Megumi Fushiguro dodged the center of the explosion the instant the noise resonance detonated, but even so, his entire body throbbed with pain. It felt as if every bone had a will of its own, creaking and trembling inside him in chaotic disarray.
Attacks generated through vibration like this couldn't be completely defended against unless one used a method to fully isolate themselves from the outside world.
Taking advantage of the lingering mist stirred up by the blast, Noritoshi Kamo immediately put distance between himself and Megumi Fushiguro and sprinted toward the forest.
However, leaving the riverbank exposed a weakness of Blood Manipulation Technique:
When blood comes into contact with water, osmotic pressure causes red blood cells to swell, gradually rupturing their membranes and lowering the concentration of blood cells.
As a result, the dilution of the [blood] reduces the Cursed Energy within it, making it difficult to control.
Megumi Fushiguro shook his still-ringing head and quickly gave chase.
First, the direction Noritoshi Kamo was heading was the center of the competition. Knowing his level of strength, he couldn't be allowed to interfere with the others.
Second, nothing about Noritoshi Kamo's condition just now suggested he was finished.
But right then, Noritoshi Kamo flicked his blood through the air, leaving behind several circular spell symbols. From those circles, strands of black, viscous fluid extended and latched onto Megumi Fushiguro's body.
[Mucus Seal: Usually prepared in advance on talisman paper by specialists. Used to interfere with the activity of Grade 2 or lower Cursed Spirits.]
With the [Piercing Ox] technique still active, Megumi Fushiguro tensed his body and tore free from the sticky substance, then immediately rushed in the direction Noritoshi Kamo had gone.
Sure enough, at a spot where the river was no longer visible, Megumi Fushiguro saw Noritoshi Kamo standing there quietly, holding an empty blood bag in his hand.
Megumi Fushiguro quickly scanned the surroundings, but found nothing unusual.
"Secret Seal—[Secret Transmission]."
Hearing the voice, Megumi Fushiguro looked over. In front of Noritoshi Kamo's mouth floated a spell symbol shaped like a mouth.
"Inumaki-senpai's Cursed Speech?"
Noritoshi Kamo shook his head. Perhaps because this wasn't a true life-or-death fight, he didn't press the attack.
His actual lips remained tightly shut, unmoving, while the mouth-shaped spell symbol in front of him repeatedly opened and closed, producing sound.
"It's a Cursed Speech-type talisman, but it doesn't have the same coercive force or versatility as the Inumaki clan's technique. Its function is quite simple. It can only guide the flow of surrounding Cursed Energy through spoken words…"
"Watch your feet. This time, it's the ground…"
Noritoshi Kamo's voice sounded again.
Because the blood lines were so fine, and the surrounding trees blocked much of the sunlight, it was nearly impossible to see the markings in the soil with the naked eye. But by observing [Residuals], one could make them out clearly—a spell formation resembling a withered tree, with roots spreading from beneath his feet toward Megumi Fushiguro's position.
"Demon Talisman—[Ōanamuchi]."
[An enhanced talisman formed by combining the Dust-Sweeping Seal, impression linking, name invocation completion, medium reinforcement, and the guidance of [Secret Transmission].]
The ground trembled.
Within sight, the earth surged violently, rising and rolling like waves of stone, tearing trees from the ground one after another.
Megumi Fushiguro could hardly believe that a Jujutsu High student was capable of causing such destruction. He immediately sank into the shadows to evade several crashing boulders, then dismissed the [Piercing Ox] technique and, in a brief opening, summoned [Nue] to carry him into the air.
The earthen waves came fast and ended just as quickly. In less than five seconds, everything fell still again.
But the destruction left behind couldn't be measured by how short it lasted.
From above, in a fan-shaped area stretching roughly 200 meters forward from Noritoshi Kamo's position, the entire ground looked as though it had been stirred and overturned by some colossal force. Amid the churning soil, a few exposed roots could be seen sticking out, trembling faintly, almost shyly.
In the judges' room, Principal Rakuenji's eyelids twitched at the sight. He pressed a hand to his chest and took a long moment to steady himself...
Noritoshi Kamo, the one responsible for all of this, was also momentarily stunned.
This was the first time he had used this talisman at full power. None of his previous opponents had ever warranted it.
And with his steady temperament, along with the upbringing expected of the future head of the Kamo clan, this level of destruction was something that should never have come from his own hands.
But this feeling...
How should he describe it...
It was… strangely satisfying.
Noritoshi Kamo didn't stay dazed for long. After lightly shaking his head, he quickly regained his composure.
Although unleashing something on the scale of a natural disaster in a single move could easily make one look down on everything around them, Noritoshi Kamo was used to scenes like this from training under Akira Zenin. Besides, talismans weren't something that could be used freely.
Talismans didn't rely on the user's own Cursed Energy, but on the Cursed Energy contained within the [Impression] they invoked, which meant they were heavily influenced by the environment… And since that energy source wasn't constant and needed to be accumulated and replenished, overusing it made it difficult to activate again in a short time.
Even so, an attack of this scale hadn't actually harmed Megumi Fushiguro. Noritoshi Kamo looked up at the figure carried into the air by [Nue]. Sorcerers capable of flight were extremely rare. They could avoid most attacks while holding significant strategic value.
Once the ground settled, Megumi Fushiguro descended. He first summoned [Max Elephant], then took his stance. He might be durable, but standing there and taking hits wasn't his style...
"Water Spirit, Ford Feathers, Netherworld Torrent!"
Hearing the familiar incantation, Noritoshi Kamo reacted instantly, stepping back without hesitation.
"Impurity—Ink Abyss."
Pitch-black water, dense with Cursed Energy, surged out from the shadow beneath Megumi Fushiguro's feet. Each splash cast new shadows, and from those shadows, more water gushed forth, repeating in layers until a vast black pool formed, its center slowly churning with a vortex.
With a sweep of his hands, pillars of dark water shot out from the Ink Abyss, crashing toward Noritoshi Kamo. He crushed a blood bag in his hand, then moved with precise, measured steps to evade each strike. At the same time, a complex blood-red talisman formed atop a pile of stones that had been lifted nearby.
"Talisman Manipulation—[Puppet Shadow Play]."
The stones gathered and rose, forming a giant over ten meters tall. It stretched out its arms to shield Noritoshi Kamo beneath it. Looking closely, one could see that before the stone puppet moved, its shadow moved first, and only then did the body follow, as if someone were controlling the shadow from behind like a shadow puppet performance.
Because the stone giant was so heavy and unwieldy, Megumi Fushiguro dismissed the Ink Abyss, which consumed a massive amount of Cursed Energy, and formed hand seals.
"Did you figure it out?"
Noritoshi Kamo stepped out from beside the stone puppet, erasing all the blood lines drawn nearby.
"You said talismans are a form of [invocation] that communicates with the world. That means in something like a Domain, which completely isolates the inside from the outside, most talismans would stop working…"
"That's right. That's the most fatal flaw of talismans."
Noritoshi Kamo nodded, acknowledging Megumi Fushiguro's conclusion. Then he crushed the last blood bag in his hand. The blood spread out like branching veins, forming a barrier that enclosed the two of them. At the same time, he formed hand seals.
"That's why I've prepared a way to deal with Domains."
"Domain Expansion…"
The surrounding scenery vanished.
Almost no light could penetrate the space, with only a few circular beams descending from above.
The ground beneath their feet turned soft yet resilient. The air grew thick with the stench of blood, and a deep rumbling like a surging flood echoed all around...
"[Funeral Chamber of the Heart]."
Standing where light and shadow intertwined, Noritoshi Kamo spoke:
"Let me teach you one more thing in place of Sensei… once you've decided on something, don't let anyone interrupt your train of thought…"