Sato stared in disbelief at Igarashi Amaha as he greeted her, momentarily forgetting the grudge between them.
Igarashi Amaha bounced the bitten apple in his hand, then hurled it at Sato without another word.
Whoosh!!
"Young lady, watch out!"
Yokoyama, who was quite capable, reacted immediately. He lunged forward to intercept the apple, exposing his entire abdomen to Igarashi Amaha's view.
And that was exactly the result he wanted.
Igarashi Amaha's gaze sharpened. Scorching flames ignited in his hand, and his figure vanished from the spot like a phantom.
Whoosh!!
Boom!!!
Suspended in midair with no time to react, Yokoyama took the blow head-on.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Yokoyama's massive frame flew backward, snapping several trees and plowing a deep furrow through the ground.
A great cloud of dust rose, and a figure slowly emerged from it. Yokoyama tugged at his tie, his eyes vicious as he looked at Igarashi Amaha. He spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and sneered, "Boy, I promise you, you're going to die a horrible death."
With that, he raised his other hand, holding Igarashi Amaha's half-eaten apple. He squeezed slightly, and the apple burst with a squelch, its juice running down his palm to his elbow.
Igarashi Amaha was not angered by Yokoyama's words. He rubbed his neck and said, "Since when did a dog learn to run its mouth? Looks like the Sato family's dog trainers aren't much good either."
"You're asking to die!"
Yokoyama roared and charged forward. Igarashi Amaha did not shy away from the fight and met him head-on.
Dust flew as the two figures fought at extraordinary speed.
The gusts from their fists whipped up the expensive black suit. Yokoyama's expression was savage, and flames of cursed energy ignited around his leg as he spun and unleashed a heavy sweeping kick.
"Die, you little shit!!"
"Don't think you're invincible just because you've got a little cursed energy. Let me show you what a real jujutsu sorcerer is!"
Igarashi Amaha leaned backward until his upper body was almost parallel to the ground, and Yokoyama's kick skimmed past the tip of his nose.
The wind it stirred made his cheeks sting.
Igarashi Amaha understood. This guy really did have the strength of a Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer. Even a casual strike could easily destroy a Grade 2 cursed spirit.
A woman with only a trace of cursed energy could make a Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer willingly serve as her bodyguard. The power behind Sato must be considerable. If I killed her... it would feel amazing, wouldn't it? Heh.
Tensing his waist, Igarashi Amaha swiftly adjusted his posture. He grabbed Yokoyama's leg with one hand and flipped himself off the ground, then lashed out with a kick without making any further adjustments.
Yokoyama reacted quickly. Cursed energy surged through his hand as he slammed it into the ground.
"Get the hell away from me!"
Rumble!!
Before Igarashi Amaha could react, a stone pillar suddenly erupted from the ground, thrusting him into the air.
"A cursed technique involving rocks? That does suit his build."
Whoosh!!
A gust of wind swept sand past.
Standing atop the stone pillar, Igarashi Amaha looked down at Yokoyama and began working through the possibilities.
I have to figure out how his cursed technique works.
As his mind raced, Yokoyama's voice came from below.
"Trying to figure out my cursed technique? Heh, let me tell you."
"My cursed technique lets me control every rock within a certain range and change their shape and mass!"
"Lawless Manipulation Array."
Igarashi Amaha narrowed his eyes, growing more wary. Looks like this big guy isn't that stupid. He knows his cursed technique is simple and easy to figure out, so he went straight for cursed technique disclosure to get the greatest benefit.
*So-called cursed technique disclosure was equivalent to placing a binding vow on oneself, strengthening the cursed technique. Of course, one could also choose to provide false information to mislead an opponent.
Flames of cursed energy ignited around Yokoyama's hands. He crouched steadily, looking up at Igarashi Amaha as he continued, "As for the condition for activating the technique... I have to touch the ground!!"
The moment Yokoyama finished speaking, cursed energy suddenly surged out of his body, its force even greater than before.
Smack!
As he struck the ground with one hand, countless spikes made of rock abruptly erupted from the earth, shooting toward Igarashi Amaha high above from every direction.
With nowhere to dodge, Igarashi Amaha hesitated no longer. Blazing flames burst from his arms. He swung them, and the purple-white fire began to writhe, instantly condensing into two long blades in his hands.
"Haaaaaaaah!!"
Without stopping to think, he shouted and began swinging his arms at tremendous speed. He severed every spike that filled the air, and wherever his blades passed, the rocks burned away completely, leaving scattered flecks of flame.
Yokoyama frowned at the sight. There's something wrong with that bastard's flames. And he's adapting far too quickly. I can't let this continue. I'll finish him before he gets used to it!
Making an immediate decision, he took off his shoes, exposing his toes, and gave an eerie smile. It's true that activating it requires contact with the ground, but I never said toes didn't count. Heh.
Yokoyama sprang into motion, sprinting toward Igarashi Amaha in the distance. The instant his five toes touched the ground, the distant stone pillar changed as well.
Rumble!!
The stone pillar beneath Igarashi Amaha suddenly shattered, sending him plummeting uncontrollably. Just then, the fragments of the pillar trembled slightly.
Igarashi Amaha's pupils contracted at the sight. A chain woven from purple-white flames instantly shot out of his back,
shooting toward the ground.
The instant the chain touched the ground, it began to shorten sharply, pulling Igarashi Amaha out of the mass of shattered rocks.
The very next second after Igarashi Amaha escaped, the countless fragments abruptly converged.
Had he not escaped just then, he would probably have been riddled with holes by now.
But before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Yokoyama's voice came from behind him.
"Boy! I'll admit your talent for combat really is outstanding, but your mistake was choosing me as your opponent!"
"First form: Piercing Kill!!!"
Igarashi Amaha's expression darkened.
"Fuck, you really think I'm a pushover! You bastard."
He turned and raised his fist, shouting fiercely:
"Crimson Owl!!!"
Boom!!!!
The purple-white flames surrounding Igarashi Amaha erupted, instantly reducing his shirt to ashes. The left side of his face had been completely replaced by flames, with a half-mask of fiery wing feathers covering it. He looked imposing and mysterious!
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