The essence

Both of them charged at once. This time, neither held anything back to test the other.

Dai Li's Imaginary Soul Liberation Blade clashed head-on with Okkotsu's sword.

Clang!

The tremendous impact even sent the rubble around them flying.

Okkotsu's strength came through Rika, making every slash immensely heavy.

But Yuta Okkotsu's sword was already battered beyond repair. It could not possibly withstand the Soul Liberation Blade's strikes.

Crack.

The blade shattered, its fragments scattering across the ground with a series of metallic chimes.

"It's not over yet."

"Projection, begin!"

The next instant, Okkotsu projected a Cursed Tool identical to the sword that had just shattered.

A brand-new blade appeared in Yuta Okkotsu's hand.

Pink cursed energy wreathed the blade like flames. Unlike before, Okkotsu did not hesitate in the slightest this time.

Clang!

The instant their blades met, he used the tremendous strength flowing from Rika to angle his sword slightly, deflecting the impact from the Soul Liberation Blade.

Then he closed in.

Pink cursed energy gathered in his other hand.

A short blade took shape in an instant.

It went straight for Dai Li's flank.

But Dai Li seemed to have anticipated it.

He raised his left hand, and a shield-shaped Cursed Tool appeared out of thin air, blocking Okkotsu's attack.

Okkotsu charged again.

His speed had noticeably dropped.

Yet there was still no hesitation in that first step.

Pink cursed energy coiled around his sword as Rika continued feeding him strength, trying to compensate for his body's exhaustion.

But his body had its limits.

Dai Li could already read every move he made.

This time, the copied Cursed Tool in Okkotsu's hand finally failed to withstand the repeated impacts.

Crack.

Cracks spread from the center of the blade.

A second later, the entire sword shattered.

The fragments scattered across the ground with crisp chimes.

Yuta Okkotsu did not pause.

Almost as soon as his sword broke, he reached out again.

"Projection..."

Pink cursed energy had only just begun to gather.

But a red blur was already in front of him.

Too fast.

Okkotsu had only completed half of his Cursed Technique when Dai Li closed in.

The Soul Liberation Blade stopped before him, mere centimeters from his chest.

Okkotsu's pupils contracted slightly, but he did not retreat.

Because he knew he had already lost.

If this had been a real battle, the blade would have struck in the next instant.

Dai Li looked at the wounded Okkotsu before him, then slowly withdrew his sword.

"So your body gave out before your cursed energy did."

Okkotsu held his sword-gripping stance, silent for several seconds.

Then his body finally gave out.

He dropped to one knee.

"Cough..."

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.

His shoulders, abdomen, and arms were all covered in wounds from the battle.

"You've been pushing yourself for a while, haven't you? Rika's been worried about you the whole time."

Rika immediately appeared beside him, shielding Okkotsu with her enormous body, her eyes filled with anxiety.

"Yuta!"

"I'm fine..."

Okkotsu answered quietly.

Despite his severe injuries, his voice remained calm.

He looked toward Dai Li in the distance.

"Dai Li, I lost."

Dai Li said nothing. He simply walked up to Okkotsu and held out his hand.

Okkotsu froze for a moment, then took it.

With Dai Li's help, he got back to his feet.

"Yeah. Get some rest."

"There'll be plenty more troublesome guys to deal with later anyway."

No one could deny the significance of this battle.

Two Special Grade first-years had fought a battle at the Goodwill Event that far exceeded the level of students.

"Hurry, bring the other seriously injured one back first."

Once Okkotsu and Dai Li's battle ended, Jujutsu High's medical staff immediately took both of them back to the school for treatment.

Satoru Gojo had called Shoko Ieiri over before this Special Grade showdown began. With her externally applied Reverse Cursed Technique healing him, Yuta Okkotsu's condition improved.

Satoru Gojo leaned against the infirmary wall, his hands in his pockets, the smile still on his face.

But it was different from the smile he had worn while enjoying the spectacle.

This time, his expression was noticeably gentler.

"You lost, Yuta."

He spoke softly.

"But... you did really well."

Shoko Ieiri removed her gloves, then looked at Satoru Gojo.

Satoru Gojo folded his arms, lost in some unknown thought.

"Doesn't Dai Li need treatment?"

"That guy? It's not physical injuries he needs treated."

"System, collect the rewards from Life and Binding: Tempering."

[Confirmed]

[Host has successfully defeated Special Grade Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu and special grade imaginary vengeful spirit Rika Orimoto]

[Distributing your rewards]

"It should still be Choose One of Three. Let's have a look first."

[Host, please select two of the following options]

[One: moderately improve cursed energy conversion efficiency]

[Two: immediately master the true essence of Projection Cursed Technique]

[Three: greatly enhance your understanding of Barrier Technique]

"Two? Does that mean Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto count as one Special Grade each?"

[Confirmed]

[Because Host defeated two Special Grades, Yuta Okkotsu and Rika Orimoto, you may select two rewards this time]

"The essence of Projection Cursed Technique? Could it be that? Limitless Blade Works!"

[Unfortunately, option two is not the essence you have in mind]

[Reward tiers are calculated and drawn based on the gap between both sides after your Cursed Technique reduces your strength. You were very lucky this time]

[Option two belongs to the highest reward tier]

"So it's not what I thought.

"But that makes sense. No matter how you look at it, Limitless Blade Works should be Projection Cursed Technique's Domain Expansion."

"Then I'll choose options two and three."

"Among these randomly distributed rewards, option one looks like the lowest-tier reward no matter how I look at it. An understanding of Barrier Technique is undoubtedly useful."

"A Special Grade Sorcerer can't go his whole life without learning Domain Expansion, right?"

As Dai Li mulled it over, he sank into thought. There really did seem to be someone like that, and he was the author of Purple Sun.

Who was that person, exactly? The one who brought me joy?

He stood out more vividly in Dai Li's memory than anyone else, even Sukuna.

"My memories, huh? Before I lost them, I seemed to have thought of a way to recover them. But as they disappeared, only a few keywords remained in my head."

Soul, transformation, Binding Vow.

What did they mean? Was this a fallback I'd left myself?

"Forget it. I'll collect the rewards first. Getting stronger is what really matters."

It was not that Dai Li was stupid about his memories. He simply believed improving his strength mattered most. If he could gain tremendous strength in exchange, what harm was there in giving up some informational advantages?

Being overwhelmingly powerful and knowing everything well enough to mastermind events were merely different philosophies.

"System, I'll choose option two and option three for this round of rewards."

[Confirmed. Distributing this round's rewards]

[The essence of Projection Cursed Technique: analyze a sorcerer's cursed energy and construct the effects of their Cursed Technique. This has been engraved into your soul]

Dai Li's vision suddenly went black, and dizziness struck. He immediately clutched his head with both hands. Though he had experienced soul engraving before, it still caught him off guard.

"Couldn't you give me a little warning first?!"

"Still, this time wasn't too bad. I wasn't as much of a mess as before."

Dai Li's dizziness soon faded, and another engraving appeared within his soul.

"I wonder if it's because my total cursed energy has already reached Sukuna's level."

"No, more precisely, Sukuna's total cursed energy is on par with mine."

Dai Li still remembered quite a bit of information about Sukuna. He had simply forgotten that Sukuna seemed to have a Thunderous Finisher, remembering only that he had obtained it on credit too.

Sensing the changes in Projection Cursed Technique, Dai Li could not help being startled.

"So this is the essence of Projection Cursed Technique? If I developed it myself, I really might have needed decades of research. Let's try it first."

"I'll go with Boogie Woogie."

"Trace On."

The next second, Dai Li abruptly vanished. In his place appeared the small pebble he had just infused with cursed energy and tossed away.

This was the effect of Aoi Todo's Cursed Technique, Boogie Woogie.

"It worked. Boogie Woogie's effect is relatively simple, and I fought Aoi Todo for quite a while before. I can just about analyze his cursed energy and Cursed Technique."

"I can only project the effects produced by other people's Cursed Techniques."

"I probably can't project Limitless's Inviolability, but Satoru Gojo's Red should be possible, if I disregard how difficult it would be to analyze."