A trap laid for the Strongest

"Honestly, your progress has been incredible."

"You already have the strength of a Grade 1 Sorcerer, Itadori."

In front of the passage leading to the fifth level, Mei Mei lifted her axe and flicked off the last traces of blood.

Itadori had exorcised the grasshopper cursed spirit stationed on the second level all by himself, without even expending much strength or cursed energy. His heavy punches had simply smashed it into bloody pulp.

The Curtain had been lifted, but all four of them were a step too late.

Mahito had already transfigured every ordinary person on the fifth level and loaded them onto a train. Just one minute before they arrived downstairs, the train packed with transfigured humans had set off toward Shibuya...

This was bad news both for their group and for Satoru Gojo, who was facing three Special Grades alone at that very moment.

"Satoru Gojo is in trouble."

Hajime Kashimo walked over to the corpse of an ordinary person whose death from mutation had been delayed after Mahito altered their soul, and gave the others an answer they found difficult to accept.

Though he was known as a battle fanatic, he had borne the title of the Strongest four hundred years ago. By now, he had also formed a judgment of Kenjaku's plan:

Based on what he had learned about modern cities and transportation since his rebirth, a subway train packed to capacity could probably carry three hundred to four hundred people.

And if space and survivable conditions were disregarded, with the transfigured humans' bodies capable of being molded however one pleased...

Then, by a conservative estimate, that train carried at least eight hundred transfigured humans.

Three Special Grades plus one more, over eight hundred transfigured humans, and the survivors already underground in Shibuya...

The cursed spirits' goal had never been to defeat Satoru Gojo-

They were stalling for time and wearing down the stamina of the modern era's Strongest...

"People are most vulnerable when they're exhausted."

"And right now, Satoru Gojo still has plenty of energy~"

Jogo and Hanami worked with Choso, slaughtering people across the subway platform.

As long as they maintained Domain Amplification, Satoru Gojo's Limitless could pose little threat to them:

Whether he used [Blue], [Red], or Domain Expansion.

All three options would cause large numbers of innocent civilians to die. Satoru Gojo could not accept that outcome.

So Satoru Gojo chose a more aggressive solution-

He dropped his Limitless defense? This is my chance!

As Jogo's arm was broken, Hanami realized that Satoru Gojo had abandoned defense to focus entirely on attacking. Hanami immediately stopped maintaining Domain Amplification and attacked with a cursed technique instead.

Vines and roots burst out of the ground inside the subway passage. Hanami pushed the technique's output to its maximum, blocking Satoru Gojo's path at any cost...

The problem was that Hanami had completely underestimated Satoru Gojo's speed.

With only a slight adjustment to the structure of Limitless, Satoru Gojo could accelerate instantly, close the distance, and appear right in front of Hanami...

And what happened next...

Would unfold exactly as Hajime Kashimo had glimpsed in the future-

Hanami's body shattered into bloody mist under the crushing pressure of overwhelming cursed energy.

The train carrying a thousand transfigured humans pulled up beside the platform.

A Domain Expansion lasting 0.2 seconds bought 299 seconds of precious rescue time.

"Satoru Gojo can't put down his burdens."

"Those are the duties of the Strongest."

As they followed the subway tracks toward Shibuya, Hajime Kashimo suddenly stopped.

Mei Mei, Itadori, and Yuyu all turned to him in confusion, unsure what he meant.

"Satoru Gojo is about to be sealed."

As Hajime Kashimo's words fell, so did the two transfigured human heads dangling from Satoru Gojo's hand.

299 seconds.

Before the special grade cursed spirits regained consciousness, Satoru Gojo had killed a thousand transfigured humans in those 299 seconds.

Even he struggled to withstand such intense physical exertion. His mouth hung open as he gulped down fresh air, his heart pounding in his chest.

1,000 transfigured humans.

These low-level threats, each of which could be killed with a single blow, could not hurt Satoru Gojo in the slightest. But pinpointing their positions while moving at high speed and striking to eliminate them...

The mental and physical energy that consumed was more than a human could endure...

"Hah... hah..."

"At least... I killed them all..."

Satoru Gojo turned his head to look for Jogo and the others. He wanted to wipe them out before those special grade cursed spirits came to their senses...

But his gaze caught on an object that had appeared out of nowhere on the ground-

It was a cube covered in ochre runes, utterly out of place in the modern surroundings, with an eerie aura radiating from every inch of it.

"Prison Realm, open."

The cube unfolded in an instant. At the sight of that enormous, hideous, blood-red eye, Satoru Gojo immediately realized something was wrong and tried to get away from it.

But the instant he turned around, a voice he would never forget for the rest of his life, a voice he could never make peace with, rang out:

"Yo, Satoru."

"Long time no see."

The Prison Realm's sealing condition required its target to remain within a four-meter radius for one minute.

But that "one minute" also included a minute passing within the target's mind.

Even though Hajime Kashimo had prepared him beforehand, telling him that Suguru Geto was still alive.

When his former best friend appeared before him, back from the dead, Satoru Gojo still could not stop himself from thinking.

An impostor? A transformation technique? Someone in disguise?

No, he's real.

There, truly and unmistakably, stood "Suguru Geto."

Countless memories of his former best friend surged over him like a tide. By the time Satoru Gojo realized he had fallen into a trap, the Prison Realm had opened its bloody maw and pinned him in place...

"Who the hell are you?!"

He could not sense any cursed energy in his body, nor could he muster any strength.

But Satoru Gojo still roared, demanding to know the identity of the monster before him who had stolen his best friend's body.

His soul rejected everything the Six Eyes perceived.

He knew that if the person standing before him were truly Suguru Geto, he would never do something like this...

"Satoru Gojo, that expression of yours really is delightful."

Smiling, Kenjaku pulled out the stitches across his head. As his viscous body came into view, occupying the space where Suguru Geto's brain had once been, a deeply tragic truth was laid before Satoru Gojo:

His cursed technique allowed him to possess and take over bodies by replacing their brains.

After killing Suguru Geto, Satoru Gojo had not allowed Shoko Ieiri to dispose of the body that possessed Cursed Spirit Manipulation...

In a sense, it was precisely because of Satoru Gojo that Kenjaku had been able to carry out his plan to seal him so easily...

After all, against someone as indescribably powerful as Satoru Gojo, the last means of restraining him was a violent emotional shock...

Using Suguru Geto's body as handsome bait, making Satoru Gojo experience what it felt like to be hit by Unlimited Void himself-it gave Kenjaku the utmost pleasure...

"Good night, Satoru Gojo."

"Let's meet again... in our new world~"

Kenjaku waved cheerfully at Satoru Gojo. Just as he was about to snap his fingers and close the Prison Realm, something unexpected happened-

"How much longer are you going to let someone use you?"

"Geto."

Veins suddenly bulged on Kenjaku's right hand as it slipped out of his control.

But unlike before, that last trace of will still lingering in the body did not reach up and attempt to kill him.

A black vortex writhed in his palm. As Kenjaku's pupils contracted, a streak of golden light shot from his palm and struck Satoru Gojo in the chest...

Cursed Spirit Manipulation? What did he do?!

Though Kenjaku was shocked that this body still retained a connection to its soul, what baffled him even more was what Suguru Geto had just done...

"Prison Realm, close!"

To prevent any accident from freeing Satoru Gojo, Kenjaku swiftly ordered the Prison Realm to close.

Without giving either side a chance to trade taunts, the Prison Realm, now a dull gray after imprisoning Satoru Gojo, lay quietly on the ground as if nothing had happened...

Mahito woke with a yawn and walked over. Kenjaku used his left hand to firmly restrain his right arm, whose resistance was gradually weakening, and a rare, triumphant smile appeared on his face.

He and Mahito had once discussed the soul.

He had always believed that the body was the soul, and the soul was the body.

What had just happened clearly confirmed his theory...

But none of that mattered anymore.

Satoru Gojo had been sealed.

It was time for his true plan to begin.