84 Chapter 82

Gojo Satoru was standing in the ruins of a sports field.

Swept clean by a maximum output of Cursed Technique Reverse once, and again by the decisive battle between Gojo and Toji, the sports field of Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College had now become too damaged to repair.

"..."

A few days later, upon seeing the sports field where the two had fought, Yaga swallowed an anti-nausea medicine he had become accustomed to taking. He then asked Toji what he thought about restoring the site.

"Just leave it. Those guys need a space where they can freely practice their Cursed Techniques."

It would just break again anyway. Toji answered indifferently.

Thus, the sports field remained torn up and overturned, becoming a space where students could practice their destructive Cursed Techniques.

Just like now.

Geto Suguru and Ieiri Shoko were sitting side by side on the outskirts of the sports field, looking at Gojo Satoru standing alone in the center.

Gojo lifted his finger, and his blue eyes shone through his black sunglasses.

"Cursed Technique Reversal,"

Red.

A flash of red light, and an explosive energy that pushed everything away burst forth. Not only the overturned sports field but even the trees nearby were blown away.

Kwa—ang!

Trees were uprooted and flown away, distorting the forest, but Gojo did not stop. This was not the end.

A blue Cursed Technique Lapse, Blue.

A red Cursed Technique Reversal, Red.

He raises both at the same time and clashes them together.

Gojo extended his arm. A purple light, created by mixing blue and red, flashed beautifully and threateningly from his fingertips.

"Hollow Technique,"

Purple.

With a flick of his fingers, the view suddenly turned purple. An absolute power shockwave, impossible to defend against, engulfed the sports field and the forest beyond.

"..."

When Geto was able to properly see in front of him again, the dense forest of the academy had a gaping hole in it.

"Yay! Success!"

Gojo energetically bounced up and down. Geto clapped his hands in applause.

"Congratulations, Satoru."

"Hehe!"

Turning towards his peers, Gojo made a triumphant V-sign with a proud expression. Geto laughed heartily, while Shoko grimaced with a groan.

"You've become incredibly strong, Satoru. When did you master the Reverse Cursed Technique?"

"Right after Toji-sensei stabbed me."

Geto's face twisted severely.

"And you still call him 'sensei' after going through that?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"Totally."

The first-time shock of being utterly defeated, the humiliation of a total loss, the pain of having one's throat pierced and upper body split in half.

Such feelings were insignificant and meaningless compared to the joy and exhilaration of mastering the Reverse Cursed Technique and reaching its pinnacle.

"In heaven and on earth, I alone am honored."

It is I alone who is revered in this world.

Since it was Toji who had led him to this stage, Satoru Gojo was, in his way, thankful.

Of course, Geto Suguru felt differently.

"You might be okay, but I'm not."

Geto still couldn't shake the image of his friend collapsing, bleeding from the neck.

'It was the first time I'd ever seen Satoru like that since we were born.'

It was also the first time Geto himself had felt so powerless against someone. Despite mastering the exceptional Cursed Technique of Summoning and even appropriate martial arts, none of it was useful against Toji.

The curse user killer, Zenin Toji's notorious reputation became something Geto could seriously appreciate.

'Satoru became much stronger after mastering the Reverse Cursed Technique.'

Even knowing this, Geto never let Gojo be alone with Toji after that incident. As for Toji, he didn't care whether Geto was cautious or not.

"Don't worry, Suguru. My body is much stronger now."

Gojo confidently smiled and placed his hands on his hips.

"Speaking of which, I've wanted to try fighting Toji-sensei with this technique."

But Toji had slipped away at that time, preventing the fight.

Of course, if Toji had really fought Gojo, he would have died. He was strong, but he hadn't reached the same level as Gojo, and at that time, Gojo had no mindset to control his power.

'It was just exhilarating.'

The entire world as seen through his eyes.

Toji probably knew as well. That if they fought now, he would definitely lose.

So, he quickly made himself scarce, ensuring that Gojo couldn't recklessly attack while also taking Suguru into account.

Days passed, and despite Gojo's numerous attempts, Toji still refused to engage in a Cursed Technique duel.

'It seems like it'll never happen.'

His skillful avoidance and excuses were frustrating yet somehow fitting. Avoiding an unbeatable opponent or finding another way is a killer's trait, after all.

When Gojo turned his head, Geto also shifted his gaze in the same direction. At the end of their gaze, a small green-haired boy... that is, Zoro, was seen approaching.

Shoko asked in confusion.

"What are you doing here?"

"...? What about you guys? Why are you here?"

"What do you mean— You're lost again, aren't you?"

Zoro's poor sense of direction was well-known to everyone.

How he managed to do it was beyond anyone's guess, as Zoro almost never found his way on his own. Not only could he not distinguish north, south, east, and west, but even with someone beside him, he would often wander off in a different direction.

Even when walking down the nearly straight corridors of the academy, he would end up going back the way he came, prompting concerns that something was seriously wrong with him.

Geto asked kindly.

"How did you end up here?"

"The academy moved."

Of course, that wasn't the case. It was Zoro who got lost. Geto couldn't bring himself to say that outright, but Gojo, without any filter, bluntly voiced his thoughts.

"You got lost, you dumb marimo."

"What?!"

Gojo took off his sunglasses and scrutinized Zoro with a serious look. Even after achieving his current level, Zoro showed no signs of any curse or curse-related traits.

"It doesn't seem like you're a directionally challenged curse user."

That was a mystery in itself. How could someone not be a directionally challenged curse user and still get lost this badly?

Geto squatted down to be at eye level with Zoro and offered his hand.

"Since the next class is a theory class, let's go together."

Even though Geto was wary of Toji, that caution didn't extend to Zoro.

Survival of the weakest. That was Geto's creed, and a non-sorcerer child was the epitome of the weak.

"Oh, thanks."

And unlike Toji, Zoro readily expressed his gratitude. Geto smiled at the sight.

Zoro pointed towards the forest that Satoru had blown away, in the exact opposite direction of the building where their class was.

"This way, right?"

"Just hold my hand and follow me, okay?"

Geto knew from long experience that some things never change. In his view, Zoro's lack of direction was one of those things.

Geto firmly grasped Zoro's hand to prevent him from running off. Shoko, observing Zoro's tendency to veer off despite having people on either side, murmured.

"...Might need a thorough examination to see if there are any lasting effects."

"? Who?"

"You, you."

The marimo, that is. Gojo playfully poked Zoro's cheek.

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