"I'm just a passerby trying to mediate."
Yagami Sora's casual words made the atmosphere instantly tense.
He stood between Yuji Itadori and Hana Kurusu, hands resting lazily in his pockets.
But the pressure radiating from him was anything but relaxed.
It was subtle.
Yet suffocating.
Even the "Angel" inhabiting Hana's body felt it immediately.
The instinctive fear of prey facing a predator.
"Yagami Sora…"
Megumi Fushiguro exhaled quietly.
His shoulders relaxed.
With Sora here—
At least the situation wouldn't spiral into disaster.
Hana Kurusu stared cautiously.
Her fingers still glowed with holy light.
"You…"
"Are you also an incarnated sorcerer?"
Sora shrugged.
"No."
"Just an ordinary human."
He smiled faintly.
"But you calling yourself an 'angel' while living inside a girl's body…"
"…isn't that a little hypocritical?"
Angel answered coldly through Hana.
"This is symbiosis."
"I have a contract with this body's owner."
"I coexist with her."
"Incarnated sorcerers overwrite the host."
"They erase the original soul."
"That is the difference."
But Angel's gaze soon shifted again.
Locking directly onto Yuji.
Or rather—
Onto the presence within him.
"The Fallen."
"Sukuna must die."
Yuji clenched his fists.
A bitter smile appeared.
"Fushiguro…"
"If killing me solves everything…"
"Shut up."
Megumi cut him off instantly.
His voice was firm.
"We came here to save Gojo-sensei."
"If we start sacrificing our friends…"
"…then what's the point?"
Yuji fell silent.
But Sora suddenly pressed his shoulder.
"Enough drama."
He looked at Angel again.
"How about we make a deal?"
Angel frowned.
"A deal?"
"You want to destroy the Fallen."
"We want to open the Prison Realm."
Sora pointed upward.
"And you possess the technique capable of nullifying barriers."
Angel's technique—
Jacob's Ladder.
A beam of divine light capable of erasing cursed techniques entirely.
Even ancient seals.
Including the Prison Realm.
Sora raised one finger.
"You help us open the Prison Realm."
"We release Gojo Satoru."
"In return…"
"We help you eliminate the Fallen."
"…after everything is over."
Megumi blinked.
That wording was suspiciously vague.
Angel noticed it too.
She sneered.
"You expect me to trust you?"
"You're allies."
"Once Gojo returns…"
"Why would you keep your promise?"
"And why should I spare Sukuna now?"
The light around her intensified.
"Technique—"
"Jacob's Ladder."
A colossal pillar of light rose toward the sky.
Divine radiance flooded the battlefield.
But Sora's voice turned cold.
"Because you don't have a choice."
The next moment—
His cursed energy exploded outward.
The sky darkened instantly.
Wind froze.
Gravity warped.
The world itself seemed to bow.
Angel's pupils shrank.
Her light—
Was being suppressed.
The divine beam trembled like a candle in a storm.
"What… is this power…"
She had existed for over a thousand years.
Seen countless sorcerers.
But never—
Anyone who could suppress her technique without even attacking.
Sora stepped forward.
Just one step.
BOOM.
Angel's knees nearly buckled.
The pressure alone felt like a mountain crushing down.
"I'm not asking."
"I'm giving you a chance."
His voice was calm.
Cold.
Absolute.
"You cannot kill Sukuna right now."
"Even if he had only one finger…"
"You still couldn't do it in front of me."
"So cooperation is your only option."
Silence fell.
Megumi and Yuji stared in shock.
"…Is this negotiation?"
Yuji whispered.
Megumi muttered back.
"…More like extortion."
After several seconds—
The light around Angel slowly faded.
"…Fine."
"I accept."
"But I have one condition."
"Speak."
"If the vessel loses control…"
Angel looked directly at Yuji.
"I will kill him."
"Even if it costs my life."
Sora smiled.
Bright.
Almost cheerful.
"Deal."
The agreement was sealed.
Suddenly—
Helicopter blades roared again.
More military forces arrived.
Attack helicopters.
Armored tanks.
The American army had returned.
Megumi sighed.
"…Seriously?"
Sora rolled his shoulders.
"I ignored them earlier."
"Thought they'd take the hint."
He raised one hand toward the sky.
"Vector Manipulation."
"Reverse Flow."
Instantly—
Every helicopter rotor stopped.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
The inertia snapped the rotor shafts.
Helicopters began falling.
"Mayday! Mayday!"
The pilots screamed.
Before impact—
Sora flicked his fingers.
Invisible force held the helicopters midair.
Meanwhile—
Tank shells froze in the air.
Suspended like decorations.
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Sora flicked his finger again.
The shells reversed direction.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Explosions erupted.
Each strike precisely disabled a tank.
Tracks destroyed.
Turrets shattered.
But the crews remained alive.
Within seconds—
The entire battalion was reduced to scrap metal.
Sora dusted his hands.
"Done."
He turned toward Angel again.
"Oh right."
"I forgot introductions."
"My name is Yagami Sora."
He smiled politely.
"Just an ordinary vector manipulator."
Angel stared at the destroyed battlefield.
Then back at him.
"…Ordinary?"
She swallowed.
Compared to Sukuna—
This man might be the real monster.
Elsewhere in Tokyo Colony No.1.
A half-naked man wandered through the ruins.
Wearing ridiculous clothes.
"Man…"
He sighed.
"People today have no sense of humor."
"Why doesn't anyone laugh at my jokes?"
His name was
Fumihiko Takaba
A failed comedian.
Who had awakened a terrifying cursed technique.
If he believed something was funny—
Reality itself would obey.
But he had no idea.
Takaba suddenly spotted a group in the distance.
A black-haired boy surrounded by powerful sorcerers.
His eyes sparkled.
"Oh!"
"That hairstyle…"
"…looks perfect for a roast joke!"
He grinned widely.
"Alright!"
"My next comedy show starts there!"
With ridiculous confidence—
The man capable of rivaling Gojo Satoru in raw conceptual power
walked straight toward Yagami Sora.
The gears of fate turned again.
But this time—
The outcome might be… absurd.