Subaru Natsuki was confused—more than that, frustrated. What had he done wrong in the last loop that led to everyone in the carriage being slaughtered?
Did he miscalculate the number of cultists? Had he assumed too easily they'd all target the village and nowhere else?
Or was there someone else at play—some piece he hadn't accounted for?
SNAP!
A finger clicked in front of his face. A hand waved. Subaru blinked as it came into focus, then pushed it aside.
"You good?" Gojo asked, cocking his head. "You just zoned out hard."
"Ah." Subaru blinked, glancing around. Soldiers stood at ease. Wilhelm. Ferris. Rem. Crusch. And Gojo—alive and grinning like usual.
They were back at Flugel's Tree. The White Whale had just been slain.
Subaru grinned, brushing off the daze. "Ahem! My bad. Right—where was I?"
He straightened his posture, his voice gaining confidence.
"So, aside from Crusch and half her army heading back to deliver the Whale's corpse, the rest of us are heading to the Mathers Domain. The Witch's Cult is making a move on the village."
Gasps and murmurs spread among the troops. Fury simmered in many expressions—but after their victory, no one looked afraid.
"Two Sin Archbishops," Subaru continued. "Sloth and Greed. And a horde of cultists."
He turned to Gojo, voice firm.
"I need you to stall Greed—not just until we beat Sloth, but until Emilia and the kids are safely on the road to the capital."
Gojo raised a brow. "Stall? Me? You forget who you're talkin' to?"
Subaru shook his head, expression serious.
"I'm not underestimating you—if anything, I think Regulus is your perfect counter. I don't know how it works, but his attacks… they seem completely unstoppable."
Gojo whistled low. "Well, if you're saying so then I'll be cautious.."
He clapped his hands together with a pop, grinning.
"But hey, I wouldn't be much of a sensei if I didn't take heed to the words of my one and only pupil!"
Subaru let out a relieved breath.
"Good. He might already be there, holding the villagers hostage. We can't afford to wait."
Gojo's face darkened. "Yeah... that's pretty bad. Alright, see you later."
"Oh..!" Subaru leant forward in realization. "After you've stalled, for a bit less than an hour or so when we arrive, escape and wait back here for the carriage with Emilia and the kids to show up."
And without another word, he vanished—space bending around him as he blinked out of sight.
Subaru turned to the rest. His expression was steel.
"Wilhelm. Rem. You're with me. We're taking down Sloth."
He continued, tone sharpened by experience.
"Sloth has a trick—he can transfer to different bodies after death, and he has invisible hands, I'm not sure what his limit exactly is but.. they'll crush you if they catch you."
"So the solution?" Subaru smirked. "Kick up dust. Lots of it. Helps you see them."
I can thank Wilhelm himself for that idea...
Rem's eyes gleamed with renewed determination. "Rem will stand with her hero until every last cultist lies in ruin..."
Wilhelm simply nodded.
"After your role in slaying the White Whale and vital role in avenging my beloved Theresia... I'd walk with you through death and beyond tenfold, Natsuki Subaru."
Subaru couldn't help but grin. "That's what I like to hear. Let's move out!"
—————————————————
Later…
FWOOM—!
BOOM—!
CRACK—!!
The echoes of destruction carried for miles—massive cursed energy reverberating through the forest. Thunderclaps of a battle far off in the distance, but their effects still absolute.
"Seems like Gojo's keeping the yellow-eyed bastard busy," Subaru muttered, eyes scanning the horizon.
Ferris looked uneasy. "Nya… Gojo's really a powerhouse, huh?"
"That's my teacher!" Subaru said with a grin. "Anyway... let's move."
He hopped off Patrasche as they neared the village, boots crunching into the dirt.
Upon entering, he shouted back to the soldiers that closely followed.
"Free all the villagers! Get them ready to evacuate!"
The huddled prisoners flinched at the sound—then, as they saw who it was, faces changed. Fear melted into relief.
It was all playing out like the last time. So far, which is good.
But Subaru knew better than to grow confident. Last time, he let his guard down—and they paid for it.
Not again.
Even if Gojo was worn out stalling Regulus, he was still Emilia's best chance compared to himself or even Wilhelm. Subaru just had to make sure the rest played out right.
He clenched his fists.
Subaru watched as the soldiers moved quickly, freeing the villagers from their restraints. Relief and confusion were already blooming on their faces, so he stepped forward before the questions could erupt.
"I'm sure you're wondering what's going on, right? Guy with white hair, yellow eyes—called himself a Sin Archbishop of the Witch's Cult?"
He snapped his fingers sharply.
"Yeah. That was real. And it's about to get worse. Another one's coming, with dozens of cultists. So we need all of you to evacuate—now. We've brought carriages."
They delayed us a little… but this is still on track with last loop.
Subaru's brows furrowed as he thought, watching the villagers shuffle toward the transport.
But… they reacted so fast last time too. Like they knew we were coming. I don't have Gojo-sensei's senses, or Wilhelm's reflexes. If a cultist was nearby, I wouldn't know it until it was too late.
So… a spy..? Or one of them already under Betelgeuse's control?
He's done it before. Possessing bodies... maybe it's tied to the Witch's scent. That's how he got inside me, too.
"...Subaru?"
A voice—warm, familiar, achingly close. In any other moment, he might've been thrilled.
"…Emilia."
His gaze dropped for a moment. Even now, after everything, he still felt that pang of shame just looking at her.
But then he exhaled. Steadied himself. Raised his eyes.
"Emilia. I imagine Rem's letter gave you the basics, but I need to tell you directly—The Witch's Cult is coming. They're after you."
He tilted his head slightly, voice low. "If you listen close, you'll hear it way off in the distance—Gojo-sensei is already fighting one of the Archbishops to buy us time way away."
Emilia's eyes widened. She clasped her hand over her mouth, horrified. "Will—Will he be alright?"
Subaru nodded, though it took a second. "Yeah. He's a beast. But that's not the point."
He took a step closer, voice hardening.
"The Cult is coming for you, Emilia. I don't know why. But I need you to evacuate with the others."
She flinched as if slapped. "I—I should fight! I'm not weak, Subaru! I won't just run when they're coming because of me!"
Subaru grabbed her shoulders, voice dropping low but sharp with urgency.
"I know you're strong. And if it were anything else, I'd want you fighting beside me. But this plan—it depends on you fleeing."
She hesitated, lips parted—but he kept going.
"I'm not asking you to forgive me for how I treated you before. I was a selfish, short-sighted mess. We can talk after this. Properly. But right now—this whole ambush, it's for you. They've laid everything just to trap you. so please..?"
Emilia looked down at the ground, then back up—her eyes steady, but firm.
"Fine. But when this is all done and dusted… you're not getting out of that talk!"
Subaru smiled, a small laugh escaping him. "Nobody says 'when this is done and dusted' anymore, but… alright!"
He stood back and watched as the carriages rolled away—Emilia and the villagers disappearing toward safety.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright… and right on cue—"
His eyes darted skyward.
A massive purple hand coalesced from thin air—descending like an unholy hammer.
"One hand—overhead!!" Subaru yelled, instantly reinforcing his limbs with cursed energy—readying to dodge, to fight, to do something—
SWOOSH—
Wilhelm was faster. Already in the air, sword drawn, slicing upward. The blade cleaved through the phantom wrist with enough force to disperse the entire thing back into nothing. He landed in a crouch, spinning once and kicking up a cloud of dirt as he performed a controlled skid back on the ground.
"Nice one, old man!" Subaru shouted.
From the treeline, masked cultists emerged in a swarm—daggers flashing under the forest light.
"Alright everyone—it's time!!" Subaru bellowed.
With a roar, the soldiers charged. Steel clashed with steel, screams rang out, and blood quickly soaked the grassy earth. Sparks flew. Every life lost was met with another taken.
But we've got something they don't. A beast of a healer, Ferris should save any that aren't too far gone already.
Rem, horn glowing with rage, moved like a hurricane of pure devastation—her mace a blur of destruction. Limbs and bodies flew with every swing, each cultist that approached her torn apart in brutal arcs, resulting in blood spurting like rain.
Beside her, Wilhelm was pure, honed lethality. Every strike surgically dismantled his foe—limbs removed, bodies sliced. He alone seemed able to sense the invisible hands, narrowly dodging their sweeps and various charges thanks to the dirt hanging in the air.
Each one we kill… it brings us closer to the real fight.. I don't have to be alone, Gojo-Sensei made me realized that. With Rem, and Wilhelm this time around.. Betelgeuse'll be a cinch to beat..
Subaru's gaze hardened.
—————————————————
Falling rocks, suspended midair in the curse-forged stillness, continued their descent.
They crashed against the ravine walls below like distant war drums, echoing through the gorge like a whisper to the chaos.
Gojo stood atop a jagged slab of stone, a frozen monument amidst the chaos.
His breath was sharp, deliberate. Every wound bled slow, stubborn. His mind raced behind unreadable eyes.
Across from him, embedded in the cliff wall, Regulus emerged. Arms relaxed. Robes torn but untouched.
Golden eyes glowing through the dust—arrogant, unscathed.
Between them, distance.
Tension.
The fragile breath before the next hurricane.
Gold met Blue.
A standoff. Not of fear. Not fatigue.
Only calculation.
And inevitability.
How much longer can I keep this up…?
Gojo barely let the thought take form. He couldn't afford doubt.
But it was there. Buried in the back of his skull like a splinter made of truth.
He could stall. He could weave. He could counter.
But none of it would matter if he slipped—once.
A wrong breath. A twitch out of sync. A second too slow.
A cut through his chest.
A hole through his head.
And it'd be over.
Still, he inhaled—slow and steady. Grounding himself in the warzone. In his reality.
Then he cracked a grin. Lopsided. Confident. Unbreakable.
"Well then…"
"Let's keep this show moving, shall we?"
—————————————————
Subaru was mid-charge, weaving through the chaos—less like a strategist, more like a storm.
His role wasn't leading. Not Just yet. He was support. Assisting the struggling soldiers as Wilhelm and Rem carved clean paths through the battlefield effortlessly.
SWISH— SWOOSH— SWISH—!
Cursed energy surged through his limbs, wrapping his frame in raw potential. Every movement—amplified. Every strike—devastating.
He danced from one distracted cultist to the next, cracking bones with precision and force.
One. Two. Three.
Each hit landed with a sickening crunch, bodies dropping before they even registered the pain.
"Whoo..."
He exhaled, boots skidding across the dust-streaked ground, eyes snapping to the side.
Felix.
Cornered. On the defensive.
Parrying twin cultists with graceful but labored steps. His breathing shallow, footing sloppy. He wouldn't hold long.
"No you don't—!!"
Subaru exploded forward.
Cursed energy ignited like a violet blaze around his body, trailing afterimages as he closed the gap in an instant.
CRACK—!
His forearm surged up mid-slide, cursed energy condensing around the bone like a living shield.
The cultist's dagger bounced off, barely scratching the surface. Subaru didn't flinch. Not anymore.
His leg whipped in a wide arc, shin smashing into the first cultist's ribs with enough force to launch them sideways—into the second, bowling both to the dirt.
Then, a single leap.
His foot compressed mid-air, then slammed downward, crashing onto the tangled cultists like a falling meteor.
BOOM—!!
The ground beneath them spiderwebbed, cracks splintering out like fractured glass.
He exhaled, turning to Felix with a sharp nod.
"You okay, Ferris?"
The cat-boy blinked in surprise, his tail flicking behind him.
"Nya... You've gotten a whole lot stronger.. Looks like that beating from Julius actually paid off, huh?"
Subaru gave a flat look.
"Tch. Yeah, well... I was at fault for that—"
SHNK—!!
Mid-sentence, a blade sliced down from above.
Subaru sidestepped instantly—body snapping into motion like a machine. His hand surged upward.
WHUMP—!!
A palm slammed into the cultist's diaphragm, folding the attacker in half and blasting them backward with a guttural wheeze.
Subaru's voice was flat as he deadpanned.
"...I'm aware."
With a sharp exhale, Subaru turned and rushed back into the fray.
He spotted Rem—her movements were starting to falter. Unlike Wilhelm, who carved through enemies with mechanical precision, Rem's wild, wrathful swings were slowing.
Her spiked mace crushed two cultists in a single arc—but a third slipped past her guard.
A dagger plunged into her shoulder, slicing through fabric and flesh. Rem let out a primal roar of pain and anger, blood running down her arm.
SWOOSH—!
Subaru was already there.
He appeared behind her like a shadow, knuckles rising into a wide forearm swipe, batting away an incoming strike.
CRACK—!!
His palm slammed forward, catching the cultist directly in the throat.
They staggered, clutching their windpipe, choking.
Then—
SQUELCH—!!
His fist drove through the cultist's torso.
Not just a punch—a violent, precise spear of cursed energy, tearing through ribs and organs before exploding out the other side in a spray of viscera and guts.
The cultist convulsed. Subaru yanked his hand free with a wet, sickening sound.
"...Bastard..."
He stared at his blood-drenched arm.
At the carnage he'd just inflicted.
And felt nothing.
Not shock. Not guilt. Not even revulsion.
Only silence.
And a low whisper, barely a breath..
"I love you."
The words came from nowhere.
Subaru's head snapped sideways, eyes wide—
He blinked hard, breathing unsteady, as his hand slowly curled.
Just for a moment...
It was like he wasn't entirely in control.
Or rather—he was, but the feeling was twisted.
The violence felt good. Too good.
His thoughts spiraled.
It's the miasma... isn't it? Is it effecting me somehow?
THUD—!!
Rem's mace slammed across his vision, cleaving a cultist that had crept too close.
Their body hit the dirt, entrails spilling like wet rope.
"S-Subaru! Please focus—!!" she cried, voice desperate.
He blinked again, dazed—then shook his head hard, forcing clarity back into his mind.
"R—Right..."
Subaru glanced around the battlefield— Nearly all the cultists were gone. Wilhelm stood amidst the dust, sword dripping, dispatching the final stragglers with cold efficiency.
That was easier than last time... Having Rem here really did make the difference...
But the quiet didn't last.
BWOOM—!!!
From the edge of the ruins—dozens of grotesque, purple hands erupted like thorny vines, slamming into the ground and latching onto soldiers with terrifying speed.
"Gahk—!!"
Screams echoed as soldiers were lifted, crushed, slammed.
SNAP—SWOOSH!
Wilhelm dashed forward, blade gleaming through the rising dust. One swing—a hand fell. Another—a soldier dropped, gasping but alive. He weaved and cut with the rage of a man who had defied death and loss too many times.
Subaru's blood ran cold.
"He's here."
Rem growled low beside him, her grip on her mace tightening.
From the ruins—a figure emerged.
Contorting. Twitching. Screaming in rage.
"WHY… WHY-WHY, WHYYYY?!?"
His eyes bulged.
His green-tinged skin split and cracked.
Each limb jerked like a puppet on broken strings.
His mouth stretched into a grotesque, bleeding grin.
"Why is it YOU—YOU with those overwhelming pangs of LOVE, acting so SLUGGISHLY? So LAZILY? So… SLOTHFULLY! YES!! SLOTHFUL—!!"
He bit down on his own fingers, blood spurting between his teeth.
The madness was palpable.
Several soldiers instinctively stepped back. Even after all they'd seen, this… was different.
This was true evil made manifest.
Subaru took a step forward.
"Betelgeuse Romanee-Conti…"
His voice was firm. "Your plan's already unraveling. You just don't know it yet."
Just a little longer… Gojo-sensei, it's your move now...
Betelgeuse stumbled forward—almost drunkenly—his arms dangling like broken branches.
"Greed—WHERE is GREED?! He's always SO PUNCTUAL—YET NOW HE MAKES ME WAIT?! ME!! A FELLOW ARCHBISHOP—WAITING?!?"
He shrieked.
"That... that is SLOTH!!"
SWOOSH—!!
"That's enough out of you, MONSTER!!"
Wilhelm was already on the move—a bullet of muscle and vengeance.
But Betelgeuse anticipated it.
Purple hands surged—dozens weaving like the limbs of a furious god, lifting high, and crashing down in waves.
CLANG—!!!
Steel met invisible might. Wilhelm's blade deflected mid-air, screaming under the pressure.
He spun back, boots skidding through dirt, sword still in hand.
"Tch."
"Rem! Wilhelm!"
Subaru's voice rang out like a command — no hesitation, no doubt.
"We strike together—now!!"
BOOM—!!
Subaru surged forward first, cursed energy flaring around his limbs like violet lightning. His body blurred — enhanced speed launching him forward in a single bound. Dust erupted in his wake, flung skyward.
THWAM—!!
He slammed his fist down on one of Betelgeuse's outstretched purple hands, cracking the spectral limb and driving it into the ground like broken bone. His eyes locked with the Archbishop's.
Betelgeuse's grin fell further, blood still trickling from his lips.
CLANG—!!
Wilhelm van Astrea was next — descending from above with a silver flash. His blade sliced clean through a trio of reaching hands, twisting mid-air to carve a wide arc at Betelgeuse's neck.
But Betelgeuse twitched violently, body contorting backward like his spine had no bones, avoiding the slash by a hair's breadth.
"SO FAST! SO FAST! YOU ARE STILL DROWNED IN LOVE! FOR YOUR WIFE—SUCH SLOTHFUL OBSESSION THAT SHOULD BE DIRECTED TOWARD THE WITCH!"
Wilhelm's eyes narrowed as he leapt back. "How do you——?!"
CRASH—!!
From the flank—Rem appeared, a cyclone of raw fury. Her mace swung wide, smashing aside multiple spectral hands in a single sweep. Her horn burned bright, violet light surging along her cheek as she roared—
"RAAAAGHH—!!"
Betelgeuse turned just in time to see her leap—
She came down like a falling star.
THWACK—!!!
Her mace connected — and this time, it wasn't just a blow.
It was annihilation.
CRACK—SPLAT!!
Betelgeuse's ribcage split wide open, the force of the hit ripping him apart. Organs burst free, unfurling in mid-air like red ribbons, spraying a curtain of blood across the ruined earth.
"Gurk… S-Sa… tella…—"
His voice died mid-breath.
But Subaru didn't wait.
He dashed forward, vaulting over Rem's shoulder, using a disintegrating phantom hand as a springboard—
And then—
"—TAKE THIS!!"
His palm drew back, cursed energy converging into a singularity, his knuckles a burning violet star.
CRACK—!!!
The blow landed dead center on Betelgeuse's skull.
His neck snapped back, sickeningly unnatural, as his body rocketed downward into the earth—
BOOM—!!
The crater rippled out.
Subaru exhaled once.
Then struck again.
THUD-!
CRACK—!!
BOOM-!!
Each strike landed like a hammer of divine judgment, Subaru's face twisted with raw intensity—no longer anger. No longer fear. Something else, indifference.
BOOM—!!
CRACK-!!
THUD—!!
The crater deepened. Stone fractured. Blood painted Subaru's hands, his arms, his face.
Rem stepped forward, expression tight.
Wilhelm, silent… but concerned. Very concerned.
She reached out. Her hand gripped his shoulder, firm.
Subaru's head snapped to the side, breath sharp—
Fist frozen mid-swing.
But his eyes…
Rem staggered back.
They weren't Subaru's eyes.
They were void, tinted in deep purple. A swirling malevolence behind the irises. For just a second—he wasn't him.
Then— A blink. Another. And the light returned.
"Eh… huh… oh—"
He turned, slowly.
And looked down.
What remained of Betelgeuse wasn't even a man.
The face was gone, shattered and splattered in a red haze, bone and brain matter more visible than any human feature. The skull split open like a crushed melon, remnants twitching in the pool of gore.
Subaru's breath caught.
His stomach turned.
I did it again.
STEP—
His foot hesitated.
His body trembled.
Eyes wide.
That… that was me..? Again..? It happened again… it's like… I wasn't in control..
Then—
That feeling.
The twist in his stomach. The slithering of something oily and cold down his spine. That unmistakable pressure—
Betelgeuse. Again.
Subaru's body stood still, unmoving. But inside—
—————————————————
The world was black. An endless, mist-choked void. Shadows deeper than ink, silence louder than screams. This was Subaru's mindscape. But it wasn't empty.
Full of love. Twisted, wild, perfect love.
"A-Ah… S-Satella…!!"
Betelgeuse crumbled to his knees, trembling, weeping.
This—this was the one. The vessel he had longed for.
The witch had heard him. The witch had given. Again!!
But then—
Footsteps.
Soft. Measured. Unhurried.
From the black haze, a figure emerged— Masculine. Average height. Spiky hair dancing in an invisible breeze. Pure pitch black. No details. Just a silhouette, with an unsettling gaze.
But the moment Betelgeuse set eyes upon him—
Fear. Real fear surged. Primal and paralyzing, as if his instincts were telling him, whatever this THING was, could kill him in a second thought.
It wasn't death that he feared, no, not at all. He wasn't sure why he felt in such a way, either.
"W-Who… who are you…?"
His voice cracked under the weight of it.
The silhouette stopped a few paces away.
Two gleaming purple eyes opened in the void. They stared down at him like twin galaxies.
Tilt.
A head cocked sideways, in mock curiosity.
"A name? But… you already know me. I just killed you, after all. Or—maybe 'I' didn't? Technically? Reality's funny like that.."
Betelgeuse's teeth chattered. His body stayed kneeling, but his spine wanted to flee.
Then—rage. Instinct.
From his back, dozens of spectral purple hands exploded outward—screaming toward the figure.
STEP—
The figure moved, one step forward.
SWOOSH—
The world inverted.
Betelgeuse blinked.
Why… why can I see my own body…?
It was on its knees. Below him. The head still attached—barely—dangling.
And the figure?
Now behind him, gripping his decapitated head by the hair, lazily swinging his vision from side to side like a lantern.
"Uh, dude, did you just try to attack me..? Are you stupid, well, obviously you are but..."
Betelgeuse twitched, confused.
"W-What are you…?"
The grin—though unseen—was felt.
"—Pride."
A beat. Betelgeuse's mind warped into delight—
Eyes widening with delirious glee—
"Ah—Aha—!! So it's you! It's truly you—!"
But the smile from the silhouette, no, Pride, didn't change.
"Now come along. We're going to have so much fun together. Haha!"
And just like that—
It wasn't fun anymore.
Betelgeuse's expression collapsed. His eyes widened in genuine, utter despair as he was dragged through the endless void, helpless, dangling by the hair like a puppet.
"Eh…? What do you mean 'you don't want that thing in here'… 'Tella?"
—————————————————
BOOM—!!
Gojo was launched. A meteor. His body plowed through stone, grinding through strata until he burst free into the open sky, a shockwave of debris and dust trailing behind him.
Before he could even breathe—
Regulus appeared.
No sound. No warning.
Hands closed around Gojo's throat.
"Ever wondered what it's like to fly without slowing down?"
Gojo coughed out.
"Not really—!!"
FWOOOOOOM—!!
The sky swallowed him. Clouds tore open. The air turned to knives.
Rain that once couldn't touch him—now punched holes through his flesh.
And then—
"Ooh, shit!"
CRACK—!!
BOOOOOOM—!!
A distant mountain exploded as Gojo collided with it, the impact caving the peak inward.
Avalanches answered.
Silence.
Only snow fell. Until—
"Ughh…"
A hand emerged from the crater's edge.
Gojo pulled himself free.
Barely alive. Skin steaming, cursed energy holding his pieces together like a dying machine.
He looked down.
White.
Mist.
Ice.
Silence.
"…This isn't Lugunica."
He blinked.
"…Where the hell—"
SWOOSH—!!
A tremor cut through the mist. Instinct screamed.
Gojo turned—
BOOM—!!
A flat palm swiped through the air—casual, sluggish, devoid of wind pressure. Yet, where it passed, the cliff face behind Gojo simply ceased to exist, gouged out by an invisible, unstoppable absolute.
Gojo didn't wait to see the destruction. He clasped his hands, twisting space. Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
The world warped. He vanished into the vacuum, leaving the Sin Archbishop of Greed ranting alone atop the icy peak.
Space snapped back into place near Flugel's Tree. Gojo stumbled as his boots hit the grass, his knees buckling.
Damn it.
His breathing was ragged, lungs burning. The Reversed Cursed Technique churned in his gut, sluggish and thick like cooling tar. It was fighting a losing battle to repair the burnout in his brain. The barrier of Infinity flickered around his skin—on, off, on, off—syncing with his erratic heartbeat.
Then—it stabilized.
"Ugh… seriously…" Gojo wiped a streak of blood from his eye, exhaling sharply. "Now then, I just need to wai—"
A presence.
It didn't arrive; it was simply there.
It wasn't the heavy, malicious pressure of a Cursed Spirit. It felt… just strange. Like a beautiful painting hanging over a rotting wall.
It was an ironic existence.
Gojo's head snapped to the side.
A small figure stood amidst the mist. She was draped in a single sheet of white cloth, her appearance strikingly, disturbingly angelic. Platinum hair fell in unnatural, perfect straightness. Her eyes—cerulean and void of light—stared right through his blindfold, into his soul.
She smiled. It was a look of overwhelming, terrifying affection.
"My, my. I feel so honored."
Her voice was soft, a whisper against glass, yet it carried across the clearing with impossible clarity.
"To think I would meet a guest I had not invited. A variable not written in the history of this world. How… tragic."
Pandora, the Witch of Vainglory.
Gojo's Six Eyes screamed at him.
"But, I suppose it cannot be helped..." she continued, tilting her head with a look of genuine pity. "That boy… he has such a bad habit of defying expectations. Sending you here to save himself? It is a clever trick, but it ruins the flow of what should be."
Gojo's brows furrowed. The alarm bells in his head were deafening.
"…The hell are you babbling about? Who's 'he'?"
Pandora blinked, her smile never wavering.
"The one beloved by the Witch, of course. I was expecting him to arrive by carriage, to witness the tragedy properly. But you…"
She opened her arms, as if offering a hug.
"You are a stain on this beautiful scene, Satoru Gojo. And for the sake of the world's happiness…"
The air didn't change. No killing intent flared. She simply spoke, as if stating a fact that had always been true.
"…it would be better if you were never here at all."
—————————————————
Back in Arlam Village…
Subaru's chest heaved.
The sensation—the invasive sickness of Betelgeuse's mind—was gone.
Strange. I didn't even have to say it this time…?
He sat up, looking toward Rem with a tired smile.
"Sorry! I probably made you worry, huh? I was just ultra-focused, that's all."
Rem didn't respond.
Wilhelm stared at him—stoic, unreadable. But suspicious.
Felix approached, wiping sweat from his brow.
"Phew… I healed what I could. Only a few deaths but… deaths nonetheless."
Anger surfaced in his voice for a brief second, before he exhaled.
Wilhelm placed a hand on his shoulder.
"We won. Now all we need is—"
"Gojo?" Rem asked, gaze turned away.
"Yeah, Sen…sei—"
Subaru stopped.
He saw it too.
Gojo. Shirt torn, body bloodied, walking forward without a word. Dead eyes. Not tired. Not relieved. Just… empty.
Subaru's instincts screamed.
"Gojo-sensei… why are you…"
A red glow flickered in Gojo's hand.
Before anyone could react—his palm snapped sideways, aimed at Wilhelm and Felix.
BOOOOM—!!
The cursed technique hit squarely. The Sword Demon was launched across the village like a missile, crashing through a house as the ground buckled beneath him. He may of survived.
But Felix wasn't so lucky, he was blasted with the same force, but he was not the Sword Demon. His body was utterly broken, crumbled, shattered from the force of the impact.
"…Here…?"
Subaru's words died in his throat.
Rem stepped forward.
"Gojo, what are you—GAAHK—!?"
CRACK—!!
A fist slammed into her gut. Ribs shattered. The shockwave screamed, flattening nearby structures as Rem was flung across the battlefield.
Silence. Then panic. Soldiers staggered to their feet, eyes wide in disbelief and confusion.
"W-What is he doing?!"
Gojo said nothing.
His hand rose again.
Palm aimed at a group of soldiers.
A blue sphere began to pulse. Subaru moved. Too fast to think.
His fist, soaked in cursed malevolence, swung forth and...
THUD—!!
Impact was made, the fist struck his stomach without stopping. The force was mighty, and Gojo coughed blood, stumbling backward. His stance adjusted automatically.
It hit him…?!
Right—his technique's exhausted… from Regulus…
"Why?!"
Subaru screamed, arms outstretched.
"Why are you doing this, GOJO-SENSEI?!"
Gojo didn't answer. As if he were simply a corpse in motion.
He simply stared.
Expressionless.
Until—
BOOM—!!
A shockwave tore the air apart.
Gojo blurred forward, a streak of white and blue, cursed energy flaring like a solar flare in motion. Subaru barely twisted aside—the air itself screamed—and the ground where he'd been standing detonated, cratering violently, dirt and shattered stone flying like shrapnel skyward.
He's slower… way weaker… than normal but still—!!
Still fast enough to kill me.
Subaru's fist pulsed—black and violet cursed energy hissed and danced like writhing serpents around his arm. He drove it forward with everything he had and more.
CRACK—!!
His knuckles slammed into Gojo's ribs. Gojo staggered back, coughing blood that sprayed in a crimson arc across the grass. His foot dug deep into the earth, cracking the stone beneath as he refixed his stature.
"Why won't you answer me?!" Subaru screamed, voice hoarse with pain and fury, as he charged again—cursed energy flaring violently with every step, splitting the air.
SWOOSH-!
He launched a jab. Gojo's arm intercepted, slapping it aside with a heavy forearm swipe.
SWISH—!
Subaru pivoted. His body snapped into a fluid spiral. A sweeping kick rocketed into Gojo's shin.
CRACK—!
The impact thundered out, echoing across the forest as Gojo stumbled sideways. His boots tore through grass and loose soil, leaving behind gouged trails of uprooted earth.
I dont wanna do this but...
Subaru didn't stop.
He pounced like a feral animal—fists ablaze, trails of black lightning sparking in their wake.
THUD—! THUD—!
Two jabs—one slamming into Gojo's side, the other skimming off his collarbone with enough force to fracture. Gojo twisted with the momentum, body turning—but Subaru followed through.
He ducked, surged in, and—
BOOM—!
A gut punch landed hard, the shockwave flattening grass in a twenty-foot radius. Gojo's breath hitched, coughing blood.
Then, Gojo's head snapped back up, and his hand lashed out without a second thought—
SNAP—!!
He gripped Subaru's wrist mid-swing. Tight. Like a vice. Subaru barely had time to flinch until contact was made—
THOOM—!!
Gojo's knee rocketed into his chest.
CRACK—!!
His ribs caved.
Subaru's entire body folded inward, air fleeing his lungs in a pained gasp.
He flew—smashed into the ground and skidded, dirt pluming behind him like a jet trail. He crashed through a half-destroyed cottage, splinters and tile erupting as he vanished into the rubble.
But then—
BOOM—!!
He burst free in a spray of debris, flipping mid-air and landing on one knee, bloody and shaking.
"Guhk.. uff..."
Gojo walked forward through the smoke, each step like a drumbeat. Infinity shimmered around him for a moment, an attempt to reactivate it—But it was strained. It glitched. Blood leaked from a temple gash, trailing along his cheek.
But he was still terrifying, without it, weakened. He was still far more powerful than Subaru.
Damn it... he's still so far ahead of me..?
BAM—!!
Suddenly he was there yet again, moving like a white blur. Inches away. Subaru didn't move in time. Gojo's shoulder rammed into him like a freight train—he was launched, body tearing through trees, branches exploding like cannon blasts until—
CRASH—!!
A massive trunk caught him. More bones cracked, bark shattered, and the whole tree tipped over and fell with a deafening THUD. And yet— He moved. Staggered out. Cursed energy howled from his body, lashing out like a storm of razors, distorting the air.
He screamed—and tackled Gojo with a lunge forward. They tumbled through the village, colliding with a stone wall and toppling it as if it were paper. Each strike was nuclear. Parry after parry, blow after blow.
Then the momentum collapsed, Gojo's spine smashed against a tree mid-tackle. Leaves fell in slow-motion. Subaru's right hook spun Gojo's jawline—causing blood to fly in a fine arc.
SWISH-!
Satoru's neck had suddenly tilted at the last moment, evading a second blow that tore a hole through the side of the tree behind, eviscerating bark like paper.
Then a counter, Gojo's elbow finding Subaru's temple—THUD—skull met bone, a spray of red and ringing in the air.
Flesh split.
Teeth cracked.
Blood rained.
They separated—just for a moment.
Both breathing heavy.
Both shaking.
Someone must of done something.. Gojo-Sensei would never.. do this.. not in a million years!!
Gojo didn't speak. Just blurred forward again.
This time—Subaru saw it coming.
He twisted. Caught Gojo's wrist, then twisted his own body, reeling in Gojo until he slammed a knee into the shoulder joint—POP—then hammered an elbow into the back of Gojo's neck.
Gojo stumbled—his foot slipped in an attempt to fix his broken stance—
Subaru swept.
And Gojo fell!
But before Subaru could celebrate—
CRACK—!!
Gojo's foot shattered the ground, as if catching himself through instinct alone before he threw himself forward—and smashed his forehead into Subaru's face. Everything whited out. Blood splashed outward like a haze.
Then—
SLAM—!!
A palm drove into Subaru's chest. Red cursed energy ignited like an inferno—
BOOOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
The explosion vaporized the ground.
Subaru's body rocketed backward, smashing through houses, snapping support beams, dragging a trench through the village roads. Trees fell. Earth lifted. Fire spread where cursed energy scorched wood and roof.
And then silence.
He lay amid broken stone and shattered timber. Barely breathing. Vision fading.
Gojo approached—slow. Detached. Eyes hollow.
He knelt.
Placed his hands around Subaru's throat.
And began to squeeze.
Subaru tried to gasp.
But no air came.
But even now, he smiled—just faintly.
Good… this is for the better… I'll come back. I'll fix this. I'll save him.
His vision darkened. His limbs twitched.
And then—
Darkness.
Natsuki Subaru died once more, to the hands of the one least expected.