Viltrumite, Is Your Mightiest Chat Group Fake?

However, Leon not only dodged the first punch, but also turned around to meet the second—and in the end, even traded a punch with him.

His speed, strength, and durability were no longer what they had once been.

"You really are astonishing, New Blood."

Nolan rolled his injured left shoulder and looked down at the young man below.

At the center of a massive crater, half a leg buried in the ground from the force of the impact, Leon wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.

After just one battle, he had improved this much?

The last time Nolan had heard of growth at such a speed was in the Regent's biographical records.

It was said that the Regent had been trained as the ultimate warrior from birth. That was why there was such a vast gulf between him and every other surviving Viltrumite.

"I think it's still too early to be impressed."

Rubble scattered as Leon pulled his leg free. His upgraded abilities set the fighting spirit in his heart blazing.

Intelligent Atom, spin!

"Then let me see your limits."

After leaving those words behind, Nolan flashed before Leon, grabbed his head, and intended to plow him through the ground as usual.

But Leon had been prepared. He clamped both hands around Nolan's arm and used the momentum to pull himself upward.

After bending his knees, he launched a full-body kick straight at Nolan's chest and broke free of his restraint.

Nolan retreated and brushed the dust from his chest, while Leon in the distance had already adjusted his posture and shot forward.

Reversing the heavens, he used his momentum to slam Nolan into a nearby mountainside.

He followed up with several punches in rapid succession, each one shaking loose rocks from the mountain.

Only when the other man's Intelligent Atoms exerted force and he could no longer press him down did Nolan fling him away.

As Leon righted himself in midair, Nolan on the ground happened to shake off the gravel and rise as well.

He spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm.

"I admit it. Life on Earth has made me a little rusty. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun."

In an instant, the Almighty Old Man's fist reached Leon's cheek faster than ever before.

As the muscles in his face distorted in rippling waves,

Leon suddenly felt as if he had returned to his days on Viltrum.

The better you performed, the better your chances of survival. The better your chances of survival, the more the instructors liked to take special care of you. And the more they took care of you, the easier it was to die.

Long story short, you were supposed to die.

More than ten minutes later, Nolan, his face mottled with bruises, sat on a large boulder.

Leon, whose injuries were far more severe, sat on another.

"Phew—"

He let out a long breath.

He felt that he had performed much better than last time. The final exchange ratio had gone from thirty to eight hundred to one hundred to eight hundred.

Last time, there had been the excuse of a surprise attack. This time, Nolan had also put in more force.

In a normal training session, he had not even used the treasure tool he had prepared halfway through.

Still, he could not figure out the details. Intelligent Atoms were simply too bizarre.

As he pondered, Nolan beside him occasionally glanced over at him.

At last, he spoke.

"New Blood, how is your high school life... I mean, how is the infiltration going?"

Leon told him about his residence, his new friends, and finally his classes.

"You know, Earth's technology is far behind ours. I can't even be bothered to understand much of what they teach."

"You should be more proactive, Leon. Our mission may last a long time."

Nolan frowned.

He remembered how, aside from being a hero, he had tried writing to make money. That had been quite a difficult process.

Then he thought of his daughter, Marcia, whose grades had always been excellent.

"You're right, sir. Fortunately, someone is very willing to help me understand these things."

Leon nodded. He was talking about Marcia too.

"Willing?"

Nolan turned his head and, through the swelling bruises, recalled Leon's earlier face.

By Earthling standards of beauty, he was fairly good-looking.

"Don't tell me it's a girl?"

"As expected of my superior."

Leon took the opportunity to raise his own question.

"That girl told me her father is very great, and she has always wanted to become someone like him."

"But she feels she can't do it, and it troubles her greatly. Sir, what should I say at a time like this?"

"This is her father's problem."

Nolan answered decisively.

"Listen carefully, New Blood. If you want to disguise yourself as a good father on Earth, you must always be aware of what is on their minds."

"As for that girl's father, you can learn more about him before making a decision."

"That works out nicely. That girl said she wants to invite me to visit her home."

"Then I imagine her parents will be very happy that their daughter met a warrior like you."

Other people's families were none of my business. Mine was another matter.

If he dared touch her, then head-grabbing, commandments, and shoe-polishing would be next. If he didn't die, then I'd have failed as a father.

Nolan then nodded and said,

"It seems you've completed the task I assigned quite well. But Earth's women are very different from us. Let me teach you—"

He spoke, and Leon listened attentively.

It had to be said, the old man's disguise was superb.

At this moment, he was like an ordinary father from a regular family—a fine elder.

The more he looked at Leon, the more satisfied he became. Steady, loyal, yet not lacking in adaptability.

Most importantly, he was strong as well.

It was only then that Nolan realized having a son was an entirely different experience from having a daughter.

They could talk about manly things, go on adventures together, and even beat each other up...

It seemed having a son was pretty nice too.

Nolan thought, should he go back and ask Debbie about it?

Since they were assessing Earth's potential as a breeding planet, having a boy as a control group would be in line with the Empire's expectations.

He could call him Mark. Not bad.

And as Leon went along with him, he was also thinking,

How much had he improved this time? How far away was he still from this old man? How many more missions would he need before he could confidently take him down?

He also looked forward to heading to the world of jujutsu next. Perhaps Mahoraga would bring him a surprise.

And so,

An exchange that betrayed the spirit of Viltrum and desecrated Viltrumite culture drifted over Mars for a long time.

Another Day of Measuring You

In front of the athletic field at Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.

The six first- and second-year students, including Itadori, had gathered here. They were about to undergo special training under Leon, an externally hired instructor.

Looking at Itadori, the only one among the six whose face was brimming with excitement,

Maki Zenin adjusted her black-rimmed glasses and broke the silence.

"Though it's strange coming from me, I heard that external instructor doesn't even have cursed energy. Is that really okay?"

As a victim of Heavenly Restriction, she knew all too well how troublesome it was to get by in the jujutsu world with this kind of thing.

Leaving aside the institutional suppression and exclusion,

They needed special glasses to see cursed spirits, and cursed tools to injure them.

Yet the physical abilities they gained in exchange could still be matched by stronger sorcerers using cursed energy reinforcement.

Not to mention someone like that—she herself was one thing, but she simply could not imagine how he could teach everyone else.

"But Leon is really strong. Without him, we would have been dead that night. Cursed energy is no big deal to him."

As Itadori refuted her, he thumped the shoulder of the sea-urchin-haired boy beside him.

"Right, Fushiguro?"

Don't drag a Grade 2 sorcerer into this.

Megumi Fushiguro turned his head away. When he had first heard that his summoning was required, he had thought Leon was his shikigami.

But according to the records, Mahoraga possessed by the Ten Shadows Technique did not differ depending on its wielder.

Such a unique and powerful Mahoraga... was I really a jujutsu genius?

As for the result...

Even during the conversation, Maki remained rather doubtful.

"But having no cursed energy is really troublesome, you know? You can't see cursed spirits, and damage caused with bare hands will heal immediately."

"But Leon can see cursed spirits. I saw him grab a cursed spirit by the head and fly up with it."

"He can fly too? What is he, some kind of superhero?"

That sounded even more absurd. How could he fly without cursed energy?

Maki shot Itadori a sidelong glance.

Panda persuaded her to calm down. The cursed corpse that looked exactly like a panda said,

"Maki, that teacher will be here soon. Once we see him in person, we'll know."

"Salmon."

Toge Inumaki beside them agreed.

But after a brief lull, Nobara Kugisaki moved closer to Itadori again.

"Say, ever since I enrolled, you've kept mentioning this Leon guy. What does he even look like?"

"Um... he's about as tall as Gojo-sensei, and about as handsome?"

"Wow, I can't imagine that at all."

She then continued spacing out, while Itadori looked thoughtfully at the panel.

[Guard Mission—Chat Group member Yuji Itadori wishes to undergo a thoroughly satisfying training session. Fulfill his wish.]

[Mission Requirement: Ensure Yuji Itadori's survival.

Mission Time Limit: 3 days. Available group members: 0/1]

It had been a few minutes since Leon accepted the mission. He should be here already, right?

In the sky, Leon, who had been overlooking the entire conversation, slowly descended back to Satoru Gojo's side.