic student. Okarun, however, was delighted by the " weaponry" he was handed.
Despite the warning bells ringing from Tanjiro's nose and Okarun's occult insight, the fear of Malak and the lure of home forced their focus. They had to execute the threat.
The observation period was brief. Koro-sensei's terrifying speed was absolute; his benevolence, genuine. Jin-Woo, ignoring the moral conflict, synthesized the only feasible solution: they could not beat his speed; they had to neutralize the concept of his movement.
The plan required a chain of failures, relying on their limited 10% power to perform hyper-specific, coordinated misfortune. Kazuma Create the chaotic environment necessary to force Koro-sensei into the kill zone.
Tanjiro Force Koro-sensei's speed into a predictable defensive pattern.
Gojo Create a brief, localized conceptual friction to reduce Mach 20 speed to zero.
Jin-Woo Deliver the fatal blow using maximized force.
Saitama Ensure the strike cannot fail .
The Battle for Freedom (The Fight)The moment came during an outdoor exercise on the mountain path. Koro-sensei was demonstrating tactical evasion by juggling four apples and solving a quantum physics problem simultaneously.
PHASE 1: THE CHAOS TRIGGER (KAZUMA & TANJIRO)
Kazuma, hiding behind a bush, triggered his Lesser Luck, focusing the Arbitrary Misfortune on a specific five-foot radius.
A domino effect of failures erupted: A rope swing snapped, a bag of anti-sensei BBs spilled, and a discarded, slippery banana peel appeared instantly on the path.
"Nyu-fufu! Such a clumsy field trip, Kazuma-kun!" Koro-sensei chided, his face turning orange with annoyance, effortlessly sidestepping the BBs—but the force of the misfortune was too localized. He was forced to slide slightly, adjusting his balance directly into the planned kill-zone near a large, lone boulder.
Before Koro-sensei could stabilize, Tanjiro erupted from the trees, channeling his entire 10% power into a specialized attack:
Tanjiro: Hinokami Kagura - 9th form.
Instead of a massive fire blade, Tanjiro generated a single, perfectly focused arc of burning, crimson energy—a Conceptual of the Hinokami Kagura. It moved with unnatural speed, aimed not at the core, but at the edges of Koro-sensei's tentacled defenses.
Koro-sensei, recognizing the focused, killing intent that defied normal student capabilities, reacted instantly. "A sound attack! But still too slow!" His tentacles whipped out, meeting the glimmer with impossible speed, diverting the energy arc.
PHASE 2: THE STALL (GOJO & JIN-WOO)
With Koro-sensei momentarily tied up defending the arc of energy, Gojo executed his most complex 10% move.
Gojo: Micro-Reversed Curse Technique: Friction Field (Red).
Gojo didn't aim for destruction; he aimed for Temporal Friction. A one-foot cube of absolute resistance ignited around Koro-sensei's center of mass. It was silent, contained, and conceptually terrifying.
Koro-sensei, who was moving at Mach 20, suddenly slammed into the field.
"Ngyaa!" Koro-sensei cried out, his yellow face turning pure black in surprise. "Space itself is resisting! My speed is... neutralized! Only for a moment, but..."
That micro-moment was all Jin-Woo needed. He had prepared his entire 10% allowance.
Jin-Woo: Shadow Legion Coalescence: Finality Dagger.
Jin-Woo didn't summon a general army. He forced his entire restricted Legion—two Level 1 Goblins, one Knight, and his own raw kinetic power—to instantly coalesce into a single, razor-thin, anti-sensei blade of Finality. The dagger moved, propelled by the concentrated power of a monarch.
The dagger struck the conceptual friction field, piercing it easily due to its targeted anti-conceptual nature, and drove straight toward Koro-sensei's soft core.
PHASE 3: THE CAUSALITY LOCK (DAZAI & SAITAMA)
Koro-sensei, sensing absolute death, began to initiate his ultimate defensive move—liquifying his body and retreating. But before the liquefaction could complete, two final conceptual forces hit him.
Dazai: Despair Imprint.
Dazai, watching from the periphery, channeled his nihilistic conceptual signature into the attack. He imbued the Shadow Dagger with the Conceptual Certainty of Meaningless Death. This wasn't physical power; it was a psychological anchor, convincing the target that escape was futile and the current path was the only conclusion.
Saitama: Single, Contained Normal Punch.
Saitama, standing perfectly still, executed his simplest move—a Normal Punch. But he didn't hit Koro-sensei. He hit the Narrative Causality surrounding Koro-sensei. This was the Lock: This attack, once launched, cannot fail.
The combined force was absolute. The Shadow Dagger, riding the wave of Dazai's despair and Saitama's narrative lock, breached the core.
Koro-sensei froze. The bright yellow color drained, leaving him a solemn, translucent white. He looked at the Architects with a final, sorrowful understanding.
"Nyu-fufu... You displayed remarkable ingenuity... I only wish... I could have seen... my students... graduate..." Koro-sensei whispered, his voice fading.
His complex body dissolved, not into an explosion, but into a cloud of gentle, glowing dust—the residue of a completed, terminated existence.
The Monarch's Devastating RevealThe Architects reappeared instantly in the Axiomatic Palace, physically intact but shattered.
"It is done, Monarch Malak," Jin-Woo declared, his voice strained with hidden guilt.
Malak, the Conceptual Monarch, smiled—a terrible, silent crack in the porcelain.
He displayed the video montage, flooding their minds with the devastating truth: Koro-sensei was the Conceptual Anchor of Potential. The final scene showed the grieving students, their bright futures shattered, spiraling into Irreversible Futility.
Malak's voice dripped with triumphant malice. "You now understand the true cost of chasing your selfish desires. You have proven that even your misguided morality can be weaponized to enforce Order through Despair."
NEXT MISSION PROTOCOL INITIATED: THE FINAL QUEST FOR FREEDOM"Your last task is now upon you. Since your moral compass is irrevocably tainted, let us see how well you adapt to true, historical carnage. Succeed in this final mission, and your freedom is absolute. Your final destination is the World of Iron and Blood: Vinland Saga."
A dark portal, smelling of cold iron and betrayal, ripped open behind them. They had killed the only person who could have truly trained them for the war against Malak.