Chapter 111: Inside the Star Plasma Cult - Division and the Decision of the End
"But Miguel!" Negi still wanted to argue.
"There are no buts."
Miguel interrupted him, his voice several degrees colder:
"If we go out now, we won't be saving anyone; we'll be throwing our lives away."
He clearly understood the current situation. If Geto Suguru and Rin had succeeded, they should have returned long ago.
If they failed, the Jujutsu Sorcerers from Tokyo Jujutsu High were likely still setting up defenses nearby. If their remaining forces went out, they would only become moving targets, not even knowing how they died.
Negi clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white, but he ultimately sat back down.
He knew Miguel was right. Without Geto Suguru and Rin, in the eyes of Tokyo Jujutsu High, they were nothing more than a group of second-rate weaklings, utterly unqualified to fight.
Silence fell over the conference room once more, and the ticking of the clock became increasingly grating.
Just as everyone's hearts were sinking and the last shred of hope was about to be extinguished, someone suddenly raised their head:
"Wait! Do you guys feel that?"
It was Larue's voice, his eyes filled with pleasant surprise.
Everyone froze for a moment, then quickly activated their Cursed Energy senses. A familiar Cursed Spirit aura belonging to Rin was rapidly approaching from the distance, accompanied by the increasingly distinct sound of the Cursed Spirit's wings beating against the air!
"It's Rin's Cursed Spirit!"
Nanako was the first to react, leaping up from the sofa, her eyes instantly lighting up.
Mimiko also stood up, pulling her sister's hand, and quickly ran towards the door.
The anxiety on Negi's face vanished completely. He was the first to rush out of the conference room, followed closely by Manami and Larue. Even Miguel braced himself against the armrest of the sofa, enduring the sharp pain as he stood up and walked toward the training ground.
The night wind on the training ground was exceptionally cool, but it couldn't disperse the wild joy in everyone's hearts.
They looked up at the night sky and saw a black silhouette drawing closer and closer.
The Cursed Spirit's massive wings spread out under the moonlight, its familiar silhouette becoming clearer. And on the Cursed Spirit's back, it seemed someone was lying down.
"It's Rin! He's back!" Negi shouted excitedly.
But in the next second, the smiles on everyone's faces gradually froze.
On the Cursed Spirit's back, there was only Rin's figure; there was still no trace of Geto Suguru's aura.
Miguel's steps halted. His gaze was fixed on Rin, and a sudden ominous premonition rose in his heart.
The anticipation on Nanako and Mimiko's faces also faded. The two sisters exchanged a look, both seeing worry in the other's eyes.
The Cursed Spirit slowly landed on the training ground. Rin dismounted, his steps slightly unsteady, and his face was smeared with dried blood.
He raised his head, looked at the executives surrounding him, and spoke without any hesitation.
"Geto Suguru is dead."
Rin's voice was very soft, like whispers carried by the night wind, yet it exploded in the night sky above the training ground.
Five words, without extra explanation or emotional fluctuation, yet they struck like a cannonball, precisely shattering the last taut defensive line in everyone's hearts.
Negi was the first to react.
Just moments ago, his fists were clenched and his eyes shone with hope. The instant he heard those words, his body violently stiffened, and then, as if all his strength had been drained, he collapsed onto the ground.
His eyes wide, he murmured:
"Impossible... How could this be... Lord Geto is so strong..."
Manami was standing right next to Negi. She stumbled back two steps, then also fell to the ground, supporting herself with her hands. Her fingertips dug deeply into the cement cracks, and tears burst forth without warning:
"You must be lying... Rin, you're joking, right? How could Lord Geto..."
Her voice grew softer and softer, eventually turning into fragmented sobs. She didn't even have the strength left to convince herself that "this was a joke."
Nanako and Mimiko tightly gripped each other's hands. When they heard the sentence, both sisters trembled simultaneously.
Mimiko's tears fell first, splashing onto the back of her hand. The cold sensation made her involuntarily sniffle.
Nanako bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears, but her vision grew increasingly blurry.
How could Lord Geto—the one who always protected them, who would smile and stroke their hair, and say, "I'll be here for you"—just be gone like this?
They didn't cry out loud, but their shoulders shook incessantly as they leaned tightly against each other, looking like two frightened young animals, appearing especially vulnerable in the darkness.
Larue stood rooted to the spot, his face instantly turning deathly pale.
He opened his mouth, wanting to speak, but found his throat was completely blocked, unable to produce any sound. He could only stare at Rin, his eyes filled with agonizing disbelief.
The calmest person present seemed to be Miguel.
He stood at the back of the crowd, his left hand still bleeding, his face as pale as paper, yet he neither collapsed nor shed tears.
Only his usually sharp eyes had lost their focus, staring intently at the Cursed Spirit behind Rin, as if confirming something.
No one knew what he was thinking. Was he recalling the days he fought alongside Geto Suguru?
Or was he regretting not being able to see him one last time?
Or perhaps, was he suppressing the surging grief within his heart?
He simply remained silent, his breathing becoming unusually heavy. The air around him seemed to have frozen solid.
The training ground was terrifyingly silent, broken only by Manami's fragmented sobs and the choked gasps of Nanako and her sister.
The night wind swept past, carrying a coolness, blowing over the crowd. Yet, no one felt cold; the chill in their hearts had long since surpassed the coldness of their bodies.
Rin looked at the scene before him, saying nothing more, simply watching the group.
In the face of such profound grief, any explanation or consolation seemed particularly pale and weak.
Miguel finally moved.
He slowly walked forward, bent down, picked up a Cursed Tool from the ground, and handed it back to Larue, his voice hoarse as if scraped by sandpaper:
"First, help them stand up."
His tone still carried authority, but it lacked some of its usual harshness, replaced by a subtle weariness.
With Larue's help, Negi and Manami slowly stood up, but they kept their heads down, afraid to look at anyone.
"Lord Geto... in the end, did he pass peacefully?"
Nanako finally raised her head, tears still in her eyes. Her voice trembled, but she tried hard to sound calm.
Rin looked at her, nodded, and softened his voice slightly:
"Yes, very peacefully.
I stayed by his side the entire time. He said he had arranged everything for everyone's future."
The moment Rin finished saying the three words "very peacefully," Negi suddenly snapped his head up, the grief in his eyes instantly replaced by fury.
He tore free from Larue's grasp, rushed toward Rin, his fists cracking audibly as he clenched them, and his roar exploded across the training ground:
"Peacefully? If you were by his side, why didn't you save him?! You clearly had the ability! Why did you just watch him die!"
His voice was full of hysterical accusation, spittle spraying onto Rin's clothes, and his eyes were bloodshot.
The pain of losing Geto Suguru caused him to vent all his emotions onto Rin.
Rin neither dodged nor refuted him, merely looking calmly at Negi, his expression completely unperturbed.
The bloodstains on his face hadn't been wiped clean, and his eyes held lingering exhaustion, yet there was not a trace of anger at being blamed.
Negi's accusations were like punches landing on cotton, failing to elicit any response, slowly fading away into the darkness.
....
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