Clang
The piercing sound of clashing blades rang out as Hoshimi Miyabi, with extreme speed, unsheathed her sword and slashed toward Gojo!
Thick fog surged up, and the ground collapsed under her strike, sending gravel flying everywhere!
As the fog cleared, however, a startling sight emerged the blade had struck Gojo, and yet it had already fallen to the ground!
Gojo had deflected the sword with nothing but his bare hands.
The onlooker, of course, had no awareness of the Limitless technique or cursed energy behind Gojo's deflection, to them he had done nothing more than effortlessly swat the sword away.
Gojo had been holding the little girl with one arm while parrying Hoshimi Miyabi's longsword with the other, casually swatting it away with minimal effort. Worried the little girl might be frightened, he held her tightly.
Hoshimi Miyabi is the Section Chief of Hollow Special Operations Section Six and the strongest of a top-tier martial arts family her strength naturally went without saying.
As for Gojo, he possessed 55% of the power of The Honored One, the strongest man. His strength? Naturally, he could hold his own against Hoshimi Miyabi!
When the two powerhouses collided, the powerful shockwaves blasted away the buildings surrounding the Hollow, forcing the members of the Investigation Team to retreat repeatedly from the impact!
Hoshimi Miyabi stood her ground, the fervor in her eyes undiminished!
"Oh? Trying to run away? Is that fear I'm sensing?"
"You certainly have grown a lot stronger."
"Knocking down my weapon won't help you. I've long since familiarized myself with your moves. Ever since that time you disarmed me and left me helpless, so..."
As Hoshimi Miyabi spoke, under Gojo's disbelieving gaze, she pulled out another weapon from behind her!
Seeing this, Gojo's eyes widened beneath his blindfold!
No way!
Did she specifically prepare a spare just to defeat him?
"You... you really are persistent." Gojo raised an eyebrow.
He originally intended to end the fight by disarming her, then leave the scene and go home to his beautiful bum life.
But now it seemed there was no way around it this battle was unavoidable!
However...
Looking toward Tsukishiro Yanagi, Gojo narrowed his eyes.
Just moments ago, he was wondering how to get rid of the child. Now that these people had arrived, he could naturally hand her over. After all, the Public Security Bureau and the Investigation Team were essentially one family!
With them around, the commission to deliver the Little Girl could be perfectly resolved, allowing him to leave the Hollow quickly and have more time for his bum life at home. This was great!
"[(The Honored One)], I lost to you in our last fight, but this time, I will definitely defeat you! I've been carrying this spare weapon for two and a half years just to use it when I met you in a Hollow again!"
Hoshimi Miyabi unsheathed her long sword and pointed it at Gojo, ready to launch a second round of attacks.
Gojo frowned and shrugged nonchalantly. To hand over the girl logically, he simply put on a villainous act and reached out to pick up the child by her clothes.
"Since you want to spar with me so badly, then come. Regardless, you're still quite weak that strike just now still couldn't touch me, just like before."
"But before we start fighting, shouldn't you consider this Little Girl's safety? If our Section Chief rushes in, then this child will be-"
HUM
Brimming with hostility, Hoshimi Miyabi didn't wait for him to finish. She aggressively unsheathed her blade and closed in on him, aiming to seize the initiative!
With a "Boom," Gojo also activated his cursed technique, and all the surrounding buildings were overturned!
"Not bad, not bad. You've improved, knowing to attack from the flank to try and break me. It's a bit of a surprise."
"Shut up! Put the child down!"
Hoshimi Miyabi snorted coldly and attacked Gojo again. In a flash of lightning and shadows, neither held back in their battle. The scene instantly became a mess, with thick smoke rising everywhere!
"Retreat! Retreat!"
Tsukishiro Yanagi coughed from the stirred-up dust and hurriedly shouted to the members of the Investigation Team.
If they continued to watch here, they would likely be the ones to suffer!
She knew the Section Chief she was usually a bit eccentric, but she was incredibly persistent when it came to fighting.
As for [(The Honored One)], her evaluation of him could be summed up in one word: Monster
Because she had once seen [(The Honored One)] tear apart an Ethereal in Hollow Zero with his bare hands one that was only slightly weaker than Nineveh!
The Investigation Team members were initially frozen by the commotion. Realizing the danger, they all broke into a panicked run toward the rear. But as they fled, Gojo suddenly surged forward and tossed the shivering little girl into Tsukishiro Yanagi arms!
"Huh? What's this?" Tsukishiro Yanagi was completely bewildered mid-run, yet somehow caught her just in time!
"Ah~ I accidentally let go. This kid is really lucky to be caught by you. I was originally planning to just toss her aside and let her fall to her death."
Despite having intentionally placed the little girl in Tsukishiro Yanagi's hands, Gojo still feigned his usual lazy, half-dead "it was a mistake" attitude. He made sure to play it cool in front of Tsukishiro Yanagi as he left and even spared a word of "comfort" for the little girl.
"Little one, you're lucky this time to be saved by the Investigation Team. You won't be so lucky next time. If you run into a Hollow again and meet me, I'll throw you to the Ethereal to be eaten!"
With those words, he turned his attention back and charged toward Hoshimi Miyabi once more!
"What... what is he doing?" Tsukishiro Yanagi frowned, stunned by Gojo's bizarre behavior. Her lips twitched involuntarily. However, the Little Girl was indeed frightened again and began to cry loudly, so she had to start coaxing the child.
As for Gojo and Hoshimi Miyabi, their figures were now a blur. As they collided, even the nearby Mandrake Ethereal were blown to pieces.
HUM
Hoshimi Miyabi raised her long sword and slashed at him again. Gojo's Limitless Cursed Technique continued to block her. He acted as if nothing were happening, standing his ground with a smile as he critiqued Hoshimi Miyabi's moves.
"That was a good swing, but your move was a bit slow. It would be much better if you adjusted your breathing and made it one fluid motion without shaking your arm. Do you know why I didn't want to meet you? Because you're too weak, fighting you is boring."
Gojo stepped on the gravel flying in the air and did a handstand flip, looking down at Hoshimi Miyabi from above.
Now that he had sent the child away, all that remained was to shake off Hoshimi Miyabi and leave the scene.
Provoked by Gojo's words, Hoshimi Miyabi's muscles tensed as she attacked him once again!
"You're asking for it!"
But Gojo wasn't about to give her the chance this time. Taking the blow head-on, he spotted Nineveh sneaking up behind them at some point. Her arrival made Gojo's eyes light up wasn't this the perfect chance to shake off Hoshimi Miyabi?
His expression remained calm as Gojo's lips parted slightly.
"Section Chief, this is getting boring. Why don't we try something more exciting?"
"Your attention shouldn't be on me right now, but on the Ethereal behind you."
"Huh...?" Hoshimi Miyabi shuddered at his words and sharply turned her head toward Nineveh. Her pupils contracted instantly!
Hadn't Nineveh just been fleeing? What was it doing here?!
If Nineveh attacked her now, she would likely be seriously injured...!
"Well, this is the part where you should beg me to save you. Remember, you owe me a favor."
Gojo chuckled. Just as Hoshimi Miyabi was about to be hit by Nineveh, he pulled her into his arms. At the same time, a hint of madness flashed in his eyes!
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue"
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red"
Two powerful energy orbs formed behind Gojo and gradually collided. A powerful sense of anti-gravity surged forth. At the moment the two orbs met, the Hollow's ground and surrounding buildings were suddenly blasted into flying debris, and the entire Hollow floor trembled, striking terror into everyone's hearts!
An overwhelming pressure powerful enough to crush anyone and anything — swept through the air. Standing far away, Tsukishiro Yanagi and the Investigation Team members couldn't stop their legs from trembling, their faces pale with shock and completely lost for words!
"This is..." Hoshimi Miyabi was the closest to Gojo. Feeling this terrifying power, her hand holding the sword trembled slightly!
Is [(The Honored One)] true strength actually this terrifying?!
Nineveh's shriek rang out through the thick fog it had taken a direct hit, vanishing and leaving behind only a faint trace of light and shadow!
"Tsk, so close."
Gojo knew Nineveh wasn't dead, and he felt quite a bit of regret.
He had thought he could kill it in one shot.
But this was normal. If he could kill Nineveh right now, then the power scaling of Hollows in the world of zenless zone zero would be too pathetic.
"Section Chief, I won't be staying any longer. Until next time Adios!"
Knowing he hadn't succeeded and that the Little Girl was safe, Gojo vanished from the scene in the blink of an eye.
He'd better get home early to look after his small shop~
Slipping away, slipping away~
However, after vanishing, he suddenly realized he hadn't finished picking his vegetables and fruits. He returned to the scene at extreme speed and snatched up the remaining clusters of Vegetable and fruits.
Hoshimi Miyabi watched him leave, return to pick vegetables and fruits, and leave again. Without the support of Gojo's embrace, she breathed heavily and collapsed onto the ground.
"Section Chief!" Tsukishiro Yanagi ran over worriedly, still holding the child, to check on her.
"I'm... I'm fine, cough cough." Hoshimi Miyabi coughed through the thick dust and looked toward the ground Gojo had just reduced to nothing.
Where there had once been solid ground, a bottomless ravine now yawned open, the destruction stretching far beyond the horizon. Gojo's attack was outrageously powerful!
"He's a real monster!" The warmth lingering on her shoulder hadn't faded, and this residual heat made Hoshimi Miyabi's heart race inexplicably.
If he hadn't pulled her into his arms in time just now, her fate would have been easy to imagine...
"I really do owe this guy a favor."
"But my heartbeat... huh?" As if realizing something, Hoshimi Miyabi's eyes widened!
The scene of Gojo pulling her into his arms kept replaying in her mind, and a faint blush appeared on her face!
A sense of throbbing excitement filled her heart!
It was the first time in her life she had ever found herself in a man's arms!
Hoshimi Miyabi's face gradually turned as red as a cooked shrimp!
"Section Chief! Snap out of it we should be heading back! [(The Honored One)], that monster, unleashed such a powerful move that all the low-level Ethereal in Hollow zero have been disturbed!"
"Terrifying... a person this dangerous needs to be found and subdued as soon as possible. If that move were directed at a companion Hollow, it will likely collapse entirely... I had assumed that after years of silence, he wouldn't show himself again and yet here he is, appearing in a Hollow and causing massive destruction."
"Yanagi, do you think he's a bad person?" Hoshimi Miyabi asked abruptly while Tsukishiro Yanagi was analyzing.
"Eh? A bad person?" Tsukishiro Yanagi didn't know why Miyabi was asking, but she pondered for a moment before saying, "As for being a bad person, I feel that guy..."
Recalling how Gojo had deliberately acted like a villain to hand the Little Girl over to her, her lips twitched again, and she answered decisively.
"He doesn't seem like one!"
His acting as a villain was truly clumsy...
But she soon sighed and added.
"Shouldn't that be a question for yourself, Section Chief? You've been up against him for years, so surely you have some understanding of him. And even if he isn't a bad person, that doesn't mean we can just stop trying to arrest him. From what I know, his personality is completely unpredictable if he ever snaps, New Eridu will be finished."
"Hmm... he's a lot like a grumpy lynx." Hoshimi Miyabi pondered.
"A grumpy lynx? Huh? Section Chief, you don't mean he's like a lynx, do you? That's too... abstract." Tsukishiro Yanagi compared [(The Honored One)] to a feline and felt it didn't fit at all...
At the very least, with [(The Honored One)] strength, he should be a Siberian tiger, right?
"Cough, Section Chief, let's go. We still need to send the child back and then clear the surrounding Ethereal!"
"Let's go," Hoshimi Miyabi agreed.
Looking at the child in her arms, Tsukishiro Yanagi seemed to think of something and frowned slightly.
"Section Chief, I take back what I said earlier [(The Honored One)] is a scoundrel! This guy probably threw the child to us on purpose to make us clean up his mess. We were used! If he had delivered her himself, his identity in New Eridu might have been exposed!"
"We have to find a way to meet him again, ideally inviting him to join Hollow Special Operations Section Six." Hoshimi Miyabi was on a completely different wavelength from Tsukishiro Yanagi, talking to herself.
"Section Chief, are you even listening to me?!" Tsukishiro Yanagi frowned and sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"If we could get him into Hollow Special Operations Section Six, that would be ideal... but why on earth was he picking vegetable and fruit just now? Did he actually grow it?" Hoshimi Miyabi continued muttering to herself, leaving Yanagi perpetually on "read."
"What? Let him join Hollow Special Operations Section Six? I object!!"
...
Sixth Street, a hidden corner.
Gojo rushed out of the Hollow in one breath. The moment he landed, before he could even catch his breath, his phone rang.
It was a call from Nekomata!
Gojo tapped to answer!
"Teacher… hic… you're finally back… Miss Ellen… she's already at the Jujutsu Dessert Shop…"
"She said—sob—if you don't come out soon… she'll eat all my 'children'… every single one…!"
"Teacher, please… come back quickly…! I—I can't stop her… sniff… I can't… meow…!!"
Gojo frowned, concern creeping into his expression. He was about to respond to Nekomata when another voice suddenly cut in through the phone.
A quiet voice suddenly cut in
"Nekomata, why are you whispering?"
"I-I'm not!" Nekomata panicked. "Miss Ellen, hehe… I'm just calling Teacher! He'll be here soon!"
"Good." Ellen's voice was soft, almost satisfied. "Then bring me another one."
Her tone was calm, too calm.
"Until he arrives… I won't stop eating."
Ellen spoke calmly, but her tone carried a hint of a threat. Soon, the sound of her walking away came through the phone.
Immediately after, Nekomata's very quiet plea for help followed.
"Teacher please, come quick…! Save my 'children,' meow! Miss Ellen… she's almost eaten all of them… sniff…!"
Beep
Nekomata hung up mid-sob, leaving only silence behind.
Gojo sighed, already knowing what kind of trouble awaited him.
"First Miyabi, now Ellen… yeah, my {bum} life is officially over."
He immediately rushed toward his Jujutsu Dessert Shop.
Because if Ellen really went all out
not just the plates and but even the furniture
he might come back to an empty shop.
Literally.