"Eat this! Black Flash!"
Itadori let out a furious roar as black lightning crackled around his fist. He swung with everything he had, exorcising the cursed spirit before him in a single blow.
Looking at the now-empty school training ground, he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. "Finally cleared them all out."
Just then, his phone rang. He picked up and answered.
"Hello, Gojo-sensei?"
"Yeah, just finished up. What's wrong?"
"What?! You've gotta be kidding me..."
Itadori hung up the phone, looking utterly dazed. "Who did Gojo-sensei say it was again?"
…
At the meeting point, Megumi Fushiguro and Nobara Kugisaki were already present alongside Satoru Gojo.
"What kind of mission is this that requires all of us to mobilize?" Itadori asked in shock.
A year had passed since the last major incident. The public now knew of the existence of cursed spirits, and the world had spiraled into a chaos that had yet to return to a normal order. Consequently, the cursed spirits that had been largely eradicated were undergoing a resurgence, their numbers far exceeding what they once were.
Because Gojo had adopted a much firmer stance, Itadori and the others had been promoted to Grade 1 sorcerers. Usually, they handled spirits individually; cases where they gathered like this were extremely rare, which explained Itadori's surprise.
"I say, surely you didn't forget who I mentioned on the phone, did you?" Gojo said, resting his chin on his hand with a beaming smile.
"Uh, who was it?" Itadori scratched his head sheepishly.
"No way, you really don't know him?" Nobara facepalmed in disbelief and pointed upward. "It's that person."
"Oh, so? What about him?" Itadori's expression remained indifferent, and Megumi was the same.
To them, he was just an ordinary person. In this world infested by cursed spirits, death was all too simple.
"Was it a cursed spirit's doing?"
"No," Gojo explained. "The culprit was an ordinary human. However, our investigation revealed he's a member of a certain cult. The important thing is the cult itself, not the murder case."
"What cult?" The trio looked puzzled.
"The Church of the Heavenly God," Gojo said, his lips curling into a smirk. "They worship that fellow Aosora. They hope for his descent back into this world to rule over all of humanity."
"Aosora..."
The memory of that scene from last year, suffocating with powerlessness and despair, was still vivid in their minds.
"We have currently located the nest of the Church of the Heavenly God. Our mission is to crush them in one fell swoop!"
"Yes, sir!"
…
In a dim underground plaza stood a towering humanoid statue. It had a handsome face, an imposing air of natural authority, and was clad in a long robe engraved with the sun, the moon, and lightning.
Dozens of figures in black robes prostrated themselves on the ground, gazes full of fanaticism as they looked at a man standing before the statue.
"He is the One, and He is the Myriad. Legend says that when He opens His eyes, it is day; when He closes them, it is night. He governs the thunder and punishes the disobedient. He is the sole deity of Heaven and Earth; whether human or cursed spirit, all are His subjects. He is everywhere. We must open our hearts to welcome His arrival."
"We must open our hearts!"
All the black-robed followers spread their arms wide as if embracing a divine blessing.
At that moment, Itadori smashed through the ceiling. Satoru Gojo and the others made a stunning entrance. "This is the end for you! Surrender peacefully!"
The black-robed followers didn't budge. Only the man standing before the statue lifted his head to look at Itadori.
"I didn't expect you to find your way here after all."
"I'm the one who didn't expect it," Gojo said, rubbing his chin. "To think the leader of the Church of the Heavenly God is you, the current head of the Zenin Clan, Naoya Zenin."
"Heh... Hahahahaha!" Naoya laughed loudly. "Satoru Gojo, you understand nothing! Faith in the Heavenly God is the only way forward for us humans!"
"Bullshit!" Itadori said angrily. "Because of him, the world turned into what it is today!"
"Idiot, that's because the Heavenly God departed."
"You're the idiot!"
"Enough talk! By specifically dispatching someone to assassinate that person, you've committed an unspeakable crime!" Nobara pointed her hammer at him.
"Hmm? Who?" Naoya blinked, shaking his head. "Just an insignificant person. Why would I kill him? Don't go framing me for everything."
"Stop making excuses! Not one of you is escaping today!" The hot-blooded Itadori leaped forward, landing right in front of Naoya and throwing a punch.
Bang!
Naoya was sent flying, sliding across the floor to the base of the statue.
He chuckled, ignoring the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth as he stood up. "It's useless. As one blessed by the Divine One, nothing can happen to me. We must open our hearts!"
"We must open our hearts!"
The fanatical chanting echoed throughout the underground plaza.
"These people... they've gone mad..."
"Don't worry about them, let's go," Megumi said grimly.
"Yeah!"
However, just as they prepared to move, the statue suddenly erupted with a brilliant, blinding light, turning the dark plaza into an ocean of radiance.
"It's the Heavenly God! The Heavenly God has descended!" Naoya laughed joyfully.
"We must open our hearts!" The shouts of the believers grew even louder.
"Gojo-sensei?!" The trio turned to Gojo, at a total loss.
Gojo had already removed his blindfold. His eyes, like a star-filled sky, stared at the flashing white statue as he broke into an excited smile.
"To think he really could come back. This light... it's definitely him."
Itadori's body suddenly trembled. Black markings covered his face as his expression became arrogant and unruly. "Hmph, finally here? I've waited too long for this day!"
Having already consumed nineteen fingers, Ryomen Sukuna had nearly regained his full power.
Amidst the countless calls, the light converged to form a handsome, dashing man. He glanced lightly at Gojo and "Itadori," showing a smile.
"So it's you guys. Long time no see."
Sukuna, having taken over Itadori's body, was the first to clap his hands together. "Aosora, let's settle this! Domain Expansion!"
Gojo's smile widened as he spoke simultaneously: "Domain Expansion!"
"You guys are a bit too impatient." Aomori shook his head and casually snapped his fingers. The light flared again, covering everything.
In the end, only Sukuna and Gojo remained, standing within a vast, white space.
"Strange... where is my Domain?"
"No good. I can't see anything else either. It's just light after light."
They used every method at their disposal, but they could not escape this space.
Outside, Aomori had transformed into a Giant of Light. In one hand he held the Earth, and in the other, he held Sukuna and Gojo.
"I decree," he said. "From this day forward, cursed spirits and humans shall occupy separate realms, never to interfere with one another again."