Suguru Geto summoned the massive Rainbow Dragon, carrying Gojo, Riko Amanai, and Misato Kuroi as it soared into the sky.
The enormous Cursed Spirit cut through the clouds, while the lights of Tokyo below turned into a flowing sea of neon.
Yet atop the Rainbow Dragon's broad back, the atmosphere was far from relaxed.
Gojo had taken off his sunglasses, something rarely seen. His azure Six Eyes were fixed intently on his own left shoulder.
"Suguru."
Gojo spoke suddenly, his tone neither excited nor irritated.
"That guy's technique… did you figure anything out?"
Geto was sitting cross-legged at the dragon's head, guiding its flight. At the question, his brows knit together.
"Nothing at all. From beginning to end, I didn't sense even the slightest ripple of cursed energy from him. Even if he was suppressing it, there should have been some residual trace when he activated his technique. But there was none."
Geto recalled the scene of Rin phasing through the centipede Cursed Spirit, as well as the moment Gojo's Blue had been swallowed whole. His expression grew increasingly grave.
"What's more troubling is that his spatial manipulation doesn't only affect himself. It can directly interfere with your cursed technique. If he had been an enemy, he could have seriously injured you in an instant back there."
"I wouldn't go down that easily!"
Gojo shot up like a startled cat, only to deflate and sit back down moments later.
"…Fine, I admit it. His spatial control is a real headache."
He rubbed his chin, a thoughtful glint flickering in his Six Eyes.
"And that last thing he said… 'leave it to me.' Does he really plan to handle all the assassins sent by the Star Religious Group on his own? That's a thirty-million bounty. The entire underground curse user scene must be in a frenzy right now."
"Whatever his intentions, at least for now, he doesn't seem to harbor any ill will toward Riko-chan."
Geto turned his head to look at Riko Amanai, who was still curled up in Misato Kuroi's arms, visibly shaken.
"Riko-chan… earlier, you said you wanted to live, right?"
His voice softened, carefully avoiding the oppressive tone typical of a jujutsu sorcerer.
Riko Amanai slowly lifted her head, her eyes still red from crying.
"I… I don't want to merge with Lord Tengen."
She bit her lower lip, as if gathering the greatest courage she had ever mustered.
"Are you two really… willing to help me? Even if it means going against the orders of Jujutsu High?"
"Of course!"
Satoru Gojo answered without hesitation, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
"Suguru and I are the strongest. Since that arrogant guy already made a move, how could we let him steal the spotlight? At worst, we'll just go back and get scolded by that ojisan.. Yaga-sensei. No big deal."
"Satoru, stop calling him that. He only looks a couple of years older than us."
Suguru Geto sighed, rubbing his forehead.
"Then he shouldn't act like he's seen everything and look down on me like that."
Gojo curled his lip, then slid his sunglasses back on, hiding those godlike eyes.
"Suguru, let's not head back to Jujutsu High yet. Since those assassins are after Riko, we'll take her somewhere crowded. I want to see who dares to make a move right in front of the 'strongest.'"
"And while we're at it, let's see just how big a mess that mysterious guy can stir up."
…
Meanwhile..
On the playground of Renchoku Girls' Junior High.
Rin watched the Rainbow Dragon disappear into the distance before withdrawing his gaze.
He turned to look at the rooftop of the high-rise.
It was already empty.
Toji Fushiguro had retreated the moment Rin gave him that gesture.
"He really knows how to run."
Rin let out a soft chuckle.
He knew Toji's style well. The man was an assassin who worked purely for money—and a gambler who never took unnecessary risks.
He would never make a move before understanding his target or gaining absolute confidence.
In the original timeline, he had worn down Satoru Gojo's stamina before seizing an opening to pierce his throat.
"Unfortunately, I'm quite interested in your Ama-no-Sakahoko and your chain weapon."
Rin slipped one hand into his pocket. With a shift of thought, the Kamui vortex spun once more within his right eye.
Whoosh—!
His figure vanished instantly, as if erased from the world.
Half an hour later, at the entrance to an underground black market somewhere in Shinjuku—
Rin stepped out from a swirling spatial distortion, still dressed in his black trench coat.
He casually "borrowed" a lighter from a passing delinquent, lit a cigarette he had picked up somewhere, took a slow drag, and exhaled a ring of bluish-gray smoke.
This was one of the gathering points for curse users and underground assassins to accept bounty missions.
The moment he entered, more than a dozen greedy, malicious gazes locked onto him.
"Hey, kid. This isn't a place for ordinary people."
A burly, bald man with a face full of scars walked over, idly playing with a bloodstained dagger. His eyes lingered on Rin's expensive-looking coat.
"No cursed energy, no guide. You lost… or just here to die?"
The surrounding curse users burst into laughter.
In this world, someone without cursed energy was nothing more than prey.
Rin ignored them completely. He walked up to the bar and slammed a bank card containing ten million yen onto the counter.
"I'm buying information."
His tone remained calm, indifferent to the killing intent surrounding him.
"The thirty-million bounty on the Star Plasma Vessel. That job belongs to me now."
"Anyone who's taken that contract… is my prey."
The moment those words fell, the entire black market fell silent.
Then— Pfft!
Laughter exploded, even louder than before.
"Bahahaha! Is this kid insane? Who does he think he is, coming here to snatch a bounty?"
"Trash without even a trace of cursed energy, and you dare talk big? I'll kill you first!"
The bald man grinned viciously. His dagger was wrapped in a faint dark-green cursed energy as he lunged straight for Rin's heart from behind.
"Lightning Release: Chidori Current."
In an instant, a thin yet violently surging stream of blue lightning burst across Rin's body.
Crackle!
"Arghhh!"
The moment the bald man's dagger brushed the edge of Rin's trench coat, a high-voltage current shot through the metal blade and into his body.
He didn't even last two seconds before his entire body was scorched black by the raging lightning, collapsing to the ground as foul-smelling smoke rose from him.
The laughter died instantly.
The curse users who had been waiting to enjoy the spectacle now stared in shock at the charred corpse.
Instant kill.
No cursed energy fluctuations, no hand signs. He hadn't even turned around.
"W-what kind of technique is that…?!"
The informant behind the bar swallowed hard, his legs trembling.
Rin slowly turned around, his dark eyes sweeping across the room.
"So, can I buy the information now?"
He exhaled a ring of smoke, his gaze like a bottomless abyss behind it.
"Tell me where the Star Plasma Vessel cult's base is."
"And which casino a man named Toji Fushiguro frequents."
"I'm in a hurry."
___
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