Behind them, the sound of snapping trees drew closer and closer.
They fell in dense swaths, one after another like dominoes. The crack of splitting trunks, the snap of breaking branches, and the rustle of crushed leaves mingled into a deafening wave that swept toward them from behind.
Mahiru did not look back. He knew what it was-Satoru Gojo was chasing them, practically bulldozing his way through. Limitless repelled every obstacle ahead of him. Trees snapped like straw before him, and bushes crumbled like foam beneath his feet.
His breathing grew increasingly ragged, not from exhaustion, but from pressure. It was the instinctive, genetically ingrained terror of being chased by a predator. His mind raced, but every conclusion was the same-they could not escape.
But he had to keep running. Every extra second he bought was another second for Xiaomu and the others.
Yet when another huge tree crashed down behind him, Mahiru suddenly stopped.
If they kept running like this, they would exhaust themselves before Satoru Gojo even caught up. Rather than get chased to exhaustion and captured like beaten dogs, they might as well stop now and use the terrain and their cursed techniques for one final stand.
Besides-his gaze swept across the surrounding woods-this environment was perfect for bringing out the full potential of his cursed technique.
"Tanaka!" he shouted.
Tanaka stopped abruptly, nearly falling. He turned around, pale-faced and drenched in sweat, still clutching his short blade. Its edge trembled slightly.
"Captain?"
Mahiru did not answer. He turned to face the stretch of forest that was steadily collapsing and took a deep breath.
Then he spoke.
"My cursed technique is Hundred Forests Flourish-"
His voice was quiet, but cursed energy carried it clearly through the air.
Revealing one's cursed technique. By disclosing information about their technique,