Chapter 154: A Punch to Wake Him Up! A Man's Promise
Bang!
The dull impact echoed through the vast Tomb of the Star Corridor like a heavy hammer striking everyone's chest.
Satoru Gojo's body lurched forward.
The fanatic arrogance burning in his Six Eyes finally wavered. For the first time since he had returned from the edge of death, a clear haze of confusion appeared in them.
Yami's desperate strength, combined with the heavy back of Shiranui's blade, had still delivered a brutal blow.
Even Satoru Gojo could not shrug off a strike to the back of the neck from a Special Grade Cursed Tool wielded with that much force.
Crack.
At the same time, the broken hilt of the Inverted Spear of Heaven in Yami's left hand reached its limit.
After forcing its way through Limitless and enduring the violent backlash of Cursed Energy, the remains of the cursed tool that had once terrified countless Jujutsu Sorcerers finally crumbled.
Fine black powder scattered from between Yami's fingers and disappeared into the air.
Completely gone.
"You…"
Gojo staggered and barely steadied himself.
His vision blurred. Double images overlapped in front of him, and the dizziness deep in his brain even caused his newly awakened Reverse Cursed Technique to falter for an instant.
But he still had not fully come back to himself.
The delusion born from his explosive growth, that feverish certainty that he had become something above all others, still clung to his mind and dragged his reason under.
He whipped his head around.
His face twisted with rage, almost as if he felt humiliated, and he raised his right hand again. Cursed Energy began to gather at his fingertips.
"It's not over yet. I am…"
Bang!
Gojo did not finish his sentence.
A blood stained fist crashed into his face.
There was no beautiful sword form.
No Breathing Technique.
No elaborate footwork.
Only raw, savage strength packed into one furious punch.
The Friendship Face Breaking Punch.
"Wake up!"
Yami's hoarse roar exploded beside Gojo's ear.
The force of the punch sent Gojo spinning twice through the air before he smashed into the rubble in a disheveled heap.
"Look at Suguru!"
Yami did not stop.
Dragging his battered body forward, he walked step by step to where Gojo had fallen.
He reached down with his blood soaked hand, grabbed Gojo by the torn collar, and hauled him up from the ground.
"Look at Riko!"
Yami's voice shook the ruined chamber.
"Look at what's around you!"
A rare, burning anger flashed in his dark eyes.
It was anger at Gojo's disregard for the lives around him.
And it was pain for a friend who had almost lost himself.
"How long are you going to keep acting insane?"
His grip tightened.
"You think you're strong now? You think you're a god?"
Gojo's eyes widened.
Yami stared into those Six Eyes and spoke each word clearly.
"If you can't even protect the people you want to protect, if you've forgotten who you are, then you're nothing but a monster with power."
His voice dropped.
"And there's no difference between you and Toji."
Silence fell.
The entire Tomb of the Star Corridor became deathly still.
Yami's words echoed again and again in Gojo's mind, like a bell struck at full force.
The memories buried beneath the intoxication of power surged back all at once.
Suguru Geto lying in a pool of blood, his life hanging by a thread.
Riko Amanai curled up in the corner, face wet with tears and fear.
Yami standing before him, covered in wounds, dragging a body that should have already collapsed just to punch him awake.
The madness in Gojo's Six Eyes began to retreat like a receding tide.
In its place came clarity.
Dazed.
Complicated.
Human.
"I…"
Gojo opened his mouth, but his throat was dry.
He slowly lowered his head and looked at his own hands.
They were covered in blood.
Some of it belonged to Toji.
Some belonged to himself.
But most of it was Yami's.
"What did I…"
His voice trembled faintly.
"What did I just do?"
Only then did Gojo realize it.
If Yami had not risked his life to break through Limitless…
If Hollow Purple had truly been released…
Then the only one still standing in this place would have been him.
A lonely god in a graveyard.
"Awake now?"
Yami saw the light return to Gojo's eyes, and the tension that had been holding him together finally snapped.
He released Gojo's collar.
His body swayed.
Then he fell backward, all strength leaving him at once.
"Yami!"
Gojo moved quickly and caught his heavy body.
Feeling Yami's terrifying injuries and the weak heartbeat that seemed ready to stop at any moment, Gojo's eyes reddened in a way that was rare for him.
"Sorry."
He carefully lowered Yami to the ground.
His voice was low, carrying a sincerity that had been absent from him moments before.
"I really lost my head just now."
He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, the blood caused by Yami's punch, then looked down at him seriously.
"But, Yami…"
Gojo gave a small laugh.
This time, it was clean.
Relieved.
"You really are strong."
His smile widened slightly.
"Strong like a monster."
He slowly raised his fist, still stained with blood, and held it in front of Yami.
"When everyone recovers…"
"When we're all back in perfect condition…"
His Six Eyes were clear again.
"We're going to have a proper fight."
Yami looked at Gojo's serious expression.
On his pale, blood covered face, a faint smile slowly appeared.
He forced his right hand up.
It trembled.
Blood ran along his fingers, but he still clenched it into a fist.
Then he bumped it firmly against Gojo's.
Bang.
The sound was light.
Almost fragile.
But in that ruined underground chamber, it felt like a promise sealed beyond time and space.
A promise between the strongest.
"It's a deal."
Yami's voice was extremely weak.
But the conviction in it did not waver.
After saying those words, he could no longer hold on.
His eyes closed, and he fell into a deep coma.
"Yami! Yami!"
Riko rushed over, crying. When she saw him unconscious, her tears burst out again.
"Don't cry."
Gojo gently placed a hand on her head.
"He's not dead."
Then he turned toward Geto, who was severely injured not far away.
"Suguru."
Gojo's voice had returned to its usual calm confidence.
But there was something different beneath it now.
Something quieter.
More grounded.
"Let's go home."
Geto looked at his best friend.
At the boy who seemed to have changed after walking through madness and returning.
A faint smile struggled onto his pale face.
"Yeah."
His voice was weak.
"Home."
Half an hour later, the rescue team from Jujutsu High finally arrived at the Tomb of the Star Corridor.
When Masamichi Yaga and Shoko Ieiri saw the underground palace that had been nearly flattened, both of them drew in a sharp breath.
"What the hell happened here?"
Yaga stared at the ruins covering the ground.
His headache returned almost immediately.
"Never mind that. Save them first!"
Shoko rushed toward the badly wounded Yami and Geto.
The moment she saw Yami's injuries, her expression became grave.
"Wounds this severe…"
Her brows tightened.
"If he were an ordinary person, he would've died a long time ago."
She immediately began using Reverse Cursed Technique.
A soft white light enveloped Yami and Geto, warm and steady, knitting their damaged bodies back from the edge.
"These brats…"
Shoko's voice was tense.
"They never let anyone relax."
Under her treatment, Yami's and Geto's breathing gradually stabilized.
Riko sat quietly nearby.
She watched the boys who had given everything to protect her.
Her eyes were filled with emotion, gratitude, and confusion.
She had survived.
But what now?
The higher ups would never allow a Star Plasma Vessel who had failed assimilation, and who might become a hidden danger, to keep living freely.
"Don't worry."
A gentle voice sounded beside her.
Riko lifted her head.
Yami, who had just received treatment, had woken at some point. His face was still pale, and his voice was weak, but his eyes were clear.
He looked at her calmly.
"Your new life has only just begun."
....
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