Chapter 211: Jogo Becomes a "Sun"
"What do we do, Fushiguro! Do you have any way to knock that big guy down?!"
After Jogo ascended high into the sky, far from the ground, Itadori and Fushiguro finally had a bit of breathing room after escaping the underground tunnel through a melted hole. Although the temperature of the entire surface had been raised to a level unbearable for ordinary people under the fierce roasting of the massive fireball, for jujutsu sorcerers like Itadori, it was actually several times easier than the enclosed space of the tunnel.
"A way? A way..."
Hearing the question, Fushiguro Megumi immediately looked up at Jogo, who was gazing down at them, and then used the corner of his eye to survey the street filled with unconscious people.
Being directly beneath the meteor, the temperature here was far higher than in other places. Even if Jogo didn't plan to drop that meteor, these ordinary people probably wouldn't last more than a few minutes.
"With so many people here, the option of simply running away is definitely out. But to block an attack like that head-on..."
Fushiguro turned his head to glance at Itadori Yuji and the shield-axe in his hand, then immediately dismissed the thought. No matter how much confidence he had in Itadori, he wouldn't let him do something like that.
Not only might it be ineffective, but it could very likely lead to even greater trouble.
As for other available assets?
As Fushiguro turned back toward the hole behind them, Kugisaki also happened to escape from the tunnel—now a lava cavern—supported by Eso's [Wing King].
Even though both used the [Maximum Technique], Eso and Jogo were more than a level apart. The latter's terrifying attack reached a scale that could affect the entire Shibuya District, while the former could only barely escape from the aftershocks of the opponent's attack based on his characteristics. This was simply not a gap that could be compared.
It seemed there really was no way. From the known conditions, Fushiguro Megumi couldn't find any method to stop the enemy or block the attack. When that terrifying meteor truly fell, the only life likely left remaining here would be Mahoraga, who hadn't yet managed to emerge from underground.
But if Fushiguro himself were evaporated by the meteor, what use would there be in leaving Mahoraga behind?
"Run, Itadori."
"...What?"
"I said run. Call Kugisaki over there, and then take as many ordinary people as possible away from the center of the explosion. Only then is it possible to successfully escape this technique.
There's no way it can use its Maximum Technique twice in a short period. Next, as long as you can regroup with Maki-senpai, it won't be able to do anything to you.
It doesn't matter even if you can't kill it. Just wait for Emiya or Gojo-sensei."
Because he couldn't think of a way to directly resist the technique, the solution Fushiguro came up with was to minimize their losses as much as possible. This was his most common way of thinking when facing powerful enemies in the past. After all, this was just a wide-range damaging technique that required a long time to accumulate; as long as they were willing to move and flee separately, the opponent could only choose one side as the primary target.
And Jogo hadn't wanted to kill Itadori directly from the start. So, once they split up, the target Jogo would ultimately choose would be Fushiguro himself. Most importantly, Fushiguro believed that with the two teachers present, the opponent wouldn't be able to stir up any more significant trouble regardless.
"What are you saying, Fushiguro! Asking me to run? Then what about you!"
Hearing this, Itadori Yuji immediately questioned him anxiously.
"Me? I'm staying behind to stall this guy, of course. If there's no way to interrupt this technique, then it's meaningless for more people to stay here."
Fushiguro Megumi never minded sacrificing his own life for his companions. The only pity was likely that no matter how hard the fleeing Itadori Yuji worked, it was unlikely he could carry away all the unconscious ordinary people nearby.
"What?! How could I possibly...
Is this the time for that! Even if we can survive it, do you think those people can?!"
Knowing they had no time to waste, Fushiguro immediately shouted down Itadori Yuji's protest, his finger quickly sweeping over the unconscious civilians around them.
"Normal Summon, [Nue]."
Having finished his reprimand, Fushiguro didn't even wait for Itadori's reply before directly summoning his only flying shikigami. Its mission, of course, wouldn't be to overreach and try to stop Jogo high in the sky, but to try and quickly pull Mahoraga out from underground. Fushiguro intended to hold the line alone, but he wouldn't truly go in without any preparation.
"Damn it... if it's a way, then let me do it!"
After hesitating for only a moment, Itadori raised the shield-axe high and explained, "Emiya-sensei actually left a specific mode for defense in this. As long as you can find a way to send me higher up, Fushiguro!"
Standing still to defend definitely wouldn't work; at most, he could protect the area immediately around him, and the people on the street would have no way to survive.
"Even so, the implementation difficulty and feasibility are a bit too poor. We don't have time—"
BOOM!
Fushiguro had just shown signs of relenting when he suddenly heard the sound of steam rising again from that massive fireball in the sky. The growth in size had finally stopped, but the raging flames surged once more to an even more terrifying degree, and with it, the temperature rose again to a more horrifying level.
"No time to explain, Itadori. We'll do as you said... [Nue]!"
Fushiguro immediately commanded [Nue] to laboriously hoist Itadori, who was gripping the axe-sword. Together, weighing several tons, they began a difficult ascent.
High in the air, Jogo clearly saw all of this, but it had no intention of stopping them. It believed itself to be like a god right now—high above, looking down and deciding the fate of these humans. Waiting for them to do everything in their power to stop it, only to crush all their efforts in a landslide victory at the end—that was what truly counted as granting despair.
The most terrible despair is not an unreachable thing, but the darkness that follows a tiny glimmer of hope.
The time is now. It's about time.
"Now, with my strongest technique, I shall joyfully announce the end of old-era humanity and the starting point for true humans to become the masters of the world."
Indeed, Jogo utterly despised the current humans and shamelessly branded itself as a true "New Human." It even firmly believed that cursed spirits should be the lifeforms that rule this world, not hypocritical and filthy creatures like humans. From a racial perspective, it was indeed a great and fearless pioneer.
Unfortunately, cursed spirits were completely unworthy of such a title and expectation, and it would never achieve its beautiful, extravagant hope...
"Burn... all of you, turn into charcoal!!!"
With that, Jogo finally threw down the fireball that had expanded to its limit, letting it fall like a true meteor. It didn't even need to add any additional thrust, because a meteor of such magnitude already possessed terrifying force simply by falling.
Until the moment the meteor left its hand, it was still smiling hideously, as if excited for the future it was creating. But its senses were exceptionally sharp—sharp enough to realize in an instant that danger was approaching—
"Wait, this is...?!"
Before it could find any room to respond or resist, a crimson spiral easily pierced through its body and that hundred-meter-tall meteor.
The extremely high mass caused the meteor to appear as if it were collapsing for an instant, before transforming into a true "light" in the next moment.
BOOM!!!!!!!!!!
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