Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!!!
Amid the barrage of muffled impacts, Kento Nanami and Maki could not even see what had happened.
Kinoshita swept past Dagon with an utterly relaxed posture.
All they saw was Dagon coughing up blood from the beating. Then, after collapsing, Dagon suddenly twitched as though rising from the dead and activated "Water Barrier."
"What?!"
Naobito Zenin stared at Kinoshita in shock.
Even Naobito, whose "Projection Sorcery" was considered the fastest cursed technique, was stunned by Kinoshita's absurdly jerky speed!
And...
Wasn't he showing off way too fucking much?!!
"Projection Sorcery" could divide a second into twenty-four equal segments. By moving according to the twenty-four actions he had predetermined, Naobito could save himself the time spent thinking and push his speed to its limit.
Not only that, anyone he touched was also forced to move at twenty-four frames per second. Otherwise, they would be forcibly frozen into a photograph for one second!
As far as Naobito was concerned, almost no one could keep up with his speed.
In other words, as long as he touched his opponent, "Projection Sorcery" was guaranteed to buy him one second to attack.
But after seeing Kinoshita, he could not help feeling uncertain.
Could I really immobilize this guy with "Projection Sorcery"?
"Mr. Zenin, did you see anything?" Nanami tightened his grip on his cursed tool, his expression grave.
"Yes..." Naobito managed a smile. "This cursed spirit's brain reacted to his attacks, but its body couldn't keep up."
"He's too fast..." Maki felt a wave of embarrassment.
After all, she had no cursed energy. Her physical gifts and cursed tools alone put her on par with a Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
Yet now, watching Kinoshita, she could barely follow his movements with the naked eye.
Kinoshita's eye twitched involuntarily, and a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat.
This was "Flowing Red Scale," a technique of "Blood Manipulation."
No.
Based on Kinoshita's design, it was closer to Choso's improved version, "Flowing Red Scale: Stack."
"Flowing Red Scale" was a technique that controlled blood flow and pulse to elevate physical performance to another level.
Its effects were much like a stimulant.
"Flowing Red Scale: Stack" was Choso's improvement on "Flowing Red Scale," pushing physical performance to its true peak while also placing greater strain on the body.
In his fight against Naoya Zenin, another user of "Projection Sorcery," Choso had only barely kept up with his movements by relying on "Flowing Red Scale: Stack."
That made one thing clear.
The upper limits of "Flowing Red Scale" were enough to rival "Projection Sorcery," especially in the hands of a genius like Kinoshita, coupled with his vast reserves of cursed energy.
"I'll call this move 'Ochre Scale: Modified.'"
Kinoshita could feel bleeding in several of his muscles, but "Reverse Cursed Technique" quickly restored them.
In other words, this move did not merely strain the body. It actually damaged it and caused injuries.
In anyone else's hands, it might have been a worthless skill.
After all, mastering "Reverse Cursed Technique" was a prerequisite for using it. With such a demanding requirement, naturally no one would bother developing or employing it.
Of course, Kinoshita was an exception.
"Cough, cough, cough..." Dagon lay on the ground.
Countless punches had struck Dagon in an instant, and now it felt as though the late Hanami was about to come into view.
"Stay out of this. If you interfere, I'll kill you." Kinoshita's tone was flat as he gave the three a cold look.
With strength to back up his words, he could speak with authority. There was no need to waste time explaining anymore.
To Naobito, those words practically overflowed with killing intent.
Seeing that Kinoshita seemed to be after Dagon, Kento Nanami naturally decided to wait until their fight was over before making a move.
"You bastard...!" Maki raised her cursed tool, still intending to do something.
Then Naobito used "Projection Sorcery" to snatch away her cursed tool. "We won't interfere until your fight is decided."
Kinoshita smiled faintly and said nothing more.
Of course, he was not simply here to pick a fight.
To truly defeat Sukuna, you did not necessarily need to know how to use a domain, but you absolutely had to be able to counter one.
"Reverse Cursed Technique" and techniques like "Simple Domain" were the entry requirements for top-level battles.
After all, between sorcerers of equal strength, the one with a domain was almost guaranteed to win.
That was why Kinoshita had come to fight the four great disaster cursed spirits.
"Show me your domain, takoyaki." Kinoshita swept up his bangs and grinned without restraint.
"Domain Expansion: Horizon of the Captivating Skandha."
Clap!
In the next breath.
Without warning, Kinoshita was pulled onto a vibrant beach bathed in sunlight.
Although he knew the Innate Domain of "Horizon of the Captivating Skandha" was bright and beautiful, experiencing it firsthand still made him marvel at how it was practically a vacation paradise.
"You're born from humanity's fear of the ocean, but your Innate Domain is a little kid's playground, ta-ko-ya-ki~"
Dagon hovered in the air, spreading both arms wide as though victory were already assured.
It looked down at Kinoshita with contempt in its eyes.
Rip!
Something seemed to bite into Kinoshita's shoulder. By the time he realized it, blood was already spraying.
Hiss, hiss...
Unlike what Dagon had imagined, the instant the shikigami bit Kinoshita, his blood bound it like ropes.
"Blood Binding."
"As expected, this guy is no ordinary opponent. Regular shikigami are completely useless against him."
"But... no matter how strong you are, the shikigami in my 'Horizon of the Captivating Skandha' are endless!"
With its probing attack over, Dagon formed a hand sign, and cursed energy began to surge.
"Cursed Technique Release: Death Swarm."
A vast number of shikigami immediately poured out around the hovering Dagon. They were vividly colored, perfectly matching the saturated light of its innate cursed technique.
Watching the swarm of shikigami flicker in and out of existence, Kinoshita merely smiled.
"Domain Expansion... it really is exciting..."
Crunch.
A giant, eel-like shikigami sank its sharp teeth into Kinoshita.
Then another followed.
Within "Horizon of the Captivating Skandha," the shikigami gained a sure-hit effect, moving at speeds akin to teleportation.
In the blink of an eye, several enormous shikigami had devoured Kinoshita completely.
"No matter how strong you are, there are endless shikigami here."
"No matter how fast you are, the shikigami here will always hit you."
"Pitiful human, I'm your natural enemy!" Dagon folded its arms and looked down at Kinoshita.
"Piercing Blood"!!!
A thin streak of bloody light swept across the sea.
With a tremendous roar, the calm sea split in two as though making way for it.
Dagon only noticed that the vision in its right eye was a little blurry. By the time it fully registered what had happened, the waves behind it were crashing down like rain.
Drip...
"Half my head... did this human blow it off?"
Kinoshita stepped out gracefully.
The "Blood Armor" covering him gradually peeled away, making it clear that the shikigami's attacks had done almost no damage.
Kinoshita swept up his bangs and looked at Dagon. "You're holding your head too high."
Before you continue