"Yo, looks like I'm a step late."
Satoru Gojo leaped lightly from a broken pillar, his leather shoes clicking against the rubble with a crisp sound.
He didn't even look at the massive cursed spirit lying on the ground; instead, he walked straight toward Yoru.
His eyes, hidden beneath the blindfold, seemed to be sizing Yoru up like some rare animal.
Yoru tightened his grip on the iron bar warily.
Although he knew the man was an ally, the pressure radiating from Satoru Gojo was overwhelming.
It was like facing the entire sky, making one feel insignificantly small.
"Who are you?"
Yoru asked, feigning ignorance to hide his unnatural reaction from moments ago.
Satoru Gojo stopped three meters away, his lips curling into an intrigued arc.
His slender fingers reached for the edge of his blindfold, pulling it down slightly.
He revealed an eye as deep as the azure sky—the Six Eyes.
In that instant, Yoru felt as if his entire being had been seen through.
From his muscles and bones to the blood flowing through his veins, nothing could be hidden from that gaze.
"Strange..."
Satoru Gojo tilted his head, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"No cursed energy."
"Not even a trace."
"This is even more thorough than Maki's. You're the ultimate specimen for a Heavenly Restriction."
At that point, Gojo leaned in closer, his azure pupil staring intently into Yoru's eyes.
"Hey, kid."
"What you used just now... that wasn't jujutsu, was it?"
Yoru's heart skipped a beat.
'As expected of the Six Eyes. Did he sense something unusual just from the lingering aura?'
Just as Yoru was debating how to answer, an abnormality occurred.
"Flesh... my... flesh..."
A bone-chilling screech suddenly erupted from behind them.
The cursed spirit, which should have been dead and devoid of life, began to twitch violently.
The wounds carved by the Hinokami Kagura were writhing frantically.
Countless amounts of black cursed energy gushed out like oil, instantly corroding the surrounding ruins.
That aura was more than twice as strong as before!
Special Grade! A true Special Grade cursed spirit!
Although the previous strike had severed its vitals, it had also stimulated its core, allowing it to complete an evolution on the brink of death!
"Watch out! It's not dead yet!"
Yoru shouted, instinctively reaching for his weapon.
The high school girl in the corner had just woken up; seeing this, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted again.
The evolved Special Grade cursed spirit had doubled in size. Countless human faces merged together, forming a massive, venomous ghost face.
It roared, lunging toward Gojo and Yoru with enough momentum to destroy everything in its path.
"I'll... eat... you!!!"
A foul-smelling wind tousled Gojo's silver hair.
However, the strongest modern jujutsu sorcerer didn't even turn his head.
He remained in his posture, watching Yoru, the smile on his face never wavering.
He simply raised his right hand, pointing his index finger at the monster behind him.
The movement was as casual as shooing away a bothersome fly.
"You're noisy."
Those words were uttered calmly, and in the next second, the world fell silent.
Cursed Technique Reversal: Red.
Without warning, a red shockwave erupted, centered on the tip of Gojo's finger.
This was the repulsive force generated by reversing the Limitless technique.
Its power was twice that of the standard technique.
BOOM!!!
The red light flashed. There were no screams, no struggling.
The arrogant cursed spirit that had just evolved into a Special Grade was instantly annihilated upon contact with the red light.
Along with it, half of the abandoned building behind it was reduced to fine powder.
Moonlight shone down as dust slowly settled.
The scene that had looked like hell moments ago was now nothing but level ruins.
An instant kill. A complete and utter instant kill.
Yoru's pupils contracted slightly.
'This is... Satoru Gojo? The strongest?'
Even though he had seen it countless times in the anime, witnessing such power in person hit his soul with raw impact.
Compared to this monster, the tiny embers of his Hinokami Kagura earlier were like comparing a candle to the sun.
"Whew—"
Gojo blew on his fingertip as if brushing off non-existent dust, then readjusted his blindfold.
It was as if he had just swatted a mosquito.
He turned around, seeing Yoru's shocked expression, and smiled even wider.
"So? Pretty cool, right?"
"Thinking about becoming my student?"
"By the way, I'm a teacher at Tokyo Jujutsu High, Satoru Gojo."
Yoru took a deep breath, calming the turmoil in his heart.
He knew his fate had been completely changed at this moment.
Just then, that cold mechanical voice rang in his ear again.
This time, the voice was more hurried, carrying a hint of excitement.
[DING!]
[DETECTED "STRONGEST MODERN JUJUTSU SORCERER" SATORU GOJO!]
[TRIGGERED HIDDEN REWARD!]
[USE "YORIICHI TSUGIKUNI FULL POWER TRIAL CARD" (10 MINUTES / 10% SYNCHRONIZATION / UNLOCK ALL ABILITIES)?]
[NOTE: THIS TRIAL CARD ALLOWS THE HOST TO GAIN THE BATTLE INSTINCTS AND ALL SWORD FORMS OF YORIICHI TSUGIKUNI AT HIS PEAK FOR A SHORT TIME (LIMITED BY THE HOST'S CURRENT PHYSICAL STRENGTH, ONLY 10% OF THE SYNCHRONIZATION RATE CAN BE EXERTED).]
Yoru froze. Yoriichi Tsugikuni at full power?
Even with only 10% synchronization, being able to use all abilities put him in the realm of gods!
Looking at the nonchalant strongest sorcerer before him.
An uncontrollable impulse suddenly surged in Yoru's heart.
It was the instinctive battle lust of a swordsman meeting a powerhouse.
Since he had come to this world and possessed that man's template...
Wouldn't it be a shame not to test himself against the legendary strongest?
Yoru gripped the bent iron bar, looked up, and stared directly into Gojo's eyes behind the blindfold.
A defiant smile, completely different from Yoriichi's and belonging solely to a youth, slowly curled onto his lips.
"Want to be my teacher?"
"Then let's see if you can handle this strike first."
He whispered in his mind.
"System, use the trial card!"