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Gojo stared at his own fist—the one that had just blocked Ryosuke's blow. His brows furrowed imperceptibly behind his black shades.
Then, slowly, a smile stretched across his lips.
"Interesting…"
He lowered his gaze toward the boy, his expression shifting between amusement and something darker.
"Your curse… it manipulates space itself, doesn't it?"
Ryosuke didn't answer immediately.
His heart was still pounding wildly in his chest, adrenaline flooding his veins like a raging torrent.
He figured it out… already?
The Six Eyes.
Those cursed eyes that saw everything—every flow of energy, every distortion, every anomaly.
Ryosuke clenched his teeth, then let out a short laugh.
"Heh…"
He took a step back, still rubbing his sore throat.
"You really do live up to your title as the strongest, Mr. Gojo."
He lifted his head, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.
"Yeah. My curse can modify anything… even abstract concepts like space."
Gojo tilted his head, his grin widening.
"So you temporarily nullified Infinity by rewriting the distance between us."
He crossed his arms.
"Clever. Very clever."
His gaze sharpened.
"But…"
He vanished.
CRACK!
Ryosuke felt a presence behind him—
He turned instinctively, raising his arm—
Gojo's fist slammed against his forearm, sending him flying backward.
"Ghhh—!"
Ryosuke skidded across several meters, his feet carving trenches in the snow.
Gojo reappeared where he had stood before, hands in his pockets.
"…A curse like that must take insane concentration, right?"
He tilted his head.
"How many times can you use it? Twice? Three times?"
Ryosuke coughed, spitting a thin line of blood into the snow.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then smiled.
"You're right."
He straightened slowly, his legs trembling slightly.
"As it stands… I can't use it that many times. Maybe two or three blows, tops."
He met Gojo's gaze.
"You're stronger than me right now. That's a fact."
Gojo raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So you admit defeat?"
"No."
Ryosuke shook his head, his smile widening.
"I'm just stating the truth."
He raised a hand, watching his trembling fingers.
"If we ever fought for real… I wouldn't lose. No doubt about it."
The wind blew gently, lifting flurries of snow around them.
Then—
Gojo laughed.
A short, almost surprised chuckle.
"Heh. I like your confidence."
But his smile vanished just as quickly.
His shades slid down slightly, revealing a flash of icy blue light.
"Then stop playing around. Hand over the fingers. And give up your delusional plans."
Ryosuke stayed silent for a moment.
Then he sighed deeply.
"Mr. Gojo…"
He looked up at him.
"I promise you one thing."
His expression turned serious.
"I won't harm anyone innocent."
Gojo frowned.
"Innocent?"
"Yeah."
Ryosuke nodded.
"I won't kill civilians. I won't pull a Geto and start a genocide."
He clenched his fist lightly.
"My goal is to build a better world. Not destroy it."
Gojo stared at him for a long moment.
"You talk like you're actually going to get away."
He vanished again.
Ryosuke blinked—
And Gojo was right in front of him, his hand reaching for his throat—
But—
Ryosuke smiled.
"Even though you're stronger than me…"
His lips curved into a sly grin.
"…when it comes to escaping, Mr. Gojo…"
Ryosuke's body exploded into a cloud of gray dust.
"…I'm several steps ahead."
Gojo's eyes widened.
He spun around immediately, scanning the area—
But Ryosuke was gone.
Ayanami too.
No trace of cursed energy.
Nothing.
Only the wind, the snow, and silence.
Gojo stood still for a moment, hands in his pockets.
Then—
He sighed deeply, shaking his head.
"Tch…"
He rubbed the back of his neck, a wry smile crossing his lips.
"I'm gonna have a headache for days…"
He raised his right hand—the one that had blocked Ryosuke's strike.
His Six Eyes examined the faint traces of cursed energy still clinging to his palm.
A strange kind of energy.
"That kid…"
His smile slowly widened.
"…he's really something."
He lowered his hand, glancing around—the destroyed theater, the snow littered with debris, the dark veil still hanging above.
"A curse that can alter reality itself…"
He adjusted his glasses.
"This one's gonna make waves."
Then—
CLAP!
He clapped his hands.
And vanished in a flash of white light.
---
Elsewhere.
In a dark room, dimly lit by a single hanging bulb.
POOF!
Ryosuke reappeared in a swirl of gray dust, stumbling slightly before dropping to his knees.
"Hah… hah…"
He panted heavily, his trembling hands pressed against the cold floor.
His heart thundered in his chest, his ears still ringing from the rush of adrenaline.
Then—
"Hahahaha!"
He slowly lifted himself up, one hand covering his face.
"Holy shit… holy shit!"
His shoulders shook.
"Gojo Satoru…"
He raised his right fist before him, staring at it with a mix of awe and madness.
"I hit him."
His eyes gleamed with fierce intensity.
"I actually hit the strongest man in the world."
He clenched his fist, a manic grin spreading across his lips.
"My curse… it works even against Infinity."
He laughed again, shaking his head.
"This is insane… absolutely insane!"
POOF!
Ayanami appeared beside him in a burst of black smoke.
She dropped to her knees immediately, head bowed.
"Master… forgive my weakness. I was useless against that man."
Ryosuke stopped laughing.
He looked down at her, then let out a long sigh.
"Don't worry, Ayanami."
He placed a hand on her head, gently stroking her hair.
"I didn't create you to fight monsters like him."
He smiled softly.
"You did what you could. That's enough."
Ayanami lifted her head slightly, her red eyes faintly glowing in the dark.
"Thank you, Master."
Ryosuke nodded, then straightened up fully.
He reached into his inner jacket pocket—
And pulled out a small rectangular box.
He opened it slowly.
Inside, wrapped in black cloth, lay several mummified fingers.
Sukuna's fingers.
Ryosuke stared at them for a long time, his smile widening ever so slightly.
"Well then…"
He snapped the box shut.
"Now…"
He lifted his head, his eyes gleaming with dangerous intent.
"…it's time to meet another legend."
He tucked the box back into his jacket and crossed his arms.
"A legend even greater than Gojo Satoru."
Ryosuke grinned.
"Sukuna. The King of Curses himself."
He turned toward the door, his footsteps echoing heavily against the concrete floor.
"Get ready, Ayanami."
He paused, his grin widening.
"We're going to wake a god."