The deadlock held.
Four domains.
Four wills.
All grinding against each other in silence.
No cursed energy.
No techniques.
No movement beyond the bare minimum.
Time stretched.
Then—
something shifted.
Not outwardly.
Not explosively.
Internally.
Takeru's eyes focused.
"…Adjustment complete."
A crack.
Small.
But real.
His domain—
Malevolent Shrine—
pushed.
Not violently.
Not recklessly.
Precisely.
Megumi would've recognized it.
Sukuna would've smiled.
It wasn't just overpowering.
It was targeting.
The balance broke.
SNAP.
Takeru's domain surged forward—
overwhelming the others in a single, controlled expansion.
The shrine stood dominant.
And instantly—
the restriction shattered.
Cursed energy returned.
Techniques reactivated.
But—
something was off.
Yuta stood still.
Unharmed.
Ryu blinked.
Looked down at himself.
"…Huh."
Also untouched.
Then—
Uro screamed.
Invisible slashes tore through the sky itself—
cutting—
splitting—
breaking the very space she manipulated.
Her distortion failed—
her defense collapsing instantly—
"…Selective targeting…"
Yuta whispered.
Takeru stood still.
"…Confirmed."
The shrine's slashes—
precise.
Controlled.
Avoiding Yuta.
Avoiding Ryu.
All of it—
focused on one target.
Uro.
She twisted—
desperately trying to bend space—
but it wasn't enough.
The cuts ignored distance.
Ignored angles.
They simply—
hit.
Ryu watched.
Eyes wide for the first time.
"…That's insane…"
Yuta tightened his grip on his blade.
"…He's controlling it…"
Uro's form flickered—
her sky tearing apart around her—
"…You—"
She gasped—
"…what are you—"
Another slash.
She dropped from the air—
crashing down hard.
The sky above stabilized—
her control broken.
Silence followed.
The shrine faded.
Takeru lowered his hand.
"…Threat neutralized."
Yuta exhaled slowly.
"…You didn't hit us…"
Takeru glanced slightly.
"…Unnecessary targets excluded."
Ryu laughed.
Not nervous.
Not scared.
Excited.
"…Man…"
He grinned wide.
"…NOW that's a main course."
And just like that—
the battlefield shifted again.
Because now—
they all knew.
Takeru wasn't just strong.
He was precise.