The skies had begun to weep.
The gray clouds hung low above the temple as Satoru Gojo stepped out, carrying Riko Amanai's lifeless body wrapped gently in a white cloth, now stained faintly red.
His footsteps echoed on the old stone path. Silent. Steady. Final.
Geto stood nearby—his clothes torn, one side of his face bruised, blood still dripping from his lip. His eyes fixated on the bundle in Gojo's arms.
But it wasn't silence that greeted them.
It was cheering.
It was relief.
A small gathering from the Star Religious Group, the fanatics who had long prayed for Amanai's death to prevent her merger with Tengen, now stood in the outer courtyard.
Smiles on their faces.
Hands clapped together in joy.
Some knelt in gratitude.
Others even laughed.
One voice, trembling with excitement, muttered,
"She's gone… The pure vessel has returned to the stars…"
Another chanted, "Praise Tengen's will."
Geto clenched his fists, a violent twitch passing through his shoulder.
He stepped forward.
"I can kill them," he said. Voice cold. Unreadable. "I'll kill them all right now."
Gojo didn't even glance their way.
"No."
Geto blinked. "…What?"
Gojo adjusted the white cloth over Amanai's face, keeping her head protected from the drizzle now falling. His voice was quiet. Hollow.
"They're not worth it."
The cheering continued behind them, fanatical voices growing louder, worshipping a twisted idea of peace.
Geto's jaw tightened. "She's still warm, Gojo. She was just a kid."
"I know."
A gust of wind blew the white cloth slightly, revealing a glimpse of Amanai's face—serene, eyes closed, as if simply sleeping.
Gojo crouched down and placed her gently on a flat stone altar in the garden's corner.
He whispered something.
No one could hear it but Geto, who stood close.
Gojo's voice broke for the first time in a long time.
"Rest in peace, Riko Amanai."
The cheering behind them slowly faded.
The sky opened. The rain began to pour harder.
And Gojo didn't move.
He stood there, soaked to the bone, the strongest sorcerer in the world—and yet, utterly powerless in that moment.
Geto remained beside him.
They said nothing.
For the first time, both had no jokes.
No sarcasm.
Only silence.
And mourning.