I'm not going to be an Spirit! (Translate)

For so many years, this was the second time his Infinity had ever been broken.

A searing pain spread from his mouth and nose. Shattered bones pierced into his eyes, causing him to lose vision, and even his breathing was affected.

Yet Satoru Gojo felt no fear at all.

For a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, as long as it's not a fatal attack, any injury could be healed with the Reverse Cursed Technique.

In less than a second, his disfigured face had already recovered for the most part, with only a few scars remaining to testify to the sheer power of that previous strike.

Stretching his muscles and joints, Gojo dashed back into the forest in a single swift move, rejoining the battlefield.

"Still want to fight?"

Tokisaki Kurumi remained as composed and relaxed as ever, chuckling softly. "I've already broken your Infinity. If you insist on continuing this fight, the next thing to hit your face won't be my fist—but a bullet."

"If you'd chosen to shoot instead of punch, I wouldn't have taken that hit head-on either."

Gojo remained undeterred, speaking with a light tone, "For someone at the Special Grade level, dodging a bullet only takes a slight tilt of the head. It's actually punches that are harder to evade."

"Well… that's true."

Tokisaki Kurumi thought for a moment and agreed with his reasoning.

It wasn't an excuse Gojo had made up for himself.

For Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerers, their physical abilities and reaction times were so abnormal that calling them humanoid monsters would not be an exaggeration.

"Still, I'm curious—why did you hold back?"

A confused look crossed Gojo face as he asked, "I'm your enemy, the nightmare known for being ruthless and cruel. Why didn't you finish me off?"

"Don't make me sound like some kind of psychotic killer. Do I even have a reason to kill you?"

"Because I want to kill you?"

"You can continue wanting that, but that's all it will be," Kurumi replied calmly. "Of course, if you want to try again, I'll gladly entertain you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

Gojo had no intention of ceasing the fight and charged at her once more.

However, this time, he didn't rush in recklessly. Instead, he pushed his speed to the limit, using a ghost-like movement technique to confuse Kurumi line of sight, waiting for an opening.

When it came to Domains, he lost.

When it came to strength, he also lost.

But in terms of speed, he was still the fastest sorcerer in modern Japan.

He hadn't figured out how the Nightmare revived after being killed. Using Hollow Purple again would only waste cursed energy.

Though his Six Eyes drastically reduced the energy cost of using Limitless techniques, making it practically negligible in normal situations, that didn't apply to everything.

Basic techniques used almost no energy. However, activating Domain Expansion or using Hollow Purple still consumed a considerable amount of cursed energy.

So now, he no longer intended to kill the Nightmare.

Instead, he planned to capture her and bring her back to the Jujutsu High in Tokyo for further study with the others.

"Zafkiel—First Bullet."

As Gojo moved, so did Kurumi.

Once the First Bullet entered her body, she disappeared from sight.

"Hmm?!"

Gojo, who had been watching her closely, instantly tensed his muscles and used his teleportation technique.

The next moment, he appeared a hundred meters away.

His instincts had been right.

The Nightmare, who had vanished, somehow reappeared at the exact spot he had just occupied.

If he hadn't reacted in time, he would have been ambushed.

"She can teleport too? No… that's not teleportation. It's some kind of acceleration technique."

Gojo narrowed his eyes, recalling the moment carefully.

To an outsider, Kurumi had undoubtedly vanished and then reappeared behind him in an instant.

But with his Six Eyes—while in a heightened state of focus—he had still caught a faint afterimage.

It was similar to the Projection Sorcery possessed by the Zenin Clan, which enhanced one's speed.

But this technique… was even faster than that!

"So I've lost in speed as well…"

For the first time, Gojo felt that things were getting tricky.

The Nightmare weapons were two gun-shaped Special Grade Cursed Tools, clearly favoring long-range combat. That was why he had chosen close-quarters fighting.

Yet after clashing, he discovered that her strength was on par with his. And using the First Bullet, her speed even exceeded his own.

As for Domains, his closed-type Domain had proven completely ineffective.

Though Hollow Purple could still kill her, she always came back to life. Unless he figured out how that resurrection worked, using Hollow Purple again would only waste energy.

Of course, even with the Nightmare terrifying strength, Gojo remained unafraid.

Sure, that "Seventh Bullet" could negate his Infinity, but as long as he avoided being hit, he would be fine.

Even if he were hit, he could simply teleport away instantly, dispel the current Infinity, and reapply a new layer.

In other words, the current situation was…

"Neither of us can do anything to the other."

Realizing this, Gojo clicked his tongue in annoyance.

He didn't care whether he won or lost.

But being unable to fight properly—that was frustrating.

He had finally encountered a powerful opponent, yet he felt like he was punching a pillow—completely unsatisfying.

"Have you finally cooled down?"

Seeing that the other party was not making any moves for a long time, Tokisaki Kurumi smiled and asked, "Aren't you planning to keep fighting?"

"No, no more. I've never fought such a frustrating battle in my life."

Satoru Gojo let out a deep sigh, then looked at Tokisaki Kurumi again and asked suspiciously, "But you still look like you haven't used your full strength. Don't tell me you're still hiding a trump card?"

Faced with this question, Tokisaki Kurumi just smiled without replying.

Of course she still had trump cards.

Out of the twelve abilities of Zafkiel, she had only revealed three.

What's more, even without using Zafkiel, she could wring this guy dry into a corpse just by using the City of Devouring Time.

Her Territory of Arbitrary Deployment being able to block Domain Expansion didn't mean that a Simple Domain could withstand the City of Devouring Time.

Anyone standing within the City of Devouring Time would be forcibly drained of time.

The reason why Nightmare hadn't used that was not because she couldn't bear to harm Satoru Gojo, but rather because it would be over too quickly.

Besides, Gojo didn't even know how to use Barrier Techniques. Even if he did, he hadn't mastered them well.

Of course, Satoru Gojo wasn't a fool. With his ability to teleport instantly, he could completely escape the absorption range of the City of Devouring Time.

Leaving aside her personal abilities, Tokisaki Kurumi still had several item cards in her space backpack that could clear this world in an instant.

The only reason she hadn't used those cards yet was simply because she still needed to find more opportunities to roleplay, and firmly secure that S-rank roleplaying evaluation.

Making deals with Yuji Itadori and Megumi Fushiguro, allowing them to place bindings on themselves — that too was for waiting for the right opportunity, to recreate one of her iconic scenes from the original story.

"Since you have no intention of continuing the fight, why don't we sit down and have a calm discussion?"

Tokisaki Kurumi ignored Satoru Gojo question and brought the topic back to the main point.

This battle with Satoru Gojo could have been avoided entirely.

All it would take was the use of her sixth bullet, to send her consciousness back in time.

That way, not only would the battle be avoided, but Satoru Gojo wouldn't even become suspicious of Spy Three.

However, since Gojo had been tracking her, even if this battle was avoided today, there would still be countless chances to run into each other in the future.

Moreover, even if they didn't meet face-to-face, if Gojo followed her trail to places she had been before and saw the remnants of her spiritual energy, he would immediately start suspecting Spy Three's true identity.

Since that's the case, it was better to be open about it and deliberately leak some information.

"I have nothing to discuss with a curse user," Gojo waved his hand dismissively. "Don't start spouting those stupid clichés like 'we fought, now we understand each other.' You and I are still mortal enemies."

"Oh? This is our first meeting, Mr. Gojo. Could it be that I've done something in the past to make you dislike me?"

"Are you serious? After killing so many people, you're asking why I dislike you?" Gojo mouth twitched. "Do you even hear yourself?"

"That's really a shame. I was hoping to get along with you, Mr. Gojo."

"Well, I don't want to get along with a woman-like snake." Gojo laughed coldly. "Besides, I prefer younger women, not… hmm, old hags."

At Satoru Gojo words, Nightmare eye twitched fiercely, and the hand holding the gun tightened its grip.

Sure enough, just as he had suspected, this woman wasn't as young as she looked.

Which was to be expected. Though no one knew Nightmare background or details, she had dominated the Jujutsu world even before Satoru Gojo was born. Even if she appeared to be a girl of sixteen or seventeen, in truth, she was at least in her forties or fifties.

"That settles it. I'm not calling you 'Nightmare' anymore. Your new nickname is Double-Gun Granny."

Seeing that the age insult seemed to be effective, Gojo instantly put on a smug expression.

However, unexpectedly, Nightmare stiff expression only lasted a moment before she quickly returned to her usual indulgent and elegant demeanor.

This woman… had terrifying emotional control.

Not getting the reaction he wanted, Gojo sighed internally.

"Mr. Gojo, are you sure you don't want to hear my proposal?"

Tokisaki Kurumi voice was calm, as if nothing had happened, steering the conversation back on track.

"If you agree to help me with one thing, I can help you with one thing in return."

"I'm the strongest of this era. If there's something I want to do, I'll do it myself. If I can't do it, what makes you think you can?"

"That title — 'the strongest of this era' — in a way, it shackles you," Tokisaki Kurumi smiled. "Because there are some things… only the most evil of this era can do."

"Such as?"

"The assassination of the top brass in the Japanese Jujutsu world."

At her words, Satoru Gojo joking expression faded.

He was tempted.

He had long been disgusted with those decaying, decrepit old men in power.

Their ultra-conservative policies had turned the entire Jujutsu world into a stagnant pool of water, devoid of any desire for progress. All actions revolved around the interests of the upper echelons.

He had considered many times, privately, whether he should just storm their lairs and clean house — purge the Jujutsu world from the ground up.

But he had never acted on it.

Because violence cannot win hearts.

Even if he killed all those rotten elders, the mid- and lower-ranked sorcerers would become estranged, fearing a tyrant.

So he chose to become a teacher, slowly cultivating his own power base, gradually replacing the high-ranking officials, injecting fresh blood into the withering Jujutsu world.

But what happened today deepened his dissatisfaction with the top brass.

Taking advantage of his inattention, they lured Yuji Itadori team to a location with a special-grade cursed spirit — clearly trying to kill them via indirect means.

That was the same as tugging the tiger's whiskers.

Satoru Gojo was furious.

But he could do nothing about it.

Even if Yuji Itadori died because of this mission, he would have no choice but to swallow the anger silently.

As the strongest of this era, he couldn't act recklessly.

But the most evil of this era… could.

Gojo Adam's apple bobbed hard as he stared at the smiling woman in front of him.

He felt like Eve being tempted by the ancient serpent.

Do you see the fruit on the tree?

Eat it… and you will obtain exactly what you desire.

The demon's whispers seemed to echo in his ears, filled with seductive charm, making his lips tremble slightly.

As long as he agreed to Nightmare condition, he could fulfill his greatest wish effortlessly.

But at the same time, he would bear original sin.

Colluding with a curse user. Massacring the high-ranking members of the Jujutsu world. His grand and noble plan would be tainted completely by darkness.

Realizing this, his resolve solidified once more.

"You really are a snake of a woman. I almost fell for it."

Even though he hadn't felt this nervous during battle, at this moment, cold sweat had already soaked through his clothes.

What he wanted… was victory earned honorably.

If he used such devious, disgraceful methods to achieve his goals — if he agreed to Nightmare deal — then that venomous woman would hold all the leverage.

If she ever chose to leak this matter, Gojo would fall into the worst possible situation.

The top brass would be dead. The middle and lower ranks would become disillusioned and estranged. The entire Jujutsu world would collapse into a scattered mess.

By then, the curse users lying in wait would surge forth, making this era theirs.

Just one more step.

Just one more step, and Nightmare would've succeeded.

Licking his dry lips, Satoru Gojo became deeply wary of this woman.

At this moment, he actually wanted to run far away from her.

She's too dangerous — this woman is filled with nothing but malicious cunning.

His level wasn't high enough.

He couldn't deal with her.