Chapter 14. Aftermath

"They are all gone," Gojo said, his frame gleaming under the remnants of the Divine, glittering in the sun like flower petals. "Even the ones that were sucked into domains. They have mysteriously disappeared like they were never there."

Gojo remembered his promise and reaffirmed it, "even to the ends of the Earth. None will survive."

"The sun has never shined this bright in this part of California," Director Amanda said, her voice low and distant. She stood beside Gojo, both of them battered and bruised. Despite her composed exterior, Amanda looked like she was on the brink of losing it after experiencing the Unlimited Void. Still, she managed to maintain a level of caution using her own technique.

Gojo, despite his own injuries, managed a small smile. "I didn't know you were from these parts. It's not where we met that time."

"My parents once thought of relocating to this place," Amanda explained with a resigned tone. "I'm almost glad they didn't."

The aftermath of the dungeon's exorcism was a grim sight to behold. Around them lay the bodies of countless operatives who had fought bravely. Some were lifeless, while others had been transformed into grotesque flowers by Hanami's cursed buds. The hollowed, desolate block was now painted and stained with blood, the tiniest burrow the dungeon had left expanding into a scene of devastation.

Jamal lay close to Gojo's feet, his body looking pale and drained, his hair shockingly turned white.

Amanda looked around, her heart heavy. "We lost too many good people today. The cost was too high."

She closed her eyes to hide her tears. When somebody patted her shoulder in consolation, she barely reacted, lost in her own grief.

"I'm sorry Director," the stoic voice of General Chambers came out to soothe his superior. "I'm sorry I wasn't good enough to stop all of this. I'm sorry I-"

Quietly crying inside, Amanda didn't look like she gave a care about what General Chambers was about to say.

"I'm sorry I couldn't stop Scarecrow from sacrificing himself," General Chambers said solemnly and Amanda broke down internally, without showing it on the outside. "I know what he meant to you."

Standing amidst the remnants of the intense battle were several countable figures, including Gojo, Amanda, General Chambers, and four other operatives from SORCERERS. These, including Jamal, were the current survivors of the World Hunger Dungeon.

"When it first started, it was just one Ultra Special Grade Curse that was moving about absorbing people and all kinds of attacks, but I didn't know there was more to it like the existence of an entire dungeon of them," General Chambers narrated. "We deployed teams, thinking we could defeat it. Rookies even. But that only cost us a thousand operatives."

"When all seemed lost, Director Amanda called you in to help. You managed to provoke it to manifest into an actual Dungeon, and that stopped its trajectory," General Chambers said, his voice falling into a trance, "we are grateful for that."

"It's not me you should be thanking," Gojo interjected, but General Chambers continued, nevertheless.

"Howw- 'hem," Amanda cleared her throat to take on an authoritative tone. "How did you know about Jamal? He might have been the key, but he seems inexperienced."

"I just knew," Gojo said, not wanting to disclose everything to Amanda. "And it's good that I was right about it."

"Yeah, about that," General Chambers intervened. "How do we know that he is not also a walking Dungeon of Curses? He was in the same house as World Hunger and seems to possess similar energy."

"You don't have to worry about Jamal being a threat," Gojo said confidently. "I just need to ensure he gets the help he needs to grow as a sorcerer."

"If your plan is to take him to Jujutsu High, then I openly forbid you," Amanda cut in sharply. "He has proven to be a valuable asset, one that the US wouldn't want to lose, especially after we have lost so many operatives."

"You mean, you want to conduct experiments on him," Gojo paraphrased with an amused look. "That's cruel, even coming for you."

"Regardless," Amanda ignored Gojo's remarks, "the death toll today has been extreme, and I have a feeling that things will only get worse from here. With fewer operatives, we need all the resources we can gather to protect our citizens from future threats."

"Just cut to the chase already," Gojo said. "It's very clear you don't care about the kid, or what happens to him."

"Fine," Amanda agreed. "I will let you take Jamal, but under one condition."

"Convince the Higher Ups to let it go," Amanda said cryptically, but Gojo understood.

"Fine," Gojo said with a nod. "You have my approval."

"That's not how it works, Gojo-sensei," Amanda claimed. "You have to follow the proper channels for my country to feel free and safe."

"You have my word Amanda," Gojo said confidently. "The Higher Ups won't interfere with your secret operation again, especially if I'm wholly involved in it."

"You don't seem concerned," Amanda noted. "You should be worried, considering that-"

"What's there to be worried about?" Gojo asked rhetorically. "As far as I am concerned, you lot have just been working on a SciFi project that will never succeed as effectively as you'd like."

"But I understand why you are on that wild goose chase," Gojo said with a deep sense of understanding. "Jujutsu High failed to protect you, and the rest of the world from cursed energy and curses. You want to feel secure once you have made multiple clones of the strongest sorcerer, don't you?"

Amanda didn't respond, and Gojo moved in to close the deal. "Do we have a deal?"

"I've always known I can trust you to keep a promise," Amanda said, expressing her confidence in Gojo.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

"You keep the Higher Ups from interfering, and we allow you to elope with a teenager, free from accusations of kidnapping or customs violations, among other things," Amanda reiterated the deal. "It's a done deal."

"Make sure to inform them that our arrangement is terminated," Amanda added as a reminder. "They will no longer receive project information or documents in exchange for your acquisition."

"I was loaned to you?" Gojo questioned, a hint of confusion in his voice.

"It's irrelevant now," Amanda replied dismissively.

"Alright then. Time to go," Gojo said, his tone indicating readiness. "My students are waiting for me."

With a reassuring smile, he glanced over his shoulder, meeting Amanda's gaze for a brief moment before disappearing from sight with a flicker of movement. The air stirred in his wake, a gentle breeze tousling Amanda's hair as he vanished.

In the next instant, he reappeared at Jamal's side, his hand outstretched toward the unconscious boy. With practiced ease, he lifted Jamal into his arms delicately, yet fluid and precisely.

Without a word, Gojo turned away from the group, his gaze fixed on a distant point beyond their sight. With Jamal cradled against his chest, he vanished once more, his silhouette fading into the horizon.

"How can he be so indifferent about Project Six-Eyed Demon?" General Chambers mused aloud, his brows furrowed with concern. "It poses a clear threat to his identity. I can't fathom anyone being comfortable with the idea of being cloned."

"That's just Gojo for you," Amanda responded, her gaze fixed on the horizon. "He's convinced that no one can surpass him, let alone replicate him completely."

"Well, I'll be eager to prove him wrong," Doctor Ramirez's voice came through Amanda's earpiece, its tone sending a shiver down her spine with its chilling ambition.

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Elsewhere in the world, in a serene swimming pool area setting, Mahito lounged on a bench, his pale complexion contrasting sharply with the cool surroundings. His face, decorated with numerous patches, displayed an eager grin as he announced to the others.

"And the prodigal son returns," Mahito exclaimed, his face brimming with excitement as much as his voice carried it. "

Jogo, with his volcano-like head and one-eyed gaze, chuckled with amusement. "What happened to you, Chosen One?" he taunted. "I told you that you should have let me be in charge."

Standing nearby, Geto exuded a calm demeanor, his forehead marked with a prominent stitch. His gaze, however, betrayed a hint of concern as he observed the scene unfolding before them.

Before them, Hanami was kneeling on the opposite end of the pool, his left hand missing and an air of dejection surrounding him.

"I should have listened, Geto-sama," Hanami said, his voice brimmed with fear, worry and regret. "I barely made it out alive!"

"That's so not like Hanami," Mahito observed, his grin widening. "I never thought he could stoop so low. He's usually so prideful."

"Just like he was when he was chosen," Jogo added with a contemptuous laugh.

Curiosity gleamed in Pseudo-Geto's eyes as he inquired, "What happened, Hanami?"

Gasping for breath, Hanami recounted, "Just as you predicted, there was a counterbalance! I should have heeded your warning."

"I told you not to act hastily," Pseudo-Geto remarked. "Great things take time. Just look at what happened with Tengen. Do you think it was achieved in a week?"

"I'm sorry for my actions," Hanami said, his tone more composed. "I believed none of you understood the Divine and its purpose. I thought you were driven by personal desires and wouldn't comprehend its true calling. I chose to exclude you out of judgment and foolishness. In doing so, I forgot my place in society as a curse."

"Who are you and what did you do to Hanami?" Mahito asked, his grin widening, yet hinting at a serious expression marked with disappointment.

"Should I just kill him?" Jogo asked with contempt in his expression.

"No, he might still be valuable," Pseudo-Geto replied. "I'll tell you when it's time to act."

"Do you still have it? The Divine Energy?" Pseudo-Geto asked Hanami, raising his voice.

"No," Hanami replied, his face sinking further. "There wasn't enough time for it to fully manifest in me, before Gojo and his protege intervened. What little I had acquired was used to save myself when the womb was exorcised."

"Hm?" Pseudo-Geto pondered aloud.

"Is that the signal?" Jogo asked, taking a step forward.

"It was too powerful to be exorcised easily," Pseudo-Geto mused. "Highly condensed and in a higher form. There's a possibility it chose to escape since it was still constrained and weak."

"What are you suggesting?" Hanami asked eagerly.

"It could still be out there," Pseudo-Geto suggested.

"Boring..." Mahito feigned disinterest.

"I can still retrieve it?" Hanami sounded hopeful.

"You failed, remember?" Jogo grabbed Hanami by the neck. "Your selfishness should have you decapitated right here and now."

"Kill him, Jogo!" Mahito cheered, rising from the bench.

"Wait, Jogo!" Pseudo-Geto intervened. "He was once chosen by it, which means we might be able to attract it back to him."

"How?" Jogo asked, sounding uninterested. "Can't we just use his dead fingers?"

"We could lure it back by raising another Dungeon," Pseudo-Geto claimed. "For that, we need Hanami alive to explain how it works."

"Speak, Hanami!" Jogo released his grip.

Though resigned to his fate, Hanami chose to comply and collaborate with Pseudo-Geto.

"It all starts with a First General," Hanami began to explain.

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