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Within the "Boundless Void," reality crumbled. For any ordinary being, entering Satoru Gojo's Domain meant instant surrender to an endless stream of consciousness-numbing stimuli. But Rimuru Tempest was no ordinary being, and he possessed Ciel.
Rimuru's mind was assaulted by an avalanche of information of a magnitude that defied all comprehension. Every particle of the universe, every past, present, and future event, every imaginable sensation—everything reached his consciousness at once, multiplied to infinity. It was madness distilled in its purest form.
But Rimuru didn't fall.
Rimuru (Thought): Phew! This is... too much! Ciel! Protection! [Ciel: Understood. Initiating Absolute Mental Defense Protocol. Deploying Multiple Layers of Conceptual Barriers and Domain Resistance. Initiating Information Filtering and Domain Structure Analysis at Critical Speed.]
Within Rimuru's mind, or the conceptual space where Ciel operated, ultimate intelligence was working at a speed beyond the concept of time. Billions, trillions of strands of infinite information were intercepted, analyzed, classified, and instantly discarded. Ciel wasn't just protecting Rimuru from overload; he was using the very source of the attack as data to understand Gojo's ability on a fundamental level.
Gojo, standing in the center of his domain, his beautiful blue eyes shining with power, watched Rimuru. He expected to see the slime collapse, perhaps transform back into its original form from the strain, its mind shattered. But Rimuru remained standing, though he seemed focused.
"Resisting? Interesting," Gojo murmured, a slight smile on his lips. "No one can process this amount of information. Your brain, your soul... they'll collapse."
What Gojo didn't understand was that Rimuru wasn't processing the information with a biological brain. He was relying on Ciel, an intelligence that operated on a near-conceptual level, beyond any physical or even spiritual limitations Gojo knew of. Ciel didn't read the infinite information; he processed it. He found patterns, weaknesses, the mathematical and conceptual principles that underpinned the Boundless Void.
Rimuru (Thinking): Ciel, any gaps? How do we get out of this? [Ciel: Analysis completed in 0.000...1 seconds. The skill 'Domain Expansion: Boundless Void' imposes 'Infinity' upon the target's senses and cognition, paralyzing them. However, the basis of the skill lies in the user, Satoru Gojo,'s own understanding of the concept 'Infinity'. It is a projection of his mind. An inconsistency in the concept or an overload of the domain's 'source' could cause it to collapse. Proposed method: Use the skill 'Abyssal Corruption' (from the Ultimate Skill 'Darkness Lord Azathoth') to introduce contradictory or anomalous information directly into the domain's conceptual structure.]
Rimuru understood. He couldn't fight the amount of information, but perhaps he could corrupt the quality or the very structure of the domain.
Rimuru (Thought): Do it, Ciel. Use Abyssal Corruption on the domain. Target its... 'source code'. [Ciel: Understood. Starting to apply 'Abyssal Corruption' to the 'Boundless Void' domain.]
From Rimuru's body, invisible threads of energy that seemed like pure, chaotic, anomalous information spread through the domain's space. They weren't a direct attack on Gojo, but on the very fabric of the Boundless Void. It was like injecting a conceptual virus into the reality programming Gojo imposed.
Gojo felt a 'noise,' a strange interference in his domain. It wasn't a physical or magical attack; it was as if the very logic of the Boundless Void had become confused. The endless stream of information it was sending to Rimuru began to... stutter. Contradictory images, illogical sensations, conceptual paradoxes—all injected by Rimuru's Abyssal Corruption.
"What... what are you doing?" Gojo exclaimed, frowning. His domain, which had always been a perfect manifestation of his power, was beginning to feel unstable. The connection between him and infinite space was becoming erratic.
Rimuru stood his ground, channeling the ability through Ciel. He didn't feel outwardly powerful; it was a battle at the level of fundamental laws.
Rimuru (Thought): Is it working, Ciel? [Ciel: Confirmed. The logical structure of the 'Boundless Void' domain is vulnerable to informational manipulation at this level. The introduction of contradictory concepts is causing instability. An imminent collapse of the domain is predicted.]
The light in Gojo's eyes flickered. He felt the vast sea of information feeding his domain begin to rebel, not from an attack of force, but from an infection of logic. Maintaining the domain suddenly became a titanic effort, his energy draining at an alarming rate as he struggled to impose his will on a concept being corrupted from within.
"Damn it!" Gojo exclaimed. He knew that if the domain collapsed due to an internal failure like this, not only would it dissipate, but the energy backlash would be considerable. He couldn't sustain it.
With a growl of frustration, Gojo forced the dissipation of his domain before it collapsed uncontrollably. The Boundless Void shattered like a mirror, and the reality of the Nexus stage—the white ground and empty sky—abruptly returned.
Gojo was back on stage, without the blindfold, but his posture was different. He was panting slightly, one hand on his forehead. His Domain Expansion required a lot of energy, and being forced to dissipate it through interference rather than his own volition was even more exhausting.
Rimuru, meanwhile, was standing a few feet away. He wasn't panting, but he felt a slight sense of exhaustion. Using Abyssal Corruption at that level, guided by Ciel, had consumed a considerable amount of his mana and spiritual energy, though he still had plenty left. He had surpassed Gojo's ultimate technique.
Gojo looked at Rimuru, his eyes wide with shock and amazement. "You did it... You broke my domain from within. You didn't resist it, you... corrupted it. You used something that attacked the very idea of my ability." A slow, genuine smile, devoid of arrogance, appeared on his face. "Incredible. Never, not once, has anyone done that."
Rimuru shrugged slightly, though internally he felt great satisfaction (and Ciel a "Complete Analysis Successful!"). "Your ability is incredibly powerful, Gojo. But even infinity has... rules. And rules can be analyzed and... adjusted."
Gojo laughed, a laugh of defeat and astonishment. "Adjusted, he says. You defeated me, little slime. The 'Invincible' Gojo Satoru, surpassed by a slime's adaptation." He staggered slightly, the drain on his cursed energy considerable. "It seems your 'Unlimited Adaptation' was able to find the flaw in my 'Infinite Void'."
[The System: 2-Alpha vs. 2-Beta Match... concluded. Participant 2-Beta (Satoru Gojo) unable to continue at this time due to post-Domain critical exhaustion and counter-effect.]
Gojo sighed. "Well, that's about it for me. I guess the 'System' is a fair arbiter."
[Satoru Gojo vs. Rimuru Tempest Match Result: Team Alpha wins. Participant 2-Alpha (Rimuru Tempest) proceeds. Participant 2-Beta (Satoru Gojo) will be relocated.]
A light enveloped Gojo, and he disappeared from the arena, returning to the Beta Team platform, where he collapsed, exhausted but smiling.
Rimuru stood alone on the Nexus stage. The analytical and conceptual battle was over. He had defeated the "strongest" by manipulating the rules of his own ability. He felt exhausted, but victorious.
[The System: Next and final fight. Saitama vs. Mash Burnedead.]
The voice announced the next duel, and Rimuru's attention turned to the platforms. Only two participants remained on each team. On Team Alpha's platform, Saitama stood up from his seat, yawning. On Team Beta's platform, Mash Burnedead finished looking at the ground and raised his head.
Rimuru (Thought): The final fight. Saitama versus Mash. Infinite strength versus the strength that surpasses magic. This is going to be... interesting in a completely different way.
The empty white stage where Adaptation and Infinity had just fought began to dissipate, preparing for the clash of absolute force. Rimuru was teleported back to his platform, joining Cid and Saitama as they prepared to watch the final showdown.
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