The sun was bright, and the breeze was gentle.
But standing in the center of the field, Yuta Okkotsu felt as if he were in an ice cellar, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
Opposite him stood Maki Zenin, wielding a wooden sword with a sharp, piercing gaze.
Under the shade of a nearby tree, Yoru sat lounging in a chair, a lollipop stolen from Satoru Gojo in his mouth, watching the scene with a relaxed air.
"First practical combat lesson."
"Maki, you'll be Yuta's opponent."
Yoru gestured casually toward the two.
"Remember, Yuta can't control Rika yet, so Maki, keep your strikes measured. Don't actually kill him."
"As for Yuta..."
Yoru glanced at the boy whose hands were shaking as he gripped his katana.
"Do whatever you have to do to stay alive."
"Begin."
As soon as Yoru's words fell—
*Whoosh!*
Maki Zenin didn't hesitate for a second, launching forward like an arrow from a bow!
Though she possessed no cursed energy, the terrifying physical power granted by her Heavenly Restriction made her so fast that Yuta Okkotsu couldn't even react!
'So fast!'
Yuta's pupils shrank, and he instinctively raised his katana to block.
*Thump!*
A dull sound echoed.
Maki's wooden sword accurately struck Yuta's wrist.
The sharp pain made Yuta groan, and the katana nearly flew from his grasp.
Before he could regain his balance, Maki's second strike followed immediately!
"Your leg strength is too weak! Your stance is unstable!"
*Thump!*
"The way you hold the sword is completely amateurish! You're full of openings!"
*Thump!*
"Where are you looking?! Getting distracted in a fight is asking for death!"
*Thud, thud, thud!*
Over the next three minutes...
A brutal, one-sided lesson took place on the field.
Yuta Okkotsu was like a pathetic punching bag, driven across the field by Maki's wooden sword, covered in bruises and looking utterly wretched.
"This isn't working..."
Maki kicked Yuta to the ground and pointed her wooden sword at him, shaking her head in disappointment.
"This guy's physical skills are worse than an elementary schooler's."
"He's just flailing around like an amateur on pure instinct."
Lying on the ground, Yuta clutched his stomach in pain, his eyes red and filled with deep frustration and self-doubt.
*He really was a waste.*
*Aside from Rika, he couldn't do anything right; he couldn't protect anyone.*
Just as Yuta was falling into despair...
*Tap.*
A leafy tree branch suddenly landed in front of him.
Yuta froze, then looked up with difficulty.
Yoru had left his chair and was now standing before him.
"Get up."
Yoru's voice was still gentle, yet it carried an undeniable authority.
"Maki, step back."
"I'll give him a demonstration personally."
Hearing Yoru's words, Maki was momentarily stunned before a flash of irrepressible excitement crossed her eyes, and she respectfully withdrew.
To witness Instructor Yoru fight in person—that was a learning opportunity more precious than any special training!
Yuta gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain throughout his body as he picked up the katana and stood up shakily.
"Instructor Yoru... please guide me."
Yoru didn't go for a wooden sword from the weapon rack.
Instead, he picked up the branch he had just dropped and gave it a couple of casual swings.
"Yuta, hold your sword tight."
"Now, I'll use this branch to show you what true swordsmanship is."
*A branch? Against him, holding a real blade?*
Yuta was stunned. Though he knew Yoru was strong, wasn't this a bit too arrogant?
"Don't look down on me!"
A spark of defiance was ignited. Yuta roared, gripping the katana with both hands as he charged recklessly at Yoru!
"Aaaaaaah!"
As he sprinted, Maki's earlier movements flashed through his mind.
He tried to mimic her power delivery, concentrating his entire body's strength into his hands as he swung the blade down toward Yoru's head!
At the same time, sensing Yuta's intense will to fight...
Rika, who had been dormant inside him, began to stir. A massive surge of cursed energy instantly flooded his limbs, causing his speed and power to multiply several times over in a split second!
This strike...
It even had the faint aura of a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit!
"Not bad, knowing how to use cursed energy to reinforce your body."
Watching the katana descend with the sound of tearing air, Yoru's deep red eyes instantly activated the Transparent World!
In Yoru's vision...
Yuta's seemingly fierce attack, which even left afterimages, was like a slow-motion replay—excruciatingly slow!
"But..."
"There is no will in your sword, only fear!"
*Crack!*
A crisp sound of impact.
The branch in Yoru's hand moved at an impossible angle and speed, striking Yuta's wrist precisely on a pressure point!
*Clang!*
Yuta felt his hands go numb, and the katana he had been gripping tightly flew out of his grasp and hit the ground.
Before he could even react—
*Shink!*
The branch in Yoru's hand left a blur in the air, like a viper's tongue, coming to a steady halt right at Yuta's throat.
The emerald leaf at the tip of the branch even swayed gently in the breeze.
If Yoru moved even a millimeter further, this seemingly fragile branch could easily pierce Yuta's throat!
Silence fell over the field.
Whether it was Maki, Toge, or Panda, everyone's eyes widened, and they held their breath.
Too fast, too precise!
That terrifying swordsmanship, which seemed to see through everything and infinitely magnify every opening, was a total dimensional mismatch!
"Do you see it, Yuta?"
Yoru looked at the cold-sweat-drenched Yuta, who didn't even dare to take a breath.
"Swordsmanship isn't about using cursed energy reinforcements to flail wildly like an amateur."
"It's about infusing your will, your breathing, and your soul entirely into the sword in your hand!"
"The moment you grasp that blade..."
"You are no longer a cowardly victim, but a warrior capable of cutting through any obstacle!"
Yoru flicked his wrist.
The branch traced a graceful arc through the air, and with a snap, it flicked the katana off the ground.
The blade spun a few times in the air before landing upright, firmly embedded in the dirt before Yuta.
"Pick it up."
A suffocating battle intent burned within Yoru's red eyes.
"Again!"
Looking at the katana stuck in the ground before him...
Yuta bit his lip so hard that a trickle of blood ran down the corner of his mouth.
In his mind, he kept replaying Yoru's divine, flawless strike.
*Fear? Despair? No!*
Under the crushing weight of Yoru's absolute power, the stubbornness and refusal to give in that had been hidden deep inside Yuta for sixteen years were finally ignited!
He yanked the katana from the ground, staring at Yoru with bloodshot eyes.
"Again!"
A brutal training session that would change the future of the entire Jujutsu world had officially reached a fever pitch under Yoru's absolute dominance!
And the boy known as the "God of Pure Love" finally took his first step toward awakening amidst this endless pain and torment!