In the observation room, the teachers and principals sat quietly, watching through Mei Mei's crow vision and synchronized surveillance talismans.
Just as expected, Tokyo Jujutsu High had taken an early lead thanks to the slight head start at the beginning.
Toge Inumaki, together with Panda and Kugisaki, focused on clearing out as many Grade 3 Cursed Spirits in the forest as possible, while also interfering with the opposing team's entry whenever they could.
The others searched for the Grade 1 Cursed Spirit. The moment they found it, they would move in to exorcise it.
Satoru Gojo dragged over a chair without wheels with a harsh scrape and nudged Akira Zenin with his elbow.
"So? With Yuta Okkotsu joining later, you guys still have a chance, you know~~"
Akira Zenin didn't respond. He just glanced at Satoru Gojo.
"Where's Suguru?"
"He's still in Hokkaido…"
"As long as everyone gets some training out of this, that's enough."
"Exactly what I was thinking~~"
Satoru Gojo pointed at the split screen in the bottom right corner.
"But judging from this, your prized student doesn't seem to think so~"
Akira Zenin looked over. At some point, Noritoshi Kamo had broken away from the group with Megumi Fushiguro. The two of them were now standing on a bridge…
...
Noritoshi Kamo stood at one end of the bridge, one hand pressed against the Mechamaru communicator at his ear.
"Momo Nishimiya is using the glasses designed by Mechamaru. First, she'll scan for Cursed Spirits within range using the Cursed Energy detection system, then use infrared to monitor enemy movement and avoid them. Everyone else, stay in constant contact with her."
"Got it!" ×4
Noritoshi Kamo didn't hear Aoi Todo's voice, but that was expected…
"That guy…"
He removed the Mechamaru earpiece, set it on the ground, and looked at Megumi Fushiguro.
"From here on, I won't be communicating with my teammates. That makes it fair for you."
Megumi Fushiguro, who had been quietly listening from the other side of the bridge, spoke up:
"You've been hinting for a while now. Why bring me here? If you wanted to fight, you could've done it back when I was in Kyoto."
Noritoshi Kamo shook his head.
"If it were then, Sensei wouldn't be watching this closely."
"…What, you want to show off?"
"No."
Noritoshi Kamo answered immediately. Then he took his stance, and two crimson streaks appeared across his right eye, crossing within his eye socket.
"I've always known I don't have the talent to inherit all of Sensei's teachings. So instead, I've inherited his knowledge and bearing.
But I want to see whether you, as another wielder of the [Ten Shadows], can inherit his strength.
I want to see whether you can carry the future of the Zenin Clan, one of the Three Great Families!"
[Sensei's condition is getting worse. As his true successor, you need to grow faster, Megumi Fushiguro!]
"Bearing…"
Hearing that, Megumi Fushiguro couldn't help picturing Noritoshi Kamo lying lazily on a tree like Akira Zenin, half-asleep…
Noritoshi Kamo gave him no time to think. He immediately activated [Flowing Red Scale], then rushed forward, closing the distance in an instant. Though he usually fought with a bow at range, his training covered both close and long combat, leaving him with no real weaknesses.
His fingers curled as he drove a palm strike toward Megumi Fushiguro's abdomen, cutting through the air.
Megumi Fushiguro quickly raised the long sword-type Cursed Tool in his hand to block, but it snapped in half on impact.
Using the force of the blow, Megumi Fushiguro leapt backward and formed the hand sign for [Max Elephant]. After his training, activating his technique felt almost instinctive, smooth and seamless.
A massive elephant-shaped shadow wrapped around Megumi Fushiguro, forming a kind of armor, while two shadow tusks extended from his hands.
[Even if I can only control either the shadow or my body at one time, as long as the shadow envelops me, I can move it together with my body.]
"[Piercing Ox]!"
The moment he called out the Shikigami's name and felt the mark take shape within him, Megumi Fushiguro surged forward with overwhelming force, appearing right beside Noritoshi Kamo.
Seeing the dark tusks covering his opponent's fists and sensing the rising pressure behind that charge, Noritoshi Kamo immediately understood that even with [Flowing Red Scale], he wouldn't be able to withstand it.
He hastily summoned five blood-infused steel needles, each as thick as an arm, to block the attack, then leapt aside.
Under the effect of [Piercing Ox], Megumi Fushiguro couldn't easily change direction. His hands smashed straight through the steel needles, snapping all of them, including the technique known as [Purification Piercing], as blood scattered into the air.
Without slowing down, he drove forward into the bridge beneath where Noritoshi Kamo had been standing. The entire bridge shattered instantly under the immense force.
Megumi Fushiguro landed on the surface of the water and looked at Noritoshi Kamo, who had fallen in.
"Still want to continue?"
Noritoshi Kamo pushed himself upright.
"Compared to [Blood Manipulation Technique], the [Ten Shadows Technique] does have the advantage…"
Megumi Fushiguro narrowed his eyes. Saying something like that now, had the hit shaken him?
"Do you know?"
Noritoshi Kamo looked at him.
"When Sensei used [Max Elephant] to teach me [Piercing Blood], I realized that no matter what I did, I might never reach the level he expected…
So, out of pity, he told me some of his thoughts. Back then, he was still young, much more spirited than he is now."
Noritoshi Kamo unconsciously recalled what Akira Zenin had said to him when he was nine:
[Blood Manipulation Technique is, without a doubt, one of the most flexible techniques recorded.
The fluidity and adhesion of blood, combined with the fact that a user's blood can "contain" more Cursed Energy than that of other sorcerers, makes it an excellent medium for barriers, talismans, and Shikigami.
More importantly, complex barriers and talismans usually need to be prepared in advance before they can be used.
But once a Blood Manipulation user masters [Convergence], this "brush," they can freely shape their blood during battle and draw whatever they need on the spot.
Tsk… I really don't understand why users of Blood Manipulation keep pushing toward "faster" and "stronger." Knowledge and precision in controlling Cursed Energy should matter more.
That kind of fighting style fits the Kamo family much better.
With so many years of accumulated experience, is it that they look down on methods used by unaffiliated sorcerers? Or are they worried about being captured by curse users and turned into a "supply" of mediums? Hard to say…
Noritoshi, you've always been good at this kind of study, right?~~
Work on refining your control over Cursed Energy, and train your thinking during combat.]
"Don't worry, Sensei. I've been working toward that all along."
Noritoshi Kamo murmured softly, then looked at Megumi Fushiguro with a faint smile.
"Do you know what talismans are?"
"Of course. It's basic knowledge. Many sorcerers without innate techniques rely on talismans for various applications."
"Seems Sensei hasn't told you this part yet…"
"What?"
"A curse is the union of a person and something else, so it requires spoken words.
A talisman is an invocation, so it must be written onto a medium to activate.
Talismans can connect with other talismans, or with Shikigami. But they also have other uses. For example, the [Soundproof Barrier] in interrogation rooms, or the [Dharma Wheel Technique] used to seal Sukuna's finger.
All of these can be summed up as invoking 'Impressions.'
There are actually many kinds of 'Impressions,' but as time passed and the ambient Cursed Energy in the environment thinned, they could no longer form into Cursed Spirits. However, they can still be invoked through talismans.
And I have to say, not dispelling your [Max Elephant] shadow was the right call. Look around you."
Megumi Fushiguro, who had been listening, immediately glanced around.
At some point, the blood that had spilled from the thick steel needles had risen into the air, forming fine threads that wove together into four massive, intricate talismanic patterns.
"Demon Talisman, [Resonant Guardian]."
[An enhanced form of a noise-based curse talisman, strengthened through improved impression linkage, refined invocation naming, and reinforced medium.]
As Noritoshi Kamo finished his [Reveal], a deafening roar erupted from the four enormous talismans in the air. The overlapping resonance built into a violent explosion, instantly cutting off the entire river.