Jogo was pinned under Gojo Satoru's foot, overwhelmed with seething hatred, but there was nothing it could do at that moment except helplessly watch Gojo casually stepping on its head.
Despite being restrained, Jogo refused to say anything, let alone beg.
"So, who's behind all this?" Gojo asked, his hand casually pulling on his black blindfold as one of his sky-blue eyes locked onto Jogo's head. Meanwhile, his foot rolled Jogo's head around like a ball.
Hayashi stood nearby, scanning the surroundings. He remembered that one of Jogo's allies was supposed to come and rescue it. While he wanted to finish Jogo off now, he refrained. Not only were Gojo and Itadori present, but doing so would likely have Gojo tearing him apart for research.
More importantly, Hayashi wanted to defeat Jogo in a fair fight. Only then would it feel like a true victory, something he could be proud of. Striking while the enemy was down wouldn't be satisfying.
In the future, Hayashi sought to challenge Jogo in an honorable battle. But, of course, his ultimate goal went far beyond just Jogo—it extended to the powerful curses behind it and the entire world of cursed spirits.
"Come on, just tell us," Gojo said, applying more pressure with his foot. Jogo's face was beginning to distort under the force.
Finally, Jogo growled through gritted teeth, "Who would ever tell you, you brat?!"
Seeing that Jogo wasn't cooperative, Gojo smiled and tightened his foot's grip on Jogo's head. "Are you sure that's your final answer?"
"You… you monster!" Jogo spat through its strained voice, feeling like its head might explode if Gojo pressed any harder.
Such humiliation and ridicule—Jogo had never experienced anything like it. But Gojo's torment was relentless, making it impossible to retain any dignity.
"If you don't talk, I'll have to exorcise you. But even if you do talk, I'm still going to exorcise you." Gojo's voice was soft, devoid of emotion, yet it sent chills down anyone's spine, carrying an undeniable threat.
Jogo suspected that Hayashi hadn't told Gojo everything about them. Hayashi was a mystery, and even Mahito was aware of him. How could Gojo not know? So, why was Gojo still asking? Was it to extract the finer details of their plan?
At this moment, Hayashi spoke up, "Gojo-sensei, I know who's behind this. I've mentioned them to you before."
"You dare to speak? I swear, if you say anything, I'll kill you!" Jogo, once calm, now wore a twisted expression of rage.
"Behave!" Gojo stomped harder, nearly cracking Jogo's skull. The curse found itself unable to say anything further.
"I know most of the general details," Gojo said, glancing at his mysterious student, "but their exact plan still eludes me."
After a moment of hesitation, Hayashi replied, "Not long ago, I came into contact with these 'people.' That's why they know me. The one behind Jogo is probably 'Mahito,' and I've told you before about the person with the stitches on his forehead. As for their overall scheme, I'm still unclear."
Hayashi wasn't bluffing—he genuinely didn't know what their next moves would be. The future had changed, and anything could happen now.
"Mahito…" Gojo pondered for a moment. Hayashi had previously described Mahito's appearance, but Gojo couldn't recall any specific information about him. It was as if Mahito had suddenly emerged out of nowhere.
Back at the school, Hayashi had briefly mentioned Jogo and the others, providing Gojo with enough details to recognize them.
Jogo, meanwhile, was perplexed. How did this kid, whom it had only met once, know so much about Mahito? It was as if Hayashi understood Mahito intimately.
Fortunately, Hayashi didn't seem to know about the Prison Realm. If that remained hidden, their grand plans might still come to fruition. They had merely adjusted their strategy to ensure an airtight success.
"Is that so?" Gojo looked down at Jogo again, his tone growing colder.
"I'm not telling you anything, brat! Don't even think about it," Jogo stubbornly refused to speak about "them."
"Well then…" A cruel smile spread across Gojo's face.
But in the next instant, a sharp sound pierced the air—a branch shot down from above, aimed directly at Gojo's head.
Gojo took a step back, allowing Jogo's head to roll away from underfoot. Before anyone could react, the branch had struck the ground, and from its base, vibrant flowers rapidly bloomed.
In an instant, the area was covered with a blanket of beautiful blossoms, overwhelming Gojo, Itadori, and Hayashi with their beauty.
"Wow, flowers~"
"So pretty~"
"Such brilliance~"
Even Gojo was momentarily caught in the spell. But, ever quick to react, he slapped himself across the face. "This must be cursed energy. It weakens your fighting spirit."
Hayashi and Itadori remained entranced by the flowers, unable to shake the overwhelming sense of peace and beauty, their resistance to such effects lacking.
Before they could recover, a powerful force lifted both of them into the air, yanking them upward.
It was only then that they realized they had fallen into a trap. Their feet were wrapped in thick vines, pulling them off the ground.
At that moment, Hanami appeared beside Jogo, scooping up its head and quickly retreating from the scene.
Gojo hesitated for a moment, wanting to give chase, but seeing Hayashi and Itadori potentially in danger made him pause. In that brief hesitation, Hanami vanished into the trees, disappearing from sight.
Seeing that Hayashi had wrapped himself in his cursed energy armor, Gojo let him be. He then used his technique to shatter the vines around Itadori's feet, safely dropping him back to the grass.
Hayashi, on the other hand, was about to fall into a pit of sharp wooden spikes. But this level of danger was nothing to him. He quickly drew his black blade, slicing through the spikes before they could impale him.
Snap!
The wooden spikes shattered with a single strike from Hayashi's blade. The vines around his feet were also severed, and with a swift flip, he landed gracefully on the ground, sheathing his sword.
"Hm? They escaped?" Gojo muttered, his eyes scanning the dense forest for any trace of the other curse spirit. "This one's good at hiding its presence. More dangerous than the volcano head."
Itadori, still recovering, looked over at Hayashi curiously. "Hey, Hayashi… Did you just pull a sword out of nowhere?"