The Curse User thought he had found his chance to unfold a proper Jujutsu battle, never expecting the other side to be a non-mainstream Jujutsu Sorcerer without Jujutsu. Before he could finish speaking, Akira grabbed two more lackeys and hurled them over with such force that it looked like he meant to smash them to death.
An absurd feeling rose in the Curse User's heart. Which one of us is the Curse User here? How are you more ruthless and experienced at killing than I am? Weren't the so-called righteous types supposed to care about lives?
Of course, that ruthlessness was relative. The Curse User himself did not care about his companions' lives, or rather, he never considered those who were not Jujutsu Sorcerer to be companions at all. Whether they died from the fall or were corroded by Jujutsu made no difference.
The biggest advantage of his Jujutsu was its long duration and low consumption. Even if everyone in the Hideout was corroded into sludge, it would not be a problem. Then he realized something was wrong.
Akira's goal was not simply throwing people or wearing him down. He was using heavy throws to create openings. After dodging the second "flying body" and seeing the third one coming, the Curse User finally understood, but by then it was too late.
The third throw was done with full force. The ton-level power combined with human mass created a burst of wind pressure that pushed the corrosive mist to both sides. It lasted only an instant, but it was enough for Akira to slip through.
One punch landed. Then another.
The outplayed Curse User took a punch to the jaw, one of the more fragile parts of the human body and a decisive spot in boxing. With Akira's strength, a concussion was the minimum, and whether he became a fool afterward depended on luck.
After landing the hit, Akira did not hesitate and pushed forward with the momentum, breaking straight through the corrosive mist. Without Revealing One's Hand, he could not be sure whether the other side's Jujutsu would disappear if the caster lost consciousness. Considering the nature of the mist, he did not stay inside the Hideout and instead carried the Curse User outside.
He tossed the Curse User onto the ground and reached out to pat his face, but after two pats he stopped and muttered to himself. "I almost forgot, there might be a curse inside him too. To be safe, I should go back to Tokyo Jujutsu High and have Miss Ieiri take a look. I can also report certain people's inaction to Gojo-sensei."
Just as Akira took out his phone, his expression changed and he retreated quickly. Almost at the same time, a loud bang sounded as a nearby wall burst open, scattering debris.
"Sniper?"
Akira crossed his steps and moved in a zigzag into the shadows beyond the reach of the lights. At that moment, a dull yellow hue spread across the sky and descended like a dome. Someone had deployed a barrier.
As the barrier fell, two figures in white military uniforms with cloaks appeared in the night. One stood in front and the other behind, neatly blocking Akira's path forward and back.
The enemy was prepared, so Akira stopped hiding. He pulled open the cloth bundle on his back and walked out calmly. "So that's how it is. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. I walked right into it. If I'm not wrong, you're the core of Curse User Organization Q—"
"The strongest combatant of Curse User Organization, Bale." The man in front spoke as his long hair fluttered.
"The coordinator of Curse User Organization, Kron." The man behind let out a gloomy laugh.
Honestly, introducing themselves like this would be awkward in real life, but paired with their dramatic outfits, it somehow fit.
"Doesn't the strongest usually go pick a fight with the strongest? Why come after me?" Akira asked very Makotoly, posing an extremely irritating question.
"Because we're still a little short compared to your side's 'strongest.'"
Bale admitted it frankly, which surprised Akira a bit.
"Looking at your outfits, I thought you cared a lot about pride."
"Do you think we would?" Kron pointed at his own face, wrapped so tightly that not a gap showed. "Ten years ago, my face was gone. All of this was thanks to Tokyo Jujutsu High. I swear I'll take it back tenfold, a hundredfold."
"You can't beat the real culprit, so you target others instead. Your way of getting even is really Makotoly 'super doubled.'"
"Because we're villains," Bale said without shame. "Let's set a rule. If you cry and beg me for mercy, I'll spare your life."
"Truly villain talk."
"No, those were Satoru Gojo's exact words to me ten years ago. I'm just returning them as they were."
Bale's answer made Akira's expression stiffen. Gojo the demon king, you really did this to him.
As the demon king's student, he could not fall behind either. "In that case, I'll return them as well. If you cry and beg me for mercy, I'll spare your lives."
Bale and Kron burst out laughing, laughing so hard they held their stomachs.
"Did you hear that, Kron?"
"I heard it, Bale."
"Are young people these days all this arrogant? The glory of my Showa era is truly gone."
"Now I finally understand why you parted ways with that Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer. Stupid beyond saving."
"Let us teach you reality in place of that irresponsible teacher. After seeing this, can you still be so confident?"
Bale slowly raised his right hand. One rifle after another flew out from behind him and lined up neatly in front of Akira. The next second, gunfire erupted.
Akira drew his sword at the fastest speed he could manage. The moment he sensed a sniper, he was already on guard, keeping his nerves tight even while talking. A flash of steel cut through the air, and every bullet was knocked aside.
"Not bad. Looks like you do have some skill. But what about this?"
Bale showed little change in expression. Blocking bullets with a sword was nothing special, and many Jujutsu Sorcerer who focused on close combat could do the same. Blocking did not mean the body could take bullets head-on.
Four rifles firing together might be manageable, but what about five, six, seven, or eight? And what if it was not only rifles? With another lift of his hand, the number of rifles doubled, and a shotgun joined them.
The pressure on Akira spiked at once. He stopped relying only on his sword and mixed in prediction and footwork, barely holding through the new wave of fire. Even so, it was clear he was being pushed back step by step.
At that moment, the number of weapons under Bale's control doubled again, reaching sixteen. At the same time, he used "Revealing One's Hand": "My technique lets me control weapons at a distance. Blades work, and firearms work too. Confident boy, how many rounds do you think you can last? My promise still stands."
"Funny enough, my promise is the same. You are not the only one with ranged attacks."
While speaking, Akira forced his way through the third combined volley, the output of Cursed Energy in his body surging. Using the effect of Cursed Tools, he swung out a Crescent Blade Wave and destroyed the most dangerous piece in the formation, the shotgun.