The atmosphere on the B5F platform was thick enough to choke a human.
Gojo stood like a god of death, ready to annihilate the curses, but the real crisis was happening at his feet.
Okarun collapsed.
The crimson-etched markings on his skin were glowing with a violent, pulsating heat, and his body was flickering in and out of existence so rapidly it looked like he was being viewed through a broken screen.
Smoke curled from his pores, smelling of ozone and old, burnt parchment.
"Okarun!"
Momo screamed.
She lunged forward, catching him before his head hit the cracked concrete.
When her hands touched his shoulders, she recoiled—his skin was searingly hot, vibrating at a frequency that felt like it was trying to shred her own atoms.
"You idiot! You absolute, total moron!"
Momo's voice broke. Tears streamed down her face, leaving tracks through the soot and dust.
"Why do you always do this? Why do you have to be the one to jump into danger?"
Okarun's eyes rolled back, his jaw tight as he fought to keep his physical form from dissolving into the "Phase" void.
"Had to... protect... everyone..."
"Shut up! Just shut up!"
Momo cried, clutching him tighter.
She saw his chest—the skin was translucent enough to see his two hearts, which was glowing with the sickly purple-red of Sukuna's energy.
She felt the ambient Cursed Energy of the station—the fear, the malice, the sheer weight of Shibuya's terror.
To anyone else, it was poison. But Momo, fueled by a desperate fury and her own innate psychic talent, did something no sorcerer had ever attempted.
She didn't just use her power. She reached out with her psychokinesis and grabbed the foul Cursed Energy swirling in the air.
"If this energy is what's keeping you alive, then I'll make it work for you!"
As she pulled the energy into herself, it began to glow pink.
Her psychic aura acted as a high-pressure filter, stripping away the malice and the "curse" until only raw, potent power remained.
She then pressed her glowing hands against Okarun's chest.
"Heal, damn it! I'm not letting you die in some subway station!"
The purified energy flowed into Okarun. The jagged crimson streaks softened, turning into a stable, radiant violet.
The "tears" in his physical form began to knit back together.
His breathing steadied, and the terrifying heat began to fade.
However, the act of purifying that much energy acted like a flare in the dark.
Suddenly, a massive spike of pressure erupted from the tunnel entrance.
A boy in a yellow hoodie stepped onto the platform, but his posture was different—predatory, elegant, and ancient.
Black markings had spread across his face, and two extra eyes had opened beneath his originals.
Sukuna had taken control of Yuji.
The King of Curses ignored Gojo for a moment, his gaze locked entirely on Okarun and Momo.
He looked at the purified energy Momo was channeling and the way Okarun had integrated his soul-fragment.
"So,"
Sukuna rumbled, his voice like grinding stones.
"The girl filters the filth, and the boy burns the fuel. Truly... I have never seen such a disgusting, fascinating use of my power."
Sukuna took a step forward, the ground beneath his feet shattering from the sheer weight of his presence.
"Give it back. That piece of me doesn't belong to a brat who cries over a scraped knee."
Gojo Satoru stepped in front of the kneeling pair, his hand raised in a casual but lethal sign.
"Sorry, Sukuna. But the kids are under my protection. And honestly? I'm curious to see what they do next."
Okarun opened his eyes.
They were clear now, the violet glow of the Phase Devil perfectly synchronized with the purified Sukuna-energy Momo was feeding him.
He felt the "Cutting Phase" stabilize—no longer a wild hunger, but a controlled tool.
He stood up slowly, Momo rising with him, her hand still locked onto his, acting as his constant anchor and power source.
"Ayase-san,"
Okarun whispered, his voice steady.
"Can you keep the flow going?"
"Until my brain melts,"
Momo said, wiping her eyes with her free hand and hardening her expression.
"Let's show this four-eyed freak how we do things in Kamigoe."