The forest was broken.
Trees lay shattered. The ground was torn apart. The air itself still trembled from the impact of the twin Black Flash.
And yet—
Hanami still stood.
Cracked. Damaged.
But standing.
Takeru exhaled slowly, fists clenched. His body felt lighter—sharper—but the strain was there. Black Flash had changed something inside him… but it wasn't enough.
"Still up…" Yuji muttered, rolling his shoulders.
Todo stepped forward, eyes locked onto Hanami. "Then we continue."
Hanami's presence shifted.
The ground began to pulse again—slower this time, but deeper. More dangerous.
Takeru's eyes narrowed. "…Something's wrong."
Then he felt it.
A distortion.
A space folding in on itself.
"—Domain Expansion," Todo said sharply.
Yuji tensed. "Wait, seriously?!"
If Hanami completed it—
This was over.
"Don't let it activate!" Takeru shouted.
They moved instantly.
Todo clapped—
CLAP.
Switch.
Yuji appeared directly in front of Hanami, throwing a punch to interrupt its focus. The strike landed—but Hanami endured it, pushing forward with the activation.
Takeru followed—fast, precise—destroying forming roots, targeting anything feeding into the expansion.
"Keep pressure!"
Hanami's energy surged—
The domain began to form—
And then—
CLAP.
Todo appeared above it.
"Not happening."
He drove his heel down, slamming into Hanami's shoulder, forcing its stance to break for just a second—
Just enough.
The distortion collapsed.
The Domain Expansion—
Interrupted.
Hanami staggered back.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
Far above—
The barrier trembled.
A crack spread across its surface.
Then—
It shattered.
Outside the battlefield, a figure stepped forward.
White hair.
Blindfold.
A presence that didn't just fill the space—
It overwhelmed it.
"Oh?" he said lightly.
Satoru Gojo tilted his head slightly.
"Looks like you handled things pretty well."
Elsewhere—
A man laughed nervously.
Blades. Strange tools. A twisted grin.
Juzo Kumiya barely had time to react.
"…Huh?"
Gojo appeared in front of him.
No warning.
No buildup.
Just—there.
"You're the one who set up the curtain, right?" Gojo asked casually.
Juzo grinned wider. "Yeah, so what—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
In an instant—
Gojo grabbed his arm.
Twisted.
A sickening crack echoed.
Juzo screamed—
Another twist.
Leg. Shoulder.
Each movement precise. Controlled.
Deliberate.
Gojo didn't kill him.
Didn't even look angry.
"Don't worry," Gojo said calmly. "You're useful alive."
Juzo collapsed, broken—but breathing.
Back on the battlefield—
Takeru felt it immediately.
That overwhelming presence.
Yuji grinned. "He's here."
Todo crossed his arms, satisfied. "As expected."
Hanami turned.
For the first time—
It faced something it could not ignore.
Gojo stepped forward slowly, hands in his pockets.
"You've caused quite a bit of trouble," he said.
Hanami didn't respond.
But its energy shifted—defensive now.
Cautious.
Takeru watched closely.
Even Sukuna was quiet.
Then—
"He's different…"
A low murmur from the mouth on Takeru's cheek.
"This one… stands above the rest."
Gojo stopped.
Raised one hand.
Calm. Effortless.
"Let's wrap this up."
The air warped.
Cursed energy gathered—dense, overwhelming, impossible to measure.
Blue.
Red.
Opposites colliding.
Merging.
Becoming something else entirely.
"Hollow Technique…"
Everything went silent.
"Purple."
A beam of pure annihilation tore through the forest.
Not an explosion.
Not destruction.
Erasure.
Everything in its path ceased to exist—space itself collapsing under the force.
Hanami was caught in it.
No escape.
No defense.
The attack consumed everything.
And then—
Silence.
The forest was… gone.
A massive path carved clean through it.
Hanami's presence—
Faint.
Barely there.
Critically damaged.
Driven to the brink of exorcism.
Takeru stood still, staring.
"…That's…"
Yuji exhaled slowly. "…Yeah."
Todo grinned. "The strongest."
Gojo turned back toward them, casual as ever.
"Good work," he said. "You didn't die."
Takeru adjusted his sunglasses.
But inside—
Something had changed.
The gap between them…
And someone like Gojo…
Was overwhelming.
The mouth on his cheek curled slightly.
"Interesting…"
Sukuna whispered.
"Very interesting…"