Mahito, I'll Definitely Kill You!

"Huh?" Jogo looked at Lin Ran strangely. "What kind of question is that, kid? Do you think you're qualified to question us right now? Worry about yourself first."

Lin Ran suddenly flashed away, landing in another open patch of ground. Several vines had nearly wrapped around the spot where he had been standing. If his Cursed Energy Output had not allowed him to sense underground, he would have been caught long ago.

"Teleportation?" Jogo and Suguru Geto spoke at the same time. That speed had been so fast it was nearly invisible to the naked eye. Other than teleportation, they could not think of any other method.

"Stop with the little tricks. I can tell. I just want to ask about something I don't know," Lin Ran said, pretending to be calm.

"Kid, who exactly are you?" Jogo was extremely curious. Lin Ran was definitely no ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer, nor was he some rookie.

There truly were not many who could achieve that kind of speed.

The atmosphere around them became subtle. Lin Ran smiled. "Tokyo's only so big. There are two Jujutsu Highs—take a guess."

"Jujutsu High? You're from Jujutsu High?" Suguru Geto seemed to understand something. "One of Satoru Gojo's people?"

"Hahaha, you could say that." Lin Ran smiled faintly, though inwardly he was wondering when he should make his escape. The stitches across Suguru Geto's forehead made it clear that this Suguru Geto was no longer the Suguru Geto he had once been. Those who knew, knew.

The heat rising from the volcano atop Jogo's head grew more intense, as though it could erupt at any moment. The surrounding temperature began to rise rapidly as well. "Don't get cocky just because you have a little strength. It's not as if we haven't killed students like those from your Jujutsu High before. Don't think so highly of yourself."

"You've killed people from Jujutsu High?" Lin Ran's expression shifted. He knew nothing about these guys' backgrounds or pasts, but the fact that they had killed people from Jujutsu High was indeed explosive news. Still, what Jogo had said just now was only "like them"!

"Don't worry. You won't be the last one." Jogo did not explain further and prepared to attack. He could not possibly let Lin Ran leave.

Lin Ran immediately used Time Flash, appearing before Hanami. He brought Black Steel down in a slash at Hanami's head.

Hanami's reaction speed was extremely fast, because he had been watching Lin Ran at every moment. As Black Steel came down, he swiftly raised one hand in front of himself.

Bang!

A solid, muffled impact rang out. Hanami's legs bent beneath him as he stared at Lin Ran in disbelief. That slash had actually dealt him considerable damage, the blade biting deeply into his skin.

"Go back and tell your 'Mahito' that I'll definitely kill that bastard! And I'll settle today's blood debt too!" Lin Ran gave a cold laugh, his voice filled with fury, then raised his leg and kicked Hanami in the stomach.

Blue-Black Flash!

Boom!

That kick sent Hanami flying straight into the wall. After shattering the wall, he crashed into the vines he had set up earlier.

Meanwhile, Lin Ran used Time Flash repeatedly to leave the area, vanishing from the entire region in an instant.

"Don't run!" Jogo was about to give chase when Suguru Geto stopped him. "He's already gone. We can't catch him."

"Damn it! We actually got played by some brat!" Jogo was about to explode with rage. The temperature in the room rose several more degrees. "If I'd known this would happen, I would've used my Domain to kill him."

"This situation wasn't suitable for deploying a Domain, and all of us were here. This isn't the time to talk about that. We need to leave quickly." Suguru Geto turned to look at Hanami, who was leaning against the vines. "Are you all right?"

Hanami did not speak. He merely nodded, then swiftly formed hand seals with both hands, wrapping the other three in vines. In the next moment, all four sank into the ground.

After the four left, everything returned to normal. The temperature gradually returned to normal as well. Aside from the dead people and damaged items in the shop, it was as though nothing had happened.

"Who the hell was that kid? Why did he know about Mahito?" Jogo could not figure it out no matter how hard he thought. Mahito had never appeared in public and had never been discovered, so why would a student know about him? Could it be that Satoru Gojo knew as well?

"Don't make wild guesses. That person must have some special ability. What he knows isn't necessarily known by Satoru Gojo or Jujutsu High. Let's return first," Suguru Geto said seriously.

But then his tone turned meaningful. "If you hadn't been fooling around just now, would he have been able to leave?"

"Heh heh, so you noticed." Jogo gave a snorting laugh and did not deny it. "Leave that kid for later. Maybe he'll have some other use."

None of them had been serious just now. They had only wanted to see what the brat was capable of.

Next, the four rapidly traveled underground. Still, the other three could all tell that Hanami had been injured. The marks on his hand and stomach remained. They could heal, but he had indeed been hurt.

Lin Ran naturally had no time to worry about those Special Grades. After using Time Flash to leave, he blended into the crowd. Like someone who had suddenly appeared, he went unnoticed by the people around him.

But Lin Ran found something strange. Why had Black Steel failed to sever Hanami's arm when he slashed at it?

Was his own Cursed Energy not strong enough, or was Black Steel not sharp enough?

Lin Ran could not make sense of it. Logically, with his current strength and Cursed Tool Black Steel, he should have been able to cut off Hanami's hand. Could Hanami's arm really be so tough that even a Cursed Tool could not cleave through it?

Still, it was fortunate he had escaped quickly. Otherwise, if any one of those Special Grades had casually opened a Domain, he would have been finished.

"I should hurry back to school. I can't keep working this job." The only thing Lin Ran felt guilty about was that he had failed to protect those shop employees. Jogo's attack had been too fast. He had not had time to stop it, nor had he been capable of stopping it.

He did not possess strength great enough to stop someone from unleashing a cursed technique. Even Satoru Gojo would probably have found it difficult to save those people under those circumstances.

Still, Lin Ran had no doubt about Teacher Gojo's strength. He simply had never witnessed it with his own eyes, so his understanding of that symbol of "invincibility" remained somewhat vague.

"Finally back..." After returning to his dorm at Jujutsu High, Lin Ran lay back on his bed. He had not actually been that tired these past few days. It was only after encountering those four Special Grades that he had become physically and mentally exhausted.

He might have looked calm at the time, but inside, he had been panicking like crazy. Still, he had to appear composed on the surface and keep his enemies from seeing through him.

If he had been nervous and afraid from the beginning, Lin Ran definitely would not have made it back today. It was the same with anything—once you became nervous and fearful, you were not far from losing.

But after this incident, Lin Ran understood his own shortcomings even better. Powerful Special Grades were not opponents he could handle right now, at least not until he learned how to use a Domain.

As things stood, Lin Ran was no longer worried about ordinary Special Grades. As long as he did not encounter those freakish monsters, everything would be manageable.

Still, Lin Ran had been back for more than half a day and had not seen Fushiguro Megumi and the others. The upperclassmen were not here either.

"Where did everyone go?" Lin Ran searched around but did not find anyone. Maybe they had all gone out.

It was not until dusk that Lin Ran saw Fushiguro Megumi and the others return.

"Lin Ran! Where the hell have you been?" Nobara Kugisaki stormed over the moment she saw Lin Ran, grabbing his ear with one hand.

"Ow, ow... Go easy on me. What's going on? Is this how much you missed me after not seeing me?" Lin Ran grimaced in pain. This girl had a seriously strong grip.

"Who missed you? I'm asking you, where have you been these past few days? You didn't even answer your phone! Were you playing at disappearing?" Nobara Kugisaki's eyes widened. That expression made Lin Ran think she was about to eat him alive.