Late at night in Tokyo, the air after the rain carried the damp scent of earth.
Gojo Satoru walked leisurely along a winding mountain road on the outskirts of Chiyoda Ward, his hands tucked into his pockets.
The information he had just obtained at Rin's villa had caused even his heart, protected by Limitless and usually unmoved by anything, to beat faster for a rare moment.
The man named Rin acted with overwhelming arrogance, yet every move he made was flawless.
Healing Itadori Yuji's severed hand. Subduing Toji Fushiguro... this was all too impressive feats. But declaring that he would overturn the entire chessboard of the jujutsu world... Damn.
"The world's becoming more and more interesting."
A smile tugged at Gojo Satoru's lips as his white hair swayed gently in the night breeze.
Then suddenly.. he stopped.
Even with his Six Eyes hidden beneath the blindfold, he could clearly perceive the violent shift in the surrounding flow of Cursed Energy.
The cool, damp air rapidly became scorching hot.
Leaves by the roadside shriveled and curled, while the asphalt beneath his feet began to glisten unnaturally as the surface softened under intense heat.
"Cursed Energy at this level… a Special Grade?"
Gojo Satoru looked up toward the steep cliffside beside the road.
Boom!
Without warning, a massive torrent of molten fire erupted from above like a dragon opening its jaws, crashing directly onto the section of road where Gojo Satoru stood.
The explosion shook the mountainside.
Blazing flames surged skyward, illuminating the night as brightly as day.
The heat instantly vaporized the rainwater around the area, filling the air with dense white steam.
"Did he die?"
At the edge of the cliff, a short Cursed Spirit in an old-fashioned kimono cautiously poked its head over the side.
Its head resembled a living volcano, wisps of smoke drifting from the crater at the top. A single massive eye stared down at the magma-covered road below.
The downfall of the Upper Rank Demons had stirred unrest throughout the jujutsu world.
As a Special Grade Cursed Spirit born from humanity's fear of the earth, Jogo had received a proposal from Geto Suguru, or rather, Kenjaku.
If Cursed Spirits wished to replace humans as the true rulers of the world, then the first obstacle they had to eliminate was Gojo Satoru.
"That Geto guy is far too cautious, insisting we use the Special Grade cursed object, the Prison Realm, to seal him."
Jogo let out a breath of scorching air, his tone filled with disdain.
"In front of my flames, even the so-called strongest jujutsu sorcerer will be reduced to charcoal."
"You sound awfully confident in your firepower."
A voice full of amusement suddenly cut through the rising steam and reached Jogo's ears.
Jogo's single eye widened instantly as he stared down at the sea of flames below.
The heatwave gradually dispersed.
Gojo Satoru stood unharmed in the center of the melting asphalt.
The magma, hot enough to melt steel, stopped around ten centimeters away from his body, as though blocked by an invisible absolute barrier, before being forced aside.
Forget burns. Not even the edge of his clothes had been scorched.
"How is that possible?!"
Jogo gritted his teeth.
"My attack hit you directly!"
"Hit me? No, no, no. You didn't even touch me."
Gojo Satoru wagged a finger, sounding as relaxed as though he were correcting a student's homework.
"Your heat's nowhere near enough. It's not even good enough to grill a saury for me. Blocking the road this late at night… what are you, some kind of Mount Fuji spirit?"
Jogo instantly exploded with rage after being mocked so directly.
As a Special Grade Cursed Spirit born from the fear of the earth itself, what he hated most was the arrogance humans displayed from above.
"Insolent monkey! I'll rip your tongue out!"
Jogo kicked off violently, shattering the rock beneath his feet.
His body transformed into a blazing meteor as he charged straight toward Gojo Satoru.
Mid-air, Jogo spread his hands wide, and the crater atop his head emitted a shrill hiss.
"Ember Insects!"
Several large mosquito-like insects burst forth.
Their wings vibrated at supersonic speed as they surrounded Gojo Satoru. This was Jogo's signature two-stage attack. First, the sound waves disrupted the target's senses, followed immediately by devastating explosions.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Violent explosions erupted one after another, flames and thick smoke swallowing Gojo Satoru whole once more.
Using the obscured vision to his advantage, Jogo instantly closed the distance, his right fist wrapped in dense Cursed Energy as he drove it toward Gojo Satoru's temple.
"Die!"
But once again, his fist stopped just centimeters away from Gojo Satoru's face.
That strange sensation appeared again.
It felt as though he were punching into an endless mass of thick glue. The more force he exerted, the slower his fist became, until it stopped completely.
The smoke gradually cleared.
Gojo Satoru stood there with his hands in his pockets, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Jogo right in front of him. A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Haven't figured it out yet? Your attack stopped."
Gojo pulled his left hand from his pocket, grabbed Jogo's wrist, and interlocked their fingers.
"Come on, feel it for yourself. This is Limitless."
"You can't touch me because there's an infinitely divisible space between us. It's the Achilles and the tortoise paradox. I've brought infinity into reality."
Listening to what sounded more like a physics lecture than a battle explanation, Jogo desperately tried to pull his arm back, only to realize the strength gripping him was overwhelming.
"Let go of me!"
"Nope. Since you came all the way here to see me, it'd be rude not to return the favor."
The smile vanished from Gojo Satoru's face.
His eyes turned cold.
He clenched his right fist and drove a clean uppercut straight into Jogo's jaw.
Crack.
The sound of shattering bone echoed as Jogo's jaw twisted violently out of place.
The impact launched him backward, but his wrist remained locked in Gojo's grip. Before he could fly away, Gojo yanked him back and slammed his knee into Jogo's abdomen.
"Ghh—!"
Purple blood burst from Jogo's mouth as his insides churned violently.
___
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