The Core of Cursed Energy

U struggled to brace herself against a nearby tree. Though her face remained expressionless, the cold sweat continually seeping from her forehead betrayed her pain.

Nearly half an hour had passed since she won the fight, yet she had covered less than a hundred meters.

She had no idea how far she was from Hiraizumi. Beneath the dappled shadows of the trees, she could only use the sun to make a rough guess at her direction.

U kept the muscles in her chest constantly tensed, afraid that any sudden movement would drive her broken ribs into her lungs.

By combining the Inverted Spear of Heaven's effect with the concealment afforded by her heavenly restriction, she had indeed succeeded in killing Gojo Gen with a surprise attack.

Although U had dodged Gojo Gen's earlier Blue · Heel Drop, its powerful attraction had still dragged her body back in.

The absurd physical toughness granted by her heavenly restriction left her with some ability to move, but U was visibly in terrible shape.

Even Zenin Shinichi could probably have beaten her easily now.

Even so, U never considered backing down. The Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad would never abandon a mission.

But rather than the mission, only one question occupied her mind at that moment.

Why had I felt excited during that fight?

U was not an emotionless machine. Countless times, she had experienced the same feelings as ordinary people: joy, happiness, and longing...

And all of those feelings had come from her captain. That dazzling splash of pink was the center of U's emotional whirlpool.

She should not have felt excited in battle, especially against someone obstructing her mission. U should have felt anger and disgust.

Just as jujutsu sorcerers should not feel affection upon seeing cursed spirits, but instead seek a way to exorcise them.

"...What an unpleasant feeling."

Unable to find an answer, U drew a deep breath, shoved her tangled thoughts into the depths of her mind, and forced herself to keep heading toward Hiraizumi.

She was not quite at the end of her rope yet. As long as she could still move, U would continue carrying out the mission entrusted to her by her patron.

However much she disliked Zenin Shinichi, the professionalism of the Sun, Moon, and Stars Squad would not allow U to act out of spite and let her emotions cloud her judgment.

But no matter how strong her will was, it could not ease her injuries. Her pace remained painfully slow.

By the time she returned to the gates of Hiraizumi Castle, dusk was already approaching.

The setting sun stained Hiraizumi's streets a fiery red. There were far fewer vendors along the roads than during the day, and many were packing up their stalls to go home and rest.

Following her memory, U reached the stall where Zenin Shinichi had bought steamed buns at noon.

But its doors were tightly shut, and there were no signs of a fight. It looked as ordinary as any other street in Hiraizumi.

U wanted to investigate for clues, but her body could no longer bear the strain.

She dropped to her knees with a thud. Pain surged through her organs all at once, nearly knocking her unconscious.

But U bit her lower lip to force herself to stay awake. Then, supporting herself with her left hand-the only one still intact-she crawled toward the wall.

If I could just get over there...

If I could just rest a little...

If my injuries improved, I could track Zenin Shinichi's presence and continue my mission.

But U knew that, however unwilling she was to accept it, the mission had already failed.

She had failed to assist Zenin Shinichi and fulfill her duty.

Leaning against the cold outer wall of the building, U slowed her breathing. Her ribs had already pierced her lungs, and every breath brought excruciating pain.

"I'm sorry...Captain..."

Even in the final moments of her life, U could not stop worrying about her powerful, beautiful captain.

If the captain had carried out this mission, it probably wouldn't have ended so pathetically...

She gazed at the slowly sinking sun in the distance, acutely aware of her life ebbing away as death gradually enveloped her heavenly-restricted body.

Through the haze, she saw a figure-a familiar splash of white.

"Having to see you even in my final flash of memories...what a mood killer..."

Yet a smile lingered on U's lips. This man had left her in this state, but seeing him again, she could not muster any anger.

"What? Are you so thrilled to see me again that you're speechless?"

Only when Gojo Gen spoke did U realize.

He was real, not a phantom in her final memories.

For some reason, her body, which should have ceased functioning, regained a little vitality, as if in one last rally before death.

U lifted her head and struggled to look into those brilliant blue eyes. "...Is this real?"

"As real as it gets." Gojo Gen pointed at his neck. Where there should have been a gaping hole, his skin was now perfectly intact. "I'm still alive and kicking!"

U wanted to reach out and confirm what she was seeing for herself, but she could no longer lift her arm.

Then she smiled in acceptance. "Combining two sources of negative energy to produce positive energy that can heal the body...Reverse Cursed Technique?"

Gojo Gen did not keep her guessing. He nodded.

"I've known about this technique for a long time, but if I hadn't come so close to death for the first time, I really wouldn't have been able to pull it off."

Spend too long stomping weaklings and smurfing, and your own skills would deteriorate, leaving your true ability to waste away.

Gojo Gen was a textbook example. He had coasted on his crutch for decades, and his first fight to the death had nearly sent him toppling over.

Against an opponent as powerful as Sukuna, Gojo Gen would have been dispatched in a single exchange, bringing the battle to a definitive end.

But a heavenly restriction paired with the Inverted Spear of Heaven was just enough to force him into a desperate corner, making it the ideal combination to awaken Gojo Gen's potential.

Gojo Gen spread his arms and looked up at the golden sky, his eyes burning with fervor.

"Now I've mastered the core of cursed energy!"

After successfully healing his injuries with Reverse Cursed Technique, Gojo Gen had followed the trail back to Hiraizumi and found U.

He no longer cared what consequences fighting here might bring. Gojo Gen only wanted to keep enjoying battle and the thrill of matching wits.

As his enemy, U should have used her last remaining strength to curse him, to curse this accomplice of an enemy of the imperial court.

But for some reason, watching Gojo Gen in his euphoric state, U could not utter a single hurtful word.

Why? He's my enemy...

I shouldn't be like this...

Countless words gathered on her lips, only for her to swallow them again.

In the final moments of her life, the corners of U's lips lifted slightly. She felt as though she had returned to her childhood, to her mother's embrace.

Who was it that stole that tiny happiness from me...?

"Thank you...I enjoyed our fight..."

She slowly closed her eyes, as beautiful in her final moments as she had been in life.

Only when he noticed that she had stopped breathing did Gojo Gen emerge from his own world.

"Hey, wake up! Wake up!"

He crouched to check her condition. Realizing that she had died from her severe injuries, he let out a long sigh.

"Honestly, dying at such a lovely moment isn't romantic at all!"

Laying U's body flat on the ground, Gojo Gen combined the cursed energy within himself, producing positive energy that could heal injuries.

As more and more positive energy accumulated, Gojo Gen's palms became enveloped in its white glow.

This was an advanced form of Reverse Cursed Technique: Externalized Reverse Cursed Technique, which could heal others-an ability even rarer than Domain Expansion.

Gojo Gen placed both hands on U's chest. Positive energy immediately flowed into her, beginning to repair her broken body.