Chapter 104: What is Immortality!
The steel torrent advanced, unstoppable. Every creature standing before the [Blood Angels] legion led by Hikigaya Hachiman met only death.
An alien monstrosity leaped high from behind, lunging at a Dreadnought. The ancient war machine simply extended its spinning power claw, skewering the beast's torso. As it disemboweled the creature, the high-temperature energy channeled through the claw scorched its remains from the inside out.
Even the most mindless beasts feel terror when surrounded by the mountains of their own kin's corpses—especially when they realize their suicidal charges have absolutely no effect on these metal behemoths.
Hachiman raised his hand, and walls of blood erupted from the earth, sealing off the exits and preventing the terrified beasts from escaping across the wide terrain. He had chosen these opponents specifically to hone his synchronization with [Izanagi].
While he usually used the [Sons of Horus] to soak up damage as cannon fodder, the Blood Angels were his choice for an efficient purge.
Forty against hundreds—the advantage was entirely Hachiman's. Each Astartes boasted overwhelming firepower, and a single Dreadnought provided the fire support of ten men. When eight Space Marines opened up simultaneously with their bolters, even gods would tremble.
"Mechamaru" had always known Senior Hikigaya was powerful, but witnessing him in actual combat was terrifying. This strength had completely transcended the traditional concept of "Jujutsu."
He couldn't help but think of his classmate, Kamo Noritoshi.
It wasn't Noritoshi's fault he had lost the position of clan head to Hachiman; they simply weren't in the same dimension.
While the Kamo clan heir was still using a bow and arrows, Hachiman was deploying heavy machinery and engineering mechs that looked like they walked out of a sci-fi world.
Watching the blood-red Dreadnoughts crush everything in their path, Mechamaru felt a sense of numb awe. This was the ultimate aesthetic of steel and violence—the philosophy that "bigger is better."
"Mechamaru, after the Astartes surgery is successful, you will possess a superhuman form like this," Hachiman said, acting as the overseer. "Are there any stragglers left?"
Mechamaru checked his radar immediately.
"The map is nearly clear. We've achieved dynamic zero.
Only the original Type Blue remains," Mechamaru added.
Hachiman nodded. He was meticulous; he would not let a single fish slip through the net.
He instructed Mechamaru to maintain constant monitoring via cursed energy signals, which were immune to the local electronic interference.
Meanwhile, Gojo Satoru sensed a familiar lingering essence in the ruins. He realized that this building had been the hideout of his former friend, Geto Suguru, for the past decade.
The Pan-Star Religious Group held a special, bitter place in Gojo's heart—it was the site of his first real failure, the place where he had nearly died and felt his own weakness.
Seeing the wreckage of the cult's headquarters, Gojo felt a complex swirl of emotions. Hearing there was still one monster left, he stepped forward.
"Let me handle it," Gojo said.
Through his Six Eyes, he could see a region ahead covered in dark purple cursed energy—a wall of raging flames sealing off the outside world. If Hachiman had cleared 300 monsters, the competitive Gojo wasn't about to stay in the background.
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Inside the barrier, Miguel and Larue were exhausted. Miguel, despite coming from a small African nation, possessed strength far exceeding most "orthodox" Japanese sorcerers. However, the enemy was absurd.
Miguel was currently "dancing"—his body swaying and legs moving in a frantic rhythm. This was his technique, [Prayer Song], which allowed him to dodge attacks while gaining a cumulative boost to his own cursed energy.
CRACK!
The [Whip of Torment] lashed out like a storm. Casios the Eternal was frustrated. He couldn't land a hit on this "ant" who moved like a shadow. But Miguel was also at his limit; the air around him had become so hot from his movements that his sweat evaporated in less than 0.1 seconds. One mistake, and he would be shredded by the whip.
Suddenly, Miguel felt a window of opportunity. The barrier outside had been struck by a massive force, distracting Casios for a split second.
Miguel lunged forward, channeling all the energy built up from his dance into a single point. His elbow ignited with a fierce black and red flash.
"BLACK FLASH!"
The blow was meant to shatter Casios's armor. But as the elbow neared its target, the distorted skull-face on Casios's breastplate suddenly turned toward Miguel and smiled.
A [Soul-Screech] erupted at point-blank range, the shockwave shattering Miguel's eardrums and stunning his spirit. As Miguel was sent flying, Larue manifested a giant psychic hand to catch him.
At that exact moment, Gojo's attack arrived. The surrounding forest was erased by a flash of black and red light.
"HOLLOW PURPLE!"
The flame barrier shattered into sparks as the orb of near-infinite cursed energy bore down on them.
"Crap, it's Gojo Satoru!" Larue cursed, clutching the unconscious Miguel. The Purple was inches away—a death sentence for them.
But Casios only looked excited. He threw his arms wide as if to embrace the destruction. This was the adrenaline rush he lived for. He gripped his scimitar, the blade warping the space around it with the power of ultimate agony.
[Life and Death Together—Three Blades of Lustful Sin]
He slashed three times, creating three deep black holes in space. These voids generated an immense suction, tearing the "Hollow Purple" into eight fragments and swallowing them whole.
Gojo's Six Eyes widened. He could accept someone dodging his strongest move, but he could not accept someone destroying it head-on.
"Fools! This is the power of the Mother God!" Casios laughed.
His laughter ended abruptly.
A sharp pain pierced his chest. He looked down in disbelief at a blood-red arrow protruding from his breastplate, its fletching burning with crimson flames.
His armor began to spider-web with cracks.
"When did...?"
Three kilometers away, Hachiman lowered his bow.
He had learned the technique from Shinomiya Kaguya, the head of the Archery Club. A bow was a "cold" weapon, excellent for stealth. While Gojo's "Purple" drew everyone's attention, Hachiman had sniped from the shadows.
The arrow, infused with psychic energy, had bypassed the black holes and pierced Casios's heart. It wasn't quite enough to destroy the organ, but it was a devastating blow. Casios stumbled, leaning on his scimitar to keep from falling.
Suddenly, a massive hand appeared above Casios's head.
[Mind and Body Mastery]
Larue, pouring every ounce of his remaining cursed energy into the move, slammed his hands together like he was swatting a mosquito. The giant psychic hand hammered Casios into the dirt, leaving a deep indentation.
But Larue's real goal wasn't the impact—it was the arrow. His strike drove the arrow the rest of the way through Casios's heart.
The arrogant champion coughed up a fountain of blood. His eyes glared at the group with lingering hatred before he finally collapsed into a pool of gore, dead.
Back at the "Blood Angels" slaughterhouse, the mountains of alien corpses vanished, reverting to the mangled remains of human cultists.
"The signal has disappeared!" Mechamaru shouted from the rear.
Gojo relaxed his fist. "Good!"
Larue, seeing Gojo's reaction, felt a surge of overwhelming pride. He had landed the finishing blow on such a powerful enemy. Even though he had been struck by the whip earlier, the pride outweighed the pain, turning into a state of extreme euphoria.
"I killed him!" Larue thought.
Miguel, barely conscious after the Soul-Screech, opened his eyes and reached out for Larue to pull him up. But what he saw made his soul freeze.
Larue's skin was wrinkling at an impossible rate.
His golden hair was falling out in massive clumps.
And most terrifyingly... the face of Casios was beginning to emerge, twitching, upon Larue's own head.
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