Ash and smoke filled the air, tinting the normally blood red sky a muted shade of grey.

In the First Ring of Hell. It was known for many things.

Being the Realm of Pride, it was the lid to Hell itself. The first of the Seven Rings and home to the Lord of Hell. It was also the home to one of the most notorious residents of Hell, the Sinners. These twisted beings were the souls of humans, condemned to eternal punishment for their sins. Thus the Pride Ring is both their home and prison, as Sinners are the one race in Hell who aren't permitted to venture further into Hell itself. Pride is where they are dropped after their demise, and it is where they will die.

As among its other known features, the Pride Ring is well known for one last notorious fact. It bore the blunt of the yearly ritual known to all in Hell.

The Extermination.

The normally bustling and chaotic Pentagram City is where this demented event takes place. Such a massive metropolis is the centerpiece of the Pride Ring. A truly massive town with its main roads in the same shape and scale as the colossal pentagram that floated overhead in the crimson sky. Every resident, be it Hellborn or Sinner resided inside the colossal city, where they lived their lives as they saw fit in this realm of eternal tournament.

And at the very center of the city, there stood a massive clock tower. It is one of the most notable fixtures of the city, with its most eye drawing feature being a colossal hour glass sitting at the very center of the structure.

Each and every day the clock ticked away, just as the sand slid down the hourglass. Both measurements of time had a singular purpose, counting down to a singular event. A yearly ritual that always happened on the same day, same hour, and same minute every single year. And on this fateful day, is one were to look toward the clock tower, they would notice a dreadful thing.

The clock was no longer ticking, and the hourglass was empty.

Pentagram City is in ruins, filled to the brim with smoke and fire. Various streets had collapsed into a pile of rebar and bricks. Entire buildings were in ruins, with giant chunks practically torn from the upper floors of the structures. And out in the sidewalks? In the middle of the roadways and other open fields in the now ruined cities?

There were bodies, everywhere. Sinners flooded the streets, killed where they stood. There were young, old, strong, and weak. It did not matter.

The slaughter was absolute, with long, glowing weapons impaling the residents of Hell to the ground with not a hint of rhythm or reason. There was no battle, little resistance, and no protection of any kind.

It was a Extermination, no ifs and or butts.

As the yearly slaughter continued however, three daring souls made for a drastic dash across the bloody landscape.

Whatever the portion of the city this once had been, now it was but a pile of dirt, ruins and eviscerated corpses. For as far as the eye could see, the landscape was filled to the brim with the bodies of sinners impaled upon ornate weaponry. Normally one look at this revolting sight would send any self respecting sinner into a mental breakdown. But for some, the will the live was just that much stronger.

So whilst ignoring the revolting stench and gruesome corpses, three figures made a mad dash for safety.

Two of the Sinners were on the younger side. Both were dressed in what seemed to be full body suits of a black and white variety, with a large cross stitch pattern going down one of their legs. Visually though, the two looked fairly different from each other, with one sporting lighter skin and blonde hair tied up in a ponytail while the other had a darker complexion and curly cream hair. Yet outside their differences, the two shared two notable things. The first being a pair of horns atop their heads...

...and the second being the look of absolute fear on their faces.

However, the two weren't alone.

Taking up the rear and covering their tracks was a third Sinner. She was notably older than her companions, being nearly a head taller than the two with the addition of a much more mature physic. Her attire also resembled the girls but in a much more complex fashion, with the addition of that same cross stitch pattern but on both her legs instead. Finally, her hair was long and white, resembling two massive horns in its styling while her skin had a more grey hue along with a set of red eyes.

But unlike the fear sketched on her companion's faces, this woman had a narrowed gaze that constantly canned the landscape.

Her eyes never quite left the girls but she was constantly on the move, ready in case anything happened...

Which, of course, was inevitable.

The two sinners came to an abrupt stop as five winged creatures descended from the sky and planted themselves directly in the girl's path. Each creature wore a matching uniform of grey, white, and black. They all had a pair of large wings, a halo atop their head, horns, and a viscous smile across their near featureless faces. Along with a 'x' covering one of their eyes, the most intimidating feature the new arrivals had was what they were holding. Long, spear-like weapons that came in a variety of different shapes and styles. But the mere sight of these weapons nearly stopped the sinner's hearts on the spot.

They were the same tools that skewered Sinners all across the city.

But before the new arrivals could make their move, the third among the Sinners beat them to the punch. She dashed in front of the younger girls and threw her arms out, putting herself in between them and the Exterminators.

With but a glance, she sent the two girls running in a different direction while one of the winged killers took to the sky, clearly tired of waiting.

But as the Sinner and Exorcist prepared for battle, the other four looked away. Gazes followed the girls as they took off running, trying desperately to find anywhere to hide. The night was almost over, and if they could find anywhere to hunker-down until the clock chimed again, they would be safe for another year. But as the girls fled, they were oblivious to the widening grins on the Exorcist's faces.

The night was almost over, but there was still a bit more time left for fun...

[This is the World of the Future.]

No. This...

...this is Hell...

The ruined, cleaved remains of Shibuya was drowning in a thick, black geyser of ichor. The sickening black ooze emerged from every crack and crevice it could find. Like a underground lake breaching the surface for the first time in centuries, the black tar rushed forth in every direction. And with it, countless horrors began to emerge from its blackened depths. Massive skeletons with rotten flesh just barely attached. Creatures with bulging eyes and crooked teeth. And abominations with descriptions that belonged in the foulest of mythical stories...

It didn't matter what shape they took. The monsters were without end, all reaching forth from this dark substance with malice oozing forth.

The others, his fellow Jujutsu sorcerers were caught as off guard as he was, utterly shocked by the sheer amount of these horrors.

But in the middle of it all, he couldn't take his eyes off the cause of all this. At the very center of where the ooze had emerged was a man. He was oddly dressed, almost like a monk plucked straight out of ages passed. He had his hair tied back and a strange scar across his forehead that almost resembled a line of stitches. Where they real, or something else? Even he didn't know. But what he did know, was what the man held in the palm of his hand...

[Goodbye, Itadori Yuji.]

He screamed out, reaching forward through the erupting blackness. There was so much of it that it almost resembled a curtain closing in all around them.

[I expect much from you.]

But through sweat, tears, and blood caking the inside of his mouth, Yuji still reached forward, lungs screaming-!

"Gojo-Sensei!"

Shifting stones and the ragged, wet sounds of a deep cough filled the air.

Somewhere, in a dusty ruined field, a figure sat upward. It was difficult, moving several rocks from atop his body. Whatever had happened had left him nearly buried with debris heavy enough to crush a person. But with a deep guttural heave, the last stone stumbled sideways. No longer pinned by the weight of boulders atop his rib-cage, a beaten and pummeled body sat upward for the first time in what seemed to be forever.

Yuji Itadori grumbled slightly and rubbed the back of his head. Having a bunch of rocks as a blanket wasn't fun but neither was having more rocks as a pillow.

His entire body felt like he had been through a wood chipper and rock tumbler at the same time. Limbs ached, fingers felt numb to the bone, and his face was lit with pain like someone had carved something into his skin with a rusty knife.

"No wait..." he mumbled, brushing his fingertips across his nose, "That actually happened."

As numb as his skin felt, Yuji still felt his fingertips brush over blood as he gently caressed the surface of his nose. The mark was still there. Still as fresh as the moment Mahito dug his fist right into the boy's face.

Ignoring the cut for the moment, Yuji glanced down at himself. He nearly whined, he really wanted to. The entirety of his upper body was bare for all to see. Wounds, cuts, scrapes and all. It a shock at all but Yuji was getting really sick of having to replace his hoodie every time he went on any substantial mission. If it wasn't a four eyed asshole literally ripping the clothes from his body, then it was cursed spirits doing it themselves with their frankly bullshit abilities.

At least he still had his pants and shoes. Yuji could appreciate that at least. Waking up naked after one near death experience was enough for him, thank you very much.

"At least no one is around to see that this time-"

Realization stuck just as those words left his bleeding mouth. Yuji shot to his feet, tossing any remaining debris that still clung to his pants.

Now standing tall, the teen snapped his head left and right, scanning the world around him. Despite his noggin taking far too many blows than he rightfully should in the past few hours, Yuji knew where he should have been. He was in Shibuya, confronting that monk bastard who had caused everything. The uniting of the Disaster Curses, the Barriers trapping everyone inside, sealing Gojo-Sensei, and...

Yuji gritted his teeth and slapped himself. He couldn't focus on that, not now at least.

He should have been in the middle of what was left of the city's district. In the middle of the night, with cursed spirits rampaging everywhere.

So if that was the case, where in the heck was he now?!

It was still a ruined city, that matched up at least. Yuji could see busted up buildings in the distance with more than a small amount of ash floating in the air. But thats where the similarities ended and where his confusion began. Shibuya had been flattened into a smooth surface with no hint of the city that had once been there. The only reason any buildings should be nearby would be if he was near the outskirts, where the range of the carnage had finally come to an end.

Yet as he looked around, none of that was the case. Yuji could tell that he was still in the middle of a ruined city but nothing like what had befallen Shibuya.

Plus, what the heck was up with the sky!? He might be a bit dim but even Yuji knew the sky shouldn't be blood red, no matter the time of day!

What didn't help was a strange pattern in the sky. The teen couldn't quite make it out, even when squinting his eyes. There was just too much dust in the air. Maybe once everything cleared he could get a better look at it.

But that wasn't important right now either. Along with the strange change in location, Yuji didn't see any of his comrades anywhere! He could have sworn he was standing right next to that strange blonde lady, and that weirdo who had both tried to kill him and was insisting that he was brother! Plus, where was Panda!? And the others from the Kyoto school? On top of that, where had all the Cursed Spirits gone?!

Each question resulted in a pounding sensation in the back of Yuji's head, "None of this makes sense..."

Had he blacked out? But, when could that have happened? There were countless Cursed Spirits sure but Yuji would have known if one of them had hit him hard enough to knock him unconscious. The teen bit his lip. Maybe this was someone's cursed technique. Like when that Monk had made Yuji think a giant catfish had eaten him. But if that was the case, it wouldn't explain everyone's disappearance or...

"!"

Suddenly, Yuji pushed whatever conclusions he might have had away. Out of the eerie silence of the ruined landscape, a sudden set of sounds struck his ears like gunshots.

The sounds emerged off in the distance, a fair way from where the boy had woken up. Of the two noises, the first one hit him like a truck. It was a scream. A sharp, startled yelp from the bottom of someone's throat. If his head wasn't already pounding like Panda was using it for a drum solo, then Yuji would have sworn that it sounded like a girl. But while that noise easily to recognize, the second was a bit more...confusing.

It was quiet, almost gentle...like the sound of feathers flapping.

Somewhere in Pentagram City, Nearby:

They were cornered. Pinched between ash covered stone and certain death.

The two Sinners had been gifted precious moments to run. To push their legs as hard and as far as they could manage. Exorcist had left the city in ruins but there were plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. A busted out department store, a overturned bus, or heck, even a empty cardboard bus would be fine. They just had to make it and hide out for the next hour or so and that would be it!

But, in the end, the two didn't even get a minute to run.

Out of the same direction they had fled from, four more Exorcists dove down from the sky and cut the duo off once again. The four Angelic killers landed a few feet in front of the two with gleeful, sadistic grins.

The girls huddled together and took a tentative step back. But whatever movement they made to distance themselves from their tormentors, the Exorcists approached even slower. Their fingers drummed against the shafts of their weapons, eagerly counting down the moment till they struck. They could have done it, gotten it over with the moment they found the two sinners. But by the expression on their featureless faces, that would have been far too easy.

For the two girls, it was like watching as a hungry lion was prowling its way toward them, eagerly licking its lips. One wrong move, and it would be over in an instant.

But this was Hell, there was nothing but wrong moves.

With terror in their eyes, the two Sinners embraced one another and stared back at the inevitable.

One of the Exorcists, finally sick of waiting, shot forward with unfolded wings and spear in hand. It pulled the weapon back, reading to impale the two with one thrust.

As the white and black blur shot toward the duo, a loud clank filled the air. Out of nowhere, a crushed can of soda was flung out of nowhere and struck the Exorcist right in the back of its head. The Angel stopped, dead in its tracks and turned. For the first time in the entire night, its grin shrank into a confused frown. The one eye it had left the Sinners and looked down at the can, dumbfounded. And it wasn't alone, as the other Exorcists and the Sinners too, shared a similar expression.

"Hey."

A new voice cut through the air like butter. In an instant, both Sinner and Angel looked up toward where the voice had emerged from.

Their gazes found the source on a nearby pile of wreckage. What had once been a small store was now a pile of wrecked bricks and crumbled debris. Whatever had blown through that structure had left nothing salvageable in its wake. Once the night was over, it would be dumped into the nearest dumpster and be carried off into some forgotten landfill somewhere in Hell. But the gazes did not land on the pile of garbage but what was standing on top of it.

The voice's source was a tall, worn out looking teenager.

Dressed in the remains of some sort of school uniform, of which only a pair of roughed up black pants and red shoes remained, the boy was covered from head to toe with scrapes, bruises, and cuts. It was like someone had thrown the kid off a cliff-side and watched him tumble down a mountain to see how he'd fair. With pale skin and pink hair, styled in a undercut fashion, the boy's face was rough to look at. Closest to his right eye was a fresh scar that traveled between the bridge of his nose toward his forehead. In addition, the boy also had two strange scars, one below each of his eyes, plus a nasty gash a the side of his mouth.

One of the teen's most noticeable features however, was his light brown eyes.

They were cold, like shards of ice in the middle of a blizzard.

"You're done here." he called out again, tone as chilled his gaze, "Beat it."

The order was what shook the Exorcists from their stupor. The four Angelic beings looked among themselves, their amused expressions shifting to ones of confusion and bewilderment. While they said nothing to one another, it was clear the four were having some sort of debate amongst themselves. Meanwhile, the two Sinners looked as lost as ever. Too confused to speak up and yet still too terrified to move.

But after a moment, someone did.

"Heh."

With an auditable crack, the Exorcist closest to the Sinners turned on a dime. It twisted itself around on its heel and with one fluid motion, launched its spear at the new arrival.

The Angelic weapon sailed through air like a harpoon. It traveled the distance like a shooting star, zipping from its owner's hand and across the ruined field in an instant. But as it homed in on its target, the very center of the new arrival's bare chest, something went wrong. The moment the spear should have torn its way through the boy's chest, it simply kept on going. The spear vanished across the landscape and disappeared into the ruined city.

Confused, the Exorcist blinked-

-Bam!-

-just as a pair of red shoes connected with the center of its face.

Like a cannonball, the new arrival launched himself from the ruins, faster than anyone could follow. He too was like a blur, passing the spear as it was still in mid-air. And without a word, the teen flipped himself around and landed down below.

Right into the Angel, with a vicious dropkick impacting the creature square in the face. But he didn't stop there. As the force of the blow alone knocked the Exorcist off its feet, the teen landed on the ground, reached out, grabbed the Angel by the ankle, and twisted around. Turning on his own heel, the boy flung the Exorcist back through the air and toward its companions.

Two of the Angels quickly moved to catch their disoriented comrade but they underestimated the force behind the throw.

Three Agents of the Extermination were sent tumbling to the ground, a crumpled pile of limbs and wings with swirls in their eyes. Only one of the Exorcists remained standing, utterly befuddled with what it had witnessed.

And it wasn't the only one. The two Sinners felt their jaws drop as the new arrival, some kid, had just sent three Angels to the ground like they were a couple of punks.

Speaking of which, now standing between the two girls and the four Angels, one Yuji Itadori stood up. His eyes remained as cold as they had been. But this time, he said nothing. Instead, still glaring at the pile of Angels, the teen raised both his fists, slide one foot back, and readied himself. Blue flames erupted around his hands, dancing in a vicious manner as his knuckles popped.

"I said. Beat it."