Special Grade vs. Special Grade

In a clearing on the outskirts of Kyoto, a flock of crows circled overhead as two Jujutsu Sorcerers radiating immense cursed energy discussed something.

There was no one else within dozens of kilometers of the clearing.

The two, who had been chatting nonstop, fell silent and took their ready stances.

Dai Li stopped where he stood, red cursed energy surging around him-a sign that he was about to activate his cursed technique.

[When facing a Special Grade opponent, the host may activate an additional high-difficulty challenge.]

[Defeat a Special Grade opponent fighting you seriously while your total cursed energy, cursed technique efficiency, cursed energy efficiency, and cursed energy control precision are all reduced to receive a choice of one of three rewards from the system.]

[The minimum reduction is 25%. The greater the restriction, the higher the chance of receiving a powerful reward from the system.]

"Life and Binding: Tempering" activated in an instant, reducing Dai Li's total cursed energy, cursed technique efficiency, cursed energy efficiency, and cursed energy control precision by 25%.

For the coming battle, Dai Li's innate cursed technique, "Life and Binding," was disabled.

Dai Li was going to show Yuta Okkotsu that if he wasn't greedy, he wasn't playing properly.

"Chitchat's over, Okkotsu. Now that we've come this far, we don't need any more words!"

"Come on, Rika!"

The next instant, the air suddenly grew heavy.

Pitch-black cursed energy erupted behind Okkotsu, and a massive figure gradually took shape.

Rika Orimoto spread her arms, standing guard behind Okkotsu.

Yuta Okkotsu did not reply.

He knew Dai Li would no longer hold anything back. He had felt it for a while now.

The man before him was completely different from before, and it wasn't simply a change brought about by increasing his cursed energy.

His very presence had changed.

He was like a blade that had kept its edge hidden until it was finally drawn.

"Dai Li."

Yuta Okkotsu tightened his grip on his sword.

"I'll give it everything I've got."

Dai Li nodded in agreement.

The next instant.

Both figures vanished at the same time.

Boom!

The ground erupted.

With Rika's power, Okkotsu charged straight ahead, moving even faster than he had when fighting Todo.

His blade sliced through the air toward Dai Li.

Dai Li did not retreat. He merely shifted his footing slightly, his body skimming past the blade.

Then he raised his right leg and kicked at Yuta Okkotsu, red cursed energy wrapping around it.

Clang!

Okkotsu immediately blocked with the flat of his blade.

A tremendous force surged from the point of impact, sending Okkotsu sliding several meters backward.

But before he could regain his stance, Rika's massive arm came hurtling in from the side.

Dai Li looked up at Rika's enormous hand.

"Your teamwork's getting better and better."

He chose not to meet it head-on. Rika Orimoto's attacks were still something he had to dodge.

"Trace On."

Over a thousand short blades materialized instantly, crisscrossing through the air.

The flying blades, laden with cursed energy, struck Rika Orimoto's palm and forced it to stop.

Yuta Okkotsu seized the opening to close in again.

Steel flashed.

A silver longsword likewise materialized in Dai Li's hand, meeting Yuta Okkotsu head-on.

"I'm better with a straight sword than a katana."

"True. I could tell when we trained at Jujutsu High before."

Clang! Clang! Clang!

An unbroken succession of metallic clashes echoed through the wilderness.

The two moved so fast that ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers would not even have been able to follow them.

Rika supported Okkotsu from the side with every swing of his blade.

Meanwhile, Dai Li constantly changed his attacks using the various cursed tools he projected.

Long blades, short blades, chains, shields-different kinds of cursed tools kept appearing.

His fighting style was nothing like that of a traditional Jujutsu Sorcerer. He was more like a weapons master who could switch weapons at any moment.

Without Rika Orimoto's help, Yuta Okkotsu could never have dealt with those flying cursed tools while fighting Dai Li at close range.

"Just as I thought..."

Okkotsu pulled back after another clash.

"Dai Li, your Projection Cursed Technique is even more complex than what you've shown before."

"I have Satoru Gojo to thank for that. He's the head of the Gojo Clan, one of the Three Great Families, after all. His Cursed Tool Vault is much bigger than Jujutsu High's."

"Take this sword, for example!"

Dai Li projected another pitch-black greatsword, gripped it with both hands, and attacked Yuta Okkotsu head-on.

Yuta Okkotsu raised his sword to block. Their blades collided again, the sharp ringing of metal scarcely pausing between strikes.

Okkotsu lowered his body and thrust forward with both hands on his sword. Pink cursed energy surged wildly along its length, wrapping the blade in a thin layer of constantly burning flame.

Dai Li held his sword with both hands, scarlet cursed energy spreading from his arms all the way to its edge.

The two distinctly colored streams of cursed energy collided head-on through their blades, and the violent shock blasted the surrounding stones away.

Claaang!

Both exerted their strength at once. Dai Li's sword scraped along Okkotsu's blade and slid aside, the clear ringing echoing across the clearing.

Okkotsu used the momentum to turn, sweeping his blade diagonally upward from below. Dai Li twisted aside to evade it.

The next instant, Dai Li turned his wrist and brought his longsword down, red cursed energy leaving a streak beside Okkotsu's shoulder.

"Gah!"

The edge of Dai Li's overpowering black greatsword cut into Yuta Okkotsu's shoulder, drawing a cry of pain.

"Yuta!"

Rika, who had been occupied by the thousand-plus cursed tools Dai Li had projected, suddenly unleashed a powerful surge of cursed energy, shattering and dispersing every cursed tool Dai Li was spending his reserves to maintain.

"What's wrong, Okkotsu? A little wound like that shouldn't be a problem."

"I've already been to death's door once. This won't do."

Yuta Okkotsu rose from one knee, gradually lowering the hand pressed to his wound. The cut on his shoulder was actually very deep, but just as Dai Li had said, this was pain he had to endure.

"This pain is nothing. Let's keep going!"

"Then here comes my attack!"

Dai Li grinned, the muscles in his arms tightening slightly. He did not retreat any farther.

His gaze was no longer casual, and his movements held no hesitation. He extended his right arm, opening his palm toward Okkotsu.

"Trace On!"

Over a thousand cursed tools were projected, all suspended in midair and all of types that could gain power by accelerating through flight.

The projected short swords, daggers, spears, and other cursed tools already carried curses of their own. Wrapped in Dai Li's immense cursed energy, their power multiplied.

"Basic framework, analyzed. Component materials, analyzed..."

Just before Dai Li's projected cursed tools shot forth, Yuta Okkotsu closed his eyes. His lips began moving slightly, as though he were reciting an incantation.

"Trace On!"

In an instant, over a thousand cursed tools identical to those hanging in the air were projected directly above Yuta Okkotsu.

"You little..."

"You copied my cursed technique?!"

Seeing Yuta Okkotsu copy his Projection Cursed Technique, Dai Li could no longer maintain his earlier composure.

Before Rika Orimoto's curse was lifted, Yuta Okkotsu's "Copy" cursed technique allowed him to copy without conditions.

"Here I come, Dai Li. Do you have enough cursed energy left?"

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

"Don't think your counterfeit technique can compare to mine."

The next instant, over a thousand cursed tools tore through the air at once, trailing streaks of red light as they rained down on Yuta Okkotsu.

At almost the same instant, a roughly equal number of cursed tools appeared before Yuta Okkotsu.

Long blade met long blade, short blade met short blade. Even their shapes and flight paths were almost identical.

Pink cursed energy coated the copied cursed tools. As Okkotsu raised his hand, the mass of weapons surged forward to meet the attack.

Red and pink cursed tools crossed in midair, like two differently colored torrents crashing head-on.

The swarms of cursed tools continued clashing in the air. Dai Li still held the overall advantage, but both men now wore somewhat grave expressions...