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Death was a terrifying concept.
Many had lost sleep over the idea that one day, they might simply close their eyes forever.
Love for one's own life was often the cause of such fear, but in other cases, the fear of disappearing from this world—leaving important people behind—was what fueled it.
The fear of dying without saying goodbye, of failing someone they had promised to protect, or to be with forever.
Some might say that fear was even worse than death itself.
Many would tremble, fall to their knees, and beg if it meant avoiding such a fate.
But some simply didn't fear it at all—whether because they had nothing tying them to the world of the living, or because they were at peace with themselves.
And Yuji? Yuji was one of those people.
Someone who wasn't as at peace with himself as he wished to be, but who was still satisfied with his choices.
Death didn't scare him—neither before, nor after finding himself in a new life. He had loved when he could, laughed countless times, been moved, cried, fought... What more could he ask for?
Yes, he had regrets—in both lives. But not enough to make him feel anguish.
He had protected those who needed protecting, fought for what he believed in, and given his life for it.
He had played his part.
He... was at peace enough with himself.
"..."
"Still lying to yourself?"
"?"
Itadori's eyes opened, confusion overtaking his face as his vision was met with the flickering flames of a campfire burning in front of him.
"Uh? What?" He looked around, growing even more confused when he saw what appeared to be a small campsite, with tents spread out around the central fire. "Where am I?"
"Uhm, I don't think that's a very important question right now."
Itadori narrowed his eyes as the same voice that had woken him spoke from his side, his gaze locking onto the source.
Needless to say, he was stunned by what he saw.
"What? Shocked?"
Sitting on a fallen log near the fire, a man—judging by his masculine voice—looked at Yuji with a small smile. His hair, so golden it gave off a faint glow in the night, floated as if submerged in water. His eyes, as blue as the sky, almost hypnotic, stared at the young sorcerer with amusement.
Even with simple camping clothes, a divine aura radiated around him.
Itadori didn't need a second glance to know that this man was anything but ordinary.
"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot." The man chuckled, holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate in his hand.
Itadori's eyes narrowed. His initial awe was instantly replaced with suspicion.
He grew cautious. Not knowing where he was, who this man was, or what was happening, he realized he was in a tricky situation—especially given that the unknown figure didn't seem weak...
If things escalated into a fight, with no intel, Itadori could very well be at a huge disadvantage.
"Hah, don't worry. Nothing bad will happen to you here."
Itadori's eyes widened.
"...What? How—"
"Kid, I know you're confused and anxious, but think a little. You don't want to waste time asking questions you already know the answer to."
Yuji's lips tightened. His eyes, once filled with shock and caution, were now taken over by curiosity as he stared at the strange man.
What was that supposed to mean? Did they know each other? Itadori didn't remember meeting this man, which was telling—he'd never forget someone with such a distinct appearance.
But... even so, there was something. Like a nagging feeling in the back of his mind telling him that he did know the answer.
That he just had to insist—just think a bit deeper.
"Oh, you're getting close."
He ignored the words, letting his mind wander. For some reason, it felt easier to organize his thoughts in this place, but he didn't question it—he figured it wasn't a priority right now.
The man watched it all like he was watching a movie, occasionally sipping his hot chocolate.
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Itadori to finally reach an answer.
His eyes opened wide, focusing on the man—now comfortably seated in a folding chair.
"After thinking it through, I can't find any other explanation but that..."
The man raised an eyebrow, then smiled softly as he saw the look of recognition in the young sorcerer's eyes.
"You were the one who brought me here, to this world."
The man—no, the god—nodded with satisfaction, snapping his fingers and pointing at Itadori. "Correct, kid. Be proud—you're one of the fastest to come to that conclusion."
Itadori blinked. He felt like he should be more shocked to be face-to-face with the one who brought him to the world of sorcerers, but after everything… he didn't react much. He had already believed a powerful being was behind it—this only confirmed it.
In fact, the god's last comment surprised him more and sparked a lot of curiosity.
"One of?"
The god nodded with a grin.
"Let's have a little chat, kid."
. . .
Yuki had never seen anything like it.
It wasn't that she hadn't witnessed absurdly powerful techniques before—but at this level? Such an explosion with that much destructive power… she had never seen anything remotely close.
Yuki, stepping out of a portal that shattered behind her, looked around the scene in shock.
What once was part of the Star Tomb was now nothing more than a massive crater, still radiating so much heat that she didn't feel safe approaching it.
If Tengen hadn't acted quickly enough, she likely would've been turned to dust. And if Tengen hadn't kept the empty barrier up…
The entire city might've become part of the crater.
"What was that...?"
"A final, desperate attack."
Answering her question, Yuki turned to see Tengen appearing at her side.
"Itadori's domain was overpowered by Kenjaku's. Sensing his defeat, he used an utterly absurd but suicidal attack." Tengen crossed her arms, lips tightening as she observed the destruction wrought by such immense power.
Yuki bit her lip. She wanted to get closer, but the heat was still far too intense. Even with a cursed energy mantle protecting her, it wasn't enough to fully withstand the heat.
"Is there... is there any chance he survived that?"
Tengen didn't answer right away, her eyes fixed on a certain point within the crater before turning back to the woman. "Kenjaku? No—his body was completely disintegrated. As for Itadori..."
Once again, her gaze returned to the same spot in the crater, where the practically charred body of the young sorcerer lay, smoke still rising from his scorched skin.
"That will depend entirely on him."