Blood Manipulation's Exquisite Application

Watching Kamijo Toma and Misaka Mikoto surrounded by the punks, a lightbulb suddenly went off in Rod's head. As though he had thought of something amusing, a sly, wicked curve rose at the corner of his lips.

If his younger sister saw it, she would definitely wrinkle her face in disgust and complain, This guy doesn't look like a good person when he smiles!

Just as one of the punks raised his fist to smash Kamijo Toma in the face, the first sound to ring out did not come from his own punch. Instead, his cheek took a solid blow, making him release Kamijo Toma and crumple to the ground. With an ugly expression, he glared at one of the punks behind him.

He roared viciously, "Bastard, Xiang! What are you doing?"

"Huh? N-No, it wasn't me!" The punk called Xiang instinctively looked at his fist, then hurriedly waved his hands and denied it.

Yet his words left everyone present—including Kamijo Toma and Misaka Mikoto—speechless. So many people had watched him throw that punch. Was he seriously lying through his teeth with his eyes open?

"W-Wait, I... I can't control myself!?" Xiang spoke with a terrified expression, but his hands showed no hesitation as they repeatedly rained blows down on the fallen punk.

"Hey, stop it!" Unable to stand by any longer, one of the punks grabbed Xiang from behind, intending to put an end to the infighting.

But the instant Xiang was restrained, his leg bent to an angle no normal person could reach. His heel violently struck the back of the other punk's head, knocking the peacemaker unconscious on the spot. At the same time, a pig-like shriek rang out.

"Ah! My foot! It's broken—it's definitely broken!"

"Hey, something's seriously wrong here!"

No matter how stupid the punks were, they could tell something was off. They all backed away several steps, putting some distance between themselves before warily staring at Kamijo Toma and Misaka Mikoto.

"Um, just to be clear, I have no idea what's going on." Kamijo Toma scratched the back of his head innocently, then kindly suggested, "Why don't you take your companions to the hospital first?"

"Tch, what a do-gooder." Misaka Mikoto clicked her tongue in displeasure, clearly feeling no sympathy whatsoever for the delinquent punks.

Before the punks could respond, something even more outrageous happened. Xiang suddenly shot into the air and lunged at them in a panic.

First came a series of flying kicks, then a triple kick, followed by an even more exaggerated flurry of kicks, as though moves straight out of an arcade fighting game had been recreated before their eyes.

Amid a string of miserable cries, the remaining punks quickly met the same fate.

Before long, the alley was littered with punks. Xiang, meanwhile, had completely collapsed like a broken toy, unable to get back up.

The only two still standing, Kamijo Toma and Misaka Mikoto, stared at each other. Just as Kamijo Toma was about to slip away, he saw his right hand suddenly rise on its own. Realizing this, Kamijo Toma was instantly horrified. His right hand was being controlled!?

His right hand was supposed to nullify supernatural powers and abilities like that.

"Oh? Looks like Blood Manipulation worked after all." Rod's voice came from above, carrying a trace of surprise. Naturally, Rod was the culprit behind it all. He had used Blood Manipulation to take control of one of the punks' body, making him perform movements impossible for ordinary people to follow. As for the outcome—

He had probably suffered multiple fractures.

Rod had always been confused about how Blood Manipulation was supposed to be used. Condensing blood into bullets and firing them at supersonic speeds—hmm, that sounded pretty powerful. But if you could control blood anyway, why not just make the enemy's blood explode inside their body?

Or was it that those weakling sorcerers could only control their own blood and had not reached Sukuna's level?

Controlling the blood within a human body opened up plenty of possibilities. The body control Rod had just displayed was an imitation of Bloodbending from a foreign animated series he had watched as a child, Avatar: The Last Airbender. At the same time, by manipulating blood, Rod seemed to have gained some experience with controlling liquids. If he studied it thoroughly, creating a new technique might not be difficult.

The Sukuna panel he had inherited was not limited to the body and abilities. More importantly, it also included Sukuna's terrifying talent.

The two instinctively looked toward where the voice had come from, but saw nothing. Then, a figure suddenly appeared at the edge of their vision. Startled, they turned toward their sides and saw Rod abruptly appear between them.

So fast!? they both thought, retreating several steps at the same time. A smile appeared on Misaka Mikoto's lips as she looked at Rod, her fighting spirit blazing.

That speed alone was enough to reveal how powerful he was. He was definitely a rare opponent. Electric currents flickered around her, lifting her bangs as she spoke to Rod with keen interest.

"Let's settle this in a fight, shall we!? Mister!"

"..." Rod was at a loss for words. Mister? Seriously, do I look that old? He stroked the stubble on his chin.

"Maybe I should find some time to shave."

Seeing her challenge ignored, a vein bulged on Misaka Mikoto's forehead. Lightning rapidly gathered around her, forming into a spear of electricity.

"I said, listen when I'm talking to you!"

As her words fell, the lightning spear shot out at high speed. Kamijo Toma instinctively moved to stand in front of Rod, but Rod held him back. The spear then struck Rod's outstretched left palm. With a gentle clench of his hand, Rod instantly crushed it, turning it into scattered electric currents that flowed outward and gave the punks playing dead another full-body shock.

"You're awfully hot-tempered for such a young girl. And I'm only twenty-three, so don't go calling me mister."

Rod pointed at Misaka Mikoto in dissatisfaction, earnestly correcting her.

"Hoho, you really are strong, aren't you!? Come on, duel me!" Seeing Rod casually shatter her lightning spear, Misaka Mikoto shouted at him with great excitement.

"Have you been reading too many battle manga, or playing too many games?" Rod's mouth twitched, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.

He had never thought Misaka Mikoto was particularly combative before. Only now, facing her directly, did he understand how troublesome she could be.

"Um, shouldn't we call an ambulance first? I think they're about to die." Kamijo Toma was clearly more concerned about the punks lying on the ground and twitching from time to time. He pointed at them and asked Rod and Misaka Mikoto.

"Whatever." Misaka Mikoto and Rod answered indifferently at the same time, leaving Kamijo Toma speechless. Even if they were punks, they were still people, weren't they!?