Above the ruins of Jujutsu High, the crimson waning moon—which had been obscured by gloom all night—revealed a sliver of cold, thin light once more.
Kenjaku had escaped.
Carrying Rika's shell, which served as the ultimate cheat for 'Mimicry,' he had vanished into the endless darkness like a venomous snake that had been hiding in a sewer for a thousand years.
The air remained thick with the heavy stench of blood and the acrid smell of gunpowder smoke.
"Tch, he ran faster than a rabbit."
Satoru Gojo casually dissipated the destructive red light gathering at his fingertips, a rare shadow of gloom flashing within his brilliant Eyes of the Blue Sky.
"To be able to escape while being surrounded by the three of us... that thousand-year-old fox really has an sickeningly high number of trump cards."
Yoru slowly sheathed Shiranui, which had returned to its broken blade state. His dark red eyes were filled with cold, sharp killing intent.
Though they hadn't managed to completely kill Kenjaku here, that solid strike from the Bright Red Nichirin Sword had definitely severely damaged the other's soul.
For a short time, that old fox wouldn't dare crawl out to cause trouble again.
"It doesn't matter. As long as he's still on this land, one day I'll crush that ugly brain of his with my own hands."
Suguru Geto dragged his heavily injured body, his remaining left hand tightly clutching the bleeding stump of his right arm. His face was as pale as paper.
With Kenjaku's flight, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons—which had swept through Shinjuku and Kyoto and shocked the entire Japanese jujutsu world—finally reached its nominal conclusion.
Having lost the cursed energy support and command of Suguru Geto, the leader of the Star Religious Group, the cursed spirit army wreaking havoc in the city centers instantly became leaderless.
The Star Religious Group executives and low-level members who had been frantically attacking Jujutsu High also scattered like rats from a sinking ship the moment they heard the news of their leader's defeat.
A catastrophic crisis capable of destroying the entire jujutsu world had ended in a way that was both absurd and breathtaking.
Tap, tap, tap...
Just then, a series of messy and hurried footsteps echoed from the other side of the ruins.
Yoru and the others looked toward the sound.
Several bloodied, battered young figures were supporting each other, struggling over the broken bricks and scattered debris as they approached.
Leading them was Maki Zenin, her naginata held tight and her eyes as sharp as knives.
Behind her were Panda, who remained in his mutated form and was panting heavily, and Toge Inumaki, his collar pulled down with blood still staining the corners of his mouth.
And protected in their midst...
Was the Special Grade Cursed Human who had just survived a life-and-death struggle and could barely even stand—Yuta Okkotsu!
"Satoru! Instructor Yoru!"
Seeing Satoru Gojo and Yoru standing in the center of the ruins from a distance, Panda's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he couldn't help but shout.
However, as they drew closer and saw the situation clearly, the expressions on the faces of all the Jujutsu High students froze instantly.
The air seemed to turn to ice in that moment.
Maki's pupils constricted. Instinctively, she raised her long-handled naginata, pointing the tip directly at the man wearing the tattered gojo-kesa.
"Wait... why is this guy here?!"
Maki's voice was full of disbelief and anger, her body trembling slightly from extreme vigilance.
"Suguru Geto! Isn't he the mastermind who started this war?!"
"Why is he standing with you guys?!"
Panda and Toge Inumaki also instantly assumed combat stances, staring at the blood-covered Most Evil Curse User as if facing a mortal enemy.
In their minds, the man before them was the lunatic who had used any means necessary to establish his so-called 'world for sorcerers only'!
He was the mortal enemy who had nearly killed all their companions!
But now...
This mortal enemy was standing peacefully beside their homeroom teacher and Instructor Yoru?
Furthermore, looking at the positioning and aura of the three, there wasn't a hint of life-and-death struggle between them.
What on earth was going on?!
Faced with the hostile and confused gazes of his students...
Satoru Gojo suddenly dropped his cold expression, and a heartless, exaggerated grin appeared on his face.
He strode forward and, in front of everyone, threw an arm around Suguru Geto's blood-stained shoulder!
"Oh, come on, don't be so tense, Maki-chan."
Satoru Gojo winked at the dumbfounded students, his tone as casual as if they were discussing what to eat for a late-night snack.
"Put your weapons down. This guy is a heavily injured patient who can barely stand."
"Everything you're seeing is actually part of the complicated world of adults!"
"Huh?!"
A vein popped on Maki's forehead, her fingers clicking as she gripped the naginata with white-knuckled force.
"Satoru Gojo! Have you lost your mind?!"
"This guy almost killed Yuta just now!"
Yuta Okkotsu, who had been silent, forced himself up despite his weakness. His clear eyes stared intently at Suguru Geto.
Not long ago, to protect his friends, he had set a lethal binding vow with Rika at the cost of his own life and soul.
He had even been prepared to die taking this man down with him.
But now, who could tell him what kind of absurd drama this was?
Facing Yuta's complex gaze, Suguru Geto gently pushed Satoru Gojo's hand off his shoulder.
He slowly turned, his narrow, deep fox-like eyes quietly watching the scarred but resilient young faces before him.
Ten years of endurance.
Ten years of disguise.
Ten years of darkness and loneliness.
In this moment, they all seemed to turn into a breeze, quietly dissipating.
On Suguru Geto's face, which usually bore a smile of hypocrisy and madness, a long-lost smile from the heart gradually appeared.
It was the genuine smile belonging to one of the Strongest Twin Stars of the past, who would get angry when a friend was hurt and would fight his hardest to protect the weak.
"You did excellently, Yuta Okkotsu."
Looking at Yuta, Suguru Geto's voice lacked its former arrogance and killing intent, replaced by a sincere praise and relief of an elder for a junior.
"You protected not only your friends but your own soul as well."
"This pure power is exactly the light this rotten jujutsu world needs most."
Yuta Okkotsu was stunned.
He stared blankly at the man in front of him. In those eyes, he saw no malice or ambition.
He only saw endless exhaustion and a sense of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
"This... what exactly is happening?"
Yuta's voice was hoarse, and his mind was in a state of total confusion.
Yoru stepped forward and patted Yuta's shoulder. A gentle red light flowed from his palm into Yuta's body, instantly dispelling some of his fatigue.
"Just like Satoru said, this was a ten-year plan."
Yoru's voice was calm and steady, carrying a magic that made people subconsciously believe.
"Suguru Geto was never a lunatic who wanted to destroy the world."
"Everything he did, including today's Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, was merely to draw out the millennium-old venomous snake hiding in the shadows, attempting to subvert the entire world."
"With ten years of infamy and blood, he laid out a net massive enough to deceive even the heavens."
Silence fell over the scene, heavy as death.
Maki's naginata hit the ground with a clang. Panda and Toge Inumaki looked at each other, their eyes filled with disbelief.
A ten-year fake defection?!
To draw out the mastermind, he didn't hesitate to bear the name of the 'Most Evil Curse User' for an entire decade?!
Could a human really come up with and stick to such a self-destructive, insane plan for ten years?!
"Alright, let the explanation end here."
Suguru Geto took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling blood within him.
He glanced at Yoru and Satoru Gojo, a flash of determination in his eyes.
"Even if the misunderstanding is cleared, the identity of Suguru Geto is still an unpardonable capital crime in the eyes of the Jujutsu High higher-ups and the entire jujutsu world."
"According to our original plan."
"After today, Suguru Geto must officially 'die' in these ruins."
"Only then can I go underground to track down Kenjaku's remnants and the even more insane conspiracy he has planned after taking Rika's shell."
Satoru Gojo stopped smiling, his Eyes of the Blue Sky looking deeply at his best friend of ten years.
"Are you going to dive into the darkness alone again, Suguru?"
"This is the sin I must atone for."
Suguru Geto turned to look at the devastated ruins of Jujutsu High, his tone firm.
"Over the past ten years, to make this play realistic enough, my hands have been stained with too much innocent blood."
"I will not run from this guilt."
"But I cannot die until Kenjaku's conspiracy is completely crushed."
Yoru looked at Suguru Geto's resolute profile, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth.
This was the Suguru Geto he knew.
The fool who would hold onto his heart's Great Cause no matter how much despair or pain he endured.
However, just as Yoru was about to say something...
A dizzying sensation so strong it nearly tore his soul apart surged into his brain!
"BUZZ—!!!"
Yoru's body jerked, and the world before him instantly turned into a blurred blood-red.
The sound of the wind and his companions' voices were suddenly stripped away, leaving only the cold, mechanical synthesized voice of the system deep in his mind!
[DING!]
[MAJOR TIMELINE DEVIATION DETECTED!]
[HOST'S CURRENT TIME NODE: DECEMBER 24, 2017.]
[WORLD LINE CONVERGENCE COUNTDOWN HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED!]
Yoru gritted his teeth, enduring the spatial tearing sensation that felt like it would crush his entire being.
He knew.
This long journey spanning ten years...
Was finally reaching its true end.