The wind blows sharp across the street, carrying dust from the ruined high rise. As crimson threads of Piercing Blood still cling to shattered glass. Inside the building in front of Yuji Itadori, the sorcerers and Simurians inside are slump unconscious.

Yuji stands motionless in the middle of the road, his silver hood up, hands buried in pockets. His breath fogs faintly in the cold afternoon light.

You step out from the alley, your knuckles already white, cursed energy flaring along your arm.

He doesn't turn fully, just tilts his head.

"...Did I overdo it?" The rasp is quiet, almost gentle.

Your fist launches toward his chest.

His hand closes around it mid air. The impact vibrates through your arm, but he absorbs it without moving an inch.

"Strong," he says softly, studying you through the hood's shadow.

Black sparks crackle instantly along his other fist. No wind-up. The Black Flash connects clean against your side. You're airborne as you feel your ribs screaming, then slam through a pile of debris. Concrete explodes outward. Dust blowing in every direction.

Yuji exhales once, slow. Lowers his hand. As the sparks die.

"...You'll live," he mutters, more of a observation than a promise.

You rise from the Black Flash, blood on your lip, stance slightly wobbly.

He watches, still as stone, no surprise in the his eyes underneath his hood. Yuji simply waits, weight shifted slightly forward, ready if you try again.