Chapter 138: The Exhaustion of Satoru Gojo
The cicadas screamed in the sweltering summer heat.
Sunlight pierced through the dense canopy, breaking into mottled patches across the rugged mountain path. This hidden trail leading to Tokyo Jujutsu High was usually quiet, sealed away from the ordinary world.
Today, the air felt heavy.
Anxiety and exhaustion clung to the mountain like humidity before a storm.
"Haa… haa…"
The sound of heavy breathing was unusually clear along the silent path.
Satoru Gojo walked at the front.
His signature sunglasses had slipped slightly down his nose, revealing the Six Eyes beneath them, those eyes said to reflect the very structure of the world.
But now, the treasured eyes of the Gojo Clan were laced with thin red veins.
His face was pale.
Even his posture, always loose yet arrogantly upright, had become slightly hunched.
He was exhausted.
Ever since the incident in Okinawa, Yami had left the escort team to track down the mastermind hiding behind the bounty and the most dangerous variable of all, Toji Fushiguro.
Yami's departure had indeed drawn away part of the pressure from the shadows.
But it also meant that the burden of protecting Riko Amanai had fallen entirely onto Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto.
To ensure Riko's absolute safety on the way back to Jujutsu High, Gojo had made a reckless choice.
He kept Limitless active.
One day.
Two days.
Three full days and nights.
From the beaches of Okinawa to the flight back to Tokyo, then from Tokyo all the way to this mountain path, Limitless had remained in motion like a precision machine forced to run without rest.
He had not slept.
He had not closed his eyes.
He had not allowed his concentration to slip for even a second.
Because he knew that countless eyes had been watching them from the dark during those three days.
Fanatics from the Star Religious Group.
Curse Users chasing the bounty.
Restless Cursed Spirits drawn by the chaos.
One tiny opening could mean Riko's death.
"Satoru, are you okay?"
Suguru Geto walked behind him, watching Gojo's slightly unsteady back with unconcealed worry.
As the person who understood Gojo best, Geto knew better than anyone how much strain it placed on the brain to keep Limitless active for three straight days.
It was not ordinary fatigue.
It was like forcing the brain to calculate without pause while every nerve was being roasted over an open flame.
No normal person could endure that.
"Deactivate your Cursed Technique for a bit and rest."
Geto quickened his pace and grabbed Gojo's arm, his tone carrying a rare trace of pleading.
"We're already inside Jujutsu High's barrier range. With Master Tengen's barrier protecting this place, there shouldn't be any danger now."
He glanced around.
"I still have a few Cursed Spirits suited for surveillance. They can take over the watch."
"No need."
Gojo pushed Geto's hand away.
He shook his head hard, trying to drive away the dizziness dragging at the edges of his consciousness.
"Suguru, don't forget what Yami said before he left."
His voice was hoarse, but his tone remained firm.
"We still don't know what kind of filth is hiding in the shadows."
He forced his breathing steady.
"Until we deliver Riko to the Tomb of the Star Corridor and hand her over to Master Tengen, we can't let our guard down."
Then Gojo forced the corners of his mouth upward into his usual arrogant grin.
He turned his head, looked at Geto, and raised a thumb.
"Relax. I'm the strongest."
His smile widened.
"It's only three days without sleep. Just think of it as staying up all night playing games. No big deal."
But the slight tremble in his fingertips betrayed him.
Riko Amanai saw it.
Walking between them, the girl bit her lip tightly. She had survived kidnapping, assassination, and the crushing reality of being the Star Plasma Vessel, but at that moment, guilt struck harder than fear.
"I'm sorry…"
Her head lowered.
Her voice was barely audible.
"It's all because of me. If you weren't protecting me, you wouldn't be in this state."
Her fingers clenched around the hem of her clothes.
"And Big Brother Yami wouldn't have to face such dangerous people alone."
Hearing the self-blame in her trembling voice, Gojo stopped.
He turned around.
Then he raised his stiff hand and ruffled Riko's hair without the slightest politeness, messing up the neatly combed strands.
"Hey, hey, don't make that face, kid."
Gojo grinned. Beneath his sunglasses, his bloodshot blue eyes still carried an unyielding light.
"Protecting the weak is the duty of us strongest Jujutsu Sorcerers."
Riko looked up through tear-filled eyes.
Gojo's grin became even more insufferable.
"Besides, having me risk my life to escort you is pretty lucky. You should be honored."
The words were still arrogant enough to make someone want to punch him.
But Riko could feel the warmth of the hand resting on her head.
It was rough.
Clumsy.
Reassuring.
Geto watched the scene and chuckled softly.
"Riko, you don't need to apologize."
His voice was gentle.
"Satoru is an idiot, but he isn't wrong this time."
"Hey."
"This is our choice as Jujutsu Sorcerers," Geto continued, ignoring him. "Besides, we already promised you."
His gaze softened.
"If this is your final wish, then even if we have to make enemies of the entire Jujutsu World, we'll help you fulfill it."
Riko looked at the two boys in front of her.
They were battered. Exhausted. Still standing between her and everything that wanted to take her life.
Tears finally fell from her eyes.
In this cruel Jujutsu World, where so many people saw her as a vessel meant to be sacrificed, these two boys and Yami, who had silently cleared obstacles from the shadows, had given her the warmest light she had ever known.
"Thank you…"
She wiped her face and nodded hard.
"Thank you both."
"Let's go."
Gojo turned around and continued walking toward the gate of Jujutsu High at the top of the mountain.
"Let's finish this lousy mission already. I'm going to sleep for three days straight, then eat ten kikufuku."
After a long and agonizing walk, the ancient gate of Tokyo Jujutsu High finally appeared in their sight.
The torii gate carved with cursed seals stood solemnly beneath the sunlight.
The moment they crossed it, the vast power of Master Tengen's barrier enveloped them completely.
Relief swept through everyone at once.
It felt like a small boat battered by storms had finally reached a safe harbor.
"Haa…"
Gojo exhaled slowly.
The nerves he had held taut for three days and nights finally loosened the instant they stepped inside the barrier.
Some of the bloodshot red in his eyes faded, and a hint of color returned to his pale face.
"Finally…"
He looked up at the sky filtered by the barrier, its blue unusually deep.
"We're here."
His shoulders loosened.
"Now we can finally relax a little."
Then, almost casually, Gojo deactivated the Limitless he had maintained for three full days.
The moment it stopped, fatigue crashed over him like a tide.
Geto also let out a long breath and recalled the Cursed Spirits he had kept on alert.
Riko sat down on the steps in front of Jujutsu High, completely drained, panting lightly.
Safe.
They were inside Tokyo Jujutsu High, protected by Master Tengen's barrier.
The safest place in Japan.
No one could slip in silently.
No one could bypass the barrier's perception and launch an attack without being noticed.
They were finally safe.
At least, that was what they believed.
None of them realized that some people were born to break rules.
When the strongest defense willingly removed its armor, when vigilance dropped to its lowest point beneath the illusion of absolute safety, that breath of relief after three days of torment became something else.
An opening.
A fatal one.
The bell of Tokyo Jujutsu High echoed lazily through the distant mountain forest.
It sounded almost like a celebration of their arrival.
Or perhaps, a funeral bell for the tragedy about to unfold.
.....
https://discord.gg/KvMN2CFsMR
[If you don't want to wait for the next update, read 50 chapters ahead on P@treon.]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]