Tap. Tap. Tap.
A gentle finger pressed against Gojo's cheek, stirring him from his slumped position over the desk, eyes bleary as they cracked open.
"Ah—Grassis—!"
The pink-haired maid deadpanned.
"It's Flam."
Gojo winced.
"…That's what I said. What brings you here, Flam? I was having one hell of a dream, y'know."
She bowed slightly, expression unreadable.
"There's a boy… calls himself Natsuki Subaru. He claims to know you. It… seemed important."
Gojo sat up, blinking blearily, his grin returning—then faltering.
"Subaru? That guy can't go four days without finding me, can he?"
He pushed himself up, wiping a bit of drool from the corner of his mouth as he stretched.
——————————————————————
Moments later, Gojo's eyes settled on Subaru across the courtyard—and the easy grin vanished entirely.
The boy looked… rough. Tired. Hair disheveled, shoulders sagging, face drawn and pale. No hint of that usual, stubborn smile.
"Gojo-sensei…"
Subaru's voice was hoarse, desperate.
"I… I need you to come with me. Now. It's… it's important. Please..."
Gojo raised a brow, glancing to Ram. The maid simply nodded, acknowledging Gojo's existence with that same indifferent calm.
"Well… if it means ditching etiquette lessons…" Gojo sighed, rubbing his temples. "Count me in.."
Subaru's expression cracked, a faint glimmer of relief flickering through the exhaustion in his eyes.
"Can you teleport two people… and Patrasche?"
"Ahh… the dragon…" Gojo muttered, scratching the back of his head. "Probably not. Two people's my limit right now… three at most if they're humanoid, but a ground dragon? Bit much. I'd rather avoid bleeding from my brain unless absolutely necessary."
Gojo's hand brushed against Patrasche's snout, the ground dragon huffing softly in acceptance, her eyes tilting toward Subaru.
"Mind telling me what's going on?" Gojo asked.
Subaru's expression hardened, shadows clinging to his face.
"The mansion," he rasped. "It… it's going to be attacked."
Gojo's eyes sharpened. Even Ram's brow twitched, subtle concern slipping through.
"Barusu?" Ram asked, voice cool but edged with curiosity. "And you're only mentioning this now?"
"Sorry… sorry…" Subaru fumbled, eyes flickering with frustration.
Gojo frowned, reading between the lines—the clenched fists, the haunted look behind Subaru's eyes, the weight of unspoken truths.
"And you can't say how you know this, right?"
Subaru shook his head.
Gojo exhaled, gaze flicking briefly to Ram, who stood silent but observant, before looking back to Subaru.
"It's… too much for you, Ram, and Emilia to stop?"
Subaru's face darkened, a storm of emotions—anger, despair, guilt—rolling behind his eyes. His lips pressed tight, teeth grinding faintly.
I can't rely on Pride this time, The last loop… I let him off the leash…
Petra's bloodied face. Frederica's twisted corpse. Ram… Ram's lifeless eyes. All of them.
Because of him. Because he trusted Pride to fight the attackers… blindly assuming that his 'alter-ego' followed the same moral code as himself like a fool.
Subaru clenched his fists.
"Subaru." Gojo's voice cut in, steady and sure. "I'll come."
Subaru's eyes widened, shoulders sagging under the immense weight. His teeth pressed together, the faintest tremble running through him.
"…Thank you."
——————————————————————
The forest tore past them in streaks of green and grey, the rhythmic pounding of Patrasche's claws carving through the earth like gunfire.
Gojo leaned sideways, one arm braced on the ground dragon's back, the other loosely draped around Ram's waist as she sat tense and flustered in his lap.
His eyes, normally gleaming with mischief, sharpened to cold, calculating slits.
Through the thinning trees, Roswaal's mansion emerged—tall, pristine… yet cloaked in eerie silence beneath the bruised purple sky.
And then—
His expression broke. A subtle twitch, eyes widening, jaw tightening.
"Well that's not good..."
Ram's crimson gaze snapped to him. "What did you sense?" Her tone clipped, controlled—but there was an edge of concern.
Subaru's heart stuttered.
"What? What is it?!"
Gojo didn't respond.
He vanished. One moment beside them—the next, space rippled and collapsed where he had been, a faint shimmer of distorted air in his place.
Ram, caught off-guard, tumbled slightly before steadying herself on Patrasche's back, her expression unreadable.
Subaru gritted his teeth.
"Hold on tight, Ram—!" He urged the ground dragon forward, faster, faster—the mansion drawing closer with every heartbeat.
——————————————————————
Inside The Mansion...
Frederica stood tall, fangs bared, the muscles in her jaw tight with restrained fury.
Across the room, shadows pooled unnaturally near the doorway—and from them, Elsa Granhiert emerged. The Bowel Hunter. Her obsidian dagger gleamed wickedly as it pressed against Petra's fragile neck.
Tears welled in Petra's eyes, her small frame quivering in terror beneath Elsa's iron grip.
Elsa's smile curled wider—serpentine, grotesque. Her eyes flicked across the room, scanning, calculating.
"Hmph… seems they aren't here..."
She chuckled, running her tongue across her lips.
"Maybe we over-prepared for one little tiger..."
The dagger pressed closer to Petra's skin, a faint line of crimson beginning to form.
Frederica's golden eyes narrowed, voice level yet burning beneath the surface.
"We?"
She bought time, every second crucial.
Elsa's grin sharpened, dangerous and knowing.
"Yes… we—"
Her eyes flew wide.
Instinct screamed. Move—now.
Too late.
CRACK—!
A foot exploded against Elsa's ribcage, the sound of impact like a cannon blast echoing through the hall.
Her body was airborne before the pain could even register—hurtling across the room, smashing clean through the wall with a spray of shattered wood and plaster.
WHAM—!
She crashed into a distant stone pillar in the next room over, the structure spiderwebbing with cracks as her body crumpled to the floor.
Silence.
Petra's wide, tear-streaked eyes turned, hair whipping in the lingering gust of displaced air.
There he stood.
Gojo Satoru. Coat flared behind him, one hand lazily tucked into his pocket, the other flashing a casual thumbs-up.
"The one and only."
The teasing grin faltered as his eyes snapped to Frederica—expression flattening into cool professionalism.
"Maid—get the kid and go."
His voice dropped lower, no-nonsense, steel beneath velvet.
"I've got this freak covered."
Frederica hesitated for a fraction of a heartbeat, then nodded curtly, scooping Petra into her arms.
Elsa's groan echoed from the next room as debris shifted.
Gojo cracked his neck, body shifting outward into a stance, both fists clenched and shoulders squared, weight distributed perfectly.
"Now… where were we?"
The haze of smoke through the shattered wall twisted unnaturally—and then—
WHIP—!
A dagger carved through the air, slicing at neck-breaking speed. Its silver surface caught the faint moonlight seeping through the broken window, arcing straight for Gojo's throat.
It stopped.
An inch from impact—caught, frozen in space.
Gojo exhaled, unimpressed, raising his hand casually to pluck the dagger from the air with two fingers, flicking it aside like a discarded twig.
"Tch… seems like you don't learn."
His eyes glinted, sharp as glass.
"Dagger didn't work last time. Won't now."
A sultry, twisted laugh echoed through the rubble.
From the mist, Elsa Granhiert stepped forward—body swaying, posture relaxed, like a predator stalking prey.
Not a scratch on her.
Gojo's eyes narrowed, analyzing.
"Unharmed..."
"Ahhh~ only the Sword Saint and the Blue Lightning could hurt me to such a degree in a single blow before… how pleasing..."
She rolled her neck, cracking vertebrae, dark eyes shimmering with hunger.
"You've grown since our last meeting... but so have I."
Her tongue darted along her lips, face flushing with anticipation.
"But your bowels… they must be even more tantalizing now… I want them glistening on the floor…"
Gojo grimaced, disgust twisting his expression.
"Yeah, see— that's the part where this conversation dies."
His senses tingled—danger to his right.
BOOM—!
The door beside him exploded inward, shards of wood and splinters launching across the room like shrapnel.
A figure blurred in—long hair trailing like a shadow, dual short swords flashing in both hands, one aimed precisely at Gojo's midsection.
The blade halted—an inch away.
The figure's eyes widened in manic excitement.
"Ahh… that resistance… exquisite… truly, truly, you'll be a feast unlike any other…!"
Gojo's brow arched, unimpressed, as he swept his arm outward with a backhand like a steel whip.
The figure's body flexed unnaturally, spine arching in an impossible contortion to dodge, flipping backward in a graceful retreat to the far side of the room.
Glass shattered.
A third body crashed through the window—a small, wiry frame landing in a low animalistic crouch, the floorboards groaning beneath them.
All three stood together now—twisted grins, glinting blades, murderous intent radiating off them like heat.
"We…" the small figure declared, voice dripping with glee,
"…are the Sin Archbishops of the Witch's Cult… representing Gluttony…"
"Lye Batenkaitos—"
"Roy Alphard—"
Gojo's eyes darted between them, mind parsing information fast.
His brows furrowed, jaw tightening.
"..That so?"
His voice dropped lower, devoid of humor now—cold, dangerous.
STEP—!
Elsa Granhiert vanished from her spot in a blur—wind howling in her wake as she charged, one hand sliding into her pitch-black coat.
From within, she drew a dagger—sleeker, crueler in design, its silver edge gleaming unnaturally, crackling with a familiar energy, as if it hungered. Her movements were sharp, surgical—a slash arcing straight for Gojo's stomach.
Gojo's eyes narrowed, palm already flicking across to intercept.
Infinity would stop it. It always did.
But—
Something was wrong.
Too smooth. Too precise. Too dangerous.
His mind screamed, piecing it together in fractions of a second.
A Cursed Tool—!? How—
SHHHRAK—!
The dagger pierced through.
His Infinity shattered—like glass collapsing under pressure. The blade sliced clean through his forearm, spraying crimson arcs across the room.
His arm severed. Gone from the elbow entirely and spiraling through the air.
Gojo's breath caught—a flare of sharp pain jolting through him.
Forced deactivation?!
His cursed technique collapsed entirely. He couldn't process why. No time.
Elsa's follow-up slash whipped toward his torso—a killing stroke. Gojo's body snapped backward, feet grinding against the floor as he twisted beneath the swipe—barely ducking in time amidst the internal confusion.
CLANG—!
Roy lunged next—Gojo's reflexes seized control, his remaining arm snapping up to catch his wrist mid-thrust. He yanked Roy's strike off-course, leaping backwards to create distance.
BOOM—!
His feet slammed into the ground, sliding back across polished wood before vaulting upward—blasting through the ceiling into the room above.
CRASH—!
Shards of debris cascaded around him as he landed hard, blood streaming in obscene amounts from the stump where his arm used to be.
They're synchronized.
They planned for this, to take me down.
His Infinity was still offline. It wasn't recovering.
That dagger… it's still suppressing Infinity...
His thoughts scrambled, frantically processing.
A Cursed Tool? Here? In this world, one that specifically counters me perfectly? That's both suspicious and shouldn't exist— unless—
He grit his teeth.
No time to dwell.
SWISH—!
Lye's sword screamed through the air—Gojo's head whipped aside, narrowly avoiding the thrust, the tip grazing his cheek, carving a thin crimson line across his face.
His body moved before his thoughts could catch up, stepping into the blind angle, his remaining hand coiling tight into a fist—
But Roy was already there—!
A sharp claw slashed in from the flank—forcing Gojo to pivot back, breath sharp, footing sliding across the floor as he narrowly twisted out of reach of the claw's fast arc.
Can't exactly use Blue or Red in here…unless I want to demolish the whole mansion.
SWOOSH—
Roy remained on hot pursuit, claws glinting. Gojo's forearm snapped upward, intercepting the strike with a heavy parry, his knuckles tensing before blasting forward—fist burying itself into Roy's solar plexus with a crunch
"Kuagh—!"
Roy's body crumpled, hurtling across the room like a ragdoll, shattering a wall before skidding along the floor to a stop.
…Can I even get sued in this world?
Gojo's torn arm twitched, muscle and tendon coiling unnaturally as fresh skin knitted itself together. He flexed his newly-regenerated limb, casually showing it off.
Elsa's eyes widened as she charged in, confusion flashing across her face—quickly replaced by cold, murderous resolve. Her arm retracted mid-leap, body coiled tighter, faster.
THRUST—
The cursed dagger screamed toward his gut.
Gojo tilted his torso, neck twisting as the blade screamed past by millimeters. His fist was already in motion—driving upward into Elsa's ribs with enough force to shatter bone.
CRACK—!
Elsa's body folded, sent flying across the room like a missile. But even mid-air, she recovered, bending unnaturally, clawing her momentum to a halt as she kicked off the far wall with a sharp crack that spiraled out from it's surface.
Gojo ducked low, sidestepping, weaving past Lye's relentless slashes that came one after the other as a wild onslaught of chaos. His instincts then howled—he couldn't let Elsa tag him with that cursed dagger again.
SWISH—
Two blades cut toward him simultaneously from different directions—Gojo's foot twisted, his body pivoting low beneath both strikes. Then, his leg shot out in a sweeping roundhouse, crashing into Lye's arm and caving it inward.
"Gahk—!"
Elsa's frustration cracked through her usual calm at the sight, dagger flipping in her hand, shifted into a reverse grip before descending from above like a hawk, the blade aimed for his spine.
But her wrist froze mid-air, enveloped in a shimmering blue aura.
Roy surged in from the flank—a dagger suddenly piercing Gojo's side and digging deep. Gojo coughed blood, head snapping toward the small archbishop with an annoyed look on his face.
"You're too fast… it's not fun—" Roy sneered, voice twisted with hunger, "—but meat like yours always tastes the best after all."
Gojo's palm surged with a crimson glow.
"Screw it.. Roswaal can cry to me later..."
His hand flicked upward—space distorted, and a vermillion blast erupted trailed after his hand movement, tearing through the upper half of the mansion, roof included like a hot knife.
"Red."
Debris rained down—splintered beams, shattered stone, crumbling plaster—forcing everyone, even Gojo, to weave through the chaos.
Yanking the dagger from his side, Gojo lunged, a predator's grin etched across his face.
"If you think I'm just fast…"
Roy's eyes snapped wide, his body jerking as Gojo's hand clamped around his throat, lifting him clean off the floor.
"Then you've got another thing... COMING—!!"
Gluttony slashed wildly, lacerating and tearing flesh with each wild swing, Gojo's grip didn't falter however, instead, he yanked Roy inward—his forehead slamming directly into Roy's face.
CRACK—!
Roy's head snapped back, a fountain of crimson spraying as his body sagged.
Gojo didn't hesitate.
Maintaining his iron grip, he yanked Roy into his range, driving a brutal knee into his gut—Gluttony's body like paper under the overwhelming pressure.
"Tch—!"
Lye lunged to assist, but Gojo's free hand snapped out, glowing faintly blue before flicked downward.
"Not your turn."
A pulse of Blue warped the floor beneath Lye's feet—the ground caving and twisting unnaturally, his stance faltering.
SWISH—!
Elsa streaked in—even faster than before, the cursed dagger gleaming, eyes locked onto Gojo's exposed flank.
But Gojo's icy gaze never wavered.
The moment she closed the gap, debris tumbled from above—wood, stone, all fragments of the collapsing mansion. Gojo shoved Roy's limp form directly into the path of her strike.
"Urk—!"
Elsa hissed, contorting mid-air, joints snapping unnaturally as she twisted to avoid skewering her ally.
But the hesitation cost her.
Gojo threw Roy like dead weight, spinning low—the heel of his foot carving a vicious sweep across Elsa's legs.
CRACK—!
Her knees buckled, body toppling sideways before catching herself with one hand and flipping backwards, boots sliding along wood.
Gojo pivoted forward, arm flicked forth as his palm shone crimson, eyes gleaming with malicious confidence.
"Red!"
The blast detonated—a controlled eruption of raw, condensed force launching Elsa clean through any remaining walls, her body spiraling through the collapsing wreckage like a broken doll.
The mansion groaned—beams splintering, rubble still tumbling around them.
Gojo exhaled sharply, eyes locked onto Elsa's crumpled form as her body hurtled through the air, blasted clear out of the mansion's interior and into the estate's colossal garden.
Targeting Elsa is the best bet. Immobilize her, find out how the hell she got a cursed tool… then finish the job.
FWOOOOSH—!
Elsa grimaced mid-flight, the rushing wind tearing her cloak free, fabric spiraling behind her like a flag in the wind. Her eyes widened—the familiar streak of white and violet closing in—only to vanish entirely from view.
"What—"
CRACK—!
A brutal impact caved in her spine, the force reversing her momentum completely, her body whiplashing backward until—
A hand clamped around her shin—bones dislocating with a sickening crunch, a result of momentum stilling to zero instantaneously.
SWISH—!
Gojo yanked her leg downward, body trailing helplessly after, before he hurled her toward the ground with overwhelming force. A shockwave rippled outward—the earth splitting, smoke and debris kicking high into the air as a crater bloomed beneath her broken body.
Her regeneration's gotta have a limit…
Gojo dropped down like a meteor, crashing onto her chest, deepening the crater even further.
Elsa lay paralyzed, body limp from the neck down.
Kneeling atop her, Gojo pressed a knee against her sternum, gaze sharp.
"Start talking. Who gave you that weapon?"
For a moment, Elsa was silent—then, despite her ruined state, a faint blush colored her cheeks.
"My… aren't you a forward one~"
"Ugh… Kurgh—?!"
A flash of silver—the cursed dagger buried itself in Gojo's stomach, jagged steel punching through flesh and muscle.
His eyes widened, the pain sharp and cold. Blood bubbled from his lips as Elsa licked hers, pulling the blade free with deliberate slowness.
She pushed herself upright as Gojo staggered back, hand clutching the bleeding wound, palm soaked red that dripped between his fingers and onto the ground below.
Shit… that's not healing…
Gojo winced, head tilting instinctively as fragments of movement caught his eye from afar—Lye, Subaru, and sharp gusts of wind from Ram still battering the collapsing mansion in the distance.
One problem down… but Infinity's out again. Blood loss isn't gonna be helping either…
His thoughts snapped short like a broken thread, instincts flaring—his head snapped upward.
Roy descended from the sky, twin daggers gleaming as he plummeted toward Gojo like a hawk.
"No you don't—!"
Gojo hopped backwards—the blades buried themselves in the garden soil as they missed their target. But Roy didn't hesitate, releasing both weapons from his grip and stepping forward, palm outstretched as he lunged.
"Eclipse—"
Gojo crossed his arms into an 'X' just in time.
"Urgk—!!"
The impact was monstrous—a raw, concussive wave of force ripping through his body, sending him skidding backward across the grass, dark bruises blossoming across his forearms as more blood poured from his mouth.
The hell's with this little guy's firepower?!
SWISH—!
Elsa reappeared, dagger carving a diagonal arc inches from his face as he leant backward to evade, slicing strands of white hair into the air.
Gojo's eyes narrowed.
Time to hit back harder.
His body surged forward, twin cerulean orbs of cursed energy enveloping each fist—the strike slammed into Elsa's stomach like a cannon blast, launching her across the garden in a tumbling heap.
FLICK—
Gojo retracted his hand—the surrounding debris twisted violently, a maelstrom of shattered steel and splintered wood spiraling down toward Elsa like a storm of blades from the sky.
Before the chaos settled, Gojo pivoted, clashing head-on with Roy once more.
CRACK—!!
The earth beneath their feet fractured like glass, spiderweb cracks racing outward as raw force collided with one another.
Gojo grunted, pushing through Roy's resistance—driving him back before twisting into a brutal palm strike to his side.
"Kh—!"
Roy coughed violently, spitting saliva and blood as he stumbled back.
Gojo leapt even further back, boots skidding through the grass as he prepared, nearing a small pond at the garden's edge.
The water rippled unnaturally—spiraling upward into jagged, cerulean spikes aimed straight at him.
Gojo's palm snapped toward it, crimson flaring like wildfire—The orb of Red detonated, obliterating the incoming magic in an overwhelming burst of power.
"That all you've got…?"
For a moment, Roy frowned—then a crooked, unsettling grin split his face.
"Heh… kekeh… nope, nuhuh, not nearly!!"
His eyes dropped to Gojo's paling face—the sheen of sweat glistening along his brow, blood pooling at his feet in slow, stubborn streams that refused to regenerate.
"You're looking real fragile… ahh, I wish mama was here to see you break…"
Gojo's eyes narrowed, sharp as shattered glass.
"Yeah…?" A grin pulled at his lips, taut and electric despite the pain. "Me too."
And then he charged forth once more.
But he could feel it—and so could Roy. His speed was slipping, his movements dulling under the weight of blood loss. Still, his fist tore through the air, cursed energy spiraling along his arm as he swung a wide, brutal hook.
Roy ducked beneath it, small frame weaving in tight, dagger gleaming as he closed the gap—Only to grunt in pain as Gojo's elbow slammed down, bruising his wrist and killing the strike there and then.
Gojo pivoted, his body flowing like silk, flickering through the opening.
A hook obliterated strands of Roy's hair, grazing him by inches as he twisted away from it's range.
Roy retreated, footwork tight, unable to counter under the weight of Gojo's relentless blows.
SWOOSH—
He then feinted a strike, foot sliding outward at the same time—his body snapping into a full spin, a skillful pirouette which unleashed a whipping roundhouse aimed at Roy's shin.
Roy's entire world tilted, eyes wide, jaw clenched—he dove low, fingers raking the grass before pushing with all of his might and propelling himself skyward, narrowly evading the kick that would've shattered bone.
"Eclipse—!"
The words hit the air fast, raw with power. Gojo's gut twisted instinctively as he leapt back, the ground where he stood exploding under the miniature hurricane Roy unleashed with his fist tearing the ground asunder.
Debris flew in a chaotic storm.
But Gojo didn't wait. Blue energy spiraled in his palm—BLAST—a tidal wave of stone and rubble hurtled toward Roy, just as Elsa clawed her way free of the fractured debris behind her.
Gojo's hand snapped upward, a blue orb pulsing at his palm once more.
"Maximum Output…"
Cursed energy condensed—denser, hungrier, crushing the air around it.
"Blue."
The orb detonated, collapsing space in on itself—dragging everything in for dozens of meters, debris, stone, trees, all spiraling toward the singularity that obeyed his guiding hand.
Everything except the ground beneath his feet.
His senses flared—a whisper of sound, faint as a breath. His eyes snapped toward it, pivoting clean into Elsa's approach—silent, swift, blade poised for his exposed flank.
FWOOM—!
His hand closed around her wrist, halting the slash cold before he suddenly leant closer.
"Talk." His voice was low, fraying with exhaustion. "Who gave you the dagger?"
He leaned in, breathing heavier than he'd admit.
"I'll make this painless if you cooperate."
Elsa smiled, though didn't respond.
A second dagger slid down her sleeve, gleaming.
Gojo clicked his tongue.
CRACK—!
His other arm snapped forward with vicious speed, twisting Elsa's wrist backward with a heavy palm until the joint ruptured with a sickening crunch. She hissed in annoyance—but before she could react any further, Gojo's same palm drove into her solar plexus a moment later.
"Suit yourself."
Red.
The vermillion blast detonated point-blank—blood misted into the air as Elsa rocketed backward, body skidding across the ground, flipping over the crater's jagged edge.
She landed hard, groaning, clutching at empty space, the gaping hole from where her stomach used to be—flesh torn away, blood pouring freely onto the fractured ground below
But already… it began to regenerate, muscle knitting over the empty space at speeds that were greater than Gojo's own regenerative capabilities.
Gojo's eyes hardened.
"You gotta be kidding me…"
His gaze shifted—Roy stalked toward him, no longer hindered by debris.
Gojo's side throbbed, his stomach wound pulsing with raw, burning pain.
That lucky strike… it's screwing me bad…
His pulse slowed, vision narrowing slightly at the edges.
I've gotta end this—now—or I'm actually in trouble.
"Haaahh… can't have Subaru worrying, right…?"
Gojo's eyes slipped closed.
No grin. No cocky bravado.
Just absolute focus.
A single breath—
And his entire body sharpened, like a blade pulled from the forge. His cursed energy compressed, humming low beneath his skin, drowning out pain, fatigue, everything.
Maximum Focus was required.
Roy and Elsa surged forward—two predators, a blur of murder and precision.
Elsa reached him first, her figure a black wraith in motion, footsteps inaudible, dagger aimed to split him clean from hip to hip.
But she never made it.
Her brow furrowed—her blade dragged downward by an unseen force of cerulean that massively overwhelmed her own strength—
CRACK—!
Gojo's foot slammed down on her wrist like a falling guillotine. Bones shattered. The dagger embedded into the earth. Her arm twisted, pinned useless beneath his boot.
Her hand scrambled for her second dagger—
Roy was already on Gojo like a flash.
A madman with fangs bared, twin daggers glinting silver beneath the moon, slicing down like fangs.
Gojo didn't flinch. His hand snapped sideways like a coiled serpent—
His palm cracked against Roy's skull, staggering the Archbishop sideways.
Then Gojo was gone before either of them could recover—
His entire body flickered, dissipating into thin air—
FWOOSH—!
Above.
Several meters overhead, Gojo hovered like a phantom under the pale moonlight, arms sprawled wide, eyes narrowed in icy calculation. The glow of cursed energy rippled faintly around him like an aura of the divine.
His lips parted, voice calm.
Ancient.
Untouchable.
"Throughout Heaven and Earth…"
A step forward, gravity meaningless beneath him.
"I alone am the Honored One."
Below, Roy and Elsa glared upward, fury and caution mingling across their faces.
Gojo's hand lifted—cerulean light blossomed at his palm, a sky-blue orb spiraling skyward before hovering overhead like a star ripped from the night sky.
He dropped back to the earth, sidestepping inhumanly fast—
A dagger brushed past, barely grazing his cheek, opening a crimson line of blood from impact.
Elsa was already lunging, but Gojo didn't falter—
His fist swung up like a piston to snap her arm back at an unnatural angle once more.
Pain flared in his ribs—a gash, Roy's dagger buried deep into his side.
But Gojo didn't slow.
Didn't hesitate.
Blood poured, but his eyes never left his target.
One step forward—stance rooted like iron—his hand reeled back, knuckles cracking.
—BLACK FLASH!
The garden detonated.Air warped. Space folded. The strike connected with a catastrophic BOOM, the sheer precision distorting cursed energy at the moment of impact.
Elsa's side—obliterated. Bone, muscle, gone—her body skipping across the earth like a broken doll before cratering into the ground, buried a meter deep in pulverized soil and stone.
SWOOSH—CLANK—!
Gojo's hand blurred upward, snatching Roy's dagger from the air mid-flight, sparks erupting from the cursed steel meeting his reinforced palm.
His grip slithered lower—clutching Roy's forearm like a vice.
With monstrous force, he hurled the Archbishop through the air, body arcing helplessly toward Elsa as she writhed, mid-regeneration.
Gojo's foot cracked the earth, leaping into the sky—
A grin, wild and sharp, finally split his face as the words poured from his lips.
"Phase… Twilight… Eyes of Wisdom…"
Higher. Higher—he soared, cursed energy thrumming like a storm cloud gathering to burst.
"Nine Ropes… Polarized Light… Crow and Declaration…"
His index finger rose, the blue orb he'd planted in the sky above answering his call, spiraling downward toward his grasp.
Scarlet light surged to meet it—
Red.
Blue.
Two impossible forces colliding. Fusing. Painting the air in destructive brilliance.
"Between Front and Back…"
The fusion pulsed, a storm of color warping space itself. The garden, the mansion—everything stilled under its crushing potency.
Gojo's arms swept wide, his expression dark with awe and unrivalled confidence, as the final words fell.
"Hollow Purple."
The air collapsed. Reality screamed. Pleaded.
And annihilation raced toward them with no intention of stopping.