Furube, Yurayura...!
By the time Zenin Kei stepped onto the arena, Gojo Shinichi was already standing across from him.
He had the white hair and blue eyes characteristic of the Six Eyes, wore a well-tailored white kimono, and had a slightly flippant smile on his lips.
"Hey, long time no see, Kei!"
Gojo Shinichi raised a hand and greeted Zenin Kei familiarly.
Zenin Kei remained expressionless.
"Just call me head of the Zenin Clan. Also, head of the Gojo Clan, perhaps you should be a little more serious."
"This is the Martial Exhibition Before the Emperor. His Majesty and the generals are all watching."
"This Zenin Kei... he doesn't look so good."
Hajime Kashimo held his lightning staff and watched the scene in the arena. "I've suddenly lost interest in his fight..."
"Don't say that! Think about it: how many matches has the Zenin Clan lost, and how many have they won?"
Shiratori Gotsu put one hand on his hip and rested the other on Hajime Kashimo's shoulder. "As the new clan head, he must be under considerable pressure."
The pressure might even drive him to do something extraordinary...
Shiratori Gotsu's bloodthirsty personality was stirring, and he was full of anticipation for what might happen next.
"Anyway, watch closely. We might get to see the big guy."
"Huh? That's cold..."
Gojo Shinichi sighed at Zenin Kei's response, looking as though he had been deeply hurt.
"Didn't we play together when we were kids? You were pretty cute back then."
"You even used to call me 'big brother Shinichi'~"
"Shut up!" Zenin Kei cut Gojo Shinichi off, his tone harsh.
Then, perhaps out of guilt or for some other reason, he softened his tone.
"...There's no need to bring up something that happened over ten years ago."
With that, he slowly raised both hands and formed a hand seal to summon a Shikigami. "We're enemies now, and I can't afford to lose this fight."
"Divine Dogs: Totality!"
The next moment, Divine Dogs: Totality sprang from the shadow at Zenin Kei's feet, rushed at Gojo Shinichi with incredible speed, and lashed out with its claws.
"Getting straight to it?"
Looking at the claws suspended in the air before him, unable to advance another inch, Gojo Shinichi shrugged, dropped his smile, and assumed a loose stance.
"All right, all right. Let's have a good match, head of the Zenin Clan."
Gojo Shinichi said no more. He raised a hand and threw a basic Cursed Energy-reinforced punch, knocking Divine Dogs: Totality back several meters.
It tumbled through the air, then immediately regained its stance upon landing, ready to strike.
"Your fundamentals are solid," Gojo Shinichi commented.
Zenin Kei did not respond. He formed another hand seal. "Nue!"
A bird-shaped Shikigami with a human face rose from the shadows and dove at Gojo Shinichi, electrical arcs crackling around its wings.
At the same time, Divine Dogs: Totality attacked from the ground.
They struck in unison from above and below.
Gojo Shinichi finally got a little more serious. He raised his right hand. "Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
A small sphere of gravity formed in his palm, and he casually flicked it at Nue.
Nue had no time to dodge. The sphere struck its wing, and it plummeted with a shriek. Divine Dogs: Totality took the opportunity to attack Gojo Shinichi's midsection, only for him to kick it away.
"Divine Dogs: Totality, come back!"
Zenin Kei recalled the injured Divine Dogs: Totality into his shadow, his expression growing even darker.
Just as I thought... his Limitless is an absolute defense. My Shikigami can't even touch him...
A profound sense of helplessness...
But... I should at least do everything I can...
He took a deep breath, then formed an unfamiliar hand seal.
"Chimera Beast: Feathered Thunder!"
A giant human-faced serpent with two wings on its back and two claws rose from the shadows. It opened its mouth and spewed a thick arc of lightning at Gojo Shinichi.
Feathered Thunder was a Shikigami Zenin Kei had created by combining Nue and Great Serpent, and it was also his trump card.
It possessed the abilities of both Great Serpent and Nue.
"Not bad. Then let me show you a little something too..."
Relying on Limitless, Gojo Shinichi ignored the Shikigami's lightning altogether and began to chant.
"Phase, twilight, eyes of wisdom-"
"-Maximum output, Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
A massive sphere of gravity formed in an instant and hurtled toward Feathered Thunder in the air.
The instant they collided, the Shikigami's body was torn and twisted, its scales scattering and its wings breaking.
With just one hit, the Chimera Beast was defeated.
"Damn it..."
Zenin Kei dropped to one knee, bracing both hands against the arena floor. He had used up most of his Cursed Energy, and the Chimera Shikigami that was his trump card had been dispersed.
Gojo Shinichi, on the other hand, was completely unharmed, aside from breathing a little harder...
I can't win.
For the first time, the thought appeared in his mind with such clarity.
Even though he still had the Shikigami Toad, Rabbit Escape, Piercing Ox, and Max Elephant left unused, even though he had yet to give it his all...
No matter how hard I try, no matter how many Shikigami I summon, I can't break through Limitless's defense...
And he can easily defeat me with Blue alone...
He couldn't win.
Because the Six Eyes could see the trajectory of every one of his Shikigami. Because Limitless could block all his attacks.
Because Feathered Thunder, the trump card he was so proud of, was only strong enough to be taken down in a single hit by Gojo Shinichi...
Zenin Kei suddenly felt a little sick.
"The head of the Zenin Clan seems completely outmatched..."
"Well, he is up against the Six Eyes..."
"I heard he only just became clan head. Looks like he's still too young..."
In a daze, he seemed to hear whispers from the stands, or perhaps he was hallucinating them because he was too nervous... But none of that mattered anymore...
If I lose in such a ridiculous fashion...
His breathing grew heavy, and his vision began to blur...
The clan elders who are already dissatisfied with me will surely take the opportunity to mock me...
The previous clan head who passed the position on to me will lose all face...
The Zenin Clan will never be able to hold its head up before the Gojo Clan again...
Seeing Zenin Kei so distraught, Gojo Shinichi had no intention of pressing his advantage.
"That's enough, isn't it, Kei? You know perfectly well you can't beat me."
He wore an expression that said, "What am I going to do with you?"
"You've done enough, haven't you? If you admit defeat, I won't make things difficult for you. After all, it's only a-"
"Shut up!"
Zenin Kei forced the words through clenched teeth.
I absolutely can't lose like some stray dog on the roadside!
He raised his head and glared at Gojo Shinichi.
"Are you looking down on me...?"
Seeing his expression, Gojo Shinichi raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't that just the truth?"
"Heh..."
Zenin Kei knew full well it was the truth.
He lowered his head, his bangs hiding his eyes. Then he slowly raised his trembling hands and clenched them into fists.
But... I just can't lose...
He chanted the words through gritted teeth.
"Furube..."
So it really is coming? It's actually this time!
Shiratori Gotsu was overjoyed. He hurriedly poked Hajime Kashimo. "Hey, Koshika, look!"
"The big one's coming!"
"You don't have to tell me..."
Hajime Kashimo bit his fingernail, staring at the arena without blinking as a bead of cold sweat slid down his cheek.
"I can feel it..."
Cursed Energy surged, and a tide of shadows churned.
Gojo Shinichi froze for a moment. His Six Eyes were sounding a frantic alarm, and the hairs all over his body stood on end.
"Yurayura..."
The Shikigami Zenin Kei had tamed appeared one after another, lining up in two rows as if welcoming something...
"Hey, hey, wait a minute, Kei! It looks like you're doing something serious!"
"Eight-Handled Sword, Divergent Sila Divine General-"
A giant, humanoid "cocoon" appeared behind Zenin Kei...
Gojo Shinichi hurriedly waved his hands. "Stop! Stop! I'll admit defeat, so calm down! Referee, I con-"
"Mahoraga!"