Ryan ended up being dragged out of the house by Gojo and Shoko... The destination? Well, according to Gojo, they had an important pending matter to resolve.
Ryan was staring at the long staircases he would have to climb with a tired expression when his thoughts were interrupted by Gojo.
"What's wrong, Ryan? Are you perhaps thinking of asking me to carry you up there?" Gojo's voice was amused, but Ryan replied with a dry voice.
"Say that again... And I'll use your Mugen to beat the crap out of you..."
Gojo let out a snort of laughter while Shoko touched Ryan's shoulder, speaking in an equally amused voice, "Are you feeling pain in your body even after I healed you?" She said, twirling the lollipop in her mouth.
Ryan sighed, closing his eyes. "I still don't quite understand this whole thing about you healing me... And frankly, it was only aesthetic because my body is full of aches and pains."
Shoko made an indignant sound while lightly squeezing Ryan's shoulder. "Haaaa? Are you saying I did a bad job!?"
"Yes." Ryan replied directly.
"LISTEN! I CAN HELP YOU RECOVER YOUR INJURIES THEN!" Shoko said, squeezing Ryan's shoulder.
Meanwhile, Gojo watched them at the bottom of the stairs with a smile on his face. "You might not believe it, Ryan, but Shoko is the best when it comes to reverse energy..."
Shoko crossed her arms and turned away. "Hmph."
Meanwhile, Ryan rotated his shoulder, replying with a drawn-out voice, "Come here, what is this so-called reverse energy?"
"Wow, you really are a newbie, huh." Shoko replied, but Ryan ignored her, paying attention to Gojo.
"Well, the explanation is long, and we're on a tight schedule, so will 'She healed you using this' suffice?"
Ryan shrugged as he started climbing the stairs. "Let's go, I want to see how Riko is..."
He stopped one step above Gojo, asking in a still calm voice, "Oh, speaking of my Riko... Who's taking care of her if you're here?"
Gojo put his hands in his pockets as he replied, "Relax... Geto is with her."
Ryan closed his eyes, continuing up the stairs while speaking in a sarcastic tone, "Hey Shoko... I'm not going to be a jerk and not thank you, you did a good job on my all messed-up arm."
Shoko, right behind him, replied in a jovial voice, "Don't worry, that was the easy part of the job..." She paused for a brief second, continuing, "Actually, I'm only here because I found your energy very strange..."
Ryan looked over his shoulder while Shoko continued speaking, holding her lollipop and twirling it from side to side. "I think it was it that prevented me from fully healing you... Your energy... How strange, it came and went, flowed and flowed..." Shoko twirled the lollipop as she spoke.
Ryan then looked at Gojo and said, "Do you know what she's talking about?"
"I have no idea..." Gojo replied.
After a good number of stairs, they finally reached the top.
Gojo led Ryan to a building at Jujutsu School, one of the few that were still standing after Gojo's fight against Toji.
Gojo then spoke in a calm voice, with a sarcastic tone, "From now on, things are going to get more... boring, so I want you to maintain your confident demeanor and keep pace with things with me."
Ryan narrowed his eyes as he spoke, "Mmm... I feel like you're leading me into a huge mess."
Gojo stopped in front of the building's door as he spoke, "It's kind of like that... But relax." Gojo smiled confidently as he adjusted his black glasses. "I'm with you."
Ryan didn't respond, not with words, but his mind had an instant reply, "Whether you're with me or not doesn't change anything for me, man..."
The creaking of the doors echoed through the environment as Gojo opened them, allowing the light from outside to slowly seep into the dark space. The brightness cast long and distorted shadows, gradually revealing the scene inside the building. The silence that had previously reigned was broken by the abrupt dragging of a chair and hurried footsteps, each one more anxious than the other.
Ryan narrowed his eyes. That sound...
Before he could even react, a silhouette appeared, running towards him. Hair swaying, breath quickening. Then, he saw her.
"There you are, Riko!" A smirk formed on his lips, but his eyes analyzed the situation with surgical precision.
Riko, without hesitation, clung to his arm, her thin fingers digging into his clothes as if she feared he would disappear. Her body trembled slightly, and she partially hid her face behind him, like a puppy seeking refuge in the middle of a storm. Her eyes, however, were not on him—they nervously scanned the inside of the room.
Ryan felt a familiar weight grow in his chest. With an almost imperceptible movement, he glanced around the room.
It was a large hall, deliberately dimly lit. The imposing architecture resembled a courtroom, the chairs arranged in a raised circle, like judgment thrones, occupied by elders with stony and austere faces. The kind of gaze that doesn't wear out with time but carries the weight of countless sentences and condemnations.
Ryan inhaled slowly, feeling the air heavy with expectations and arrogance. Then, when he spoke, his voice carried an unsettling calmness, a polite veneer that hid something sharp underneath.
"I think I understand what this is all about."
The elders watched him from above, trying to maintain their expression of superiority. But Ryan didn't look away. He didn't waver. His gaze challenged theirs with a dangerous tranquility, like a predator assessing its prey.
"Gentlemen," he began, his voice soft but laced with a subtle venom. "First of all, I would like to ask a simple question."
He paused, just so everyone could feel the weight of what was to come.
"Before my arrival here..." His tone gained a slight threatening inflection. "My Riko was not bothered, disrespected, or offended, was she?"
A serene smile spread across his lips, but there was something lethal there. Something that made the air in the room heavier.
"Because, if she was..." His gaze intensified, becoming something between disdain and a promise of violence. "I wouldn't mind killing every single one of you."
The silence that followed was suffocating. The tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife.
It was then that Geto's voice rose, carrying a rehearsed calmness, like someone trying to prevent a house of cards from collapsing. "Relax, Ryan... I was taking care of Riko."
But before peace could be sealed, Riko's sweet voice cut through the moment, bringing a slightly playful tone, but still laden with the fear she was trying to hide.
"They... were looking at me with such gloomy faces..." She pressed herself even closer to Ryan's arm, her warm breath against his skin. "I was scared, Ryan."
Ryan remained silent for a moment, his gaze falling to her before rising again to the elders. His smirk returned, but this time there was something sharper in it, something that dripped like poison.
"I understand..." He murmured, his tone laden with indulgent sarcasm. "Let's see if they have the same courage now that I'm here."
It was at this moment that Gojo finally entered the room, his carefree demeanor contrasting with the weight of the atmosphere around him. He stepped to the center, his hands in his pockets, his footsteps echoing through the hall.
"Well, now everyone is present..." His voice broke the oppressive silence, as if all of this was just a passing inconvenience.
Ryan remained still, his eyes still fixed on the faces of those who believed they held authority there.
Gojo turned to him, a half-smile playing on his lips.
"Let's begin..." He raised his hand, gesturing casually before finishing with a slightly ironic tone. "The greatest judgment in the Jujutsu world."
__________________
GREAT PROMOTION!
GET 50+ CHAPTERS AHEAD OF CURRENT RELEASES FOR 50% OFF!LIMITED TIME OFFER!
➡️ Enjoy 50% OFF the Kami-Sama Tier!
Find these offers on Patreon: patreon.com/ErisNoSeraph
🎯 The Goal: Reach 20 Patreon Supporters (any tier counts!) 📈 Current Status: 7 / 20 supporters (Thank you! ❤️) 🎁 The Reward: Once we hit 20 supporters, daily chapters return right here on Webnovel! 🎉 📖 Every 100 PowerStones OR 5 Reviews = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!