Bound In Love's Curse [Gojo Satoru x Female Readers]

137 ~ Hundred And Thirty-Three

Disclaimer: This chapter contains spoilers about a specific character from the manga—read at your own risk!

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[P]ushing the flag into Toge's lap, you tried to rise, but his weak yet desperate grip on your wrist stopped you.

His breaths came in shallow gasps, and his face, pale and tense, told you everything: he was running on fumes. Even now, though, you could feel the flicker of cursed energy holding him together—barely.

"Toge," you whispered urgently, "hold onto the flag. I'll deal with this."

He shook his head, his grip tightening despite his condition. His lips parted, and you knew immediately what he was about to do. Cursed speech. He was trying to speak, to buy you time—maybe save you at his own expense.

"Don't," you warned, sharper than you meant.

His throat was wrecked, blood trickling from the corners of his mouth—a grim sign of how much his earlier commands had cost him. One more, and it could finish him.

You didn't need to be an expert in cursed speech to understand why he was in this state. Either Kinji's cursed energy and raw strength were too overwhelming, or Toge's last command had been so powerful that the rebound from Kinji's resistance had done serious damage. This wasn't just about energy anymore; it was about survival.

Kinji was too strong, his cursed energy too dense. Another attempt would crush Toge, and he wouldn't get back up from that.

He was trying to give you time to run. The flag, the base—it would've been the obvious play.

But your gut twisted. No. That's exactly what Gojo wanted—force you into making the practical choice, to abandon them. Test your resolve. Test your strength by forsaking your allies for the win.

But you weren't him.

"Why's Kirara's cursed energy all over you?" Kinji's voice cut through your daze, his smirk widening as he took in your stance. "Or better yet—why can't I feel your cursed energy at all? You got past her defenses, didn't you?"

You quirked a brow, locking eyes with Kinji, your lips curling into a challenging smirk. "Why so curious? It's not like it'll change anything now."

Toge made a strangled noise beside you, his voice barely a rasp of what it once was. You spared him a quick glance, tightening your grip on his hand before he could try to speak again. His cursed speech wouldn't help right now—it would only hurt him more.

"I'm not leaving you behind," you said firmly, keeping your tone low but resolute. The plan was already forming in your mind, calculating the best way out of this mess. You were out of options—except for one.

You had to fight. There was no running from this.

Forcing yourself to your feet, you cast a glance back at Toge and gave him a quick command, voice steady even if your heart pounded with tension. "Watch the flag. I'll handle him."

Kinji stood there, unfazed. He wasn't in any hurry to strike, just watching you with that same cocky grin, like he had all the time in the world. The confidence he radiated reminded you too much of Gojo, and it made your blood boil.

This was what it was like to be the strongest, wasn't it? You could wait, toy with your opponent, let them exhaust themselves—because no matter what they did, they couldn't hope to rival you.

Ants against a lion.

Your legs tingled as cursed energy surged through your body. You took a deep breath, forcing yourself to focus. Maki trained you for this.

Drawing from the well of cursed energy inside you and absorbing it from your surroundings, you pushed your inflow to 30%, feeling the immediate rush of power. Your body felt lighter, sharper, your muscles coiling with strength. Simultaneously, you released an equal 30% outflow, directing the energy into your legs. The burn of intensity flooded your system, but you welcomed it.

Kinji tilted his head, watching you with a smug curiosity. "You ready yet?" he asked, but you didn't give him time to react. In an instant, you moved.

Your body flickered forward, faster than even he could anticipate.

His eyes widened for a split second as you closed the distance, your legs blurring with speed. You aimed a quick strike at his side, landing a sharp blow, followed by another to his ribs and a quick kick to his shin.

The force of your attacks, fueled by the cursed energy flooding your system, reverberated through the air with each hit.

You felt the impact. The satisfying contact of your fist against his torso, the slight give as your kick landed. You pressed the advantage, attacking relentlessly—fists flying, kicks aimed with precision, all with the speed that only 30% inflow and outflow could give you. It was overwhelming, even for Kinji.

But just as you thought you had him on the back foot, Kinji's grin never faltered.

"You're quick," he commented, blocking your next strike with ease, his arm snapping up to deflect your fist. "Faster than I thought. But that's not enough."

You moved to attack again, but his words stopped you cold.

"You won't win." His voice was casual, almost lazy. "You could hit me a hundred times and it wouldn't matter. I've got luck on my side."

Before you could process what he meant, Kinji countered. His fist blurred toward you, and despite your speed, you barely had time to react. You tried to deflect it with a kick, imbuing your leg with more energy to meet the force head-on.

But it wasn't enough.

The moment his leg collided with yours, the force behind it shattered your defense. The impact was so intense that it sent a shockwave of pain through your body, your leg trembling from the sheer force. Though it wasn't broken, the pain was enough to send you to your knees, gasping.

And before you could recover, his fist slammed into your gut.

Pain exploded through you, so intense that the world blurred for a moment. You doubled over, blood spraying from your mouth as the breath was knocked from your lungs.

Kinji cracked his knuckles with a nonchalant grin, rolling his shoulders as he casually turned toward Toge. Each step he took seemed to amplify the oppressive weight of his cursed energy, the air around him growing denser with every movement.

"You know, I'm not one for beating women," Kinji declared, his voice steady but not unkind as he glanced between you and the flagpole. "But this? This is your defeat."

His words hit harder than any blow could've. Your limbs felt like lead, body aching and your mind throbbing from the relentless strain of the battle. The brief thought of standing, of pulling something out of yourself to push back against him, flickered through your mind—but you knew. It was over.

Kinji came to a halt in front of Toge, leaning in casually, his hand brushing against the flagpole as he continued, "You know what my technique is, right? 'Private Pure Love Train.' I could explain it to you, but honestly, you don't need to know much to figure out why you're screwed. See, I don't even need my Domain Expansion to end this."

He let out a low chuckle, fingers flexing as the rough edge of his cursed energy rippled through the air. "I've been enhancing my body through cursed energy the entire time. You're fast—smart, too—but my technique doesn't just rely on luck. It's built on physical aptitude. Filthy strong hand-to-hand combat, cursed energy reinforcement—it all flows together."

Kinji glanced at you over his shoulder, his grin widening slightly. "And you know what that means, right? I don't have to lay a finger on you to win. I just gotta grab this flag."

You tried to force your legs to move, tried to muster the strength to surge forward, but it was useless. You couldn't even lift an arm. Your vision blurred with exhaustion, your breath shallow and ragged as Kinji's fingers wrapped around the flagpole.

He turned back to you, his eyes still gleaming with that sharp, unyielding confidence. "Like I said," he ranted with a casual shrug, "I'm not into beating women. But right now, you're in no condition to fight back. So, for you, this really is over."

In the vast, forest-like arena, Gojo's voice echoed with a jovial tone.

"Well, well! That was quite a match! Fascinating, really. I have to say, Kinji's team takes the win!"

The cheerfulness in Gojo's voice twisted like a knife in your gut. The weight of humiliation settled deep inside you. You had walked right into his trap, just as he'd intended. This wasn't about winning or losing; it had been a test all along. And you had failed.

Kinji gave the flagpole a final, decisive yank, pulling it free from Toge's grasp. As he held it aloft, his casual grin only deepened your sense of defeat.

"Better luck next time," He called out, his voice light but laced with mockery. "Maybe Gojo won't stack the deck so hard against you."

The crushing realization sank in. Everything you fought for—Maki, Toge, the ideals you held dear—had crumbled. All because of you.

Your strategy, once flawless, had been no match for Gojo's manipulation. He had been right all along. Maybe you truly were just weak, meant to be protected rather than to stand on your own.

You shouldn't have defied him.

Now, here you were—bruised, beaten, and utterly humiliated. The defeat felt like a personal insult from Gojo himself, a reminder that he didn't even need to lift a finger to bring you down. You were left feeling like a mockery, a lesson in why you should have accepted his guidance rather than resist.

Tears welled up in your eyes, and despite your best efforts to blink them away, they began to streak down your cheeks. You bit your lower lip to keep from breaking down completely. The weight of your failure was overwhelming.

It wasn't just about this game—it was about everything you had tried to prove. Your standards, your beliefs, your refusal to be a passive player in Gojo's shadow.

You had fought so hard against the notion of being seen as weak or irrelevant, but in this moment, you felt like every bit of that fear was validated. You were crushed, humiliated, and utterly defeated. The sensation was so intense that you found yourself wishing for the release of death over this crushing shame.

As you closed your eyes, murmuring through clenched teeth, "I'd rather pick death than accept this kind of defeat," you felt your world collapse. This had meant everything to you, a stand against being the pretty, fragile thing Gojo turned to when it suited him, only to be discarded when something more interesting came along.

And just as you felt the despair overwhelm you, a cool breeze brushed against your face, disrupting the disheveled mess of your hair. Something enveloped you, pulling you from your spiraling thoughts.

"Why's Kirara's cursed energy all over you?" Kinji's voice echoed again, sounding distant yet persistent.

At first, the words made little sense, but as they sunk in, your eyes snapped open. Kinji was still across from you, Maki lying not far from where he'd dropped her earlier.

What was happening? What the hell?