Toji moved the instant he received the order.
Through the broker, Kong Shiu, he placed a bounty on a specialized sorcerer site.
It was a move designed to draw the attention of the Star Plasma Vessel's two escorts, slowly chipping away at their mental fortitude.
The time limit was eleven hours.
The deal was null and void if the target wasn't dead by then.
'Now.'
The eleven-hour mark passed.
As planned, the bounty vanished. The moment the escorts allowed themselves a moment of relief, Toji struck.
He slipped silently behind his target and drove his blade home.
He deliberately avoided the heart and vitals.
They were currently deep within Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Though the grounds were fortified by powerful barriers, they were meaningless against Toji.
He possessed zero Cursed Energy.
To the barrier's automated detection system, he didn't even exist.
Squelch!
The mundane steel slid smoothly into the target's back.
A successful ambush.
"Satoru!"
A man with his hair pulled back screamed. He had sharp eyes and a distinct tuft of bangs hanging over the left side of his face.
Geto Suguru (male).
He was the companion of Gojo Satoru (male), a key figure in the events of the Hidden Inventory and Premature Death arcs.
"I'm fine…! He missed the vitals, and I've already reinforced it with Cursed Energy! It's no worse than a pinprick!"
The moment Toji retracted his blade and leaped three steps back, the white-haired target turned and waved off the concern with a grin.
The Limitless—a technique that manipulated the very concept of infinity.
An application of that power allowed him to command both attraction and repulsion, marking him as the strongest sorcerer of the modern era.
Gojo Satoru was a man whose presence was so overwhelming it almost felt like he stole the spotlight from the world itself.
"More importantly, get Amanai out of here! I'll handle this, so don't worry!"
Gojo whipped off his sunglasses.
Eyes the color of a clear summer sky began to glow, reading the flow of Cursed Energy in the air.
The Six Eyes.
They granted him the ability to perceive all Cursed Energy, but such an influx of visual information caused immense mental fatigue.
That was why he wore dark sunglasses—to stave off the exhaustion for even a few more minutes.
"…Fine. Let's go."
Geto led the two women further into the compound.
Up to this point, the flow of events mirrored history perfectly.
"Have we… met somewhere before?"
"Hmm? Don't sweat it. I'm not great with guys' names either."
Gojo forced a smirk as he faced Toji.
Toji, meanwhile, remained utterly composed.
'So far, so good.'
Following the Master's scripted outcome, Toji continued his assault.
First, he drew a blunt, notched blade from the cursed spirit wrapped around his body like a tactical rucksack.
He lunged at Gojo, only to be blasted back by the sorcerer's technique.
CRASH!
Sent flying through the air, Toji smashed into a nearby building.
'He hits a bit harder than expected.'
Toji moved instantly under the cover of the rising dust.
He utilized his superhuman physique to reach speeds that confounded even the Six Eyes.
Combined with his naturally faint presence, he was a ghost in the flesh to any opponent.
'Come to think of it, he has no Cursed Energy at all. It's definitely a Heavenly Restriction… a Physical Gift.'
Even while bleeding from his wound, Gojo analyzed his opponent and reached the correct conclusion with frightening speed.
"Phew."
Gojo caught his breath and circulated his technique.
He reached out, manifesting a brilliantly glowing blue sphere in the air.
The power of attraction.
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Maximum Output… Blue!"
The blue orb tore through the surroundings.
The ground, the buildings—anything within its trajectory was dragged toward the center of the sphere and pulverized.
'I can still read the cursed spirit wrapped around him! If I just track that energy…!'
BOOM!
The thunderous roar subsided, and dust rained down like snow.
The traditional buildings in the vicinity had been utterly erased.
Visibility was now absolute.
"What is…?"
In that instant, a swarm of fly-like cursed spirits descended upon him from every direction.
The swarm: Fly Heads.
They were weak, Grade 4 curses that couldn't even harm an ordinary human, but they were remarkably effective for obscuring a target's vision.
'Blinding me? Wait…! Amanai!'
A diversion to mask an assassination attempt.
The moment the realization hit, Gojo turned back toward the interior. Blinded and unable to sense his foe, he was forced to rely entirely on his Limitless barrier to halt any physical approach.
However.
This was a fatal error.
"Too slow."
Toji emerged from the swarm of Fly Heads.
He held a strange, angular dagger shaped like the character 'ㄷ'.
Riiiip—!
The blade tore through the spatial field of the Infinity and pierced Gojo's throat in a single, fluid motion.
"Guh…!"
Gojo coughed up blood but kept his technique running. He could still hold on.
But that hope was short-lived.
Toji, with the blade still buried in Gojo's throat, dragged the edge down to slice open his chest, breaking his concentration.
'A bit more.'
Thigh, stomach, another slash across the torso—Toji's blade began a rhythmic butchery.
The weapon's name was the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
It was a Special Grade Cursed Tool with the absolute power to forcibly nullify any technique it touched.
With it, he easily bypassed the 'invincibility' of the Limitless.
It dealt Gojo Satoru a series of mortal wounds.
'The head… Master said I shouldn't stab the brain, right?'
Toji flipped the blade to a reverse grip and slammed the hilt into Gojo's skull.
CRACK!
A sickening sound of fracturing bone echoed through the clearing.
"Whew."
As Toji let out a long breath, Gojo collapsed.
He was out cold.
'Boss will handle this guy. Moving on….'
Toji ignored the fallen sorcerer and sprinted toward the inner sanctum.
The entrance to the Tombs of the Star Corridor, where Geto had fled, was said to have a thousand different thresholds. Finding the true path was meant to be an impossible task.
Yet, Toji found it instantly.
His honed senses picked up the faint scent and the nearly invisible weight of footprints.
'The maid.'
He knocked out the maid he encountered on the path with a swift blow to the neck and entered the main chamber.
"—Yes…! I want to stay… I want to be with everyone just a bit longer!"
Ah, this is awkward.
Toji sighed as he witnessed the touching scene from afar.
Of course, it had to be at the most heartwarming moment.
Now he had to be the one to trample on the blooming flower of youth.
'Man… cutting in right now makes me feel like real scum.'
But a job was a job.
Offering a silent apology, Toji reached into his pocket and pulled out a handgun.
BANG!
He fired immediately, targeting Riko Amanai's (female) right temple.
The bullet found its mark with unerring precision.
A crimson spray erupted from the impact.
The gun and the ammunition—all of it had been provided by Koyanskaya of Light, the Assassin.
"Riko…-chan?"
Geto's eyes shook with horror. The world seemed to stall as reality fractured around him.
"It's over."
Toji stepped into view, holstering the handgun into the storage curse and drawing his Soul-Liberation Blade.
Geto Suguru's technique was Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
It was a swarm-type ability that allowed him to unleash legions of subjugated curses at will. It was versatile, dangerous, and the very thing that made him a Special Grade candidate.
'How did the Boss know all this?'
Information on Gojo. Information on Geto.
Even the fact that they would be the ones assigned as escorts.
His Master, that white-haired child, had known everything without even leaving his seat.
'Well, not my problem.'
Toji dismissed his curiosity. He had to suppress Geto now.
"How are you here? Answer me."
"Oh… I see. That's what you meant."
Toji nodded and gave a wicked smirk, making sure he looked as detestable as possible.
"Gojo Satoru… is dead. By my hand."
Gojo was left half-dead; Geto was to be suppressed. Toji executed his orders flawlessly.
He eventually delivered the body of Riko Amanai to the Time Vessel Association. Since he had staged it to look like a true assassination, he pocketed the bounty as well.
And most importantly, he didn't use the word 'monkey'.
"Toji. Don't call them monkeys. Actually, try to avoid unnecessary provocations entirely."
"Why's that?"
"Just a bad feeling."
Walking back, Toji recalled the conversation he had with the boy.
Don't provoke them? It was a strange request, but he had followed it faithfully.
'And then the Boss said if Gojo Satoru is alive, he'll come for me, and that Spirit Manipulation guy will follow?'
Toji walked away, leaving the massive headquarters of the Time Vessel Association behind.
The leader of that cult was a lunatic, and his followers were no better. A literal den of fanatics.
"Hey."
Someone called out from the distance.
The sun was high and blinding, making it hard to see. Toji shielded his eyes for a moment before the glare subsided.
When his vision cleared, he saw the figure standing there.
"…Wow."
Toji's eyes widened. Gojo Satoru had actually returned from the dead.
'I guess the plan worked.'
The wounds Toji had inflicted were lethal. It would have taken hours for a healer at Jujutsu High to fix them.
Yet here he was. Completely healed.
It meant Gojo Satoru had finally grasped the Reverse Cursed Technique.
"Reverse Cursed Technique?"
"Bingo! Just before I died, I gave up on attacking and poured every ounce of my focus into Reverse Cursed Technique! That's why I'm standing here!"
Gojo laughed, his mouth pulled back into a grin brimming with madness.
'He's high as a kite.'
Toji could see that Gojo was intoxicated by his own awakening.
"Reverse Cursed Technique is the power to heal the flesh! It's impossible with just negative Cursed Energy! You have to multiply negative by negative to produce positive energy!"
He blathered on about the theory, the trial and error, things Toji hadn't even asked about. He was utterly ecstatic.
"So, your mistake was not taking my head immediately! You didn't use that cursed tool to pierce my brain!"
"Mistake, huh?"
Technically, he was right.
Toji smirked and brandished the Inverted Spear of Heaven.
As expected.
He couldn't sense them, but he knew he was being watched. His Boss was eccentric, but he wasn't the type to abandon his subordinates. Cold as he could be, he was fundamentally kind.
"Then I guess the real fight starts now?"
"Starts now? Ah… right! I suppose it does!!"
Toji moved, trusting in that protection.
He launched an ambush with a direct thrust of the Inverted Spear. Gojo evaded it, and Toji swung the blade back in a wide arc.
Whirr!
The air whistled as the blade cut nothing but sky.
"Urgh!"
Suddenly, a scent and a presence flared behind him.
It was Gojo.
Toji whirled around. There, floating upside down in the air, was Gojo Satoru.
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red.
Gojo's eyes sparkled with frantic intensity. A glowing red point of light lanced toward Toji.
"Graagh!"
Toji raised the Inverted Spear of Heaven to guard against the blast. He was sent skidding back, still maintaining his defense.
BOOM!
The shockwave lifted him off his feet and slammed him into a corner.
"That actually hurt like hell."
Amidst the falling debris, Toji slowly stood and checked his body for damage. Simultaneously, he drew a chain from his storage curse and hooked it into the ring at the end of the Inverted Spear.
The Chain of a Thousand Miles.
A cursed tool that could extend infinitely as long as its end was not seen. Toji swung the chained spear like a whip, targeting the floating sorcerer.
Once.
He swung for a vertical strike, but Gojo dodged. Then, he wrapped the chain around a nearby pillar to change the trajectory for a surprise pierce—dodged again.
Rumble.
Chunks of rubble rose around the airborne Gojo, obscuring him.
It was an application of the attraction from Blue—a protective wall for the sorcerer.
'I remember now. You're from the Zenin clan, aren't you? That's why you knew my technique.'
Gojo reached into his memories and consolidated his thoughts. Behind his shield of debris, he prepared his final technique.
Blue and Red. Attraction and Repulsion.
The collision of two opposing infinities to push out a localized imaginary mass.
The pinnacle of the Limitless.
Hollow Purple.
A sphere of glowing violet light surged toward Toji, born from an imaginary mass. It was too fast to dodge.
'Wait, I'm not actually going to die, am I? The Boss will save me, right? Or am I just a sacrificial pawn after all…?'
A flicker of doubt crossed Toji's mind—not logic, but primal instinct.
True Name Release: Sacred Sword, Kusanagi-no-Tachi.
In that microsecond, a wave of shimmering blue light surged forward, colliding with and repelling the purple void.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
It worked.
The single word 'Survival' flashed through Toji's mind.
"Whew! I really thought that was it for a second."
Relieved, Toji retracted the chain and the Inverted Spear, stowing them back into his storage curse.
A familiar presence had arrived. His role was finished.
Now, it was his Master's turn to take the stage.
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