Unleashed

A Jujutsu Sorcerer's strength was shaped by his emotions.

When his spirits sank, he weakened. When they soared, he grew stronger.

But revealing one's Cursed Technique fell outside that rule.

At its core, revealing a Cursed Technique meant placing a Binding Vow on oneself.

By disclosing how his Cursed Technique worked to an opponent, a sorcerer gained a boost in return.

In short, it was an exchange.

To gain that boost, the sorcerer had to "voluntarily," "accurately," and "clearly" explain the core workings of his Cursed Technique to his opponent.

But that was not an absolute rule.

As long as the opponent understood the Cursed Technique through the sorcerer's disclosure, the Binding Vow would take effect. Words were not the only way.

If the opponent figured out the Cursed Technique entirely through combat, however, it did not count as a disclosure.

After all, the opponent had worked it out for himself.

The reason to reveal a Cursed Technique before battle was simple.

The sorcerer gave up the advantage of secrecy in exchange for enough power to confront his enemy head-on.

Now, both Mo Bai and Mo Hei had "revealed" their Cursed Techniques.

Whoosh...

The flames of Cursed Energy around Mo Bai and Mo Hei burned for a while, then gradually settled.

Both adjusted to the sudden surge in their Cursed Energy, slowly bringing their output to its optimal level.

As Mo Bai felt the Cursed Energy within him, the Cursed Technique disclosure told him something.

His opposite standing before him was probably incomplete.

Otherwise, if his opponent had already known everything about the Ten Shadows Technique, the disclosure could not have fulfilled the conditions of the Binding Vow.

Mo Hei's thoughts were no less turbulent.

One hint was enough for him to understand my Cursed Technique completely? I'd planned to test him first, but this guy...

Mo Hei's Cursed Technique was exactly what she had admitted during her earlier conversation with Mo Bai: it was also the Ten Shadows Technique.

But why did it manifest so differently from Mo Bai's Cursed Technique?

From his opponent's behavior and sex, Mo Bai had guessed at one possibility.

Cursed Technique Reversal.

Once a Jujutsu Sorcerer gained a certain understanding of the core of Cursed Energy and developed his Cursed Technique further, he could reverse it completely and awaken a new ability that was the exact opposite of the original.

In other words, what Mo Hei was using now was the Cursed Technique Reversal of the Ten Shadows Technique.

But Cursed Technique Reversal was an extremely advanced skill. Only the elite among Jujutsu Sorcerers should have been capable of mastering it.

Mo Hei was nowhere near that level yet.

Plop.

After staring at him for a moment, Mo Bai plunged straight into the shadows.

"Tch. Trying to ambush me?!"

Because of the peculiar nature of this Sonoro, Mo Hei knew Mo Bai could not use his Cursed Technique to escape.

But shadows could cover every part of this space, allowing Mo Bai to move freely through them.

The situation had reversed. Earlier, Mo Bai and Mo Hei had been in a situation where the enemy was hidden and he was exposed.

"Brilliant Light!"

Mo Hei's eyes narrowed as he gathered Cursed Energy in his hand.

Pop.

He set the ball of light beside himself.

Now, even if Mo Bai emerged from the shadows, he would have to do so some distance away.

Mo Hei could use that gap to close in with his technique and physical strength, then turn the tables and kill him.

Good. All that remained was to stall.

Mo Hei was sure his opponent would lose patience first.

The reason was simple.

Mo Bai was desperate to find Moqu and take him out of this Sonoro.

The longer this dragged on, the worse his situation would become.

The students from earlier had already escaped. Barring any surprises, they should have reported the anomaly to the Academy by now.

Mo Bai would also have to leave and clear his name.

And all of it depended on defeating the "other self" before him.

Whoosh—

"There!"

When ripples appeared in a shadow nearby, Mo Hei gathered the ball of light in his hand and hurled it there.

"Ugh..."

Seeing that he had hit Eclipse of the Heavenly Dog, Mo Bai's Extension Cursed Technique, Mo Hei frowned.

"Want to play whack-a-mole with me?"

Mo Hei's mouth curled into a grin.

The effect of reversing a Cursed Technique could be almost the complete opposite of its original effect.

If Mo Bai was an assassin slipping carefully through the shadows, Mo Hei was a berserk marksman who stood his ground.

Hum—

Countless balls of Cursed Energy gathered around Mo Hei in an instant.

"If you won't come out, then get the hell out of this space!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

The moment Mo Hei finished speaking, the balls of light shot toward every corner of the space like machine-gun fire.

And as Mo Hei poured in more Cursed Energy, they grew faster and more densely packed.

His aim was simple: drive away every shadow with intense light and force Mo Bai out of this space.

The space itself had arisen from the peculiar nature of the Academy's dark side, Solaris, and the influence of Mo Bai's own Cursed Energy.

But Mo Hei himself was not its source, so he had no idea what would happen if Mo Bai was forced out.

Plop!

Just then, Mo Bai burst from the shadows.

He did not dare gamble on what falling out of this space might cost him, so he had no choice but to emerge and face Mo Hei.

"Haha!"

Mo Hei redirected the balls of light, concentrating their fire on Mo Bai.

"I win!"

Mo Hei laughed with delight as he watched them shoot forth.

He looked like a child about to receive a beloved toy.

"No."

Mo Bai showed no alarm at the laser attacks before him. He simply looked at Mo Hei.

At the face that resembled his own so closely.

Everything he had seen in their fight told him this opponent paid no attention to the finer points of combat.

Like now: the moment Mo Hei stopped firing in every direction and aimed every ball of light at him...

Shadows reappeared behind Mo Hei.

"I win."

"Screech!"

As Mo Bai spoke, Nue appeared behind Mo Hei, as tall as an adult and wreathed in lightning.