When Ryu Ishigori charged out of the ruined building, half his jacket had been torn to shreds, and a large swath of his chest was burned.
He winced as he touched the wound on his chest, then grinned again. The burns seemed to have only destroyed his skin, and he quickly brought them under control.
Long Xi really did have the advantage of fighting two against one, even if both accounts were drawing on the cursed energy of a single Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer.
But his livestream had reached ten thousand concurrent viewers!
The cursed energy recovery rate that gave him could restore him completely in the very next second!
That alone gave Long Xi all the confidence he needed!
He was confident that, as long as his opponent did not open his domain, holding him off on his own-or even defeating him-would be no great challenge!
Two different Long Xis appeared within Ryu Ishigori's field of vision, but his reaction was nothing like what the viewers in chat had expected.
Even injured, Ryu Ishigori laughed more heartily than before.
"Two of you?!"
"Two different cursed techniques?!"
"...Ah."
"Three, actually..."
Long Xi's original body landed on a billboard, while his double stood on the rooftop opposite. Around them, the cursed energy gathered by their techniques manifested in two completely different colors.
One stood in front of Ryu Ishigori and the other behind him, trapping him between them.
Dark clouds gathered again, and the rain resumed.
The clouds blasted apart earlier re-formed. Rain fell more thickly than before, landing on Ryu Ishigori's shoulders and seeping into his cursed energy circulation.
In this situation, whether he fled or fought head-on, either choice would put him at a disadvantage!
But that was... how a loser thought!!
He had spent his entire life pursuing battle. How could he possibly let something as trivial as his opponent having strange techniques-
Make him abandon such a rare feast?!
He would crush his opponent head-on, on the opponent's own turf, with every advantage stacked in the opponent's favor!
"Because only then can I experience the ultimate pleasure!!!"
"Slush Shockwave!!"
With Ryu Ishigori's roar, cursed energy gathered once more within his bizarre hairstyle, then blasted toward Long Xi in the distance!
Long Xi stood with both feet planted on the billboard, his clothes snapping wildly in the wind stirred up by the powerful cursed energy blast!
There was practically no question that a direct hit would melt a person in an instant!
Yet Long Xi simply raised his left hand in front of him!
"Void."
Boom!!
The instant the impact canceled out the blast, the double rushed in from the side and threw a punch at Ryu Ishigori's stomach.
Ryu Ishigori blocked the punch with his elbow! He unleashed the strength of his entire body, and the ground beneath his feet burst apart!
He caught "Long Xi" by the wrist, gathering cursed energy in his other hand. A point-blank blast took shape almost flush against his chest!
"Got you!"
Ryu Ishigori's point-blank blast formed right against his chest.
"Long Xi" could even smell his clothes scorching under the cursed energy. His skin went numb first, and beneath his ribs, it felt as though a sledgehammer had been pressed against him.
If he took the full hit, forget making a dignified exit-the chat would be spamming, "Bro Xi's daily serving of death has arrived."
But instead of retreating, he pushed forward.
Ryu Ishigori held his wrist fast, but his original body had already shattered the opposite rooftop's edge underfoot and launched himself through the curtain of rain.
"Sweet Rain from the Heavens: Chaos."
The downpour suddenly intensified! Raindrops struck Ryu Ishigori like heavy weights!
He could even hear their piercing patter beside his ears!
As a result, the Cursed Energy Blast gathering in Ryu Ishigori's palm briefly slipped out of alignment before it could fire!
His cursed energy was like a machine with a jammed gear. It was still turning, but it could no longer surge along its intended path!
"Long Xi" seized that instant of error!
He sharply twisted his trapped wrist, drove his shoulder into Ryu Ishigori's chest, and slammed his knee toward his lower abdomen!
Ryu Ishigori grinned and took the blow head-on. His body only bent slightly, while the exaggerated pompadour above his forehead had already finished charging a second blast.
"Don't disappoint me!"
He fired another Slush Shockwave right into his face.
Even though his superhuman physique had dramatically improved "Long Xi's" reflexes, this point-blank attack was simply impossible for him to dodge!
In an instant, the Slush Shockwave slammed into him! "Long Xi" was blasted away head-on and smashed through a floor, sending concrete and rebar exploding outward!
A second figure took his place the next moment, raising a palm in midair.
"Void."
An invisible impact struck Ryu Ishigori from the side, forcibly pushing his remaining cursed energy off course and preventing him from sustaining the attack.
The beam grazed the building and shot into the sky, slicing a bright diagonal opening through half the office block. Desks, chairs, glass, and hanging lights scattered from within.
In the distance, Riko-chan crouched behind the window ledge of another building, clutching the livestream equipment.
She had been trying to maintain at least a little professionalism as an assistant, but the moment that building was sliced open, she recoiled, nearly banging the back of her head against an outdoor air-conditioning unit.
"I-is this really just a livestreaming job?"
People could not share one another's feelings. Right now, the chat wanted nothing but battle!
[This is a high-level match! Bro Xi's running two accounts to clear the dungeon!]
[Ryu Ishigori: Dessert's buy one, get one free today, kids! Watch me finish each one in three bites!]
[Ryu Ishigori: Bad news, kids! It's artificial sweetener!]
[Don't be scared, Riko-chan. Keep the camera steady. Don't let us miss the streamer getting beaten up.]
Riko Amanai tightened her grip on the equipment, her voice trembling with anger.
"Whose side are you even on?!"
On the battlefield, Long Xi flipped out of the ruined building and landed on his feet.
A large wound had been blasted into "Long Xi's" chest. Reverse Cursed Technique immediately spread through his flesh, pushing away the charred skin as new skin grew.
The pain had not lessened. He merely forced it beneath his movements.
His other self landed beside "Long Xi."
Both Long Xis looked up at the same time.
Ryu Ishigori stood at the edge of a broken floor. Wisps of flame still clung to his shoulders, and a large bruise marked his abdomen.
Yet he showed no intention of retreating. Instead, he raised a hand and patted his chest, his cursed energy surging once more!
Even the flames left on him by Void's strike vanished completely beneath that surge!
"You two are pretty good."
"But if this is all you've got, you won't be able to satisfy me."
"Long Xi" tugged at his collar. That last hit had nearly made him think he would die right there.
Though he would not truly die, if he lost the ability to control both accounts, he would have to be more careful with the rest of his plan.
"I'm just showing respect for the elderly and kindness to the young. You're an old fossil from centuries ago, after all. Beating you wouldn't exactly be a fair victory!"
"Respect for the elderly and kindness to the young?" Ryu Ishigori laughed so hard his shoulders shook.
"I'm not so old that I need people making way for me."
"Besides! Why care about any of that?!!"
The next moment, his cursed energy burst outward.
This was no ordinary charge-up.
His presence became more explicit, and he deliberately exposed even the flow of his cursed energy to the air.
Long Xi's pupils contracted. He immediately understood what his opponent intended to do.
Revealing One's Hand.
This guy was about to spice things up.
"My cursed technique is very simple."
Ryu Ishigori raised a hand, and cursed energy formed a cannon muzzle atop his head.
"It blasts cursed energy out, letting me form the blasts faster. Whether my cursed technique has burned out or not, I can maintain the same output."
"How strange..."
"Why is the effect so much weaker after revealing it?"
Looking at the two identical figures below, Ryu Ishigori ultimately gave it little thought and chalked it up to a mistake in his own perception.
Then he turned an even more eager gaze on the two of them below!
"Come on, show me what you taste like!"
"Satisfy me!!!"
Before you continue