BANG!!!
Toji Fushiguro stomped the last Rainbow Dragon into the ground, watching it dissolve into glittering dust.
He looked up at the sky. Souma, Satoru, and Geto were arguing about meaningless topics as if no one else was there.
Rage shot straight to his brain.
Even though Toji was usually calm and rational, he had the pride of a powerhouse.
Especially when facing sorcerers. Perhaps because of the Zenin clan, he harbored a competitive streak he didn't even realize himself.
He wanted to be stronger than all sorcerers!
He wanted to prove to that rotten clan that a monkey without cursed energy could stand at the peak!
But now, the attitude of Souma and the others completely ignored him.
This infuriated him!
"Don't get too cocky, you three brats!"
Toji launched himself into the sky, exploding with speed he had never reached in his life.
However, against the three awakened sorcerers, this power was clearly not enough.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!"
Red cursed energy expanded rapidly, the powerful repulsive force pushing open the surrounding space without a single blind spot!
Toji grinned savagely and thrust the Inverted Spear of Heaven. Red only lasted for a split second before being nullified.
However, even though the technique vanished, the repulsive force poured out like a flood from a broken dam.
The power of Red is at least twice that of Blue.
Although the Inverted Spear can forcibly nullify techniques, the stronger the technique, the longer the nullification takes.
If Blue takes 0.0001 seconds to nullify, Red takes 0.001 seconds.
To a normal person, the difference between 0.0001 and 0.001 seconds is negligible.
But to monsters like Souma and Toji, it was a tangible ten-fold difference.
Even if Red only existed for 0.001 seconds, it was an unstoppable killing move against Toji!
(Note: In canon, Toji blocks Red with the Inverted Spear, but Red isn't fully nullified immediately. Purple hits him cleanly. This interpretation adds a temporal mechanic to the nullification.)
BOOM!!!
Toji's body smashed into the ground, creating a massive crater.
He stumbled to his feet, wiping blood from his mouth, looking at Souma, who had attacked, and the calm Satoru and Geto behind him.
"Truly... three monsters!"
"Still want to fight, Toji?"
Toji shook his wrist, spinning the Inverted Spear on the end of the Chain of a Thousand Miles.
He gave a wild, uninhibited grin, the scar on his lip adding a dash of roguish charm.
He knew he had zero chance of winning against the three of them. The best option was to run.
But for some reason, he had absolutely no desire to flee.
It felt like if he ran now... the "monkey" would truly be inferior to those high-and-mighty sorcerers forever!
"Bring it on!!!"
Souma's mouth curled up slightly. "I admire your spirit. So... I'll respond with this!"
"This is a secret technique even the Gojo clan doesn't know about. The ultimate art of the Limitless!"
Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!
Souma held Blue in his left hand and Red in his right, slowly merging the two into a purple orb of light.
The infinite clash of Lapse and Reversal, creating an imaginary mass!
"Nine Ropes."
"Polarized Light."
"Crow and Declaration."
"Between Front and Back."
"Hollow Technique: Purple!"
Souma spoke softly, flicking the orb of light from his fingers.
Satoru watched with itching excitement. "I knew it! Big Bro can do it too!"
Geto looked at the purple orb with a grim expression. "What terrifying aura. The combination of Lapse and Reversal?"
He wondered if his Subjugation and Bestowal could combine into a powerful move.
But as soon as he simulated it in his brain, Geto rolled his eyes.
Subjugation turns curses into energy. Bestowal turns energy into curses. Combining them... equals nothing! Zero!
At this moment, facing Purple, Toji's pupils dilated to their limit.
It was just a basketball-sized purple orb, but it gave him the absurd feeling of facing the sun!
Powerful. Terrifying. Unstoppable!
Every cell in his body was screaming, instinctively urging him to flee.
This was the survival instinct of an animal. Especially for a sorcerer killer like Toji who lived by bounties, he should cherish his life and run.
But in this moment, Toji didn't want to run.
Driven by some obsession, he raised the Inverted Spear and prepared to face Purple head-on!
Was it the unwillingness to accept the Zenin clan's humiliation? Or the refusal to lose to any sorcerer?
It didn't matter anymore.
Right now, Toji Fushiguro just wanted to enjoy this moment.
He would take the strongest attack from the strongest sorcerer of the modern era head-on!
BOOM!!!
Visibly, the earth trembled for miles.
Everything in Purple's path was erased. An endless circular void bore straight through the buildings and deep into the mountain behind them!
And outside, Toji was still standing there.
But the left side of his torso was largely gone, blown into a massive bloody hole by Purple.
Clatter...
The Chain of a Thousand Miles and the Inverted Spear fell to the ground.
Toji gave a miserable laugh. "What a powerful strike. I completely lost!"
"How ironic. I thought I threw away my pride long ago. 'The Strongest,' huh..."
A breeze blew his hair, bringing a chill.
He could feel his life slipping away rapidly. Soon, he would close his eyes forever.
Toji intended to wait for death, but suddenly, the image of his son, Megumi Fushiguro, appeared in his mind.
"Ah... how strange. I usually don't give a damn about him, but he's the first thing I think of before I die?"
Toji looked up at Souma and the others walking slowly toward him.
"Looks like you have some last words?"
"In two or three years, my kid will be sold to the Zenin clan. He... do whatever you want with him..."
Having said his piece, Toji closed his eyes, accepting death calmly.
But the next moment, a surge of vibrant life force filled his body.
The flesh around Toji's wounds began to regenerate visible to the naked eye.
Toji opened his eyes. He saw Souma with a hand on his shoulder, casting Reverse Cursed Technique.
"W-Why?"
Toji was confused. They were enemies!
Souma sighed. "Consider it... for your son's sake."
Megumi Fushiguro. His name meant "Blessing," but that blessing never fell upon him.
In the original story, his mother died giving birth to him. His father, Toji, was killed by his respected teacher (Gojo) when he was a child. His sister became the vessel for Yorozu. He became the vessel for Sukuna.
His comrades died one by one. In the end, Sukuna used his body to kill his teacher.
Souma's favorite character, but undoubtedly the most tragic character in JJK.
Since Riko Amanai was alive, teaching Toji a lesson was enough. Letting Megumi experience the loss of his father again sat wrong with Souma.
"For my son's sake? Do you know him?"
Toji was puzzled.
"Sort of..."
Souma didn't know how to explain.
He looked at Toji. "Since you thought of your child on your deathbed, go be a proper role model for him!"
"If you really can't hold it in, go chop up the Zenin clan instead."
Toji: "..."