Chapter 35: Tyrant's Raid
Sunshine, sand, and waves.
Amanai Riko changed into a cute swimsuit. Her initial awkwardness and worry were quickly washed away by Gojo Satoru's various antics and the few small, cute Cursed Spirits Geto Suguru conjured.
She pulled Kuroi Misato along, running by the sea, stepping on the waves, and letting out bell-like laughter, as if she had momentarily forgotten all her troubles and her approaching fate.
Gojo Satoru was having the most fun, cheating at the water fight using the Limitless Technique, sending water splashing everywhere. He even tried to surf using the power of Blue, making the scene highly "Jujutsu-fied."
Geto Suguru, by contrast, was quite relaxed, sitting under a beach umbrella, watching everyone play, occasionally using a Cursed Spirit to grab drinks for them or to playfully scare Amanai Riko.
Even the usually austere Toho Hiroshi seemed infected by the relaxed atmosphere.
He didn't join the most boisterous activities; he simply took off his black robe, wore simple shorts, and walked barefoot on the beach. When Amanai Riko occasionally laughed and dragged him into the water, splashing him, a fleeting, barely perceptible hint of relaxation crossed his face.
In the two years since becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Toho Hiroshi had rarely shown such ease and joy. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed a free and unrestrained life.
Kuroi Misato looked at the long-absent, genuinely brilliant smile on her young mistress's face, her eyes filled with both relief and sorrow. She knew how brief and precious this happiness was.
As the sunset painted the sea surface gold and red, the exhausted group sat side-by-side on the beach, watching the sun slowly sink below the horizon.
Amanai Riko hugged her knees, her face flushed from exertion and bearing a satisfied smile. She secretly glanced at the silent Toho Hiroshi beside her, then at Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru, who were still bickering, and softly said, "Thank you."
Thank you for rescuing Kuroi. Thank you for bringing me here. Thank you for giving me such a joyful day.
Hearing this, Gojo Satoru waved his hand dismissively: "It's nothing, really! Once this is all over, we can come back and play again!"
Geto Suguru smiled, not pointing out the underlying meaning in Gojo Satoru's words.
Toho Hiroshi turned his head and looked at her. The residual glow of the sunset cast tiny specks of light in his deep eyes. He said nothing, only giving a very light "Mhm."
In this moment, there was no Star Plasma Vessel, no Jujutsu Sorcerers, no missions or fighting—only a few young people enjoying the brief and pure tranquility and happiness before the storm... Three days later.
On the mountain path outside the Jujutsu High Barrier, the atmosphere had once again become solemn.
The playing and ease had been put away, replaced by the gravity of fulfilling their final duty.
Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru walked slightly ahead, one on the left and one on the right, wary of the movements around them.
Toho Hiroshi remained close, guarding Amanai Riko, while Kuroi Misato followed behind them, her face etched with worry and reluctance.
They were following the long stone steps toward the Tomb Chamber, located deep in the foothills of Mount En—the sacred place where Master Tengen resided and where the Assimilation Ritual would take place.
Ancient trees towered on both sides of the stone steps. It was silent, with only their footsteps echoing, as if they were walking a path to another world.
Amanai Riko walked upward, step by step, her head bowed, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes.
The closer she got to the Tomb Chamber's entrance, the heavier her steps became, as the fear of assimilation surged over her like a cold tide.
Just as her heart was overwhelmed with anxiety and fear, making it almost impossible to breathe, a warm and powerful hand gently clasped her slightly trembling one.
It was Toho Hiroshi.
He didn't look at her, his gaze still fixed straight ahead, as if he had merely done the most natural thing in the world.
But his palm was steady and dry, transmitting a reassuring strength and warmth through her skin.
Amanai Riko was startled. She looked up at his austere profile, feeling the warmth radiating from their joined hands. Her anxious heart miraculously began to calm down slowly.
She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand back, as if drawing infinite courage from it.
At least for this final stretch of the path, she was not alone.
At the end of the stone steps, a massive and ancient Torii Gate was visible. Beyond the Torii lay the main body of the mysterious Tomb Chamber.
Just as everyone stepped onto the highest stair, and their taut nerves relaxed slightly due to the destination being within reach—
A sudden change occurred!
A black shadow, like a phantom, appeared without warning behind Gojo Satoru, who had subconsciously deactivated his Limitless Technique moments before.
Fast! Unimaginably fast!
It was a burst of pure, ultimate physical strength, a speed that surpassed the limits of visual capture and even Cursed Energy detection.
In the black shadow's hand, a strange long blade, wrapped in an ominous, faint glow, struck Gojo Satoru's chest with precise cruelty, piercing him through and emerging from his front, bringing forth a spray of hot blood.
Time seemed to freeze at this moment.
The expression on Gojo Satoru's face was frozen in the relaxation of the previous second. The Rikugan beneath his sunglasses suddenly contracted due to intense pain and shock.
Geto Suguru, Amanai Riko, and Kuroi Misato hadn't even fully reacted.
Only Toho Hiroshi!
Almost one microsecond before Fushiguro Toji's presence leaked out, his Mangekyo Sharingan had already captured the extremely compressed, non-Cursed Energy wave of killing intent.
"Satoru!"
Geto Suguru's cry of alarm had just left his mouth.
"Clang—"
A deafening clash of metal had already erupted!
The instant the inverted spear of heaven pierced Gojo Satoru, Toho Hiroshi had already turned, drawn his blade, and the scarlet blade slashed toward the black shadow with a shrill tearing sound.
But Fushiguro Toji, having landed his blow, did not linger. His body retreated strangely, narrowly avoiding the fierce slash.
At the same time—
"Susanoo!"
The Mangekyo pattern in Toho Hiroshi's eyes spun frantically. Purple Cursed Energy surged skyward, instantly forming a massive skeletal arm that clenched into a fist and smashed toward Fushiguro Toji as he retreated.
Boom!
The terrifying punch pressure caused the air itself to explode. Fushiguro Toji's eyes narrowed slightly; he clearly hadn't expected the opponent's reaction to be so fast and the attack so ferocious.
He sharply held the inverted spear of heaven horizontally in front of him, simultaneously pushing off the ground, using the impact to rapidly retreat backward. He managed to dispel most of the force, but he was still shaken, his blood surging, and his feet carved two deep furrows into the ground.
"Cough..."
Gojo Satoru violently coughed up a mouthful of blood; the excruciating pain instantly cleared his mind.
The moment the blade left his body, he forcibly activated his Cursed Technique, barely managing to stop the gushing blood using the power of Limitless, but his face was deathly pale and his Cursed Energy presence was rapidly diminishing.
This single strike, imbued with the special power of the special grade cursed tool "inverted spear of heaven," was nearly fatal.
"Satoru!"
Geto Suguru immediately summoned several powerful Cursed Spirits to guard Gojo Satoru, his expression grave as he looked at the man who had been forced to reveal himself.
Fushiguro Toji shook his slightly numb arm, grinned, revealing a smile mixed with excitement and cruelty, his scar twisting: "Oh? You managed to react and even launch a counterattack of that caliber."
"Kid, you're more interesting than the intel suggested. Truly worthy of being the Jujutsu World's second Special Grade Sorcerer today."
His focus landed specifically on Toho Hiroshi's slowly dissipating Susanoo skeletal arm and his bizarre Mangekyo Sharingan.
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