The brave Simmel wants to resign

"Or rather, they didn't have time to kill them. According to the testimonies of Simmel, Nanako, and Mimiko, by the time Natsuyu arrived at the scene, the entire village had already been killed." Shoko said calmly.

"Although Xia You himself had the intention to do evil and was already preparing to take action against the Panxing Sect, he was ultimately classified as 'attempted murder'."

"That!--"

He was so surprised he almost cried out. This man rarely lost his composure like this, but it was because this matter involved his best friend.

"It's a pity."

But Ieiri Shoko was a master at pouring cold water on things, and she pressed Gojo Satoru back down without any expression.

"This is only in a legal sense, but the higher-ups in the sorcery world almost unanimously agree that Xia Youjie should be sentenced to death, or at least imprisoned for life."

"what?!"

Gojo Satoru stood up abruptly, his handsome face instantly contorted.

"This is a rare sight," thought Ieiri Shoko.

"What a joke! Who do they think they are?! Emperors?" The man grabbed his head and paced around his hospital room like a racehorse before a battle. "To be honest, I've been wondering for a long time, why do they act so high and mighty towards me!"

"Why bother with those guys? I've wanted to kill them all for a long time!"

"Hey, Shoko, you'll be coming with us too, right? Hey hey hey hey!"

"Don't include me in this," Shoko sighed. "Whether it's you or Natsuyu, don't treat human lives like disposable resources... Although for terrifyingly strong guys like you, there probably isn't much difference."

"But listen carefully to these five points, don't act impulsively, because—"

"It was Xia You himself who requested the punishment of indefinite imprisonment."

"If you have something to complain about, go and talk to him yourself."

"By the way..."

The phone vibrated, and after taking it out of her pocket and checking the screen, her expression changed slightly.

She got up and walked towards the door of the ward, saying the rest of her words to Wu Tiao.

"Give him a piece of my mind, too."

Chapter 54 Merry Christmas

Gojo Satoru once heard a saying.

If you meet your high school classmates again in ten years, you might not even recognize them.

The former heartthrob has become a pot-bellied businessman, the former beauty queen might be dancing wildly on TikTok, and the bespectacled nerd has suddenly become a social butterfly...

"But I never imagined that my high school classmate would be in prison."

Highly skilled in sorcery, in an underground prison.

The air was filled with a damp, musty smell, and it felt slightly chilly.

The light was so dim it was almost oppressive. A few candles hung on the stone wall, their flickering flames casting shadows onto the surface, which was covered with densely packed talismans, making it feel eerie.

Gojo Satoru and that familiar figure were separated at opposite ends.

The air was quiet, with only the sound of the candle wick popping. Xia Youjie's long black hair covered most of his face.

"Why, Jay?"

"You knew it perfectly well."

Inside the prison, the man's tone was no different from when he used to joke around.

"You didn't stop me because you knew I would do it anyway."

"Just to kill all non-sorcerers and create your so-called world of sorcerers?!" Gojo Satoru clenched his fist and slammed it against the railing without mercy. "Don't even dream about it!!"

"dream......"

Xia Youjie kept his head down.

The cell was small, with only a bed, a washbasin, and a toilet on the side.

Xia Youjie sat on the bed, his hands bound by shackles.

These were all cursed tools, leaving Xia Youjie with no chance of escape, but he felt a sense of exhilaration because of it.

It was as if this was the future he was pursuing.

"Let's not refute the idea of ​​dreaming for now, but you know, Wu."

Xia You finally raised her head and looked at Wu Tiao.

There was no trace of gloom or regret in his expression, only a hint of weariness.

"It's not about whether you can do it, but whether you should do it."

"........."

Incomprehensible—no, quite the opposite.

Wu Tiao Wu was able to understand Xia Youjie's thoughts.

Two paths lay before them.

[Continue living as a sorcerer, or take the opposite path.]

Even without having to explain at length like he did with Simmel, Gojo Satoru could understand what Natsume meant, because they were close friends.

He simply wants to walk the path he has chosen, a path that is meaningful.

Even dying on this road is better than living a life with no future.

"If I could, I would have preferred to be killed by you, Satoru."

"...Stop talking nonsense."

Gojo Satoru stopped looking at Natsumi Yuki and completely loosened his grip on the cage, letting his hands hang down.

“I’m willing to accept my loss, Wu. I made my choice and failed completely. So now it’s your turn to tell your story.” Xia Youjie smiled bitterly, but his tone still carried the familiar banter he used to have. “If you think that sorcerers have no future—maybe you can consider my plan.”

Stop dreaming.

Gojo Satoru was indeed able to understand Natsumi Yuki's thoughts.

but......

(Wasn't it you who told me to protect the weak...?)

In the pitch-black prison, the young man buried his head in bitterness.

In the seemingly candlelit corridor, the white-haired youth turned and left.

This scene is very artistic, evoking the beauty of the previous generation of shonen manga artists parting ways.

but--

"Um........."

In the background, Simmel is standing about five meters away from the two of them, covering her mouth in deep thought.

"Excuse me, may I bother you for a moment?"

"..."

Gojo Satoru, who had turned his back to leave, paused for a moment before continuing to walk forward.

"Huh? Why did you leave?"

Simmel moved quickly, then tried to grab Gojo, but Gojo's [No Limits] blocked him, so Simmel thought for a moment.

"A magic that lets you sleep soundly—"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!!!"

Wu Tiao Wu turned around nimbly, ran back in two quick steps, grabbed Simmel by the collar and pretended to lift him up.

"Stop reading! So you've been here all along! No! I already knew! But given the atmosphere, you should just shut up at the end! Otherwise, wouldn't it be awkward for me to turn around and leave like that?"

"But I really want to speak up."

Simmel gave a dry laugh.

"It's not really me... Hmm, I'll leave the rest to you."

After saying this, Simmel opened and closed her eyes again.

The moment he opened his eyes, the atmosphere around him changed.

Xia Youjie, inside the prison, could tell—it was the gaze of a [mage].

"Didn't you... already end the spell's effects?"

“Yes, the final effect of [Stardust Cross] lasts for three minutes and fifty-nine seconds, and once activated, it cannot be stopped.” Re-borrowing Simmel's body, Frilian raised her arm and clenched her fist, trying to get used to it. “However, [Complete Manifestation of the Soul] is not within the mandatory range of the spell's effect.”

[Restraint] is a mechanism to ensure a balance between 'gains' and 'losses'.

【Stardust Cross】brings Simmel's attributes to their peak values, so it's impossible to pause it.

However, the [Soul Manifestation] itself does not bring much benefit to Simmel. In terms of combat awareness, Simmel is the best among the four, so it is not mandatory to remove it.

They repelled the sudden, unpredictable, and devastating attack, and the remaining forces were quickly neutralized.

Approximately two minutes remained.

"Time is tight, so I'll keep it short."

Frillie spoke.

Let's summarize briefly.

"I've been listening to your conversation the whole time—the main point of the topic is that [sorcerers are under a lot of pressure and it's terrible], right?"

"The reason it's so bad is that the cursed spirits are impossible to kill completely, and because this world emphasizes the balance between the number of sorcerers and the total number of cursed spirits, new ones will be born after they are killed."

"This leads to the following possibilities: [Completely eliminate magical power/Simply kill all non-sorcerers/Turn all humanity into sorcerers]"

"And then, because Xia You felt that eliminating curse power and turning all of humanity into sorcerers was impossible, he chose to simply kill all non-sorcerers, right?"

Even though Gojo Satoru lifted her up by the collar, Frillie remained nonchalant and even had time to turn her head to look at Natsuyu.

Xia You, who was being called upon, didn't have time to pretend to be a deep and cultured guy, and after hesitating, he answered yes.