The man who stepped out of the smoke was Toji, with Inventory Curse resting on his shoulder.
"How did you get here?"
Megumi looked confused. His father had retired more than ten years ago. He should have been in Kyoto with his mother, so why would he appear in Tokyo at such a critical moment?
"The brat who got sealed asked me to take care of this battlefield before things went bad."
Toji reached toward his shoulder. After sensing his intention, Inventory Curse began swallowing itself until it shrank back into a small bead.
'The brat… he means Uncle Mukuro…'
No matter what, his father's arrival made Megumi feel a little more at ease. After all, this was the man who once represented the highest individual combat power in the jujutsu world.
'So that's why… no wonder Geto said to leave it to them earlier…'
Nanami, who had just broken free from the vines, figured it out after seeing Toji. This battlefield no longer required them.
"Cousin!"
Maki also understood when she saw him put away Inventory Curse. She threw Playful Cloud toward him.
"Don't even think about it!"
Hanami had already experienced the power of that special grade cursed tool with her own face. Though it could not cause fatal damage, the unknown properties attached to it were dangerous.
Vines rose into the air, rushing toward Playful Cloud.
But before the vines could reach it, the weapon suddenly disappeared.
'It vanished—'
BOOM!
Hanami was still confused when the staff suddenly appeared right in front of her face. A powerful blow smashed into her head. Even though the branches were not hit directly, half of her face was crushed.
The curse spirit's tall body flew backward and embedded herself into the wall.
"Wait… that move just now can't even be described as fast, right?!"
Seeing everyone else react as if it were normal, Nobara felt like a country bumpkin seeing the city for the first time. She rubbed her eyes and confirmed she was not seeing things before gasping in shock.
He had suddenly appeared in the air to catch Playful Cloud, then appeared in front of the enemy in the next moment. Was that really something a person without cursed energy or a technique could do?
And the one he knocked away with a single strike was a ridiculously powerful special grade curse that their entire group could not handle.
"If it's Toji-san, he might even be stronger than Gojo-senpai in close combat," Haibara explained while Nanami helped him stand.
'Is this whole family made of monsters…'
Nobara looked at Megumi, the corner of her eye twitching.
At that moment Toji was dragging Playful Cloud across the ground as he slowly walked toward where Hanami had been thrown.
Boom!
Hanami forced herself out of the wall, making the entire building tremble. When the smoke cleared, half of her smashed face was still regenerating.
"That single hit… did more damage than all of us combined…" Nobara swallowed nervously and muttered.
Today she felt like she was seeing the true jujutsu world for the first time.
Nanami-sensei who shattered everything after activating Domain Expansion.
And Megumi's father who could crush special grade curses with pure physical combat.
Was the gap between her so-called semi-grade 1 strength and a true grade 1 sorcerer really that big?
"That's cousin. Of course he's strong…" Maki replied, but a trace of envy and stubborn determination flashed across her face.
Since childhood she had admired the Fushiguro brothers. She had always wanted to catch up with them and become that strong. But every time she watched them fight, all she could do was feel how weak she was.
Even with the same cursed tool, the power of Playful Cloud in Toji's hands was several times greater than in hers.
'This place is too small. Maybe I should move outside—'
Hanami did not attack immediately. Instead she carefully looked around. That previous strike had left her head ringing.
Too fast.
Maybe even faster than Jogo.
Before she could finish thinking, Playful Cloud had already arrived once more.
The staff smashed directly into the branch on the right side of her face. The entire right side caved in, and the teeth that had just regenerated shattered again.
'No…'
Blood splattered everywhere.
Behind Hanami, more than ten massive vines rose into the air. Their tips were sharp like bayonets as they shot straight toward Toji.
BANG!
The enormous force pushed him dozens of meters back and slammed him against a wall. Hanami poured more cursed energy into the vines, trying to crush him into paste.
She had already reached a conclusion after taking two solid hits. She absolutely could not allow this man to get close.
The broken branch on her face had not regenerated like before. Clearly the damage had exceeded its limit.
"Dad!"
Megumi tried to rush forward to help.
Nanami immediately grabbed his shoulder.
"Toji-san is far stronger than you imagine."
BOOM!
The massive vines, each with a diameter of more than ten meters, exploded apart.
Toji burst out from them and sprinted along the remaining vines toward Hanami.
"You fell for it!"
The vines Hanami created were not physical objects. They were made from cursed energy and could disappear instantly once the energy was withdrawn.
In a blink, Hanami cut off the energy supply.
Toji's footing vanished and he suddenly lost his balance in midair.
"Become a sage."
Hanami seized the opportunity.
Dozens of small seeds were thrown out, and she tore open the cloth bag on her left shoulder. A crimson flower bloomed.
Inside the flower, a bloodshot eye opened abruptly.
"Domain Expansion: Shining Sea of Growing Branches!"
Her cursed energy was still abundant. She planned to eliminate everyone here in one move and then go help Jogo outside.
No hand signs were needed. As long as cursed energy was poured into the flower on Hanami's shoulder, the domain could activate.
At once, everyone found themselves inside a colorful world.
"How warm and peaceful…"
Fragrant flowers covered the ground, and the pleasant atmosphere drained away their will to fight. Everyone seemed intoxicated by the scene.
'First I'll kill the one without cursed energy…'
Hanami turned toward Toji.
Then she saw something unbelievable.
Although Toji had lost his footing in midair, he did not fall to the ground or get hit by the seeds.
His feet stepped through the air as he stabilized himself and swung Playful Cloud, smashing every seed apart.
"Why?!"
Hanami could not understand. Even Satoru Gojo would temporarily lose the will to fight in this flower field. Why was this man unaffected?
And inside the domain's guaranteed-hit range, Hanami could not even sense his presence.
"The weakness is obvious."
Toji had already appeared in front of her.
The regeneration speed of the branches was not the same as the rest of the body, and Hanami reacted more violently whenever they were struck. None of these details could escape his sharp perception.
Playful Cloud whistled through the air.
Toji swung the staff straight toward the remaining branch on Hanami's face.
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