The shriek of grinding steel echoed over the forest.
[Ultimate Mechamaru: Absolute Mode, Unit 0]
It was Yu Xingji's trump card, and the final killing move in the ambush he had laid for Kenjaku and Mahito.
At that very moment, the colossal machine, charged with seventeen years of cursed energy, stood in the center of the reservoir. Inside the cockpit, Yu Xingji, who had regained his flesh-and-blood body, was perfectly synchronized with the steel giant. Every nerve extended into the mech's cables, every breath transformed into the fierce roar of its cursed energy reactor...
Seventeen years, five months, and six days.
That was everything he had, the foundation on which he would stake his life against Mahito and Kenjaku.
"Even the electromagnetic waves are being jammed... Is this [Curtain] specifically targeting me?!"
Looking through the monitor at the Curtain that had descended and completely covered the sky, Yu Xingji had expected his enemies to prepare something like this. What he had not anticipated was that Kenjaku had secretly planted special cursed objects around the area to reinforce the Curtain before the battle even began...
To evade the comprehensive surveillance of the puppets he had deployed throughout this area and plant cursed objects that reinforced the Curtain-Yu Xingji had to admit this curse user was more resourceful than he had imagined...
Should I attack Geto first, since he cast the Curtain? No, Mahito is the bigger threat...
I've already notified that guy. Satoru Gojo is still my win condition, but at least I don't have to fight so aggressively.
Kokichi Muta spoke. As he worked out his win condition and the path toward it in his mind, he had already locked onto Mahito with his cursed energy perception as Mahito darted through the forest.
"Loading one year's worth..."
As the Great Pull Cannon loaded and charged, the corner of Suguru Geto's mouth suddenly twitched as he watched from a distance.
As the caster of the Curtain, he had the authority to control who could freely enter and leave.
Naturally, he could also detect intruders.
Satoru Gojo? Impossible. No information can get out.
Who is it...?
Kenjaku took his hands out of his pockets and turned around. The uninvited guest was already behind him.
A teal bun, an unruly face, and a Jujutsu High uniform...
The person who had intruded into the trap he had set to kill Yu Xingji was none other than the "nobody" Yu Xingji had mentioned in his intelligence.
But why... did Kenjaku feel as though he had seen this fellow before?
"Your days of watching from the sidelines are over."
"Take down the Curtain, or I'll take you down myself."
Hajime Kashimo swung the black iron staff in his hand. Before a fight, a little "negotiation" through threats was still necessary.
"Tch. Quite the big talker. You're welcome to try-"
A pitch-black vortex appeared beside Kenjaku. While Hajime Kashimo was making his threats, Kenjaku had already begun summoning a special grade cursed spirit...
Uncertain of his opponent's strength or hidden cards, and with very little intelligence available, Kenjaku chose to deploy a special grade cursed spirit and end the battle quickly...
But Hajime Kashimo was faster.
The ground exploded beneath his feet, and Hajime Kashimo's entire body became a streak of purple lightning, moving so quickly that he left only afterimages in the air.
Lightning formed from cursed energy gathered along the iron staff. In the time it took Kenjaku to blink, the staff, wreathed in electrical arcs, was already before his face.
Kenjaku's eyes narrowed slightly. Though startled by Hajime Kashimo's speed, he did not panic.
Almost the instant the lightning-clad staff reached him, he abruptly shifted sideways. He had fully adapted to Suguru Geto's body, and his hand-to-hand combat skills approached semi-special grade.
Moreover, switching his summoning target at the last moment from a special grade cursed spirit to grade 1 cursed spirits accelerated the summoning process.
Thus, as the lightning descended, Kenjaku dodged the blow and summoned two grade 1 cursed spirits to shield him.
Grade 1 cursed spirits, Bronze and Silver. Both specialize in defense. Even taking a full-power lava eruption from Jogo head-on wouldn't kill them. There's no way this guy can...
Kenjaku's gaze stayed fixed on the lightning-clad iron staff in Hajime Kashimo's hand. His own hands had already formed a seal, as though he was certain those two grade 1 cursed spirits would stop his opponent.
But just as he was about to summon a special grade cursed spirit, the flashing lightning and earth-shattering thunder before him dragged him straight out of his fantasy and back to reality-
BOOOOM!!!
The surging lightning tore effortlessly through the bodies of both grade 1 cursed spirits:
Electric light enveloped Hajime Kashimo from head to toe. He had accelerated the buildup of electric charge to its limit. With just one blow, a sure-hit lightning strike had already been triggered on both cursed spirits!
"A grade 1 sorcerer?! Or special grade?!!"
The surprise in Kenjaku's eyes did not fade, but neither did the lightning's force. All of it slammed into his shoulder.
Purple current instantly swept over Kenjaku's entire body, scorching his flesh with a sizzling hiss.
Faulty intelligence had cost Kenjaku dearly. Facing this freak, who wore a student's uniform but possessed strength approaching special grade, Kenjaku activated reverse cursed technique within his body to heal his wounds while reluctantly revealing his hidden cursed technique-
At such close range, summoning a special grade cursed spirit was no longer feasible.
Only one option remained if he wanted to stop Hajime Kashimo from closing in and attacking again:
The cursed technique inherited from Itadori's mother, Kenjaku's strongest means of attack and survival-
"Anti-Gravity Technique: Activate."
A dark pink gravitational field erupted outward from Kenjaku in an instant. Unable to dodge in time, Hajime Kashimo was forced sharply downward.
"You've had your fun. Time to end this."
Kenjaku coldly raised his hand. The high-intensity gravitational field would last a few more seconds. Though it could not crush Hajime Kashimo's bones, the time it bought by restricting his movement was enough to form a gravitational vortex and kill him...
"You finally took the bait-"
In that desperate moment, Kenjaku suddenly noticed the smile curling across Hajime Kashimo's lips and the words he murmured.
He quickly turned toward the area where Mahito and Yu Xingji were fighting, only to discover that, at some point, their battle had shifted to face his direction...
"Loading five years of cursed energy... [Homing Shot: Quintet]!!!"
Five beams fired simultaneously. Under Yu Xingji's control, they traced completely different paths through the air, like five venomous snakes with minds of their own, converging on their locked target from every direction.
Mahito transformed into a bat and slipped through the gaps, evading the first wave of pursuit. But because Mechamaru Unit 0 was facing Kenjaku, two of those five beams inevitably split off and shot straight toward his position...
"You bastard, you planned this all along!"
In the instant Kenjaku froze, the gravitational field dissipated.
Without dodging the beams fired by Mechamaru Unit 0, Hajime Kashimo lunged straight toward Kenjaku's face, driving a heavy punch into his chin...
BOOOOOM!!!
The deafening explosion engulfed the entire edge of the reservoir. Though Mahito immediately transformed his arm and severed Mechamaru Unit 0's connecting restraint apparatus, causing the beam projectiles to malfunction and self-destruct, the beams heading straight for Kenjaku still struck both men and the ground beneath them, triggering a massive explosion...
"This guy..."
Mahito's previously relaxed brow finally furrowed. It was bad enough that he still had not figured out how Yu Xingji could hurt him; now Kenjaku had been caught in the crossfire as well.
Though Mahito knew Kenjaku would not die so easily, the feeling of prey escaping the hunters' encirclement and control truly irritated him...
In that case...
"Domain Expansion."
The same words rang out from two mouths at the same time. Almost simultaneously, both men sensed that something was wrong...
"Come on. You don't have a choice."
Hajime Kashimo, rising amid the smoke, and Yu Xingji both loudly taunted their respective opponents at the same moment. Clearly, having exchanged intelligence, the two had planned this step long ago:
What they wanted was to force both enemies to expand their domains at the same time!!!
Before you continue