The black shell of the barriers dissolved.
Inside the deep crater, a battered and disheveled Suguru Geto lay on the ground, staring vacantly at the star-studded night sky. Seeing this, Souma Gojo walked over and lay down beside him, propping his head up with his hands.
Neither spoke. They simply lay there, staring into the cosmic void.
A cold night wind ruffled their hair and crept into their sleeves, bringing a sharp chill.
"Souma, what do you think is the meaning of a sorcerer's existence?" Geto suddenly asked.
Souma chuckled. "The meaning of a sorcerer? There is no such thing. To me, it is just a profession, not much different from being a doctor or a driver."
"If you want to find the meaning of existence, you should look at the individual behind the sorcerer. The answers should be as diverse as the people themselves."
"Is that so..." Geto let out a long breath, a faint, self-deprecating smile on his lips. "All this time, I carved the protection of the weak into my very bones, yet I never actually found my own reason to exist."
"I simply... cast a curse upon myself."
"Daijoubu! You still have decades ahead of you. If you're really that lost, the worst you can do is just coast through life until you die!"
"..." Geto gave a wry laugh and scratched his head. After a moment, he asked, "There is one thing I still don't understand."
"What?"
"When we faced those Star Religious Group people, you didn't hesitate for a second to kill them all. But now, why did you choose to protect these villagers?"
"Based on your logic, scum belong in hell. These people... surely they count too?"
Souma rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I really get tired of the IQ levels of you and Satoru."
"Try this: imagine yourself as one of the members of this village. Like them, you cannot see curses. One day, strange things start happening. People go mad or die. Panic erupts. You worry every day if this curse will strike your family, your friends, or yourself."
"Then, you notice that every time something happens, those two little girls are there, acting incredibly strange. Tell me, what would your reaction be?"
Geto rubbed his chin, looking a bit stunned. "I... I would probably think it was related to them."
Souma shrugged. "See? Even with your knowledge, you'd think that if you were in their shoes. What do you expect from uneducated villagers in a remote mountain range?"
"But does that give them the right to abuse those sisters?" Geto asked angrily.
"Human nature is like that. People fear the unknown, so they try to erase it."
Souma looked around. Since the battle had ended, many villagers had emboldened themselves to creep back, peeking at the two from the shadows.
"I admit their behavior is vile, but it stems from ignorance and fear of the unknown. That makes them fools. But those Star Religious Group people? They knew exactly what jujutsu was. They knew the relationship between Tengen and the Star Plasma Vessel. Yet, they still chose to murder an innocent girl."
"To see the truth of the world and still choose ignorance and stagnation—that is what I call scum. The difference between a fool and a piece of scum is that the former is pitiable and hateful but doesn't necessarily deserve death. The latter is truly beyond redemption."
Geto remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a helpless sigh.
"I hate to admit it, but Souma... you really do think deeper and further than I do."
"Alright!" Souma stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. "Our massive fight wasn't exactly hidden from these villagers. We're going to have to write a mountain of reports when we get back!"
"And you, Suguru. You openly threatened to slaughter these people. Go give them a proper apology!"
Geto's eye twitched. "Hai, hai..."
CLACK!
A stone flew through the air, hitting Souma's Limitless barrier and bouncing off harmlessly.
"You two monsters! Get out of our village!" the chief roared, leaning on his cane.
Souma's face darkened. "Actually... Suguru, forget the apology. I need to add one more thing to what I said earlier."
"Fools might not deserve to die, but they definitely deserve a beatdown!"
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
The next moment, over a hundred villagers watched in terror as their feet left the ground. They were rocketed into the sky with staggering speed. Once the houses on the ground were nothing but tiny dots, the lift vanished, and they entered a state of free-fall.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
The screams of terror were exceptionally piercing in the quiet night. Just before they hit the ground, the lift returned, and they started the next cycle.
Watching Souma having the time of his life, Geto covered his face. "You are clearly more vicious than I am!"
"Excuse me..."
A weak, soft voice drifted over. Geto turned to see the two abused little girls crouching timidly beside him. One of them, with brownish-blonde hair, took out a tattered handkerchief and began wiping the wounds on Geto's face.
"Oh... thank you."
"You... you're welcome." Nanako Hasaba looked at the soaring Souma. "Are you... monsters too?"
"Monsters?" Geto stood up slowly and gently patted Nanako and Mimiko on their heads. As he did, he activated Reversed Cursed Technique, and the scars on their bodies vanished instantly.
"We aren't monsters. We are jujutsu sorcerers."
The girls gasped in wonder. "So... so cool! Can we do that too?"
"You can." Geto felt as if a weight had been lifted from his heart. He had found a new reason to keep going. "From now on, I will teach you."
"SOUMA GOJO!!!"
"Present!" Souma raised his hand guiltily. "Sensei! I know I messed up!"
Masamichi Yaga delivered a silent, black-faced punch, and a steaming red bump immediately sprouted on Souma's head.
"Over a hundred villagers! You used them for aerial bungee jumping for half an hour straight!"
"Over fifty fainted and had to be hospitalized! Thirty developed a phobia of heights! The rest wet themselves, and a dozen seniors had heart palpitations!"
"But I used Reversed Cursed Technique to heal them afterward..."
"You brat!" Yaga's eye was twitching. "Do you have any idea how much the logistics department is screaming at me because of the resettlement and non-disclosure agreements?"
"No problem, Sensei. I'll have the Gojo clan cover all the costs!"
"..." Yaga rubbed his temples. "Fine. I'll let this incident slide for now."
Souma let out a breath of relief, but then Yaga spoke again.
"By the way, Souma. According to the villagers' testimonies, you and Suguru had a massive fight. What happened? Did Suguru do something?"
Facing his teacher's suspicious gaze, Souma decided to play dumb.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
"..."