Aftershock

The orb sucked in everything, leaving a vast, gaping emptiness where cursed energy and rubble once spiraled together.

Michio tossed a hefty chunk of debris off himself, wincing as he rose to his feet. His gaze swept across the devastation before finally settling on the figure floating effortlessly above. "What the hell is the Gojo clan doing here…?"

He paused, looking up at the sky, and a creeping sense of confusion filled him. Midnight—he was sure it was midnight when they entered that inn. They couldn't have been inside for more than two hours. His brow furrowed. How long were they really in that domain?

Kaito stood up atop a piece of rubble. He called up to the figure in the air, eyes narrowed, "Toshiro, you almost killed them!"

Toshiro, looked down, flashing a careless grin. "Hey! I thought everyone else was toast already!"

Kaito shook his head in exasperation, then stilled as he caught sight of the curse. The monstrous thing twisted and curled in on itself, roaring as it tried to reassemble, though a massive portion of its body was simply gone, torn apart. Tattered fragments of its form hung loosely, sluggishly pulling themselves together.

Kaito's eyes widened slightly as he watched, a reluctant admiration in his voice. "Limitless really packs a punch… That was Blue, wasn't it?"

Toshiro floated casually in the air, a relaxed smile tugging at his lips, as though he hadn't just ripped apart half the inn.

Michio kept his gaze fixed on him, glancing at the glint in Kaito's eyes. The Fujimotos and the Gojos, he thought.

His attention shifted as a pained, broken scream echoed nearby. Michio's head turned sharply toward the source, eyes narrowing as he locked onto Kyofu, slumped over and staring, unfocused, at the ground. Mei was sprawled before him, clutching her severed hand, blood pooling beneath her as her screams pierced the air.

Michio's gaze lingered on Kyofu, noting the cold, detached look in his eyes as he looked down at Mei. Something in his expression was unsettling—a shadowed, dark calm that Michio had never seen before.

He continued surveying the aftermath of the destruction. A few feet away, Kazu was pushing debris off himself, his body covered in scrapes and dust. He seemed to be shielding Natsuko, who lay underneath him, her face pale and eyes wide with shock.

Finally, his eyes fell on Hanari, standing steady in the settling dust, small fragments of debris cascading from her shoulders as she turned, eyes widening as she spotted Kyofu. "Kyofu!" she called, her voice edged with concern. She didn't hesitate, pushing herself up to run toward him.

Hanari knelt beside him, her hand steady as she pressed it against his back, scanning him up and down. Kyofu's eyes remained unfocused, his expression distant as he stared past her. Only when she pulled the blade from his gut did he react, grunting as his awareness seemed to return, his gaze shifting to meet hers.

"Hanari…!" he murmured, his voice weak but filled with relief. A faint smile tugged at her lips as she let out a soft chuckle, her hand moving to his wound. She poured her cursed energy into her palm, the wound slowly knitting itself back together.

As the pain ebbed away, Kyofu's eyes darted around, taking in the chaos. He looked at the half-formed mass of the curse creature, writhing and struggling to reassemble itself with a portion of its body missing, and then his gaze lifted to the figure floating above, calm and unmoved.

"What's going on…? Who's that…?" he asked, voice low with a mixture of awe and confusion as he watched Toshiro.

"That," Hanari replied, still keeping her hand steady on his healing wound, "is one of the Gojo clan's, Toshiro. Their very own posterboy." She rolled her eyes.

Kyofu raised a brow.

Toshiro floated above, the smirk on his face shifting into a sarcastic grin as he glanced down. "Good to see some of you made it out," he called, "Almost thought I'd have to finish this thing off alone.."

His attention flicked back to the curse, his smirk fading as he narrowed his eyes in concentration. Toshiro narrowed his gaze as he analyzed the faint traces of the domain barrier he'd torn apart. From the residual energy still clinging to the area, he could discern that it wasn't a standard barrier—this one had been intricately crafted to warp spatial perception, essentially trapping whoever was inside in a maze that repeated on itself, forcing them to expend cursed energy just to navigate, but it'd be so little he doubted they noticed. 

The technique used here went beyond the usual boundaries of a simple trapping domain. It seemed tailored to gradually drain energy by forcing repeated movement. 

His smirk returned, though it was tinged with respect. "Not bad. A layered loop barrier, designed to turn you around until you're too tired to think straight."

One of the giveaway signs had been the binding energy coursing through the barrier, a telltale signature to anyone sharp enough to detect it. A typical domain pressed cursed energy into a single space to overwhelm the trapped, but this curse's barrier had subtly shifted space itself around its captives, blurring lines and dulling senses to breed confusion. Toshiro's Six Eyes allowed him to pick apart the layered construct, noting that each twist, each passage was built from different energies flowing in rhythmic patterns. Once he had broken that pattern, the whole structure had crumbled.

Turning his attention back to the curse, he noted its exhaustion, understanding exactly why it was struggling to reform. "Blue hit you hard, didn't it?" he muttered, watching as it tried to pull itself back together.

Without a word, he flicked his blindfold back down. Glancing to Kaito who had already assessed the situation himself. Kaito jabbed a finger toward a point near the curse's lower torso.

"There," Kaito ordered. "Attack that point—it's where it's trying to hold itself together. Knock that out, and I'll have a clear path to get in close."

Toshiro rolled his eyes but nodded. "Right, guess I'll be your wrecking crew today." With a smirk, he raised a hand, focusing cursed energy toward the target Kaito had pointed out.

The curse snarled, lunging towards Toshiro, but slammed headlong into an invisible wall that repelled it with a resounding thud. Toshiro looked unfazed, his expression almost bored as he placed a hand behind his head and gave a dismissive roll of his eyes.9

"Get out of here with that weak shit," he muttered, leveling his hand toward the curse. A spark of concentration flickered, and with a casual flick of his finger, a smaller, concentrated pulse of Blue shot forward. The energy curled around itself, creating a gravitational pull that honed in on the precise weak point Kaito had indicated.

In an instant, that section of the curse's form was sucked in and torn away, like fabric unraveling at a seam. The creature howled, reeling as part of its core twisted free, creating a gap in its structure that left it visibly unsteady, parts of its body distorting as it struggled to maintain its form.

As Kaito took a low stance, his eyes sharpened, narrowing in on the curse. A current of raw, electric energy pulsed around him, sparking from his limbs and crackling like storm clouds ready to burst. He grinned, energy rippling up his arms and legs.

{~} Cursed Technique: Overdrive!

A technique that supercharges specific parts of the user's body to inhuman speeds, generating electric currents with each movement. Excessive use causes extreme fatigue and loss of control in the affected limbs, demanding precise execution. To reach his top speeds, Kaito has to balance between two levels:

•Second Gear: Increases speed with minimal strain, perfect for sustained attacks.

•Third Gear: Maximum speed, delivering lethal strikes that risk serious muscle fatigue.

Each move charges his surroundings, filling the air with a constant hum of static—until he strikes.

{~}

With a flicker of energy, Kaito lunged forward, activating Second Gear and rocketing toward the curse. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he launched, each step sparking bright arcs that left scorched imprints behind. He was a streak of lightning—blurring across the battlefield with the surge of Overdrive, moving too fast for the curse to track.

He swung his fist in a clean arc toward the curse's skull, connecting with a resounding crack. Sparks erupted as his punch landed, sending a wave of energy surging through the curse's form. The head jolted to the side, the impact sending fractures across its grotesque, cursed face.

The curse screeched, twisting to counter, but Kaito ducked, sliding underneath its reaching claws. He grinned, using the built-up momentum to rocket his knee into its jaw. The blow sent it staggering backward, momentarily destabilized. 

The curse spasmed, its face contorting in agony as it reeled, trying to retreat. "Going somewhere?" Kaito taunted, drawing his fist back and landing a vicious uppercut.

Michio stood up nearby, looking at the fight with crossed arms.

Kyofu and Hanari walked over, while Kazu knelt, still supporting Natsuko, who was slowly recovering with Hanari's Reverse Cursed Technique.

"Nothing. Can't find Rei," Takeshi reported, striding over, his expression tense as he glanced around.

Michio's gaze landed on Mei, out of it and disoriented, her hand now fully healed thanks to Hanari's efforts. He nodded at Takeshi. "Keep an eye on Mei." he said sharply, covering his hands in cursed energy as he turned to the fight. 

Michio smirked, glancing at Kyofu. "Combo Star will do wonders here," he muttered, an almost gleeful edge in his voice. Leaning forward, he called out, "Let's spread our fever, Nakamura…!"