Chapter 154: The Last Prism

【Leo Garcia——】

The transport plane was pulling away from where Gojo had been. Yet the blinding light and deafening impact sounds still reached us.

Gojo’s fighting.

There’s nothing we can do, but… at least we wanted to see how the battle was going.

“Hey, look at this!”

One of the kids, Arthur, held up his phone and shouted.

“What is it?”

“Teacher’s on it!”

“Huh?!”

We all leaned in to look. Though it was a distant shot, a human figure was clearly visible.

“This is….”

“Definitely Teacher, right?”

“Yeah, I think so too.”

Arthur was excited. Noah nodded along.

“If that’s the case, this footage must’ve been shot by a military drone. Can’t get anyone near that spot anymore.”

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

【Osaka, Prime Minister’s Office】

“Gojo, right? Who’s the other one?”

“Don’t know… but if they’re an enemy, they must be strong.”

The Prime Minister, Toda, answered the Defense Minister’s question. The ameba-like monster that had covered the land and sunk countless warships had been destroyed. The sheer scale of it—unbelievable.

Toda was certain Gojo had done it. But he still had doubts about whether it would end like this.

“Anyway, according to intelligence from China, they’re using dozens of drones to monitor the situation. The footage’s being sent to governments worldwide. Whether to release it or not? That’s up to each country.”

“Japan’s releasing it, then?”

“Yes. From an information transparency standpoint, the media’s broadcasting it nationwide. Right now, everyone’s watching.”

“Is that so…”

Toda felt it. This would be the final battle. He didn’t know if they’d win or lose, but just like before, when Gojo saved Japan—he had to believe in him.

I stared at Gojo in the image, praying with every fiber of my being.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The man standing before me is a man with long black hair, clad in golden armor. The design looks identical to the silver-armored demons I’ve seen before.

But it’s not just the color—this armor feels like it’s way more powerful.

I tried to use “Identify,” but nothing—neither him, nor his armor, nor the sword at his waist—would register at all.

『Ah, so it’s you…』

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

『I heard the human who defeated Ajax had entered the “Dimensional Labyrinth”… Hmm, I see. So that’s where you found Agalirepto.』

“Just checking—got any plans to take your remaining comrades back to the original world?”

『Are you giving me orders, now?』

“Whatever you think. But I don’t want pointless fights. If you swear to return home and never come back here, I’ll let you go.”

『Hahahaha… You’re seriously misunderstanding something. Think you can beat me just because you’ve got strong magic? Oh, what a big mistake.』

The Demon God King placed his right hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist and slowly drew it out. A clear, ringing *kin* echoed as the blade emerged—glowing with an eerie light.

『Besides, that kind of powerful magic can’t be used over and over again, can it?』

“…Yeah, that spell can only be used once. If we’re going to fight now, you’ve got the advantage.”

The Demon God King gave a light, cold smile at my words.

『And yet, you’re awfully calm. You’re underestimating my strength, aren’t you?』

“I know you’re strong. I know I’m no match for you—Agalirepto beat me to a pulp, after all.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. Why? Even in front of the overwhelmingly powerful Demon God King, I didn’t feel like I was going to lose. “The Tenth Finger of Pluto”… I’d already used nine of them with that light magic just now…

Only one remains. It’s undeniably disadvantageous…

I looked up at the sky. The sun was beginning to set, but it was still bright.

‘What?’

‘Just thought… the sun’s out.’

‘…What are you getting at?’

‘Nah, forget it. I just thought it was weird—didn’t see it in the labyrinth. You’re not stopping, are you? Let’s begin.’

I stared at the last gem in my left hand. This one was colorless—just a transparent crystal. When I channeled my magic into it, it flared brighter than ever before… then shattered.

‘Highest-tier enhancement magic—’

Countless tiny orbs of light burst from around me, shooting inward like radiation. My body heated up. Power surged through me.

I spread my arms wide and roared at the top of my lungs:

‘——— KAMUI ———!’

A violent burst of “energy” erupted from my body. It wasn’t anything like normal qi cultivation. Golden “qi” enveloped me, lifting my feet off the ground.

The Demon God King kicked off the earth, charging toward me. The impact shattered the ground, sending up rocks and smoke as he accelerated.

I gripped my sword tight and kicked off the ground, meeting him head-on.

Two forces—normally impossible to intersect in this world—collided. At the moment our blades met, my “qi” and the Demon God King’s “magic power” exploded outward. The shockwave vaporized the ground around us.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

The footage people were watching suddenly cut out. Several drones near Gojo had been blown apart by the force of the battle.

When the feed returned, the two figures were already gone.

There were more than ten drones—should’ve been no problem capturing the shot. But those two were moving too fast. Couldn’t even catch a glimpse.

Air bursts everywhere—shockwaves ripple out, and then, delayed, the explosions boom.

The onlookers could tell the fight was still going on... but who was winning? No idea. Not a clue.

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

This guy… he’s keeping up with me. No, wait—this power… is it even stronger than Agalirept?

The seventh or eighth clash—my sword rebounds.

The opponent closed the distance in an instant. Outclassing me in strength, speed, or technique? Impossible.

Stop time. No matter how high your physical ability, it means nothing in a world where time has frozen. That’s what I thought… but the man’s sword didn’t stop.

I barely block the slash aimed at me with my sword—then get knocked back, overpowered.

Stupid...

The guy’s moving like nothing ever happened. In a world frozen in time, only someone with the same power as me—someone like Chronos—can move.

No way… does this guy have the ability to stop time too? I can’t believe it—there’s no other explanation. And this slash… each strike is heavy. Even while time’s frozen, he’s still cutting through with the same force.

Then what I'm using right now isn't just "qigong." Qigong is the technique of projecting Enhancement Magic outside the body.

It should stop working if time freezes... but if it still works while time's frozen, that means physical enhancement must be happening at the same time.

Is this another magic I didn’t know about…?

The man’s coming at me—faster than anything I’ve ever seen.

You...!

Four fleshy tendrils erupt from my back. Most of the masses have been shed, but enough remains to still be useful in a fight.

My sword thrust—five attacks coming at once, from all directions. Can’t dodge this.

“Dimension Slash—Four-Link!”

The guy’s sword slices through the four meat masses, shredding them into tiny squares. The severed chunks rebound, knocking my sword clean out of my hand.

He raises his blade. Going for a full-force attack, huh?

I brace my own sword upward to block. His strike’s too strong—splits my sword in half, slashes from shoulder to belly.

Not a fatal wound. But this—this is the ultimate humiliation. My sword broken. My body wounded. That’s not a reality I’ll ever accept.

I rewind time. The wound vanishes. My broken sword reassembles. The guy doesn’t interfere.

So even if I can move within the frozen moment, I can’t rewind time. Means his ability’s incomplete.

Once my body’s fully restored, I don’t block with my sword this time. I step back—dodge instead. Yeah, no one’s ever kept up with me. Just as I think that—

He steps forward. Charges in with a slash.

I can’t parry—can’t retreat. His blade bites deep into my shoulder.

It’s worse than the wound I had before I rewound time. Tears through me like a jagged knife.

‘Gah!?’

Blood sprays. My balance shatters.

“You rewound time? Impressive… but what’s the point? I’m aware of time’s flow. Your trick’s useless against me.”

He stares down at me, kneeling.

My shoulder wound’s healing fast—thanks to 【Super Recovery】—but I won’t let him look down on me.

‘You—!’

I lunge at him with my blade—just as his fist slams into my face.

Flesh tears, bone shatters—his fist driving deep into my skull. My consciousness snaps, and the next thing I know, I’m sprawled on the ground, dozens of meters from the guy.

That could’ve been, like, a fraction of a second.

But me? Laid flat on my back like this? Me!? This—this is a humiliation I’ve never felt before.

My face heals fast, but the blood rushing to my head won’t stop.

‘You—’ I grit through the pain, ‘think you can just kill me easy? I’ll cut off your limbs—’

He barely lifts his sword. A glow spills from the blade—cutting right through me.

The world splits down the middle.

I get it instantly. I’m split clean in two—from head to toe.