"If my assessment is accurate, it doesn't just resurrect—it copies the technique of whoever kills it. First it duplicated my Time Wheel, and now it's mimicking your Imitation…" Hajime spoke, analyzing the creature.
Yuta Okkotsu's eyes widened in disbelief. "It really can do that? But there must be a limit to its resurrection…"
"Five times," Hajime answered as they both realized the significance: the serpent's five active heads were no coincidence.
Yuta glanced at Orochi, who hadn't activated the Time Null State, and leaned toward Hajime. "If it's copied my Imitation, you just need to avoid letting it take your flesh."
Hajime frowned. "I just don't know if it stole Rika's power too. Its cursed energy is already off the charts."
Hajime stepped back as Yuta advanced to engage Orochi. He analyzed from range. "Probably not. So far it's only replicated the forward rotation of my technique—not the reverse or any derivatives. And it shows no real intelligence. It's just imitating."
Their ongoing clash with Yuta confirmed this: aside from immense cursed energy, brute strength, and aggression, Orochi showed no other skill. Hajime exhaled, relieved.
He pulled out his phone and dialed repeatedly before trying another line. "Hello, is this Itadori...?" As he spoke, he switched to Supervisor mode and rejoined the fight—but from a more strategic position.
Hajime mentally reviewed the plan. Orochi acquires techniques only from the killer—a dangerous trait. So only opponents whose technique it could copy without enabling it were safe to engage. Yuta's Imitation fit that criterion: formidable, but containable. Yuta couldn't finish it, but he could slow it down until Itadori and Maki arrived to deliver the final blow and test its limits.
---
Shibuya
Itadori Yuji ended the call. With him were Megumi Fushiguro, Nanami Kento, Maki Zenin, Nobara Kugisaki, and Yoshino Junpei. They stood amid a devastated street, corpses littering the ground.
Across from them were Mahito and a monstrous cursed spirit—an octopus-headed horror they'd faced before, alongside infected humans.
Yuji turned to Megumi and the others in a low voice: "Hajime-senpai and Yuta need backup. Hajime-senpai said Maki-san and I are up next."
Maki frowned. "Backup for them? They must be in trouble. But we'll do it."
Before the group could move, Mahito glanced at his phone, showed no emotion, then faced the cursed spirit—Dagon, a massive octopus-faced entity. "Playtime's over. You handle this, Dagon—just don't die."
He paused, looked at Yuji, and then turned and walked away upstairs. Everyone froze—should they chase?
Nanami took charge. "Itadori, Maki — go find Ijichi or another Supervisor and head for Hajime-senpai's location. If they can't handle this, worse threats may emerge."
Nobara and Junpei signaled Yuji to go with Maki. He nodded, feeling the pressure.
Dagon attacked—sea-like energy and fish-beasts surged forward. Kon, Megumi's shikigami, defended them, tearing apart the creatures. Megumi and the others stepped up to back him. Yuji looked back at them, then followed Maki away from the fray.
---
Aboard the Evac Bus to Shizuoka
Maki and Yuji found Ijichi, explained their mission, and boarded a shuttle toward Shizuoka. Yuji asked quietly, "Hajime-senpai ran into trouble? What's going on?"
Maki kept a level voice. "He said he needs us. Yuta's with him. Beyond that, I don't know more yet."
As they drove through pouring rain toward Mount Fuji, the evac scene blurred past empty roads and masses huddled in shelters. Towers of dark clouds draped the mountain in gloom.
They arrived at a ravaged battlefield. In the center were three figures locked in combat: two Yuta Okkotsu lookalikes and Orochi. But one was clearly an imposter.
---
Battle's Resurgence
Hajime and Yuta had been trapped in a stalemate with Orochi, relying on his some techniques and Yuta's Imitation to stall—but the enemy had proved dangerous. It fired Black Flash attacks in quick succession and silently achieved multiple hits. Yuta took painful blows, but Hajime used reverse rotation to cancel them out—until the assault intensified.
Realizing he couldn't rely on stalling forever, Hajime moved to full-offensive mode when Maki and Yuji arrived. He cast an amber seal on Orochi—a temporary hold—with phenomenal effort. Gritting his teeth, he rushed Yuta with orders: "This cursed spirit takes your technique. So you and I deal most of the damage—Yuta, hit hard but leave the killing blow to Maki-san."
Yuta nodded. Hajime tossed Maki the Totsuka-no-Tsurugi and Spider Cutter. "Do this by the book. Yuta, you must inflict over fifty percent of the damage. Maki-san takes the finishing strike. Go."
They launched their charges. Hajime used Time Null to disable major attacks. Yuta channeled Rika's energy to condense cursed energy into a blade—Black Flash delivered with brutal precision. He stumbled Orochi, shredding its limbs.
Finally, Maki leapt in with both blades drawn. Orochi regrew an arm—but Maki's strikes were ruthless. Her blades flashed in the rain: one pierced its head, another sliced its neck and chest. She pressed with furious precision until Orochi collapsed.
---
Resurrection… Again
Maki stepped back, panting. "Did that do it?"
Hajime shook his head. "Not yet—we counted this as the third kill. It can resurrect five times."
Red flesh erupted from the soaked ground, coalescing into a grotesque mass. A hand burst through the blood and mud, then Orochi reformed before them—with Maki's face on its body. The illusion was chilling.
Hajime cracked a smile, voice grave. "Now we test it further."
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