Black Flash appeared and disappeared in an instant.
Under Black Flash, all beings were equal.
"Congratulations, Akira."
Kento Nanami offered his sincere congratulations the moment he saw it happen. As someone who had experienced Black Flash himself, he understood better than most what Akira had just achieved.
Bale and Kron, however, were completely stunned.
Bale had been fighting Kento Nanami only moments ago, while Kron had personally experienced the power of Black Flash. The confidence and arrogance that had filled their eyes earlier had vanished. In their place were disbelief and deep fear.
"Impossible... Impossible! Impossible!"
Kron could hardly believe what had happened. One moment, he had been preparing to blow Akira apart. The next, he had lost an arm, and the young Jujutsu Sorcerer standing before him had reached a level that neither of them had expected.
Akira paid no attention to their reactions.
His mind was still immersed in the feeling left behind by Black Flash.
So this was the Zone that Kento Nanami had mentioned.
His breathing, his heartbeat, the Cursed Energy circulating through his body, and even the surrounding environment seemed to move according to his will.
Everything around him had become unusually clear.
He could sense how much force the ground could withstand beneath his feet, which parts of the surrounding walls could support his movements, and how the Cursed Tools scattered across the battlefield might be used.
Even the movements of muscles and bones seemed to have their own voices. By observing the smallest changes in an opponent's body, he could roughly predict their next action before they made it.
However, the greatest change was still his understanding of Cursed Energy.
The problem that had troubled him for so long, the slight delay between his thoughts, physical movements, and Cursed Energy, had finally disappeared.
In the past, controlling Cursed Energy had always required a certain degree of conscious effort. Even when he knew what he wanted to do, his body and Cursed Energy could not always keep up with each other perfectly.
Now, that feeling was gone.
Cursed Energy had become something he could understand through his senses. He could almost describe its color, shape, texture, and even taste.
What had once felt abstract was now as familiar as moving his own fingers.
Akira finally understood what a certain "very proper teacher" had once tried to explain.
Ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers used Cursed Energy without fully understanding its flavor. It was like cooking with unfamiliar ingredients. You could follow a recipe and throw everything into a pot, but without knowing how the ingredients tasted or reacted to one another, even a Special Grade chef could not guarantee a good dish every time.
Experiencing Black Flash changed that.
For the first time, a Jujutsu Sorcerer could truly understand the taste of Cursed Energy. With that understanding, controlling and combining it became much easier.
The Akira standing here now had reached a completely different level compared to the Akira from three seconds ago.
That was the true significance of Black Flash.
Its destructive power was terrifying, with the force of an ordinary strike raised to the power of 2.5. However, the improvement it brought to a Jujutsu Sorcerer's understanding of Cursed Energy was even more valuable in the long run.
This was why Black Flash was considered such an important dividing line among Jujutsu Sorcerers.
Those who had experienced it and those who had not possessed fundamentally different levels of understanding when it came to the core of Cursed Energy.
Of course, this was not an absolute rule. Still, most Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerers had experienced Black Flash at some point, and many had used that experience as an opportunity to improve their Jujutsu further.
More importantly, Akira had reached this point through his own efforts.
There had been no external assistance involved in this breakthrough.
He had trained his body, practiced controlling Cursed Energy, fought against powerful opponents, and accumulated experience little by little. Everything he had learned finally came together during that single strike.
He had achieved this through genuine training and accumulation, rather than the simple method of shouting, "System, add some points!"
To some people, this might seem like unnecessary hardship. If there was an easier way to become stronger, why bother putting yourself through so much trouble?
Akira understood that way of thinking.
However, the satisfaction of watching his own efforts finally produce results was something that could not be replaced so easily.
He had worked toward this goal for so long, and now he had finally achieved it.
It felt genuinely good.
How should he describe it?
It was like putting on a fresh pair of clean underwear on the first morning of the new year. The air felt cleaner, the sunlight looked brighter, and even the water seemed unusually clear.
Everything around him looked wonderful.
Although...
Wasn't it a little too bright?
Akira narrowed his eyes slightly.
After experiencing Black Flash, his senses seemed to have become much sharper. Even the ordinary light around him felt somewhat dazzling, making him want to raise a hand to shield his eyes.
Perhaps mastering Black Flash also required learning how to get used to darkness.
Come to think of it, many of the strongest people in the Jujutsu World seemed reluctant to show their eyes.
Could there actually be a reason for that?
Akira almost laughed at his own ridiculous conclusion.
"Ahem."
He coughed lightly and pushed the thought aside.
His mood was already excellent, and after noticing a certain hint from the System, it became even better.
Whatever the System had just informed him of, it was clearly another piece of good news.
Akira stretched his arms as though he had just finished a pleasant morning workout. He seemed completely unconcerned about the two enemies still standing nearby.
Then he turned toward Kento Nanami and nodded.
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Nanami. I'm truly grateful."
His gratitude was sincere.
Without Kento Nanami's explanation and guidance, Akira might have needed much longer to understand the problem with his Cursed Energy.
Kento Nanami acknowledged his thanks with a slight nod.
Akira then turned toward Kron, who was still clutching the place where his arm had been.
"And I should thank you too."
Kron froze.
Akira smiled at him.
"Without the pressure you gave me, I might not have mastered Black Flash so quickly. As repayment, I'll give you one more chance to surrender."
He looked between Kron and Bale before continuing.
"You already know it yourselves. You have no chance of winning."
"You damn brat!"
Kron's face twisted with anger. He pressed his remaining hand against his wound, but the blood continued to flow between his fingers.
The pain from losing an arm was already unbearable. Hearing the person responsible thank him for helping him grow stronger only made it worse.
Kron let out a furious howl, sounding almost like a wounded beast that had been driven into a corner.
At almost the same moment, the cannons behind Bale opened fire.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
All the remaining firearms under his control fired together.
Rifles, machine guns, and heavy cannons unleashed everything they had left. Bullets poured across the battlefield in a continuous stream, while shells exploded against the ground and surrounding structures.
Bale no longer cared about maintaining a formation or controlling his ammunition consumption.
He did not even bother aiming properly.
The weapons simply fired in every direction that might prevent Akira and Kento Nanami from approaching.
The entire area was swallowed by gunfire.
It was an extremely reckless decision.
However, that recklessness made the attack surprisingly troublesome.
Both Akira and Kento Nanami had entered the Zone, allowing them to read their surroundings and react with extraordinary precision. Against an opponent who attacked with a clear purpose, they could usually determine the best way to respond.
But there was hardly any pattern to the current barrage.
Bullets flew in unpredictable directions. Explosions overlapped, and the weapons continued firing without regard for whether they might damage one another.
Dodging and defending themselves was not particularly difficult for either of them.
Advancing directly through the barrage was another matter.
After all, entering the Zone did not make a Jujutsu Sorcerer's body indestructible.
Even someone with a heavily reinforced physique could still be injured by concentrated gunfire.
And Bale only needed a few seconds.
Taking advantage of the opening, he gathered nearly all his remaining Cursed Energy into his legs.
Then he sprinted forward.
His exhausted body moved at a speed that seemed impossible considering how much Cursed Energy he had already consumed.
In the blink of an eye, he reached Kron's side, grabbed the injured man, and hoisted him onto his shoulder.
"Retreat. He's right. We can't win right now."
Bale did not hesitate.
"We'll regroup and come back."
"Mr. Bale..."
Kron looked at him in surprise.
The madness in his eyes gradually faded. After taking several breaths to suppress the pain, he finally regained some of his usual composure.
"I understand. I wasn't calm enough just now."
He lowered his head slightly before continuing.
"But if you were alone, wouldn't it be much easier for you to escape?"
Kron was seriously injured and had lost an arm. Carrying him would undoubtedly slow Bale down.
With Bale's remaining strength and his ability to manipulate weapons, escaping alone would have been the more practical choice.
At the very least, his chances of survival would have been much higher.
Bale understood this perfectly well.
"What are you saying?"
He adjusted Kron's position on his shoulder and continued running.
"We're companions. We've committed more than ten years of sins together."
His voice sounded weak. Between the prolonged battle, the excessive consumption of Cursed Energy, and the strain of forcing his exhausted body to move, he was nearly at his limit.
Even so, there was no resentment in his words.
To Bale, abandoning Kron had never been an option worth considering.
Kron stared at him for a moment.
Then he slowly lowered his head.
"Yes... Companions..."
Something changed in his expression.
A trace of resolve appeared in his eyes, and he seemed to have made a decision.
Meanwhile, the weapons surrounding the battlefield gradually began to lose their momentum.
With Bale concentrating on escaping, he could no longer maintain the same degree of control over his Jujutsu.
One after another, the firearms stopped shooting.
Heavy cannons tilted sideways, rifles dropped from the air, and the remaining weapons began falling toward the ground.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal striking the floor echoed through the ruined hideout.
With the barrage finally ending, Akira and Kento Nanami regrouped.
The reliable adult and the monster-like boy now stood side by side, watching their enemies flee.
"Akira, chase," Kento Nanami said.
There was no hesitation in his voice.
Allowing two dangerous Curse Users to escape would only create more trouble later, especially when both had already shown that they were willing to target Jujutsu Sorcerers and their companions.
However, Akira merely waved his hand.
"No need. They can't escape."
Kento Nanami turned toward him.
Akira continued before he could say anything.
"Before that, let me apologize. I could have ended this much sooner, but I deliberately dragged the fight out for my own reasons."
He gave Kento Nanami an apologetic smile.
"I know that wasn't the proper way to handle a mission. You can lecture me about it later."
Kento Nanami looked at him silently.
He had already suspected that Akira was using this battle as an opportunity to improve his control over Cursed Energy. Now that Akira had admitted it himself, there was no longer any need to ask.
However, this was clearly not the time to discuss the matter.
Akira turned his attention back toward the two fleeing Curse Users.
"For now, let me show you what my new partner can do."
His smile widened slightly.
"Go, Darkrai."
Crack!
A strange sound suddenly reached Kento Nanami's ears.
It resembled glass shattering.
However, there was no glass nearby, and the sound did not seem to come from any particular direction.
Kento Nanami immediately focused his senses on the surrounding Cursed Energy.
Then he noticed something beneath Bale and Kron.
At the point where light met shadow beneath their feet, a dark figure was slowly emerging from the ground.
There was no warning.
No obvious gathering of Cursed Energy.
The darkness simply moved, as though something that had been hiding beneath the ground had finally decided to reveal itself.
A pair of blue eyes opened within the shadow.
At that moment, Bale suddenly felt something watching him.
His body stiffened.
An unfamiliar fear rose from the depths of his heart, spreading through his mind before he could understand what was happening.
He had experienced countless battles and committed more crimes than he could remember. He had faced powerful Jujutsu Sorcerers, escaped from dangerous situations, and even survived an encounter with Satoru Gojo.
Yet the moment those blue eyes looked at him, all those experiences seemed useless.
He wanted to keep running.
He knew he needed to escape.
However, his legs had already stopped moving without him realizing it.
His breathing became uneven, and the hand supporting Kron tightened unconsciously.
It felt as though someone had reached directly into his heart and awakened the fears he had buried there.
Bale slowly lowered his gaze.
Standing beneath him was a dark phantom, its blue eyes staring straight at him.
Darkrai had appeared.
And with its arrival, Bale's desperate escape came to an abrupt stop.
---
**Author's Note**
I had always assumed that the explanation about Black Flash meant a simple multiplier, and I had even confused it with the idea of squaring 2.5. I only noticed the problem when I went back and reread the original explanation.
After checking Gege Akutami's explanation, I confirmed that Black Flash raises the power of a strike to the power of 2.5. It does not simply multiply the damage by 2.5.
I went back to check the original wording, and the explanation turned out to be much funnier than I expected.
Here is the exchange from the explanation, with the wording presented in English.
**"How does Black Flash work?"**
Assistant: "On page 16, why is Black Flash described as raising the power to 2.5 instead of multiplying it by 2.5?"
Gege Akutami (pretending to be lazy): "Very good question. When you think of things like Kaio-ken or Char Aznable's Zaku, using a multiplier sounds powerful and is easy to understand. But Gege Akutami wanted something even greater than a simple multiplier. So, after wandering through the jungle and crossing the cliff of death, he finally arrived at the idea of using powers. If you double ten, you get twenty. But if you raise ten to the second power, you get one hundred. See? Powers are much stronger than multipliers."
Assistant: "But one raised to the second power is still one. If you multiply one by two, you get two."
Gege Akutami (shocked): "What exactly does Cursed Energy mean anyway? Please stop bringing up that nonsense!"
Assistant: "Could you please stop getting angry about this?"
Gege Akutami: "Fine! From now on, the minimum amount of Cursed Energy starts at two!"
And that was how the matter was settled.
I will correct the original text right away. Thank you to everyone who pointed out the mistake. I really should have checked the explanation more carefully before writing it.
This is seriously embarrassing.