His movement speed was astonishing, and his cursed technique had never been publicly disclosed.
Thanks to the newly added rules, people inside and outside the colonies could now communicate directly by phone.
As enemies of Jujutsu High, the Zenin clan's inherited techniques had already been explained to the students beforehand by Shoko Ieiri and Atsuya Kusakabe after returning from the Gojo clan.
Watching from afar, Nobara Kugisaki could clearly see how Yuji Itadori was being toyed with by Naoya Zenin's speed.
Restricting his movement was the key to victory.
Facing the rapidly approaching Naoya, a villainous fierceness appeared in Nobara's eyes.
"Straw Doll Technique: Hairpin!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The countless nails embedded in the ground from her earlier support attack suddenly erupted with terrifying cursed energy fluctuations!
Flames of cursed energy swept outward, surrounding Naoya.
Boom!
Naoya abruptly halted, his gaze narrowing slightly.
Feeling the cursed flames rushing toward him from all directions, the seriousness in his eyes quickly faded.
"So you're only around semi-grade 1."
"You almost fooled me, woman."
Faced with Naoya's ridicule, a triumphant smile appeared on Nobara's face.
"Oh really?"
"Black Flash!!!"
A sudden punch slammed hard into Naoya's abdomen!
"Guh—!"
A mountain-like force exploded through his stomach. Naoya's eyes bulged as his body bent like a shrimp and was blasted backward!
"Yuji's the vessel holding the King of Curses!"
"And that little punch was your best effort?"
Looking down at Naoya vomiting blood on the ground, Nobara mocked him with a grin.
"With punches that weak, were you trying to flirt with Yuji or something?"
Nobara's earlier attack had served two purposes:
First, to restrict Naoya's movement.
Second, to deceive his senses.
The sudden eruption of cursed energy obscured his vision while also masking Yuji's movements.
Clang!!!
After taunting him, Nobara swung her hammer again, firing a nail toward Naoya's vitals.
At the same time, Yuji followed up with a punch toward the bleeding Naoya.
"Projection Sorcery!"
Yuji's body suddenly froze in place—
Like a paper doll pinned motionless.
When Naoya had previously punched Yuji into the wall, he had already marked him with his technique.
Rolling away in a miserable scramble to avoid Nobara's nail, Naoya stood back up with venom written all over his face.
To be injured by insects he looked down upon…
Utter humiliation!
"You bastards… are dead!!!"
Blood hanging from the corner of his mouth, Naoya's eyes radiated terrifying killing intent.
Projection Sorcery activated continuously.
Again and again, Yuji was frozen in place!
BOOM!!!
Naoya's fists blurred into afterimages, blow after blow crashing into Yuji's head and vulnerable abdomen!
Meanwhile, he effortlessly dodged every nail Nobara fired in support.
Once he killed the vessel in front of him…
Surely that mocking woman would be heartbroken too.
Blood sprayed into the air again and again.
Yuji, now covered head to toe in blood, had no chance to fight back!
Even understanding how Projection Sorcery worked, it was nearly impossible to replicate Naoya's precise movements.
"Damn it!"
Watching the battle spiral into disaster, Nobara gritted her teeth.
That bastard was too fast.
She couldn't pin him down.
Even her previously used Hairpin technique was now useless—Naoya was carefully watching the positions of every nail embedded in the ground.
What do I do… what do I do?!
Seeing Yuji's life force beginning to weaken, panic filled her heart.
Saving the world had never been Nobara's lofty motivation for entering the Culling Game.
She simply wanted to help the people she cared about.
She wanted to stay with the few precious friends she had.
Unlike Megumi Fushiguro, she didn't possess an overwhelmingly powerful cursed technique.
Her talent was ordinary too.
Even Yuji—a newcomer to jujutsu—was more useful than she was now.
At the very least, she couldn't unleash Black Flash as naturally as he could.
Calm down… calm down!!!
The tension in Nobara's face gradually eased.
Her breathing steadied.
She recalled the lessons she'd heard within Mirai Zenin's Domain.
She remembered the Black Flash she and Yuji had unleashed together at Yasohachi Bridge.
And the advice Megumi had given her after expanding his Domain.
Haaaah—
"Be greedier… be more serious…"
"Squeeze out every last drop of cursed energy hidden inside your body…"
"Use limitless imagination…"
"Imagine the version of yourself that surpasses your limits."
"Hey! What kind of nonsense are you muttering over there, woman?!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Naoya laughed viciously as he continued hammering Yuji's body with punch after punch.
"You're really cold-hearted, aren't you?"
"Isn't this brat your comrade?"
"He's practically dying right in front of you, and you haven't shed a single tear!"
"You're so damn noisy!!!"
Nobara emptied every ounce of cursed energy from her body.
All across the ground, the scattered nails began vibrating violently with sharp metallic shrieks.
At the exact instant Naoya sensed something was wrong—
He met Nobara's crazed grin.
She had finally grasped that fleeting spark of inspiration!
Under Naoya's shocked gaze, Nobara tossed aside her hammer and formed a hand seal.
"Domain Expansion: Thorned Road to Rebirth!"
BOOM!!!
From the cracks in the nail-covered ground, countless thorny vines exploded outward instantly!
The road of thorns enveloped all three fighters within the Domain.
Upon the thorn-covered path stood dozens of straw dolls formed from cursed energy, each pierced through by countless nails as they stared directly at Naoya.
Behind Nobara bloomed an enchanting black rose.
"You bastard… do you know the meaning of roses?"
Without waiting for Naoya's answer, Nobara brushed aside her hair and continued calmly:
"Red roses symbolize passionate love."
"But black roses symbolize death."
"And stop calling me 'woman' like it's some insult."
"Remember this…"
"My name is Nobara Kugisaki!"
If her hands hadn't been occupied with the seal, she would've snapped her fingers too.
BOOM!!!
The thorn blossoms erupted.
Countless spikes from the ground surged toward Naoya's body!
Through the straw dolls, dozens of nails filled Naoya's vision.
A guaranteed hit within the Domain.
No matter how fast he was—
It was meaningless.
Yuji stared blankly at the bloodied figure collapsed before him, utterly stunned.
"Nobara… you're insanely strong!"
The moment he turned around—
He saw Nobara collapse face-first toward the ground.
"Hey, Nobara!"
Covered in blood himself, Yuji stumbled over to her.
"You okay?!"
Supporting Nobara by the shoulders, Yuji looked deeply worried.
"Quit shaking me, idiot. I'm just exhausted."
"Domain Expansion seriously burns through cursed energy like crazy…"
Though she complained, her face was overflowing with excitement.
Domain Expansion…
The supreme technique every sorcerer dreamed of reaching.
"Hehehe!"
Seeing the smile on Nobara's face, Yuji couldn't help smiling too.
"What're you grinning at, dumbass?!"
Nobara smacked him across the forehead and barked:
"Hurry up and carry me!"
"That fight made way too much noise. If someone else shows up, we're seriously screwed."
"That monster Mirai Zenin is still inside this colony!"
"O-Okay!"
Yuji nodded repeatedly and lifted Nobara into a princess carry as they headed toward the colony exit.
Perhaps because they'd let their guard down.
Or because they were in too much of a hurry, afraid more guards would arrive.
Neither of them noticed—
The Kogane beside them never announced any points gained for killing a player.
Within the pool of blood, a filthy face slowly lifted upward.
Soft footsteps echoed nearby.
On the verge of death, Naoya struggled to raise his eyes.
A pure white haori.
The hem fluttering gently in the wind.
Meeting those cold, emotionless eyes, Naoya muttered weakly:
"Future… clan head."