Aoi Todo moved first.
He reached Huojin in the blink of an eye.
His right fist twisted out from his waist, carrying his full body weight and rotational momentum as it drove straight toward Huojin's chest.
"Hah!"
Huojin stood where he was, not even taking a defensive stance.
He merely turned slightly to the side.
Todo's fist skimmed past his chest.
Then Huojin raised his right hand.
The movement was not fast. It could even be called casual.
But the instant that palm rose, it carried a scorching heat.
The high temperature warped the air into transparent ripples, like the wavering seen near a furnace.
Smack.
His palm met Todo's second punch head-on.
Fist met palm.
The instant Todo's knuckles touched that palm, he felt an unusual resistance.
That layer of scorching air dissipated half his cursed energy.
When the remaining half struck Huojin's palm, it produced only a muted burst of air.
Huojin's palm did not budge.
He looked down at the fist pressed against his palm, then looked up at Todo, the corners of his mouth slowly spreading.
"That's it?"
Todo's pupils contracted slightly.
He wasted no words.
Pivoting on his feet, he used the opposing force to spin sideways, sweeping his left elbow toward Huojin's temple.
Huojin raised his left hand and easily caught the elbow.
It felt the same: scorching, yielding yet firm, like striking a layer of rubber heated to a high temperature.
"Hmm, not bad speed."
"But."
He spread the fingers of his right hand and casually pushed toward Todo.
There was no obvious windup.
No preparatory buildup of cursed energy.
Just a push.
A searing white shock wave erupted from his palm.
Carrying intense heat and air compressed to its limit, it hurtled toward Todo like an invisible wall.
Todo reacted quickly.
The