Reversal, Madness, the End

Noticing that she seemed to have become the target, Shoko Ieiri's expression turned grim.

She could understand Flying Succubus's thoughts. After all, it had fought so miserably earlier because Shoko had constantly limited and interfered with its ability to draw life force from the wounded to restore itself.

After using that ability resembling a Domain Expansion, it had instantly accelerated the recovery of its damaged wings and injuries, but it clearly had not come without a price.

Even for it, this move was likely not something it could use casually.

At that moment, half of Flying Succubus's long, glossy black hair suddenly turned white.

So, it would certainly take this opportunity to kill the person who had affected it the most, and that person... could only be Shoko herself.

As for running away, putting aside whether that was even possible.

Running now would mean abandoning the hostages and abandoning these... somewhat strange classmates who had fought alongside her. She could not do that.

So Shoko Ieiri merely gritted her teeth and continued maintaining the output of Reverse Cursed Technique.

Naturally, this act, no different from a provocation, made Flying Succubus's gaze turn even colder.

Then, Shoko's premonition came true.

The next second, Flying Succubus, whose wings had recovered by seventy percent, beat them again and vanished from its spot, flying straight toward her.

At the same time, the dark red light began to weaken, and the mist that had filled the area rapidly receded. This indicated that the effects of the Domain that had just been deployed were rapidly fading.

Even so, the three who had regained some awareness still could not move.

There were less than twenty meters between Flying Succubus and Shoko.

Although Gojo Satoru's thoughts had temporarily returned, he still could not control his body.

"Damn it... Move!"

Gritting his teeth, he tried to force his arm up and release Blue again to turn the situation around, but no matter how hard he tried, his stiff body would not budge.

At that moment, his heart was filled with regret.

Why?

Why had he not developed his Limitless technique further?

Why had he not thought sooner about how to use Limitless to block attacks like mist or mental impacts?

Why had he not trained harder, so he could control Blue more effectively?

If he had done those things sooner, things might have been different now.

Geto Suguru had also regained consciousness, but like Gojo Satoru, he could not move. He could only watch as the cursed spirit drew closer and closer to his classmate.

The pain and shock this brought made him close his eyes.

Why?

Why did jujutsu sorcerers have to face cursed spirits, the danger and death they brought? What would it take to completely erase cursed spirits from existence?

What would it take to end this painful cycle?

There were less than ten meters between Flying Succubus and Shoko.

Looking at its prey, now within reach, a cruel smile appeared in its eyes, as though it could already foresee the sight of its target being disemboweled.

But at that moment, a small yet distinct whistle of something cutting through the air rang out.

Gojo Satoru instinctively turned toward the source of the sound, and his eyes widened.

In his field of vision, Toho Che had twisted his body and kicked the cursed tool that had been embedded in the ground, sending it flying. The spinning blade became a circular arc of light in midair, slashing toward Flying Succubus's back.

After doing that, he stomped down hard. His foot shattered the floor, and using the massive recoil, he shot forward in a blur.

The sudden change and the sound of wind behind it startled Flying Succubus. Thinking the white-haired brat it had controlled had regained the ability to move, it hurriedly turned to evade.

But when it moved aside and saw that streak of white light fall to the ground, it realized it was merely a thrown longsword.

"What?! ...No..."

Before it could finish speaking, it sensed a surge of cursed energy rapidly approaching.

When it turned around, Toho Che was already in front of it, his face cold as he raised a fist wrapped in surging cursed energy.

The reversal had come so suddenly that it did not have time to fully evade. That punch slammed directly into its wing.

At that moment, Toho Che desperately hoped the punch would trigger Black Flash and directly destroy its ability to move.

Unfortunately, the scene he had imagined did not happen.

Perhaps his cursed energy control had not fully recovered, leaving the enhancement insufficient, or perhaps the opponent's defense was stronger than expected.

Flying Succubus merely staggered before turning around and glaring at him fiercely.

"You've even lost your weapon, yet you still dare fight me at close range? Then I'll deal with you first!"

Although it had just been severely injured by Toho Che, in its eyes, that had only happened because the threats posed by the other two brats had thrown it off. Otherwise, it would never have been injured so easily.

What was more, this strange brat had thrown away the weapon that could hurt it. Fists alone could not injure it; that last strike had proven it.

It was somewhat strange that Toho Che had shaken off the Domain's influence and regained consciousness so quickly, but it could not drag this out any longer. It had to deal with this brat first, then get rid of the one hindering its ability.

And drawing out two portions of delicious cursed energy at once meant that even if it fled and found another place afterward, it would not have to worry about food for a while.

Yes, Flying Succubus was already considering escape. Although the Domain Expansion had helped it recover its injuries, it had also consumed its essence.

If it fought that white-haired brat in this condition, it might suffer a reversal if it was careless. Better to play it safe.

As it thought, it swung its claws, already planning how to continue after the brat before it dodged or blocked.

But unexpectedly, its claws pierced straight into Toho Che's shoulder. The sudden development left it unable to believe what had happened. Then, the smile on its face twisted as dark red mist surged through the wound created by its claws.

"So you really were just putting on a brave front, you..."

Before it could finish, Toho Che suddenly raised his head and looked at it with a calm gaze.

"Got you."

"?"

Before it could understand what that meant, Toho Che spread his arms and suddenly moved forward, as if he intended to embrace it.

The strange situation made Flying Succubus freeze for a moment. Then it realized that while it was being held by the person in front of it, two powerful hands had tightly seized the bases of its wings from behind.

The disheveled woman was forcibly held in the embrace of a man half a head taller than her. Their bodies pressed tightly together, creating an awkward yet strangely beautiful curve.

At first glance, the scene even seemed somewhat suggestive.

But neither of those involved thought so.

"What are you doing?!"

Panicked, Flying Succubus did not even bother continuing to drain Toho Che's cursed energy. It hurriedly flapped its wings, trying to escape his hold.

Because it had vaguely sensed what this madman intended to do.

But it was futile. Toho Che's arms wrapped around Flying Succubus's upper body, his hands gripping the bases of its wings tightly. No matter how it struggled, he did not move in the slightest.

Although he could not directly tear off or destroy these wings that had caused them so much trouble, this was enough. All he needed to do was create an opportunity.

"You want to control me? Then I'll drain you dry first!"

Sensing that the effects of its Domain were growing weaker and realizing it could not break free for the moment, Flying Succubus stopped holding back and began viciously attacking Toho Che's body.

However, since he was restraining its body with both arms and his embrace, its upper arms could not break free. It could only use its forearms to attack the back and lower back it could reach, while continuously releasing dark red mist into his body through the wounds and draining his cursed energy.

Toho Che's face turned pale.

The severe blood loss and depletion of cursed energy were making him weak, but his hands did not loosen in the slightest. He shouted at the other two in the distance.

"Geto, Gojo! It's time to wake up!"

Perhaps it was a coincidence, or perhaps the lingering effects of that bizarre Domain finally dissipated at that moment. The two, whose bodies had been unable to move, broke free from their restraints at the same time and rushed toward him.

Shaken awake, Geto Suguru disregarded his own thoughts and immediately released the last few cursed spirits from his collection, having them wrap around Flying Succubus's calves and wings.

Gojo Satoru also rushed behind Flying Succubus, but faced with this perfect opportunity, he did not know how to strike.

Through the Six Eyes and his observation of cursed energy, he discovered that Flying Succubus's core was extremely close to Toho Che's heart, perhaps less than five centimeters away.

His offensive options were limited. Firing Blue from such close range could kill it, but it might also injure Toho Che, whose face was already pale.

If he enhanced his body with cursed energy and attacked directly, his hand-to-hand skills were not good enough to precisely destroy the core. There was a cursed tool nearby, but he feared accidentally stabbing too hard and driving it too far through.

Shoko's Reverse Cursed Technique could heal injuries, but she was also affected right now. If Toho Che's heart were injured, could she still save him? He did not know, and he did not dare try recklessly.

So he instinctively sought help.

"Toho, its core is very close to your heart. What should I do?!"

In his view, asking the leader of this mission for help was only natural. But Toho Che, pale-faced and weak-voiced, instead said something that shook him to his core.

"Gojo, remember what I once told you? Try it now. Decide for yourself what you should do!"

After saying that, he closed his eyes, his hands still tightly gripping Flying Succubus's wings.

Perhaps sensing the end approaching, its voice grew increasingly terrified.

"Madman, madman! Aren't you afraid I'll drain you completely dry? To kill me, you're actually willing to pay such a price?!"

As it spoke, it frantically bit at Toho Che's collarbone.

If it could, it would rather bite through this madman's throat, but the difference in their height and build made that impossible. It could only viciously attack his upper chest.

Watching Toho Che's face grow paler and paler, Gojo Satoru gritted his teeth as his thoughts raced.

Although Geto Suguru was also tense, he did not speak at this moment.

Because he sensed that Toho Che seemed to be using this opportunity to convey something to Gojo Satoru. If he spoke, he might instead interrupt the process.

But his gaze had already shifted to Fudōmaru nearby. If Gojo Satoru could not think of a way, then he would do it. Even if Toho Che might be hurt, that was still better than watching him be drained dry.

"I get it. You bastard really gave me a difficult problem!"

Fortunately, after thinking deeply for a moment, Gojo Satoru opened his eyes and placed his palm a few centimeters away from Flying Succubus's back.

Azure light began twisting, gathering, and spinning in his palm once more.

But this time, he suppressed the urge to simply throw it out. He only controlled Blue as it slowly twisted and tore through Flying Succubus's back and body, moving toward its core.

Sensing that its core was on the verge of shattering and death was near, Flying Succubus struggled even more violently, but it also realized it could no longer escape.

So it raised its head, its gaze filled with confusion and rage.

"You madman, you..."

It had expected to see eyes full of pain and anger, but Toho Che's eyes contained only calm and endurance.

When their eyes met, the corners of his mouth actually curled into a smile.

"Checkmate. If you even know what checkmate means."

Seeing that smile, it felt an absurdity rise within it.

It was a cursed spirit born from the legend of the Flying Succubus. Its instinct was to devour, plunder, and hate, so it could not understand why someone would sacrifice this much to protect others.

Even more ironically, a cursed spirit born from the legend of a monster that hunted men out of hatred was now meeting its end in a man's embrace. What a ridiculous thing.

Flying Succubus's tense body gradually relaxed, no longer able to struggle.

Blue's erosion continued. Fine, tearing attraction constantly gnawed at its core, and its body slowly began to dissipate.

But it no longer screamed or wailed. It merely curled up in Toho Che's embrace, silently looking at him with a complex and bewildered gaze until it completely faded into nothingness...