"Cursed Spirit, born from darkness and fear, what is your fear?"
Rin's voice was calm yet penetrating. He slowly released the Cursed Spirit's tentacle he was gripping, letting the cold, black limb slide away.
At this moment, he no longer cared whether the Cursed Spirit would escape.
The Sharingan's Genjutsu had already firmly imprisoned it; the so-called "escape into the shadows" was merely a self-deceptive illusion of the Cursed Spirit.
The Cursed Spirit twisted its body frantically, believing it had hidden itself within the boundless darkness, unaware that it was still standing foolishly right in front of Rin, its scarlet pupils filled with terror, staring intently at the young man before it.
Rin slowly brought his hands together, palms facing, and rubbed them gently.
The next second, a faint spark of fire lit up in his palm, like the first star in the darkness.
He knew it too well.
Humanity's most primal fear is darkness, the unknown, and the best way to combat darkness has always been fire.
It represents warmth, it represents light, and more importantly, it represents the hope that can dispel all gloom.
This was precisely the deepest fear of this Cursed Spirit, which relied on darkness and terror to survive.
The firelight in his palm began to stretch and swell, radiating intense heat continuously. Dazzling light spread like a tide from Rin's palm, quickly covering his entire body.
He stood rooted to the spot, his body radiating boundless light, like the sun descended upon the mortal world, illuminating the entire subway station as if it were midday.
The darkness retreated steadily in the light. The viscous shadows melted and evaporated instantly, like ice and snow meeting the scorching sun, leaving no trace behind.
The Domain of Darkness, which the Cursed Spirit relied on for survival, was utterly fragile before this extreme light.
"No!"
The Cursed Spirit let out an extremely mournful scream. It frantically tried to flee but found that the surroundings were already shrouded in light, leaving nowhere to hide.
Its body continuously twisted and shrank in the light. Its black Cursed Energy blood bubbled and evaporated like boiling water, causing intense pain.
This monster, which had spent its life manipulating the fears of others and feeding on terror, finally tasted the flavor of its own fear.
It was the despair of being completely consumed by light, unable to cling even to a sliver of darkness.
Rin slowly took a step and walked toward the Cursed Spirit.
The light surrounding him grew even more intense. With every step he took, golden patterns appeared on the ground, and the residual shadows were completely annihilated within those patterns.
His blood-red Sharingan remained clear in the intense light, locked firmly onto the Cursed Spirit without the slightest trace of mercy.
The Cursed Spirit huddled on the ground, its body already reduced by more than half. Cracks began to appear on its pitch-black surface, and countless tiny specks of light spilled out from the fissures—that was its Cursed Energy being purified by the light.
It raised its head to look at the approaching Rin, its eyes filled with pleading and despair, yet it lacked the strength even to make a sound.
"You make darkness your nest and feed on fear."
Rin's voice echoed in the light, carrying an undeniable finality:
"Now, let the light bring an end to everything about you."
He raised his hand, and the firelight in his palm surged again, condensing into a long sword entirely composed of light.
The sword blade shone with dazzling light, radiating the power to purify all evil.
Rin did not hesitate in the slightest and swung the sword down.
"Whoosh!"
The sword light flashed, there was no earth-shattering boom, only the Cursed Spirit's final whimper.
Its body completely disintegrated in the sword light, turning into countless black specks of light that were instantly swallowed, purified by the light, and vanished into the air.
With the complete demise of the Cursed Spirit, the last trace of darkness receded from the subway station.
Light poured through the windows, filling the entire space, warm and bright. The ordinary people hiding in the subway finally dared to poke their heads out, looking at the blood-soaked young man who stood in the light, resembling a deity.
The Cursed Spirit's Domain had shattered, and it had died by Rin's hand.
Rin slowly retracted the light from his palm, and the radiance surrounding his body gradually faded.
His abdomen was still bleeding, and his face was somewhat pale, but his eyes were bright, carrying an unprecedented sense of ease and determination.
He collected the Cursed Spirit's remains into his Sharingan.
His strength had increased once again.
He had defeated the Cursed Spirit, and more importantly, he had conquered the deepest fear within his own heart.
And this Cursed Spirit, which relied on darkness and fear, ultimately succumbed to its own terror. Perhaps, this was the best possible end for it.
Inside the subway car, Maki Zen'in quickly ran out and rushed to Rin's side, her face full of concern:
"Are you okay? Is the injury serious?"
Rin shook his head, returning to calmness:
"I'm fine, just minor injuries."
Inside the Divine Tree Space, Sukuna's wild laughter caused the invisible barrier to tremble slightly.
His scarlet vertical pupils stared intently at Rin's figure, a fleeting trace of complexity flashing in his eyes.
It was surprise at Rin's strength, and apprehension regarding his character, which was immediately replaced by intense mockery:
"Hmph, that was a spectacular battle. However, Rin, I have seen your true face; I have seen the future you.
Hahahahaha!"
This time, Rin did not ignore his ravings as he usually did.
Standing in the sunlit subway station, his back wound still throbbing faintly, and the smell of blood still clinging to him, he turned his head toward the direction of the Divine Tree Space and asked indifferently:
"Oh? What did you see?"
"I saw destruction!"
Sukuna's voice was arrogant and boastful, laced with the smugness of knowing everything:
"I saw the future, where countless people die because of you! Your body is wrapped in innumerable shadows—those are the deceased souls implicated and abandoned by you, wailing, crying, and cursing you!"
He had expected to see Rin's panic, wavering, or even a hint of fear.
But Rin merely lowered his gaze slightly, the Cursed Energy at his fingertips quietly retracting, his tone as calm as if discussing the weather:
"That is merely my armor."
That single sentence completely choked Sukuna's wild laughter.
Inside the Divine Tree Space, Sukuna's vertical pupils contracted slightly, and then he grinned again, though his smile now held a hint of amusement:
"Armor? Interesting... This is becoming more and more interesting!"
Rin did not reply again. He turned and walked straight toward the subway station exit, his steps never faltering.
The ordinary people nearby had just escaped the brink of death, their faces showing the ecstasy and lingering fear of surviving a disaster.
Some wanted to rush forward to thank him, others wanted to ask his name, but upon meeting Rin's cold, blood-red eyes, they all instinctively halted, no one daring to step forward and disturb him.
Maki Zen'in gripped her long sword, standing still, watching Rin's resolute back. Her lips moved, but in the end, she couldn't say anything.
She knew that after this battle, Rin seemed different than before—not the arrogance that comes with increased strength, but a coldness born from seeing through everything, as if an invisible wall had been erected around him, isolating everyone else.
Rin did not look back, neither at the profusely grateful ordinary people nor at Maki Zen'in, whose face was full of complexity.
Sukuna's words continuously echoed in his mind, yet failed to stir the slightest ripple.
Sukuna was right; those words were not baseless.
From the moment he chose to abandon Geto Suguru's corpse and allowed Kenjaku to occupy that body, he had already understood.
In the future, countless people would surely perish because of his choices, his indifference, and his strength. But so what?
He didn't care.
The moment he gave up Geto Suguru's corpse, he severed the last unnecessary bond in his heart.
He was not a savior, nor was he a Tokyo Jujutsu High Jujutsu Sorcerer fighting to protect Non-Sorcerers; he was simply Rin.
A person who could abandon everything and bear everything for the sake of becoming stronger.
Rin ignored Sukuna's provocation. He walked out of the subway station, looked up at the sky, and the sunlight shone warmly and brightly on his face.
He knew this was merely a trial on the path of the strong; more challenges and more fears awaited him in the future.
But he was no longer afraid.
Because he understood that a true powerhouse is not someone without fear, but someone who dares to face fear head-on and use their own strength to utterly crush it.
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