November 20.
The first day of special training.
Deep underground beneath Tokyo Jujutsu High.
The reinforced training arena had once been designed to withstand attacks from special-grade cursed spirits.
But today—
It had become a battlefield.
"Too slow!"
"Too slow!"
"Way too slow!"
Satoru Gojo laughed as he effortlessly dodged attacks from several students at once.
Yuji Itadori, Panda, Maki Zenin, and others attacked simultaneously.
Yet none of them could even touch him.
"You can't even brush my sleeve."
"And you want to fight Sukuna?"
Gojo shook his head.
"Dream on."
BOOM!!
He flicked a finger.
A burst of repulsive force erupted outward.
The group was blasted away instantly.
Yuji rolled across the ground and slowly got up.
Dust covered his face.
But the determination in his eyes only grew stronger.
"…Again."
Gojo smiled.
"That's the spirit."
"I like that stubborn look."
Then he glanced toward someone nearby.
"Alright."
"Your turn."
"Teach him."
Stepping forward was Choso.
He looked at Yuji calmly.
"Yuji."
"The foundation of Blood Manipulation is controlling the flow of blood through cursed energy."
"You don't have the Kamo clan's lineage."
"But you are connected to the Death Painting Wombs."
"That means your blood already carries cursed energy."
He raised a finger.
A droplet of blood formed.
"Watch carefully."
"Piercing Blood."
WHOOSH!!
The drop accelerated instantly.
It pierced a steel target across the arena like a laser beam.
Yuji's eyes widened.
"That's incredible!"
Choso nodded calmly.
"Try it."
Yuji closed his eyes.
He focused inward.
His heartbeat.
His blood flow.
Cursed energy circulating through his veins.
The sensation was strange—
But unmistakable.
"Pfft."
A tiny droplet of blood appeared on his fingertip.
Small.
Unstable.
But real.
Yuji's eyes opened wide.
"I did it!"
"Don't celebrate yet."
Suddenly—
Gojo appeared behind him.
THUD.
Yuji was kicked straight across the arena.
"That was the tutorial."
"The real training starts now."
Meanwhile—
In a quiet corner of the arena—
Yagami Sora sat cross-legged.
He was thinking about something Gojo had said the previous day.
"Vectors aren't limited to physical forces."
"Time."
"Space."
"Causality."
"All of them can be interpreted as vectors."
Sora looked at his palm.
Until now—
His ability controlled physical vectors:
Kinetic energyHeat transferElectromagnetic forces
But what about abstract vectors?
"If time is like a flowing river…"
"Then its direction and speed…"
"…are also vectors."
He closed his eyes.
Trying to feel the flow of time itself.
At first—
Nothing.
Only silence.
But he continued.
Because Gojo Satoru would never say something meaningless.
"If I could reverse time…"
"Even for a single second…"
"…maybe I could save people."
A memory flashed in his mind.
Tsumiki's death.
The moment he failed to reach her in time.
"If I had been faster…"
"If time had turned back…"
Sora's fists clenched.
"I have to do it."
His eyes opened suddenly.
For just an instant—
A ripple distorted the air.
Like the faintest fluctuation in time itself.
Elsewhere in the arena—
Everyone was pushing themselves to the limit.
Yuta Okkotsu fought alongside Rika, attempting to reproduce copied techniques more efficiently.
Kinji Hakari experimented with probability control to increase the consistency of his jackpot.
Panda attempted to develop a new combat form.
Even Atsuya Kusakabe, who lacked an innate technique, was being forced to practice Simple Domain repeatedly.
Everyone was training with the same goal.
December 24.
The final battle.
They had to win.
Above the arena—
Inside the observation room—
Shoko Ieiri watched quietly.
A cigarette rested between her fingers.
But she didn't light it.
"Do your best, everyone…"
She murmured softly.
"This might be our last chance."
If they failed—
Everything would end.
"Relax."
Suddenly Gojo appeared beside her.
He gently took the cigarette away.
"Smoking's bad for you, Shoko."
Then he looked down at the arena.
At the students fighting with everything they had.
His expression softened.
"They're my students."
"How could we possibly lose?"
Shoko smiled faintly.
"You really are confident."
"Of course."
Gojo replied casually.
"They're monsters I trained."
She laughed quietly.
"Alright."
"Then let's see."
"Let's see how far they grow…"
"In one month."
Below them—
Training continued.
Every second.
Every minute.
Burning toward the final battle.
December 24.
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