"Honored One, huh?" Headon's high-pitched voice echoed across the vast, empty stone chamber. He tilted his head, the single slit in his elongated face twitching as though mimicking a smile. Then came a laugh—shrill, ringing, and riddled with something ancient.
"Wonderful… It's been a long time since someone declared themselves as boldly as you have. I look forward to your story of ascension, Gojo Satoru."
The words made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. Still, Satoru—reborn in this strange realm didn't waver him. Instead, he straightened up.
"Tell me," he said, tone steady, "what is this tower, really?
Headon leaned on his golden staff, the crystal at the end swirling faintly with strange energy.
"I am the Guardian of the First Floor," he said calmly. "As for the Tower… its answers cannot be handed to you—they must be climbed. Each floor holds trials, secrets, and opportunities. Only those with willpower stronger than fate may reach the top."
"I see," Gojo muttered. "So how many floors are there?"
"That, too, can only be known by climbing. Each step reveals only what is earned."
Gojo's brows furrowed, but he pressed on. "And what about inhabitants? Are there others like me?"
Headon's amused tone returned. "Oh yes. Millions. Many born within, many chosen by me. Some… irregular, like you." His eyes glinted beneath the hood. "The Tower hasn't welcomed one like you in centuries."
Gojo's thoughts raced. If others were chosen like me… that means the likes of Urek Mazino, Enryu… maybe even Baam came before me. The realization sent a chill through his spine.I have to quickly figure out at what time period I am at- he muttered in a quiet tone.
"And this floor's test?"
Headon twirled his staff. Instantly, the corridor behind Gojo twisted. The once pitch-black hallway bent unnaturally and gave way to a massive steel gate that rose like the mouth of a beast.
The gate rumbled open with a bone-chilling screech, revealing a vast chamber filled with rippling water that defied gravity—suspended midair like an ocean waiting to drown its prey. In its center floated a single, obsidian-black sphere.
Then he saw it—the predator.
A massive, serpent-like creature glided through the suspended waves. Its silver-white scales shimmered under the dim lighting, its twin appendages carving through the fluid effortlessly. Its long tail coiled with grace and menace. Razor-like teeth lined its maw, and two piercing eyes locked onto Gojo with hungry anticipation.
"That," Headon said with a grin, "is a White Steel Eel. And it's starving."
Gojo's heartbeat thundered in his ears.
"The test is simple," Headon continued. "Destroy the black sphere. But beware… the eel doesn't care for explanations or sympathy."
Gojo's mouth went dry. Simple, he says?
Before he could react further, Headon conjured a small black orb and tossed it toward him. "This is an E-rank Pocket. It will translate the language of the Tower—Macsethian—and offer basic functions. Tell it 'invisible mode' if you don't want to be seen."
Gojo caught it. As it hovered near his shoulder, he instantly understood how it worked, as if some dormant intuition unlocked its features.
So this is what Baam used… makes sense.
No more instructions followed. The gate to the chamber creaked fully open, and the cold scent of danger rushed out like a whisper of death.
He stood there, frozen between two impossible choices: to face this monstrosity—or return to the cursed, regret-ridden life he'd left behind.
The decision took only a breath.
He walked forward.
If I die here… so be it. But if there's a sliver of chance to carve out the life I dreamed of—
Then I'd rather die chasing it than live chained to the past.
As Gojo entered, the doors shut behind him with a deafening clang.
Immediately, he felt it.
Pressure.
It wasn't physical—it was everywhere. Like being submerged beneath thousands of meters of ocean. His lungs burned for a moment, his skin tingled, but just as fast, the feeling faded. He took a step, expecting heaviness, but it felt as though the world shifted for him.
This is… Shinsu? It feels so natural. He was baffled. Is it the Six Eyes? Or something else…?
Before he could ponder it further, the water ahead trembled.
Then it attacked.
The White Steel Eel exploded toward him with a flash of movement. He barely twisted his body in time to dodge the strike, its teeth grazing his sleeve as it smashed through the stone behind him.
He rolled, breath hitching, heart pounding.
Another sudden charge—and this time, it came from above.
He dove to the side, landing hard as the eel's tail whipped through the air, slicing across where his chest had been moments before.
Damn it…! I can't keep dodging forever.
He sprinted across the arena toward the floating black sphere. But the eel, impossibly fast for its size, surged forward and blocked his path. Its mouth opened again, and he could feel the intent to kill. The air warped around its teeth, the pressure threatening to split him in half.
His mind screamed for options. I haven't even practiced Cursed Techniques yet! And the Limitless— he clenched his fists, —I don't know if I can risk it yet.
But then a desperate, reckless idea crept into his mind.
Dismantle.
He had no reason to believe he could use it. It wasn't part of his inheritance. It wasn't part of Gojo Satoru's legacy—it was Sukuna's, the king of curses. Something he had no right to even think about.
But perhaps… perhaps the Six Eyes had given him a glimpse into a world of techniques beyond understanding. Or perhaps, in that moment of madness, it was sheer luck… and raw instinct.
He closed his eyes. Felt the flow of Shinsu. He tried to reach out into the chaos around him.He guided the shinsu through him as if it was an extension of him.
And with a sweeping motion of his arm, he roared—
"DISMANTLE!"
The air cracked.
An invisible arc of pure destruction tore through the fluid world ahead of him.
The eel surged forward to strike him once more—
And then it froze.
Sliced.
A clean, coronal line split its armored body in two. The halves floated apart silently, blood dyeing the water red.
Gojo stood still, panting. His heart thumped like a war drum in his chest.
It… it worked?!
He didn't waste a second. With the creature slain, he rushed toward the black orb at the center and, with a single strike, shattered it.
A radiant wave of white light engulfed him, lifting him off the ground.
Far behind, in the dark, Headon watched silently. His eyes narrowed, his slit mouth curving in an unnatural grin.
"Well, well, well…" he mused, as the pressure in the chamber faded. "Killed a White Steel Eel… in a Shinsu environment resembling the 7th floor… on the first try."
He chuckled.
"So that's the power of the Honoured One?"
His face shifted, teeth glinting in the dimness.
"But does he truly comprehends what lies behind those eyes…! His tone taking a solemn turn- on what he saw behind those blue jewels.
The slit opened wider as his form began to vanish into the void.
"Welcome to the Tower, Mr. Satoru," he whispered into the shadows. "Let the chaos begin."