A pitch-black thunderbolt shell shot from the Thunder Beast's mouth, hurtling past Okkotsu in an instant toward the distant cluster of deserted buildings.
As it brushed past him, the aura of destruction compressed to its absolute limit within the Thunder Beast Bomb came within a hair's breadth of him. Yuta Okkotsu's hair stood on end, and cold sweat soaked his Jujutsu High uniform.
Was this the terrifying thing he had been trying to stop?
Even restrained, the lightning lit up Tokyo with a towering radiance like a nuclear blast. Dazzling lightning bloomed in the streets, and buildings that symbolized modern civilization collapsed under its savage assault.
An enormous black mushroom cloud rose from the center of the explosion, followed closely by the violent impact of the blast. The powerful shock wave swept through Okkotsu's hair like a gale, sending his black strands flying wildly.
The scene before him was nothing short of hell. Within a two-hundred-meter radius of the Thunder Beast Bomb's detonation, every building had been obliterated by the raging lightning. Every creation that symbolized modern civilization had been reduced to scorched earth and drifting ash by that single strike.
Powerless ordinary people probably would not even have been able to keep their footing in the shock wave spreading beyond the blast zone.
Such tremendous power left even Lu Yun, the man responsible for the attack, a little dumbstruck.
He had never expected combining the Thunder Beast with Cursed Energy Discharge to produce such astonishing results. He had thought Cursed Energy Discharge was a rather useless ability before.
Sorry, Ryu. I misjudged you.
Lu Yun silently apologized to Ryu Ishigori, the source of that ability.
Yuta Okkotsu was just as shaken.
That power was almost on par with Mr. Gojo's Hollow Technique: Purple. And I actually thought I could defeat Lu Yun. I really overestimated myself. Only someone beyond all normal limits, like Mr. Gojo, could possibly be a worthy opponent for him.
"Uh, don't make me pay for that. I don't have any money."
Suddenly realizing he seemed to have done something outrageous, Lu Yun waved his hands repeatedly at Yuta Okkotsu.
He had only wanted to test the skill's power. Causing this much destruction had been entirely accidental.
"That's not something I have any say over."
The moment Lu Yun chose not to fire the thunderbolt shell at him, Okkotsu knew the man before him was not their enemy.
Okkotsu did not even know whether he could have survived that attack, much less the unconscious Yuji Itadori and Choso.
If Lu Yun had wanted to harm them, they probably would not have lived this long.
It seemed Lu Yun truly bore them no hostility.
"I concede, Mr. Lu Yun."
Yuta Okkotsu sheathed his long sword, admitting defeat with wholehearted sincerity.
Although losing to Lu Yun had dealt him something of a blow, the thought that their Jujutsu High faction had gained a powerhouse who could rival Satoru Gojo instantly drove that little bit of dejection from his mind.
With Satoru Gojo sealed away, Jujutsu High desperately needed someone far stronger than the rest to reassure everyone.
In Yuta Okkotsu's eyes, Lu Yun was undoubtedly that person.
The five-minute limit had elapsed, and the shikigami Rika began to fade away. Without Rika's support, Yuta Okkotsu's body began to fall uncontrollably.
The good news, however, was that his [Copy] technique also began to deactivate as its time limit expired. The copied Mythical Beast Amber ceased to function, and his cursed-energy-altered flesh finally stopped breaking down. Reverse Cursed Technique could at last take full effect, working hard to repair his damaged body.
With the battle over, Lu Yun slowly descended from high above and landed on the ground.
[Successfully defeated Special Grade Sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu. Reward obtained: "Major increase in total cursed energy." Ability obtained: "Reverse Cursed Technique."]
Conceding counts too?
Revising his understanding of what qualified him for rewards once again, Lu Yun looked at the reward notification with delight.
Once Hajime Kashimo's technique was unleashed, it could not be stopped. The same held true for [Lightning Release: Kirin], which Lu Yun had derived from [Mythical Beast Amber]. Though his flesh would not break down, he still could not voluntarily end his Thunder Beast form. Perhaps he would also die once his cursed energy ran out.
But Lu Yun running out of cursed energy was rather unlikely. With his enormous reserves, as long as he did not keep fighting intense battles, his cursed energy recovered fast enough to fully offset the cost of maintaining his Thunder Beast form. That was also why he had dared to try it.
Still, no one wanted to spend their whole life as a ghost who could not touch anything. Lu Yun remained quite troubled over how to undo his Thunder Beast form.
Gaining this new ability undoubtedly gave him hope.
"So this is Reverse Cursed Technique?"
After fully absorbing the information provided by the reward, Lu Yun could use Reverse Cursed Technique with ease, as though it were muscle memory engraved into his body.
Of course, along with Reverse Cursed Technique came an increase in his total cursed energy.
After that fierce battle, Lu Yun had barely any cursed energy left. The moment the reward notification sounded, a huge surge of cursed energy poured from deep within his body. Its quantity surpassed all his previous cursed energy increase rewards combined in one fell swoop, amounting to more than half his current total reserves-roughly five Sukuna's Fingers' worth.
The sudden increase in his cursed energy reserves left Lu Yun struggling to control them for a moment. The overflowing cursed energy turned into lightning, leaping uncontrollably around him.
Lu Yun's presence abruptly surged in intensity, giving Yuta Okkotsu quite a fright as he approached to greet him. Feeling the astonishing pressure of those cursed energy reserves, Okkotsu slowed his steps and said in amazement:
"As expected of someone who can rival Mr. Gojo. So you weren't even using your full strength against me."
Okkotsu shook his head and gave a self-deprecating smile.
That amount of cursed energy clearly exceeded his own. It might well have been enough to rival the legendary King of Curses.
Even giving it everything I had, I couldn't make Mr. Lu Yun use his full strength?
I'm truly sorry I couldn't give Mr. Lu Yun a satisfying fight.
Okkotsu felt a little regretful, but then another thought struck him. Lu Yun was on Jujutsu High's side now. Didn't a stronger Lu Yun mean a stronger Jujutsu High? This was a good thing.
Even without Mr. Gojo, they would have the strength to handle all sorts of crises. Okkotsu no longer needed to worry about how he would explain things to Mr. Gojo, either.
Once he thought it through, Yuta Okkotsu's face immediately lit up with enthusiasm.
"Having Mr. Lu Yun join Jujutsu High is such a relief!"
Lu Yun was pondering how to undo his Thunder Beast form when he suddenly heard that hauntingly catchy "such a relief" etched into his mind. His whole body shuddered, and when he looked up, that classic expression greeted him.
His brows were slightly furrowed, his eyes narrowed, and tears glimmered at their corners. His expression was complicated, as though it held thirty percent regret, thirty percent relief, and forty percent joy.
Lu Yun's expression turned grim. His Thunder Beast Cloak arched into a Ridgeback dragon form, and the lightning covering him stood on end like fur. Like a startled kitty, he began hissing frantically:
"Hiss! Hiss!"
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