The white space shifted.
Doors vanished. Walls flickered into an endless dark corridor. The faint hum of cursed energy grew heavier.
Gojo's footsteps echoed. Every sound stretched unnaturally, like time itself had slowed.
Archive Note: Time flows differently here.
Gojo smirked.
"Slow-motion hell. Nice touch."
Ahead, the floor cracked. Shadows writhed within the fissures, moving like living ink.
From the darkness, multiple forms emerged.
Not simulations. Not friendly.
Curses. Massive ones.
Greater than anything he'd faced before in Shibuya.
Gojo instinctively reached for Infinity. Nothing happened.
Warning: Passive defenses restricted.
He blinked.
The Archive was forcing him to fight on his own skill.
The first curse lunged—a hulking mass with jagged limbs. Gojo sidestepped, feeling the weight of its movement in his chest. One wrong step and his body would collide with crushing force.
He smiled, narrowing his eyes.
"Okay. Fine. Let's dance."
The second curse attacked from behind. Its speed was blinding, though time felt slow. Gojo spun, extending his arm for a Red blast. The energy collided with the creature midair. It screamed—a distorted, echoing roar—and shattered.
Blue numbers appeared around him.
Energy Waste: 6%
Reaction Delay: 0.3 sec
Precision: 94%
The Archive analyzed everything. Every second, every motion. Every tiny error tracked.
More curses poured out of the shadows. They formed a wave, but Gojo didn't panic. He jumped, landed, twisted, and executed a series of Red and Blue strikes. They disintegrated in a choreographed chaos of cursed energy.
Then a pause.
All curses vanished. The corridor returned to stillness.
A voice echoed—mechanical, emotionless, ancient:
Evaluation: Efficient. But not flawless.
Gojo exhaled slowly.
"Not flawless? I literally just erased a dozen of you."
Reminder: Flawless requires control under all conditions.
Suddenly, the shadows converged into one form. Taller. Wider. A perfect mimic of Gojo himself.
The doppelganger stepped forward. Its eyes glowed blue. Its movement mirrored Gojo's, faster, sharper, more precise.
Special Trial Initiated: Shadow King
Gojo's smile faded.
"So the Archive wants me to fight myself."
The Shadow King raised its hand, and the corridor seemed to bend around its energy. Each step it took caused small fissures in the floor.
Gojo cracked his fingers.
"Alright then. Let's see if you can really match me."
The two clashed.
Red against Blue.
Punches and kicks exchanged with impossibly high speed. The corridor shuddered. Shadow King adapted to every move. Every trick Gojo used, it countered instantly.
Gojo's mind raced. He couldn't rely on his usual autopilot. No Infinite tricks. No domain. Only raw skill and creativity.
Blue text appeared mid-fight:
Warning: Shadow King adapts to your past combat patterns. Failure will result in stat reduction.
Gojo's grin returned.
"So you've been studying me. Interesting."
With that, he leapt into the air, launching a combination of Red blasts while flipping, dodging, and striking simultaneously. Shadow King mirrored him, but a small hesitation appeared—less than a second.
0.1 Second Window Detected
Gojo didn't waste it.
One precise kick, one Red strike, and the Shadow King staggered.
The corridor cracked.
Blue numbers flashed.
Reaction Efficiency: 97%
Energy Waste: 3%
Control: Improving
The Shadow King roared.
The Archive pulsed with dark energy.
Gojo looked ahead.
Another corridor stretched infinitely.
Other doors. Other lessons.
He knew this was just the beginning.
"Good," he muttered.
"This Archive isn't just teaching me. It's testing every part of me. Let's see how far this goes."
And with that, Gojo stepped forward into the next trial.