Three minutes ago.
On the rooftop, the hilt of Ryūjin Jakka quivered faintly, its crimson patterns flickering as an invisible, searing heat pinned down Kenzō's struggles. Gaio turned, stepping toward the edge of the rooftop.
His figure vanished like smoke.
The next moment, a chilling silence enveloped him. Without air to carry sound, the massive blue planet below rotated silently beneath his feet.
This was beyond the planet, in the vacuum of space, where darkness stretched endlessly.
Gaio floated, his black robes like frozen ink against the backdrop of stars.
Below, the outline of Neon Country was crystal clear in his eyes.
He had been here before, after his body transformed. He knew the cold and suffocation of the vacuum no longer threatened him.
He had even noticed subtle differences between this country and his memories—broader landmasses, unfamiliar city outlines, as if the entire planet had swelled slightly.
But none of that mattered.
His focus narrowed to the ominous barrier enveloping Neon Country—ten translucent energy domes that Kenzō took such pride in.
His goal: destroy them.
Gaio's body sank slightly, his center of gravity lowering as if he stood on an invisible sheet of ice.
His right hand quietly rested on the hilt of his Yama Blade at his waist.
The scabbard was cold, its touch familiar.
His eyes narrowed briefly, and when they opened, a fleeting blue flame seemed to flicker in the depths of his irises!
He drew the blade!
Too fast!
So fast that in the vacuum, only countless faint blue afterimages warped the space around him!
The motion of his arm and blade surpassed the limits of visual perception!
Slash!
The invisible intent of his blade didn't cut through the air—it transcended space itself, striking precisely at the ten core nodes of the massive barrier network below!
Sheathe!
The Yama Blade slid back into its scabbard with precision, the black hilt and guard fitting together seamlessly.
Click!
A crisp metallic sound echoed strangely in the absolute silence of the vacuum, resonating clearly in the depths of Gaio's mind!
It was as if a key had turned, igniting the engine of destruction.
Buzz—!!!
Above Neon Country, ten precise coordinates erupted simultaneously in blinding blue-white explosions!
Billions of pure, razor-sharp cutting intents bloomed out of nowhere!
Crack! Crack crack crack—BOOM!!!
The massive barrier wall covering the sky, along with its intricate internal support nodes, shattered like paper before the billions of sudden blade marks!
Like ten colossal panes of glass struck by invisible hammers, the barriers collapsed inward, disintegrating!
The deafening sound of shattering wasn't physical—it was a soul-rending resonance born from the destruction of the barrier's structure at the level of universal laws!
The entire Neon Archipelago, along with its surrounding seas, trembled violently under this silent shockwave of cosmic rules!
The sky shattered!
Countless mountain-sized fragments of the translucent barrier, trailing blazing energy tails, plummeted toward the cities, wilderness, mountains, and oceans below like apocalyptic meteor shards!
Explosions of firelight flashed one after another beneath the broken sky.
Gaio gazed coldly at the barrier below, now torn apart by his blade's light, like a god observing the struggles of ants.
Mission accomplished.
He cast one final glance at the space scarred by his blade marks, his expression calm and undisturbed, as if he had merely brushed away some dust.
His figure faded silently, blending into the vast, infinite darkness of the cosmos behind him.
Only the eternal silence of the vacuum remained, quietly proclaiming the end of a millennium-long conspiracy.
Back on the rooftop, Kenzō's eyes bulged as if they might pop out of their sockets. The edges of his eye sockets cracked from the strain, blood trickling down like tears of despair.
"Impossible, impossible," he muttered repeatedly.
Swish. A figure appeared beside him—Rokushikiichi.
Initially, he hadn't dared approach. The blade lodged in Kenzō's body and the flames surrounding it instilled an instinctive fear in him.
But who was he? Rokushikiichi.
He had been reborn to challenge the King of Curses, Sukuna—to settle the score, life or death.
And now, it seemed someone even stronger than Sukuna had appeared. After his fear subsided, his burning battle lust couldn't be contained. So, he stepped onto the rooftop.
Seeing Kenzō's broken state, Rokushikiichi sneered, "Kenzō, you look pathetic. It's almost laughable."
Kenzō's mind was too shattered to register Rokushikiichi's words.
Ignoring the lack of response, Rokushikiichi's gaze locked onto the Ryūjin Jakka embedded in Kenzō's body.
"This beat-up blade… has that kind of terrifying power?" he muttered, slowly reaching out to touch it.
The moment his fingertips neared the blade, the crimson patterns on Ryūjin Jakka flared with intense light. A wave of scorching fire surged outward from the blade in all directions.
"Hmph!" Rokushikiichi snorted, his body crackling with lightning as a thunder shield formed to protect him.
The fire wave crashed against the shield, sparking with a crackling roar, the sheer force causing the rooftop's surface to fracture.
"Not bad," Rokushikiichi said, a glint of excitement in his eyes. He poured more cursed energy into the shield, its glow intensifying, pushing back the fire wave with sheer force.
As if provoked, Ryūjin Jakka trembled violently, emitting a low hum as the flames' heat surged even higher.
"Come on!" Rokushikiichi roared, stomping the ground and charging toward the blade like a bolt of lightning.
His right hand clenched into a fist, lightning coalescing into a massive thunder blade, which he swung down at Ryūjin Jakka with full force.
BOOM! The collision of fist and blade unleashed a terrifying energy storm.
Rokushikiichi was thrown back, skidding across the rooftop, leaving a long gouge in its surface.
Ryūjin Jakka remained firmly lodged in Kenzō, unmoving, but its crimson patterns glowed even brighter, the flames burning fiercer, as if declaring its inviolability.
Rokushikiichi struggled to his feet, blood trickling from his mouth, his eyes blazing with even greater fervor.
"No weapon has ever gotten me this fired up. Today, I'm taking you with me!"
With that, he formed hand seals, his body surging with wild lightning that gathered into a massive thunder orb, crackling with countless electric serpents.
Just as the orb was about to launch, its violent energy tearing at the air—
"What are you doing?"
A cold voice rang out abruptly in Rokushikiichi's ear!
Not from ahead, but behind him!
His pupils shrank, his heart gripped by an invisible force!
No time to think—battle instincts took over! He forcibly canceled the thunder orb, cursed energy surging backward in his body, forcing a grunt as he twisted and lunged!
Crackle—! Lightning exploded, and he shot sideways like a jagged bolt!
Two hundred meters away, on the edge of another building's rooftop, Rokushikiichi steadied himself, chest heaving, a trickle of blood at his lips from the backlash of interrupting his technique.
He snapped his head up, scanning his previous position… nothing?!
Impossible! The voice was right in his ear!
"Fancy moves. What were you just doing?" The cold, indifferent voice spoke again.
This time, it came clearly from behind him!
Rokushikiichi's hair stood on end! He spun around!
Gaio stood there.
Silent, as if he had always been there, unnoticed by Rokushikiichi.
So close, Rokushikiichi could almost feel the lingering chill of the vacuum clinging to him.
His black robes were still, his white hair hung loosely, and his calm eyes looked down at Rokushikiichi like he was a pebble on the roadside.
When had he returned?! When had he gotten behind him?!
Rokushikiichi's heart pounded like a drum, cold fear overpowering his burning battle lust.
His prized speed and senses were a joke in front of this man!
The massive thunder orb, now uncontrolled, exploded at his former position!
Blinding lightning swallowed the area, wild electric serpents lashing the ground, shattering the cracked concrete into dust!
Smoke, debris, and the scorched smell of electricity filled the air.
In the haze, Gaio stood unmoving, not even his clothes stirred. The rushing energy wave hit an invisible wall half a meter from him, vanishing instantly.
Rokushikiichi watched, wide-eyed, as his full-power attack couldn't even make the man budge!
He glared at Gaio, teeth grinding, cursed energy raging like a startled beast in his veins, yet too afraid to unleash.
Fear coiled around his limbs like icy vines.
Gaio's gaze flicked through the explosion's dust, landing on Rokushikiichi's face, his eyes devoid of emotion, showing only faint annoyance at being disturbed.
"Too noisy," he said, his voice low but piercing through the lingering thunder, "You're bothering me."
The next instant, Gaio's figure seemed to flicker.
Rokushikiichi's muscles tensed to their limit! Lightning instinctively flared to shield him!
But it was too slow!
He felt his body lighten, as if a support had vanished. He looked down in horror!
Blood sprayed like a broken pump from his severed right shoulder! His entire arm, somehow cut clean off, arced through the air and crashed to the ground!
Pain hit like a tsunami, a split-second delayed but overwhelming!
"Argh—!" Rokushikiichi roared in agony, sweat soaking him instantly!
"You're too loud," Gaio's icy voice whispered like a reaper.
Before the words faded—
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!
Three slashes, faster than nerve reflexes, sliced through his remaining limbs!
Rokushikiichi's scream cut off, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints from pain and primal fear!
He watched his left arm and legs detach like broken toys, blood splattering the rooftop like spilled ink!
Thud! His limbless torso slammed to the ground, lying side by side with Kenzō, now similarly mutilated, in a gruesome, eerie scene.
His head let out a beastly howl: "You bastard—!!!"
At the brink of death, all plans were cast aside!
Rokushikiichi unleashed his final cursed energy—the trump card he'd saved for Sukuna, burning his life and soul!
"Beast! Amber!!!" he roared with all his might, calling the technique's true name!
Buzz—!
Wild blue arcs, like solid flames, instantly enveloped his remaining head!
His cursed energy core pulsed violently, an ancient, ferocious aura about to break free! He would force this transformation, even for a moment, to tear a piece of his foe!
But then!
His vision blurred.
As if the world hit fast-forward and froze.
Rokushikiichi's raging will, burning cursed energy, and defiant roar… all stopped.
His straining eyes saw clearly—
A headless body, lying in a pool of blood, its severed neck still sparking with blue arcs struggling to complete the transformation.
That… was his body?
The world spun.
He felt himself falling.
The ground… cracked concrete… loomed closer.
Thud.
A dull impact.
Rokushikiichi's final vision fixed on his own headless, limbless torso, still radiating terrifying cursed energy.
That cold, black figure stood like an unyielding monolith at the edge of his sight.
His consciousness sank into eternal darkness.