'So… this is the pinnacle of the Jujutsu world?'
Toji let the chain slip from his hand, the metal clinking as it hit the ground. Slowly, he brought his right hand to his left flank, where the entire region had simply vanished. His fingers closed around the hole, grasping only the blood that gushed out in heavy, hot, and slippery streams.
'Ever since I was born, my family despised me for having no cursed energy. I just wanted to prove to those bastards that I existed. And in the end, I didn't value myself… or anyone else.'
Feeling his strength leaving him, Toji lifted his eyes one last time. Before him, Gojo Satoru descended from the sky like an untouchable entity, the Inverted Spear of Heaven in one hand, the other casually tucked into his pocket.
'I didn't want to form bonds… so that my son wouldn't end up like me.'
Toji's vision began to darken when he heard Satoru's voice.
"You were the strongest opponent I've faced so far. So if you have one last request, I'll grant it."
'A last request, huh?' Toji opened his mouth, ready to say there was nothing—but then the image of his son flashed through his mind like lightning. For a moment, he hesitated. 'Maybe… he can choose his own path.'
With effort, he raised his voice one final time. "In two or three years, my brat's gonna be sold to the Zen'in Clan. Do whatever you think is right." His words hung in the air—and then, the darkness swallowed Toji whole.
And so, on that late afternoon, the man who challenged the Jujutsu world died by the hands of the man who shattered the balance of the Jujutsu world.
***
"Seriously? Even a guy like you had a kid?" Satoru muttered to himself, averting his gaze from Toji's body to the Inverted Spear in his hand. "So, what do I do with you, huh?"
"Mommy... mommy..."
A distorted voice cut through his thoughts. Satoru looked down and saw the curse spirit, larva-like in appearance, crawling across the floor, leaving a grotesque trail behind.
"Disgusting," Satoru grumbled, pointing his hand at the creature. With a swift motion, the spirit was crushed to the ground and exorcised in an instant.
He turned his attention back to the Inverted Spear, spinning it between his fingers before tucking it at his waist. "This can wait."
'Now, let's take you somewhere better, Riko.' Sparing one last glance at the man who died standing, Satoru began walking toward the building, where, thanks to the Six Eyes, he could see a large gathering of people in the basement. 'What are they doing?'
"Time Vessel Association..." Satoru murmured, climbing the stairs of a lavish building, its marble walls and golden details screaming wealth.
Satoru pushed open the double doors with a firm gesture, not sparing a single glance at the opulent lobby around him, his footsteps echoing across the polished marble as he headed straight for the staircase descending to the basement.
He descended the steps, each one seeming to echo in his mind. When he reached the bottom, Satoru followed the corridor to two large, dark wooden doors.
Opening them, he stepped into a vast room. Thousands of people filled the space, a human mass rippling like a restless sea. The sound of applause was deafening, a rhythmic thunder reverberating off the walls.
Some people wept, tears streaming down ecstatic faces, while others laughed, eyes shining with devotion. At the front of the room, elevated on a platform, lay a body wrapped in a white shroud, like an offering.
'How... dare they?'
The crowd seemed unaware of his presence, absorbed in their frenzy, applause echoing loudly all around.
In the blink of an eye, Satoru crossed the crowd and took Riko in his arms. 'We met with you in my arms, and now everything ends with me carrying you in my arms.'
***
Gojo Satoru had always been alone. Separated from his parents in childhood, taken into the austere halls of the Gojo Clan, he was raised not as a child, but as a weapon — the future leader, bearer of the Six Eyes and the Limitless Technique. The world revered him, feared him, adored him, but never understood him.
And he, in turn, was never truly able to connect. People were like ants — fragile and predictable, their lives and ambitions so small, so... insignificant. To Satoru, the world was an anthill, and he, a force beyond nature, incapable of lowering himself to their level.
That disconnection was like a barrier, as real as the Mugen itself. He smiled, cracked jokes, and teased with an arrogance that masked the emptiness. His playful, almost childish personality was a façade, a way to fill the chasm between him and everyone else.
That's not to say Satoru didn't enjoy teasing, laughing, or talking with others at Jujutsu High, or that he didn't care about them. But deep down, he knew: no matter how hard he tried, the ants would never understand the sky. And he, no matter how much he wished, could never descend to their level.
Still, there was one exception. One person who managed to break through that barrier and touch Satoru's heart: Suguru Geto.
Suguru was different. He wasn't just another student at Jujutsu High, nor merely a talented sorcerer. He was an equal—someone who walked alongside Satoru, not behind him. Suguru wasn't intimidated by the Six Eyes, didn't bow to the Limitless Technique, and refused to be overshadowed.
Their connection wasn't born merely from friendship or mutual respect, but from something deeper: a shared understanding. He and Suguru were teenagers carrying the weight of absurd powers, crushing responsibilities, and expectations that few could comprehend. They were the front line of the sorcerer world, facing curses and dangers that tested not just their skills, but their souls. And they did it together. As friends and brothers.
But then came Riko Amanai, a girl who, without meaning to, cracked the impenetrable wall around Satoru's heart.
Riko challenged Satoru's expectations. She wasn't a resigned victim, nor the untouchable sacred figure the Jujutsu higher-ups made her out to be. She was a vibrant, stubborn teenager—full of life and with a sense of humor that could rival his own. There was an energy in her, a flame that refused to be extinguished, even under the weight of a fate she hadn't chosen.
As Satoru and Suguru escorted her, Riko refused to be just someone to protect. She laughed, teased, and insisted on stopping for sweets or going to aquariums. Gradually, Satoru wanted to stretch out those moments. Because if she wasn't going to ask to be saved and would accept her fate, then he wanted those to be the best days of her life.
And he genuinely had fun in those moments.
***
And now, still feeling numb and with Riko in his arms, Satoru felt the gap between him and everyone else grow even wider as the crack in his heart began to close.
'I thought I was strong enough to protect anyone... but in the end, I couldn't even save a girl who kept laughing even though she knew she was going to die.'
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, images or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.