They didn't just loudly oppose the Gastrea Protection Act and the plan to take in the cursed children. They'd also uploaded vile, cruel videos of cursed children being abused.
They'd put the darkest, ugliest side of human nature on full display.
That made Gojo unhappy. Very unhappy.
Gojo had always considered himself a fairly kind person. He hated the whole "with great power comes great responsibility" argument. When he protected the weak and defended Tokyo, it was mostly because he wanted to and found it interesting, not because of some so-called responsibility.
But! That didn't mean he had no temper. It didn't mean people could push him around, ruin his good mood, or hurt the people he wanted to protect.
These people enjoyed his protection while opposing what he did, wrecking his plans, hurting innocent kids, and ruining his mood. So naturally, he wasn't going to keep sticking his neck out for them. He wasn't going to keep protecting people who didn't know what was good for them.
"You're really going to stay out of it?"
Betty looked at Gojo, still a little doubtful. She couldn't quite believe he'd actually just walk away.
"Those things aren't easy to deal with. There are tons of Gastrea, and they're vicious and mindless."
"If you don't handle it, these soldiers definitely won't hold them back. Even with good equipment, even if they give it everything, they're no match for the Gastrea. The whole city will fall."
"Everyone living here will die. They'll all end up as Gastrea food."
Betty still had doubts about what Gojo had said. She frowned and listed the consequences one by one, sounding a little playful as she watched his expression.
To her, Gojo just wasn't the type to do something like that. He acted like he didn't care about anything, but he was soft-hearted. He'd never really stand by and watch innocent people die.
"Besides, if the city gets wiped out, Sumire and the cursed children won't survive either, right?"
"And there are still plenty of innocent people here. Lots of them didn't join the protests and never hurt any cursed children. They shouldn't have to pay with their lives for other people's stupidity and malice."
"Geez."
Gojo listened to Betty and saw the expectant look on her face. He shook his head helplessly and ruffled her hair, sounding fond and a little exasperated.
"Can't you act surprised and play along for once? Seeing through me this fast is no fun."
He'd known Betty would figure out what he was thinking. They'd been together this long, after all. They understood each other without saying much.
"That's what you get for treating me like an idiot first. I'm not that dumb. I saw through your little scheme right away."
Betty stuck her tongue out at him. The urgency and worry on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a big grin. She sounded smug and a little haughty.
"So tell me, what are you actually going to do? I don't believe for a second you'd really abandon those innocent people."
Betty scooted up next to Gojo, the curiosity back in her eyes. She knew that if he said something like that, he had to have a plan. He wouldn't really let the city fall or watch innocent people die.
"It's simple."
Gojo smiled and spoke casually, like it was the easiest thing in the world. He raised a hand and pointed at the Gastrea in the distance.
"Those people insist on protesting, right? They insist on opposing me and hurting those kids. So I'll just scare them a little."
"All I have to do is make my position clear, then let the Gastrea in."
"Those things don't have much of a brain. All they know is killing and destroying. But they're not completely unafraid of dying. They feel fear too, and they back off too."
Gojo kept pointing at the Gastrea, still calm, like he was talking about something trivial. But there was an undeniable force behind his words.
"The only reason they're still charging at the gap is that there are more Gastrea pushing from behind. They've got nowhere to go, so they're forced forward."
"If you look closely, you'll see the ones in front actually want to run when they face my shikigami. They're already scared. They don't dare charge anymore."
"It's just that the ones in the back keep pushing, so they don't get the space or the chance to escape."
Betty looked where Gojo was pointing and watched for a moment. Sure enough, the Gastrea at the front were moving hesitantly. There was a hint of fear in their eyes, and they'd slowed down a lot. They were only moving forward because the ones behind were shoving them.
"So you're going to have your shikigami open up a gap?"
Betty turned back to Gojo with a look of understanding and asked quietly. She'd more or less guessed the details of his plan.
"Yep, exactly."
Gojo nodded with a smile and said easily, "I'll have my shikigami clear a path just for them so they can get into Tokyo without any trouble. Then those people can see what happens to them without me. Without my protection, they'll see what kind of disaster they'd be facing."
"I'll let them experience the fear of death firsthand. They'll understand that the cursed children they hate and push away were never the threat. The one they've been relying on the whole time is me."
"And then it's done."
Gojo shrugged and said it lightly, like it was barely any effort for him and didn't need much thought at all.
"Whatever happens after that, we'll be gone by then anyway. None of this will really have much to do with us."
He wasn't from this world in the first place. Defending Tokyo and protecting the cursed children had just been a whim. Once this was settled and Sumire finished the serum, he'd take Betty, leave this world, and go somewhere else to keep traveling and looking for interesting things.
"But for now, I'd rather do things my way. They made me unhappy, so they're going to pay for it. I'll make sure they remember this lesson."
"You're such a softie with a sharp tongue. You obviously still care about those innocent people and don't want them hurt, but you've got to act like you couldn't care less. You're just putting on a show for these fools."
Betty looked at Gojo with a knowing smile and called him out without any mercy. She sounded teasing, and a little fond.
She knew Gojo way too well. He could say he'd stay out of it and make people pay all he wanted, but in reality, he'd already prepared for everything. He'd never let innocent people actually get hurt, and he'd never let Tokyo actually fall.
"Betty!"
Gojo's smile froze. He glared at her in mock anger and said in a threatening tone.
"It's been a while since I tickled you, hasn't it? Did you forget what that feels like?"
Seeing her grinning, Gojo caught her off guard and went straight for her sides, sounding mischievous.
"Hahahahahaha... Stop, stop! I'm sorry, I won't call you out again..."
Betty was extremely ticklish. She laughed and tried to dodge, begging for mercy the whole time. Her clear laughter rang out and broke the tense, heavy mood at the front line, making things feel warm and lively.
After messing around with Betty for a while, Gojo put the jokes aside, and his face went calm again. He took out his phone and called Seitenshi. When it came to getting things done, he was actually pretty efficient and never dragged his feet.
He didn't beat around the bush. He gave Seitenshi a quick rundown of his plan so she'd be mentally prepared and could make arrangements ahead of time to avoid unnecessary chaos and casualties.
Seitenshi had no objections. She'd always trusted Gojo unconditionally and would fully support whatever he decided. Besides, she knew that in the current situation, only Gojo could find a way out.
Her only worry was whether the Gastrea would be hard to control. If they really got out of hand, too many innocent people might get hurt. The Gastrea were far too vicious, and if they got loose, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Gojo told her not to worry. That wasn't a problem at all. He was more than capable of keeping the Gastrea and the situation under control. Only the people with malice in their hearts would feel fear, and no innocent person would get hurt.
With Gojo's guarantee, Seitenshi's worries were completely gone. She immediately started assigning people and preparing everything the way Gojo wanted.
Soon, everything Gojo needed was ready.
The technicians Seitenshi sent took over the whole city's signals. Phones, TVs, big screens in malls, billboard screens on the streets, even the displays on subways and buses all showed Gojo at the same time.
Everyone in Tokyo stopped whatever they were doing and looked at the screens in front of them. They were confused and had no idea what was going on.
"Everyone."
Gojo's voice carried through every channel to every corner of Tokyo. It was clear and strong without any static, and everyone in the city could hear it clearly.
He stood in front of the camera with his hands in his coat pockets, standing tall. His face was completely blank. Behind his sunglasses, his eyes were cold and sharp, like they could see through the screen and straight into each person's heart.
"I'm sure you all know who I am. You might not know my name, but you've probably seen me plenty of times lately. After all, I'm the one who held your city. I'm the one who stopped the Gastrea that wanted to hurt you."
Gojo's tone was calm and flat. He wasn't bragging at all, but there was an undeniable force in it, like he was just stating a fact.
"I'm not going to waste your time. I'll get straight to the point."
"I pushed the Gastrea Protection Act. I had Seitenshi set up the school where the cursed children live. The construction crews rebuilding the Monoliths on the front line are only able to work because I arranged it."
"I didn't do any of this to get your thanks or for some so-called reputation. I did it because I wanted to. I didn't want to see innocent people get hurt, and I didn't want to see you fall back into living in fear of the Gastrea."
"I know a lot of you have a problem with it. A lot of you are against me, against taking in the cursed children, and against the Gastrea Protection Act. Normally, I wouldn't care. I could ignore what you think and keep doing my own thing and keep protecting you."
"But somebody just had to do something that made me unhappy. Something I can't tolerate."
Gojo's voice gradually turned cold. That chill carried through the screens to everyone watching, and everyone who heard it couldn't help shivering.
"That's right. I'm talking about those videos online. The ones of cursed children being cruelly abused."
"Those kids are innocent. They haven't done anything wrong. They've never hurt anyone, but they have to put up with your prejudice and malice, your beatings and abuse, and even the threat of being killed. What you're doing really pisses me off."
"So since you did things that made me unhappy, I figure I'll return the favor a little. I'll let you feel what fear and despair are like."
As Gojo spoke, the camera followed his gesture and turned toward the Gastrea in the distance. The screens filled with a dense, endless swarm of Gastrea. They thrashed and roared as they charged toward the gap. It was a terrifying, shocking sight.
The moment he finished speaking, it happened.
The defensive line his shikigami had held firmly, the one that had kept the Gastrea from advancing an inch, collapsed in an instant.
The Gastrea that had been blocked outside burst loose like a flood and surged madly into Tokyo. They moved frighteningly fast, and in the blink of an eye, they'd already charged into the edge of the city.
Everyone who saw it was scared stiff.