Chapter 39: Kuranashi’s Escape

The Basara slumped against the cracked wall, blood spilling from its mouth in thick, crimson pools. The feathers on its wings had mostly fallen off, and one wing bore a massive, gaping hole.

“Damn it! Is he really an Onmyoji?”

Fear consumed the Basara’s lone crimson eye, as if the terror had taken on a tangible form.

“This level of power… it’s not something a human should possess.”

No matter how much it struggled, no matter how much cursed energy it summoned, it couldn’t break free. It was as if it was shackled by an unyielding force.

Even when it used its trump card—“By the law of incantation!”—it was still utterly powerless, as though it were a child waving a toy knife in the presence of a monster.

“Oh~? You still have the strength to fight back, huh?”

In an instant, Gojo Satoru teleported in front of the Basara, his expression as relaxed as ever.

“GOJO SATORU!!!”

The Basara let out a furious roar, forcing itself to its feet with great effort.

It flapped its mangled wings, sending a barrage of pitch-black feathers shooting toward Gojo at incredible speed.

But the scene that unfolded next only deepened its despair.

The thousands of feathers, sharp and deadly, halted mid-air, floating silently just in front of Gojo.

“Wow, these feathers look pretty intense. Are they really strong?”

Gojo leaned in curiously, poking at the glowing tip of one feather. The once-lethal projectiles now seemed as harmless as kittens, completely under his control.

Gulp.

The Basara swallowed hard, the sound audible in the dead silence.

Gojo Satoru, the strongest onmyoji of modern era was a monster beyond comprehension.

Regret flooded the Basara’s mind. It should never have listened to Kuranashi and come here to test this creature’s strength.

“No… I need to escape!”

The Basara had no intention of dying here.

With a powerful flap of its wings, it shot into the air, moving so quickly that it disappeared in the blink of an eye.

The boundary of the barrier was just ahead.

A hint of relief flickered across the Basara’s face as it approached the edge of the barrier.

[Limitless: Cursed Technique Lapse - Blue]

Suddenly, a massive pulling force gripped the Basara’s body.

Its face twisted in panic.

It knew—this was that man’s doing again.

The Basara flapped its wings desperately, but it was futile. The gravitational pull was relentless.

At the same time, a gigantic boulder hurtled toward it from the opposite direction.

The Basara realized what was about to happen.

The two forces—its own body and the boulder—were about to collide.

‘BOOM!’

The deafening crash shook the surroundings as a cloud of dust billowed into the air.

“Ugh, so much dust. It’s suffocating,” Gojo muttered, waving his hand to clear the air, a look of mild annoyance on his face.

As the dust settled, the Basara lay motionless on the ground. Its wings and claws had disappeared, leaving behind a battered, lifeless body.

Gojo approached the Basara, his footsteps echoing softly against the cracked ground.

Standing over the defeated creature, he planted his foot on its face, leaning down with a smile.

“Why don’t you say it again? That you’re going to kill me?”

The Basara didn’t respond. Its empty eyes stared blankly at the blood-red sky above.

“Boring.”

Gojo clicked his tongue in disappointment, lifting his foot from the Basara’s face. Without a second glance, he turned and began to walk away.

[Limitless: Cursed Technique Lapse - Blue]

A distorted, swirling space resembling a tadpole appeared in the air.

The Basara’s body was dragged into the vortex, its seemingly indestructible form shredded to pieces.

A bright pentagram of purification bloomed.

The Basara was exorcised.

A minute later, the barrier surrounding the area shattered.

...

Meanwhile, on a mountain peak ten kilometers away from the battlefield, a masked figure stood with arms crossed.

It was Kuranashi.

Murmuring to himself, he observed the scene from a safe distance.

“As expected of the strongest Onmyoji. Perhaps only the Satan of the Void Realm could even come close to matching him. I’ll have to scale back my plans for now… the Onmyoji world is definitely suspicious of a mastermind now. Tch, I don’t want to…”

“And what don’t you want to do?”

A voice interrupted him.

Kuranashi’s pupils shrank as his body instinctively shifted into a combat stance.

He whipped his head toward the source of the voice.

“GOJO SATORU?!”

Yes, it was Gojo Satoru.

During his fight with the Basara, Gojo had already sensed someone secretly observing the battle.

Using Six Eyes, he pinpointed the culprit’s location and teleported over. And there he found the culprit—Kuranashi.

"Gojo Satoru, I don't want to fight you now. Besides, if you have time to find me, you might as well go to the other side."

As he spoke, Kuranashi turned toward a swirling black vortex behind him, ready to escape.

But Gojo was faster.

[Limitless: Cursed Technique Reversal – Red]

A scarlet shockwave slammed into Kuranashi, tearing through half of his body in an instant.

Despite the excruciating pain, Kuranashi gritted his teeth and dove into the vortex, disappearing from sight.

“Hmm, I’ll let you live for now,” Gojo muttered, his tone indifferent.

He didn’t seem particularly surprised by Kuranashi’s escape.

If he wanted to, he could easily track him down again.

But if he eliminated Kuranashi now… what would he do for fun later?

“Although… what did he mean by ‘the other side’?”