Kurama Mode

Yue Liusi spoke softly, soothing Yin Nine-Tails, who had instinctively moved to protect him.

The little fox had practically hissed.

Once that power receded, Yuta Okkotsu came back to his senses.

Then Yue Liusi looked at him. Golden chakra rapidly covered his entire body, and black markings spread outward from his chest.

A Perfect Jinchuriki's "Kurama Mode"!

His golden cloak swayed, flame-like chakra rose and flickered, and the black tomoe symbolizing the sealing formula shone.

Though it was an immensely powerful means of combat, it now displayed a different kind of beauty.

Yuta Okkotsu had only just emerged from Nine-Tails' materialized space when he felt those terrifying fluctuations of power.

Without the slightest hesitation, he swiftly put some distance between them. Yet before his toes could even touch the ground, Yue Liusi suddenly appeared right in front of him!

This was not the Flying Thunder God Technique, but the sheer speed of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode!

With a boom, a shock wave erupted. Yuta Okkotsu flew backward and crashed into the ground. A string of crashes followed as an entire row of buildings was destroyed outright.

Before Yuta Okkotsu could get up, the golden figure was already in front of him again.

Fast!

Too fast!

As a top-tier Special Grade fighter, Yuta Okkotsu's speed and reflexes, enhanced by cursed energy, were already among the best in all of Jujutsu Society.

Unfortunately, Yue Liusi in "Kurama Mode" simply could not be measured by ordinary standards.

Extreme speed and tremendous strength, defense and regeneration-these were precisely what made "Kurama Mode" so terrifying, almost without equal in the Shinobi World!

In terms of physical enhancement, it fell somewhat short of the Yang Nine Tails, but not by much.

Moreover, Yin Nine-Tails also improved his aptitude in areas such as chakra application, the malleability of release techniques, and so on.

Had he unleashed his full power, that last blow alone could have decided the outcome. But Yue Liusi's goal was to familiarize himself with Yin Nine-Tails' power.

Boom!

As the earth shook, the ground around Yuta Okkotsu instantly caved in, cracks spreading for dozens of meters.

Yuta Okkotsu had no time to ease his injuries. He hurriedly got up and dodged aside. Markings appeared at the corners of his mouth, and as he watched Yue Liusi approach, a unique power activated instantly!

"Stop!"

Cursed Speech!

Yet as Yue Liusi's figure faltered slightly, Yuta Okkotsu's expression changed first instead.

Backlash?!

The tremendous backlash rapidly drained his cursed energy. He staggered and nearly fell to his knees. Fortunately, his total reserves were sufficient; otherwise, he might have passed out on the spot.

And Yue Liusi's movements had only slowed a fraction-not even for an instant-before he closed in again.

Behind him, two enormous golden claws appeared out of thin air, then formed a pair of fists and slammed down together!

The Chakra Arms of "Kurama Mode"!

Under that immense force, the earth within a radius of over a hundred meters around Yue Liusi was torn up outright. A layer of earth more than ten meters thick flew up before crashing back down!

Yuta Okkotsu flew out of the dust, looking to be in very bad shape.

He had already connected with Rika right at the start. Even so, his cursed energy was being consumed at a frantic rate just to withstand these terrifying attacks!

Having huge cursed energy reserves doesn't mean I can squander them like this!

But I'm getting hurt even while defending. If I don't defend, I'll die outright!

As for why he did not dodge?

At this speed, there was simply nothing he could do!

Under the absolute suppression of "Kurama Mode," Yuta Okkotsu had no way to mount an effective attack at all.

Yue Liusi did not stop. One of his fox claws seized a massive chunk of earth, then swung hard and hurled it at Yuta Okkotsu!

An impact carrying a full million tons of mass!

A tremendous crash resounded, and dust filled the air, blotting out the sky and sun.

Watching the destruction caused by their battle, Yuki Tsukumo's mouth twitched in the distance. The way things had developed felt somewhat surreal.

"You've got to be kidding..."

Nobody told me Yue Liusi was this strong?

If I'd known, why the hell would I have bothered giving him all that earnest advice?

I probably looked like a complete clown to him back then...

Yuki Tsukumo felt like crying, but had no tears.

Yet a moment later, she immediately perked up again.

He's on our side!

Meanwhile, Yue Liusi did not charge forward again, but stood where he was.

In an instant, several enormous chakra Fox Demon Arms sprouted from his back. The golden fox claws spread in all directions, then changed course midway and converged above Yue Liusi.

Surrounded by the palms of those fox demon appendages, a terrifying Lava Release Rasengan was rapidly taking shape!

With an enormous influx of chakra, the Lava Release Rasengan swelled rapidly!

It expanded!

And expanded!

And expanded again!

"Lava Release: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan"!

With Yin Nine-Tails' chakra supporting him, Yue Liusi now had what could be called an inexhaustible supply.

Watching that terrifying spherical object, more than ten meters in diameter, both Yuki Tsukumo and Kenjaku fell silent.

That went without saying for the others.

"His strength... has taken another massive leap?"

Kenjaku could only feel the unease inside him steadily rising.

For the first time, he felt things were slipping out of control. He had spent so long plotting to seal Satoru Gojo-where on earth had Yue Liusi come from?!

Kill him? Like hell I can, at this level. Probably only fighters on Satoru Gojo's and Sukuna's level can contend with him.

What kind of cursed technique is this, with such a high ceiling?

It's simply unheard of!

Can Yuta Okkotsu... withstand that thing?

No, the question should be whether he can survive it...

Yue Liusi is an absolute monster...

Though he knew it was an act, Kenjaku still hoped Yue Liusi would momentarily lose control of his power and blast Yuta Okkotsu to death outright. That would make things easier.

With a cursed technique this powerful, accidents have to happen!

But just as Kenjaku was daydreaming, he suddenly noticed something wrong.

Why is that giant sphere still getting bigger?

It's already so big... no! It's flying this way!

Kenjaku's expression changed instantly.

Holy shit! Why the fuck is it coming at me?!

Boom!!!

Terrifying flames ravaged the earth, destroying everything they touched. When the swelling "Lava Release: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan" collapsed and disappeared, all it left behind was an empty stretch of land hundreds of meters across.

Nothing remained in the enormous crater.

His presence disappeared?

Is he dead...?

Yue Liusi frowned slightly. He felt Kenjaku would not bow out so easily, but the power of "Lava Release: Ultra-Big Ball Rasengan" was indeed far too astonishing.

Whatever. If he's alive, I'll just kill him again.

Then he turned his gaze elsewhere.

Amid the ruins piled with rubble and clods of earth, Yuta Okkotsu silently healed his injuries with Reverse Cursed Technique. He lay there, having already lost the desire to fight.

The plan was part of it, but fighting a battle to test himself was part of it too.

Unfortunately, the gap was simply too wide.

When Yue Liusi came up to him, he spoke without hesitation.

"I lost."

In a battle where he had been utterly powerless to fight back, Yuta Okkotsu accepted his defeat wholeheartedly.

[Task one completed]

The system's voice rang out in Yue Liusi's mind.

Earlier, when Yin Nine-Tails had arrived, the latest task had also refreshed.