"Is... is that all?!"
At the edge of the ruins, the wounded Nobara Kugisaki watched the scene, her heart clenching with anxiety as she struggled to remain standing.
She clutched the bleeding wound on her side, her eyes trembling as she stared at the figure currently facing off against Satoru Gojo.
"Yoru, that strike just now! You were really going for the kill, weren't you?!"
Nobara's voice echoed through the hallway, but it was barely heard over the chaotic aura emanating from the center of the room.
But Satoru Gojo, in his current state, only seemed to find the situation more amusing.
He let out a soft, low chuckle that sent shivers down the spine.
In his eyes, the world had changed. Everything—every molecule of cursed energy and every ripple in space—was laid bare before him.
"Ha... Hahahaha!"
Satoru let out a chilling, ecstatic laugh as he stared at Yoru, who was supporting himself on one knee.
"What's the matter? Is that all the power you used to knock me down earlier?"
"Well then... do you still have the strength to stand back up?"
Satoru suddenly raised his hand, his fingers twisting into a precise gesture.
*Hum!*
The air began to vibrate with a terrifying, condensed cursed energy, far more potent and sharp than anything he had displayed before.
The surrounding space began to groan and warp, as if it were being consumed by an invisible force.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!"
*BOOM!*
A beam of terrifying red light erupted from his fingertip, a concentrated sphere of repulsion that tore through the air like a meteor.
It's over!
No one could survive a direct hit from that at this range!
Yoru, who was at the center of the blast, looked as though he would be erased from existence.
But at that moment.
In a world of white light, his senses reached a peak he had never experienced before.
Yoru's body was at its absolute limit.
He felt as if his legs were filled with lead, his lungs were burning, and his vision was blurring into a sea of red.
'Just a little more...'
That single thought flashed through Yoru's mind like a bolt of lightning.
"Water Breathing, Eleventh Form: Dead Calm!"
In that split second of extreme crisis, Yoru accessed the depths of his swordsmanship.
A domain of absolute stillness expanded from him, chilling the very air!
*Sizzle!*
The violent red light slammed into Yoru's defensive perimeter.
Dead Calm was a technique that could nullify almost any incoming attack by creating a zone of total tranquility.
But against a power that distorted the very laws of physics, the defense began to crack.
"Pfft!"
Yoru spat out a mouthful of blood.
He was sent flying like a broken doll, his body skipping across the ground from the sheer force of the impact.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
His body crashed through several thick stone walls before finally slamming into a pillar at the back of the hall.
Dust rose, and rubble scattered everywhere.
"Yoru!!!"
Nobara let out a heart-wrenching scream, her eyes wide with terror as she saw the destruction.
"Get back! Nobara! It's too dangerous for you!"
Nobara grit her teeth, her knuckles turning white as she watched the smoke.
She was frustrated!
Frustrated at her own weakness! Frustrated at Satoru's overwhelming power!
And most of all, she was frustrated that she could only watch as the man who had been fighting for them was being trampled.
"Oops... maybe I went a little too far with that one."
Satoru tilted his head, looking toward the wreckage with a calm, almost bored expression.
"Are you dead? If you're already dead, this isn't going to be fun anymore."
He slowly began to walk forward, his footsteps echoing in the silence.
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
*Tap.*
The rhythmic sound of his shoes on the debris felt like a death knell.
*Crunch...*
Just as Satoru was about to reach the center of the ruins.
From beneath the pile of shattered stone, a hand emerged.
Then, a blood-stained figure slowly forced himself upright.
Yoru.
He was staggering, his body swaying as he struggled to maintain his balance.
His breathing was ragged, and his cursed energy was flickering like a candle in the wind.
He was covered in countess wounds, blood dripping from his forehead and staining his clothes a dark crimson.
It was a level of damage that would have killed any normal sorcerer!
This was likely the most damage Yoru had ever taken since his arrival.
Yet, he continued to stand, his spine slowly straightening despite the pain.
The most terrifying part was his gaze.
In those dark, calm eyes, there was no sign of fear or defeat.
Yes, it was an eerie, absolute stillness, like the surface of a deep lake.
"Oh? You can still stand after that hit?"
Satoru stopped in his tracks, a flicker of genuine surprise and excitement in his eyes.
"Incredible! Yoru! You really are the best sparring partner I could ask for!"
He raised both hands, his smile widening into something almost predatory.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!"
"Next... let's see how you handle this!"
Satoru's hands converged together with terrifying precision.
The two opposing forces collided, creating a point of infinite void that seemed to suck in the light.
The air screamed as the pressure reached a breaking point, threatening to tear the building apart.
"Hollow Purple!"
This was the strongest technique Satoru could currently manifest, a sphere of destruction that erased everything in its path!
"It's over..."
Nobara closed her eyes, unable to witness the end of her companion.
But in that final, desperate moment.
Yoru took a deep, steadying breath, focusing every fiber of his being.
[SYSTEM: DING! THE SYNCHRONIZATION RATE HAS INCREASED TO 45%!]
Along with the cold, mechanical notification in his mind.
The Transparent World reached a level of clarity that surpassed anything he had known!
In that instant.
Even though it was just a fleeting glimpse, he saw through the complex flow of Satoru's cursed energy.
He pinpointed the exact moment of convergence and the flaw in the defensive barrier!
"Now!"
A sharp, cold light flashed in Yoru's eyes.
He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a jagged, black shard.
It was...
A broken fragment of a cursed tool, rusted but pulsing with a strange power!
The remains of the Inverted Spear of Heaven!
Just as Satoru was about to release the Hollow Purple.
Yoru moved!
He poured every last drop of his remaining strength into his legs, achieving a speed that defied the limits of his broken body.
*Swish!*
His silhouette vanished, appearing before Satoru like a ghost, bypassing the direct line of the Purple.
"What?!"
Satoru's Six Eyes widened in shock, his pupils contracting.
He never expected a man on the verge of collapse to explode with such terrifying speed!
But he didn't panic.
He still had his Limitless. He still had the absolute defense of Infinity.
Or so he believed.
Yoru slammed the shard of the Inverted Spear of Heaven directly against the invisible barrier!
*CRACK!*
The shard's property of forced technique cancellation activated instantly.
Satoru's 'impenetrable' Infinity...
Shattered like fragile glass in an instant!
"This is impossible!"
For the first time since his awakening, Satoru's expression crumbled into pure, unadulterated shock.
And in that opening.
Yoru's fist, carrying the weight of his entire journey and his remaining life force.
It wasn't a sword strike.
But a heavy, desperate punch aimed straight at the center of Satoru's chest!
*THWACK!*
A heavy, dull sound of impact rang out through the silent, ruined hall.
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]