Individual Battle (3)

Okkotsu Yuta entered the arena with a determined expression. By now, the center of the field was already scarred and battered, while Kamo Noritoshi stepped forward to stand not far across from Okkotsu.

Shen Yuanyi turned his head toward Gojo Satoru. Though he said nothing, the meaning in his eyes was clear: Will Okkotsu be okay? Gojo Satoru gave him a thumbs-up, indicating that there was no problem. Though Shen Yuanyi did not know how Gojo-sensei could be so certain that Rika would not cause another incident, there was no need to worry if he was that confident.

After the two exchanged bows, they assumed their stances and began their first round of probing exchanges. Kamo Noritoshi was also skilled in hand-to-hand combat. He used his technique to control blood and form it into weapons, which he could wield as he pleased, switching between close-range and long-range attacks according to his intent.

The weapons he formed also possessed considerable durability and sharpness. His earlier move, "Slicing Exorcism," had condensed blood into crimson circular blades, making it extremely dangerous. Ordinary weapons would likely be cut apart upon colliding with them.

However, the sword in Okkotsu Yuta's hand was also a cursed tool, and with Cursed Energy infused into it, he did not need to worry about that.

Okkotsu Yuta was immensely talented. That was the shared conclusion everyone had reached after spending these days with him. He learned everything quickly and possessed exceptional talent in combat. From an ordinary person to someone who could control Cursed Energy and learn combat techniques, his progress had been extraordinarily rapid.

All of them had foundations of their own. Maki had been born into the Zenin Clan. Though she had not been acknowledged by her family because of her Heavenly Restriction, she had still been born into a Jujutsu Sorcerer family, and her talent for combat was extremely high. Panda had been raised by Yaga Masamichi, so there was no need to say how well he had been taught from childhood.

As a descendant of Cursed Speech Users, Inumaki Toge's family adhered to a policy of distancing themselves from Jujutsu Sorcerers, but his technique was still inherited through his family, with precedents to follow. Shen Yuanyi had been raised alongside Megumi Fushiguro by Gojo Satoru. Though the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer was usually unreliable, with Shen Yuanyi's intellect, having the relevant knowledge and books to study was enough.

But Okkotsu had enrolled less than half a year ago, and his growth was already strikingly obvious. His Cursed Energy was also vast—vast enough to astonish even Gojo Satoru. Only someone with such talent could have unintentionally created an existence like Rika.

After testing each other for a while, the two began fighting more fiercely.

With the sword in his hand wrapped in Cursed Energy, Okkotsu repeatedly cut apart Kamo Noritoshi's two Slicing Exorcisms. Kamo abandoned the idea of wearing him down from range. His opponent's swordsmanship was highly proficient, and enhanced by Cursed Energy, his speed was extremely fast. It was not so overwhelming that he could not react at all, like that monster, but it still surpassed him. It seemed he would have to use Crimson Scale Dance.

After using the move once more, Kamo Noritoshi's physical abilities rose across the board, finally allowing him to contend head-on with Okkotsu Yuta's weapon. He dodged one of Okkotsu's thrusts, but the suddenly changing trajectory of the slash still cut across Kamo Noritoshi's chest.

Just as Kamo Noritoshi was about to be wounded, several streams of blood flew from the tear in his shirt over his chest. In the blink of an eye, they wove a great net in the air and descended over Okkotsu. Shen Yuanyi's expression shifted as he watched. This move seemed to be called "Crimson Binding." It was actually quite good. Once it trapped an enemy, the blood net controlled by the technique could not be escaped through physical slashing alone.

Moreover, it was made up of rope-like strands. Cutting one or two apart would accomplish nothing, and the user could even replace them. The effective methods were either threatening the caster directly and interrupting their control, or using an attack containing Cursed Energy to destroy it all at once and dispel the technique.

Because Okkotsu was too close, Crimson Binding had already sealed off his retreat. There was no time to dodge, so without hesitation, he swung his sword. In a single breath, blade-light flickered repeatedly. The blood net descending upon him was torn open by the successive slashes, leaving several gaps in its winding pattern.

Then, having never seen this move before, Okkotsu watched as the severed portions of the blood net extended new blood and rapidly mended themselves. Having made the wrong decision, Okkotsu was trapped. Reacting quickly, he immediately surged with Cursed Energy in an attempt to break free.

But that brief delay was exactly what Kamo Noritoshi wanted. Prepared in advance, he activated his technique again. He pressed his hands together and aimed them at Okkotsu ahead of him. The controlled blood flowed into his hands through the gaps between his fingers, then compressed to the absolute limit.

"Let me show you the move that failed to work on Shen Yuanyi before. With doctors present, there's no need to worry about injuries, right? The moment to decide this match has come."

Hundred Binding: Piercing Blood

The blood in Kamo Noritoshi's hands had been compressed to its limit. Then, under his control, it shot toward Okkotsu Yuta in an instant. All that could be seen was a blurred line of blood, and even that was merely a visual afterimage—the true attack had already arrived ahead of it.

Okkotsu's movements could not have been faster. The Cursed Energy he unleashed easily broke through the binding, and then his instincts began screaming warnings. He could even sense Rika's anxiety, her desire to emerge and help him. Yet Okkotsu did not do so. After ordering her not to appear, he poured all his focus into the attack before him.

His mind sank into it. No self, no sword. Forget victory and defeat, forget all of it. Let everything become breathing. Whether drawing upon Cursed Energy or swinging his sword, there was no need to consciously control anything. How could instinctive breathing require meticulous control?

He only needed to focus his eyes on the incoming attack. Then Okkotsu suddenly experienced a strange sensation. It was as though he could see Kamo Noritoshi's attack. The tiny blood arrow seemed to drift slowly through the air. He saw its existence, and a thought welled up in his heart: Cut it down!

But what was "cutting"?

As his thought slowly extended toward the slash, the sword in his hand, and the force he would need to exert to bring it down, a flash of sword-light appeared even faster. In that instant, it collided head-on with the electrically speeding Hundred Binding: Piercing Blood. Then, amid a trembling ring, Okkotsu Yuta remained in the finishing posture of his swing, breathing heavily. At his feet lay a small pool of blood.

There was even a deep slash mark in the ground before Okkotsu Yuta, likely caused by the aftershock of that strike. Shen Yuanyi stared at it and muttered in shock, "Holy shit! Sword qi!"

In truth, everything had ended in the span of a spark. Objectively speaking, just as Kamo Noritoshi launched Hundred Binding: Piercing Blood, Okkotsu Yuta broke free from Crimson Binding. The nearly impossible-to-track attack was fired, and in that instant, Okkotsu Yuta, seemingly alerted to it, swung his sword.

That vertical slash, like a bolt of heavenly thunder descending, struck the blood arrow with precision. The blade, reinforced with Cursed Energy, cut straight through the technique. Then, during Kamo Noritoshi's moment of stunned distraction, Okkotsu Yuta closed in and pressed the flat of his sword against his throat. The victor had been decided.

Yet when Okkotsu Yuta returned, he did not look especially happy. After responding to everyone's praise with a smile, he still seemed somewhat troubled. Shen Yuanyi, seated beside him, immediately understood why. Kamo Noritoshi's attack had been extremely powerful. Its tremendous speed and sufficient force resulted in enormous destructive power. Though Okkotsu Yuta had protected the sword with Cursed Energy as well, under that intense, high-powered collision, the blade had still suffered considerable damage. Visible cracks had already appeared on it.

Though this sword might not have been of a particularly high grade, Gojo Satoru had given it to him so he could practice controlling Rika. If he broke it, would that not be difficult to explain? That was why Okkotsu looked so troubled.

Seeing that no one was paying attention here, Shen Yuanyi held out his hand, gesturing for the sword. Okkotsu froze for a moment, unsure what Shen Yuanyi intended, but handed it over anyway. Shen Yuanyi placed his hand over the cracked portion of the blade. When he removed it, the damage had vanished, and the sword appeared completely intact.

"Yuanyi."

Shen Yuanyi made a quiet gesture. Okkotsu Yuta smiled and silently mouthed a thank-you. Shen Yuanyi had just used Cursed Technique Reversal to restore the sword to its previous state. Compared to the human body, reversing an object was much easier. Even for a weapon imbued with Cursed Energy, Shen Yuanyi could reverse only its condition without causing the sword itself to return to the arena.

The winner had been decided, but the competition still had to continue. Only the final match remained: Shen Yuanyi versus Todo Aoi.

Amid Okkotsu, Panda, and the others' cheers, Shen Yuanyi entered the arena empty-handed. Todo Aoi also arrived unarmed. While Principal Yaga was still speaking, Todo Aoi, standing across from him, looked extremely excited.

"Although I couldn't fight Okkotsu, you are more than enough to excite me. You were the one who finished off that Special Grade Vengeful Spirit that day, weren't you? That was Special Grade! Even failure in the battle ahead would be a failure worth savoring!"

As Principal Yaga announced the start, Todo ripped his shirt apart in one motion, revealing a body of rock-like, sharply defined muscles, solid and imposing. Then he grinned. "Forget the formalities. Let's have a thoroughly satisfying battle!"

Shen Yuanyi rolled up his sleeves. He had not reached Todo's level of truly enjoying and pursuing battle or passion, but he still found himself stirred by the coming fight. There were too many things a Jujutsu Sorcerer could accomplish by reinforcing their body with Cursed Energy—things ordinary people could never do, power ordinary people could never possess.

And when a person possessed great power, they naturally wanted to use it or explore it. Shen Yuanyi had tested his technique in many ways, but he had barely experienced true close-quarters combat. Even when sparring with Maki and the others, it had only been basic martial arts training meant to hone technique and fundamentals, with no need for Cursed Energy reinforcement.

If Shen Yuanyi activated his technique, he would resolve the fight too quickly, and there would be no evenly matched battle to speak of. That intoxicating sensation of possessing superhuman strength had nowhere to be released. But now... this seemed like an opportunity! Todo Aoi was very strong. That was evident from the students of Kyoto Jujutsu High, and one could infer it from the fact that he had driven Yuta and Panda into danger before surviving Rika's first wave of attacks.

"Then let's do this!"

The two charged toward each other at the same time, like arrows released from their bows. Shen Yuanyi did not activate his technique, relying only on a body enhanced by Cursed Energy. Their fists shot toward one another, crossed paths, and then, with a muffled impact, each attack was caught by the other's free hand.

Both of them grinned wildly. Veins bulged over their hands, and the sound of knuckles grinding occasionally rang out. After only a brief stalemate, Shen Yuanyi suddenly raised his knee and drove it toward Todo Aoi's abdomen.

Yet Todo Aoi laughed loudly and took the heavy knee strike head-on. Then, as Shen Yuanyi lost his balance, Todo exerted force, hoisted his entire body into the air, spun half a turn, and hurled him away.

Using the momentum to roll across the ground and disperse the force, Shen Yuanyi pushed off with both hands and sprang back to his feet. The moment he looked up, he saw Todo Aoi's viciously grinning side kick already before him. Shen Yuanyi crossed his arms in front of himself, only to be blasted several meters backward by the immensely powerful kick.

"Todo's physical ability is extremely high. If I hadn't used Cursed Energy to make up the gap, I really might not have been able to match his strength in pure hand-to-hand combat." Feeling the force of that blow, Shen Yuanyi made a preliminary judgment.

Across from him, Todo Aoi flexed his fingers and lightly rolled his shoulders, a smile on his face. "Yuanyi, when it comes to purely physical combat, there is actually a limit to how much Cursed Energy reinforcement can enhance the body. The human body is not a technique. It cannot endure Cursed Energy without end."

"So the differences in superiority are displayed elsewhere. There is skill, naturally, and one's physical foundation, but most importantly... there is the difference in one's understanding and application of Cursed Energy!"

Todo smiled with delight, as though he had found a kindred spirit. "You felt it too, didn't you? The distance to the core of Cursed Energy. You've used Black Flash before as well, haven't you? Once you gain a new understanding of Cursed Energy, it will look entirely different in your eyes..."

"Shen Yuanyi, what is Cursed Energy in your eyes?"

Shen Yuanyi paused, caught off guard by the interruption, then said somewhat uncertainly, "If I had to put it into words, it'd be like arms and legs..."

Todo Aoi tilted his head back and took a deep breath. "What a shame. We were so close to becoming best friends..."

Watching Todo Aoi, who knew what he was thinking about, Shen Yuanyi actually wanted to say that he rather appreciated his taste too. Purely in terms of preferences, as long as someone was good-looking enough, he had no issue with it. Living together was another matter entirely, of course.

But when he thought of the consequences of passively becoming Todo's best friend, Shen Yuanyi couldn't take it anymore and decided against saying anything.

While Todo was lost in his fantasies, Shen Yuanyi shamelessly launched an attack. A rapid double kick lashed toward Todo Aoi, but even at a moment like this, Todo instinctively protected his head. He was only kicked back some distance.

Todo Aoi looked at Shen Yuanyi with regret in his eyes, utterly unconcerned with where he had just been hit. He spread his arms wide and flashed an unrestrained grin. "Let's begin!"