"Eh… I didn't expect you to be stronger than I thought. You actually managed to damage me. As expected, Onmyoji can't be judged by appearances alone," Nurikabe rumbled, its voice deep and unyielding.
Nurikabe's demonic power surpassed Jizō Maruji's, and it was renowned for being one of the most defensively capable yokai. Maruji's attack had been impressive, to be sure—strong enough to leave a mark on a creature a full level above him—but to Nurikabe, the words were more mockery than praise. Here he was, boasting that he'd need to use his full strength… and now, he couldn't even shake a single shikigami.
"Your strength is decent," Nurikabe continued, "but you're no match for my master. You don't even have the right to force my master to act."
The massive yokai didn't care about Maruji's bruised ego. With a single sweep of its fan-shaped arm, it sent the stunned student hurtling through the air.
Though Nurikabe specialized in defense and lacked speed or finesse, its immense bulk and strength made even a stationary enemy vulnerable. When Jizō Maruji finally recovered, he could only brace himself with crossed arms. The impact struck him like a battering ram, sending him crashing against the wall with a deafening boom—effectively pinned like a specimen in a lab.
"Attack its lower body! That's the weak point of Nurikabe. Their short legs can't support their enormous frame!"
Muttering to himself, Maruji sprang back to his feet. Being from a prestigious Onmyoji family, he instantly recognized the yokai type. He had essentially lost this round—because a shikigami of this caliber required a master far stronger than most first-years. Most Onmyoji could not command a shikigami more powerful than themselves, as weaker masters would never gain their loyalty.
Even attempting to defeat just one of the shikigami on the field had proved a herculean task—let alone confronting Ren Kuroda, who had been observing from the sidelines the entire time. Maruji understood he had made a grave mistake today. Losing face was one thing; losing completely could ruin his reputation at the Onmyoji Academy.
The ground rat shikigami, obedient to its master's command, began burrowing at high speed, racing beneath the earth toward the base of the wall.
"Our lower body may be our weakness," Tubi—Ren's rock yokai—boomed, "but that doesn't mean anyone can defeat us! In battles between yokai and Onmyoji, strength matters just as much as skill! How could a mere D-level yokai ever hope to challenge the great Master Tubi?!"
As the small mound of earth surged forward, Tubi remained calm. With a mighty heave, he slammed his massive arms into the ground. The resulting shockwave, powered by his C-level yokai strength and rocky form, blasted outward.
A yellow-brown ground squirrel shikigami, summoned by Jizō Maruji, was thrown skyward by the force of the impact.
Before Maruji could recover, Nurikabe's unique illusionary powers activated. In an instant, Maruji and his shikigami fell into a trance, collapsing unconscious to the floor.
"Jizō Maruji… lost? He's one of the top first-years! And that Nurikabe… is it normally this strong? I thought Nurikabe were low-level yokai, barely reaching D-rank at best."
"D-rank? When it unleashed its full power, I used Spirit Vision—it was at least C-rank," another student noted. "And Maruji hadn't even completely exhausted himself before collapsing. Nurikabe must have other abilities."
The dormitory erupted in a chorus of astonished voices. Maruji's defeat stunned everyone, while the Nurikabe's presence drew intense curiosity.
"Take them to the infirmary," the supervising teacher finally commanded. "They were only put under a spell and are not seriously hurt. As for Jizō Maruji and Tenjōin Yuto, they each receive a minor demerit for violating regulations by fighting privately in the Shikigami Dormitory."
As in many situations at the Academy, enforcement arrived only after the fact. Yuto noticed that Kurahashi Tomoko, who had been in the dormitory earlier, had left. Allowing the skirmish to unfold had likely served both as a warning to the scions of powerful families and as a test of Yuto's abilities.
She probably hadn't anticipated that Maruji would fail to even overcome one of Yuto's shikigami.
"You must be Tenjōin Yuto. I handle shikigami registration. Bring your shikigami if you wish to register," the teacher instructed.
Yuto paid no mind to the demerit. To him, learning Onmyoji arts was part of the job—though he secretly hoped for expulsion. As a half-yokai, navigating an Onmyoji school was like walking a tightrope. Ordinary students were no concern, but there were undoubtedly many like Kurahashi Tomoko here, whose spiritual perception could easily expose him.
As Yuto began registering his shikigami, a crowd of students followed, still buzzing with curiosity about the Nurikabe. The teacher would record the yokai type and strength level, ensuring everyone now knew the true power of the shikigami that had just defeated a first-year prodigy.
Meanwhile, Jizō Maruji remained sprawled on the floor, unconscious, as the crowd murmured and speculated. Clearly, everyone was more interested in Nurikabe than in the fallen prodigy.