Mizu no Reikai – The Sea of Pale Dreams
Gojo's boots splashed onto the rippling wet ground of the Spirit Realm. With each step, the warm, living liquid beneath shimmered, pulsing as if reacting to his spirit energy. Around him, the dreamscape flickered between serenity and temptation. Coral bridges twisted into flesh. Clouds shaped like sirens moaned overhead. His sword, half-drawn, vibrated with tension.
Hikami, Suma, and Hiyori stumbled in behind him, gasping as the spiritual pressure thickened like syrup. The heat swelled, their skin glistening. Even their undergarments clung embarrassingly tight. But they weren't alone anymore.
"S-Someone's here…" Suma whispered.
A tiny splash sounded.
From behind a floating lotus, a little girl stepped forward. Her silvery hair clung to her wet face, and her eyes glowed a faint teal. She wore an old sailor uniform soaked to translucency, and her small frame trembled.
Hiyori froze. "A child?! In this place?"
The girl looked up. "I am… Sikai. I followed you. I… I saw that woman crying. Mizuki."
Gojo turned sharply. "You saw Mizuki? Where?"
Sikai pointed. "The Execution Grounds. The God is waiting."
And then the realm shuddered.
Waves rolled through the air like thunderclouds. In the distance, a massive structure rose — a cathedral of sea glass and bone, formed from conch shells and sunken dreams. At its heart was a stage of dark crystal, with pillars formed from drowning souls.
And there stood Minaga Hanegawa.
His chest bared, body adorned with glowing black runes, Minaga held Mizuki like an offering. She was unconscious, dressed now in sheer ceremonial silk that revealed far too much — her bare legs floated above the altar, eyes twitching in agony, lips parting as if whispering "Gojo…"
Above her, a titanic eye blinked open — deep blue and older than time. Hizu, the Water God, had awakened.
The very sea trembled.
"Behold!" Minaga's voice boomed, distorted by spirit echo. "The vessel ripens. Her purity will call forth the Leviathan Pact. Through her, we shall drown the sins of fire!"
"MINAGA!!" Gojo's shout cracked the realm.
Suma shrieked as illusions tried to grab her from behind — copies of herself in compromising poses, moaning. Hiyori clung to Gojo's back, gasping as phantasmal tentacles brushed her thighs. Hikami's flames sputtered, her tank top soaked to skin-revealing levels.
But Gojo stepped forward, eyes burning gold.
"She's not yours to offer."
Minaga sneered. "You cannot stop the ocean, boy."
"Then I'll burn the whole damn sea."
He charged.
But as Gojo leapt forward, the god's eye narrowed — and a tidal wave rose to crush him. The roar was deafening. His blade flared — but the pressure was immense.
Then—
Clang.
Gojo's body was thrown back, crashing into coral. Blood sprayed from his mouth.
"No!" Suma rushed forward, grabbing his shoulders. Her soaked yukata fell off one side, revealing a lacy bra. "You can't die! Not now!"
"Move aside," Hikami snarled, face flushed with fury. "I'll kill him myself if he goes down like that!"
Gojo stood slowly, coughing. "No… it's not over."
He raised his hand—
And then unsheathed it.
Benikazuchi. The scarlet spirit blade of storm.
A crackle of red lightning licked along its edge. The sword hummed, its core throbbing with ancestral fury. But this time, it pulsed deeper… hotter. As if the sea itself feared it.
"Benikazuchi…" Minaga hissed. "That blade can—"
"Nullify gods," Gojo finished coldly.
The blade's aura surged outward in a spiral, cutting through the illusions. The lewd temptations faded. The crushing pressure broke. Hizu's watery eye widened.
Gojo took a step forward, raising the blade toward the sky.
"I came to save Mizuki."
Thunder crackled above them.
"I don't care if I have to slice a god's eye open—"
He pointed the blade at Minaga.
"—You will not take her."
Minaga's face twisted in rage, sea runes glowing, arms rising.
Then—everything went black.
The water around them rose up like arms, Mizuki's body started to dissolve into spirit light—
And Gojo—
Vanished.
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TO BE CONTINUED…