CHAPTER 17: I ALONE AM THE HONOURED ONE

The moon hung solemn and pale over the mountain temple. The silence between them was broken only by the soft flick of Gojo's footsteps on stone.

Toji stared, brows furrowed. "...Why are you alive? I stabbed your neck. You should be dead."

Gojo's lips curled up—not into a smile, but into a wild, unhinged grin.

He leaned his head slightly, and with a sudden screech that echoed through the temple walls, he shouted—

"IS THAT SOOOOO!?"

His voice tore through the night like a thunderclap. The sheer madness in it made even the hidden monks tremble from afar.

Toji narrowed his eyes, reaching for his blade. "...You're high."

Gojo tilted his head, hovering now several feet off the ground—levitating effortlessly, arms spread like a T.

The breeze caught the hem of his coat. His silver hair shimmered under the moonlight.

His eyes—those cursed, divine, merciless Six Eyes—glowed with brilliance.

"I died, yeah," Gojo said. "My cursed energy stopped. My heart stopped. But then I realized something…"

He raised a single finger to his temple.

"Reverse Cursed Technique."

"I brought myself back. From the brink. Fixed the damage, rebuilt my body cell by cell. Painful as hell, but I did it."

His grin widened.

"Because I can. Because I'm the strongest."

Toji didn't waste time. He lunged.

But Gojo didn't move.

Toji's blade swiped past air—again, again, again.

Every swing missed.

Gojo was floating. Twisting in the air effortlessly like a ghost, arms spread wide, his presence overwhelming, surreal.

"The world," Gojo said quietly, "is peaceful. Beautiful."

His voice grew colder.

"And you tried to ruin that."

Toji roared, lunging again.

But Gojo vanished. Blinked past his strikes.

"Sorry, Amanai…"

Gojo whispered, pausing midair. "I couldn't save you in time."

He looked down at Toji, hovering above him, shadows painting his face dark beneath the eyes.

Then he laughed.

It wasn't gentle.

It wasn't kind.

It was mad.

"Throughout heaven and earth…"

His voice trembled with fury and divinity.

"…I alone…

…AM THE HONOURED ONE."

And with that—

He stretched his arm out.

A swirling orb of compressed cursed red and cursed blue spiraled together in the palm of his hand.

It combined—twisted—raged—

"HOLLOW PURPLE."

The blast screamed forward, tearing the mountain apart, the wind howling with it, trees ripping from the ground, earth splitting—

Toji Fushiguro was sent flying.

His body hit the rocks like a ragdoll, blood spurting from his mouth. He coughed, barely holding onto consciousness, his blade shattered, his limbs twitching.

Gojo hovered over him.

"Toji," he said softly. "Any last words?"

Toji coughed blood again. "My son… he's gonna be sold to the Zen'in clan. Do whatever the hell you want with that info."

Gojo raised an eyebrow. "...Son?"

Toji laughed bitterly, the life fading from his eyes. "Yeah. I got a kid. Ain't much of a father, though."

And then—he stopped breathing.

Gojo slowly lowered to the ground.

He turned toward Amanai's corpse still lying not far away, her face peaceful despite it all.

He knelt beside her. Gently lifted her into his arms.

"…Let's go home."

The wind blew gently.

The moon watched quietly.

And Gojo walked away.