THUD.
Suguru Geto closed the heavy door. For some reason, he didn't want the two sisters to witness the bloody spectacle that was about to unfold.
"Phew..."
Geto let out a long, heavy breath that condensed into white mist in the freezing night air.
"Uh... Mr. Geto, what exactly is going on?" the village chief asked nervously.
Geto brushed back a stray lock of hair from his forehead, looking at the assembled villagers with eyes as cold as a mountain spring.
"Nothing much. It is just that... all of you are going to die."
The moment the words left his lips, the space behind Geto tore open. Under the horrified gaze of the villagers, countless grotesque and terrifying cursed spirits crawled out of the void.
"Mon—Monster!"
"Help! Someone help me!"
"Run! Run for your lives!"
The crowd screamed, scattering like panicked animals. But Geto remained stationary. Instead, he turned his gaze toward a patch of shadow nearby.
"Souma. Stop hiding."
Souma Gojo stepped out from the darkness, scratching his head with a sheepish grin. "You actually caught me."
A thin smile tugged at the corner of Geto's mouth. "We are best friends, aren't we? I know the scent of your cursed energy better than anyone."
"So," Geto continued, his voice dropping, "are you going to stop me?"
Souma shrugged. "Is that even a question?"
"Sigh..."
Geto exhaled, rubbing his forehead as if nursing a headache. Suddenly, he snapped his head up, his expression more serious than it had ever been.
"Souma, I have always wanted to know... just how wide is the gap between us?"
"Fight me!"
Souma's grin widened. "Just don't start crying when it's over."
Souma knew that under his guidance, Geto already understood that killing all non-sorcerers to create a world without curses was a logistical impossibility. Yet, Geto still chose to slaughter them. This wasn't about an "ideal" anymore; it was pure catharsis. If that was the case, Souma would use his fists to beat some sense back into this idiot.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Grant!"
Countless cursed spirits swarmed toward Souma like a hive of angry hornets. Geto wasn't holding back or hiding anymore; in the wake of their near-death experience, even the villagers could see the blurry, horrific shapes of these monsters, causing them to flee even faster.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!"
A massive wave of repulsive force crushed the spirits into fragments, the shockwave obliterating the surrounding houses.
"Grant: Spirit Fusion!" Geto roared. Dozens of Rainbow Dragons merged together, coalescing into one colossal, shimmering entity.
"A new move?"
Souma was genuinely surprised. He immediately fired another "Red" as a counter.
ROAR—
The super-sized Rainbow Dragon let out a deafening howl, its massive tail whipping through the air like a titan's lash. It collided head-on with the "Red."
BANG!!!
To Souma's surprise, the "Red" was swatted away by the dragon's tail, crashing into a distant mountain. Half of the peak vanished instantly, leaving a perfect circular crater in its wake. The dragon didn't escape unscathed; its tail was mangled and torn. But with a simple wave of Geto's hand, more spirits fused into the creature, and the wound healed instantly.
"Interesting. Then how about this?"
"Nine Ropes."
"Polarized Light."
"Crow and Declaration."
"Between Front and Back."
Accompanying Souma's rhythmic chant, the "Blue" and "Red" collided and merged into a sphere of terrifying purple light.
"Hollow Purple!"
The terrifying kinetic energy of imaginary mass, tearing through space with simultaneous attraction and repulsion. Geto couldn't help but marvel at the sight.
"As expected of you, Souma. That 'Purple' is much stronger than the one Satoru uses!"
"Achoo!"
Back at Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo sneezed for no reason while sitting on the toilet.
Facing the incoming "Purple," Geto poured every ounce of his focus into the Rainbow Dragon. Countless spirits dived into its body, increasing its density and cursed energy output exponentially. Finally, the dragon roared and opened its massive maw, swallowing the "Purple" whole.
But it wasn't over. The dragon writhed in agony as if it had swallowed poison, its body swelling and pulsating. Finally, with a thunderous pop, the dragon exploded into fragments, and a torrential rain of purple blood fell from the sky.
"You actually managed to block it?"
Souma was impressed by Geto's rapid growth. "But if that's all you've got, it isn't enough, Suguru!"
BANG!!!
Souma laughed as he parried a sudden blow. Geto had used the chaos of the explosion to close the distance, swinging the Special Grade tool Playful Cloud against Souma's arm with a resounding boom.
Feeling a slight sting, Souma smiled. "Attacking through my Limitless? Is that the Domain Amplification I taught you?"
"And this Playful Cloud..."
Geto interrupted, "Hey, I've already paid off the debt for Playful Cloud, Ze!"
"Tsk! I gave you a discount on that!"
Souma stepped back, dodging Geto's follow-up strike. "Trying to match me in Taijutsu? I'll give you another discount right now—a bone-deep one!"
Shinbu Style: Two Suns Overlap!
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
The two moved with blinding speed, leaving trails of afterimages in the night air. Sparks flew and the sounds of impact echoed through the valley.
"Faster! Faster! Suguru! Is this all you've got?"
Geto gritted his teeth, swinging Playful Cloud with desperate intensity. But in the realm of martial arts, not even he and Satoru combined could match Souma.
"Bastard! Don't look down on me!"
Geto roared, his cursed energy peaking as his movements blurred into a frenzy.
"The whole 'shouting makes you stronger' anime trope is really immersion-breaking, you know?" Souma deadpanned, before forcibly interrupting Geto's power-up with a well-placed Black Flash.
Geto steadied himself and responded with a Black Flash of his own. Soon, the two were trading Black Flashes—a phenomenon most sorcerers dream of achieving—as if they were simple jabs.
After a long exchange, sweat began to bead on Geto's forehead and his eyes grew hazy. In contrast, Souma remained composed, his rhythm as steady as a clock.
"Taijutsu... I still can't beat you," Geto admitted, pulling back to create distance. He stowed Playful Cloud and formed a hand seal.
Souma looked puzzled. "Domain Expansion? You know you have no chance of winning a tug-of-war against me."
Geto laughed. "I won't know unless I try, right?"
"Domain Expansion: Universal Myriad Phenomena!"
Souma's eyes sharpened as he formed his own seal.
"Domain Expansion: The Stainless Realm!"
The two domains collided. As expected, The Stainless Realm—which specialized in stripping away energy—took an overwhelming advantage from the start.
"Damn it! Hold on!"
Geto gritted his teeth, outputting cursed energy at maximum capacity just to maintain the barrier. He was so focused on the struggle that he didn't even have the spare energy to manifest a single curse within the domain.
Souma looked at Geto's straining form and spoke gently. "Suguru. That's enough."
In an instant, the light of The Stainless Realm became as blinding as the sun. Geto watched as his Universal Myriad Phenomena dissolved bit by bit, powerless to stop it no matter how hard he tried. Finally, the brilliant white light enveloped him, and he was forced to close his eyes.
"I still... lost..."