"Through slaughter… the soul is refined."
With that whisper—
Mahito completed his transformation.
The grotesque patchwork body disappeared.
In its place emerged a form that looked almost perfectly designed for battle.
Jet-black armor covered his body like obsidian.
The muscles beneath it were streamlined and compact.
His limbs sharpened into blade-like structures.
A long tail whipped behind him, smashing the ground effortlessly.
Small jet-like vents opened near his elbows, releasing bursts of cursed energy for acceleration.
The chaotic fluctuations of cursed energy that once surrounded him vanished.
What remained was something far more terrifying.
Condensed.
Silent.
Deadly.
Mahito slowly exhaled.
A faint white mist escaped his mouth.
"So…"
He murmured.
"Do you understand now, Yagami Sora…?"
"And you as well, Yuji Itadori."
"This…"
He spread his arms.
"Is the ultimate form of the soul."
"No unstable transformations."
"No unnecessary regeneration."
"Because in this form…"
His grin widened.
"I am perfect."
"Every strike I launch will kill."
"And no attack can harm me."
WHOOSH!
Mahito vanished.
His speed exceeded normal visual perception.
The next moment—
He appeared directly in front of Yagami Sora.
His arm had already transformed into a blade.
Accelerated by explosive cursed energy.
The strike aimed directly at Sora's heart.
Fast.
Too fast for most sorcerers to even react.
Yuji barely had time to blink.
But then—
CLANG!!!
A metallic impact echoed through the underground corridor.
Mahito's blade stopped.
Three inches from Sora's chest.
Something invisible blocked it.
An immovable barrier.
And that barrier hadn't even rippled.
Yagami Sora stood there calmly.
Hands still in the pockets of his trench coat.
He didn't even bother looking down.
"So this…"
He said flatly.
"Is your ultimate form?"
Mahito's eyes narrowed.
Sora continued.
"To pursue speed and durability…"
"You abandoned your original advantages."
"The unpredictability of Idle Transfiguration."
"And your near-limitless regeneration."
"Mahito."
Sora tilted his head slightly.
"Do you have a misunderstanding about what strength really means?"
Mahito's pupils shrank.
Before he could retreat—
Sora raised one finger.
"And did you notice…"
"…the fatal flaw in your evolution?"
He gently touched the blade with his fingertip.
"Before this…"
"You were slippery."
"Like an eel."
"I had to carefully calculate vectors just to pin you down."
"But now…"
A cold smile appeared.
"You turned yourself into a perfect target."
"A large, rigid one."
"You're basically asking me to hit you."
Light burst from Sora's fingertip.
"Vector Manipulation."
"Gravity Collapse."
BOOOOM!!!
An invisible mountain crashed down.
Mahito's body froze instantly.
"CRACK—!!!"
The supposedly invincible Instant Spirit Body of Distorted Killing screamed under the pressure.
Mahito's knees slammed into the ground.
Creating two deep craters.
His back bent violently.
His arms trembled.
Even with his enhanced durability—
He could barely resist.
"Ggh…!!"
Mahito's eyes widened.
"How… is this possible…?!"
"I evolved!"
"I reached the essence of the soul!"
"Why am I still…"
"…this weak in front of you?!"
"Because evolution isn't always improvement."
Sora answered calmly.
"You increased your durability."
"Yes."
"But you also increased your mass."
"And more importantly…"
"Your surface area affected by gravity."
He pointed downward.
"Here."
"Gravity answers to me."
"Now…"
"Stay down."
BOOOM!!
Gravity doubled.
Mahito collapsed completely.
Flattened against the ground.
His armored exoskeleton cracked.
Dark blood leaked through the fractures.
His body was pinned like an insect.
Unable to move.
Sora didn't finish him.
Instead—
He looked back.
"Itadori!"
"This punching bag isn't going anywhere."
"Come finish it."
Yuji had already moved.
His eyes burned with determination.
The guilt from earlier had transformed into pure fighting spirit.
Cursed energy surged violently around his fist.
The air distorted under the pressure.
"OOOHHHH!!!"
Yuji roared.
He leapt into the air.
Gathering every ounce of strength.
Then unleashed the strongest punch of his life.
"BLACK FLASH!!!"
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