Tokyo's night sky was like a massive black curtain, pressing heavily over the city.
The neon lights struggled to pierce the gloom, and the air was thick with the oppressive weight of an impending storm.
Yoru's figure moved like a ghost through the night, darting rapidly over the sprawling complex of buildings.
His speed was at its limit, the howling wind whistling past his ears and causing his black hair to flutter wildly.
Yet, his heart was colder than the wind.
'That house...'
The final whisper Toji Fushiguro had left behind—filled with playfulness and mockery—was like a poisoned thorn driven deep into Yoru's nerves.
He knew that a man as cunning and beast-like as Toji would never leave behind such words without a reason.
After the negotiations at the underground horse racing track broke down, Toji had made no secret of his determination to kill the Star Plasma Vessel.
As the only variable currently capable of threatening Toji, Yoru knew he had to find a bargaining chip to completely restrain the assassin before he acted.
Megumi Fushiguro.
A child who possessed the most powerful talent of the Zenin family—the Ten Shadows Technique—yet was viewed as worthless and sold off by his own biological father.
He was the only blood tie Toji Fushiguro still had in this world.
Even though Toji claimed, 'If he's sold, he's sold,' and acted completely cold-blooded...
Based on his knowledge of the original plot and the split second of stiffness he caught when Toji heard the name 'Megumi Fushiguro' at the race track, Yoru had keenly spotted a flaw.
This man was not as invulnerable as he pretended to be.
If he could secure Megumi Fushiguro in advance or set a trap at the Fushiguro residence, he could surely disrupt Toji's assassination rhythm and buy precious time for Satoru Gojo and the others!
'I have to beat Toji there!'
Yoru took a deep breath, pushing his Breathing Style to its absolute peak.
Ten minutes later.
Yoru finally reached the rundown apartment building on the outskirts of the city from his memories.
The environment was abysmal; the corridors reeked of a pungent smell of mold and urine, and the walls were covered in messy graffiti.
The rusted security door was half-open, letting out an ear-piercing creak.
Without a moment's hesitation, Yoru slipped silently into the narrow apartment.
The scene inside was even worse than he had imagined.
Empty beer cans and moldy fast-food boxes were scattered across the floor, the atmosphere of decay suffocating.
This wasn't a home; it was more like a beast's temporary den.
Yoru frowned slightly, his gaze sweeping across the dim room.
Suddenly, his eyes stopped on a worn-out sofa in the corner of the living room.
A tiny figure sat there—a boy about four or five years old.
He wore old clothes that were clearly too big for him, and his hair was messy, looking like a little hedgehog.
By the dim glow of the streetlights outside, Yoru could see the boy's face.
It was a face that shared seventy percent of its features with Toji Fushiguro.
Especially those eyes.
Deep and indifferent, they carried a maturity and defensiveness completely unsuited for his age—like a young wolf ready to show its fangs.
Megumi Fushiguro.
The future heir of the Ten Shadows Technique and a future star of the jujutsu world was currently huddled in this cold, filthy corner like abandoned trash.
Hearing the movement at the door, Megumi didn't scream or cry like a normal child.
He simply lifted his head calmly, staring intently at the sudden intruder with eyes that showed no emotion.
"Are you here to collect a debt?"
The boy's voice was a bit raspy, but exceptionally composed.
"If you are, you've come to the wrong place."
"That man hasn't been back in a long time. There's nothing of value here."
Looking at this abnormally precocious child, a complex wave of emotion welled up in Yoru's heart.
Was this the 'surprise' Toji Fushiguro had left behind?
A biological child, completely abandoned and struggling to survive in despair.
Yoru walked slowly to the sofa, looking down at Megumi.
A crazy, even somewhat despicable thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
'If... I used this child's life to threaten that cold-blooded assassin...'
'Could I force Toji Fushiguro to give up the mission to assassinate Riko? Could I prevent the tragedy about to occur at Jujutsu High?'
Riko's innocent smile, Gojo's exhausted but forced grin, Suguru Geto's gentle eyes...
To protect those beautiful things, to change that desperate, established fate.
A flicker of struggle passed through Yoru's eyes.
He slowly reached out his hand toward Megumi's shoulder.
Megumi didn't dodge.
He just watched Yoru's hand get closer with cold eyes, showing no fear, only a deep sense of numbness.
The moment Yoru's fingers were about to touch Megumi.
Yoru suddenly stopped.
He looked into the boy's eyes—like stagnant water—and felt as if he were seeing his former self, struggling in the darkness.
'No...'
Yoru shook his head violently in his heart, completely crushing that despicable thought.
If he had to harm another innocent child to save a group of people...
Then what was the meaning of everything he was doing now?
His clenched fist slowly relaxed, and his eyes regained their clarity and resolve.
Yoru pulled a thick stack of yen from his coat—the deposit he had prepared to negotiate with Toji.
He placed the stack of money gently on the coffee table in front of Megumi.
Then, he took out a slip of paper to write a warning to Toji as a final measure.
"That man..."
Yoru looked at Megumi, his voice softening.
"If he comes back, give this to him."
Megumi looked at the money and the note on the table, a flash of bewilderment and confusion finally crossing his indifferent eyes.
He didn't understand why this stranger who had suddenly broken in didn't hit or scold him, but instead left so much money.
Just as Yoru was about to turn and leave to continue searching for Toji's trail.
A sudden change occurred!
"Beep— Beep— Beep—"
An incredibly piercing mechanical alarm exploded wildly in Yoru's mind without any warning!
[SYSTEM: WARNING! WARNING!]
[SYSTEM: DETECTED RAPID DECLINE IN VITAL SIGNS OF KEY PLOT CHARACTER!]
[SYSTEM: WARNING! STAR PLASMA VESSEL ESCORT MISSION ABOUT TO BE JUDGED AS FAILED!]
The system's red warning panels scrolled frantically across Yoru's retinas like a waterfall.
That blinding red light instantly gripped Yoru's heart tight!
"What?!"
Yoru's pupils contracted to the size of pinpricks.
An unprecedented chill rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, instantly freezing the blood in his entire body!
Key character's life in danger? Mission about to fail?
How was this possible?!
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto were supposed to be nearly at the Jujutsu High barrier!
With Gojo's Limitless active for three consecutive days and Geto's Cursed Spirit Manipulation as support...
Even if Toji Fushiguro was strong, it should be impossible for him to break through their defenses so silently in such a short time!
Unless...
A hair-raising thought struck Yoru's mind like a bolt of lightning, clearing the fog.
His gaze suddenly landed on the small, lonely figure on the sofa.
Megumi Fushiguro.
The clue that man left behind.
The clue that man had intentionally revealed when he left!
"Boom!"
Yoru's brain felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, roaring instantly.
He finally understood!
"A diversion..."
Yoru's voice trembled as he squeezed those words through his teeth.
Each word was tinged with blood, carrying endless regret and fury!
Toji Fushiguro didn't care about this so-called home at all, and he cared even less whether Megumi Fushiguro lived or died!
The reason he left that ambiguous clue...
The reason he acted stiff for half a second when he heard the name 'Megumi Fushiguro'...
It was all an act!
It was all to set a perfect psychological trap for Yoru!
Toji had long ago seen through Yoru's psychological weakness—the desire to control everything and protect everyone.
He knew that after the negotiations failed, Yoru would cling to that one flaw like a drowning man grasping at a straw.
So, he used his own son's existence to throw out a bait that Yoru absolutely could not refuse.
He successfully lured Yoru, the most difficult and uncontrollable variable, far away to this broken apartment on the edge of Tokyo!
"You bastard!!"
Yoru let out a roar like a wounded beast.
He had actually been played like a fiddle by that monkey with no cursed energy!
This was the most painful and lethal calculation he had encountered since his reincarnation!
He thought that with his foresight, he could hold everything in the palm of his hand.
Yet, he had underestimated the Sorcerer Killer, a man who had survived for decades in this cruel world and mastered the art of assassination to its peak!
"Total Concentration: Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash - Godspeed!"
Without any hesitation or restraint.
The power within Yoru's body erupted like a volcano!
Violent lightning instantly tore through the apartment walls, lighting up the entire room as if it were day.
Amidst a deafening roar, Yoru transformed into a brilliant streak of lightning that tore through the darkness, racing toward Jujutsu High at a terrifying, near-suicidal speed!
The wind was like a blade, cutting into his cheeks.
Yoru's heart hammered wildly in his chest, feeling as if it might burst at any moment.
'Faster! Even faster!'
"Satoru Gojo! Suguru Geto! Riko!"
"Hold on! You have to hold on!"
Yoru's eyes turned blood-red from extreme congestion, and the patterns of the Slayer Mark faintly emerged on his forehead, radiating a terrifying heat.
He pushed his speed to a limit that even he found frightening; the air along his path was brutally torn apart, leaving a long trail of vacuum.
But the distance was too great.
The outskirts where the Fushiguro residence was located were extremely far from Jujutsu High, which was nestled deep in the mountains.
Even though his current speed had surpassed the speed of sound, it would still take a significant amount of time to arrive.
And in that time, that terrifying Sorcerer Killer would be enough to turn Jujutsu High into a living hell!
The deep night sky heartlessly swallowed all hope.
With Yoru pinned down at the Fushiguro residence, having missed the optimal window for interception...
The tragedy within the Jujutsu High barrier—the bloody massacre that would completely change the fate of the jujutsu world—had slowly begun its desperate overture.
Could he still make it back to save everyone?
The answer might have already been decided.
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