A hidden ultimate move

"These two... there's no way they're human, right?"

On the cratered battlefield, Miwa rested with her back against an old tree.

The numbness in her arms gradually faded, replaced by relentless muscle soreness that left her unwilling to move a single inch.

Watching Maki trade blows with Araki Itsuki made it even worse. Her fighting skills, coupled with her extensive weapons experience, actually let her hold out this long in close combat.

The scene in the lounge resurfaced in her mind.

"Maki? She's just small fry."

Faced with Miwa's question, Mai had sounded particularly dismissive:

"She can't even see curses. She's just an ordinary person who knows how to swing a cursed tool."

"She's been stuck at Grade 4 forever. I don't even know why she bothers being a jujutsu sorcerer."

Miwa had clapped her hands lightly. "Really? That's a bit of a relief."

Now, watching Maki swing the Cursed Sword in an impenetrable flurry, Miwa looked utterly dumbfounded.

She had actually planned to take Maki on alone.

"You call that small fry?!"

If she fought Maki, dodging and blocking alone would probably take everything she had.

If that blade weren't covered, I'd have died ages ago.

Why was a jujutsu sorcerer who could easily cut down even Grade 2 cursed spirits only Grade 4?!

In the viewing area, Mei Mei also remarked:

"Hehehe, what an interesting girl. With her strength, she could have been promoted to Grade 2 long ago."

Satoru Gojo leaned back against the sofa, looking helpless.

"I'd love that too, but the Zenin Clan keeps getting in the way. Can't they just admit she's strong?"

Meanwhile, the two fighters continued their clash.

Araki Itsuki leaped into the air, both arms held at his waist, terrifying strength poised to erupt.

His body slammed toward Maki like a meteor, like a gorilla descending from the sky, brutally tearing through everything around him as he sought to crush his enemy into a pulp.

The earth split apart in layers, cracks spreading across the shattered ground toward Maki like grasping fingers.

Boom!

Maki pushed off in quick succession, darting out of the blast radius as she held the Cursed Sword ready, watching the debris and dust filling the air ahead.

"He moved!"

The drifting dust suddenly swirled, and a figure shot out of it like lightning.

His fists struck alternately from his waist, each punch faster than the last as they hammered toward Maki.

Even the surrounding air shook, and the dust filling the sky formed a cloud tiger, wrapped in fierce wind as it lunged at her.

Bang, bang, bang!

Maki deflected and blocked, flicked her blade up and intercepted.

Even as she retreated rapidly, she managed to stop every one of Araki Itsuki's attacks.

Araki Itsuki could feel that even when he occasionally landed a hit, her body would tremble rapidly under precise neural control, dispersing the force.

His right fist surged upward like a rhino's horn, blasting toward Maki's head with a rush of wind pressure.

But Maki was ready. She kicked off the ground and leaped onto a tree.

The ancient tree behind her shattered beneath his punch, its lower trunk exploding into a shower of splinters!

Araki Itsuki was about to pursue her when he suddenly felt a chill against the back of his neck.

Using an overhead branch, Maki had reversed her direction and momentum. The Cursed Sword flashed coldly as she descended from above, slashing toward the back of Araki Itsuki's neck.

I've got a chance!

But Araki Itsuki abruptly twisted around, reaching straight for the Cursed Sword in Maki's hand with his right hand, without dodging.

Maki wasn't going to hesitate like Miwa. The muscles in her arm bulged as she slashed down even harder.

Unexpectedly, the instant Araki Itsuki's right hand touched the blade, it swayed slightly.

Like a gliding dragon, it slipped past the blade and reached for Maki's wrist.

Maki immediately pressed down, trying to cut the hand hovering close to her blade.

But for every inch she advanced, Araki Itsuki retreated an inch, sticking to her relentlessly.

The distance between the edge and Araki Itsuki never changed, leaving her unable to hurt him.

Finally, he seized the wrist holding the Cursed Sword.

Then he whipped a kick into her abdomen, sending her flying.

Thud!

Araki Itsuki tossed the Cursed Sword in front of him, then turned and swung his leg in one fluid motion, kicking the end of its hilt.

Whir!

The sharp Cursed Sword instantly became a streak of cold light, racing toward Maki while she was still airborne.

Maki twisted out of its path, then swiftly caught the cursed tool by its hilt, reclaiming her weapon.

Araki Itsuki smiled and praised her. "Not bad, Maki. You're very strong.

"If you can overcome the limitation of needing glasses to see cursed spirits, even Special Grade could be within reach."

Maki landed and staggered several steps before steadying herself. Hearing that, she asked curiously:

"I don't have any cursed energy. Without my glasses, I can't see cursed spirits."

Araki Itsuki shook his head.

"Your Zenin Clan had a Sorcerer Killer who could slaughter cursed spirits with ease, without any glasses.

"Maybe you should ask the head of the Zenin Clan."

Araki Itsuki knew Maki's limitations were caused by her younger sister.

As long as her sister didn't want to grow stronger, Maki couldn't improve no matter how hard she worked.

But her sister was already pushing herself desperately for Maki's sake, doing everything she could to overcome her fear of cursed spirits.

Maki wouldn't consider hurting her sister, either.

That left asking the head of the Zenin Clan as her only option.

Naobito Zenin seemed flippant and loved drinking, but he was actually the most open-minded head in the Zenin Clan's history.

When Maki left, intending to become a powerful jujutsu sorcerer and then take over as clan head, he hadn't flatly opposed her because of her Heavenly Restriction.

Instead, he had told her, "You'll be given appropriate trials."

Besides, Toji Fushiguro was his nephew, and the two had made a deal.

They had agreed that if Satoru Gojo died or lost his mental faculties, Fushiguro would take over the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Families.

Perhaps he knew something.

Maki thought of that old man who loved drinking, nodded, and said nothing more.

Araki Itsuki turned his attention back to Yuji Itadori.

"Itadori, are you really not holding back some ultimate move?"

"Like a hundredfold Divergent Fist, or endless Black Flashes?"

Yuji Itadori looked at Araki Itsuki's serious expression, utterly baffled.

"How could moves like that even exist?"

Araki Itsuki shook his head helplessly, advancing toward Yuji Itadori step by step.

"No, I'm going to hang you up and beat you for three days, until you admit you can use a hundredfold Divergent Fist!"

Yuji Itadori went deathly pale. Seeing Araki Itsuki charge, he hurriedly raised both arms to fend him off.

Araki Itsuki pressed down on Yuji Itadori's counterattacking arm with his right hand, then struck his chest like a snake darting from its den.

"Itadori, learn to use your eyes!"

Araki Itsuki's arms nearly blurred into afterimages as he unleashed a carpet bombing of blows on Yuji Itadori.

"Your hands can't develop faster than your eyes. If you don't train your eyes to distinguish good from bad, you can't expect the hands that create your work to improve!"

"Learn to use your eyes. People who are good at observing improve far faster than those who lack that skill!"

Araki Itsuki slammed a left hook into Yuji Itadori's head, making him see stars.

But determination remained on Yuji Itadori's face. Enduring the pain and dizziness, he immediately retaliated with a whipping punch toward Araki Itsuki's chin.

Araki Itsuki leaned back out of the way. Cursed energy immediately gathered around Yuji Itadori's right hand as he tried to drive a Divergent Fist into Araki Itsuki's exposed abdomen.

Araki Itsuki's right hand appeared seemingly out of nowhere, opening into a palm to intercept Yuji Itadori's iron fist head-on.

Then he accelerated and thrust forward hard, directly dispersing Yuji Itadori's follow-up cursed energy attack.

"Your Divergent Fist works through your superhuman physical abilities combined with a delay in cursed energy that doesn't normally occur."

"Ordinary jujutsu sorcerers might not understand what happened and get confused. Against them, it's powerful enough."

Araki Itsuki punched Yuji Itadori in the chest, sending him flying.

"But that level of damage is completely useless against us!"

"What I want is a hundredfold Divergent Fist! A hundredfold Divergent Fist!"

With that, Araki Itsuki rushed in and unleashed a savage beating on Yuji Itadori.

"Just tell me you can do it!"

Yuji Itadori fled with his hands over his head, shouting in despair as the blows rained down:

"I really don't know any hundredfold Divergent Fist!"

"Help!!!"