Inside the Infinite Void.
Gojo Satoru stood frozen as he watched Su Yang smile at him and give a cheeky little wave, before slowly fading out of existence.
He was stunned.
Did that seriously just happen?!
His Domain Expansion, the Unlimited Void, hadn't worked at all?
Gojo was in disbelief.
He had definitely pulled Su Yang into the domain. That much was certain.
But the problem was,
Su Yang had moved freely. Completely unaffected.
It was like Gojo couldn't even perceive him properly, even though he was standing right there.
In my own domain!
It made no sense. Gojo couldn't wrap his head around it.
Eventually, all he could do was let out a long, exhausted sigh.
"So it's true, just like the old man said. My Infinity may be powerful, invincible even, but only against threats within a certain level."
If he encountered someone who simply operated outside that scale, then he couldn't touch them at all.
"Come to think of it, Su Yang's eyes… that five-pointed star pattern. And Hoshino Ai's eyes look kind of similar too."
Gojo rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Could Ai also have some kind of special ability?"
"Tch. If that's the case, and Master Tengen really is targeting her, then he might just be asking for trouble."
Then again,
"No, wait. Even if Ai doesn't have powers, just dealing with Su Yang alone is already a massive headache."
"…Hold up. Why am I stressing over this?"
Gojo finally snapped back to reality.
"It's not my problem if Tengen or the higher-ups want to poke a hornet's nest."
"They're the ones who should be worried, not me."
With that realization, Gojo felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
Until,
"WHAT?! That guy didn't pay his bill?!"
"Hold on, how much was it? 30,000 yen?! What the hell did he drink?!"
Back in a clothing store…
Su Yang rubbed his slightly sore eyes.
Sheesh. Gojo's Unlimited Void really is powerful.
From the outside, it might've looked like Su Yang had casually escaped Gojo's domain, but the truth was more complicated.
He could've dodged it from the start… but he'd been curious.
How strong is Gojo's ultimate technique, really?
So he'd let himself get pulled into the Unlimited Void.
Just as he suspected, his Kamui phase ability let him move freely, even inside the center of Gojo's domain.
He could linger in the Unlimited Void without any ill effects.
But,
It drained a ridiculous amount of chakra.
Just a single second inside had burned through 10% of his reserves, and even his Mangekyō Sharingan was starting to feel strained.
He wouldn't be able to maintain it for long.
Luckily, he had a backup option:
Swap with his clone.
And then,
Poof. Cancel the clone. Instant escape.
It was pure cheese.
An exploit of the highest order.
"Yang, are you tired?"
Ai appeared in front of him, concerned.
"Then let's head back!"
"No, I'm not tired," Su Yang shook his head. "I just had to deal with something annoying from work."
"Oh? Work?"
Ai tilted her head, eyes filled with concern.
"Then we should go home. If it was serious enough to bother you, it must've been important."
"It was important. But I handled it."
"So I'm free again for the rest of the day."
"Then… Can we keep going?"
Her starry eyes lit up instantly, like two literal stars twinkling with joy.
"Of course."
Su Yang nodded…
And instantly regretted it.
One nod… and there goes my whole day.
Sure enough, the next several hours became:
Shop. Shop. Shop.
Buy. Buy. Buy.
Fortunately, the occasional curse or ghost would pop up, so it wasn't completely dull.
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Star Religious Group,
"Hey! Someone come out here and deal with me already!"
Gojo Satoru sauntered in like he owned the place.
"Who are you?"
"How did you get in here?"
"Damn it, this guy broke into the sacred grounds of the Star Religious Group! Capture him!"
A chaotic clamor erupted as the members shouted in alarm.
Gojo ignored them all and just said calmly:
"I'm gonna start beating people up now."
"Wait!"
A sharp command rang out.
A man in priestly robes appeared.
Suguru Geto.
The current leader of the Star Religious Group.
"The High Priest!"
"It's Master Geto!"
The crowd finally quieted down.
"Stand down."
Geto waved his followers away, then turned to Gojo with a cautious gaze.
"Why are you here?"
"Wow, so cold. Is that any way to greet an old friend?"
Gojo pretended to be hurt, but quickly dropped the act and smiled faintly.
"Not that it matters. Let's skip to the point."
"I'm here to warn you."
He raised a single finger.
"Tell your people to back off. Don't touch Hoshino Ai again."
"Hoshino Ai?"
Geto furrowed his brows.
"That pop idol?"
Gojo nodded. Geto seemed genuinely confused.
"Hold on. What are you talking about? I haven't done anything to her. I know exactly who she is."
His tone turned mocking.
"If I really wanted to mess with her, wouldn't that certain someone have already sent you after me?"
"So… it really wasn't you?"
Gojo's expression grew serious.
"You swear you didn't make a move on Hoshino Ai?"
"Tch. I said I didn't."
Geto sneered.
Gojo didn't respond right away. He was still trying to figure out if Geto was lying.
But,
This Geto felt off.
Same voice. Same face.
Yet he no longer felt familiar. Like a stranger wearing a friend's skin.
"Forget it. I don't care if it was you or not."
Gojo turned away and began walking off.
"If it was you, you'd be smart to back off now."
"Because at this point… it's not just you."
"Even Master Tengen wouldn't dare mess with her anymore."
His voice carried as he vanished into the distance:
"The one protecting Hoshino Ai… is someone even I can't match."
"So unless you've got a death wish, stay out of their way."
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