Recovery

Everyone from Jujutsu High turned at the sound as they ran, and an apocalyptic sight met their eyes.

Utahime Iori, Masamichi Yaga, Megumi Fushiguro, Yuji Itadori, and Nobara Kugisaki all stopped to look.

The rest of the group stopped as well.

"Gojo." Though Utahime Iori was always telling Gojo to drop dead, she was still worried now.

Megumi Fushiguro took one look and immediately ran back the way they had come.

"Fushiguro!?" Nobara Kugisaki and Yuji Itadori shouted in unison.

"You guys go ahead. I have to check." Megumi Fushiguro ran back without even turning his head.

"I'm coming with you." Nobara Kugisaki followed Megumi Fushiguro back.

"Count me in," Yuji Itadori called from behind them.

"Get back here!" Masamichi Yaga shouted at the three who had broken away from the group, but he could not stop them.

The three had already made up their minds.

Chiyo Shin stopped moving again, leaving only his open domain to tear wildly at Satoru Gojo on its own.

Limitless hissed under the assault. Satoru Gojo endured attacks from every direction with every step he took toward Chiyo Shin.

His Six Eyes worked furiously, searching for a solution.

"Gojo... Sensei."

Suddenly hearing Chiyo Shin's voice, Satoru Gojo looked up and saw two trails of tears spilling from Chiyo Shin's white-glowing eyes.

Satoru Gojo's heart clenched. "Don't be afraid, Shin. I'm here to save you."

The tears fell to the ground, a silent plea for help.

Satoru Gojo expanded Limitless again and strode toward Chiyo Shin.

Ever since his soul had been thrown into disarray, Chiyo Shin had sunk into the depths of his consciousness.

Soul Offering had handed control of his body to the jumble of souls that the Qin clan head had stitched into it.

But Chiyo Shin remained its primary consciousness. Each time he was controlled, his consciousness slowly stirred.

And the domain unleashed at the end had awakened Chiyo Shin completely.

With his consciousness awake, Chiyo Shin pushed aside the tangled souls and tried to reclaim his body. But after being trapped for a thousand years, how could those souls not yearn for freedom?

One grotesque hand after another seized Chiyo Shin's rising soul, desperately dragging him down.

For every step he rose, he was pulled back two. Chiyo Shin reached out for help, but there was nothing he could grasp.

Was this how I would end? In this life, I had only just made friends, only just begun to experience this world. Did I have to leave again already?

His soul sank into the depths of his consciousness once more, but someone caught the hand he had reached out.

Chiyo Shin's soul was slowly pulled free. No matter how the other souls tugged at him, they could no longer stop him from rising.

Regaining awareness, Chiyo Shin opened his eyes and saw a rugged middle-aged man holding his hand.

"You from a thousand years in the future, don't forget your promise."

With that, he hurled Chiyo Shin away.

As Chiyo Shin flew into the distance, he looked back at the middle-aged man. Images suddenly flashed through his memories, and he could not help murmuring, "The Qin clan head!?"

Qin Qingluodai watched Chiyo Shin recede into the distance.

He still remembered the anger he had felt when Chiyo Shin's soul first intruded.

But his anger had not lasted long.

He soon discovered that this junior could ignore the chaotic souls within the body and freely control the body he had created.

That shocked him and piqued his curiosity.

He did not stop Chiyo Shin from using the body.

He wanted to see what this junior could do.

Days and months passed, allowing him to understand this junior. And the promise Chiyo Shin had made after obtaining his memories had given him hope once more.

He had failed during incarnation and could only huddle within this sturdy body, unable to control it.

Surviving until now was already an incredible stroke of luck.

Perhaps having Chiyo Shin fulfill his final wish would not be such a bad thing.

Qin Qingluodai returned to his senses and looked down at the souls wailing beneath his feet.

His broken, incomplete soul had grown even weaker after saving Chiyo Shin.

Without hesitation, Qin Qingluodai plunged into the depths of the consciousness to suppress the other chaotic souls.

His descent sent the chaotic souls shrieking and scattering in every direction.

A thousand years ago, this was the very person who had stitched them together.

With Qin Qingluodai's arrival, the once-chaotic souls transformed like a pool of thick ink turning into clear water.

Only then did Qin Qingluodai, head of the Qin clan, truly pass away.

Before Chiyo Shin could wonder why the Qin clan head was here, his entire consciousness returned to his body.

The memories of his time under their control surfaced in his mind as well.

After absorbing those memories, Chiyo Shin was frantic. How were Megumi and the others? Were they hurt? All sorts of terrible possibilities filled his mind.

As his sight returned, the first thing he saw was Satoru Gojo resisting his domain.

Chiyo Shin could no longer hold back his emotions, and tears streamed down his face. "Gojo... Sensei."

"Don't be afraid, Shin. I'm here to save you." Satoru Gojo expanded Limitless and pushed forward through the domain's attacks.

Chiyo Shin's cursed energy surged, and the open domain vanished instantly.

He regained control of his body, and the chaotic souls were gone.

Soul Offering fell to the ground as well.

The extra organs on his body turned to ash and dispersed into the air.

Satoru Gojo caught Chiyo Shin as he toppled forward.

"I messed up, Gojo-sensei." Chiyo Shin collapsed into Satoru Gojo's arms, crying and choking on his words. "Megumi and the others... they..."

"It's all right. Megumi and the others are fine. None of this was your fault." Satoru Gojo patted Chiyo Shin's back to comfort him.

After severing both arms in succession, Kenjaku still wanted to use Reverse Cursed Technique to keep the process going.

But Mother Soul Offering suddenly stopped working, and the soul Kenjaku had poured into Soul Offering disappeared along with it.

The excruciating pain of losing part of his soul sent Kenjaku collapsing to the ground. "How could this happen!?"

"Hahaha, what a sorry sight. Need a hand, Geto?" A shadow loomed over Kenjaku.

Mahito and Hanami stood on either side.

Kenjaku was in too much pain to speak.

"What happened, Geto? Such a huge chunk of your soul is missing. I'll fill it in for you. Otherwise, if you lose an organ, Reverse Cursed Technique won't be able to restore it." Mahito crouched and placed his hand on Kenjaku, activating Idle Transfiguration.

Kenjaku's pain slowly eased.

"Come on, Geto. Thank me." Having finished the repairs, Mahito smiled at Kenjaku.

"Thank you very much, Mahito." Kenjaku stood, his robes soaked in sweat.

He picked up the two arms from the ground and tucked them against his chest. "How did things go on your end?"

"A complete success, of course." Mahito took out Sukuna's Finger and the cursed womb: death paintings and held them out for Kenjaku to see.

"Good. Hanami, clean up the blood," Kenjaku said, turning to Hanami.

"Don't order me around." Hanami grumbled, but still used branches to plow through the ground, then smoothed it back to its original state.

Mahito picked up Soul Offering from the ground. "You don't want this anymore?"

"I don't need it," Kenjaku said without looking back.

"All right, whatever you say." Mahito hurled the Compass into the forest.

Chiyo Shin's eyes were still a little red, but he had finally calmed down. He followed behind Satoru Gojo, sniffling.

They had not gone far when they came face-to-face with Megumi Fushiguro and the other two.

"Shin! Chiyo!" The three called out happily.

"Everyone..." Chiyo Shin waved at them, laughing through his tears.