The massive python's jaws opened once more, rows of glistening fangs descending like a guillotine meant to tear him in two. It lunged, and then froze.
Space itself had turned to steel.
"You're not that smart, are you..." Gojo's lips curved into a cold smile, blood leaking from the side of his mouth. "Titan's Grasp. You're not getting out."
Unless one possessed the power to rip apart space itself, escape from his Spatial Cage was impossible. His hand rose, fingers splayed apart as if plucking threads from reality.
"Riftstorm Barrage."
It wasn't a technique in the traditional sense, no chants, no flashy build-up, just a ruthless manipulation of his unique Yuan Power. Space buckled. Layers of reality folded in, twisted out, and detonated with the sound of a thousand mirrors shattering. A swirling orb of fragmented dimensions hurled forward and slammed into the python's head.
Blood erupted in streams, its wail like a thunderclap, yet Gojo's brows creased. It wasn't enough.
The beast's skull hadn't cracked. The damage wasn't fatal. Not even close. Its regeneration was slower than his own, but its durability... it was monstrous. And worse, his Spatial Cage faltered just as the python's massive tail crashed into him.
"Shit—!"
Two obsidian wings, forged from collapsed space, burst from Gojo's back. He tried to take flight, but it was too late. The tail hammered him mid-lift, the impact so great the very air split apart.
He was flung like a meteor across the battlefield.
As he spiraled through the air, his thoughts spiraled faster. 'It's too strong. Dimensional slashes aren't enough. Its body... it's like an indestructible relic. And me, damn it. I'm still fighting like I've got Infinity. I keep forgetting... I can die now.'
Before he could brace himself, the python's tail coiled around him mid-air. The beatdown began.
Bones shattered with every squeeze, stabbing into his organs. Blood poured from his eyes, ears, and mouth. There was no breath left to scream. The python thrashed him like a broken doll, smashing him into pillars and rocks, cratering the earth itself with each slam.
Pain had lost all meaning. Only rage remained. Rage at the world. Rage at himself for being weak again. For the first time in two lives, he was being dominated.
Not by Sukuna. Not by a cursed god. But by a beast. When the python finally released him, his body was a ruin. Silver blood soaked and smeared across broken stone. And yet, he stood.
He rose, trembling, his right arm dislocated, his vision red with fury.
"FUCK YOU!!"
His voice cracked the silence. Leaping into the air, he put everything—his shattered will, his roaring hatred, and the remnants of his strength—into one final blow.
"Void God's Fist Art: BLACK FLASH!!"
The world went dark for a breath. A spear of red-black lightning screamed across the field. Time itself stuttered as the punch connected. A blastwave rippled out, vaporizing debris. The python's colossal body was hurled back like a ragdoll, its scales torn, bones caved in.
It slammed into the cavern wall and stayed down, for a moment.
A Body Tempering Realm punching a Grade Six Spiritual Beast unconscious—it was a feat that defied logic, defied belief.
But nothing was impossible for Gojo. His arm was torn clean off from the recoil, his body crashing into a cliffside, bleeding and barely breathing. And yet, the python stirred. Gojo stared as the beast rose, bloodied but alive. Its golden pupils gleamed with fury.
A guttural, demonic roar shook the cavern. It realized it could lose.
A sinister aura erupted from its body. Demonic Qi drenched the air, thick and oppressive. The python lunged, a meteor of scales and hate.
Gojo stumbled to his feet, arm regenerating inch by inch. His voice cracked the air again.
"DIMENSIONAL SWIRL!!" A vortex of Yuan Power spiraled around him, tearing space apart. The cyclone howled, filled with slashing shards of dimensional force. It should have eviscerated anything in its path.
But the python tore through it.
Its scales were flayed, blood oozing from fresh gashes—but it endured.
And then its fangs sank into his chest.
Gojo screamed. The sound was raw, primal.
His ribs shattered. Poison surged into his bloodstream. The world blurred. He was dragged like a chew toy, his body pulped between fangs.
.
Miles Away..
A beam of golden light streaked through the swampy forest, illuminating the shadows. Behind it, demonic cultivators howled in pursuit.
MeiYing flew faster, her heart pounding with an unfamiliar terror. Something was wrong. Her instincts screamed.
Then she felt it. A demonic aura that froze her blood. 'No... it can't be...' She turned sharply—too late. A dark projectile embedded in her shoulder. Pain flared instantly.
Her body crashed through trees, skidded across mud and stone, before slamming into a clearing. She rose shakily. Her breath hitched.
Surrounded.
Eight demonic cultivators. The lowest among them radiated the power of a Middle Heavenly Yuan Realm cultivator. Their eyes gleamed with hunger.
Her gaze dropped to the black arrow in her shoulder. Poison veins spread rapidly. Her body weakened by the second.
And yet, her spine straightened. Her blade appeared in her hand, shining with defiant elegance. Then, the voice she dreaded.
"Hehehe... such a fiery little minx. Just as they said. The future Empress of Great Zhou."
The voice was shrill. Mocking. Mo Xie stepped into view, barefoot, draped in tattered robes, wearing a smile soaked in madness.
"Mo Xie..." she hissed. "What have you done to Chen Zhen?!"
Mo Xie chuckled. "Me? Nothing at all. He barged into my Precipice Cave trying to lure me away. Noble, wasn't it?" His eyes gleamed. "But foolish. He thought he was buying you time. He didn't realize... I wanted him to come." MeiYing's stomach sank.
"He's not here because..."
"Because I never followed him," Mo Xie finished. "I didn't need to. Hei Yan took care of everything.."
He gestured to a green-robed youth beside him. "Inside that cave is his finest pet. With my help, he tamed the Flaming Striped Python. And guess what? It broke through to Grade Six not long ago. A bit battered from a Beast Tribulation, yes, but still strong enough to slaughter your friend."
He leaned forward, voice low and cruel. "Right now, he's being torn apart."
Her knees buckled. She nearly fell.
Gojo...
He'd bought her time with his blood. And she... she'd fallen for the trap.
"Oh, and don't bother resisting," Mo Xie continued cheerfully. "That Root Withering Poison will suppress your Yuan Power soon enough. Just be a good girl and come with—"
"I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!"
A sun exploded.
Golden light erupted from MeiYing's body, so bright the forest itself seemed to recoil. Her despair ignited into a star of rage. Her blade shimmered with raw power as she vanished.
Before anyone could react, her sword was already at Mo Xie's throat.
And her eyes—those tear-streaked, burning eyes—declared one thing:
This wasn't over.
A/N: I'm exhausted. Reviews? Powerstones? Comments? Come on guys..