At that exact moment, the roof of the General Headquarters building was blasted away by a sheer, violent force.
Moonlight poured into the meeting room without obstruction, illuminating the deathly pale faces of those rotten oranges.
Amidst the swirling debris and dust, a figure hovered in mid-air.
White hair.
A blindfold.
And those eyes of the blue sky that sent a bone-chilling cold through anyone who looked at them, even through the blindfold.
Satoru Gojo was back.
He didn't arrive with his usual playful smile, nor was he carrying any souvenirs from a business trip.
Right now, he looked like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
His undisguised killing intent made the very air in the meeting room feel thick and viscous.
"I'm truly..."
Satoru Gojo descended slowly, his boots crunching on the shattered wood with a sound that grated on the ears.
"...impressed by what I see here."
He glanced at the mahogany conference table that had been reduced to splinters, then at Yoru, who stood in the center of the ruins, blood-stained yet still standing tall.
Finally.
His gaze fell upon the group of trembling higher-ups.
"Waiting until I'm away on a mission to assign my student a suicide task."
"Even going as far as using a Special Grade Cursed Object as bait to set up a triple-domain death trap."
"Is this what you call... acting for the sake of the jujutsu world's future?"
Gojo's voice was soft.
But every word hit like a sledgehammer, slamming hard against the chests of the rotten oranges.
"Go... Gojo Satoru!"
One of the oldest high-ups suppressed his fear and stood up, his voice shaking.
"Wh-what do you think you're doing?!"
"This is the General Headquarters! The highest authority in the jujutsu world!"
"Yoru defied orders, trespassed into the General Headquarters, and even threatened the leadership..."
"We are simply following the rules!"
"Rules?"
Gojo smiled.
It was a smile born of pure rage.
"Since you love talking about rules so much."
"I'll set a new rule for you."
Gojo slowly raised his hand, pointing his index finger at the old man.
"Red."
Boom!
A crimson shockwave erupted instantly.
The old man, who was still rambling, didn't even have time to scream before he was blasted away, crashing through three layers of walls and ending up hanging from a tree outside like a piece of limp meat.
Dead silence.
The remaining high-ups collapsed to the ground, their faces ashen.
He's insane! Satoru Gojo has lost his mind!
He actually dared to commit murder right here in the General Headquarters!
"Does anyone else want to talk about rules?"
Gojo retracted his hand, his tone as casual as if he had just swatted a fly.
"I don't mind helping you rebuild the order of the jujutsu world from scratch."
"After all..."
"New fruit can only grow once the rotten oranges have been cleared out, right?"
As he spoke, his cursed energy surged again.
The terrifying pressure belonging to the modern era's strongest sorcerer left everyone present gasping for breath.
He was serious.
If he wanted to, he truly could level the General Headquarters to the ground tonight!
"Gojo... you can't..."
"We are Master Tengen's..."
The rotten oranges pleaded desperately, trying to use any name they could to save their lives.
But Gojo's eyes held nothing but indifference.
Just as he was about to launch a second attack to completely purge these parasites.
A hand was placed gently on his shoulder.
"Sensei."
Yoru's voice rang out.
It was calm, yet carried a weight that could not be ignored.
Gojo paused slightly, and the fluctuations of his cursed energy settled down a bit.
He turned his head to look at the teenager beside him.
"Yoru, you don't have to stop me."
"These guys are rotten to the core. Keeping them around is just asking for trouble."
"I know."
Yoru nodded.
He glanced at the higher-ups who were already scared out of their wits, his lips curling into a playful arc.
"But."
"Killing them would be far too easy."
Yoru released his grip on his sword hilt and walked slowly toward one of the collapsed high-ups.
He looked down at the man.
As if he were looking at an ant he could crush at any moment.
"Death is an instantaneous release."
"For people who are so obsessed with power and life, living... living in constant fear is the greatest punishment."
Yoru turned back to look at Gojo.
"Besides."
"If you kill them all now, who's going to recognize my Special Grade status?"
"After all..."
"I just completed a mission that even a Special Grade Sorcerer might not have survived."
Gojo blinked, stunned for a moment.
Then.
"Hahahaha!"
He burst into a fit of unrestrained laughter.
He laughed so hard that tears nearly came to his eyes.
He slapped Yoru's shoulder with enough force that it almost reopened the boy's wounds.
"Good! Well said!"
"As expected of my student!"
"You're right, killing them really would be too boring."
Gojo stopped laughing and turned back to the shaken high-ups.
The look in his eyes behind his sunglasses remained cold, but the murderous intent had been dialed back, replaced by a malicious sense of mockery.
"Did you hear that?"
"My student is very generous. He's willing to give you a chance to live."
"However..."
"While you may be spared from death, you won't escape punishment."
Gojo stepped next to Yoru and threw an arm around his shoulder.
"In view of Yoru's outstanding performance in this mission, and the fact that certain individuals maliciously framed him."
"I propose."
"That Yoru be promoted to Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer immediately."
"Now, you rotten oranges, who's in favor and who's against?"
Silence.
Against?
They looked at the bleeding hole in the wall, then at the crimson light dancing at Gojo's fingertips.
Who would dare to be against it?!
"We... we agree..."
One high-up raised a trembling hand.
"But... but..."
"According to the regulations of the jujutsu world, a Special Grade evaluation requires..."
"Requires what?"
Yoru suddenly cut him off.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out the three cores of the Special Grade Cursed Spirits, tossing them casually in his hand.
"Requires achievements?"
"Are these three Special Grades enough?"
"Or maybe..."
Yoru's gaze suddenly became as sharp as a blade.
"You want to test my strength personally?"
The high-up shut his mouth instantly, shaking his head like a rattle.
Are you kidding?!
You butchered three mutated Special Grades like they were nothing—our old bones wouldn't last a second against you!
"Since there are no objections, it's settled."
Gojo snapped his fingers.
"However, considering Yoru's unique situation of having no cursed energy, just to keep the critics quiet..."
"We'll go through the formalities."
Gojo looked at Yoru and winked.
"In three days."
"A Special Grade evaluation test will be held at the Tokyo School."
"At that time, I will invite all the major families and high-ups of the jujutsu world to witness it."
"I want everyone to see with their own eyes."
"Exactly what it looks like to be..."
"A true monster."
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