That was the final distance between the lethal bullet and the center of Riko Amanai's brow.
Suguru Geto's pupils constricted to their absolute limit in that instant.
He could clearly see the airflow generated by the bullet tearing through the atmosphere, and he could see the brilliant smile on Riko's face that hadn't yet fully bloomed.
However, his body couldn't react in time!
Summon a cursed spirit? Too late.
Block it with his body? Also too late!
"Riko—!"
Suguru Geto let out a desperate roar, his voice filled with powerlessness and regret.
He hated his own weakness; he hated that despite promising to protect her, he could only watch as she was about to die before his eyes.
Tragedy seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
Standing in the shadows not far away, Toji Fushiguro's lips curled into a cruel arc.
It was over.
Once the Star Plasma Vessel died, his mission would be complete.
As for that Six Eyes brat, his body was probably cold by now.
But at that one-ten-thousandth of a second between life and death! Just as the bullet's metal tip was about to touch Riko's skin!
"BOOM!!!"
A terrifying clap of thunder, sounding as if it would collapse the entire underground palace, exploded within the Tombs of the Star Corridor without warning!
Along with the thunder, dense golden lightning instantly flooded the entire path, violent arcs of electricity dancing wildly through the air!
[SYSTEM: DRIVEN BY THE HOST'S EXTREME RAGE, THE SYNCHRONIZATION RATE HAS BROKEN THROUGH 39%!]
[SYSTEM: CURRENT SYNCHRONIZATION RATE: 39.2%!]
[SYSTEM: UNLOCKED: SUN BREATHING, TENTH FORM: BENEFICENT RADIANCE; ELEVENTH FORM: DRAGON SUN HALO HEAD DANCE]
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash - Godspeed!
Combined with...
Sun Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dragon Sun Halo Head Dance!
In that instant, Yoru seemed to transform into a fire dragon wreathed in golden lightning and dark red flames.
Moving at a speed beyond the limits of visual perception, he left countless intersecting trails of red-gold light in the void!
Like a soaring dragon, a hundred slashes in a heartbeat!
"Clang!"
A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.
The bullet whistling with the scent of death was actually cleaved in two by that red-gold blade light, less than a centimeter from Riko's brow!
The severed bullet grazed Riko's cheek and buried itself deep into the stone wall behind her.
Everything happened too fast.
So fast that Riko didn't even realize she had just brushed against the gates of hell; she just stared blankly at the tall back standing in front of her.
"Mr... Mr. Yoru?"
Riko's voice trembled, her eyes full of disbelief.
Suguru Geto was also stunned.
He panted heavily, looking at the man who had descended like a divine warrior, his eyes instantly turning red.
He made it! He actually made it in time!
Yoru didn't look back.
He stared fixedly at Toji Fushiguro, his chest heaving violently.
Extreme rage, combined with the sprint using Godspeed, had pushed his heart rate to a terrifying level.
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A heavy, powerful heartbeat echoed through the cavernous underground palace, like a war drum being beaten frantically!
The ambient temperature began to rise sharply.
The Special Grade Cursed Tool Shiranui in Yoru's hand emitted a suffocating heat, the blade turning a dark red hue from the extreme temperature.
And on his left cheek...
Accompanied by the surging body temperature and heartbeat, a dark red pattern, burning like flames, was faintly emerging!
The prototype of the Slayer Mark!
"Toji... Fushiguro!!!"
Yoru's voice was extremely raspy, each word squeezed through his teeth, carrying an overriding, murderous intent!
He recalled the scene he saw when he broke into the Fushiguro residence.
He recalled the system's piercing alarm.
He finally understood that the eye contact at the racetrack and the clue about home...
They were all traps set by this man to lure him away!
A classic diversion!
To kill the Star Plasma Vessel, this man known as the 'Sorcerer Killer' had even used his own biological son as bait!
"Oh?"
Looking at the bullet split in two, the cruel smile on Toji's face didn't disappear; instead, he became even more excited.
He casually tossed the handgun to the ground and slowly pulled a weirdly shaped short sword from the mouth of the Ushibao wrapped around him.
Special Grade Cursed Tool: Inverted Spear of Heaven.
"How surprising."
Toji cracked his neck, the bones making a crisp popping sound.
His beast-like eyes were locked onto Yoru.
"You fell for my diversion and still managed to make it back in such a short time..."
"Cleaving a bullet? You really are a complete monster."
There was a hint of fanatical battle intent in Toji's tone.
He had just turned that Six Eyes brat, known as the 'strongest of the modern era,' into a bloody mess.
Now, another monster who defied logic—relying purely on physical strength without any cursed energy—stood before him.
This caused his long-dormant battle instincts to boil over completely.
"Where is Gojo?"
Yoru stared at Toji, his voice cold enough to freeze the soul.
Hearing that name, Suguru Geto's heart lurched, and a terrible premonition instantly enveloped him.
Toji grinned, revealing pearly white teeth.
"That Six Eyes kid?"
"Ah, let me think..."
Toji intentionally dragged out his words, speaking in a deeply contemptuous tone.
"I used this blade to puncture his throat, then added a few more stabs to his chest."
"By now, his corpse should be stiff."
"BOOM!!!"
As soon as Toji finished speaking, a physical, terrifying killing intent erupted from Yoru!
The surrounding air seemed to ignite.
The stone pillars within the Tombs of the Star Corridor began to shake violently under this purely physical pressure!
"What... did you say?"
Suguru Geto stared blankly at Toji, his mind going completely blank.
Satoru... dead?
The 'Honored One' Satoru Gojo, the best friend who couldn't even sleep peacefully, was killed by this killer with no cursed energy?!
"Impossible... That's impossible!"
Suguru's eyes instantly turned blood-red.
He frantically channeled his cursed energy, and countless bizarre cursed spirits roared out from his shadow, surging toward Toji like a tide!
"I'll kill you!!!"
Suguru Geto let out a hysterical roar.
However, just as those cursed spirits were about to touch Toji...
"Suguru, stand down."
A powerful hand suddenly pressed onto Suguru Geto's shoulder.
Yoru.
His voice was soft, but it carried an absolute authority that was impossible to resist.
"Yoru! He killed Satoru! He killed Satoru!!!"
Suguru turned his head, tears already blurring his vision.
Yoru didn't speak.
He just quietly looked at Suguru. His dark eyes held no anger, no sadness—only a pure, deathly cold.
"I said, stand down."
Yoru slowly raised Shiranui.
The tip of the blade pointed straight at Toji Fushiguro.
"Take Riko to a safe place."
"The coming battle is not something you can interfere in."
Feeling the suffocating pressure radiating from Yoru, Suguru Geto gritted his teeth.
He knew Yoru was telling the truth.
Even Satoru Gojo had fallen to this man; staying here would only make him and Riko a burden to Yoru.
"...I understand."
Enduring the grief and rage in his heart, Suguru grabbed Riko's hand and quickly retreated toward the edge of the Tombs of the Star Corridor.
In the center of the vast underground palace.
Only Yoru and Toji Fushiguro remained.
Two monsters standing at the peak of human physical potential faced off in this subterranean tomb of secrets.
There was no idle chatter, no flashy probing.
The moment Suguru and Riko reached a safe distance...
The battle erupted!