In Kaori's eyes, Satoshi had no means of resistance. She assumed he was relying solely on the power of his other Zanpakutō, Sode no Shirayuki, which explained his lack of fear.
However, to her surprise, Satoshi's eyes lit up the moment he heard that the barrier would only last ten minutes.
"You're not seriously expecting someone to come rescue you, are you? If so, aren't you underestimating my strength just a bit too much?"
IKaori narrowed her eyes. She had seen through Satoshi's thoughts. Since persuasion failed, she would simply resort to force.
She took a step forward.
Up until that moment, Kaori believed everything was proceeding as planned.
What she didn't know, however, was that while this barrier could block sound and vision—making it nearly impossible for others to detect—Satoshi was no sorcerer.
Using a trick that worked on standard jujutsu users against him was bound to backfire.
The moment Ryūjin Jakka failed to shatter the barrier, Satoshi had already used the system to transmit a message through every Zanpakutō connected to a borrower.
[The swordsmith is in danger. Location coordinates… Sent.]
Kaori would never have imagined that, at this moment, every sword borrower had all received Satoshi's distress signal.
Gojo Clan.
Satoru, currently in seclusion, immediately snapped out of meditation when he heard the message from Senbonzakura. His expression darkened as he rushed out of the chamber.
Approaching him was Gojo Shunichi, equally grim-faced.
"Shunichi, you got the message too?"
"Yes, Young Master Satoru."
The two exchanged a look. Satoru gave a direct order.
"Shunichi, go find the Clan Head and the acting agent. I'll head to the location and get to Satoshi myself."
Shunichi wanted to stop Satoru from going alone, but there was no time to argue.
"Young Master Satoru, please be careful."
Satoru nodded and vanished right before Shunichi's eyes.
During his retreat, he had already mastered the core principles of Blue and focused especially on its mobility techniques.
Satoshi, just hold on—I'll be there soon.
Yagyū Clan.
Yagyū Saemon, along with Yusuke, knocked on Yagyū Hidetsugu's door.
"What is it? What happened?"
Hidetsugu looked confused, but Saemon had no time for explanations.
"Come with me, Hidetsugu! Young Master Gojo Satoshi is in danger."
The moment he spoke, Saemon had already disappeared from sight.
Hearing that, Hidetsugu's expression changed drastically, and he immediately activated his technique to follow.
Gojo Satoshi was the Gojo clan's most precious asset. If anything happened to him, the entire jujutsu world would plunge into chaos.
The two Grade 1 sorcerers from the Yagyū clan moved out at full speed toward the coordinates.
Yorozuya.
In the Yorozuya, Toji, who had been speaking with Yuki, suddenly froze. A terrifying killing intent surged from his body.
Yuki, standing across from him, instantly felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on her.
She reflexively summoned Garuda, thinking Toji might attack her—that her life was in danger.
If she didn't fight back, she would die!
But this was just Yuki's misconception Toji wasn't targeting her.
"Gojo Satoshi is in danger."
After dropping those words, Toji vanished from the Yorozuya.
Yuki's expression shifted, and she immediately activated her Cursed Energy to chase after him.
She didn't know how Toji had learned of the situation, but if it concerned Satoshi, she couldn't afford to ignore it.
…
Three separate forces were now converging toward the barrier's location.
Satoshi, viewing the scene through his Zanpakutō's shared perception, confirmed their movements and formulated his strategy.
Right now, he couldn't defeat Kenjaku—but he didn't need to. He just had to buy time until the others arrived.
As long as Toji reached the scene, Kenjaku would likely abandon the idea of stealing Ryūjin Jakka.
After all, with Toji and Katen Kyōkotsu currently at their peak, even Kenjaku could not guarantee a swift victory.
So, just as Kaori began to advance, Satoshi had already drawn Sode no Shirayuki. At the moment the blade left its sheath, it entered Shikai.
A pristine white blade radiated an intense chill.
Satoshi swung Sode no Shirayuki, drawing a circle along the edge of the barrier.
"First Dance—Tsukishiro!"
He poured all his strength into activating Sode no Shirayuki, even wrapping himself within the circle to try and freeze Kenjaku for just a few seconds.
An overwhelming wave of ice erupted from the circle beneath his feet, surging through the entire barrier.
In an instant, both Satoshi and Kenjaku were engulfed in ice.
Satoshi didn't bother defending himself. His only wish was for Tsukishiro to hold out just a little longer.
But this was merely wishful thinking.
Tsukishiro's power was nothing compared to Kaori. It couldn't even slow her down.
At the moment the technique spread through the barrier, Kenjaku activated her own technique—Anti-Gravity System.
When activated in the forward direction, the technique reversed gravitational pull.
The moment Tsukishiro touched her, the surrounding ice floated upward, becoming weightless and condensing at the top of the barrier.
Tsukishiro couldn't even graze her.
Seeing this, Satoshi let out a soft sigh.
But he had expected this outcome. Tsukishiro was only Sode no Shirayuki's most basic technique. If it were enough to stop Kenjaku, she wouldn't deserve the title of hidden boss.
"Gojo Satoshi-kun, I suggest you stop struggling."
"You still have a technique called Hakuren, don't you? Don't waste your strength."
IKaori's voice was calm. She stood in the barrier like a goddess, gravity bent to her will.
But surrender wasn't in Satoshi's nature.
"Second Dance—Hakuren!"
The white avalanche surged forth from his blade.
And just as Kaori had predicted, despite its overwhelming power, Hakuren couldn't reach her at all due to the anti-gravity effect. The massive snow waterfall floated harmlessly above her.
Kaori smiled slightly. Although these two large-scale ice techniques were impressive, they posed no threat to her.
But in the middle of the snowstorm, a faint gleam of cold light suddenly flashed.
Hidden behind the cascading snow, Satoshi had launched a surprise close-range attack.
(To be continued.)
***
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