Chapter 31 — Then I'll Go All Out Too
Boom!
The classroom wall exploded outward, a gaping hole blasted through concrete and brick.
Ren landed on the athletic field outside, dust and grit clinging to his clothes. Broken bricks and rubble piled around his feet.
His arms were crossed defensively before his chest. He was breathing hard—both forearms trembling uncontrollably.
"Ren!" Miwa and Momo's cries rang out from inside the classroom.
He's strong.
Ren lifted his eyes through the settling smoke, staring back into the ruined classroom.
Even though he had raised his arms in time to guard his face, the force transmitted through his bones had shaken him to the core.
That punch—
It was the strongest raw physical power he had encountered since entering the jujutsu world.
It was even—
On par with his own enhanced physique.
Two sparks of light flickered in his dark pupils. Excitement curled at the corner of his lips.
At last.
He kicked off the ground and lunged straight back into the smoke.
Boom!
Their fists collided at the edge of the classroom ruins. The earth beneath them fractured instantly, spiderweb cracks racing across the concrete.
"Th-this—this is bad!" Miwa stammered as the remaining walls shuddered violently. "It's going to collapse, isn't it?!"
Seeing Ren alive had reassured her—but the escalating destruction sent her heart right back into her throat.
Momo swooped down on her broom, grabbed Miwa in one swift motion, and set her in front of her on the broom handle.
"Take it outside!" she called sharply as she flew through the blasted opening, passing the two combatants.
Both men shifted without a word, stepping fully onto the open field.
Fists saturated with cursed energy hammered into Ren's body again and again. Each blow sent shockwaves of pain through him—
Yet alongside the pain, something else surged within him.
Thrill.
The exhilaration of finally meeting an equal.
After blocking Ren's full-force punch, Todo's square, battle-hardened face broke into a savage grin.
"Seems I misjudged you," he said, voice thick with excitement. "You're not entirely a dull man."
"At the very least—"
"You're a worthy punching bag!"
He drove another fist forward.
This one pierced straight through Ren's crossed guard and slammed into his abdomen.
Boom!
Ren was blasted backward, skidding across the dirt.
"Ugh—!"
Agony churned through his stomach like a tidal wave. He nearly vomited from the force alone.
And yet—
Through the pain, his eyes burned brighter than ever.
Before Ren could steady himself, Todo lunged again.
Another punch came crashing toward his face.
Whoosh—
Ren snapped his head sideways on instinct. He didn't fully evade it. The fist grazed his cheek, and a burst of white-hot pain exploded across his jaw.
Damn it.
He had already realized something crucial:
Their raw strength was evenly matched.
But Todo's hand-to-hand technique far surpassed his own.
Every time their power met head-on, Ren could hold his ground. Yet between those clashes, Todo slipped in sudden, unpredictable strikes—clean, efficient, devastating.
Ren leapt back several times, widening the distance. He spat a mouthful of blood into the sand.
"Well, boy?" Todo flexed, bare upper body corded with muscle, eyes blazing at the swelling-faced youth. "Have you felt it? The power of a true man?"
He grinned wildly.
"A man's taste in women should be the same!"
"A real man loves tall women with big butts!"
"Understand that truth—through my fists!"
…This guy is insane.
That was Ren's final verdict.
Clinically insane.
Still—
He was an excellent opponent.
Ren didn't dodge this time. He stepped in and threw a punch.
Boom!
Their fists collided again. The ground split into spiderweb cracks, dust and torn grass erupting like waves.
Bang!
In the chaos, another punch slipped through and clipped Ren's face.
He didn't care.
After spitting out blood, he locked his gaze onto Todo, studying every movement of this half-naked maniac.
The best teacher—
Is your opponent.
Todo suppressed him with superior technique. But that very technique was priceless learning material.
And because Todo's physique was powerful enough to endure it, he could demonstrate his combat system at full speed, without restraint.
To Ren, in this moment—
Todo was the perfect instructor.
Ren focused completely.
With twelve times the perception and cognitive processing of an ordinary person, he absorbed, analyzed, reconstructed.
Each exchange sharpened him.
Gradually—
The number of clean hits Todo landed on vital points began to decrease.
And Ren began breaking through Todo's guard, leaving fist marks and kick imprints on that massive frame.
After barely ten minutes, Todo realized something shocking.
The boy who had initially relied purely on physical resilience to survive—
Was now matching him evenly.
His movements no longer leaked openings.
Instead, he moved like a mirror.
And in that mirror—
Todo saw himself.
No matter how unpredictable his feints, how vicious his combinations, the boy would replicate them almost instantly—digesting and returning them with terrifying speed.
Bang!
After another violent collision, the two separated, landing over ten meters apart.
Sweat streamed down Todo's temples.
His chest heaved. After sustained explosive output, even his cursed energy was beginning to wane.
Across from him, Ren flicked the hair from his forehead, eyes blazing.
"Is that all?" Ren asked bluntly.
"If that's your limit, we might as well stop."
"To be honest, this fight is starting to bore me."
"If you don't show me something new soon…"
"It's over."
Todo spat blood into the dirt.
"Kid, your trash talk is as shallow as your taste in women."
He bent his knees, preparing to charge again—
Then froze.
Something shifted.
A tremor pulsed from the boy standing motionless across the field.
"What… is this?"
A bad premonition crawled up Todo's spine. A bead of sweat slid down his temple.
Wind began to howl.
An invisible pressure spread outward from Ren's body.
"To be honest," Ren said calmly through the rising gale, "this duel has been enjoyable."
"I've learned a lot from you."
"So as a courtesy…"
"Let me show you my real strength, Senpai."
"From this point on—"
"I'm releasing my cursed energy."
Todo's eyes widened.
"What do you mean 'releasing'—don't tell me you were holding back this entire—"
"That's right," Ren replied evenly.
"You're strong, Todo-senpai. The strongest I've met so far."
"Your physical power combined with your cursed energy…"
"…is equal to my full physical strength."
The wind roared louder.
And the pressure continued to rise.