Awakening (1)

As Satoru Gojo stared at Chinatsu lying on the ground covered in blood, his pupils trembled violently. Rage surged through his heart, but he forcibly suppressed it just before it could erupt.

Sensing Gojo's emotions spike, abruptly halt, and then subside, Toji Fushiguro inwardly praised his composure.

"Looks like taking out the second one quickly won't be so easy. Still, if I treat it as a timed challenge, that makes it pretty interesting."

The confident smile remained on Toji's face as he raised the Inverted Spear of Heaven high and adopted a very unusual fighting stance.

Heavenly Tyrant vs. unawakened Six Eyes

After staring each other down, both shot forward from their distant positions, launching into a battle in which each was racing against time.

"Blue!!!"

Boom after boom rang out. Even Suguru Geto and the others, who had already made it inside Jujutsu High, could hear them clearly.

But...

Something's wrong. Those blasts should be coming from [Blue], but judging by their frequency, this doesn't sound like two against one. It sounds like one against one-and he's even on the defensive...

Geto was momentarily stunned. As a member of the strongest team, he could not imagine either Gojo or Chinatsu losing. The two being defeated while fighting together was something he had deemed absolutely impossible.

His thoughts were in turmoil until Riko Amanai, who had been following beside him, suddenly stopped. With the light already gone from her eyes, she opened her mouth and brought him back to reality.

"Is this the place?"

They had reached the innermost depths of Jujutsu High, a special space enclosed within a unique barrier.

[Tombs of the Star Corridor]

This was the residence of Tengen, who possessed the "Immortality Technique," and also the foundation of the various barriers covering the entire country. If this place were destroyed, barriers nationwide would be severely affected or even cease to function.

"Go down those stairs, pass through the door, and head to the roots of the towering tree at the very center. There, you'll merge with Master Tengen. Tengen will protect you with a barrier until the merger is complete."

As Geto quietly explained the steps that would follow, what little light remained in Riko's eyes faded further into nothingness.

Her maid, Misato Kuroi, was not beside her. This was already beyond the point where Kuroi was allowed to proceed, so the two had been forced to embrace and say goodbye along the way.

Just as Riko was about to lift her foot and take the first step toward accepting her fate, Geto pressed his lips together, then suddenly spoke again.

"Or you can turn back right now and go home with Miss Kuroi."

At those words, Riko's brows relaxed. She turned toward Geto in confusion and surprise, a faint glimmer returning to her eyes.

When they had first accepted this mission, they had noticed that Yaga called the "merger" an "erasure," his tone heavy with guilt and remorse.

But a merger clearly could not be equated with erasure. That meant one of those descriptions had to be wrong, and Geto and the others naturally sided with Yaga.

Unlike most people in Jujutsu Society and their understanding of the "merger," Yaga, despite looking like a hulking, muscular man, was actually quite sensitive. He simply tended to approach things indirectly, leaving others to puzzle out his intentions.

After learning Yaga's thoughts and stance, they had discussed this very issue before meeting Riko and reached a conclusion.

What if the Star Plasma Vessel refused the merger?

Then there would be no merger!

Even if that might mean making an enemy of Tengen, they had not changed their decision.

It's fine. We're the strongest.

Geto turned to face Riko with a smile and held out his hand.

"No matter what you choose, we'll protect your future. Riko, you have the right to choose."

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Jujutsu High.

Although Gojo had forced himself to remain rational after seeing Chinatsu gravely wounded on the ground, he was already mentally exhausted. Faced with Toji's ferocious onslaught, he could not hold his own and was beaten to the ground.

Toji let out a long breath. Although he had defeated Chinatsu through a sneak attack followed by a sudden assault, taking down two Six Eyes Divine Children in succession had cost him far more strength and energy than a mere warm-up.

"Man, I'm beat. Once this job's done, I'll have to treat myself properly." Toji flicked the Inverted Spear of Heaven downward, shaking blood from its blade onto the ground.

Just as he was about to put away the Inverted Spear of Heaven and pull out a plain, no-frills handgun, which was more useful against ordinary humans, his keen senses suddenly picked up something amiss nearby.

Wait!

Toji quickly turned to his right, toward Gojo. When he saw that Gojo was still lying motionless on the ground, his sense of foreboding eased somewhat.

Still feeling uneasy, he turned to his left, where Chinatsu lay. She, too, was still on the ground.

Toji could not help wondering whether he had gone too long without taking on a difficult mission and become overly jumpy.

He took a step toward the interior of Jujutsu High. At that very moment, Chinatsu's fingers suddenly twitched, though she had been lying completely still until then.

"Huh? Still alive?"

Toji paused, looking doubtful. By his reckoning, after lying there for so long with injuries that severe, she should have been dead already.

Still, just to be safe, he took out the Inverted Spear of Heaven and the Chain of a Thousand Miles, intending to use the two cursed tools together to finish Chinatsu off from a distance.

Toji swiftly hurled the chain, sending the blade of the Inverted Spear of Heaven, which could bypass Limitless Defense, hurtling toward Chinatsu's head.

Bang!!!

The blade of the Inverted Spear of Heaven slammed into the stone ground with a deafening crash.

It missed... No, more precisely, she dodged it!

Toji turned to look behind him. Chinatsu stood there, having moved with Teleportation, her head lowered and her arms swaying slightly, hanging limp at her sides.

At the sight, Toji immediately yanked on the Chain of a Thousand Miles, pulling the Inverted Spear of Heaven back into his hand. Holding it ready, he watched Chinatsu intently. Beads of sweat appeared on his face, and he could not help muttering a complaint.

"I shouldn't be seeing ghosts in broad daylight..."

Starting today, two updates a day!

Oh, right, ratings are now open for the new book. The score is still very low because there haven't been enough ratings yet. I estimate it'll take ratings from close to 2,000 people to reach a 9.

My last few books all scored 9, after all, so I'm counting on you, everyone!