Chapter 146: The Crushing Defeat and Awakening of Suguru Geto
"Gurgle."
A low, strange sound rose from Toji Fushiguro's throat.
He stuck out his tongue and slowly licked the blood from the corner of his mouth.
It was his own blood.
Even now, traces of Yami's Sun Breathing still lingered in it, leaving behind a sharp, burning sting that seemed to scorch his tongue.
"This feeling…"
Toji muttered, and the cruel curve of his mouth twisted into something even more dangerous.
"It's been a while since something made me shiver like this."
His eyes carried no Cursed Energy, but a fanatical battle intent burned inside them, more intense than anything shown by most Jujutsu Sorcerers.
It was not pride.
It was not duty.
It was the instinct of a body that had reached the summit of physical strength, craving an opponent strong enough to threaten it.
Toji reached toward the Inventory Curse coiled around his neck.
His hand moved so violently that it looked as if he might tear the fleshy Cursed Spirit apart.
Clang.
A strange metallic sound rang through the Tomb of the Star Corridor.
From the Inventory Curse's mouth, Toji slowly pulled out a short blade with a twisted, peculiar edge.
Special Grade Cursed Tool, Inverted Spear of Heaven.
Then his other hand moved.
A silver chain slid out next, its links engraved with forbidden patterns and glinting with a cold, ghostly light.
Special Grade Cursed Tool, Chain of a Thousand Miles.
And in Toji's right hand remained the pitch-black blade that seemed to swallow light itself.
The Split Soul Katana.
At that moment, the three core cursed tools of the Sorcerer Killer appeared together in the deepest part of the Tomb of the Star Corridor.
Toji Fushiguro had finally torn away his lazy disguise.
What stood there now was the most dangerous form of the man who had hunted and killed Jujutsu Sorcerers for years.
"Yami, I know you're strong."
Toji rolled his neck, his joints cracking softly.
"So strong that, for a second, I almost felt like I was looking at a god."
His black shirt clung tightly to his body, stretched over muscles packed with terrifying explosive force.
"But down here, in this lightless tomb…"
His smile sharpened.
"The roles of hunter and prey aren't decided by swordsmanship alone."
Before the final word had faded, Toji snapped the Chain of a Thousand Miles outward.
Clatter!
The silver chain, which had only been wrapped around his arm a moment ago, seemed to come alive the instant it left his body. It extended wildly through the air, breaking free of its visible length and turning into a silver serpent with no end.
The chain whipped and roared, weaving itself into a massive net above Yami's head.
Then it crashed down.
At the same time, Toji swung his other hand back.
Hum!
Hundreds of low-level Fly Head Cursed Spirits surged out from the Inventory Curse's bottomless mouth like a broken dam releasing black water.
Individually, they were worthless.
Even an inexperienced Jujutsu Sorcerer could crush them.
But in a battle between monsters, even trash could become a weapon if used at the right time.
The swarm flooded the battlefield, filling every path like thick black ink. Their wings beat together in a piercing, maddening noise, blocking Yami's vision and interfering with his hearing.
At the edge of the chamber, behind a massive stone pillar, Suguru Geto held Riko Amanai close and forced her to stay low.
His face was deathly pale.
Cold sweat rolled down his forehead.
Every time the Chain of a Thousand Miles struck stone, the sound slammed into his chest like a hammer.
He could feel it.
The barrier laid down by Master Tengen was beginning to crack under the pressure of their clash.
Not from Cursed Techniques.
Not from Domains.
From raw physical force.
If even the aftershock of that battle reached Riko, her fragile body would be torn apart instantly.
"Yami is holding back…"
Geto's fists clenched.
His nails dug into his palms, drawing blood, but he did not notice the pain.
"He's splitting his attention to control the range of his attacks because of us."
He watched Yami fighting alone inside the black swarm and the silver net.
A helplessness strong enough to drown reason surged up in his chest.
Who was he?
Suguru Geto.
One of the most gifted Jujutsu Sorcerers in the history of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The man who stood beside Satoru Gojo and was called one of the strongest.
Yet now, at the most critical moment of life and death, he was hiding behind a pillar like a rat in a gutter, protecting a helpless girl while his companion fought alone.
The humiliation tore his pride to pieces.
"I can't…"
His eyes trembled.
"I can't just stand here and watch him die."
A tragic resolve flashed through Geto's eyes.
"Riko, listen to me."
His voice was low and tense.
"Stay here. Keep your head down. No matter what happens, do not look out."
"Geto?"
Before Riko could stop him, Geto stood from behind the stone pillar.
His hands trembled with rage as he formed hand seals at high speed.
Cursed Energy surged through his body like ignited fuel.
"Come out."
His voice echoed through the chamber.
"Rainbow Dragon. Kuchisake-onna."
Two terrifying roars shook the air.
The strongest Cursed Spirits in Geto's arsenal descended at once.
Rainbow Dragon, its massive white body covered in hard scales, coiled above the chamber and charged toward the layered silver chain net, trying to break it apart through sheer mass.
Kuchisake-onna emerged with disheveled hair and a huge rusted pair of scissors. Carrying a sinister, bone-chilling wind, she rushed into the black swarm to tear through the Fly Heads obstructing Yami.
"Suguru!"
Yami's voice rang from within the dark swarm.
"Get back! Don't come over!"
With Transparent World, he had already seen the one thing he least wanted to happen.
But the warning came half a step too late.
"Heh."
Toji's voice sounded behind Geto like a ghost.
"That sense of responsibility is exactly what I was waiting for."
Geto's pupils shrank.
What?
In his perception, Toji should have been clashing with Yami head-on. That terrifying pressure should not have been able to leave the center of the battlefield.
When did he slip away?
"So this is your tactic, Yami?"
Toji's figure moved like black lightning through the broken shadows.
Under the cover of countless Fly Heads, he had bypassed Yami's frontal blockade in an instant, twisting through an angle that defied normal human movement.
He had deliberately exposed a gap at the front to bait Yami into committing to an attack.
Then, the moment Yami moved, he used the spinning force of the Chain of a Thousand Miles to launch himself like a supersonic projectile straight into Geto's blind spot.
"Kill the annoying small fry first."
Toji's smile was cruel.
"That's basic hunting."
The Split Soul Katana in his hand cut a near-perfect black arc through the air.
"Roar!"
Rainbow Dragon screamed.
The sound echoed through the entire Tomb of the Star Corridor.
Its scales, strong enough to endure heavy bombardment, meant nothing before a blade that cut directly at the soul. Its massive body was sliced apart in an instant, falling into severed chunks.
Toji did not stop.
The Split Soul Katana followed through and pressed down.
Puchi.
The sound of a blade entering flesh was dull and clean.
Geto did not even have time to scream before Toji's kick sent him flying dozens of meters away.
A massive wound opened across his chest, stretching nearly across his entire torso. It was deep enough to show bone.
Blood sprayed through the air in a dark red arc.
"Geto!"
Riko's scream tore through the chamber, filled with despair.
"Damn Fly Heads…"
Yami's eyes changed.
Reason finally gave way to fury.
He watched Geto fall into a pool of blood like a kite with its string cut, and the heat around him twisted violently.
If Toji wanted to obscure his vision, then Yami would erase everything obstructing it.
"Moon Breathing, Sixth Form."
Shiranui's rhythm changed in Yami's hand within a fraction of a second.
The blazing heat of Sun Breathing vanished.
In its place came a cold, dense killing edge, like moonlight sharpened into countless blades.
"Perpetual Night, Lonely Moon, Incessant."
Yami spun inside the black swarm.
Swish, swish, swish!
Thousands of purple crescent blades erupted outward from him in a perfect sphere.
They were fine as dust, but sharp enough to tear through everything in their path.
The Fly Heads filling the chamber were shredded instantly, vanishing before they could even wail.
The black mist cleared.
Yami stepped forward, sword in hand.
The ground behind him collapsed from the force of his movement.
In an instant, he appeared at Toji's flank.
But Toji seemed to have expected it.
He snapped the Chain of a Thousand Miles with a sharp motion.
At the end of the chain, the Inverted Spear of Heaven traced a vicious, unpredictable path through the air and stabbed straight toward the unconscious Geto's throat.
Toji grinned.
"Force you to save him. It always works on brats who talk about justice."
His beastlike eyes were filled with certainty.
He knew Yami would not ignore Geto's death.
There were only two choices.
Continue the attack and wound Toji, while watching Geto die.
Or turn back, abandon his position, and expose himself to save Geto.
Yami did not hesitate.
Not even for a tenth of a second.
His body forced itself into a rigid turn midair, stopping its momentum through sheer strength. Shiranui drew a blood-red afterimage and struck the Inverted Spear of Heaven just before it reached Geto.
Clang!
The Inverted Spear of Heaven was knocked aside.
But at that exact instant, when Yami's old force had been spent and his new strength had not yet risen, Toji's other hand moved.
The Split Soul Katana silently slashed toward Yami's exposed left arm.
In order to save Geto, Yami had given up his blind spot.
Shhk.
The sound of steel entering flesh cut through the silent chamber.
Blood sprayed.
Yami was injured.
Despair froze in Riko Amanai's eyes.
And in Toji Fushiguro's gaze, the fierce light burned brighter than ever.
The battle had only just begun.
.....
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