The moment Sukuna's presence fully receded, the silence that followed wasn't relief.
It was delay.
Like reality needed a few seconds to realize what had just stopped happening.
Takeru stood there for exactly one breath.
Then—
his manifested form flickered.
Not violently.
Not dramatically.
Just… incorrectly.
"…Ah."
That was all he managed to say.
Then his knees gave out.
Yuji's eyes widened instantly."…Takeru?!"
Nobara stepped forward."…WAIT—WHAT'S HAPPENING?!"
Megumi was already moving."…He's collapsing."
Gojo appeared beside them in an instant, expression sharpening immediately.
"…No, that's not just fatigue."
A pause.
"…That's structural failure."
Takeru hit the ground hard.
And for a split second—
his cursed energy didn't stabilize.
It cracked.
Yuji knelt beside him immediately."…Hey—stay with us!"
Takeru's voice came out faintly.
"…I… overclocked…"
Nobara froze."…That is NOT comforting wording!"
Megumi crouched down, scanning him quickly."…His body isn't just exhausted."
"…It's compromised at a foundational level."
Gojo crouched as well, expression serious now.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…You basically forced your body into simultaneous multi-output execution with no physical anchor."
Yuji blinked."…In English?!"
Gojo sighed."…He broke himself using himself."
Silence.
Takeru tried to move an arm.
It didn't respond correctly.
A faint crack echoed from within.
Yuji's eyes widened."…That sounded like—"
Megumi cut in immediately."…Bone structure failure."
Nobara stepped back slightly."…Oh NO."
Takeru exhaled slowly.
"…Did not… account for recoil…"
Gojo shook his head slightly."…Yeah, that'll do it."
Then his voice sharpened.
"…We need Shoko. Now."
Megumi nodded immediately."…Agreed."
Yuji lifted Takeru slightly."…Come on—don't pass out now!"
Takeru's cursed energy flickered weakly.
"…Still… functional…"
Nobara snapped."…NO YOU'RE NOT!"
Gojo stood instantly, already moving."…We're taking him back."
A pause.
"…And fast."
The group moved immediately.
Not walking.
Not running.
Rushing.
Because for once—
this wasn't a fight they could finish on the field.
It was damage that had already been decided.
As they moved, Megumi spoke quietly.
"…He pushed too far."
Yuji's voice was tight."…Because of Sukuna?"
Megumi shook his head slightly."…Because he won."
Nobara frowned."…That doesn't make sense."
Gojo, walking ahead, answered without turning.
"…It does."
A pause.
"…He forced output systems that weren't meant to coexist."
"…And now his body is paying the price for all of them at once."
Takeru's breathing was uneven now.
Controlled, but fading.
"…Sukuna… allowed rollback…"
he muttered faintly.
Yuji looked down at him."…Yeah… but you didn't exactly get out clean…"
Takeru didn't respond.
His eyes were half-lidded now.
Gojo glanced back once.
"…He's lucky Sukuna didn't push harder during that state."
Megumi's voice was quiet.
"…Or Sukuna was waiting for this outcome."
Silence.
Yuji tightened his grip slightly.
"…We're not losing him."
Nobara scoffed."…He better not die after all that flashy nonsense."
Gojo gave a small, strained smile.
"…Don't worry."
A pause.
"…Shoko's seen worse."
They broke into a full sprint toward Jujutsu High.
Takeru barely conscious.
Cursed energy flickering like a system trying to reboot without enough hardware.
And somewhere deep inside—
Sukuna's voice lingered faintly.
Not loud.
Not active.
Just observing the aftermath.
"…Hm."
A pause.
"…Too reckless."
Then—
quiet amusement again.
"…Still interesting."