The Final Battle Begins, 350% [Hollow Technique: Purple]

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

December 23.

Tomorrow was the day Satoru Gojo and Sukuna had agreed to fight their decisive battle.

Everyone's swap training was nearly complete, and everything was basically ready.

With Gojo having killed every one of the higher-ups at Jujutsu Headquarters, everyone understood that Jujutsu Society would change after this battle.

"I still think something's not right. There should be a more efficient way to deal with this, shouldn't there?"

Everyone had gathered at Jujutsu High's karate training hall for the final pre-battle discussion and deployment.

Shiratori Gotsu was the first to put forward his explosive idea:

"How about we start like this..."

After hearing his so-called "tactic," everyone wore a variety of expressions, but the looks they gave Shiratori Gotsu all clearly said:

"Are you really human?"

Only Satoru Gojo laughed without a care:

"Shiratori Gotsu, you're a real piece of work! You actually came up with a tactic as shameless as sending a septic truck flying alongside [Unlimited Void]!"

Everyone turned to Gojo.

"Hey, hey... You're not really going to use that, are you?!" Utahime Iori looked at Gojo as though he were something filthy.

"As if," Gojo said, spreading his hands. "It might sound effective, but I can't bring myself to play with shit."

"Well, that's a relief..."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

They had already broken out in cold sweats while Shiratori Gotsu was describing it.

If Gojo had actually decided to use it, they probably would have turned and run on the spot, putting as much distance as they could between themselves and those two freaks...

"However," Gojo continued, changing tack, "we can use some of the other plans Shiratori proposed. After all, the information he gave us was all crucial and important."

"At least when it comes to normal tactical planning, I trust him."

"Yeah, that's right," Okkotsu chimed in. "Shiratori might usually fool around, but he's absolutely reliable when it counts."

"Then it's settled?" Shiratori Gotsu raised an eyebrow.

Although he hadn't managed to convince Gojo to use the septic truck tactic, a staple of versus debates before he transmigrated, it didn't matter. Forget it.

Gojo was strong, after all, and the strong had their own pride and limits.

He had only proposed it to give it a try and have some fun grossing everyone out anyway. He had never expected it to work.

"More or less, but there's one thing I have to refuse."

Gojo raised one finger:

"Your Cursed Technique, [Fate Track Binding Curse], really is powerful. By transferring physical injuries, it completely prevents possible damage to vital areas in battle from severely weakening combat power."

"If you used it on me, it might really make it easier for me to defeat Sukuna."

"But I have to refuse."

Gojo didn't say outright why he had refused, but everyone could more or less guess.

"Then that's it for the pre-battle deployment. Meeting adjourned. Everyone, go make your own preparations~ I'm going to buy some Kikufuku."

"Hmm... Is Kikusuian still open?..."

Gojo was the first to leave, and everyone else soon went their separate ways.

December 24, the day of the decisive battle.

Everyone had gathered with troubled expressions, not because anything unexpected had happened, but simply to discuss how to cheer Gojo on.

Kinji Hakari: "Good luck...?"

Panda: "Don't die?"

"Hmm... Something doesn't feel right..." Hakari frowned deeply.

"After all, he's always won so naturally..."

"It's like we don't really feel worried about him or feel like cheering him on..."

Yuta Okkotsu spoke up at just the right moment:

"But I think he'd be happy to hear us encourage him before the battle."

"All this chatter is driving me nuts. At a time like this, can't you stop thinking about things that don't matter?" Ryu Ishigori stood to the side, looking exasperated.

"Don't say that. This is a tradition." Shiratori Gotsu gave him a gentle elbow in the side.

As everyone chattered away, Gojo appeared behind them.

With him were Principal Gakuganji of Kyoto Jujutsu High and Utahime.

Today, the [Strongest] looked much more serious than usual, and the tense atmosphere spread to everyone present.

At a time like this, they needed Itadori to step up:

"Sensei, your Cursed Technique is really in the way!"

Gojo was startled for a moment, then immediately understood what Itadori meant. Laughing, he took off his jacket:

"Haha, go ahead!"

Itadori laughed too and slapped his teacher on the shoulder.

After him, everyone else loosened up and stepped forward to offer Gojo their well-wishes.

Maki: "Go get him, stupid blindfold!"

Hakari: "Go prove you're not a man who lives off his looks!"

Okkotsu: "If it gets too tough, let me take over."

Ishigori: "Let me get a good taste of the strongest's sweetness!"

Shiratori Gotsu: "Everything's in place, so don't screw it up, Sensei!"

It was worth mentioning that, since Toge Inumaki had lost both arms, he used his foot to pat Gojo.

Those who hadn't stepped forward to cheer him on watched the amusing, heartwarming scene, and much of their tension eased.

The man known as the [Strongest of the Modern Era] responded to their cheers with a confident:

"Yeah!!"

On the rooftop of a relatively intact building at the edge of the former battlefield in Shibuya, amid the ruins.

Satoru Gojo, Kiyotaka Ijichi, Utahime Iori, and Yoshinobu Gakuganji had gathered there.

As Gakuganji began to play music, Ijichi raised a concealing barrier, and Utahime began to dance.

Utahime's Cursed Technique, [Solo Forbidden Area], could increase the total Cursed Energy output of any Jujutsu Sorcerer within its effective range, including Utahime herself.

The pinnacle of Jujutsu was also the pinnacle of subtraction.

Chants, hand signs... How much of these components of a Cursed Technique one could omit was, to a considerable extent, a measure of a Jujutsu Sorcerer's skill.

But this time, Utahime omitted nothing.

Chants, hand signs, dance, music-through all of these, she elevated the Cursed Technique into a ritual, achieving 120% of its effect.

On top of that, there was one of the tactics Shiratori Gotsu had proposed at yesterday's pre-battle meeting:

"Since you're already planning to use a full ritual to boost the Cursed Technique's power and launch a sneak attack, why not take it even further?"

"For example, make a sufficiently significant [Binding Vow]..."

Recalling this, Utahime Iori didn't hesitate for a moment:

"I make a Binding Vow: after using my Cursed Technique this time, I will immediately enter a weakened state in which I cannot use any Cursed Energy for a month!"

"In exchange, increase the effect of this use of [Solo Forbidden Area] by 150%!"

At the same time, Gojo formed a hand sign and began to chant:

"[Phase], [twilight], [eyes of wisdom]-[Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue]."

"[Phase], [pāramitā], [pillar of light]-[Cursed Technique Reversal: Red]."

"[Nine ropes], [polarized light], [crow and shomyo], [between front and back]-"

"350%-[Hollow Technique: Purple]!"

With the various enhancements stacked together, [Hollow Technique: Purple], at 350% power, shot from Gojo's fingertips.

At that very moment, four kilometers away in Shinjuku Ward, Sukuna sensed the terrifying pressure within the glimmer of purple on the horizon, and the composure he had shown moments ago vanished from his face.

He quickly raised both hands and gathered his Cursed Energy, preparing to meet the devastating blow.

The imaginary mass created by the combination of infinite attraction and repulsion tore and scraped away everything in its path.

The instant the attack arrived, the building Sukuna stood in was pulverized by the distorted space, and the surrounding buildings collapsed along with it.

Uraume, who stood beside Sukuna, had mustered all her Cursed Energy to defend herself, and Sukuna had borne the vast majority of the direct impact.

Even so, the next second, the aftershock sent her flying, and she vanished without a trace.

After the dust settled, Gojo appeared by teleportation.

The [Hollow Technique: Purple], far more powerful than ever before, had blown off Sukuna's arms, leaving him in the same "人"-shaped state as Toge Inumaki.

Seeing his opponent looking so battered and ridiculous, Gojo smiled mockingly and raised his right index finger:

"To avoid any misunderstanding, let me make one thing clear."

"You're the challenger!"