"Never thought there'd only be the three of us left."
Inside the hastily constructed shelter, Gojo Satoru let out a quiet sigh after changing clothes.
Beside him, Ijichi kept his head lowered, fog gathering faintly over his glasses.
Shoko leaned silently against the wall, smoking a cigarette.
Among their generation at Jujutsu High, only the three of them remained now.
Their teacher Yaga.
Their close friend Nanami.
Their junior Ino.
His student Fushiguro…
And now, even the entire country stood on the brink of destruction.
After being unsealed, every piece of news Gojo received had been nothing but despair.
Gojo glanced sideways.
"Ijichi."
"Y-YES!!!"
Ijichi immediately snapped upright, already mentally prepared to be torn apart by Gojo's usual sharp-tongued insults.
Something like:
"Nanami and the others are dead, so why are you still alive?"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
Before Gojo could even speak, Ijichi bowed repeatedly in frantic apology.
Gojo stared at him strangely.
"…What exactly do you think of me in your head?"
Then he turned toward Shoko.
"Zenin Mirai… that guy's still hiding something, isn't he?"
Compared to Sukuna, Gojo was far more concerned about Zenin Mirai's true strength after suffering two defeats.
Shoko took a deep drag from her cigarette and nodded silently.
"Your students already experienced it firsthand."
"That monster can trigger natural disasters just by releasing cursed energy."
"I see…"
Gojo murmured softly.
Yet deep within his eyes flashed a battle lust strikingly similar to Sukuna's.
After absorbing all the information, Gojo stood and headed toward the center of the barrier.
Outside the room waited the students he had once taught.
"Sensei, your Infinity's a real pain, you know that?"
Led by Yuji, Nobara, Maki, Panda, Yuta, Inumaki, Hakari Kinji, and Kirara all stepped forward smiling, each patting Gojo on the shoulder one after another.
In their own ways, they were encouraging the former "Strongest."
Tokyo — Shibuya.
Ruins stretched as far as the eye could see.
As the battlefield from a month ago, the area still remained unrestored.
Not only Jujutsu Society—
Japan's government itself had completely collapsed a month earlier.
On top of a skyscraper in Shibuya, Gojo arrived alongside Ijichi.
"Old man. Utahime."
On the rooftop—
Utahime wore ceremonial shrine maiden attire prepared for ritual dancing.
Gakuganji sat cross-legged on the ground, a biwa nearly as tall as a person resting in his hands.
The three exchanged glances.
Nothing more needed to be said.
If they won, there was still hope of salvaging everything.
Utahime looked deeply at Gojo.
The bastard she had hated since their student days was now carrying the fate of the entire jujutsu world—
And even the nation itself—upon his shoulders.
Gakuganji plucked the strings.
Utahime began to dance.
Utahime's cursed technique was called:
Solo Forbidden Zone.
Within the technique's range, every sorcerer's cursed energy output would be temporarily amplified.
Chants.
Music.
Dance.
With Gakuganji and Utahime working together, the technique's power was elevated to its absolute peak.
Standing behind the three of them, Ijichi's face was filled with determination.
To ensure this strike achieved maximum effectiveness—
To live up to the trust the "Strongest" had placed in him—
Ijichi flashed a grin of gleaming white teeth and slammed both palms onto the ground!
Enhanced by Utahime's Solo Forbidden Zone, Ijichi unleashed the greatest barrier technique performance of his entire life, completely concealing Gojo Satoru's presence.
Everything was ready.
Feeling the surge of power within him, Gojo formed hand signs with both hands.
"Nine Ropes."
"Polarized Light."
"Crow and Declaration."
"Between Front and Back."
Not a single step of the technique was omitted.
Under the enhancement of Solo Forbidden Zone, Gojo unleashed the most powerful attack possible.
"Hollow Technique: Purple!"
Five kilometers away, in Shinjuku—
Standing atop a rooftop, Uraume cautiously spoke.
"Sukuna-sama… I don't believe we actually agreed on a time to begin the battle."
"There's no need to confirm something like that."
A savage grin spread across Sukuna's face as immense cursed energy erupted skyward!
The overwhelming pressure resembled a falling sun, spreading across heaven and earth.
At that moment, Sukuna's terrifying aura could be felt from anywhere within the barrier.
Just as Uraume was about to flatter him—
Their entire field of vision was suddenly swallowed by endless violet light.
"Damn, I almost forgot about that guy."
With a sharp shout, Sukuna smacked Uraume flying into the distance with one hand.
BOOM!!!
Gojo Satoru's 200% Hollow Purple crossed five kilometers in the blink of an eye and crashed directly into Shinjuku!
The towering explosion erupted violently, leaving behind a gigantic five-kilometer trench carved through the city!
Everything in its path was annihilated into dust.
Steel-and-concrete skyscrapers were instantly blasted into fragments.
"Well, well."
"Isn't this the King of Frauds who tucked his tail between his legs and ran away from Yuji's body?"
Standing at the side of the ruined street was Gojo Satoru, wearing an utterly smug grin.
Amid the swirling smoke and debris, Sukuna—who had taken the attack head-on—stood with both arms charred black.
Faced with Gojo's taunting, the King of Curses slowly curled his lips into a malicious smile.
"Brat."
"You landed a sneak attack and now you're this full of yourself?"
Even as he spoke, Sukuna's burned arms visibly regenerated.
"Never thought I'd get an appetizer like you before the main course."
"I almost forgot there was a so-called 'Strongest' sealed away somewhere."
Gojo casually removed his jacket, stretching his body on the spot.
After loosening up, he grinned at Sukuna.
"Where's that guy?"
"The one who pinned you to the ground and scrubbed your face across the floor?"
"If I wasn't trying to find him, I wouldn't even bother dealing with a clown like you."
"A clown?"
Sukuna dusted off his clothes, sneering.
"To me, you're nothing more than meat on a cutting board."
"The kind that can be sliced in half at any moment."
"Hah!?"
"You mean you? The trash White Zetsu scared off?"
Finished warming up, Gojo straightened his body and looked down at the familiar face before him.
"Even wearing that face, I don't plan on holding back."
"Hold back?"
Cracking sounds rang from Sukuna's knuckles as cursed energy surged violently around him.
"There's no need for mercy."
"Just leave your life behind."
Terrifying cursed energy exploded around Gojo's fists as he slightly lifted one foot.
"To be honest, I've always wanted to know what it feels like…"
"…to grind the King of Frauds beneath my heel."
The exchange of insults ended without either side yielding.
The atmosphere became explosive.
Separated by less than ten meters—
The battle was about to erupt.
Yet just as the two prepared to move—
Both suddenly looked upward toward a falling figure in the sky.
BAM!
A hunched, tiny silhouette.
Gray-white hair.
It wasn't a heavenly maiden descending from above—
But an old crone so wrinkled her face looked capable of crushing flies.
Landing directly between the two strongest beings, the trembling old woman froze stiff under the crushing pressure of their overwhelming auras.
Then she suddenly raised her head and screamed:
"ZENIN MIRAI!!!"
The hatred in her voice seemed powerful enough to pierce the clouds themselves.
The next instant—
A casual slash from Sukuna diced her into countless chunks of flesh, blood spraying everywhere.
And then—
Seeing the figure appear beside him, Gojo Satoru cried out in disbelief.
"Geto?!!"
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