The remnants of the battlefield were still fresh: shattered earth, blood-stained ground, and the slowly fading scent of beast and blood. The soldiers who survived the White Whale gathered in a solemn circle, weary yet alive, their spirits heavy but intact, an almost bitter victory.
Crusch Carsten stood proudly beside them. Her voice was resolute, carrying over the hushed wind:
"Let it be known... that Natsuki Subaru and Satoru Gojo are the ones who felled the White Whale."
Silence reigned. Then came nods, whispers of awe, disbelief, and finally... respect.
Subaru stood before them, his battered coat fluttering gently in the wind. At his sides sat Gojo, relaxed but alert. Rem, close and quiet. Wilhelm and Ferris, listening intently... and Crusch herself, standing with pride and steel in her spine.
The survivors leaned in. Every word carried weight now.
Subaru spoke, low and grave.
"We're heading to the Mathers Domain. The Witch's Cult is hiding in the forest there. It's not just some fanatic pawns however—we're talking about two Sin Archbishops."
A chill passed through the crowd. Murmurs of alarm rippled out.
This threat... it might be worse than the White Whale.
Someone from the back raised their voice, trembling with concern.
"What about the villagers?"
Subaru's gaze hardened.
"They've already been warned. By the time the Cult strikes, they'll be long gone."
His fingers laced together, knuckles white. He leaned forward slightly—his voice was calm, but barely contained fury leaked from his expression. Rage... not just at what was coming, but at what had already been witnessed.
Wilhelm caught it first. So did Gojo.
Subaru turned toward the Sword Demon.
"Wilhelm. I know I'm asking a lot, but... I want you at my side."
A pause.
"I want you to help me slay one of the Archbishops."
Betelgeuse... Romanee-Conti....
The silence was heavy.
For a brief second, Wilhelm blinked, stunned. But then—steel returned to his eyes.
"I have an immeasurable debt to you, Natsuki Subaru. If this can pay even the smallest piece of that... then I'll follow you. Into Hell, if need be."
A rare, weathered smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Subaru exhaled—tension lifting.
"Good. That's very good."
Crusch's men began preparing for departure. Ground dragons snorted and stomped as supply carts were loaded. The carcass of the White Whale was already being prepared for transport—its colossal mass needed to be shown to the world, proof that a living calamity had been slain.
Satoru Gojo stood apart from the group, arms folded, eyes on the horizon. The wind tugged at his long coat as though it were eager to pull him into the next battle.
Footsteps approached behind him. Subaru.
"You know Crusch and her army won't get to the forest for a few hours," Subaru muttered.
Gojo gave a playful grin without looking back.
"Oh? That sounds suspiciously like you're worried about your teacher. You do remember I'm basically untouchable, right? Infinity's going to be up the entire time. Nothing's getting near me~."
But Subaru didn't laugh. His expression stayed firm. Grim.
"You know a lot more than you're letting on, huh," Gojo noted, his smile gone.
Subaru didn't deny it.
"There'll be someone when the attack comes… the other Archbishop. I've seen what he can do..."
He paused. His voice lowered to barely more than a whisper.
"Either he's like you.. Or he's worse."
A vision flickered in Subaru's mind..
That endless, suffocating snowstorm… and an all-white figure with a golden glare at the heart of it, untouched, serene, unholy.. like a devil untouched despite the surrounding hellfire.
Gojo raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so…"
"It is. So please—Satoru—don't play around. If you do... you might regret it..."
That caught him off guard. Not the words, but the way Subaru said them. So certain. So... final.. as if he somehow knew the outcome.
Gojo chuckled, trying to shake the chill running down his spine.
There was no reason Subaru should know these things. The timing of the Whale. The Cult's next move. Even this strange certainty about an Archbishop's power. None of it made sense. And yet—Gojo believed him.
He let out a long breath, eyes scanning the horizon once more.
"Alright. Consider it a promise. I won't mess around."
Then, with a casual gesture, he pressed his hands together—space shimmered—and Satoru Gojo vanished.
Subaru stared at the space he left behind, his fists slowly clenching at his sides.
"If you fail…"
His voice trembled. Quiet. Almost broken.
"…I'll do this all over again. No matter how many times it takes. Until you survive."
—————————————————
He appeared like a distortion in reality—one moment, silence. The next, Satoru Gojo was simply there.
Space barely recovered from his arrival, the air rippling where he stood as though the world hadn't fully agreed to let him in.
Cerulean eyes narrowed behind the sunglasses as he scanned the terrain—a quiet village, small and still, stretched a few hundred meters away.
"Shucks," he muttered, cracking his neck. "Guess I was a little off."
Then—he vanished.
A violet blur streaked across the plains, dragging pressure in its wake. Wind shattered around him. The landscape blurred as he travelled like a bullet.
Subaru said the Cult shouldn't have attacked yet. The village should be evacuated already. Just here to double check... Can't have any civilians around when the fireworks go off, right?
He slowed near the village's edge, casually brushing his hair back as his hands slipped back into his pockets.
His feet touched down.
Silence.
Not peace. Not quiet. Silence. The kind that stares back.
Gojo's eyes narrowed. His smile, once present, slipped away.
He stepped forward.
There—beside one of the small wooden huts—a group of women stood, huddled together like they had forgotten how to breathe. Eyes wide. Shoulders locked. Their gazes never moved from the ground.
They weren't alone. All across the village—women. Only women. Frozen in place. Staring at nothing.
Something wasn't right.
Gojo stopped walking.
"...They're all women?" Gojo muttered. "Why—"
And then—
A voice.
Silken. Cold. Absolute.
"Why yes, of course. What kind of man do you take me for? Some sickened barbarian—grunting over the flesh of his own gender like a starving mabeast in heat? That's repulsive. Unspeakably uncultured."
The world snapped.
Gojo's body tensed, instincts flaring. His head jerked toward the voice—and so did every woman in the vicinity. Their bodies flinched on command, as though the voice alone was a whip at their spines.
Then he saw him.
A man.
No... not a man.
A monster in human flesh.
He walked as if the ground were honored to hold him. Clad in immaculate white—suit pristine, shoes untouched by dust—perfection personified. His hands were laced calmly behind his back, posture like a statue carved by gods. His face bore a serene smile, and his eyes...
Golden. Not glowing—radiating. Beautiful. Unnatural. Wrong.
The kind of gaze that looked through you.
Gojo's smile vanished. He scanned—Six Eyes locking on—
But there was nothing.
Not hidden power. Not suppressed cursed energy. Not trickery.
A void. A total absence. Like looking into a black hole with a charming face.
His stomach dropped half an inch.
"…You're not.. what the hell are you..?" Gojo muttered.
The man bowed slightly, like a noble addressing a lesser.
"Regulus Corneas. Sin Archbishop representing Greed. I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I do so loathe false courtesy... Satoru Gojo."
Gojo's eyes narrowed, fists clenching.
"You know my name..?"
Regulus smiled, expression unnervingly calm.
"But of course. It would be unjust of me to act without knowing the name of the one who dares obstruct me, wouldn't it? That would make me thoughtless, ignorant, like you people always accuse others of being. I'm not like that. I take responsibility. I know exactly who you are—Satoru Gojo."
His head turned sharply, eyes gliding toward the trembling women at his side.
"Honestly, this is such a bother. I don't enjoy this sort of thing, you know. Conflict, violence—it's all so barbaric. A man like myself, someone who lives with absolute conviction, someone who understands what true love and justice are, shouldn't have to dirty his hands. Don't you agree?"
A door creaked open behind him. From the hut, at least a dozen villagers were dragged into view—tied, gagged, terrified.
Gojo's jaw tensed.
Dammit, Subaru. Either your timing's off, or this bastard doesn't follow it like you thought.. and he'd show up before I would regardless..? Probably deliberate, considering I'm his target.
Gojo stepped forward, arms dropping to his sides, voice flat.
"Alright then, Regulus Corny-ass. Sounds like you're just begging for an ass-whooping."
For a moment, silence. Then—
Regulus twitched.
The veins around his temple bulged, face flushing with rage. His calm expression cracking like cheap porcelain.
"You...? You DARE...!? What did you just say to me? Do you think you're clever? Superior? Do you think mocking a man who's done nothing wrong!?—who has only ever lived justly and virtuously—makes you impressive? Huh!?"
He stepped forward, the step light but filled with dangerous intent.
"I have never harmed anyone without cause! Every action I've taken—every single one—has been measured, justified, morally correct! Unlike you people, who think strength gives you license to act however you please!"
His wives flinched, shrinking back with fear. One of them made the mistake of meeting his eye. His gaze snapped to her.
"You! Why are you looking at me like that!? I haven't done anything wrong, so don't you dare look at me like I'm some kind of monster! That face—that expression—it's not worthy of a wife I've deemed perfect. It's insulting..."
His voice cracked with fury.
"Die."
Gojo couldn't do anything, it happened too fast.
Tap-
Just a tap. The tip of Regulus's boot touched the earth. Then—
Blood.
Her body ruptured before Gojo's eyes, as if reality itself had torn her asunder. No warning, no buildup—just a brutal absence of delay. The attack didn't impact her. It eradicated her. The woman fell in several ruined pieces, her limbs severed, her torso split, and her life extinguished.
There was no sound of motion—only the wet, dull thud of a corpse hitting the dirt.
What… was that? Even with Six Eyes, I didn't see it coming. I could barely make out the shape of wind...
Gojo's fists clenched as his gaze landed on her ruined form.
Regulus's breathing was steady—too steady.
"This—this is your fault. All your fault. If she had only remained silent, stayed grateful and obedient, then none of this would've happened! But no—she chose defiance. And now?"
He inhaled slowly, exhaled like he were calming himself. Then, soft and composed—
"Bring one out. A child, preferably."
One of the wives hesitated, trembling—then obeyed. From the hut came a small, crying girl with orange hair, green eyes, and a bright red bow.
Petra... Subaru's friend, saw them playing one time.. shit...
Regulus took her with ease, one hand lifting her by the collar like a doll. Petra dangled helplessly, muffled sobs behind the rope gag, tears streaming down her cheeks.
He grinned.
"Now then, Satoru Gojo. If you truly want to be the hero here… if you don't wish to see this innocent little girl become a fine red paste…"
Petra's eyes widened with raw fear. Her cries turned frantic, legs kicking weakly in the air.
"…then you'll stand there, right there, and receive one—just one—of my attacks. That's reasonable, isn't it? I'm being fair, after all."
Gojo's body tensed, eyes narrowing. But then—
A slight smirk.
"Suit yourself then. But don't come crying when I'm standing without a scratch. Oh, and—you'll release the villagers after that, right? Surely someone as just and moral as yourself can agree to that I'd imagine."
Regulus laughed—gently, politely.
"Why of course. You have my word."
He raised one hand, slow and unthreatening. A flick of the wrist.
Gojo's instincts roared, telling him to dodge, begging for him to.
I'll just block it with Infinity, grab Petra, and put this bastard down while he's monologuing—
But then—
Agony.
A hurricane of stillness, of pure destruction, shattered through him. Flesh peeled like paper, muscle torn as if by invisible teeth. An arm flew, then a leg. Blood painted the earth.
The world stopped for him.
Gojo's body fell, eyes open—but lifeless, crimson streaking down his cheek.
—————————————————
The little girl—Petra—squealed in shock at the sight of Gojo's battered corpse.
Regulus scoffed, casually tossing the child aside, shaking his head with disdain.
"They're all the same. So confident. So convinced they're unstoppable... until they meet me."
He turned away, casting one last cold glance at Gojo's lifeless form before locking eyes with one of the wives nearest him.
"Make sure every last villager is dead by the time I return. Annoyingly, I have unfinished business with that fractured soul of Sloth."
The wives didn't utter a single word. Not one dared meet Regulus's gaze. Even after he left, the heavy silence lingered, suffocating and absolute.
—————————————————
Suguru used to talk about it endlessly—
"To protect the weak," he'd say, always with that calm, righteous certainty.
Gojo never thought about it that way.
He didn't have to.
He was born blessed. Talented beyond reason. Perfect, they said.
He never had to try to be the best—so he never did.
Hence the fact he still hadn't learned Red.
Not because he couldn't.
Because he didn't need to...
He remembered when it first happened— The shift.
One blink and the world changed.
He wasn't in Japan anymore. Not even Earth.
A medieval city sprawled beneath a yellow sun. Furred creatures, odd beast-kin, roamed the streets in laughter and light.
He was confused. But not unhappy.
No more Gojo clan. No more elders, no more rules.
He was free.
And yet… bitterness sunk deep.
He'd never see Suguru again...
Never hear Shoko call him an idiot under her breath...
That silence haunted him more than any curse ever could.
Then he met him—
A boy. Japanese, like him.
Only… so weak.
Painfully, embarrassingly weak.
But he had something. Potential.
Maybe, just maybe—he too could reach where Gojo stood.
Of course, Gojo never said that.
Wouldn't be very cool, would it now?
Time passed. The world spun on.
And without noticing… Gojo began to change.
A mindset forming—something close to Suguru's.
Yet different.
Less about the weak.
More about... what he wanted to be strong for.
Then came the silence.
The death.
The world began to glow—blue.
Not light. Not flame.
Just Cursed Energy, swirling like a storm—angry, confused, alive.
Fragments of a lesson—scattered, half-forgotten.
"Negative energy destroys."
"Positive reverses."
"Life born from death."
..Life born from death...
"Don't think. Feel."
The blue twisted, darkened—
Turned to Red.
Not just color.
Concept.
The rejection of nothingness.
The refusal to stay dead.
His mind calmed.
Pain still pulsed—he remembered the impact, the way his body shattered like glass.
But beneath the agony, something else stirred.
Reconstruction.
A twitch.
A flicker in his finger from the arm that was eviscerated a moment prior.
Blood dissipated... Muscle rethreaded... Bone reformed..
He sucked in air—sharply.
A real breath. First breath anew.
And with it—Satoru Gojo returned.
Awakened.
I'm not done just yet....
—————————————————
Subaru POV...
Subaru Natsuki emerged from the foliage of the treeline.
Opposite him stood a disturbing, green-skinned man, and further behind, a towering rocky monolith that loomed like a cave entrance.
"Aaaahhhh..! I've been waiting for you... believer in love!"
His voice cracked, rising sharply as his arms flailed wide, eyes bulging, grin stretched impossibly wide—teeth jagged and gleaming.
"I am the Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult... the embodiment of Sloth... Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti!!"
"I welcome you... O' blessed child whose pangs of love drip so deliciously... SO MAGNIFICENTLY!!"
He yelped, hands clawing at his own skin, pulling it grotesquely as he rocked side to side like a lunatic.
Subaru was already moving. Stopping just a meter from Betelgeuse, forced to wear a strained smile.
Truthfully, it took everything he had not to unleash a barrage of punches.
"I really appreciate the warm... uh, welcome. Though I'm not sure what to make of this love obsession you've got."
"Ahhh... of COURSE~!" Betelgeuse squealed, voice suddenly high and sing-song.
"Everyone, on their special day, realizes they're LOVED... oh yes, they feel it—love, love, love—lovelovelove... LOOOVE!!"
Subaru chuckled, eyebrows raising.
"Right... so what now?"
Betelgeuse's nostrils flared as he grinned like a feral beast.
"Ah, the love... so pungent... you... could it be you're Pride? The one archbishop still vacant...?"
He shuffled closer, neck twisting unnaturally—like a cursed doll's—eyes bloodshot and unblinking.
"You... have the gospel, yes...?"
Subaru paused, considering.
Then, his smile cracked wider.
"Yep. If you wanna see it, come a little closer... hold on..."
Betelgeuse leaned in, eyes gleaming feverishly as Subaru's hand slipped inside his jacket.
He breathed deep, fury churning—and then—
SWOOSH—
His fist, glowing purple with destructive energy, shot forward.
FWOOM!
It slammed into Betelgeuse's face with brutal force, shattering teeth flying, the punch burrowing grotesquely into his flesh—sending him skidding into the rocky wall with a sickening CRASH.
"Here's my love, you asshole!"
Subaru exhaled, satisfaction washing over him—but the fight was far from over.
"WILHELM, AS I TOLD YOU—NOW!"
At his command, the Sword Demon burst from the trees, blade flashing with lethal speed.
Three cultists charged from the cave—
SWISH—SWOOSH—SWISH—
Wilhelm's blade screamed through the air, each slash felling an enemy in brutal succession.
From the smoke, a whisper echoed...
"Authority of Sloth... Unseen Hands..."
Several sinister purple hands emerged, creeping through the haze toward the unsuspecting Wilhelm.
"Old man—dead ahead!"
Subaru's voice cut through the chaos.
Wilhelm tensed, legs buckling before he dove backwards just in time.
The spectral hands froze midair.
"You... you can see...?"
Betelgeuse hissed, staggering out of the smoke with half his face collapsed—his grin faltered.
The hands lunged—one from above, two from the flanks, one low toward Subaru's legs.
"DODGE!"
Subaru barked at Wilhelm—then ducked, rolled forward, and countered with another cursed-infused punch, smashing a spectral hand midair, causing it to flicker and burst.
"IMPOSSIBLE—IMPOSSIBLE—IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
Betelgeuse screamed, voice twisting with a guttural shriek.
Wilhelm blurred into motion again, his blade cutting through two more hands, relying through his senses alone to counter.
Of course, battling the unseen is easier said than done, one soon grazing his shoulder and sending him tumbling back.
Subaru gritted his teeth.
"They're stronger now. Faster too..."
And Betelgeuse wasn't done.
"MY FINGERS!" he roared, pointing to the cave entrance.
"SHOW HIM! TEAR HIS BODY ASUNDER!!"
By his order, several cultists sprang out of the cave entrance—howling fanatics with madness in their eyes and bloodlust in their hands.
Wilhelm darted forward like a silver arrow.
"You're a more fit opponent for the Archbishop, Subaru," he growled, eyes sharp and merciless.
"Leave these... TO ME!!"
He tore into the chaos, a whirlwind of steel and death, cutting down the charging cultists with precision honed by decades of war, ensuring not a single one approaches Subaru.
Meanwhile, Betelgeuse convulsed, his body bending unnaturally.
"MY BRAAAAIN... MY BRAIN IT TREMBLES SO VERYVERYVERYYY MUCH...!!"
His fingers sank into his mouth, teeth gnashing through skin and drawing blood that dripped freely down his chin.
"OH THE PAIN—THE PLEASURE—THE PURPOSE!!"
Subaru exhaled slowly, his foot striking the ground with a thunderous CRACK-!
Then he moved—a blur of focus and fury.
A dozen Unseen Hands surged toward him—twisting, snaking, snapping with invisible wrath.
His foot pivoted sharply. His body twisted just enough to let the first hand scream past.
Another step—he spun beneath the second like a deadly dancer.
He leapt, twisting in the air, his fist drawn back, glowing with raw, cursed energy and the inescapable scent of the Witch.
"Haaaah..."
A breath to steady the soul.
His eyes locked onto the oncoming storm of purple hands, writhing toward him like a nest of serpents—
"TAKE... THIIIS!!"
With a roar, his fist crashed downward—not striking flesh, not touching shadow—but releasing a shockwave of rage, grief, power, and the Witch's lingering love that manifested with the cursed energy.
BOOOOOM-!
A radiant pulse exploded outward.
The air screamed.
The hands shattered—not torn, not dispersed—but violently undone, evaporated by the sheer pressure of that cursed blow.
Fragments of the unseen crackled like dying sparks, vanishing midair.
Betelgeuse's body stiffened. His jaw hung open, twitching.
His head jerked violently side to side.
"WHAT—what—WHAT IS THISSSSSSS!?!?" He bellowed, crawling backward on all fours like a panicked beast, eyes wide with primal terror and anger.
"You—your hands—your HANDS—!! THEY CANNOT—MUST NOT—OVERTAKE MINE!!"
His mouth split into a hideous grin.
"Unless... unless the Witch has given you her blessing... NO—HER HEART!?"
He collapsed to his knees, laughing, sobbing, screeching.
"OOOOOH HOW JEALOUS I AM!! SO... SO ENVIOUS—WRETCHEDLY, SICKENINGLY ENVIOUS!!"
From his body, more Unseen Hands burst forth—dozens now—frenzied, uncontrolled, dragging soil, stone, and screaming wind in their wake.
They came from his back, his sides, his very shadow. The air pulsed with their unnatural rhythm.
"COME THEN—PRIDE! SHOW ME MORE! SHOW ME YOUR LOVE—OR LET ME CRUSH IT!!"
Subaru readied himself again, muscles tensing in preparation.
His mouth tightened into a line, breath ragged but steady.
"…All right then!"
With a roar, Subaru launched forward—his body a blur of purple energy. Every limb burned with cursed power, his movements fluid and vicious..
HOOK—!
SWOOSH—
JAB—!!
KICK—!
THUD—!!
Each strike met one of the invisible hands, and each one burst into nothingness, annihilated by sheer force alone.
But then—
CRUNCH—!!
"Urgkk—!!"
A single hand made it past his guard.
It clamped down on his side, tearing through flesh and muscle with monstrous strength.
Blood splattered—soaking the white fabric of his tracksuit.
Gritting his teeth, Subaru slammed his elbow downward with a heavy THUD-!
He stumbled back, clutching his ribs—eyes scanning, breath heaving.
The hands… they just kept coming.
This isn't working. If I keep trading blows like this… I'm dead. They're not slowing down. There's no limit… no sign of exhaustion…
SWOOSH—!!
Subaru leapt back, his feet hammering against the ground—each step twisting him in a new direction. He zigzagged wildly, dancing through trees with a madman's on his tail.
The unseen hands chased him relentlessly—devastation incarnate, each swing crushing the space he'd occupied just a heartbeat earlier.
CRAAASH—!!
He skidded across the dirt, only for his eyes to widen—
A massive shadow loomed above, growing larger and larger with each passing moment.
A tree—falling. Sliced clean at the base by one of the phantom hands.
"Hoomph—!!"
No time to dodge.
Subaru's fist flew upward—SMASHING through the falling trunk, sending an explosion of splinters into the air.
Some pierced his skin. Others sliced clean through muscle.
He winced—blood trickling down his arm—but didn't slow.
From somewhere in the chaos, he heard it...
"ONLY I AM WORTHY ENOUGH FOR HER LOVE—NOT YOU—ME!! ME–MEEEEE!!"
Betelgeuse's deranged voice pierced the air, shrill and trembling.
Then—
SWISH—!!
"—!!"
SHIT—!!
One of the invisible hands snagged his shin. Its grip was iron. Crushing. Unforgiving.
He was lifted like a ragdoll— Then hurled.
"AHHHKK–!!"
His body slammed through a tree, splintering it at the spine.
Then another— And another—
Until finally, he collapsed forward, dropping to one knee in a trail of shattered bark and earth torn asunder.
His lungs seized. His vision a daze.
But his rage?
That only grew sharper.
Fuck… FUCK!! Is this it?! Is this really all I can do?!
He slammed a bloodied fist into the ground.
No. I refuse. This bastard… this cult… They took Rem. Took Emilia. Took EVERYTHING!
Slowly, shakily, Subaru stood back up.
Spine cracking, blood dripping from his mouth.
Eyes locked forward, burning with a fury older than death.
He smashed his fist into the ground and stood back up.
Blood smeared down his forehead, his vision blurred at the edges. Every breath came ragged, shallow, furious.
His hands trembled—not from fear, but from something deeper.
"I'll tear this bastard apart..."
A thunderclap of laughter echoed across the ruined battlefield.
Betelgeuse's voice was jagged, serrated with madness, echoing through the air like a broken hymn.
"YESSS!! THAT IS LOVE!! THE STRUGGLE! THE SUFFERING! THE DESPAIR!!"
The Archbishop hovered inches above the ground now, arms outstretched, drenched in blood both his own and others'.
His eyes were wild, teeth chipped, his face a mask of euphoric agony.
Subaru wiped the blood from his lip.
"Shut your damn mouth!"
The cursed aura around him began to pulse erratically yet again. The witch's scent—her blessing, her curse—spiked to overwhelming levels.
Even Betelgeuse paused for half a second, trembling in surprise.
Subaru didn't wait.
With a scream that tore from his throat, Subaru charged.
Every limb—his fist, elbow, knee, foot—each one burned with cursed energy, whipping through the air like a storm of violence. He met each Unseen Hand in turn. Hook—jab—kick—palm strike—Each impact burst the purple limbs into shrieking nothingness.
BOOM- BOOM- BOOM!
But they kept coming. And faster.
CRUNCH—!
Another hand snuck through—this one striking his ribs from behind. He spat blood, barely remaining upright.
Yet still—he fought.
Another hand wrapped around his arm this time—tightening, bones creaking—
But Subaru screamed, cursed energy flaring from his body in a violent surge that shattered the hand like glass.
"YOU THINK THIS IS ENOUGH TO STOP ME?!" he roared.
"YEEESSS!!" Betelgeuse cried in twisted ecstasy, hands trembling. "LET HER SEE YOU!! BURN FOR HER!! KILL FOR HER!! DIE—FOR—HER!!"
"SHUT UP!"
Subaru leapt forward again, ignoring the pain lacing through every joint in his body. He spun through the air, twisting his body midflight as cursed power coiled around his leg—
WHAM!!!
He kicked a hand so hard it imploded, the blastwave tearing a trench into the forest floor beneath him.
But then—
SWISH—GRAB!!
A dozen hands at once erupted from his flank, using the trees and environment for cover, latching onto every limb—ankles, wrists, waist, even his throat.
His entire body locked in place midair.
"NNGHK—!!"
Betelgeuse floated forward slowly now, face broken in an almost tender smile, twitching eyes filled with deranged affection.
"I will embrace you... I will embrace you completely..."
He raised one hand, and all the others lifted Subaru helplessly into the air.
Then—
The crushing began.
One hand dug into his side again.
Another snapped tight on his leg.
His shoulder popped.
Then an arm, crushed.
"AAAAAAAGHHHH—!!"
Subaru screamed, body arched in agony as bones creaked and tendons strained.
And still—his cursed energy pulsed.
Still—he glared down at the Archbishop with raw, unfiltered hatred.
A whisper in his mind.
This pain... Use it.
The ground trembled.
The cursed energy surrounding Subaru began to spiral—no longer flickering, but compressing, concentrating..
Betelgeuse's eye twitched.
"...What...?"
Subaru's voice came low. Guttural.
With every ounce of strength, Subaru pulled—tendons screaming, bones grinding—forcing his limbs free from the crushing, invisible restraints.
He tore through one hand. Then another. Then another—
Until his broken form dropped to the earth in a blood-soaked stagger.
But he didn't fall.
He refused to fall.
Blood ran into both eyes, but his vision never wavered.
His gaze locked forward—clear, burning, unshakable.
Focus it. Manifest it. Every ounce of cursed energy—drawn from pain, from hatred, from the memory of everyone this bastard stole from him.
All for one strike.
He moved.
His body screamed for him to stop.
He couldn't.
No—he wouldn't.
He didn't even understand the words as they left his throat, only that something—was pulling them from his soul.
"BLACK..."
A step. Arm drawn back low, coiled like a spring.
Fist clenched. Palm cupped tight against it, compressing the swirling darkness.
Another step— Then a lunge.
He became a bullet of rage, his arm hurtling forward—air screaming in its wake.
Betelgeuse's eyes widened—true realization blooming across his distorted features.
"A-Ah... that love... love so pure... so divine..."
His voice faltered.
"...How... Env—"
"-FLAAAAASH!!!"
The world erupted.
A jolt of black lightning from contact, shot point-blank through the Archbishop's chest along with his fist.
BOOOOOM-
A crater tore open behind the Archbishop. Trees disintegrated. Stone eviscerated.
Betelgeuse's body spasmed violently as the impact tore through him—a gaping hole in his torso, entrails coiling out, blood gushing in great curtains onto the dirt.
His mouth opened—
No scream came out.
Just blood.
Lots of it.
And then—
He fell.
Not just his body.
There was silence.
Subaru stared, chest heaving.
A long, long moment passed—
Then—
CRACK—!!!
His boot slammed down on the Archbishop's head, crushing it like an overripe fruit.
Skull, blood, and matter sprayed out in sickening arcs against the ground.
He didn't flinch. Didn't recoil. Didn't feel a damn thing. No matter how disgusting and utterly revolting it might've been, this man… was the exception.
He said nothing more.
Just turned away—limping, hand pressed tightly to his side, blood dripping from every step.
—————————————————
Through the smoke and ruin, the forest returned to its haunting stillness.
From the treeline, Wilhelm stood, sword gleaming crimson in the fading light. Cultist corpses lay all around him, each felled with a single strike.
He didn't speak. Just stared—quiet, searching.
Subaru walked forward, slow but certain.
Their eyes met.
Subaru gave a small nod.
"…It's done. Yeah."
The words had barely left Subaru's lips when—
CRACK—CRUNCH—SSSHHH—
The sound wasn't footsteps.
It was a presence. One unforgettable at that.
Wilhelm's eyes narrowed. His sword twitched in his hand.
From the tree line, something shimmered—then shattered.
And then, he was just there.
A man. Impossibly pristine.
A pale white suit, not a single wrinkle.
Not a spot of blood.
Shoes polished like mirrors.
And a face—boyish, smug, eternally annoyed.
He didn't walk. He didn't emerge.
He appeared.
Standing among the bloodied corpses as if he'd always been there, completely untouched by the carnage surrounding him.
Subaru's eyes shot open. Panic, realization- then confusion.
If this man...
If Regulus Corneas was here... then...
"Where is... Gojo-sensei...?"
Regulus chuckled, a low, mocking sound that sent a shiver through the air. He raised a perfectly manicured hand, palm open.
"Why, he's been reduced to a bloodied mess." Regulus said smoothly, "In a desperate attempt to save the life of some little girl he'd never even met. It tugs at a soul as benevolent as mine to the very core."
His pale eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
"Although Satoru Gojo may be dead, I'm sure he lives on in you..."
A grin twisted his lips—cold, predatory.
"Hence why I'm here. To remove that blight."
Subaru's eyes widened, heart pounding.
Wilhelm's grip tightened on his sword, stepping forward like a shield.
"You…!!?"
Regulus tilted his head, amused.
"Ah... where are my manners—"
But before he could speak further, Subaru's voice cut sharply through the silence.
"Regulus Corneas... If it is the last thing I do..."
His gaze burned with iron resolve, voice low and steady.
"I will kill you!!"