When it came to the techniques he possessed, Red was far more destructive than Blue.
Blue represented the ultimate form of attraction. It could pull and crush everything in its path, while Red was the embodiment of repulsion, possessing far greater explosive force and much more direct destructive power. If unleashed at full strength, it could easily tear apart the earth and annihilate everything in its way.
Floating high above the battlefield, Satoru Gojo looked down at the Gastrea beneath him, a trace of amusement appearing in his eyes.
Thinking about it carefully, Scorpio really did have only one advantage besides its enormous size.
It was big.
That was all.
The rough skin covering its entire body looked thick and durable, but its actual defense was nowhere near as impressive as it appeared. His previous casual attack had already destroyed nearly half of its body in an instant. As for its offensive capabilities, they were painfully simple. Aside from wildly swinging dozens of massive tentacles around, it had no other means of attacking.
Its defense was lacking, its attacks were predictable, and aside from those tentacles, it had no other tricks.
In the end, the only thing Scorpio could rely on was its absurd vitality. No matter how severe its injuries were, as long as its core remained intact, it could rapidly regenerate, as if it could never truly be killed.
The blazing red light in the sky grew brighter and brighter, burning like a miniature sun that dyed the entire sky crimson.
Within that sea of red, Gojo's figure was quickly swallowed by the radiance. Only a vague silhouette of his upright form could be seen, while the surrounding sky was also stained by the overwhelming glow. The clear blue heavens gradually transformed into a piercing blood-red color, and even the distant clouds were dyed dark crimson, creating an eerie and oppressive atmosphere.
A terrifying pressure descended along with the spreading red light, like an invisible mountain pressing down upon the land.
The dust on the ground sank slightly under the immense pressure. The broken ruins around the battlefield trembled, and even the air itself seemed to become thick and heavy, as if every breath required an enormous amount of effort.
Scorpio, which had continued relentlessly attacking Gojo with its tentacles in an attempt to kill the human before it, suddenly froze after sensing the terrifying pressure.
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, its previously sluggish body instantly tightened, and its movements became frantic.
Several of its thickest tentacles suddenly rose into the air like enormous stone pillars. Carrying a deafening howl of wind, they shot toward Gojo with desperate force.
Every swing caused explosions to erupt through the air.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The continuous sonic booms shook the sky like a series of violent explosions, causing anyone nearby to feel their eardrums tremble.
The speed and power of the tentacles were so extreme that only countless afterimages could be seen flickering through the air. Even the surrounding light seemed to distort under their overwhelming velocity.
Some tentacles struck empty space before crashing into distant skyscrapers. Entire buildings were instantly broken in half as countless pieces of concrete and steel collapsed downward, raising clouds of dust.
Others swept across the ground, carving enormous trenches dozens of meters long and several meters deep. Soil scattered everywhere, exposing the layers of rock beneath the earth.
However.
No matter how much Scorpio struggled, no matter how desperately it fought back, no matter how much power it poured into its attacks, it still could not even touch the corner of Gojo's clothing.
Even when its strikes created waves of air powerful enough to tear apart steel, they remained completely useless.
Before Gojo, everything Scorpio did was meaningless.
The strongest attacks it could unleash had no effect whatsoever.
He continued floating within the crimson light, his posture relaxed and his expression unchanged. The terrifying tentacles rushing toward him were no different from a gentle breeze passing by, completely unworthy of his attention.
The red light continued spreading across the sky, becoming denser and more dazzling.
Finally, after Scorpio's endless resistance, a massive pillar of crimson light descended from above with enough force to destroy the heavens and earth, rushing directly toward the Stage 5 Gastrea.
The world trembled.
The ground beneath them began shaking violently, as if a magnitude seven earthquake had struck. Even the distant Tokyo city district could feel the immense vibration. Numerous buildings had their windows shattered by the shockwaves, filling the streets with sharp crashing sounds.
The descending red light resembled divine punishment from a god, carrying an unstoppable authority as it completely enveloped Scorpio's enormous body.
"RUMBLEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
The deafening roar echoed across the sky and spread throughout the entire Tokyo Bay coastline. Even people several dozen kilometers away could clearly hear the terrifying sound, as if the entire world was about to collapse beneath the overwhelming noise.
The moment the crimson light descended, Scorpio seemed to sense the threat of death.
It let out a desperate roar.
The sound was hoarse and miserable, filled with fear and unwillingness. It sounded like a wail from the depths of hell, carrying tremendous penetrating power, yet it was instantly swallowed by the thunderous explosion and failed to travel even a short distance.
The terrifying roar continued for a long time.
When everything finally became visible again, the ground surrounding Scorpio had already collapsed completely, forming a massive depression as if it had suffered a devastating impact.
The crimson light did not merely pierce through Scorpio's body and tear apart its enormous frame. It also penetrated the solid earth beneath it, leaving behind a pitch-black hole that seemed to lead endlessly underground.
Even after entering the depths of the earth, the terrifying force had not weakened.
Instead, it erupted violently beneath the surface.
The energy that had nowhere to go directly forced the ground upward, causing the earth to swell like a massive mound. It continued expanding and trembling, as if some enormous creature beneath the ground was about to break free.
The power was comparable to an earthquake, almost as if some gigantic beast was turning over beneath the earth.
The violent shaking was so intense that even the residents of Tokyo could clearly feel it. Many people rushed out of their homes, their faces filled with fear as they looked toward the direction of the disturbance.
But this was only the beginning.
As violent waves of energy suddenly spread outward, a massive shockwave swept across the battlefield.
Everything in its path, whether broken buildings, trees, or rocks, was instantly destroyed and thrown into the air, transformed into countless fragments.
A gigantic crater appeared on the ground.
Its diameter reached several hundred meters, while its depth extended dozens of meters below the surface. The steep walls were covered with blackened marks, making it look as though a meteor had struck the earth.
Everything surrounding the crater had been completely destroyed by the force of the impact, leaving behind nothing but devastation.
And all of this was captured clearly by satellites.
Every detail of the battlefield was transmitted directly into the offices of Seitenshi and Kikunojou Tendo.
Inside both offices, their eyes remained fixed on the screens before them. They stared at the scene covered by smoke and dust, barely daring to breathe.
The rooms were completely silent.
Only the faint light from the screens illuminated their faces, revealing completely different expressions.
Seitenshi sat behind her desk, both hands tightly gripping the edge of her clothing. Her fingertips had turned pale from the force of her grip, and her eyes were filled with anxiety and concern.
She stared at the cloud of smoke covering the battlefield, silently praying that Gojo was safe and that this disaster would end as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Kikunojou stood nearby with his hands behind his back. His brows were tightly furrowed, and his expression was frighteningly dark.
There was no emotion on his face.
Only deep within his eyes was a faint trace of shock and apprehension.
He had originally believed that he had already judged Gojo's strength high enough. To deal with him, he had secretly prepared what he considered a "perfect" plan.
But only now did he realize that he had still underestimated this man.
After a long while, the smoke on the screen gradually dispersed.
The hidden battlefield once again became visible.
Everything that had existed before, the broken ruins, the trees, the rocks, even the place where Scorpio had originally stood, had all disappeared beneath the previous attack.
Only a scorched wasteland remained.
The ground was left with a crater resembling the impact site of a meteor. The bottom was completely dark, and the surrounding earth had been burned solid.
The terrifying power of the attack was displayed clearly before everyone, sending chills through anyone who witnessed it.
High above the battlefield, that same upright figure remained standing proudly in the air.
Gojo still wore the same relaxed expression.
However, Scorpio, which had previously stood on the ground beneath him, was nowhere to be seen.
No.
It had not disappeared.
Gojo lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling into the massive crater below. A playful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
It had been destroyed by his attack, leaving behind only scattered pieces of flesh.
At the bottom of the crater, countless fragments of broken flesh were scattered everywhere. Some of them were still twitching slightly, releasing a disgusting stench.
The largest piece was part of Scorpio's torso, with several broken tentacles still attached. They continued twitching instinctively, creating a horrifying sight.
Floating above the crater, Gojo looked down at the writhing remains below him with an amused expression.
His tone carried a hint of surprise and teasing.
"That's actually pretty impressive. I didn't expect you to avoid part of the attack. You're much smarter than I thought."
He slowly raised his hand.
The red glow at his fingertip had already disappeared, leaving only faint traces of Cursed Energy drifting through the air.
"I thought you would just stand there like an idiot and wait to die."
Gojo slowly descended before landing lightly on the edge of the crater.
He looked down at the remains below, and the interest in his eyes continued growing.
Only after observing carefully could one notice the details.
When facing Red's attack, Scorpio's skin, which was capable of resisting conventional weapons, had been completely useless against the intense heat and overwhelming repulsive force. It had been torn apart and burned away as easily as paper.
However, Scorpio's reaction speed had been extremely fast.
The moment Gojo's attack descended, it had already sensed the danger and immediately moved its body with all its strength.
Gastrea had two weaknesses.
The brain and the heart.
These two locations were their cores and also their most vulnerable points.
If either one was destroyed by a Varanium Weapon, the Gastrea would be killed and its life would end completely.
However, Gojo's previous attack had not involved any Varanium Weapon.
The only thing he had used was his own Cursed Technique, Red.
Although his Red was extremely powerful, killing a Stage 5 Gastrea like Scorpio without relying on a Varanium Weapon was still not so simple.
Breaking through its defenses had only been the easiest step.
To truly kill a Gastrea without using a Varanium Weapon, he would need to destroy all of its weaknesses, preferably erasing every trace of its existence and leaving it with no chance to regenerate.
And Scorpio had clearly done everything it could.
At the moment Red descended, it had shifted its brain away from the attack's path, successfully avoiding the fatal blow.
Although its heart and most of its body had been completely destroyed by Red, reduced to a mass of broken flesh, as long as its brain remained intact, it could regenerate and recover.
Under Gojo's gaze, the remaining pieces of Scorpio's flesh began rapidly regenerating once again.
The speed was astonishing.
The shattered flesh slowly gathered together and fused. Tiny tentacles began growing from the remains, gradually becoming longer and thicker.
Burned black skin slowly covered the torso again, restoring the destroyed body piece by piece.
The organs that had been completely destroyed reconstructed themselves at an unbelievable speed.
Even the tentacles that had been torn apart began recovering visibly.
The speed remained terrifyingly fast.
Fast enough to make one wonder where such an enormous amount of energy came from to restore such a massive body.
It was almost impossible to understand.
Even the basic principle of energy conservation seemed unable to explain what was happening.
In such a short period of time, Scorpio should not have been able to absorb enough energy from its surroundings to rebuild a body of this scale.
Yet it had done exactly that, as if it possessed an endless source of energy.
Gojo did not rush to attack.
He simply stood at the edge of the crater with his hands in his pockets, watching Scorpio regenerate with curiosity in his eyes.
It was like observing an interesting toy.
He wanted to see exactly how powerful this creature's regeneration ability truly was.
How many times could it recover?
And Scorpio did not disappoint him.
In less than ten minutes, it had completely recovered from a pile of broken flesh into its original form.
The four-hundred-meter-tall monster once again stood before him, maintaining its terrifying appearance.
Its rough, hardened skin had returned.
Dozens of massive tentacles moved around its body, releasing a suffocating sense of pressure.
The only difference was the faint traces of blackened marks still remaining across its skin.
Those scars were the evidence left behind by Red.
A reminder of how completely it had lost the previous battle.