Facing Jogo’s attack, Makoto hurriedly raised a spatial barrier.
Even through the barrier, the scorching heat nearly suffocated both him and Sakiko.
But thanks to the exceptional properties of Spatial Manipulation, the barrier ultimately managed to block Jogo’s attack.
Jogo gave a low grunt.
He clearly hadn’t expected this human Jujutsu Sorcerer’s spatial technique to be so troublesome.
He touched a finger to his forehead, preparing to unleash Ember Insects for a second attack.
Makoto knew he couldn’t escape on foot anymore.
His mind raced before he suddenly shouted, “Jogo!
Itadori Yuji is probably already dead.
If you don’t believe me, sense his presence yourself!” Jogo’s movements paused for an instant.
The familiar mechanical voice sounded beside Makoto’s ear.
[Ding!
Making Fake Become Real has activated.] [Togawa Sakiko contributed 22.5 Manifestation Points.] [Jogo contributed 1.5 Manifestation Points.] [Total Manifestation Points: 24.
Manifestation ratio: 24%.] [Manifestation result: Itadori Yuji’s presence has moderately weakened.] Jogo suspiciously sensed Yuji’s presence.
Makoto hadn’t lied.
That presence really had become somewhat weaker than before.
But Jogo looked back at Makoto.
In his eyes, capturing this human Jujutsu Sorcerer would only take a few breaths.
There was no reason to get distracted now.
The instant Jogo prepared to attack again, Makoto activated another Binding.
He used the same conditions as before to extend the range of Spatial Manipulation, then opened a spatial passage beneath himself.
The moment the Binding took effect, Makoto dumped all three people inside his Storage Space through the passage.
They fell six meters below, into the subway level beneath his feet.
Makoto grabbed Sakiko and jumped through immediately afterward.
He didn’t stop there.
Makoto continued moving downward with everyone until they reached the third underground level.
Only then did he finally breathe a little easier.
Even so, he didn’t dare remain there for long.
Makoto stuffed the others back into his Storage Space, picked Sakiko up, and fled horizontally to put as much distance as possible between them and the danger zone.
The reason he fled sideways was simple.
Any farther down would take them into the area where Kenjaku was guarding the Prison Realm.
Makoto certainly wasn’t going to escape Jogo only to run straight into Kenjaku.
Eventually, Makoto stopped near the opposite edge of the subway station.
By now, more than a hundred meters of straight-line distance separated him from the place where he’d confronted Jogo.
Makoto collapsed onto the ground.
He released the Hasaba twins and Kobayashi Yuu from his Storage Space, then climbed inside himself, leaving only a tiny opening for air.
This reduced the amount of Cursed Energy leaking from his body to the absolute minimum.
If Jogo still managed to track him down, Makoto would have no better option than abandoning Sukuna’s Finger and fleeing.
Yuu’s face was deathly pale.
His entire body trembled, and he had almost completely lost the ability to speak or move.
Sakiko glanced at him.
She decided against wasting stamina healing him and instead turned toward Makoto.
“What should we do with them?” The Hasaba twins were now deeply unconscious.
Either girl could die at any moment.
Sakiko faced two choices.
Should she heal them?
Or simply let them die?
Makoto adjusted his breathing and briefly explained where the two girls stood and what they’d done.
After hearing their entire story, Sakiko’s expression became complicated.
For a moment, unmistakable pity appeared on her face.
“Sakiko, you decide.” Makoto continued calmly.
“Do we spare them, let them die on their own…
or kill them ourselves?” Sakiko’s entire body stiffened.
She stared at the small opening Makoto had left behind.
“Kill them?” “Yes.
Kill them.” Makoto’s answer was firm.
“Of course, you can refuse.” “But the next time you’re forced to choose whether or not to kill someone, I might not be beside you.” Sakiko stared at the opening in shock.
“We agreed we’d always stay together as a team, didn’t we?” “Aren’t we supposed to act together and fight together?” “Were all those promises you made before lies?” Through the small air vent, Makoto watched the panic spreading across Sakiko’s face.
‘Just as I thought.’ Sakiko had already grown extremely dependent on him.
Under normal circumstances, Makoto could accept that.
But they were Players in the Main God Space now.
“I wasn’t lying.” “I’m willing to keep teaming up with you forever.” Makoto’s voice became serious.
“But after this mission ends and we return to the Main God Space, will we actually be assigned to the same place?” “I seriously doubt it.” In Makoto’s understanding, the Main God Space wasn’t something as simple as a few people living in a handful of rooms.
It was divided into different regions, with separate teams, factions, and spheres of influence.
Unless they happened to be assigned somewhere nearby, the chances of teaming up again for their next mission weren’t particularly high.
“But what if we are?” Sakiko’s voice carried obvious anxiety.
“What if we’re assigned together?” Seeing how uneasy she was, Makoto decided not to make things worse.
“Maybe you’re right.” “I’m sure we’ll be assigned together.” [Ding!
Making Fake Become Real has activated.] [Togawa Sakiko contributed 4.5 Manifestation Points.] [Kobayashi Yuu contributed 0.5 Manifestation Points.] [Manifestation result: After returning to the Main God Space, you, Togawa Sakiko, and Kobayashi Yuu will have a 5% chance of finding a way to contact one another.] Looking at the result, Makoto immediately understood.
‘Just as I thought.’ Even Sakiko no longer truly believed they would definitely remain together.
Her trust in that particular statement had fallen to only ten percent.
Makoto had expected that outcome.
In fact, he’d deliberately pushed things in this direction.
The reason he hadn’t used Making Fake Become Real to dramatically increase their chances of staying together was simple.
He didn’t want Sakiko to become completely helpless whenever he wasn’t around.
Even with Sakiko’s Fate Value, a hundred percent trust could only manifest a forty-five percent probability.
And her trust in Makoto had remained stuck around fifty percent anyway.
That meant being separated after returning to the Main God Space was still the more likely outcome.
Makoto couldn’t allow Sakiko to become the kind of person who couldn’t survive there simply because he was temporarily absent.
Sakiko remained silent for a long time.
She seemed to be slowly accepting the possibility that they might not be assigned together.
Makoto was just considering whether he should manifest another lie to improve their chances of staying in contact— When Sakiko raised her hand.
Flames slowly gathered in her palm.
She aimed them at the barely breathing Hasaba twins.
Yuu’s entire body trembled violently.
He slowly turned his head away.
This time, he didn’t scream or protest.
Clearly, he had grown too.
Or perhaps he’d simply come to fully understand the cruelty of the Main God Space.
Makoto calmly watched Sakiko prepare herself.
He knew that once she crossed this line, her personality would probably undergo a significant change.
But they had already become Players in the Main God Space.
If they continued clinging to pure, innocent kindness even here, they would only be gambling with their own lives.
Sakiko’s wrist trembled.
Then the flames born from anger shot forward.
They engulfed the bodies of the Hasaba twins.
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