The colony twisted again.
Not spatially—something deeper.
Like reality briefly forgot which version of Takeru was supposed to exist.
Takeru stopped walking mid-step.
"…Something is—"
SNAP.
The air around him fractured.
Megumi turned sharply.
"…Takeru?!"
Hana reached out instinctively.
"…What's happening—"
Angel's voice cut in, tense.
"…Forced manifestation event detected."
Takeru's body flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then—
it changed.
His presence expanded sharply, stabilizing into something unfamiliar.
A refined form.
Calm posture.
Heavy cursed energy control.
A silhouette that carried the unmistakable structure of a Gojo-like manifestation—not identical, but undeniably higher-order, like his body had been forced into a more "complete" state of itself.
Hana froze.
"…That's not his usual form."
Angel followed immediately.
"…No recorded data matches this manifestation."
Megumi stepped back slightly.
"…Takeru?"
But Takeru wasn't responding normally.
His expression was tighter.
Controlled—but strained.
"…System override active."
Then—
a violent shift behind him.
Sukuna's presence surged from Takeru's original body nearby.
And in the same instant—
that original body moved.
Fast.
Before anyone could fully process it—
Sukuna had grabbed Takeru's refined manifested body by the collar.
And slammed him backward.
THUD.
Megumi's eyes widened.
"…What—"
Sukuna's voice came out low and sharp.
"…You don't get to upgrade without consequences."
His grip tightened.
Using Takeru's own shirt as leverage—
he began strangling him.
Hana's expression snapped into alarm.
"…Sukuna—stop!"
Angel's voice:
"…This is internal vessel conflict escalation—"
Takeru's manifested body strained against the grip.
Not panicked.
But clearly destabilized by the forced split state.
"…Interference confirmed…"
Sukuna leaned closer, expression cold now.
"…You think I won't notice when you start separating pieces of this body?"
Megumi stepped forward—
but hesitated.
Not sure which side to intervene on.
"…Takeru!"
Takeru's voice came out strained, but controlled.
"…Stability… compromised…"
Hana looked between both forms—
confused, shaken.
"…There are two of him?"
Angel corrected immediately.
"…One consciousness. Divided manifestation states."
Sukuna tightened his grip again.
"…Let's fix that."
Takeru's breathing steadied slightly.
Even under pressure.
"…Release is not authorized."
Sukuna scoffed.
"…You don't authorize anything."
The pressure increased.
Megumi finally moved forward—
"…Stop!"
But before he could intervene—
Takeru's manifested body flickered again.
The strain spiked.
Cursed energy warped between both forms like an unstable connection about to snap.
Hana stepped in urgently.
"…If this continues, both will destabilize!"
Angel added:
"…Separation event is unsustainable."
Sukuna's grip didn't loosen.
But his expression shifted slightly.
More annoyed now than confident.
"…You're not built to handle this split."
Takeru's voice came quieter.
Focused.
"…Correction."
"…I am adapting."
A pause.
Then—
a faint surge of cursed energy pulsed through both forms.
Not stable.
Not complete.
But resisting.
Sukuna clicked his tongue.
"…Tch."
Megumi finally stepped in fully.
"…We need to stabilize him now!"
Hana nodded sharply.
"…I agree!"
Angel:
"…Immediate re-synchronization required."
Takeru's two states remained locked in conflict—
one being restrained by Sukuna—
the other trying to maintain structure under forced manifestation.
And in the middle of it—
the colony itself felt like it was holding its breath.