Within a dreamlike, ethereal space, Jiang Wu floated quietly in the air—or more accurately, his soul fragments did. Just now, he had witnessed the long dream belonging to the real Gojo-sensei. Because he could feel everything the other felt, his heart was filled with complex emotions. More than sadness, he felt a sense of relief.
It was a proper farewell to everyone in the Jujutsu world.
There are countless parallel universes out there; perhaps everything in Satoru Gojo's dream truly came to pass in one of them. Jiang Wu believed this from the bottom of his heart.
This space he was floating in was actually a protective barrier provided by the System. That man with the illusion ability truly had some skill; that mere half-second of hesitation had been enough to trap him.
However, what the opponent didn't realize was that Jiang Wu had a barrier anchored deep in his mind: the System. The System automatically deploys defenses when the host suffers a mental attack. Thus, Jiang Wu wasn't forced into a beautiful dream like Shuichi Akai. Instead, the portion of Satoru Gojo's soul within him entered the illusion in his place.
Because he had absorbed Gojo's soul fragments at the beginning and had played the role for so long, a trend of "soul assimilation" had gradually emerged. He often found it hard to distinguish whether he was Jiang Wu or Satoru Gojo.
This was actually the System's fault. According to its hesitant explanation, its functions weren't as complete as other systems; it was a "newbie" that hadn't guided many hosts. A fully functional system would have been able to forcibly separate his soul from the character's... but it swore on its "System Integrity" (?) that the promises it made him were all real.
Fine, a "wild" system. Sell it, sell it off immediately!!
Just kidding. Jiang Wu felt this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Without deep assimilation, he probably wouldn't have been able to play Satoru Gojo so well, and he had almost never been electrocuted by the system for being "Out of Character" (OOC).
Wait... could it be that this wild system just doesn't have the power to electrocute me?
Suspicious. Very suspicious.
Whatever. Jiang Wu drifted in the space, dazed. Actually, thanks to that illusionist, he was able to achieve soul separation, preventing him from losing his own identity in the role later on. Because... he knew very well that what he just saw was Gojo-sensei's dream, not his own. Although he had absorbed the memories, Jiang Wu was not truly him.
Jiang Wu was curious: if he had entered the illusion, what kind of dream would he have had? In his past life, aside from being an orphan, his life hadn't been tragic. He studied hard for scholarships and worked to pay off his student loans; he had few friends, but they were true... If it were his "beautiful dream," it would probably be meeting his biological parents, growing up healthy under their care, working, getting married, and having children—a peaceful, ordinary, happy life.
But marriage? He really found it hard to imagine that picture. Oh, and his "hero dream." Maybe he'd get superpowers and become a vigilante like Batman at night, fighting crime and upholding justice... hehe.
As he was fantasizing, many fragments emitting an azure glow slowly emerged in the space. These were Satoru Gojo's soul fragments. Jiang Wu's soul did a "carp skip" and moved toward them, reaching out to touch. The fragments brushed playfully past his fingertips, slippery and hard to catch.
Jiang Wu laughed. "Gojo-sensei, don't be so playful at a time like this. Come here~"
The fragments seemed to let out a human-like hum. Finally, perhaps seeing that this guy had played his role dutifully for so long, they mercifully dove into his body.
[It's time to return to the world over there.]
The two souls merged back into one. Satoru Gojo slowly opened his Eyes of the Sky.
Back to the Dreammaker's perspective.
Though he had drained his energy, he had successfully controlled the uninvited guest. One second was enough to finish him. However, just as he pulled the trigger, an unknown energy blocked the bullet from reaching the boy's heart.
"What?!"
"Long time no see, you piece of trash."
Though only a second had passed in reality, Gojo had experienced so much in the illusion that seeing the man felt like a reunion after a long absence.
"How did you wake up so fast? Impossible!" The Dreammaker watched in horror as the white-haired youth broke free from his control, and the bullet hung inexplicably suspended in mid-air. Within his own body... there was no energy left to create another illusion!
Right, he still had a hostage! But by the time the Dreammaker reacted, Shuichi Akai was gone, having somehow ended up in the white-haired boy's arms.
Knowing he was outmatched, he immediately began to run like a madman, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Help! A psycho is trying to kill me! Is anyone there?!"
But no matter how he screamed, there was no response within the range of the "Veil."
"You're the psycho." Who in their right mind holds a twenty-year-old man and sings him a lullaby?
"Why?! I have no grudge against you, can't you just let me go?!" The Dreammaker was breaking down, shouting desperately.
"You have a thick scent of blood on you. You must have used illusions to kill many people," Gojo said flatly. "Freely creating dreams for others... do you think you're impressive? Did you... while killing them, start to think of yourself as a god who dictates life?"
"I..." The Dreammaker gritted his teeth, suddenly snapping. "Yes! Is my ability not that of a god?! Only I can do this! Can anyone else?!"
"Unfortunately, you're nowhere near it." Gojo shrugged. He stood in the air, holding the sleeping Akai in one arm while removing his sunglasses and forming a single-handed seal with ease.
"Domain Expansion: Infinite Void."
In an instant, the void of infinite space swallowed the Dreammaker. Countless streams of chaotic information were forced into his brain, leaving him floating in a stupor. His last shred of consciousness was those eyes of the boy, stretching out like the sky.
I see... that... is what a true god possesses.
"By the way, I should thank you for making sure I won't lose my way again... So, here's a one-way ticket to the underworld for you."
Sadly, the Dreammaker could no longer hear him.
Within Shuichi Akai's consciousness.
He had been walking and talking with his father, about to return to their small home in England. His mother, Mary, and his siblings were waiting for them. But strangely, he kept catching glimpses of a white-haired boy in sunglasses holding him, pulling his hand and telling him to wake up.
Who... is that person?
Suddenly, the sky was torn open, and the buildings began to collapse in the thick mist.
"Dad?!" His father's face began to blur, and Akai's body became transparent.
"Find a way to peel back the mist of truth. I believe... you can do it, Shuichi."
Upon hearing his father's words, Akai abruptly lost consciousness. When he opened his eyes again, he saw an unfamiliar ceiling.
"...?" He looked around in a daze. It was clearly a hotel room.
Shuichi Akai was a smart man. He immediately realized he had encountered an illusion-type Ability User. That man... he remembered his mother mentioning a perverted Ability User who loved killing through dreams and had never been caught. It must have been him. Seeing his father just now was an illusion cast upon him... At the thought, he felt a lingering fear. To have lost himself so completely in a dream was inexcusable.
So, the current situation... someone must have saved him from the Dreammaker. Was it the white-haired youth from his dream? Right, the one from the bar who ordered him a Rye whiskey...
Thinking of this, he turned his head to the right. An angelic sleeping face immediately entered his sight.