Chapter 32: Twin Black Flash
"So," Ren said calmly, "I'll use my cursed energy as well—out of respect for you."
Boom!
A punch overflowing with fully released cursed energy shot straight toward Todo.
Before it even landed, Todo felt the violent pressure of the oncoming force. The shockwave alone sliced against his skin like invisible blades.
He crossed his arms in haste.
Boom!!!
The fist slammed into his guard.
His massive body was blasted backward. His arms nearly fractured from the impact, and a crushing pain exploded through his chest.
Still airborne—
Another fully powered punch came from Ren's right side.
Direct hit.
Boom!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
…
Todo felt like nothing more than a sandbag, battered midair, tossed back and forth without the slightest chance to counterattack.
The speed was overwhelming.
The power—unstoppable.
After more than a dozen strikes, he crashed into the ground with a thunderous impact.
Every inch of his body screamed in shattered agony. He couldn't even twitch a finger.
"I–is it… over?"
His swollen face tilted toward the sky. The brilliant blue and blazing sunlight swam in his vision, making his already dazed mind spin.
"How… could I lose… to such a boring man…"
"Does that mean… I'm even more boring than him?"
"No… that's impossible…"
Suddenly—
A vision appeared in his mind.
A lively, adorable girl in a sailor uniform, black twin-tails bouncing at her shoulders.
No.
He couldn't lose.
He couldn't give up here.
If he did—
How could he face Takada-chan?
How could he live up to her love?
How could he ever become a man worthy of her?!
Tears streamed from Todo's fierce eyes.
With a roar, he surged to his feet in an instant. His presence exploded upward, cursed energy flooding through his body like a raging tide. Raising his fist high, he charged at Ren with everything he had left.
Ren did not dodge.
He smiled faintly—and met the charge with a punch of his own.
But at the very instant their fists collided, Ren caught a glimpse—
Black lightning burst from Todo's massive fist. At the same time, a sinister pressure exploded outward in every direction.
Boom!!!
A devastating force surged back along Ren's arm, shredding his sleeve to pieces. He was blasted dozens of meters away, completely unable to resist.
"T-this is…?"
Clutching his arm—now aching as if it were about to snap—he forced himself back to his feet, shock flooding his mind.
What just happened?
How did someone he had been overwhelming moments ago suddenly gain the power to overwhelm him instead?
"Was that… a technique?"
"Oh, this?" Todo glanced at his own fist. On his fierce, square face, an oddly tender expression appeared.
"This isn't a technique."
"This is the power Takada-chan has bestowed upon me!"
The boundless devotion in his voice—along with the blazing hope shining from his eyes—made Ren feel physically ill.
"T-Takada… what?"
Was this some secret jujutsu art he'd never heard of? What kind of mysterious method could amplify a sorcerer's power not just exponentially—but absurdly so?
"Yes. Takada-chan!" Todo nodded solemnly, then looked at him.
"I acknowledge you, brother."
"You are an unpolished gem."
"Your tastes may still be crude—but with proper guidance, you could shine brighter than anyone before you."
"Do you want this power?"
"Then join Takada-chan's fan club with me!"
"Su—"
Ren almost agreed instinctively at the promise of power—then abruptly paused.
"…What exactly is Takada-chan?"
"She's the idol Todo worships," Momo called from above, rolling her eyes with open disdain.
"Don't listen to his nonsense."
She absolutely did not want her adorable junior turning into another starry-eyed fanatic chanting Takada this and Takada that. (Chanting 'Momo-senpai' would be acceptable, though.) She caught herself mid-fantasy and cleared her throat.
"As for that power just now—it's not something Takada gave him."
"It's called Black Flash."
"When a physical strike and cursed energy impact land within 0.000001 seconds of each other, space itself distorts. The force of the blow increases to the power of 2.5."
Exponentially enhanced…!
Ren's eyes sharpened.
"But it's not something you can trigger at will," Momo continued, reading his expression instantly.
"Most sorcerers experience it only by chance—and even after it happens once, it's not controllable. At best, it becomes slightly more likely to occur again."
"After all, a margin of 0.000001 seconds is beyond human control. It's pure probability."
"And be careful—Black Flash isn't just a momentary burst. It allows a sorcerer to touch the core of cursed energy itself. Someone who has entered that state is fundamentally different from someone who hasn't. From here on, Todo—"
"Wait."
Ren raised a hand.
"You said 'probability'… and 'luck,' right?"
"Yes, but—"
Momo suddenly realized—
He was gone.
The next instant, an explosive shockwave erupted from where he had been standing.
BOOOOM—
The ground collapsed outward from that single point. Within seconds, a crater over ten meters wide had formed.
"R-Ren?!"
Momo froze in panic. Was that an attack? Where was he? She shouted instinctively.
"I'm up here, senpai."
The voice came from high above.
"T-that's—"
Among everyone present, only Todo—his senses sharpened by Black Flash—caught a fleeting afterimage.
The excitement drained from his face, replaced by stunned disbelief.
He slowly raised his head toward the sky.
A calm, resonant voice descended from above.
"That's right. This is Black Flash."
"You're correct, Momo-senpai. A sorcerer who has experienced Black Flash is worlds apart from one who hasn't."
"I feel… unprecedented clarity."
"But this isn't the end."
"Next—I'll trigger Black Flash again."
What?!
A chill shot up Todo's spine.
Trigger it at will? Had this boy calculated it in advance? Where did that confidence come from?
And yet—
The tone in his voice left no doubt.
He wasn't bluffing.
"By using a Black Flash through my legs to launch off the ground," Ren continued from above, "I convert its force into propulsion."
"Then I rise—converting it into gravitational potential energy."
"And at the moment I descend—"
"I trigger Black Flash again."
"This strike—infused with the power of two Black Flashes—"
"I call it—"
"Twin Heavenly Black Flash."