The distance between them had previously been more than ten ters, but in that instant, Yuji Itadori had already appeared before him at a speed that tore through the air.
Before Petelgeuse could even summon his Unseen Hands, Yuji Itadori's fist slamd into him.
Black Flash!
Petelgeuse's chest instantly endured an enormous impact. Black Cursed Energy surged into Petelgeuse's body like venomous snakes, eroding every cell and even his soul, while his body was nearly sent flying—
But before Petelgeuse could even feel the pain, Yuji Itadori grabbed his arm, preventing him from slipping away.
At the sa ti, the slash capable of capturing souls had already fixed his soul within his body.
'I won't give you the chance to transfer.'
The second Black Flash arrived without warning!
The deafening explosion was like a bolt of lightning erupting between them!
Petelgeuse's facial muscles twisted uncontrollably.
He loved pain. It was precisely this pain that made him feel alive.
However, the pain brought by Yuji Itadori's Black Flash did not affect only the flesh.
Even the soul was injured along with it.
It was then that Yuji Itadori noticed sothing.
The instant he touched his opponent, Yuji Itadori could sense the shape of his soul—
But he could also sense that Petelgeuse's soul was sowhat different.
Sothing else was wrapped around his original soul.
Yuji Itadori was extrely familiar with this situation.
His own soul had once been like this—
Fushiguro gumi's soul likewise.
After Sukuna took over Fushiguro gumi's body, he subrged Fushiguro gumi's soul into the deepest recesses of his psyche. It was only at the very end did Yuji Itadori finally had the opportunity to bring Fushiguro gumi's soul back out.
He could tell Petelgeuse's condition was sowhat similar. His original soul was being buried.
Sothing twisted surrounded his soul like a cage.
No, there were two things.
One of them seed to be the source of the Witch's Scent. When Yuji Itadori had fought Regulus and Louis earlier, he had sensed the sa kind of presence.
It seed that this was the source of their Authorities.
It was like a rope entwined around the soul, and its structure was also similar to that of a soul.
However, Petelgeuse's original soul did not seem particularly compatible with this thing. Even the shape of his soul had gradually beco distorted because of it.
In theory, Yuji Itadori could also use his soul-targeting slash to separate it.
However, what concerned Yuji Itadori was the other thing.
There was another soul wrapped around Petelgeuse's original soul.
Yuji Itadori narrowed his eyes slightly, and another Soul-Striking Slash struck the boundary between the souls directly.
Within that world of souls, Yuji Itadori saw a figure kneeling on the ground, weeping incessantly.
"Emilia…"
"Fortuna…"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…"
Unlike the Petelgeuse from earlier, although he similarly had green hair, he possessed delicate features. However, pain, sorrow, and regret were written plainly across his face.
Deep within Petelgeuse's soul, there was another person.
There was no hostility or killing intent within him, only endless sorrow that threatened to swallow him like crashing waves.
He seed to notice Yuji Itadori's presence and raised his head, looking at him with confusion.
"Who… are you…?"
Yuji Itadori did not answer.
The other person seed to know Emilia, and they appeared to have been rather close.
No matter what, he had to bring him out first—
"I'll take you out of here."
A period of ti had just passed within the world of souls, where only consciousness could communicate, but in the real world, less than half a second had elapsed.
Yuji Itadori unleashed a slash, completely severing the boundary between the souls.
Petelgeuse's body collapsed to the ground, convulsing continuously. One portion of the separated shell surrounding his soul was instantly reduced to ashes.
The other portion appeared in Yuji Itadori's hand.
It was an indescribable mass of black matter that constantly writhed, radiating an overwhelmingly intense Witch's Scent.
A Witch Factor.
It was precisely this that granted the Sin Archbishops their Authorities.
Yuji Itadori looked at the Witch Factor in his hand. It continuously twisted and changed shape, seemingly attempting to rge into Yuji Itadori's body.
However, it was unable to do so.
"This seems to be the source of the Witch Cult's power."
Yuji Itadori murmured to himself. He first placed the Witch Factor into the Group Inventory, then turned to look at Petelgeuse, who was lying on the ground.
"Emilia… Fortuna…"
After murmuring those nas, Petelgeuse lost consciousness.
"Itadori-sama, this is quite a good opportunity~"
Elsa toyed with the blade in her hand, seemingly anticipating sothing.
"I'm taking this man back first. I have many questions I want to ask him."
Yuji Itadori replied.
anwhile, Natsuki Subaru and Rem had hurriedly returned to the Mansion.
"Subaru! You're back!"
When Emilia saw the breathless Natsuki Subaru and Rem, she hurried forward to ask about the situation.
"What happened to this girl?"
Emilia had also noticed Louis, who was being carried on Natsuki Subaru's back.
"This girl is… It's a little difficult to explain."
"She's a mber of the Witch Cult, isn't she?"
Roswaal, who was standing nearby, narrowed his eyes slightly and gazed aningfully at Louis.
The grave expression on Ram's face beside him already explained everything.
"It seems the crisis ntioned in the book was an attack by the Witch Cult. Though now that you ntion it, that does make sense."
"That's right. She really is a mber of the Witch Cult," Rem replied.
"And she's a Sin Archbishop—the representative of Gluttony."
"The Sin Archbishop of Gluttony?"
Roswaal's brow twitched slightly.
At first, he had assud the other party was rely an ordinary cultist.
But they had actually brought back a Sin Archbishop?
"Was this… Yuji Itadori's doing?"
Roswaal adjusted his breathing and reached that conclusion internally.
Although he had never co into contact with a Sin Archbishop, Roswaal knew very well that each of these beings who had inherited Witch Factors possessed a special ability. Fighting them was extrely dangerous.
That was true even for him, the Kingdom's foremost magic user.
Other than the Sword Saint Reinhard or the empire's Divine Generals, the only person who could defeat a Sin Archbishop so easily was probably soone like Yuji Itadori.
"Did you encounter Itadori in the Royal Capital?"
Roswaal asked.
"No, it was while we were returning to the Mansion. Itadori-sama suddenly appeared inside the Dragon Carriage. He must have used so kind of Yin Magic."
"He suddenly appeared inside the Dragon Carriage?"
Roswaal looked surprised.
He had no idea that Yuji Itadori could use Yin Magic.
However, that was also understandable. After all, the powers Yuji Itadori possessed were simply beyond anything he could imagine.
"And then you encountered the Sin Archbishops—"
"No. We first encountered the White Whale. Itadori-sama killed the White Whale in less than a minute."
"What?"
Roswaal froze.
"Then we encountered two Sin Archbishops. One was Greed, and the other was Gluttony."
"There was another Sin Archbishop? Greed?"
"Yes, but Itadori-sama defeated him very quickly."
As he listened to Rem, Roswaal fell into deep thought.
Every Sin Archbishop of the Witch Cult was an incomparably elusive being. No one knew anything about them, much less how to subjugate them.
Yet Yuji Itadori had casually eliminated two of them on the road?
Although Roswaal already knew that Yuji Itadori possessed terrifying power, he had never imagined that he could accomplish sothing to this extent.
Yuji Itadori truly had held back when dealing with him last ti.
"As expected of Onii-chan!"
Beside Roswaal, ili, dressed in a custom-made maid outfit, held a doll in her arms and smiled.
Although she had remained at the Mansion as a novice maid, Rem and Ram hardly ever gave ili any work. She lived a carefree life in the Mansion every day.
"Th-Then where is Itadori?"
Roswaal pressed urgently.
"He and Elsa went to deal with the other Witch Cultists in the forest. They should…"
"They're already finished. They'll be back soon."
At that mont, Natsuki Subaru spoke.
Through the Chat Group, Natsuki Subaru had just learned that Yuji Itadori had eliminated yet another Sin Archbishop—Sloth.
He had been so fast that Natsuki Subaru and Rem had not even returned to the Mansion at the ti.
The mont he finished speaking, the door was pushed open. Yuji Itadori returned to the Mansion with the unconscious Petelgeuse.
"Itadori-sama…"
"This is the Sin Archbishop of Sloth. However, his circumstances are sowhat unusual, so I brought him back first."
Yuji Itadori spoke slowly, "Is there an empty room here?"
Inside one of the Mansion's bedrooms, Louis lay on the bed, still unconscious for the ti being.
Yuji Itadori sat nearby, waiting for her to awaken.
Roswaal and Ram had left the Mansion to deal with the other Witch Cultists whom Yuji Itadori had defeated earlier.
The others in the Mansion were settling Petelgeuse into a room. He would not be waking up anyti soon.
The Witch Factor inside his body had also been separated by Yuji Itadori, so there was no need to worry about him doing anything dangerous.
Knock, knock, knock. A light knocking sound rang out. Emilia entered carrying a plate of pastries, walked over to Yuji Itadori, and placed it on the table.
"Itadori-sama, I've truly caused you so much trouble this ti… I'm sorry for burdening you with so many problems. I just asked Rem to help prepare so desserts. Please try so, Itadori-sama!"
Emilia had already heard from Roswaal that the Witch Cult's actions were most likely connected to her participation in the Royal Selection.
"This isn't your fault. You haven't done anything wrong. All that matters is that you make the right choice."
Yuji Itadori spoke calmly to Emilia.
"Do you know the other Sin Archbishop?"
Yuji Itadori rembered that Petelgeuse had called out Emilia's na before losing consciousness.
Even deep within his soul, he had repeatedly spoken that na.
Therefore, Yuji Itadori guessed that Petelgeuse might have so connection to Emilia.
"I don't rember him at all."
Emilia shook her head.
Her reaction was not outside Yuji Itadori's expectations. Petelgeuse possessed the ability to switch bodies. Even if he had known Emilia in the past, he might no longer have the sa appearance after switching bodies. It was only natural that Emilia would not recognize his current form.
"Then have you ever heard the na Fortuna?"
"For… tuna?"
Emilia repeated the na.
"Sorry, I've never heard it before."
"I see. Perhaps I was overthinking it… Emilia?"
Yuji Itadori noticed a tear sliding from the corner of Emilia's eye.
"I… I don't know what's happening…"
Emilia also seed confused by her own reaction.
"I've clearly never heard that na before… But why? Why do I feel this… sorrow in my heart…?"
Emilia's voice gradually faded, and her body began to tremble.
Even she did not understand why this was happening.
Yuji Itadori looked at Emilia and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
His brows furrowed slightly.
Yuji Itadori could sense that sothing was attached to Emilia's soul.
It was an existence similar to the one surrounding Petelgeuse's soul.
It was like a Binding Vow, sealing away sothing.
No, there was another one…
'Is it Puck?'
Yuji Itadori thought of sothing, but he did not reveal any of it.
"It's getting late. Emilia, you should go rest. You can leave things here to ."
Yuji Itadori turned his gaze toward Louis, who had yet to awaken.
"I'm sorry, Itadori-sama… I-I don't know what's happening to …"
"Don't worry. Get so proper rest first. I also happen to have so questions I want to ask this person."
"Okay… I'm truly sorry to trouble you, Itadori-sama."
Emilia raised a hand and gently wiped away her tears. She bowed deeply to Yuji Itadori, then left the room and gently closed the door.
Yuji Itadori stared at the door thoughtfully, but soon pulled his thoughts back to reality and opened the chat interface.
In the group chat, Natsuki Subaru was asking the Purge King about the Witch Cult.
[Witch of Envy's Runaway Fugitive: Um, may I ask how much you know about the Sin Archbishops of the Witch Cult?]
Natsuki Subaru felt awkward no matter how he tried to speak to another version of himself. However, he was also worried that mbers of the Witch Cult would cause trouble again in the future, so he still asked.
[Coin Decides Your Life or Death: I don't.]
The Purge King simply gave a negative answer.
After all, in his world, the disasters caused by the Witch Cult were already insignificant—
Compared to his own organization known as Pleiades.
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