Stepping into Special Grade

System, show me my status panel.

[Your status panel has been displayed.]

[Name: Dai Li]

[Overall jujutsu sorcerer strength: Special Grade Sorcerer]

[Total cursed energy level: Special Grade]

[Overall physical ability: Grade 2]

[Cursed techniques: Life and Binding, Projection Cursed Technique]

A Special Grade Sorcerer. He had finally crossed that threshold.

The price had been some of his memories. He could remember the face of Jujutsu Kaisen's protagonist, but who that person was, what he had done, and what he had become...

He could no longer remember any of it. All he recalled was one name: "Tiger Heavenly Emperor."

He had heard that term over and over before transmigrating, placing it in a broad category of memories that could not be erased.

"Who was it that said 'Purple says' again?"

He had grown stronger, but he had also forgotten a great deal. Just how important had that information been to grant him such an enormous boost?

Dai Li did not know whether his decision had been right or wrong, but he would not regret it.

If the future really was a tragedy, he would change it with his own hands. That was why he was so determined to grow stronger.

Elbowing Sukuna remained Dai Li's cherished ambition.

Dai Li put the matter out of his mind, stood up, and looked at Yuta Okkotsu.

"Okkotsu, to avoid any misunderstandings, I need to tell you something first:

In the battle ahead, you're the challenger."

Dai Li could no longer remember where that line came from. He only knew it was one of the most badass lines in his memory.

Seeing Dai Li return to his usual self, Yuta Okkotsu relaxed.

"Yes, Dai Li. You've gotten even stronger now."

"As I am now, challenging you is all I can do."

"Well, that doesn't quite feel right."

Yuta Okkotsu clearly had not gotten what Dai Li meant. Of course, he could not possibly understand what Dai Li was getting at.

"The upcoming final is going to be quite a spectacle. Even your teacher can't help looking forward to it."

"No question about it, that'll be Special Grade versus Special Grade.

This battle is definitely going down in history. I need to report to your principal, Masamichi Yaga. He's probably blowing his top right now, since I kept Dai Li's situation from him."

With that, Satoru Gojo drained his drink in one gulp, then tossed the empty cup neatly into a nearby trash can.

"All right, time for your teacher to handle some grown-up business."

He adjusted his blindfold and turned toward the lounge exit. His white hair swayed gently with the movement, and even from behind, he looked as carefree as ever.

But after a few steps, Satoru Gojo paused briefly.

He glanced back at Dai Li and Yuta Okkotsu, who were still standing there, and smiled faintly.

Yuta Okkotsu kept looking at Dai Li. Although he found something a little strange, he did not dwell on it.

The change in Dai Li's cursed energy just now had been astonishing.

Anyone who suddenly gained that much cursed energy would probably have shown excitement or elation.

Yet Dai Li had simply sat there, feeling the surge of cursed energy inside him while thinking about the afternoon's match, barely any different from his usual self.

"Dai Li..."

Yuta Okkotsu hesitated.

"Are you really all right?"

Dai Li opened his eyes.

"Hmm?"

"It's just that you suddenly got so much stronger. I thought it might put some strain on your body."

Okkotsu did not ask anything more.

As far as he understood it, Dai Li had simply activated some hidden cursed technique and gained an enormous boost in cursed energy.

After all, everyone had their secrets.

Just as he had Rika.

"Don't worry."

Dai Li waved a hand.

"The sudden increase in cursed energy does take some getting used to, but I have no trouble controlling it."

"I have been practicing cursed energy control all this time, after all."

"That's good."

Yuta Okkotsu let out a sigh of relief.

He trusted Dai Li.

Just as Dai Li trusted that he would not be consumed by Rika.

Their trust was not built on knowing all of each other's secrets.

It was built on knowing that, when it mattered, the other would not hurt the people around them.

"Speaking of which."

Dai Li suddenly spoke up.

"Okkotsu, how are you holding up?"

"How am I holding up?"

"Yeah. You just fought Aoi Todo, and Rika came out to fight too. How much strength do you have left?"

Okkotsu blinked, then carefully checked his condition.

"I used up some cursed energy, but I'm fine."

"As for Rika..."

As he spoke, he looked beside him.

Rika Orimoto's form flickered in and out of view, as though responding to Okkotsu as well.

"She's fine too."

"You two had better not hit me in the face like you did to Todo."

Dai Li and Okkotsu chatted easily, smiling.

In the final half hour before the finals began, the staff at the Goodwill Event grounds were readjusting the barrier's boundaries.

At Satoru Gojo's suggestion, both the barrier's coverage and its strength had been greatly increased. Even so, he did not think it would hold up without being damaged by the fallout of their battle.

The referees and spectators were all sent back indoors, where they would watch the fight through shared crow vision using Mei Mei's Black Bird Manipulation.

The higher-ups had originally intended to stop the match. The shock waves from a battle between two Special Grade-level jujutsu sorcerers were sure to smash Kyoto Jujutsu High to pieces.

But Satoru Gojo had pushed back against every objection, and with the battlefield relocated outside Kyoto Jujutsu High, he had barely managed to secure their approval.

Inside Kyoto Jujutsu High, the students and teachers were not chatting casually as they had after earlier matches. Everyone's attention was focused on the two people about to take the stage.

Although both were students at Tokyo Jujutsu High, this match had taken on an entirely different significance.

One was Yuta Okkotsu, who bore a Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit and held certification as a Special Grade Sorcerer.

The other was Dai Li, a monster who, in everyone's eyes, had hidden his strength so deeply that he had only truly bared his fangs today.

"Hey, Gojo-sensei, what's the deal with Dai Li? He suddenly got crazy strong."

Kinji Hakari's cursed technique could also grant him unlimited cursed energy while he was in his jackpot state, but it could not directly increase his total cursed energy reserves. That made him curious about how Dai Li had done it.

"Simply put, a bit of this and a bit of that."

"This and what?"

"Okay, truth is, your teacher doesn't know either. Every jujutsu sorcerer has a few trump cards, after all."

Nearby, Mei Mei, who had her eyes closed as she shared a crow's vision, suddenly chimed in:

"I don't know how many cursed techniques he has, but his cursed energy control is very precise. He wastes very little. If I had to choose, I'd favor Dai Li."

"Hey, hey, Miss Mei, no betting money here."

"Heh, just a little amusement."

The students from Kyoto Jujutsu High did not join the discussion. They simply waited quietly for the match to begin.

Noritoshi Kamo sat off to the side, looking toward the center of the battlefield with a conflicted expression.

When he had lost to Dai Li that morning, he had not even forced him to reveal much of his strength.

He had also watched Okkotsu's battle with Todo very closely.

"Those two are already on a level ordinary students can't even comprehend."