Two days had passed in a blink of an eye and as expected from the strongest, Geto and Gojo fended off the assassins with ease but that was a part of Toji's plan. They were just some folders to chip away at Gojo's stamina.
When the timer on the black market bounty went out, Gojo breathed in relief and deactivated his Infinity, allowing himself to rest due to the fatigue accumulated over the past two days. However, that was a mistake.
"What the…?" Gojo's eyes widened as he looked down to see his chest had a blade protruding out from his chest. He turned back to see Toji suddenly appear behind him and drive a katana through his body under the shocked look of the other people there.
Despite his fatigue and the wound, Gono shot a powerful Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue toward Toji to which Toji darted back easily with his inhuman speed, seamlessly using the surroundings as his camouflage.
"Are you okay?!" Geto shouted in alarm as he summoned some of his Cursed Spirits to shield them from the sudden and lethal assassin.
"It's fine; luckily, it didn't pierce any vital organ." Gojo kneeled on one knee, his forehead sweating profusely. His face turned slightly pale as he scanned his surroundings to see where Toji had hidden.
When Toji appeared again, Geto ordered his Cursed to attack him but it was futile even if he spammed several grade-one Cursed Spirits. The assassin had a worm-like Cursed wrapped around him as he pulled out a huge blade from it and smiled maniacally.
Seeing Geto's attack as ineffective, Gojo shouted at him, "Go and get her inside the temple!"
Toji dashed behind Gojo in a flash. He was fast–unnaturally fast that was too hard to be conceivable but this time, Gojo had been prepared. The Infinity had been turned up and Toji's Soul Splitting Katana couldn't reach him as it hovered in the air.
Taking this surprise opportunity, Gojo shot Blue at point-blank range in his face.
Toji's pupils dilated by this sudden counterattack.
–Boom!!!
Everything in its path was obliterated as it left only a ruined path.
However, Toji was not there, indicating the failed attempt. Gojo let out a slow yet intriguing chuckle.
His eyes scanned the surroundings to see the assassin but to no avail. It was only the eerie silence forest as Gojo stood. Despite Gojo's reputation as the strongest sorcerer, he couldn't detect a single trace of Toji through his Six Eyes. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air.
Gojo exhaled slowly, calming his mind and refocusing his energy into the battle. Toji wasn't a typical assassin that he had faced in the past. To put it more precisely, he was many leagues above that he had encountered. An assassin who was trained to kill a Sorcerer.
To top that off, Gojo couldn't sense his Cursed Energy at all. It was hard to detect and predict what he was going to do in this dense arena.
What a tough opponent!
Unknowingly, Gojo's mouth curled up into a smile like that of a maniac thirsted for battle.
Then, something caught his sight, a gleam of Toji passing by in the nearby temple with a faint smile as if mocking Gojo's stupidity. His presence was unsettling, like a predator that was watching its prey. He treated this not as a battle but a mere hunt that the outcome had been decided since the start.
Gojo used the Blue to wipe out the entire area to blow Toji's hiding spots out of the equation.
"Now that the obstacles are gone, let's see how you are going to do this."
Suddenly, he saw the flies coming from afar and surrounded him in an instant. This put Gojo more on guard as Toji could use this to distract him.
'Wait, distract?'
At that moment, a click sounded in Gojo's head as he turned to the entrance of the temple.
'He's going after Riko!!'
But that one moment was enough for Toji as he dashed through the swarm of Fly Curses in a blur. His posture lowered to the ground as he was sure he caught Gojo off guard. With one swift swing, Toji thrust his weapon at Gojo's head.
Normally, this kind of attack wasn't enough to deal with Gojo, who had the Infinity on all the time. Gojo raised his hand to defend against the attack but this time was different.
The spear went through his barrier and caused a ripple upon contact, slipping through his proud defense. The Cursed Tool in Toji's hand was none other than the Inverted Spear of Heaven which could nullify any Cursed Technique. Via this, Toji made a surprise attack on Gojo and it was successful.
Gojo's eyes widened in shock as he watched the blade pierced through his hand and then his throat. Blood sprayed out of his wound like a fountain.
Gojo staggered back a few steps as he couldn't process what just happened. His mind was working overtime to come up with a solution to deal with this dire situation.
However, Toji's blows were not over yet. Before Gojo could regain his footing, he continued his onslaught as he tore Gojo's throat down to his abdomen with his weapon still inside Gojo's body. Using his body as a paddle, Toji pulled out his spear and stabbed his legs to pin Gojo down to prevent him from escaping.
Gojo's pupils dilated, and his body was constantly wrecked as pain shot through his system. His clothes were painted red with blood coming from his mouth as he was coughing.
His strategy was flawless and he finished it off with a stab in Gojo's head.
Gojo Satoru, the Strongest, was facing death.
Gojo's mind raced but he knew that this time, he fucked up. He wasn't going to last any longer and fell limply on the ground. "A Cursed Tool… that bypasses my Infinity?" Gojo muttered in disbelief.
Hearing this, Toji gave a cold and detached smile. "Infinity or not, your body is still made of flesh and blood."
His vision darkened as he felt his life passing away with each second and the world plunged into darkness.
Seeing that his target was dead, Toji turned away but then he remembered something. Wasn't that knight not dead when he stabbed his head?
Better be safe than be sounded. Toji turned his eyes to Gojo's body and delivered his final cut.
–Clang!
The metallic clang of their weapons colliding echoed in the clearing, sending sparks flying. Toji instinctively jumped back in alarm as his eyes narrowed at the weapon just hurled at him in surprise.
Just a moment ago, Toji was aiming at Gojo's neck to end his life but now, he found himself facing a new threat. His eyes turned toward the newcomer who had thrown his weapon at him.
There, on top of the gate, a knight in his iconic heavy black armor stood silently with an imposing presence. He was the one who interrupted Toji in time to stop him from cutting off Gojo's head.
"Did I come too late?" The black knight muttered under his breath in disbelief.
He leaped off the ledge and landed on the hilt of his two-hand sword before stepping on the ground with his hands resting on the pommel of the sword. His eyes locked on Toji with a questioning look colored his dull gray eyes.
"Wasn't the deal just for stalling?" Veilhem's voice was as calm as usual yet now, a trace of menace underlying his tone. His eyes carefully scrutinized the mercenary. Anyone could see the tension building up rapidly between the two that it was palpable.
Toji shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and raised an eyebrow at the knight's question. "And I did just that." He chuckled, a punchable smirk formed on his face as if he was taunting Veilhem.
Veilhem's gaze shifted toward the motionless Gojo on the ground behind him. "So care to explain this?" Veilhem pointed at Gojo with his thumb, his eyes fixated on Toji once again.
Toji's demeanor remained as casual as though Gojo was but a fleeting inconvenience and it wasn't enough for him to bat an eye. "I'm a mercenary, I do whatever job my customer asks. And I have the job to kill Riko too. If you're satisfied then get out of my way." Toji explained with a scoff as if Veilhem was bothering his business.
"...hm." Veilhem contemplated a bit and soon his thought was clear. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that yet." In truth, Veilhem was a reassurance if anything went out of the carefully woven scheme orchestrated by Makima. Though the depth of her plan wasn't something even he knew at, however, he decided to trust her.
With that out of the way, he plucked out the sword that was embedded in the ground in a decisive motion and got into his fighting pose to stop Toji. The blade wasn't great or anything, at most it was just a heap of iron that had rust and dents covering most of the blade but Toji's instinct told him that the black knight in front of him was dangerous.
This made Toji grimace, annoyance splashed across his face. He still recalled the last time he fought Veilhem. That was a close one despite Veilhem fighting like a mad dog without any strategy. Yet, he barely won that with the help of Makima, something he didn't appreciate.
If he took on Veilhem with his rational mind right now, he didn't know if he could take down the knight or not.
Now at the crossroads, Toji weighed the pros and cons of fighting Veilhem. If he engaged in combat, he wasn't sure if he could win. Yet a part of him wanted to compete against the black knight to see if he could take down the knight the second time.
This was certainly risky and Toji didn't like to gamble on a few bonuses since Makima had transferred him 50 million. That should be enough for a while.
Hmm, what a tough choice.
Toji licked his lip as he eyed Veilhem to see the opening…
_________
On Geto's side.
_________
The group quickly entered the inner hall of the Tombs of the Star Corridor. Their footsteps echoed softly against the wall of the stone floor tile.
As they approached closer to the heart, they could see the large chamber unfold in front of their eyes with a huge tree trunk in the midst of it, surrounded by the old facility. It carried the secrets of hundreds if not thousands of years of the Jujutsu Society.
As Riko and her maid exchanged the goodbye words, Geto's eyes drifted to the trunk in the middle with a bitter taste in his heart. Albeit, he managed it well behind the practiced mask to not let it appear on his face.
Pointing toward the huge tree trunk, he gave Riko Amanai the instruction with a steady and calm tone, without looking at her directly. "You can go down the stairs and straight to the tree there. Only those invited could enter and see Tengen in person."
Riko nodded meekly, her gaze lingered on the tree as she could feel the gravity of his words. She knew deep down that her journey was at the end.
These past two days had given her immense joy and warmth that all of her 14 years combined couldn't. But she also knew that all good things must come to an end and she couldn't help feeling the sadness that welled up inside her heart. It was bitter and sweet at the same time.
Geto observed the expression of the girl he had just met for two days. Her conflict showed clearly on her face, tugging something at him. He watched her in silence until he blurted out to break this stillness. "However, if you want to return home. Now is the time."
As soon as he said that, Riko looked up, surprise flashing across her face. Her solemn expression transformed and he could see that the light in her eyes had returned even just a little spark.
He preferred this look way more than that gloomy one just a few seconds ago. Geto offered her a gentle and reassuring smile. He continued his explanation. "Our mission is to escort you and then 'eliminate' you."
He paused a bit and breathed out heavily. "Both Satoru and I have come to the decision that if you refuse the merge, we will do our best to keep you safe."
Riko's eyes were already moistened and glistened with tears. "But doesn't that mean you're going to make an enemy with Tengen-sama?" Riko couldn't comprehend why they went to such lengths for her, who was destined to be a vessel for Tengen.
"It's because we are the Strongest." Geto exhaled, his voice carrying a hint of pride as if he was boasting.
"So, what are you saying?" He reached out his hand to Riko with a smile.
But… before Riko could answer, the harmonious atmosphere was disturbed by the sound of the approaching footsteps, echoing from behind them.
The group turned, their attention was fully on the steady and ominous rhythm. The sound became louder and heavier with each passing second. They became wary of the upcoming person.
Geto's senses sharpened as he knew that he was the only one with the capability to fight here. His eyes locked on the figure behind the darkness. Yet, he couldn't shake off this feeling that made his heart pounding in his chest.
He was willing to do anything to protect Riko with everything he had in store.
Then from the shadow, a familiar and unmistakable figure dorned in the civil servant clothes attire under the brown trench coat. Her striking red hair was tied in a braid and the piercing amber eyes that seemed to gleam in the darkness came into view.
Her eyes scanned at him and an eerie smile flashed across her face that sent a chill down Geto's spine every time he saw it.
It was Makima-sensei.
Her presence filled the room with an eerie silence and anyone there could feel the unsettling crept into their heart. A silent authority that wouldn't allow anyone to object the moment she stepped into the room.
"Excellent job, Geto-kun." Makima gazed at the boy who had aroused her interest these days as he gave him a compliment with a flat tone. She approached him and patted him on the shoulder as if to thank him for his hard work.
"M-may I ask... who are you?" Riko's voice wavered slightly as she looked up at the stranger, fear glinting in her eyes, but her curiosity urged her to speak.
Makima responded with a gentle smile, placing a reassuring hand on Riko's head. "You don't need to worry. I'm here for Geto-kun."
"Me?" Geto echoed, his confusion evident as he tried to process her words.
Makima leaned in close, her voice soft and almost hypnotic as she whispered into his ear. "Could you kill her for me?"
Geto blinked, her request lingering in his mind like a half-formed dream. "What do you mean?" he asked, his bewilderment was genuine. But Makima only smiled, a knowing glint in her eyes that unsettled him deeply.
Something was unsettling in her gaze, something that seemed to prick at the back of his mind. A sudden, sharp pain spiked through his head, and fragments of memory began to emerge from the fog—vivid images of him doing something with the child, something he'd somehow forgotten. With each passing second, the memory became clearer, haunting him with undeniable clarity.
He remembered it now. He was the one who tightened his hold on the child's neck despite the fact that the child was screaming uncontrollably and pleading for him to stop. At this revelation, Geto's mind shattered at the heavy burden of the truth that he had forgotten somehow.
"No… No." His voice broke as he slumped to the ground, unwilling to accept the horrifying reality that had resurfaced.
"What's wrong, Geto-kun?" Makima's smile shifted into something sinister as she looked down at him, savoring the sight of one of the strongest sorcerers brought to his knees, trembling like a broken man. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, guiding his hand toward Riko. Their fingers intertwined as she positioned his hand into a finger gun with his index and his thumb as if showing a child how to hold a pen for the first time.
"Let me show you how this's done." Makima then turned to the girl next to Geto and pointed her slender finger at Riko with her other hand. Geto was startled by this and attempted to stop her, but his movement was still slower than the word that came out of her soft red lips.
"Bang!"
An invisible force blasted her entire body from the neck down the next instant, even causing a dent in the wall behind Riko.
Riko's head hit the floor with a thud, dead. At that moment, the world entered an eerie silence as though everything had stopped.
_________
(A/N: Nothing better than a little traumatized in the morning, am I right? This chapter is the longest I've ever done with nearly 3k words lol. Alright hold your horse, I know it aint much but I am still proud of it ok?)