"A gift?"
Satoru Gojo's gaze was cold as he watched the things pouring out of the train cars.
They had once been human.
There were elderly people, children, office workers, and students.
But now they were merely Mahito's toys.
Some had heads stretched out like balloons, others had twisted limb joints, and some were even fused together into multi-limbed mounds of flesh.
On the face of every Transfigured Human, the despair of their final moments remained.
"He... help me..."
One Transfigured Human, with half its face elongated and a body that crawled like a spider.
As it lunged at a survivor, a muffled cry escaped its throat.
That was the last shred of its humanity.
But its body acted uncontrollably, opening its massive maw and biting through the survivor's neck.
*Squelch!*
Blood sprayed.
Screams, sobs, and the sound of tearing flesh.
In an instant, the underground platform turned into a literal living hell.
"How is it, Satoru Gojo?"
Mahito stood on the roof of the train, dancing with excitement like a child showing off his handiwork.
"These were all prepared specifically for you!"
"Aren't you the strongest? Aren't you the protector?"
"Come on! Kill them all!"
"If you don't kill them, the remaining humans are going to die!"
It was a checkmate, a psychological trap designed to crush his spirit.
If Satoru Gojo acted, he would have to personally kill these former humans, a massive mental burden for any sorcerer with a conscience.
If he didn't act, he would have to watch them slaughter the survivors.
No matter the choice.
For a jujutsu sorcerer who prided himself on being a protector, it was pure mental torture.
Satoru Gojo didn't speak.
He simply watched the scene unfold.
The high-speed processing of his Six Eyes allowed him to clearly see the agony deep within each Transfigured Human's soul.
It was a longing for death.
"In that case..."
Satoru Gojo slowly raised his hand.
Azure light began to gather at his fingertips.
"Let me release you from your suffering."
*Boom!*
A beam of azure light instantly pierced the head of the spider-like Transfigured Human.
No hesitation, no pity—only absolute decisiveness.
"Oh! He killed! The strongest sorcerer just committed murder!"
Mahito clapped and cheered like a clown at a play.
"But there are a thousand of them here!"
"Can you kill them all in time?"
"And besides..."
A sinister smile curled on Mahito's lips.
"Do you even dare to use your Domain?"
"If you unleash Unlimited Void here, the ordinary people will become vegetables, won't they?"
"Without your Domain, while protecting thousands of survivors and facing attacks from Jogo and me..."
"How much longer can you hold out, Satoru Gojo?"
As Mahito's words fell.
Jogo, who had been hiding in the back, finally recovered from his fear.
He saw Satoru Gojo's predicament.
As long as there were hostages, Gojo couldn't use large-scale techniques.
As long as there were Transfigured Humans, Gojo had to divide his attention to clear the fodder.
This was the chance!
"Even though Hanami is dead..."
"As long as we can seal you, it's all worth it!"
Jogo roared.
The volcano on his head erupted again.
Several massive Ember Insects screeched as they swarmed Gojo, hidden within the army of Transfigured Humans.
"How annoying."
Satoru Gojo's figure vanished instantly.
In the next second.
He appeared where the crowd was thickest, his hands dancing with the speed of a pianist.
With every strike, a precise burst of cursed energy pierced a Transfigured Human's core.
*Thud! Thud! Thud!*
Before they could even scream, they dissolved into puddles of sludge.
Fast, too fast.
Even without using Cursed Technique Lapse or Reversal.
Relying solely on physical prowess and refined cursed energy control, Satoru Gojo still displayed overwhelming dominance.
In just ten seconds.
More than three hundred Transfigured Humans lay dead at his feet.
"Is this guy a machine?!"
The smile on Mahito's face froze.
He had thought this mental torture would force Gojo to show a weakness.
Or that hesitation would slow him down.
But no, Satoru Gojo was like a cold, emotionless killing machine.
While harvesting lives, he even managed to throw several survivors to safety.
"Don't just stand there! Attack him together!"
Jogo grew desperate.
He charged again, coordinating with Mahito to try and break Gojo's rhythm.
Yet no matter how they attacked.
Satoru Gojo always evaded at the last possible moment or neutralized the blow with minimal effort, even finding the chance to strike back.
*Slap!*
Jogo was sent flying once more.
"Damn it... Damn it!"
"Why is the gap still this huge?!"
Jogo was breaking down.
Even with his techniques restricted, even with the human wave tactics, even with hostages as shields.
Why couldn't they win?!
"Because you are weak."
Satoru Gojo's voice echoed across the station.
Though he was breathing slightly harder, his tone was still filled with disdain.
"Whether you're Special Grades or Transfigured Humans."
"In the face of absolute power."
"You're all just numbers."
By now, more than half of the Transfigured Humans on the platform had been cleared.
Bodies were strewn everywhere; a river of blood flowed.
Satoru Gojo stood amidst the mountain of corpses.
His black Jujutsu High uniform remained spotless.
But his gaze turned deep, the look of someone who had reached a decision.
"It seems if I don't give you a taste of true despair."
"You won't give up."
Satoru Gojo slowly pulled off the right glove he hadn't really been using.
He revealed a slender, pale hand.
His brain processed information at high speeds.
'How many survivors are left?'
'Two thousand? Three thousand?'
'How many Transfigured Humans remain?'
'Five hundred? Six hundred?'
'If I don't use my Domain, clearing them will take at least five minutes, by which time the survivors will be dead.'
'If I do use it, ordinary brains can't handle the data influx of Unlimited Void; they'll be incapacitated for life.'
'A checkmate?'
'No.'
A glimmer of madness flashed in Gojo's eyes.
'I just have to compress the duration of the Domain... to the absolute limit.'
'To the limit that an ordinary person can endure.'
'Specifically... 0.2 seconds!'
It was a massive gamble.
The stakes were the lives of everyone here, and his own pride.
"Is he crazy?!"
Mahito was struck with shock.
"Expanding his Domain here?!"
"What about the ordinary people?!"
"Doesn't he care if they live or die?!"
Jogo also backed away in terror.
If Satoru Gojo truly ignored the consequences and unleashed Unlimited Void, the two of them would be killed instantly.
"He's bluffing!"
Mahito hissed through gritted teeth.
"He doesn't dare!"
"He absolutely doesn't dare!"
"He's Satoru Gojo! He's an ally of justice!"
"He would never sacrifice thousands of people just to kill us!"
However, at that exact moment, a manic smile curved the corner of Gojo's mouth.
"Domain Expansion..."