It wasn't just him.
Maki, Noritoshi Kamo, and even Mechamaru hiding in the distance—though his actual body wasn't there—were all deeply shaken by this scene.
The monster that had beaten them so badly they couldn't fight back, the one that had plunged them into despair...
Was actually so fragile before Yoru?
"Is this... the power of a Special Grade?"
Megumi murmured to himself, his knuckles turning white from gripping his sword hilt too tightly.
Just moments ago.
Facing that hopeless gap in power, a mad thought had flashed through his mind.
Instead of everyone dying here together, it would be better to...
Use that move.
[Furube Yurayura...]
That was his final trump card, a suicidal technique meant to take the enemy down with him.
Summoning the strongest shikigami—Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga.
Though once summoned, not only would the enemy die, but he, the summoner, would also certainly perish.
But at least he could save his companions' lives. Just as his hands were about to form the seal...
"Megumi."
A calm voice suddenly interrupted his train of thought.
Megumi jerked, looking up.
Yoru, standing ahead, hadn't pressed the attack. Instead, he turned his head slightly, his crimson pupils gazing calmly at Megumi.
"Put your hands down."
Yoru's voice wasn't loud, but it possessed a certain magnetism that made Megumi subconsciously release his hand seal.
"Watch."
Yoru turned back toward Hanami, who was frantically fueling cursed energy to regenerate the severed arm.
"This is the ceiling of your future."
"But it is by no means your finish line."
Megumi froze.
'The ceiling of my future?'
"Don't always think about sacrificing yourself."
Yoru slightly raised Shiranui, the blade shimmering with a light that seemed to breathe.
"The resolve to die for your comrades is commendable, but it's also foolish."
"Instead of such a pointless death..."
"Try to imagine..."
"A freer future."
'A freer... future?'
Megumi's pupils constricted slightly.
It was as if a bolt of lightning had flashed through his mind.
All this time, he had positioned himself as a supporter—a disposable pawn who could be sacrificed for the greater good at any moment.
Because whether it was Gojo-sensei or Sukuna, they both said he had talent.
But he had never truly believed it himself.
But now...
Even Yoru, a man with no cursed energy at all, could suppress a Special Grade Cursed Spirit single-handedly.
Why was he, the wielder of the Zenin family's ancestral Ten Shadows Technique, only capable of thinking about mutual destruction?
"This is... the final lesson I have for you."
Yoru moved.
This time, he wasn't as fast as before—or rather, he deliberately slowed down.
"Keep up!"
Two simple words, yet they carried the weight of a military command.
Megumi moved almost by instinct.
His hands formed seals, and the shadows instantly boiled.
"Divine Dog: Totality!"
The powers of the black and white Divine Dogs merged. A massive, ferocious wolf radiating a violent aura lunged out from the shadows.
Without a moment's hesitation, it followed Yoru's lead, turning into a streak of black lightning as it pounced on Hanami.
"Damn humans!!"
Hanami roared, swinging its intact right arm. Countless vines transformed into sharp spears, thrusting toward Divine Dog.
Squelch—
Yoru's blade arrived.
Sun Breathing, First Form: Dance.
The perfect circular slash instantly severed every vine targeting the Divine Dog.
"Now!"
Yoru commanded in a low voice.
A sudden moment of clarity struck Megumi, and his fingers shifted rapidly.
"Roar!!"
Divine Dog: Totality roared as it charged through the gap in the vines, its claws carrying the force to tear through anything as they shredded Hanami's chest!
Tear—
Blood sprayed.
Though it was only a superficial wound, this was the first time Megumi had truly landed a blow on a Special Grade Cursed Spirit of this caliber!
"I did it..."
Megumi stared at his hands, his eyes sparkling with an unprecedented light.
At that moment, the shackles that had long bound his heart seemed to develop a crack.
'If I want to...'
'I can do it too!'
Yoru watched this, the corner of his mouth curling into a nearly imperceptible smile.
He didn't try to steal the spotlight. Instead, he stood silently to the side, acting as back-up and securing the area for Megumi.
This was what he was doing.
Not just protecting, but guiding.
Allowing this unpolished gem to radiate its own light.
Wounded by a low-level shikigami, Hanami flew into a complete rage. Ignoring the cost of cursed energy, it slammed its feet into the ground.
Rumble—
The entire forest seemed to come alive. Countless roots surged up like a tsunami, ready to swallow the two reckless humans whole.
Just at that critical moment—
BOOM—!!!
A nearby wall was suddenly smashed to pieces by a massive force.
Amidst the swirling dust...
Two figures appeared, striking flamboyant poses.
One was a hulking, muscular man with a bare chest who let out a deafening roar:
"My Brother!!!"
"Are you here too?!"
"In that case, let us brothers join forces..."
"And enjoy this wonderful battle together!!"