Satoru Gojo reached up to his bandages and slowly unwound them, revealing a pair of magnificent blue eyes. However, these eyes didn't hold their usual warmth; they were cold, detached, and bone-chillingly distant.
Unconsciously, he was being influenced more and more by the memories of the original host. Even now, seeing the woman's limp, dangling wrist, a vibrant and lovely girl's face flashed through his mind.
Riko Amanai...
Gojo pulled the bandages away, knelt down, and closed the blonde woman's staring eyes. "Rest in peace," he murmured softly.
Then, he spoke to the bewildered Anthony—or perhaps he was just talking to himself: "When I promise someone something and fail to do it... I really hate that."
Anthony didn't understand, and even Sarelo was completely in the dark.
The hostages brought out from the cells—young and old alike—looked at the scene of the fierce battle and were terrified out of their wits, having no idea what had transpired.
"Sarelo, take the hostages and go. Just wait for me outside. I want to have a word with this Second-in-Command."
"Ah, okay!"
Anthony, still kneeling on the ground, became increasingly uneasy. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "My Lord, what exactly do you intend to do?"
"I've changed my mind." Gojo smiled wickedly. "It's better if you all just go to hell."
"Wait—!"
Anthony was stunned. I already agreed to give you the territory! You're being completely unreasonable!
Gojo's thought: I am the reason.
He concentrated the Cursed Energy flowing through his body into his right hand, and a deep blue vortex began to manifest.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Azure."
This was an attractive force similar to a miniature black hole; it required no hand signs to activate and could be precisely directed.
"To die by this technique is quite an honor for you." This was the first time he had used "Azure" since unlocking it.
BOOM—!!
Half a second later, the entire building began to collapse.
A massive fireball bloomed in the air, accompanied by a deafening explosion. Shards of glass and chunks of wall rained down, sending Sarelo and the hostages scrambling for cover, shielding their heads and covering their mouths to avoid being caught in the shockwave.
Fortunately, the rain quickly extinguished the fire, leaving behind only a lingering shroud of gunpowder smoke.
"What... what on earth happened?!"
Tequila, who had rushed over in an off-road vehicle with a large group of elite members, stared at the scene with wide, bloodshot eyes. Had Kaiser been ambushed? Did someone detonate a bomb?
Seeing Sarelo standing there in a daze, Tequila grabbed him. "What happened? Where's the Leader? Did he... die?"
"Hey, hey, don't be so rude~"
A familiar teenage voice interrupted Tequila. Looking back, Satoru Gojo was walking slowly through the drizzling rain, hands in his pockets and completely unscathed. Even in black clothes, his figure was a bright spot in the gloomy weather, distinct enough to be seen at a glance.
"I'm still very much alive."
Everyone immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Then, that explosion just now was...?"
"That? Oh, I did that, of course." Gojo had already re-wrapped the bandages over his eyes. The coldness he had shown Anthony vanished, replaced by a mischievous finger pressed to his lips.
"Art—is an explosion!"
"..."
Regardless, it was a relief that the Leader had returned safely.
Afterward, according to the records of Tequila and the others, the Carite headquarters had over 120 members. Between the guards dealt with by Kaiser and Sarelo and the explosion that took out the leaders and core mercenaries, the gang paid a heavy price. As for the innocent people—the hostages—Kaiser ordered them released.
Some members grumbled inwardly, thinking they should have squeezed a ransom out of them, but no one dared to voice an objection. Everyone present knew exactly who had orchestrated the bloodbath. That overwhelming power made the members of the Organization truly begin to fear him from the bottom of their hearts.
One person taking on dozens of special forces veterans? It sounded like something out of a sci-fi movie. Even if they thought it was an exaggeration, no one would ever dare to look down on the new Leader again.
After this battle, Carite's core strength was gutted. The remaining branches were no threat and were annexed by the Organization within a month. Half a month later, their big boss was captured alive. It was said that the expression on his face when he returned from a winning streak at the casino to find his "home" stolen was... quite spectacular.
The gang "Carite," once famous throughout Mexico, vanished. In its place rose an organization represented by the color black, known to many as the "Crows." And as the name of the "Crows" was spoken more often, the codename "Kaiser" also became known.
In October, the rainy season had not yet ended.
The rain fell like a fine veil over the world outside the window. The sky was shrouded in heavy dark clouds, looking like an unfinished ink painting awaiting the artist's final brushstrokes.
Another rainy day.
In the Leader's office, Gojo was boredly flipping through accounting reports sent by his subordinates. Seeing the pitter-patter of raindrops on the glass, he was reminded of the day he raided Carite.
He put down the reports, walked to the window, and exhaled. A white mist spread across the glass, and the boy used his finger to draw an exaggerated smiley face wearing sunglasses. He had used this very hand to...
Deep inside, the part of him that was Jiang Wu woke up again. Ben Hermann had been a pure scumbag; he felt no guilt there. But the gang members? The Jiang Wu who had been an ordinary person for twenty years wondered: Is there a family waiting for them somewhere? Were some of them still human deep down?
But to the part of him that was Satoru Gojo, it felt like crushing a nest of ants—it didn't mean much. The Divine Child of the Six Eyes stood by the window, his face devoid of sorrow or joy.
[System, will I really become a "monster" in the future?]
[Bzzzt... The system cannot answer this question, but it can analyze that the Host's synchronization with the role is increasing. Congratulations, Host.]
"..."
Perhaps strength is a curse. A powerhouse born to stand above others will always drift further from the word "ordinary," carrying everything alone, unable to step down from the pedestal.
"Leader, are you in?"
Sarelo entered carrying a stack of documents. His performance during the raid had been noted by Gojo; he was a talent. Combined with his experience as the "former leader," Sarelo had officially become Gojo's second-in-command.
"Recently, many factions have sent cooperation requests, and some are willing to submit directly to our Organization." Sarelo's face was full of joy.
"Mmh, put them down. I'll look later." Gojo wiped the smiley face off the glass, but noticed Sarelo lingering. "What? Something you want to say?"
"Uh..." The 1.8-meter-tall man turned bright red, struggling for a long time to get a single word out.
"Are you an elementary school girl?" Gojo couldn't help but laugh. "I'm not accepting your chocolates, you know."
Sarelo suddenly gave a deep, stiff bow—a gesture he clearly wasn't used to making. "Thank you, Kaiser-sama." He looked at Gojo with genuine sincerity. "Back at Carite, if you hadn't protected me, I would be dead. I am very grateful."
Gojo raised an eyebrow. "If I hadn't ordered you to go, you wouldn't have been in danger, right?"
"I made a lot of mistakes before; you were very magnanimous." Sarelo felt much lighter after speaking his mind. "And, you are far more incredible than I imagined. I believe... you will be a much better Leader than I was. Some things can only be done by a powerhouse like you."
The white-haired boy blinked, and a warm smile slowly reached his eyes. "Then I'll take that as a blessing."
Is strength a curse? Perhaps.
But because of it, his choices have meaning—no need for hesitation, no need for doubt. Just keep moving forward.
Outside, the tapping of rain against the window quietly stopped.
The rain had ended.