"—To be specific, I'll use about ten percent of my strength!"
The lightning around him vanished.
Revealing his powerfully built upper body.
Though his shirt had been reduced to ashes under the relentless lightning strikes, his body remained unscathed—not a single burn or wound in sight.
No, strictly speaking, he did bear injuries. But the scars scattered across his body, some seemingly extending deep into his organs, were clearly not recent. They were remnants of wounds from long ago, healed but leaving their marks.
"Hahahaha! You're killing me!"
Kashimo Hajime burst into a long, mocking laugh before his expression abruptly turned cold.
"So you're saying that with just ten percent of your strength, you can defeat—no, kill me? Kill me, the strongest from over four hundred years ago?"
"Maybe even less than ten percent?"
Roy tilted his head slightly, flashing Kashimo Hajime a defiant smirk.
If not for his cursed energy's innate lightning properties, he could have killed him with pure physical strength alone.
In that state, where he fought solely with his body, the power he wielded was indeed less than ten percent of his full strength.
Using cursed energy, it could barely be considered ten percent.
"I've always thought I was arrogant enough."
Kashimo Hajime's lips curled, a mix of amusement and melancholy in his tone.
"But in the art of arrogance, I still have much to learn from you—your arrogance far surpasses mine!"
"What surpasses yours isn't just arrogance."
Roy widened his stance, adopting the opening form of the Kairyu-ryu bare-handed combat style. His entire aura condensed, simmering like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"I get it! You mean your strength surpasses mine too, right?"
Kashimo Hajime laughed loudly.
Then he raised his hand and clenched it fiercely.
"But that's impossible!"
"Crackle—!"
In that instant, the scattered lightning from their earlier clash seemed to respond to a signal, converging toward Roy like a swarm!
"In the terms of this era, my lightning curse energy possesses both positive and negative charges. As long as I leave the positive charge on you while striking, the negative charge will automatically track and attack you. In other words—even without using a domain, I can land an unavoidable hit!"
"I can see that!"
Roy swiftly shifted his footing, intending to evade the lightning with his footwork. Yet, the electric arcs clung to him like persistent parasites. Every time he moved, the lightning would chase after him like sharks drawn to blood, becoming increasingly irritating.
"Curse energy can't cleanse the positive charge on my body, nor can it turn me into an insulator to block this unavoidable effect—so I won't dodge anymore!"
Roy steeled his resolve.
His figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging straight at Kashimo Hajime.
"So fast!"
Kashimo Hajime's heart instantly tightened.
Roy was already incredibly fast, but after reinforcing his body with curse energy, his speed became even more astonishing. With each movement, the air around him exploded in shockwaves, and faint ring-shaped clouds continuously rippled around his body.
Had he already reached the speed of sound?!
Kashimo Hajime's expression turned fierce as negative emotions churned in his mind, forcing every last drop of curse energy from his body. In an instant, his curse energy output efficiency surged to new heights!
With this overwhelming surge of curse energy, Kashimo Hajime actively charged toward Roy.
This approach was extremely dangerous.
Kashimo Hajime knew this well.
Every person's total curse energy was fixed from birth.
It couldn't be altered, nor could it be increased through effort.
However, the stronger the negative emotions, the more curse energy one could mobilize, and the greater the output power became!
But such reckless extraction of curse energy also meant it would be consumed at an alarming rate.
Not everyone possessed the Six Eyes, which allowed for the perfect utilization of every ounce of curse energy. Ninety-nine percent of sorcerers couldn't use their curse energy with 100% efficiency. Whenever curse energy was employed, waste was inevitable—and the more violently it was extracted, the harder it became to control, increasing the proportion of waste.
Moreover, a sorcerer's output capacity had its limits.
This kind of frenzied curse energy expenditure was no different from going all-in at a gambling table!
At this moment, Kashimo Hajime was pouring out his curse energy at maximum output, pushing his power to its absolute limit. This way, he could maximize the reinforcement of his physical body and the potency of his lightning!
"Useless!"
Roy charged forward, the air around him shattering continuously.
With a single punch, he obliterated Kashimo Hajime's lightning-wrapped fist, sending him flying with a resounding impact.
"Even if you maximize your output, you still can't compete with me as I am now!"
Roy, whose physique was already at the pinnacle of what could be achieved without being a god, further enhanced his physical abilities with the astonishing reinforcement of curse energy. His speed had surpassed the sound barrier!
Even among Servants, only the top-tier close-combat specialists—bolstered by skills like Mana Burst—could reach this realm!
In this world, aside from Gojo Satoru and Sukuna at his peak, no one could stand against him!
If Zenin Naobito or Zen'in Naoya were to become cursed spirits and use Projection Sorcery to accelerate to their maximum speed of three times the speed of sound, they might surpass him. But as things stood, no one else could.
But triple Mach speed was a special velocity only achievable under extreme limits—Projection Sorcery continuously providing acceleration, the curse spirit's hardened body, and even utilizing binding vows... The conditions were incredibly stringent, not something easily attained.
And Projection Sorcery? Roy knew it too. If he wanted, he could easily push the limit to quadruple or even quintuple Mach speed!
He just disliked using Projection Sorcery because its drawbacks were too great.
Regardless, when it came to speed, no one in the world of Jujutsu could compare to him!
"BOOM—!!!"
Kashimo Hajime's vision spun as he was driven into the ground like a nail, his entire body wracked with excruciating pain.
Yet the pain didn't deter him—instead, it ignited his ferocity. Cursed energy surged through him once more, and deep blue lightning roared forth, streaking toward Roy.
Roy didn't dodge. He simply punched straight into the lightning, his cursed energy-enhanced strength shattering it instantly. In the next moment, he flashed before Kashimo Hajime and delivered another punch, sending the snarling man flying over a hundred meters, toppling trees in his wake.
"Understand now? This is just one-tenth of my power."
Roy appeared before Kashimo Hajime again.
"Use your technique!"
"You were the strongest four hundred years ago—surely you don't want to die so pathetically?"
"You must have something called pride. I'll give you this chance. Show me your technique!"
Kashimo Hajime knelt on the ground.
Every inch of his body screamed in agony. Countless bones were broken, and blood spilled endlessly from his mouth.
Unbelievable.
In such a short span, what had been an evenly matched battle had turned into a one-sided slaughter.
He raised his head.
Before him stood a figure as towering and unshakable as a mountain.
Those crimson eyes, which should have been the embodiment of killing intent, now resembled a still lake—utterly calm, without a single ripple.
Suddenly, a sliver of unwillingness surged in his heart.
Gritting his teeth, Kashimo Hajime forced himself to stand, even if it meant destroying his body in the process.
"...My technique can only be used once in a lifetime. I vowed never to use it on anyone other than Sukuna."
That was how it should have been.
But now, facing those utterly indifferent eyes, Kashimo Hajime felt a pang of regret.
He shouldn't have made that decision so hastily.
Sukuna was the strongest sorcerer in history—that was what Kenjaku had told him.
But that was four hundred years ago.
Even Kenjaku back then couldn't have foreseen the emergence of a sorcerer like Roy in this era.
Deep down, Kashimo Hajime believed Roy was the true strongest sorcerer in history.
If he was truly only using one-tenth of his power... then perhaps even that title would only taint him—he shouldn't even be grouped with sorcerers at all.
His very existence should transcend beings like sorcerers!
"Sukuna... I've fought him once before."
Roy watched Kashimo Hajime, not missing the regret in his eyes.
With a slight lift of his brow, he spoke.
"What?"
Kashimo Hajime froze in disbelief.
"You fought him? What was the outcome?"
He pressed urgently, desperate to know the answer.
He craved it more than anything.
"Let's call it a draw for now. At that time, he was only using the power of one finger. You should know he has twenty fingers in total."
"Just the power of one finger..."
Kashimo Hajime seemed to have realized something, his mouth quickly falling open in utter disbelief.
"He was only using one finger, and you still couldn't beat him? Is this the power of the strongest sorcerer in history?!"
Damn.
He needed to take back what he'd said earlier.
Perhaps Kenjaku was right—Sukuna truly is the strongest sorcerer in history!
"What are you talking about?"
Roy shot him a disgusted glare.
"I only used one finger, and I didn't even use cursed energy!"
What do you mean you couldn't even handle the power of a single finger?
Stop slandering me out of nowhere!
"Honestly, I think Sukuna was far weaker than I imagined. I was pretty disappointed at the time."
"Oh… I see…"
Kashimo Hajime let out a sigh of relief.
It seemed he would have to take back his earlier words.
Roy really was the strongest in history after all!
The next moment, however, Kashimo Hajime's expression suddenly shifted.
"Then, that means—if I defeat you, it's the same as defeating Sukuna?"
"Well said. But can you actually do it?"
Roy immediately nodded with a laugh.
Hearing this, Kashimo Hajime also grinned.
A wild, manic smile returned to his face as his fighting spirit surged once more.
"—I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen!"
"Technique Release—Mythical Beast Amber!!!"