Battle Me

"Rika!"

The instant he saw 1.2 km jump to 200 m, Yuta shouted. Then, as the ground cracked apart inch by inch, Xuan appeared within this temporary barrier.

Several slashes descended along with Xuan, but the moment he landed, he raised his head and looked at Rika, who stood before Yuji and Yuta, shielding them behind her.

"Wait! I'm not here to fight!"

Xuan raised both hands. The swirling dust obscured his expression, but Yuta could tell that the other man's cursed energy was not leaking out aggressively.

But the absence of aggressive leakage did not mean his "hostility" was zero.

"Who are you, and why did you come here?"

Feeling cursed energy nearly equal to his own, Yuta felt cold sweat slowly slide down his cheek. It was not because their cursed energy was equal—on the contrary, if that were all it was, Yuta had plenty of ways to defeat the man before him. But while possessing cursed energy equal to his own, this man also had the "control" to condense it over the surface of his body.

"Uh... I don't know whether your history books mention me, but let me introduce myself first."

As the smoke and dust dispersed, Xuan appeared before Yuta and Yuji—and Choso as well.

If one ignored his cursed energy, the first impression Xuan gave them was one of kindness and gentleness.

But it was hard to reconcile the man before them with the player who had added rules twice.

Xuan's eyes swept over his surroundings: Yuta with his sword raised, Yuji staring intently at him as though he would pounce at any moment, and Choso, who had already used Convergence to form several blood orbs.

"...I am Xuan, the strongest sorcerer of the Muromachi period."

"Was he written about in history books?"

Yuta shifted slightly closer to Yuji beside him and lowered his voice.

"I don't know. I never paid much attention in history class..."

That was what Yuji, who had not attended a normal class since enrolling, said.

"Maybe Fushiguro knows... but he isn't here right now."

As Xuan sensed the area around him, confirming that no one was lying in ambush, he watched the people before him.

First was Yuji Itadori, then Choso, and Rika—and a strange woman. If Rika was here, then Yuta Okkotsu should be nearby too. Had he sensed Xuan and hidden himself in preparation for an ambush? Or was he here, but concealed by some other technique?

Then Xuan stared at Yuta, looking him up and down before—

"By the way, who are you?"

Yuta's longsword swept past Xuan in an instant. Wrapped in pinkish-purple cursed energy, the blade carved a trail through the air. As that trail appeared, Xuan's body had already vanished.

"I was just asking a question. There's no need to draw swords, is there?"

Xuan reappeared beside Yuji. Having missed his strike, Yuta turned his sword and sheathed it.

"I'm Yuta Okkotsu, a special-grade sorcerer from Jujutsu High."

?

You're Yuta Okkotsu?

Then I'm Megumi Fushiguro!

He really wanted to say that, but—

"Yuji!"

With a burst of footsteps, Megumi Fushiguro really did arrive.

"Megumi! Wait!"

Megumi had practically run into the small base—then he saw Yuji being held by an "unknown individual."

"What... is going on here?"

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Megumi clearly sensed that something was wrong. He took two steps back, his hands moving slightly closer together.

"Ah, another one. As you can see, I'm having a pleasant conversation with your friend—"

"Let go of Yuji."

The instant Megumi spoke, both Yuji and Yuta broke out in cold sweat. Right after that, Choso had already formed the hand sign for Piercing Blood, aiming at Xuan behind Yuji.

"I'm not holding him. I only have my hand on his shoulder. Look."

Xuan raised his hand, while Yuji raised his hands toward Megumi and Choso.

A few moments later, the tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.

"—Sorry. I mistook you for a threat. That was my mistake."

After confirming that Xuan had no intention of attacking, Yuta turned around and gave Xuan a slight bow. Xuan merely shook his head.

"It's nothing. It's normal to feel a certain degree of fear toward a powerful person who suddenly approaches you."

"So, how did you find us?"

After the Convergence dispersed, Choso raised his head and looked at Xuan.

"Oh, I just asked Kogane which direction Yuji Itadori was in."

At those words, Yuji's body trembled.

"Eh? Could it be an enemy from my ancestors' time? Or just someone with the same name? I'm a complete modern-day person!"

"No, neither."

Xuan casually sat down, then looked at the people before him.

"I'm here to find Sukuna."

The moment the name "Sukuna" left his lips, Yuta Okkotsu grabbed Yuji and Megumi and violently pulled them back. The three landed some distance away. Even Megumi Fushiguro, whose reaction was relatively the slowest among them, instantly assumed an attacking stance—though they did not know whether this man was a follower of Sukuna or perhaps someone seeking to challenge him, under the circumstances, he was clearly here to cause trouble for Yuji.

"Why are you reacting so strongly?"

"Probably because, at some point before this—Kenjaku had that cursed spirit, the one called Mahito, go to the place of rebirth to find me."

All he had to do now was make things up. Mahito had already been beaten into a donut anyway, so there was no chance for him to tattle.

"Sukuna, Yuji Itadori—he was the one who told me about both of them. Oh, do you know who Kenjaku is? Kenjaku is the one who started the Culling Game."

"Mahito..."

Yuji's gaze gradually sharpened—his fists clenched at the same time.

"In other words, Noritoshi Kamo?"

Choso aptly supplied the name Xuan had left unspoken.

"Probably. I don't know who Noritoshi Kamo is, but in your understanding, he should be the organizer of the Culling Game."

"Then what is your purpose in seeking Yuji Itadori?"

Yuta, who had remained on high alert the whole time, finally voiced the crucial question.

"Ah, you know, right? Sukuna is the strongest King of Curses in history—though that's what they call him, Sukuna was actually only human. So, more accurately speaking, Sukuna was the strongest curse user in history."

"As for me, the era I came from was after Sukuna's time. It was such a pain. People kept comparing me to Sukuna, over and over and over. I got pretty sick of it too, so I made a deal with Kenjaku before—of course, the terms of that deal are confidential. In any case, I gained the right to incarnate in the modern era."

"They kept comparing us, over and over, and it made me want to know who was really stronger between Sukuna and me. So now, I want to have a proper fight with 'Sukuna.'"

"Do you understand?"