Chapter 175: Yami's Persuasion, Revealing the Truth
Violent black Cursed Energy churned above the dilapidated village.
Suguru Geto's eyes were bloodshot. The gentleness and reason that usually filled them had been consumed by pure killing intent.
"Yami, let go of me."
His voice was low and rough, carrying a resolve that left no room for argument.
"You saw what they did."
Geto looked toward the villagers trembling beneath Rainbow Dragon.
"These are the weak people we risk our lives to protect. These are the people Haibara and Nanami nearly died for."
His Cursed Energy surged.
"And what are they doing?"
Geto's expression twisted with disgust.
"They are worse than Cursed Spirits. Filthier than rats crawling through a sewer."
His raised hand trembled.
"These monkeys deserve to die."
At his roar, Rainbow Dragon released a deafening growl.
The enormous Cursed Spirit lunged toward the villagers below, its fang filled jaws opening wide enough to swallow several people at once.
Yet Yami did not even blink.
His bandaged hand remained firmly pressed against Geto's shoulder, steady enough to hold the enraged Special Grade Sorcerer in place.
Clang!
A clear sword cry rang through the village.
Yami had not drawn Shiranui.
He had merely pushed the blade from its sheath with his thumb, exposing less than an inch of the dark red steel.
But that single inch released a wave of extreme heat and overwhelming pressure.
An invisible slash rose toward the clouds.
"Awooo!"
Rainbow Dragon's vicious charge stopped in midair.
The powerful Cursed Spirit released a shrill cry and began trembling. The pressure from Shiranui had seized it like a hand around the throat.
"Suguru."
Yami met Geto's bloodshot gaze.
"Do you honestly believe killing them now would fulfill your righteous cause?"
Geto's expression hardened.
"It wouldn't."
Yami's voice cut through the violent Cursed Energy around them.
"This is running away."
"And it is exactly what your enemies want."
The words struck Geto's mind like the tolling of a bell.
"Enemies?"
The madness in his eyes faltered.
"What are you talking about? Other than these disgusting monkeys, who else is there?"
"The higher ups."
Mockery entered Yami's voice.
"And Kenjaku, the thousand year old parasite hiding in the shadows and manipulating everything like a rat beneath the floorboards."
Geto's pupils contracted.
"Kenjaku…"
"Why do you think this mission was assigned specifically to you?"
Yami removed his hand from Geto's shoulder.
He gestured toward the foul smelling houses, the terrified villagers, and the iron cage containing the two girls.
"The higher ups concealed the truth about the Earth Deity Cursed Spirit and nearly got Haibara and Nanami killed. They wanted to test how far you and Satoru could be pushed."
His gaze moved to Nanako and Mimiko.
"And now they send you here."
"To a village where two children with jujutsu potential are being abused as monsters."
"To a place designed to show you the ugliest side of the people you have spent your life protecting."
Yami stepped closer.
"They want to destroy whatever faith you have left."
"They want you to lose control."
"They want you to slaughter ordinary people."
Geto's fingers twitched.
"The moment you kill even one villager, the higher ups will have everything they need."
"They will declare you a Curse User."
"They will isolate you from Jujutsu High, place a bounty on your head, and force Satoru to choose between protecting you and obeying the Jujutsu World."
Yami's dark red eyes seemed to pierce through him.
"And Kenjaku has always wanted your Cursed Spirit Manipulation."
"He does not need a living Special Grade Sorcerer with an unbroken will."
"He needs a vessel who has collapsed, turned against the world, and been abandoned by everyone."
His voice grew colder.
"If you kill these people tonight, you will be delivering your own body to that thousand year old monster."
Silence fell over the village.
The whirlwind of Cursed Energy around Geto gradually weakened.
He stood motionless, staring at his trembling hands.
The events of the past months replayed in his mind.
The smiling members of the Star Religious Group celebrating Riko Amanai's supposed death.
Haibara and Nanami nearly being killed because of falsified intelligence.
The cruelty of this village.
Each incident seemed connected by an invisible thread.
Together, they formed a vast net around him.
And Suguru Geto had almost walked directly into its center.
Yami saw clarity beginning to return to his eyes.
But he was not finished.
"That is not all."
Geto slowly looked at him.
"The disaster ahead is worse than you understand."
Yami's tone became heavier.
"Kenjaku will return."
"He will begin the Culling Game and drag all of Japan, perhaps even the entire world, into chaos."
"The higher ups will sacrifice any number of innocent people to protect their authority."
"Riko is still a threat in their eyes."
"Haibara, Nanami, you, and Satoru will all be forced into situations worse than anything we have faced so far."
Yami took a slow breath.
"If you decide to kill every ordinary person because you are disgusted by them, or because you feel powerless to protect anyone…"
His gaze remained fixed on Geto.
"Then you will not save a single person."
"You will become the most pitiful victim of this rotten world."
His final words struck with merciless clarity.
"That would be your complete defeat."
Something inside Geto seemed to break.
He turned slowly toward the iron cage.
Nanako and Mimiko clung tightly to each other inside it.
Their thin bodies were covered in bruises and blood. They stared at the long haired sorcerer who had summoned a dragon, their eyes filled with fear.
But beneath that fear was a faint trace of hope.
Geto's chest tightened.
If he had ordered Rainbow Dragon to slaughter the village, what would those girls have seen?
Another monster deciding who deserved to live.
Another adult using overwhelming power to trample everyone around him.
How would that make him any different from the people who had abused them?
He had almost become the very thing he despised.
Geto released a long, unsteady breath.
Then he lowered his raised hand.
Rainbow Dragon whimpered in the sky before dissolving into black mist and returning to him.
The killing intent smothering the village disappeared with it.
"You win, Yami."
Geto turned toward him.
A complicated, bitter smile appeared on his face, but there was relief within it.
"I nearly did something unforgivable."
The madness had vanished from his eyes.
What remained was deeper than his former idealism and far firmer than his anger.
Geto walked toward the iron cage.
He gripped the rusted lock and tore it apart with his bare hands.
The cage door creaked open.
Geto removed his outer robe and gently placed it around the two shivering girls.
"Don't be afraid."
His voice was softer than it had been all night.
"No one will hurt you again."
He offered them his hands.
After a hesitant pause, Nanako and Mimiko each took one.
Geto led them out of the cage and returned to Yami's side.
Then he looked at the villagers still collapsed on the ground.
The rage in his eyes was gone.
Only cold indifference remained.
"Yami."
Geto raised his gaze toward the moon, half concealed behind dark clouds.
"I've made my decision."
"I will no longer serve as a pawn for the higher ups."
"And I will not let empty words about righteousness control me."
His fingers closed carefully around the twins' small hands.
"If this world is rotten to its core, and if Kenjaku wants my body…"
A dangerous smile slowly appeared on Geto's face.
"Then we should give them a proper game."
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