Looking at Scorpio, which had once again fully recovered, Satoru Gojo raised the corner of his mouth with genuine interest.
"Sumire Muroto said you weren't worth researching because you didn't have any special abilities. But looking at you now, you're actually pretty interesting."
As an expert who had spent years studying Gastrea, Sumire Muroto had mentioned Scorpio to him before. In her opinion, aside from its incredible vitality, Scorpio possessed no other unique abilities, making it have little research value.
But now, just this ridiculous regenerative ability alone was enough to make it worthy of deeper investigation.
"I'm actually curious. Just how many times can you recover?"
Gojo tilted his head slightly, a trace of curiosity flashing in his eyes. He wanted to see whether this creature's regeneration ability was truly endless.
Even his own Reverse Cursed Technique, which allowed him to rapidly repair his injuries, had limits. Using it too many times could still cause his Cursed Technique to overload and put a significant strain on his body.
Yet the recovery ability granted to Scorpio by the Gastrea Virus was absurd.
After suffering injuries that should have been fatal, it had completely restored itself in less than ten minutes. Even more astonishing was that there were no signs of weakness afterward. It still possessed the same overwhelming strength as before.
"But..."
Gojo's voice paused, and the curve of his lips became even more playful. A hint of teasing appeared in his eyes, as if he were talking to a stubborn child.
"I hope you can do that one more time. Otherwise, you're really going to die this time."
He looked down at Scorpio with a smile, his tone carrying both threat and anticipation. He did not care whether the creature could understand him. He simply continued speaking, as if chatting with an old friend.
However, Scorpio's reaction completely exceeded his expectations.
It did not immediately lash out with its tentacles like before, nor did it show any anger or unwillingness to fight. Instead, it appeared strangely panicked.
One of its thickest tentacles suddenly shot out, moving toward a certain direction with obvious urgency. The movement was rushed, yet at the same time strangely careful.
"Huh?"
The smile on Gojo's face froze slightly as confusion appeared in his eyes. Following the direction where Scorpio's tentacle reached, he became even more curious.
He wanted to know what this creature was trying to do after being beaten so badly. Instead of attacking him or attempting to fight back, why was it desperately reaching toward that place?
In that direction stood an old, abandoned building ruin.
The structure had already been reduced to rubble. The walls were tilted, exposed steel bars protruded from the broken concrete, and dust and stains covered every surface. It had clearly been destroyed during their previous battle and looked completely ordinary, with nothing special about it.
Compared to Scorpio's massive tentacle, the ruined building was as fragile as tofu.
With only a slight collision, the broken walls immediately collapsed. Stones and debris poured down, raising a cloud of dust.
Then, the tip of the tentacle carefully reached into the ruins and picked something up.
The movement was unbelievably gentle, completely contrasting with Scorpio's terrifying appearance.
It was a small, worn-out tricycle.
Yet Scorpio wrapped its tentacle around it with extreme care, as if afraid that the slightest mistake would damage it.
Under Gojo's stunned gaze, Scorpio turned around without hesitation and began running in the opposite direction of Tokyo while carrying the broken tricycle.
Its speed was astonishing.
It was even faster than when it had attacked him earlier. Its countless tentacles were tightly pressed against its body, as if protecting some precious treasure.
"You're running away?!"
Gojo stared at Scorpio's retreating figure with a strange expression. He subconsciously touched his forehead, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Weren't Gastrea supposed to be mindless creatures?
From what he knew, they only understood killing and destruction. They acted purely on instinct, without intelligence or fear.
But the Scorpio before him was clearly different from the Gastrea he knew.
What was going on?
There were countless humans in Tokyo right in front of it. According to the instincts of a Gastrea, shouldn't it have charged forward and started slaughtering people, devouring humans without restraint?
Why had it suddenly decided to leave?
Or was it because it had realized it could not defeat him and chosen to escape?
Gojo frowned slightly, unable to understand what was happening.
In all his years, this was the first time he had encountered a Gastrea that actually retreated because it was afraid. And the fact that it was even carrying away a worn-out tricycle made the entire situation feel even stranger.
With a push against the ground, Cursed Energy instantly erupted beneath his feet.
His figure flashed, and he appeared in front of Scorpio, blocking its path.
"Hey, hey. You're planning to leave without even saying goodbye? Isn't that a little rude?"
With both hands in his pockets, Gojo floated in front of Scorpio. His tone remained casual, carrying a hint of dissatisfaction, but the curiosity in his eyes had not faded.
He wanted to find out what exactly this creature was.
Scorpio stared at the human who had suddenly appeared before it.
Its body paused.
The countless tentacles covering its body instantly tightened, and the next moment they all swung toward Gojo.
The attacks carried violent winds as they attempted to force him away and allow Scorpio to continue escaping.
But just like before, they were completely useless.
Gojo merely shifted his body slightly and effortlessly avoided the attacks. The massive tentacles passed by his clothes and slammed into the distant ground, leaving behind deep trenches.
The countless eyes covering Scorpio's body looked at Gojo all at once.
There was no anger within them.
Only overwhelming fear.
Then, slowly, Scorpio moved aside, attempting to walk around him and continue toward the distance.
It did not attack again.
"So you really realized you can't beat me and decided to leave?"
Gojo muttered to himself, his brows furrowing even more as his curiosity continued growing.
"Seriously, this kind of silent treatment is pretty annoying."
He had originally planned to play with this creature and see just how powerful its regeneration ability was.
He never expected Scorpio to simply give up and run away without even trying to resist.
"You can't just come whenever you want and leave whenever you want. That's pretty unfair."
The dissatisfaction in Gojo's voice grew stronger. The playful smile on his face slowly disappeared, replaced by a trace of seriousness.
He had no intention of allowing this creature to leave so easily.
"So..."
As he spoke, the Cursed Energy surrounding Gojo suddenly expanded.
A pressure far greater than before erupted from his body, like an invisible mountain several times larger than the previous one crashing down upon Scorpio.
The surrounding air instantly became still.
Even the light itself seemed distorted under the overwhelming pressure. Far away, the clouds were stirred violently by the massive surge of Cursed Energy.
"Since you've come here, you're staying."
Gojo's voice was calm, yet it carried absolute authority.
A hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.
He had lost patience. Since Scorpio refused to cooperate, he would simply force it to remain.
As if it had understood Gojo's words, Scorpio's massive body trembled violently.
The fear in its eyes became even more intense.
This time, it did not attack with its tentacles.
Instead, it poured all of its strength into escaping.
Its speed increased once again, moving desperately as if its life depended on it.
In Scorpio's understanding, the human before it had already become an existence that could never be defeated.
Attacking him was meaningless.
The only thing it could do was leave this place as quickly as possible, run as far away as possible, and never encounter this terrifying human again.
The idea itself was reasonable.
For a Gastrea with limited intelligence, being able to recognize danger, understand the need to avoid a stronger opponent, and flee because of fear was already an extraordinary display.
It had gone beyond pure instinct.
But reality was far crueler than its hopes.
Because when it came to speed, Scorpio and Gojo were not even comparable.
The difference between them was absolute.
No matter how Scorpio fled, no matter how desperately it tried, it was completely meaningless.
Gojo remained floating behind it, following at a leisurely pace like a cat playing with a mouse.
What terrified Scorpio even more was the increasingly oppressive aura coming from Gojo.
That pressure continued growing stronger and more terrifying, as if the next moment it would completely swallow the creature.
Through the satellite cameras, Gojo's figure appeared exceptionally clear.
Even within the endless dust covering the battlefield, he remained dazzling and impossible to ignore.
However, unlike before, this time two different colors appeared beside him.
Blue and red.
The blue glow was cold and restrained, resembling a deep ocean. It released an immense attraction force, pulling the surrounding air toward itself.
The red glow was hot and violent, resembling burning flames. It released overwhelming repulsion, forcing everything around it away.
The two colors divided the space around Gojo into two completely different worlds.
One side represented attraction.
The other represented repulsion.
Two opposing forces existed together without clashing, forming a strange yet terrifying balance.
The two colors intertwined and spread outward, causing the entire sky and earth to appear dyed in a unified color scheme.
Half was deep blue.
Half was crimson red.
The sight was both bizarre and magnificent.
Then.
Under the gaze of countless people, the two colors behind Gojo began rotating, gathering, and merging at his fingertips.
The blue attraction and the red repulsion intertwined, forming a tiny vortex.
The vortex continued spinning and expanding, releasing increasingly terrifying power. The surrounding air was violently disturbed, while even light itself became distorted, creating strange patterns throughout the battlefield.
Everyone who witnessed this scene felt their hearts shake.
Their expressions were filled with disbelief, and even their breathing seemed to stop.
Especially Kikunojou Tendo and Seitenshi in the distance.
Both stared fixedly at the screen.
Their expressions were different, but both were filled with shock.
They had already witnessed the terrifying power of Blue and Red through the satellite footage.
That destructive force had completely surpassed their understanding and left them deeply wary of Gojo.
And now, these two terrifying powers were about to merge together.
No one could imagine what kind of power would be born from that fusion.
No one could predict its limits.
That force might be enough to easily destroy the entire Tokyo Area.
Perhaps even more.
A chance.
When Seitenshi saw this scene, hope appeared in her eyes, and a relieved smile formed on her face.
In her opinion, Gojo had nearly killed Scorpio with only Red earlier. The only reason the Gastrea had survived was because he had not used a Varanium Weapon, allowing it to regenerate.
If Gojo could combine the power of Blue and Red, creating an even more powerful attack, then he would definitely be able to eliminate Scorpio and completely end this disaster, allowing the residents of Tokyo to return to peace.
But Kikunojou Tendo did not see hope in this scene.
Instead, his heart was filled with fear and unease, and his expression became darker.
He had originally believed that he had already judged Gojo's strength highly enough.
To eliminate him, he had even prepared what he considered a "perfect" plan. He had secretly mobilized the Self-Defense Forces and prepared a large number of weapons, waiting for the right opportunity to completely remove Gojo.
However, only now did he understand something.
For an existence like Satoru Gojo, no amount of caution was excessive.
Everything he had prepared before was probably meaningless before Gojo's overwhelming strength.
If Gojo truly merged the power of Blue and Red and became even stronger, then no one would ever be able to control him.
No one would be able to oppose him.
At that point, the entire Tokyo Area, perhaps even the entire world, would fall under his control.
And that was something Kikunojou Tendo absolutely could not allow to happen.
"Move."
His low voice echoed through the office.
There was urgency and ruthlessness hidden within his tone.
He could no longer wait.
If he delayed any longer, once Gojo completed the fusion of the two powers, everything would be too late.
Beside him, Kazumitsu Tendo continued staring at the screen.
He had not even recovered from his shock.
He was still completely absorbed by the terrifying strength displayed by Gojo and did not react at all to Kikunojou's command.
After following Kikunojou for many years, he had witnessed countless powerful Gastrea and encountered many skilled sorcerers.
But he had never seen anyone like Satoru Gojo.
That overwhelming power, capable of destroying everything before him, filled him with fear from the depths of his heart.
He did not even dare to breathe.