Black Flash Blooms!

But Kekun was, after all, a veteran Jujutsu Sorcerer—a professional terrorist. His professional standards were no joke.

At the critical moment, he ducked beneath the horizontally sweeping blade of cursed energy, then sprang up and kicked two combatants toward Akesato.

How could Akesato dare take them head-on? It was not as though he had failed to notice Kekun's "Killer Queen" gesture—a "Killer Queen" with no restrictions on distance or number, and whose power could be freely controlled.

The human bombs exploded on cue. The blast's shockwave blocked Akesato's advance but did not hinder Kekun's movements.

He aimed his right thumb from afar at Kento Nanami and his left thumb at Akesato. As long as a human bomb came within a certain range of either man, it would detonate instantly, regardless of whether they dodged or blocked.

Since the cursed techniques had been planted in advance and the cursed energy stored beforehand, Kekun did not need to worry about expenditure.

This was his true strength, as well as the trump-card tactic he and Bayer had painstakingly designed and refined over the past ten years.

As long as their enemies could not instantly wipe out all the human bombs, they would be drawn into their rhythm.

Whether they faced one enemy or many.

It was not that they had not considered reinforcements. They simply had sufficient confidence in their own strength and tactics.

—Kento Nanami, within range!

After Bayer sacrificed a third of his weapons, he finally succeeded in slowing Kento Nanami's advance long enough for the combatants' "support" to arrive.

—Cursed energy released, Cursed Technique activated!

Something happened that Kekun had not expected. Rather than swiftly dodging like Akesato, Kento Nanami swung his blade backward, striking a human bomb squarely in the chest.

Though Kekun did not understand why Kento Nanami would do such a foolish thing, this "stupidity" was exactly what he wanted.

You want to be blown up? Then I'll grant your wish.

But just as Kekun was about to press down his thumb and detonate the bomb, a black-red burst darker than the sky itself bloomed in the night.

It took the shape of lightning and carried the force of wind and thunder.

It was a distortion created by cursed energy highly synchronized with a physical attack.

"Black Flash!" Shock appeared on Kekun's face.

"No, it's more than just a Black Flash!"

Bayer was closer and saw more clearly. Kento Nanami's blunt blade had struck precisely at the combatant's seven-to-three division point on his chest.

This was a combination of the Ten Shadows Technique and Black Flash.

The critical hit effect, combined with a 2.5-fold increase in striking power—how could the power of Kento Nanami's strike not have increased more than tenfold?

One blow was all it took to blast that unlucky combatant apart.

Truly blast him apart.

Blood and flesh scattered everywhere.

Whether cursed techniques or cursed energy, both required a vessel. The vessel Kekun needed had to be matter of a certain volume and density. Once Kento Nanami blasted it apart, the cursed energy dispersed along with the scattered vessel, and the bomb technique naturally collapsed.

The reason Akesato had rated Kento Nanami as "special grade in close combat" was precisely because of his perfect combination of cursed technique and Black Flash, unleashing explosive damage in the end.

"Got it on the first try? Not bad luck."

Kento Nanami's voice was as calm as his expression, carrying Mundane Studies through to the end.

The more he acted like this, the more it highlighted the enemy's failure—and the more it enraged them.

"It's only one Black Flash."

"Let's see how many times you can pull it off—get him!"

The already dwindling combatants charged forward one after another. With fewer of them remaining, their control precision and reaction speed actually improved.

Facing the second encirclement, Kento Nanami dealt with it even more calmly and swung his blade again.

Ten Shadows Technique!

Black Flash!

One blow, blasted apart!

Exactly the same as before.

"Impossible!!!" Kekun was practically losing his mind.

"Nothing is impossible. Consecutive Black Flashes are not difficult. After using Black Flash, a sorcerer temporarily enters a state similar to an athlete's 'Zone.' The cursed energy that normally needs to be consciously controlled flows as naturally as breathing, accompanied by a sense of omnipotence—as though everything but oneself is revolving around one's own body."

As if in response, Kento Nanami swung his blade for the third time.

Black Flash—another Black Flash.

The third man burst apart.

"A friendly reminder: Mr. Nanami holds the record for consecutive Black Flashes, having landed four in a row. It's not that he couldn't land more; he simply never had enough targets. Today, though, he might just break his own record and set a new high."

While the enemy's attention was focused on Kento Nanami, Akesato successfully broke through the combatants' blockade and charged at Kekun once more.

"That doesn't matter at all."

Kento Nanami did not care in the slightest about breaking records.

For one, he had created the record himself. For another, more consecutive hits did not mean greater strength. An enemy he needed a string of Black Flashes to defeat could be instantly killed by Satoru Gojo in one strike. What was the point of that comparison?

"Classmate Akesato, this is a rare opportunity. I don't know how long I can maintain this state, so make the most of it."

Hearing Kento Nanami say this, Akesato even gave up the chance to ambush Kekun. He focused on tracking the flow of Nanami's cursed energy, consciously sensing his current special state.

They said athletes could influence one another—when one person entered the "Zone," it could raise the entire team's performance.

He did not know whether that rumor was true, or how much of an improvement it could bring, but with the opportunity handed to him, he had to try.

Kento Nanami's guidance over the past several days flashed through his mind like a revolving lantern.

--Treat cursed energy as air, as blood. Let it flow together with your body.

--Empty your mind. Don't think about it deliberately; that will create a delay. Be natural. Learn to rely on instinct.

--If you absolutely have to think of something, then think faster, higher, stronger. Imagine your future self.

--Throw away tactics, strategies, and responses. Pursue the purest form of strength!

Normally, Akesato could never have done it.

He had always been someone incapable of sitting still, prone to worrying and overthinking.

But now, seeing Kento Nanami demonstrate it in person, seeing him shatter the enemy's schemes again and again, seeing what perfect synchronization between the body and cursed energy looked like, Akesato felt that he could do it.

Akesato drew a deep breath, his mind intensely focused.

Not enough. Still not enough.

He could still feel the disharmony between his cursed energy and his body!

He could still sense the existence of a limit!

Was this as far as I could go?

No, not yet!

I haven't truly given it everything I have. I haven't squeezed out all my potential.

I don't have the talent of a jujutsu sorcerer. I dared to step into this dangerous Hidden world only because of the system's gifts.

Though I kept telling myself that they were part of me, there had always been a barrier deep in my heart.

Those were things that had appeared out of nowhere. They were not the purest form of strength.

The purest strength does not rely on external things. It comes from constantly tempering oneself and uncovering one's own potential.

If I have no cursed technique, then I'll dig deeper into my cursed energy.

If my cursed energy is insufficient, then I'll concentrate my strength even further.

If my strength isn't enough, then I'll squeeze out my blood, my spirit, everything that can possibly be squeezed out.

There's no need to think too much. No need to think about what comes after. An instant is enough.

Refine my very essence and surpass my limits.

I'll pour all my will into this one strike!

Crack, crack, crack... Akesato seemed to hear something shattering, but he had no time to care. He did not even have time to care that the sword had fallen from his hand, that Bayer was firing, or that Kekun was counterattacking. He simply focused on swinging his right fist.

His cursed energy burned like flames, growing fiercer and fiercer as its color deepened.

When the red within the cursed energy completely faded, when the flames turned utterly black, everything before his fist twisted.

Air, dust, cursed energy, even space itself.

Where the black passed, all resistance became futile.

Black Flower, bloom!

PS: Kento Nanami's cursed technique combined with Black Flash is my own fan creation. In theory, I think it works. Based on the original's portrayal, a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer must either be exceptionally outstanding in one aspect or capable at both close and long range without any weaknesses.

PS2: I had a pretty great time writing this chapter. I wonder if you readers enjoyed it too. If you did, send those monthly votes, bookmarks, and tips my way.