When he saw the fire at Wangchuan's fingertips.
Satoru Gojo raised an eyebrow.
He still had the last bite of dorayaki in his mouth, but his chewing slowed.
His gaze stayed fixed on the cluster of dark golden flames at Wangchuan's fingertips in the distance.
"Hey, hey."
"That's not right."
"Gravity can whip up fireballs on the side, too?"
He paused, as though rapidly searching his store of knowledge for possibilities.
"Could it be some derivative involving multiple effects? Like my Red?"
"But that doesn't add up either..."
"And besides."
"The destructive power of Chuan's Cursed Energy has clearly gotten stronger."
He could sense a qualitative change taking place in the energy fluctuations spreading from Wangchuan.
That heavy, silent pressure, like a gravitational field deep within the earth's core, was blending with something more active, more scorching.
Two energies with utterly different properties coexisted in the same body, like ice and fire forcibly kneaded together.
And in that brief silence.
The ring-shaped structure above Mahoraga's head.
The Dharma Ring, which had remained motionless like an ornament, began to turn.
Clunk!
The Dharma Ring rotated one notch clockwise, making a crisp yet heavy mechanical sound.
The instant it turned, the lingering wounds all over Mahoraga's body began fading at a visible rate.
The hole through its chest closed, the depression in its abdomen flattened, and every distortion left by gravity's crushing force returned to its original shape.
Its head also grew back completely.
Its regeneration was no longer slow and passive, but swift and active.
Both its regeneration speed and its defense improved across the board.
Wangchuan stood where he was.
The fire on his fingers went out.
"That was close. I almost forgot what I came here for."
"I'd better collect the parts first."
He temporarily suppressed the thought of