The courtroom echoed with the sound of their last clash.
Breathing.
Footsteps.
Silence pressing in from all sides.
Takeru stood upright.
No cursed energy.
No technique.
Just him.
Then—
he spoke.
"…I call for a retrial."
Everything stopped.
Megumi blinked from outside the domain.
"…You can do that?"
Angel answered quietly:
"…If the domain allows legal procedure… then yes."
Higuruma didn't move at first.
Then slowly—
"…On what grounds?"
Takeru met his gaze.
"…New case submission."
Judgeman stirred.
"…Retrial accepted."
The courtroom shifted.
Again.
"…New charge."
The air grew heavier than before.
"…The defendant, Takeru Gojo, is accused of mass murder in Shibuya. October 31st."
Silence.
Yuji's voice, faint from outside:
"…No…"
Megumi clenched his fists.
"…That was—"
He stopped.
Because he knew.
Inside the domain—
Takeru didn't hesitate.
Didn't analyze.
Didn't deflect.
He spoke.
"…Yeah."
A pause.
"…I did it."
The words landed hard.
"…I killed them."
Hana's eyes widened.
"…Takeru—"
Angel went silent.
Takeru continued.
Calm.
Flat.
"…I won't lie."
"…I did that."
The courtroom didn't react.
Not immediately.
But Higuruma did.
For the first time—
his composure cracked.
Not anger.
Not satisfaction.
Shock.
"…You're admitting it."
Takeru didn't look away.
"…Correct."
Higuruma stared at him.
Longer than before.
Searching.
"…No excuses?"
"…No."
"…No denial?"
"…No."
Silence swallowed the room.
Because that wasn't how this worked.
People denied.
They twisted.
They justified.
They fought to survive.
But this—
This was different.
Higuruma's grip on his gavel tightened slightly.
"…You understand what that means."
Takeru nodded once.
"…Yes."
And that was it.
No argument.
No defense.
No attempt to escape it.
Higuruma's eyes shifted.
Just slightly.
Something in him—
moved.
Because he knew.
He knew.
That wasn't the truth.
Not fully.
And yet—
Takeru accepted it anyway.
Not to manipulate.
Not to win.
Just…
because it happened through him.
Higuruma exhaled slowly.
"…Why."
Takeru answered immediately.
"…Responsibility does not require intent."
That—
broke something.
Higuruma's expression changed.
Not visibly dramatic.
But internally—
everything shifted.
All his assumptions.
All his certainty.
All the lines he'd drawn between guilt and innocence—
Blurred.
"…I've been…"
He stopped.
His voice came quieter now.
"…deciding everything too easily."
The gavel in his hand trembled slightly.
Judgeman loomed overhead.
Waiting.
"…Verdict pending."
But Higuruma didn't call it.
Didn't move.
Instead—
he stepped forward.
"…I built this thinking people were simple."
A pause.
"…Guilty or not."
His grip tightened again—
then loosened.
"…But you…"
He looked at Takeru directly.
"…You don't fit that."
The courtroom stayed silent.
Then—
slowly—
Higuruma raised the gavel.
It shifted.
Warped.
Forming into the Executioner's Sword.
Megumi tensed.
"…No—"
Hana's grip tightened.
"…He's still going through with it—"
Angel whispered:
"…This is the final stage."
Higuruma stepped forward.
Raised the blade.
Takeru didn't move.
Didn't defend.
Didn't resist.
Just stood there.
Ready.
And right before the strike—
Higuruma stopped.
A single moment.
Then—
he swung.
But not at Takeru.
The blade cut past him—
embedding into the ground behind.
THUD.
Silence.
Higuruma exhaled.
"…This isn't justice."
The Executioner's Sword dissolved.
The courtroom began to fade.
Higuruma turned—
walked back to the stage—
and pulled two chairs forward.
Set them down.
"…Sit."
Takeru didn't question it.
He walked forward.
Sat.
Higuruma sat across from him.
"…You need points."
Megumi and the others reappeared as the domain collapsed.
Hana finally slid off Takeru's back.
Still quiet.
Angel spoke softly:
"…He has changed."
Higuruma rested his elbows on his knees.
"…I've been wrong."
A pause.
Then—
he looked at Takeru again.
"…Let's fix something."
Takeru nodded once.
"…Agreed."
Higuruma leaned back slightly.
"…We'll add a rule."
Silence.
But this time—
it wasn't heavy.
It was…
clear.