"Seriously, that worked?"
Kirara Hoshi was utterly speechless. He had never expected his ever-reliable technique to encounter its nemesis. Now that the technique had been completely figured out, he was practically useless.
From here on, all they could do was leave it to Yuta Okkotsu, the junior.
As the technique was released, the pebble attached to Todo Aoi fell to the ground. Kirara Hoshi said to Yuta Okkotsu, "Sorry, my technique was broken. I can only leave the rest to you, Junior."
Yuta nodded. "Yeah, I know. But you've already done your best, Senior. There's no need to blame yourself. I'm the one who wasted the opportunity you created."
"Good, then make up for your mistake properly." Kirara Hoshi smiled. He had been through the same thing before. First-years weren't all like Raku-kun—kind-looking on the outside, meticulous in thought, yet also a battle maniac.
That assessment might not have been a common one, but at least that was what he thought.
Sensing that the technique had been released, Todo Aoi let go of the dog in his hand and walked toward the two while rolling his neck.
He had already come into contact with 2. Even if the technique was deployed again later, he would still be able to touch them. All he had to do now was defeat them and wait for the final battle with his best friend.
He couldn't let yesterday's disappointment leave behind any regrets. "If you won't come at me, then I'll come to you!"
With that, cursed energy instantly covered his entire body. He clapped his hands, swapped positions with Yuta Okkotsu, and threw a punch at Kirara Hoshi.
As if he had anticipated this, cursed energy instantly covered Kirara Hoshi's slender body. He crossed his arms to block, watching the incoming fist as he sighed inwardly. Maybe... I should work out more often.
Bang!
The blow landed. Kirara Hoshi gritted his teeth as his crossed arms creaked as though they were about to break. In an instant, he was flung away by the tremendous force.
His back slammed solidly into the wall, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"Senior!!"
Yuta Okkotsu's pupils contracted. Though he knew killing was forbidden in a match, he still lamented his own weakness. If only he could become as strong as Maki Zenin, Panda, Toge Inumaki, and Natsu Hiraku.
No... I'll surpass them. Only then can I protect them too.
"Let's go all out, Yuta...!"
Sensing the change in Yuta Okkotsu, Rika Orimoto's phantom emerged from the ring and spoke.
"Yeah! Let's go all out. I won't be weak anymore."
Yuta Okkotsu seemed like a completely different person. The immense cursed energy within him surged outward in all directions, making even the air feel especially oppressive.
Shura, who had been unconscious nearby, seemed to sense the aura of death. His fur stood on end, and he jolted awake.
Kento Nanami, who had finally caught the "mouse," also sensed that vast cursed energy. The word "Special Grade" instantly surfaced in his mind, and fearing something might happen, he rushed over at once.
Natsu Hiraku, who was sitting on the ground meditating to restore his cursed energy, also opened his eyes and looked into the distance. "Rika came out, huh... Looks like Todo's about to have a rough time."
"What the hell is that terrifying amount of cursed energy? A Special Grade!"
Noritoshi Kamo, who was pursuing the mouse, looked toward Nishinomiya Momo in the sky and shouted, "Let's go see what's going on!"
"Got it!"
Nishinomiya Momo looked toward the distant source of cursed energy and swallowed. It was his first time seeing such an enormous amount of cursed energy. It felt even stronger than the principal.
"Notify all sorcerers of Quasi Grade 1 and above on campus. Mobilize everyone to surround and kill the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's host, Yuta Okkotsu!"
Inside the principal's office, Yoshinobu Gakuganji crushed the cane in his hand as he watched the screen and shouted at the teachers.
Upon hearing that it was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit, everyone's expressions turned solemn, and they immediately left the principal's office.
Yoshinobu Gakuganji looked at Yuta Okkotsu on the screen and said, "Rules are rules. If we don't kill him, he'll pose too great a threat to society in the future."
"Oh dear, this is going to be hard to clean up. That old man will probably take out Yuta, won't he?"
Gojo Satoru lowered his legs from the desk, moved the tied-up Utahime Iori into his seat, and said, "I'm heading out. Sit here and don't move. I'll be right back."
"Do you know what you're doing? So what if you save him once? If the higher-ups want him dead, you can't protect him forever."
Facing Utahime Iori's question, Gojo Satoru answered with a smile, "If those old bastards really dare to do that, I'll make their heads live somewhere else. He's my student. Whether he gets dealt with is my decision."
With that, Gojo Satoru opened the window and flew straight out.
Inside the maze.
Todo Aoi looked at the overwhelming cursed energy, and the pressure on him multiplied. He cursed himself inwardly for not reading their files. This was clearly on an entirely different level from him.
"Thank you, Rika. I'll defeat him."
Yuta Okkotsu gripped his longsword and walked toward Todo Aoi. Under the pressure of cursed energy, the space fell silent, with his footsteps echoing through the dead end.
Oppressive, oppressive, oppressive!
It felt as if even the sky had darkened. Todo Aoi watched Yuta Okkotsu approach, his heart pounding. He didn't know whether it was fear or excitement, but the powerful opponent he had longed for had appeared!
He could not help bursting into wild laughter. "Hahaha! You're exactly my type, Yuta Okkotsu! From today onward, you're my rival!"
With that, Todo Aoi clapped his hands and instantly swapped positions with the trembling Shura beside him, then threw a punch!
Yuta Okkotsu did not turn around, but his scattered cursed energy had already sensed Todo Aoi's incoming punch. Like a nimble rabbit, he instantly crouched, turned, and swung his blade.
He was so fast that his sword had already swung out, yet an afterimage remained standing where he had been.
"So fast!"
Todo Aoi was shocked, but his incredible reflexes still allowed him to evade the blade. Touching the torn fabric at his waist, he began breathing excitedly.
So close... So close to getting cut in half at the waist.
It seemed he had not experienced this feeling in a long time. That sensation of fear mixed with excitement—ah... it felt amazing!
"Let's—"
Todo had just regained his senses and was about to counterattack when he saw Yuta Okkotsu already charging in with his sword raised.
Rika Orimoto cackled from the side. "Kill... kill him! Yuta!"
The instant Yuta Okkotsu heard the word "kill," he snapped back to his senses. It seemed that powerful curse had stirred up his emotions, so he immediately withdrew his swinging blade and flashed past Todo Aoi.
He said to Rika Orimoto, "We can't kill anyone. We need to defeat him."
"Can't kill him...?"
"We can't!"
"Okay... Yuta, don't be angry."
"No, I'm not angry." Yuta Okkotsu shook his head. "How could I be angry with you here? Let's defeat him together."
As he spoke, he tightened his grip on the sword, and cursed energy once again covered the blade.
Todo Aoi no longer dared to let his guard down. Just now, he had been distracted for less than 0.2 seconds. His head had nearly been separated from his neck. That speed made Yuta seem like a completely different person.
Still... as expected of a rival. He remained rational even in the face of such powerful resentment. Todo had thought he was going to die.
"Sorry, I lost my head a little just now. Let's continue with the second round."
Faced with Yuta Okkotsu's apology, Todo Aoi resumed his fighting stance. "It's fine. I was careless. Let's begin our second round, rival!"
As soon as he finished speaking, cursed energy erupted from Todo Aoi's body. His eyes locked onto Yuta Okkotsu before him. After taking a deep breath, he stepped forward.
The ground shattered. He crossed ten meters in an instant and drove a punch straight at Yuta Okkotsu's chest.
"He got faster!"
Yuta Okkotsu instinctively raised his arms to block, but the instant the fist made contact, cursed energy burst forth in black, as if space itself had twisted, forcibly breaking through his defense.
It struck him squarely in the chest!
"Black Flash!"
Todo Aoi's punch was his acknowledgment of a rival. After all, he did not even dare use this move on his best friend—not because he looked down on him, but because it was too deadly and accidents could happen.
But he could absolutely use it on Yuta!
"Cough, cough! Ah... that hurts."
Yuta Okkotsu flew dozens of meters away, dropped to one knee, and spat blood. That punch had really hurt. If not for the nearly "infinite" cursed energy reinforcing his body, he might have been punched straight through.
"This is no time to rest, rival!"
Todo Aoi's voice came from ahead. Yuta Okkotsu looked up to see Todo already throwing another punch.
Enduring the pain in his chest, Yuta Okkotsu got to his feet and swung his sword.
Clang!
At the moment of impact, the blade shattered into pieces. It was as fragile as brittle glass. Todo Aoi reminded him, "You're pouring in too much cursed energy. The blade, as the vessel, won't be able to withstand it, rival."
After saying that, he punched Yuta Okkotsu in the face. He did not use Black Flash, just an ordinary punch. Yuta had held back earlier, after all, so Todo returned the favor.
To Todo Aoi, anyone who could be taught deserved his full, unstinting guidance. He wanted his opponent to grow stronger so they could fight him.
Yuta Okkotsu rolled twice on the ground, wiped the blood flowing from his nose, and said, "Thanks. I understand."
"Mm. Let's continue."
"Gojo Satoru! What are you doing? Yuta Okkotsu is close to going berserk right now. He must be executed!"
Yoshinobu Gakuganji no longer looked like the old man in a kimono who leaned on a cane. He now wore a black short-sleeved shirt, held an electric guitar, and spoke with a hint of passion in his voice.
"Nothing. I'm just stopping you here. I have two suggestions for you."
Standing in the sky and looking down at everyone, Gojo Satoru raised his right hand. "One, I knock all of you down. Two, you be sensible and lie down on the ground yourselves. Only I can deal with my students."
Facing the arrogant Gojo Satoru, the people below exchanged glances. For a moment, they could not make up their minds, since they worked at Kyoto Prefectural Jujutsu High School.
Yet they did not dare make a move against Gojo Satoru's threat. After all, the title of strongest rested on his head. No one knew his true strength, but those two words alone weighed heavily on their hearts.
"Are you serious?" Yoshinobu Gakuganji stared fixedly at Gojo Satoru in the sky, seemingly wanting to test his true strength as well.
"Of course. I won't kill you. If you want to challenge the title of strongest, feel free to come at me together." Gojo Satoru landed on the ground after saying that and beckoned at the crowd with a finger.
"Attack! Whoever touches Gojo Satoru even once gets triple this month's bonus, with hospitalization expenses covered."
As soon as Yoshinobu Gakuganji finished speaking, the three Quasi Grade 1 sorcerers currently on campus exchanged glances and drew their respective Cursed Tools.
As principal, Yoshinobu Gakuganji naturally knew the importance of leading by example. He gripped his electric guitar and walked forward, lightly plucking its strings as the cursed energy within his body began to stir with the rhythm.
Bzzz!
When he plucked the strings again, the sound was amplified tenfold as if through speakers, deafening everyone. Four blades of cursed energy shot toward Gojo Satoru, swift and fierce.
Yet when they reached Gojo Satoru, they could not get any closer. Yoshinobu Gakuganji had expected this, so he violently plucked the strings again. Countless cursed energy blades emerged from every direction, launching an attack on Gojo Satoru without a single blind spot.
Three breaths later, Yoshinobu Gakuganji stopped plucking the strings. Looking at the thick smoke before him, he knew it could not have affected Gojo Satoru much.
"Go!"
"Yes!"
The three sorcerers charged forward with their Cursed Tools, but in an instant, before they could even activate their techniques, Gojo Satoru—completely unharmed—defeated them in one blow.
One kick sent all three flying. He was so fast that even Yoshinobu Gakuganji, who watched from the side, failed to react.
The strongest truly deserved the title of strongest. He slaughtered Grade 1 Sorcerers like dogs.
Yoshinobu Gakuganji no longer knew what to say. It felt as if they were not even creatures from the same dimension. Everyone knew Special Grades were absurdly powerful, but he had not expected Gojo Satoru to instantly defeat Grade 1 Sorcerers.
So this was Gojo Satoru, the one who bore the title of strongest...
"What, still want to fight, old man?"
Gojo Satoru stood with both hands in his pockets, as though he felt no pressure at all. His azure eyes merely looked calmly at Yoshinobu Gakuganji.
At this point, Yoshinobu Gakuganji could only yield. He lowered the electric guitar in his hand and said, "I'll pretend I never saw what happened today. You'd better keep your student under control. Don't let him do anything foolish."
"Of course. That's how it should be."
Gojo Satoru watched Yoshinobu Gakuganji turn and leave, then waved. "Take care. Don't bother coming back. Remember to come have tea next year."
"I will."
Yoshinobu Gakuganji left with a dark expression. The teachers who had been kicked away were not seriously injured, and they followed their principal out. They had experienced firsthand the difference between Grade 1 Sorcerers and a top-tier Special Grade—it was like heaven and earth.
He was so fast that they could not even react.
Before you continue