The beach was ruined.
Sand torn apart.
The hotel cracked.
Smoke drifting through the air.
Yuji was struggling to stand.
Megumi was kneeling.
Hakari had one arm over Kirara's shoulder.
Nanami and Higaruma were still standing—
barely.
Even Sukuna had stopped moving.
Because he was looking somewhere else.
At Takeru.
Silence.
The attackers were readying themselves again.
One moved forward.
Then stopped.
Because something felt...
wrong.
Not stronger.
Not explosive.
Not unstable.
Wrong.
The wind disappeared.
The ocean became quiet.
Even the cursed spirits stopped moving.
Fred dropped his sign.
Takeru stood up.
Slowly.
No grin.
No annoyed face.
No joking.
No "Brojo."
No stupid comments.
Nothing.
His eyes opened.
The blue glow had returned.
But now—
they looked empty.
Cold.
Yuji stared.
"...Takeru?"
No answer.
He looked around.
At Yuji.
At Megumi.
At Hakari.
At Nanami.
At everyone.
He saw injuries.
Saw fear.
Saw the aftermath.
And something shifted.
Not rage.
Not madness.
Not sorrow.
Just—
silence.
Then Takeru looked at the attackers.
Straight into their eyes.
And spoke.
"何に祈ろうと勝手だ.私には届かない.なぜなら,お前が奴らに触れたその瞬間に,お前の命は尽きたのだから.お前はただ,まだ動きを止めていないだけの屍に過ぎない."
("Pray to whatever you want. I am not listening. Because Your life ended the moment you touched them. You are just a corpse that hasn't stopped moving yet.")
Nobody understood the words immediately.
But nobody needed to.
Because the feeling behind them was enough.
No shaking voice.
No emotion.
No hatred.
No anger.
Just certainty.
The attackers took a step back.
A tiny step.
Gojo stared.
For once—
completely speechless.
Geto's eyes widened.
Nanami slowly lowered his coffee.
"...I've never seen him like this."
Sukuna stared at Takeru.
Then—
very slowly—
smiled.
Not his usual grin.
Something smaller.
More serious.
"...There you are."
Takeru took one step forward.
And the sand beneath his foot cracked.