"Hmm? You're acting a bit dim-witted, aren't you?" Gojo Satoru toyed with the gem, looking quite puzzled by Spider's frozen state.
By using Blue to compress space, he created a displacement effect that allowed him to float effortlessly in mid-air while moving freely. With his hands in his pockets, he stepped down as if descending an invisible staircase, strolling leisurely until his feet met the solid ground.
[Ding! Impression Points from story character Toichi Kuroba +1000. Analysis: Astonishment.]
Nearby, Toichi Kuroba snapped out of his daze.
This wasn't some sleight of hand or a stage trick he used for magic performances... this man was truly walking on air.
There was no mistake about it—another Ability User.
Throughout the night, Toichi had felt a lingering sensation of being watched from the shadows. He had initially assumed it was Spider, who had just revealed himself. However, even after Spider appeared, that gaze hadn't vanished. Instead... it had watched their struggle from the dark, as if observing two crickets fighting in a jar.
"I presume... you have no intent to kill me, and you're only after the gem?" Toichi took the opportunity to speak. "Why don't we team up to deal with Spider first, then discuss the rest?"
Gojo stared at the phantom thief with interest.
As an ordinary human without an ability, Toichi's performance just now was one in a million. He had even managed to sense Gojo's gaze...
Originally, Gojo intended to save him just to prevent the plot from deviating. Now, however, he found himself genuinely admiring the man.
"Sure, I'll take that deal."
As I suspected, he's here for the gem, and... Toichi thought silently.
Spider, realizing this newcomer was a foe rather than a friend, felt his initial awe turn into irritation. "Where did this nuisance come from? Don't talk so big!"
"You can both die here together!" He waved his hand, and a tide of giant pythons and poisonous insects surged forward.
"Why is it that I'm always running into illusion-types lately?" the white-haired youth complained. "Can't you show me something fresh for once?"
Before Toichi could react, Gojo pulled him close and gripped his hands. Physical contact allowed him to share the Neutral Limitless.
Gojo whispered, "Hold on tight. No one can touch you."
The man in the white suit froze, then watched in shock as the massive serpents and insects seemed to lose all vitality, stopping dead in their tracks.
Realizing the boy was a handful, Spider gritted his teeth and unleashed his ultimate move.
"How about this?!"
In an instant, the surrounding skyscrapers vanished. The world transformed into a hellish landscape, a manifestation of one's deepest nightmares.
"Heh... this is the world of illusions I control. Within this domain, I am the strongest!!"
Even with his iron will, Toichi began to feel uncontrollable dizziness and palpitations. Countless disgusting monsters, shaped like mountains of flesh, lunged toward them. They were covered in razor-sharp scythes and fangs; one touch would likely mean death.
He didn't know if he could trust the youth beside him, but seeing Gojo's unshakable confidence, he forced himself to remain calm.
"Any random stray cat or dog can open a domain these days, huh..."
Gojo burst out laughing, as if he had just witnessed something utterly ridiculous.
"With a level like yours, you think you're worthy of being called 'the strongest'?"
This guy wasn't even as good as the Dreamweaver who had managed to stall Gojo for a single second.
Just as the monsters were about to make contact, they—like everything else before them—abruptly stopped and disintegrated into dust without warning.
Could it be... Toichi wondered, that this boy's ability is Absolute Defense?
At that moment, Gojo slowly let go of his hand.
"Wait here a moment, Mr. Thief."
"Die! Both of you—" Floating in the air, Spider summoned a hail of blades, intending to impale them with ten thousand swords within his illusion.
"I'll show you... what 'The Strongest' actually looks like."
Gojo raised his hands, crossing them in a specific hand sign.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
And...
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red."
The two opposing forces of the Limitless collided, generating an imaginary mass capable of carving through space. This mass formed into a glowing sphere at Gojo's fingertips, radiating a blinding light.
"Hollow Technique: Purple—"
He flicked his finger, releasing the mass. An energy capable of obliterating heaven and earth exploded within the illusory space, causing the entire world to collapse instantly.
Spider's pupils shrank in extreme terror.
BOOM!!!
When Toichi Kuroba opened his eyes again and returned to the skyscraper in the real world, he still hadn't recovered from the shock of that explosion.
"Whew..."
Mentally exhausted from the illusory battle, he slumped down onto the roof, panting slightly.
Looking up, he saw only the tall silhouette of the white-haired youth.
Gojo held the "Crimson Ember" up to his eye, examining it against the moon. Upon confirming it wasn't Pandora, he turned to Toichi with a friendly smile. "Hello there, Mr. Thief."
In their brief time together, Gojo had milked a massive amount of Impression Points from the original Kid.
It started with 1,000, and after witnessing the power of Purple, Toichi had generously provided another 3,000. What a great guy, Gojo thought. Facing such a "God of Wealth"—and genuinely liking the man—Gojo's attitude became quite pleasant.
Maybe I should just fire off a Purple whenever I meet a new character... No, better not be too flashy.
"Hello... Mr. 'Strongest'."
Toichi reached up to adjust his top hat, only to remember it had been "eaten" by the python illusion. Recalling the fate of the assassin, he fell silent for a moment.
"You're not blaming me, are you?" Gojo glanced at him. "That guy was out for your life from the start. If not for me, you'd be gone."
"His illusions can manifest as reality for ordinary people. If you'd been bitten by that snake, the consequences would have been dire."
Toichi shook his head. "No... I have to thank you. You helped me; I'm not ungrateful."
Having escaped danger, he reverted to his composed and elegant persona. A look of contemplation crossed his handsome face. "Did you know where I was from the very beginning? Are you with the police?"
It was only then that he noticed the youth was still wearing a police uniform.
"Heh~ I just borrowed the identity. I'm not as easy to fool as they are."
Gojo hummed. "You were the auctioneer, weren't you?"
Toichi raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"You disguised yourself as him before the auction even started. You controlled the rhythm of the bidding and successfully showcased the gem at exactly 7:00—the 'Genesis' mentioned in your note—to add dramatic effect to your performance."
"Then, you triggered a mechanism to cut the power. You placed a dummy outside the window with pre-recorded movements and audio to draw everyone's attention away from the stage..."
"As for the display case, the police wouldn't use shoddy glass. It was high-strength bulletproof material. If I'm not mistaken, you swapped the case beforehand for a standard one, then used a laser tool with a magician's speed to cut it within thirty seconds... making it look undamaged to the naked eye."
After explaining it all in one breath, Gojo grumbled internally about how tiring it was to play detective, then asked: "Am I wrong, Kaito Kid?"
[Ding! Impression Points from Toichi Kuroba +500. Analysis: Admiration.]
"Perfect reasoning. It's almost as if... you saw it with your own eyes," Toichi said slowly. "Completely correct."
Gojo naturally didn't reveal that he had "cheated" with his Six Eyes. Then again, this guy used so many gadgets that he was basically a cheater too. Feeling the satisfaction of a successful reveal, the corners of Gojo's mouth curled up.
"Then, I would like to offer my own reasoning about you, if I may?" The elegant thief smiled, his small mustache adding to his mature charm.
"What reasoning?" Gojo asked curiously.
"You are a member of the Gojo family, aren't you?" Toichi looked into the youth's slightly widened blue eyes. "Or, I could take it a step further..."
"Your name is Satoru, is it not? Mr. 'Strongest'."