Seeing the slender figure that had suddenly appeared behind Suguru Geto, undetected until that very moment...
Yuta Okkotsu and Toge Inumaki let out low cries of surprise simultaneously.
The suffocating, terrifying pressure from facing a Special Grade Curse User miraculously vanished the moment Yoru placed his hand on Suguru Geto's shoulder.
Suguru Geto's body stiffened for a fraction of a second.
He slowly turned his head.
Under the dim yellow glow of the streetlamp, he looked at the face that hadn't changed at all after ten years—even that calm, indifferent temperament remained exactly the same.
A flicker of complex emotion flashed uncontrollably deep within his pupils.
There was shock, relief, and a deep bond known only to the two of them.
'You... you actually crawled back from that hellish temporal turbulence.'
Suguru Geto sighed silently in his heart.
But on the surface, he quickly suppressed all emotion, replacing it with a cold, even murderous expression.
"Well, well, what an unexpected reunion."
Suguru Geto gently brushed Yoru's hand off his shoulder and took half a step back to maintain a safe distance.
He narrowed his long, thin eyes, sizing up this familiar yet strange old friend.
"Yoru..."
"You ghost who disappeared for ten years, you're actually still alive."
His tone was filled with blatant mockery and contempt.
"But looking at you, it seems you're still the same as back then—trash without a shred of cursed energy."
"How can a monkey like you, who isn't even fit to survive in the jujutsu world, presume to stand in the way of my ideals?"
Hearing Suguru Geto dare to call Instructor Yoru a monkey and trash...
Yuta Okkotsu was instantly enraged.
"Don't you dare insult Instructor Yoru!"
He drew the katana at his waist, and his massive Special Grade cursed energy began to boil, almost prompting him to summon Rika once more.
"Stand down, Yuta."
Yoru remained relaxed with his hands in his pockets, not even glancing at Suguru Geto as he waved a hand dismissively.
"This isn't your fight anymore. Take Toge and go rest to the side."
"But..."
Yuta tried to protest, but Toge Inumaki grabbed the hem of his uniform.
Though Toge couldn't speak, his eyes were full of absolute trust in Yoru. He shook his head at Yuta, signaling him not to act rashly.
"Heh, still love playing the hero, don't you?"
Suguru Geto's eyes flickered with a hint of hidden admiration at Yoru's composure, but the sneer on his lips grew more arrogant.
"Since you're so eager to die, I'll grant your wish."
"Perfect. Let me see how many seconds you, the legend of ten years ago, can last against the current me!"
The moment he finished speaking...
The shadow behind Suguru Geto began to writhe violently!
"Roar—!"
With a deafening, terrifying roar, a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit the size of a truck, covered in sharp bone spikes and eerie human faces, burst from the darkness!
It opened its maw, which reeked of nauseating decay, and lunged ruthlessly toward Yoru's head with a force capable of crushing steel!
"Watch out!"
Yuta's eyes widened, and he instinctively cried out in warning.
Faced with a Grade 1 monster capable of instantly killing an average sorcerer, Yoru didn't even draw the standard-issue steel sword he wore as a disguise.
He simply raised his right hand, pressing his index and middle fingers together, and pointed them toward the lunging curse with total nonchalance.
"Whoosh—"
In the moment he pointed his fingers...
The sound of Yoru's breathing suddenly became long and burning. Even the surrounding air began to distort violently due to the sudden spike in temperature!
[SUN BREATHING: TWELFTH FORM]!
Though he hadn't drawn his blade, Yoru perfectly channeled the essence of Sun Breathing through his fingertips!
Buzz!
The moment his fingertips touched the curse's hardened bone spikes...
A faint yet blindingly bright red flare erupted in mid-air!
[CRIMSON FLASH]!
It was a phenomenon similar to Black Flash, but requiring no cursed energy—a physical spatial distortion caused by the overlapping of supersonic shockwaves and breathing technique strikes!
BOOM—!!!
With a heavy blast...
The aggressive, massive Grade 1 Cursed Spirit didn't even have time to scream.
The moment its indestructible body touched the miniature flame dance at Yoru's fingertips, it was like a block of ice thrown into the core of the sun.
In less than a second, it was completely...
Vaporized!
No blood, no debris, not even a trace of residual cursed energy was left behind.
Dead silence returned to the street.
Only a heat haze generated by the high temperature slowly rolled through the air.
Hiss—
Witnessing this miraculous scene, Yuta and Toge both gasped, their brains momentarily stalling.
He didn't even draw his sword... just used two fingers.
He... he one-shotted a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit?!
And in such an incomprehensible way, evaporating it into nothingness!
Is this Instructor Yoru's true power?
Is this the absolute dominance of the 'Cursed-Energy-Less Sword Saint' that even Gojo-sensei had to acknowledge?!
"I see..."
Seeing the patch of ground where not even ash remained, Suguru Geto's pupils constricted. Waves of shock crashed through his heart.
Although he knew Yoru was strong...
This level of lethality—effortless and transcending the laws of jujutsu—still shook him deeply.
'This guy... where did he go these last ten years? Why does he feel even more monstrous than before?!'
"You certainly haven't spent these ten years in vain," Suguru Geto said, forcing down his shock and returning to his effortless sneer.
"But if this is your trump card, I'm quite disappointed."
"In my collection, I have tens of thousands of toys at this level."
Yoru did not respond to the provocation. Instead, he slowly withdrew his hand.
With his hands back in his pockets, he walked toward Suguru Geto step by step until they were less than half a meter apart.
In the shadow of the streetlamp...
Yoru's deep crimson eyes stared intently into Suguru's narrow ones.
Then.
He leaned in slightly and whispered into Suguru's ear, his voice teasing and audible only to the two of them:
"Your acting has gotten rusty..."
"Lord Leader."
Suguru Geto's body stiffened, and the corner of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
'You bastard!'
'I've spent ten years working hard on this performance, playing mind games every day with those rotten oranges and that old fox Kenjaku, and you show up and blow my cover?!'
'Do you want me to release a few Special Grade curses to bite you to death right now?!'
Despite the frantic complaining in his head, Suguru Geto's face maintained the arrogant, megalomaniacal expression of a villain boss.
"Hahahahaha!"
Suguru Geto suddenly threw his head back and let out a chilling, maniacal laugh.
He leaped backward, putting distance between himself and Yoru.
"Good! Excellent!"
"Yoru, you truly haven't disappointed me!"
"The stronger Jujutsu High's forces are, the more interesting this upcoming game will be!"
Beneath Suguru Geto's feet, a Rainbow Dragon—larger than the surrounding buildings and radiating a terrifying pressure—slowly materialized.
He jumped onto its back, looking down at Yoru, Yuta, and Toge from above.
"Listen well, Yuta Okkotsu."
"We will meet again very soon."
"And when that time comes, I will personally... strip Rika away from you!"
"Farewell, my foolish old friends."
Amidst his arrogant laughter...
The massive Rainbow Dragon took to the skies, turning into a streak of light and vanishing into the vast night.
Yuta watched with a wary and angry gaze, while Toge remained alert, clutching his collar and ready to unleash Cursed Speech.
Yoru stood silently, watching the direction where Suguru had disappeared. A faint, hidden smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Is the declaration of war finally coming?"
"Suguru, your ten years of endurance and planning..."
"I will be the one to bring them to a perfect conclusion."
Yoru turned around, looking at his two students who were still somewhat shaken. His tone returned to its usual warmth.
"Let's go. Back to Jujutsu High."
"In the coming days, your training intensity might have to double."
Beneath the seemingly calm night...
The great storm destined to reshape the entire jujutsu world—the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons—was finally about to draw back its bloody and cruel curtain!
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]