"I don't know where a wildcard like you came from, but you've definitely caught my interest."
The moment he finished speaking, Gojo's figure vanished without warning.
In an instant, he crossed more than ten meters and appeared directly in front of Rin.
With a cold, ruthless grin, his right leg whipped through the air like steel, lashing toward Rin's head.
In Rin's dark pupils, a crimson Mangekyō pattern silently bloomed.
Kamui activated.
Whoosh~!
Gojo's powerful kick passed straight through Rin's head without resistance. The shockwave alone blasted half of the red brick wall behind him into collapse.
"So it really is spatial shifting!"
Even though his attack missed, the excitement in Gojo's eyes only intensified.
Using the momentum of his swing, he twisted midair, his left hand forming a gesture as a pale blue sphere of cursed energy condensed between his fingers, radiating terrifying attraction.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
The gravitational force born from Limitless surged forward, aimed straight at Rin's chest.
If physical attacks couldn't land, then overwhelming him with absolute attraction would tear him apart.
But Rin's next move caught Gojo completely off guard.
He didn't stay intangible.
At the very instant before the pale blue energy touched him, the Kamui vortex in Rin's right eye reversed.
Rin raised his right hand, fingers spread, and instead of dodging, he met Gojo's "Blue" head-on.
"Taking Blue head-on? Eager to die, are we?!" Gojo scoffed.
Hum~~
Two completely different spatial forces collided violently at the center of the playground.
Gojo's pride, "Blue," the absolute gravitational force that could attract and crush everything... Was instantly swallowed the moment it touched Rin's palm, devoured by an even more domineering spatial vortex.
Kamui's power wasn't limited to shifting the user's body. It could also transfer an opponent's attacks into another dimension.
"…Absorbed?" A crack finally appeared in Gojo's arrogant expression.
Before he could react, Rin moved.
With a backhand motion, he reached out and grabbed.
His arm passed straight through the Limitless barrier surrounding Satoru Gojo—the defense said to be "impossible to touch."
The principle of Limitless was to manifest the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise in reality.
The closer something approached Gojo Satoru, the slower it became, until it fell into an infinite halt, never reaching his actual body.
But before Kamui, that logic was bypassed entirely.
Rin partially phased his hand, transferring it directly into the inner space of the Limitless barrier, then rematerialized it at Gojo Satoru's shoulder.
Tap.
A soft sound.
Rin's hand settled firmly on Gojo Satoru's shoulder.
The entire field fell silent.
Suguru Geto froze mid-motion, his attempt to provide support coming to an abrupt stop, disbelief filling his eyes.
Misato Kuroi was even more stunned.
That absolute defense, belonging to the one hailed as the strongest in the jujutsu world, had been broken so casually by this black-haired youth.
"The infinite extension of distance is indeed a clever defensive concept."
Rin's crimson Mangekyō eyes met Gojo Satoru's at close range. His tone was calm, yet carried a chilling pressure.
"But as long as that distance exists within the same coordinate system, it means nothing to me."
A bead of cold sweat slid down Gojo Satoru's pale cheek.
He could clearly feel the terrifying force contained in the hand resting on his shoulder.
If Rin wished, he could crush his scapula in an instant—or pierce straight through his heart.
And his proud Limitless now felt like nothing more than decoration.
He had lost.
In less than three exchanges, he had been completely outmatched in the very domain he took pride in.
"Satoru!" Geto Suguru shouted, his hands already forming seals as he prepared to release a Special Grade Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit under his control.
"Relax. I'm not planning to kill him."
Rin released Gojo Satoru's shoulder, casually brushing the dust off the expensive Jujutsu High uniform before stepping back.
The crimson in his eyes faded, returning him to his usual lazy, nonchalant demeanor.
Gojo Satoru stiffly withdrew his hand and pushed his sunglasses back up, concealing the flicker of unrest in his gaze. He did not act rashly again.
"What exactly do you want?" Geto Suguru moved to stand beside him, watching Rin with clear vigilance.
"I already said—I'm just passing by."
Rin turned and walked over to Riko Amanai, who was still sitting on the ground.
The fourteen-year-old girl looked up at him—the same person who had just handed her candy, then effortlessly suppressed two monstrous sorcerers in the blink of an eye.
In her eyes, there was fear, but even more confusion.
"Little girl."
Rin looked down at her.
"I'm asking you. Forget the so-called 'fate' and 'righteousness' that those old men drilled into you. Answer me with your own heart... Do you want to die?"
Riko Amanai's entire body trembled.
Did she want to die?
Ever since she could understand, everyone around her had told her she was born to assimilate with Master Tengen.
She had forced herself to suppress her desire to live, using her playful chuunibyou act and cheerful personality to hide her fear, constantly convincing herself that this was a noble mission.
But now that illusion had been torn apart, the truest voice in her heart surged out uncontrollably.
"I…"
Her eyes reddened as tears welled up. She clutched the hem of her sailor uniform so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
"I don't want to die…"
She shut her eyes, tears streaming down her face. Though her voice trembled, she finally shouted the truth she had buried for fourteen years.
"I want to stay with Kuroi forever! I want to go to Harajuku and eat crepes! I want to go to high school and university! I don't want to become someone else!"
Hearing her tearful confession, Misato Kuroi covered her mouth, tears spilling down her face as well.
Suguru Geto fell silent. Watching Riko break down, the belief he had always held towards the Jujutsu society wavered violently.
Satoru Gojo ran a hand through his hair in irritation and clicked his tongue.
"Did you hear that, you two bodyguards?"
Rin slipped his hands back into his trench coat pockets and turned toward the silent pair.
"Since the person involved refuses, this forced arrangement is void."
He stepped to Riko's side, claiming his stance with unquestionable authority.
"From now on, I'll be the one protecting this girl's life."
"If Tengen is short on 'batteries,' he can go hunt a few Cursed Spirits on the street and make do. And if anyone dares to target her or force her to die…"
Rin looked at Gojo and Geto, a cold, sharp smile forming on his lips.
"Then you can find out whether the bones of your jujutsu higher-ups are tougher… or if my blade is sharper."
___
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