"Was that Todo?"
"He's fighting Dai Li from Tokyo Jujutsu High right now."
As soon as Noritoshi Kamo heard the thunderous crashes coming from the woods, he guessed that those two were fighting.
"I got a good look while I was flying overhead. The fight between Dai Li and Todo isn't something we can interfere with."
Momo Nishimiya's voice came from above the woods.
"They've split up. Only Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi are moving together. This is a good chance to hold Yuta Okkotsu back."
"Good. Have you located that Grade 2 cursed spirit? If possible, exorcising it should still be our priority."
"No. The Grade 2 cursed spirit released this time is good at hiding."
Noritoshi Kamo wasn't disappointed by the news. There was no way the Tokyo Jujutsu High students could find the Grade 2 cursed spirit faster than they could.
"Let's go meet them, Mechamaru, Nishimiya."
Elsewhere in the forest, Yuta Okkotsu had split up with the others after assuring them he would be fine alone.
The sooner he found that specially marked Grade 2 cursed spirit, the sooner Dai Li could end his fight.
Yuta Okkotsu darted past ancient trees deep within the forest.
Rather than stop to rest, he kept changing direction, carefully sensing the fluctuations of cursed energy around him.
"Where on earth is that Grade 2 cursed spirit..."
Just as Yuta Okkotsu swept past a treetop-
Whoosh!
A slender line of blood suddenly shot toward him from the side.
Okkotsu's pupils contracted, and he instinctively leaned backward.
The blood skimmed his cheek, tracing a scarlet arc through the air.
"What?"
Okkotsu quickly stopped, tightened his grip on his sword, and looked ahead warily.
Atop a thick tree trunk, Noritoshi Kamo slowly emerged from the shadows.
"Quick reflexes."
Standing on the thick trunk, Noritoshi Kamo looked down at Yuta Okkotsu calmly.
Okkotsu said nothing, merely tightening his grip on his sword.
That line of blood had been far too fast.
If he hadn't sensed the danger in advance, it would probably have pierced straight through him.
"You're Noritoshi Kamo, an upperclassman from Kyoto Jujutsu High, right?"
"Yes."
Noritoshi Kamo leaped down from the trunk, barely making a sound as he landed.
"Our first proper meeting, Yuta Okkotsu."
"But I can't let you go any farther in today's Goodwill Event."
Yuta Okkotsu frowned slightly.
"Am I your target?"
"You could say that."
Noritoshi Kamo raised his hand, and bright red blood seeped from his fingertips.
"As far as Kyoto Jujutsu High is concerned, you're someone we have to deal with first."
The moment he finished speaking-
Whoosh!
The blood became a thin line again and shot forward.
Okkotsu dodged sideways, then pushed off hard, instantly charging toward Noritoshi Kamo.
"So fast!"
Noritoshi Kamo's pupils narrowed slightly.
Yuta Okkotsu was already right in front of him, bringing his sword down without hesitation, its blade infused with pink cursed energy.
Clang!
Noritoshi Kamo raised his arm to block the blade, his condensed blood forming a shield.
"Your ranged attacks are already so powerful, but you're this good at close combat too, Kamo...?"
Yuta Okkotsu steadied himself, his gaze growing more serious.
He knew his job wasn't to defeat Noritoshi Kamo, but to find that Grade 2 cursed spirit as quickly as possible.
Every second he wasted meant another second of danger for Dai Li.
With that thought, Okkotsu swung again.
Noritoshi Kamo quickly retreated, blood flowing continuously from his palm.
"Blood Manipulation: Flowing Red Scale!"
The blood coursing through his body suddenly accelerated.
"He's gotten faster?"
Noritoshi Kamo's speed rose instantly. He darted sideways to evade Okkotsu's slash, simultaneously driving a fist toward his abdomen.
Thump!
Okkotsu blocked the blow with his arm, but its tremendous force sent him staggering several steps backward.
"You're really strong."
Okkotsu spoke quietly.
"But..."
He raised his blade, his eyes gradually firming with resolve.
"I can't stop here."
Watching his expression, Noritoshi Kamo understood what Okkotsu was thinking.
The man before him felt no desire to fight merely because he was facing an opponent from Kyoto Jujutsu High.
Instead, he only wanted to complete his task as quickly as possible.
"In that case..."
Noritoshi Kamo slowly curled his fingers inward.
"Let's see whether you break through me first, or I put you out of action first."
Scarlet blood gathered around him once more.
"Come on, Rika."
"Lend me your power."
An enormous amount of cursed energy flowed into Okkotsu through the ring on his hand.
The sudden surge of pink cursed energy around Okkotsu made Noritoshi Kamo break into a nervous sweat.
Yuta Okkotsu tightened his grip on his sword, and both men charged at each other...
Not far to the right of Yuta Okkotsu and Noritoshi Kamo's battlefield, Momo Nishimiya and Mechamaru blocked Kinji Hakari and Kirara Hoshi's path.
"What, you're coming to pick a fight with us instead of looking for cursed spirits? Think we look like pushovers?"
"No. Holding you back will let our people find the cursed spirit sooner."
Mechamaru raised his hand and fired a laser cannon at Kinji Hakari.
Boom!
The laser blast flew past Kinji Hakari, its searing energy blasting apart several trees behind him.
"Hey, hey! You're firing that thing the moment we meet?"
Kinji Hakari sidestepped the attack, but his grin only grew more brazen.
"Enough idle chatter."
Momo Nishimiya swooped down from the sky on her broom, then swung it hard.
A fierce wind suddenly swept through the area.
Countless leaves swirled into the air, instantly obscuring the pair's vision.
"Kin, watch out!"
Kirara Hoshi stepped backward as he called out the warning.
A moment later, several wind blades formed from cursed energy cut through the swirling leaves, heading straight for Kinji Hakari.
Kinji Hakari raised his arms in front of him and unleashed his cursed energy, deflecting every incoming attack.
"That's it?"
"You're seriously underestimating us."
Kirara Hoshi didn't answer, merely glancing up at Momo Nishimiya overhead.
Kinji Hakari took a step forward and instantly charged toward Mechamaru.
Mechamaru immediately raised both arms.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three consecutive cannon blasts fired.
Kinji Hakari dodged between the explosions, picking up speed until he was right in front of Mechamaru.
"Got you!"
His fist slammed down, and Mechamaru raised both arms to block.
Thump!
The tremendous impact sent his entire body sliding backward.
"That much strength..."
Mechamaru quickly adjusted his stance.
"It seems our intel was still lacking."
Meanwhile, Kirara Hoshi had already blocked Momo Nishimiya's path.
Under Kyoto Jujutsu High's original plan, once Momo Nishimiya helped Mechamaru find Kinji Hakari, she was supposed to keep searching for the cursed spirit from the air.
The moment the two met, Momo Nishimiya suddenly fell from the sky.
What's going on? Kirara's cursed technique?
Momo Nishimiya gripped her broom. It felt as though a powerful gravitational pull had dragged her down.
"Your opponent is me, little girl."
A vein bulged on Momo Nishimiya's forehead. Nothing annoyed her more than being underestimated because someone treated her like a little girl.
"I'm older than you!"
Elsewhere in the forest-
Yuta Okkotsu and Noritoshi Kamo charged at each other simultaneously.
Blade and blood collided violently in midair.
Clang!
Noritoshi Kamo used the impact to retreat, the blood in his hand condensing instantly.
But Okkotsu was already pursuing him.
"So fast!"
Noritoshi Kamo gritted his teeth.
Yuta Okkotsu was even faster now than he had been before.
"Rika..."
Pink cursed energy continued pouring out of Okkotsu.
Noritoshi Kamo dared not hold anything back. He tossed out the blood bags he carried, and scarlet blood instantly spread out.
"Blood Manipulation!"
Their battle had reached fever pitch.
Yet neither of them noticed.
Behind a thicket not far from the battlefield, a pair of pitch-black eyes silently watched it all.
The specially marked Grade 2 cursed spirit had finally been forced to change its hiding place by the constant eruptions of cursed energy from both sides.
It began moving slowly.
And it was heading straight toward the area where Yuta Okkotsu and Noritoshi Kamo were fighting.
The instant the cursed spirit poked its head out, Okkotsu and Noritoshi Kamo both turned toward it and spoke in unison:
"Found it!"
Before you continue