"What did you say? A Domain?!"
Geto was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure. "But we weren't trapped inside a barrier reflecting their inner world. How does that work?"
He had no doubt about Gojo's judgment, but he still had questions.
"Yeah, you're right. That's why it's more than just a Domain." Gojo's voice grew deeper, his Six Eyes glowing with a bright blue light as they worked at full power to analyze the short-haired girl's punch that had bypassed his Limitless Technique.
The more Gojo analyzed, the brighter his smile became. "So they're wrapping their own body in a Domain and using its guaranteed hit effect to cancel out Limitless… I see, so that's possible too. I just learned something new."
"In that case, since they can deploy a Domain, their strength must be formidable. And they attacked you, which means they're an enemy. Looks like we're in for some trouble." The ponytailed boy reasoned. "A Special-Grade opponent, maybe."
"What's wrong? Getting scared?" Gojo adjusted the sunglasses on his nose, but with half his face swollen, they wouldn't sit properly. So he simply took them off.
"As if." Geto smirked as black ripples began appearing behind him. One by one, the cursed spirits he had collected started emerging. "We're the strongest, remember?"
Even if they were facing a Special-Grade opponent, neither of them showed a hint of fear. Instead, their faces were full of confidence.
Although Hayashizaki had no idea where these two got their confidence from, he couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. With a helpless sigh, he rubbed his forehead and said, "Who on earth taught you two? Always going on about being the strongest—don't you find that embarrassing?"
"Oh? Do you have a problem with that?" Gojo Satoru grinned as a bright blue glow appeared in his hand. The gravitational pull from his technique was already drawing the short-haired girl toward him.
"Are you really planning to fight? I'd suggest you save your energy," Hayashizaki said earnestly. He lowered his head slightly, realizing that he, too, was being slowly pulled toward Gojo Satoru. "After all, I'm just here out of curiosity—to see what the Gojo Satoru of this era is like."
"Hitting you once is just a test. Don't take it personally. Even your future self has taken a punch from me."
"Besides, the most important thing is… even if the two of you team up, you still can't beat me."
Hayashizaki spoke sincerely, but the two hot-blooded youths in front of him didn't seem inclined to listen.
Gojo Satoru grinned. "Oh, really? There's only one way to find out."
The force pulling Hayashizaki suddenly increased, yanking him forward with great force.
He let out a small sigh. "Guess I went too easy on them."
Instead of resisting the pull, the short-haired girl lightly tapped the ground with her foot, using the momentum to launch herself toward the overly confident white-haired boy.
At the same time, a massive, eel-like curse spirit burst out from behind Suguru Geto, its mouth lined with sharp fangs as it lunged at Hayashizaki.
However, before its jaws could even close, the creature was split in two, cut cleanly along its upper and lower halves.
Purple blood splattered everywhere as Hayashizaki emerged from the severed body of the curse spirit, speeding straight toward Gojo Satoru.
For a brief moment, their eyes met. Gojo Satoru, seeing those now-crimson eyes, found himself momentarily dazed.
Sensing imminent danger, he instinctively pushed his Limitless defense to its highest level—but it was still only enough to block for an instant.
A lightning-fast kick came straight for his face. He barely managed to raise an arm to block, but the sheer force still sent him flying backward.
Suguru Geto, still reeling from how quickly his curse spirit had been taken out, suddenly felt a pale hand grip his collar tightly.
Before he could react, an overwhelming force swung him through the air, hurling him straight toward the airborne Gojo Satoru.
Gojo had just steadied himself mid-air and was preparing to land when his vision was suddenly filled with Suguru's incoming body, shooting toward him like a cannonball.
A gentle repelling force caught the bun-haired boy mid-flight, setting him down smoothly. After regaining their footing, both of them had lost the confidence they had just moments ago.
In just a single exchange, they had been completely overwhelmed.
Both Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto had taken down special-grade curses before—but this special grade felt completely different from the others…
"You still wanna keep going, kids?" Hayashizaki stretched his limbs and glanced around, a faint smile on his face.
"Of course…"
"Satoru."
Just as Gojo was about to speak, Suguru interrupted him softly. "Civilians are starting to gather because of the noise."
"Tch, what a buzzkill," Gojo clicked his tongue in frustration.
"Hey, hey! What's going on now? Another fight?!"
Not far away, Amanai Riko and Kuroi Misato, who had been hiding, were anxiously watching the battle. They had initially been worried about whether that kind older sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, could win.
But before they knew it, Gojo Satoru and Suguru Geto had charged into the fight as well.
Kuroi Misato, recognizing the two as the bodyguards sent by Jujutsu High to protect Riko, felt a brief sense of relief—only to watch in shock as they started fighting the very same girl who had just defeated Sonoda Shigeru.
"We're all on the same side! Stop fighting!"
Realizing what was happening, Amanai Riko hurriedly stepped out from behind the bushes, shouting to stop the battle.
However, she failed to notice the dozens of sharp daggers flying straight toward her from behind.
Just as she was about to be turned into a pincushion, a resigned voice spoke softly next to her ear.
"Seriously… You're still trying to attack in a situation like this?"
Before the words had even finished, a series of metallic clangs rang out behind her. Riko turned around in confusion, only to see a pile of daggers scattered across the ground at Yukinoshita Haruno's feet, their tips gleaming coldly in the light.
"Ah!"
The girl with a white headscarf finally realized how close she had been to death. Terrified, she quickly hid in Hayashizaki's arms.
"Miss! Are you okay?" Kuroi Miri asked anxiously.
"I-I'm fine… Thanks to this big sister," Amanai Riko said, her cheeks slightly flushed as she let go of Hayashizaki, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Hey! You two over there, stop standing around and do something!" Hayashizaki said, speechless.
"I don't need you to tell me!" Gojo Satoru snapped, his face dark. He reached out toward the direction where the dagger had come from.
The next second, the hidden attacker was yanked from behind the bushes and thrown face-first onto the ground.
It was a man wearing a Marine uniform with a flashy red cape. Before he could react, the white-haired boy stepped on his back, making him cry out in pain.
"Hey, you're with Q, right?" Gojo Satoru asked, clearly annoyed. He ground his foot into the man's back. "If this is all you've got, don't bother trying to cause trouble! You weakling!"
Today had been an absolute disaster.
First, he got randomly punched by some strange girl. Then, because of his carelessness, the Star Plasma Vessel was nearly killed.
If that short-haired girl hadn't stepped in, their mission would have failed before it even started.
Now, both he and Geto Suguru had not only been scolded but also had to swallow their pride and thank someone else. That was beyond frustrating!
Thinking about it made Gojo press his foot down even harder on the enemy's back.
…
(End of Chapter)
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