"Ugh...!"
Hanami spat out a mouthful of blood.
Looking down, she saw a pure white blade of light piercing straight through the center of her chest.
Despite her astonishingly strong physical defenses, this blade had penetrated her with ridiculous ease—as if encountering no resistance whatsoever. The wound burned intensely, as though she were being roasted over flames.
"...You bastard... betrayed us?"
Hanami clenched the glowing blade with her bare hands, ignoring the searing pain scorching her palms, glaring furiously at the shadowy figure.
"That's an unreasonable accusation."
The shadowy figure sneered, her voice devoid of emotion as it seeped from beneath the darkness.
"Did you ever truly trust me from the beginning?"
Hanami gritted her teeth, glaring at her.
Yet she couldn't refute those words.
Their relationship had always been one of mutual exploitation—there was never any trust between them. At best, their interests aligned temporarily. Betrayal could come from either side at any moment.
Hadn't she herself betrayed Shigemo Haruta, allowing him to be incarnated as Kashimo Hajime?
"Okita, you go ahead. Keep gathering intel on Kenjaku and the others."
Seeing Hanami still had the strength to speak, Roy twisted his blade.
"Gah—!"
Ignoring Hanami's agonized scream, Roy swung horizontally—slicing through her body at chest level as effortlessly as cutting tofu.
"With Kokichi Muta's double-agent status exposed, Kenjaku will lower his guard around you somewhat. Monitor all their movements and report back to me immediately."
Roy gripped the Sword of the Black Furnace, nodding in satisfaction.
Indeed, whether he could wield the Sword of the Black Furnace made a world of difference.
Had he been able to use it back then, neither Hanami nor Jogo would have escaped—not even Kenjaku would have gotten away unscathed.
But it wasn't too late now.
"As you command, Master."
Okita nodded.
Then, with a light step backward, she melted into the darkness without a sound, vanishing from sight.
Master?
Hanami clenched her jaw.
Watching as Okita retreated, soon to return to her comrades' side—lurking like a viper, waiting to strike—her heart filled with despair, as cold as ashes.
"Jogo... Dagon..."
"Don't worry. You'll be reunited soon enough."
Roy grabbed Hanami, activating his body-modification ability. In an instant, he compressed her into a fleshy mass and tossed it into imaginary space.
This was just outside Jujutsu High's main gate, beyond Tengen's barrier.
Here, Roy could freely wield his abilities without restraint.
"Finished yet?"
Kashimo Hajime's patience was wearing thin, his sharp eyes narrowing like drawn blades.
His fighting spirit burned like molten lava, his cursed energy surging like turbulent waves.
"Done. You really don't care whether Hanami lives or dies, huh?"
Roy turned, smiling as he regarded Kashimo Hajime.
"Do you use weapons?"
"No."
Kashimo Hajime lowered his stance slightly, his grin growing increasingly manic.
"Without a proper weapon right now, whether that cursed spirit dies or not means nothing to me. My only wish is to slaughter all the strong in this world—or die by their hands!"
As his words fell, a look of sudden confusion crossed his face as he turned to Roy.
"What are you doing?"
"Putting away my weapon."
Roy reverted the Sword of the Black Furnace to its inactive form and sheathed it at his waist. Smiling at Kashimo Hajime, he replied,
"If I used this demonic sword, the fight would end too quickly."
"Ha! As if you could beat me!"
"Not beat."
Roy shook his head.
Under Kashimo Hajime's puzzled gaze, a malicious grin curled at the corners of his lips.
"I'll kill you!"
The moment he forced Okita to reveal herself, it was already decided—Roy would never let Kashimo Hajime leave here alive.
If he survived and found Kenjaku, Okita's identity would be exposed.
Moreover, as the vessel of Shigemo Haruta, the accumulated miracles had been exhausted in their previous battle. Kashimo couldn't borrow Shigemo's technique anymore—there would be no miraculous escape.
"I will kill you here. That much is certain!"
Roy suddenly strode forward, charging at Kashimo Hajime with murderous intent.
"Hahahaha! If you can do it, I welcome the attempt!"
Kashimo roared with laughter as crackling electricity erupted beneath his feet.
Propelled by lightning, his body shot forward like a thunderbolt, closing the distance at terrifying speed.
One might have expected their first clash to begin with fists colliding in fiery contest—Kashimo channeled cursed energy into his fist, throwing a punch straight at Roy.
But he didn't anticipate Roy stopping short just before impact, planting one foot firmly forward.
"BOOM!!!"
In an instant, vast energy poured from Roy into the earth.
The ground erupted violently, carving out a shallow crater several meters wide and over a foot deep beneath them. Dirt and dust exploded upward like smoke.
Dragon Boundary Style: Stomp!
Caught off guard, Kashimo's footing vanished as the crater formed. His stance faltered mid-charge, the flying debris obscuring his vision like a smokescreen.
"Huh?!"
Kashimo made a sound of surprise.
With just the opening move, this guy had disrupted his stance and obscured his sight?
"CRACK—!"
Simultaneously with the stomp, Roy widened his stance dramatically.
His entire body tensed like a drawn bowstring—power flowing through the body's optimal kinetic chain from feet to spine to fist—before unleashing a punch like a boulder tumbling down a mountainside!
The air shattered instantly, turbulent currents scattering wildly.
With his stance broken, Kashimo had no time to recover. He crossed his arms defensively.
In that moment, overwhelming force—comparable to tsunamis, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions—slammed into his guard with catastrophic might.
Even reinforced by lightning-infused cursed energy, an instinctive awe flooded him at the unstoppable impact. His body hurtled backward like a bullet train, feet carving twin blackened trenches over twenty meters long before he skidded to a stop.
Steadying himself, Kashimo assessed his arms.
"Terrifying strength—my arms are so numb it's like they don't even exist anymore!"
Kashimo Hajime's grin widened uncontrollably.
"This guy isn't the type to overwhelm opponents with cursed techniques or sheer cursed energy—he's a technical fighter! His mind, skills, and physique have all reached an extraordinary level!"
"An opponent like this suits me just fine!"
Realizing that Roy's power far surpassed his own, Kashimo felt no fear or worry. Instead, he grew even more exhilarated, like a battle maniac who'd rather die on the battlefield than retreat.
Kashimo himself was the type who relied on lightning-infused cursed energy to engage in close combat. With a lifetime of accumulated brawling experience, his favorite opponents were fellow technical fighters like him!
He steadied himself, regulating the flow of energy in his body, then locked eyes with Roy once more.
Roy hadn't pursued him.
"Given how intent he was on killing me, he wouldn't hold back."
Kashimo bounced lightly on his feet, and lightning crackled across his body once again.
"Your physique may be formidable, but against lightning that disrupts your body's electrical signals, you're still at a severe disadvantage!"
Bolstered by his lightning, Kashimo assumed his stance and charged forward.
Meanwhile, Roy flexed his arms, faint traces of electricity flickering across his body.
A slightly pained expression crossed his face.
"This lightning is far stronger than what Hanami used before—its effects on me are much more severe."
Hanami's lightning had only caused a momentary numbness, negligible in the grand scheme. But Kashimo's lightning left his body paralyzed for a noticeable duration.
Given Roy's physical resilience, he could shake off the paralysis in under a second—but in a high-intensity battle, even that split-second delay could be disastrous.
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than Kashimo lunged at him again.
From over ten meters away, Kashimo swung his arm, unleashing a jagged bolt of lightning that forked like branches, crackling menacingly toward Roy.
Roy pushed off the ground, darting backward to evade.
Yet, in that instant, the lightning twisted midair—one of its branches snaked after him like a persistent parasite, coiling around his body and locking him in a split-second paralysis.
"This lightning… it's homing in on me?"
Roy was mildly surprised.
Seizing the opportunity, Kashimo closed the distance in a flash, driving a fist wreathed in explosive lightning straight toward Roy's chest.
BOOM!
The lightning detonated, engulfing Roy's entire body in a searing web of electricity, every nerve screaming with pain.
"Why aren't you using cursed energy?!" Kashimo pressed forward, raining down blow after blow.
"I've heard rumors—the Zenin clan, one of the Three Great Families, has a lineage of Heavenly Restrictions where individuals are born with zero cursed energy in exchange for immense physical prowess. Are you one of those?"
"What a shame. No matter how strong your body is, it can't possibly resist lightning! That's the weakness of all living beings—no, of all life itself!"
Kashimo's confidence surged as he unleashed a relentless barrage of electrified strikes.
Lightning roared violently around him, the continuous rumble of thunder making his battle-ready figure seem like a thunder god descending to earth, his imposing aura truly awe-inspiring.
But the moment his words fell—
"Hum!"
A massive surge of cursed energy spread out like a tidal wave.
Suddenly, a fist carrying overwhelming cursed energy smashed toward Kashimo Hajime's fist with the force to topple mountains and overturn seas.
Kashimo Hajime's eyes sharpened instantly. Without dodging or retreating, he met the punch head-on.
"Boom!"
The ground abruptly sank half a foot, and streaks of lightning scattered like dancing silver snakes.
Kashimo Hajime was forced back over ten meters, planting his foot firmly to steady himself.
His gaze toward the other side suddenly darkened.
"You're not a Heavenly Restriction user?"
"Who told you I was a Heavenly Restriction user?"
Roy stood bathed in crackling electricity.
He took a step forward, cursed energy flowing through his body like water, the residual lightning dissipating like rootless duckweed.
"But I understand now. Against you, relying solely on physical strength won't be enough to kill you. The compatibility is slightly off. So, I'll get a little more serious!"
"—To be specific, I'll use about ten percent of my strength!"