At the bottom of the ravine, Jogo's miserable state was shocking to behold.
His hands had been reduced to ashes by the previous impact of Cursed Energy, leaving only bloody stumps. Black mist of Cursed Energy continuously surged from the wounds, yet it could do nothing to alleviate the bone-deep agony.
He slumped into the churning soil, his previous arrogance completely crushed, his eyes filled only with extreme shock and deep bewilderment at Rin's strength.
"An attack of that power... I can do it too..."
A hoarse whisper escaped Jogo's throat, blood dripping continuously from the corners of his mouth:
"But why can he unleash it instantly? There's no need for any buildup... How on earth does this brat manage such output intensity for his Cursed Technique?!"
He couldn't fathom it. As fellow Special Grade entities, an attack that required him to gather half of his Cursed Energy to unleash was something Rin could produce effortlessly, and with even greater power.
This absolute crushing of strength made him, a Special Grade Cursed Spirit who held himself in high regard, feel an unprecedented sense of defeat.
But before his shock could dissipate, a figure broke through the lingering smoke of the battlefield, appearing at the edge of the ravine as if teleporting.
Rin maintained a posture of extreme forward momentum, his black hair blown by the airflow, his Crimson Sharingan particularly striking amidst the smoke.
His right foot was raised high behind him, knee bent, his entire body like a fully drawn bowstring, striking a standard yet devastatingly powerful kicking pose.
"Still have the mind to daydream?"
The calm greeting had barely finished when Rin's thunderous kick arrived, faster than the sound itself.
"Bang!"
A dull, thunderous boom exploded in the ravine.
Rin's right foot struck Jogo's chin with precision, the terrifying force slamming down like a ten-thousand-ton sledgehammer.
Jogo felt an irresistible force erupt from his chin, instantly sweeping through his entire body; the crisp sound of bones shattering was clearly audible.
His chin was completely pulverized, and pitch-black teeth mixed with a large amount of blood spewed out uncontrollably, tracing a glaring line of blood in the air.
Jogo, who hadn't yet recovered from the pain of his severed hands, had his body launched straight toward the sky by this immense force, like a fired cannonball.
His broken body traced a pathetic arc through the air, black mist of Cursed Energy and red blood intermingling, appearing exceptionally miserable.
Agony and humiliation intertwined, instantly igniting Jogo's rage.
He had thought himself the hunter, never expecting to be so thoroughly crushed by his prey; he had wanted to prove himself, only to end up in such a wretched state.
The excruciating pain in his chin, the disability of his severed hands, the humiliation of being looked down upon... all these negative emotions erupted at this moment, plunging him into a state of extreme fury.
"Aaaah!!!"
Jogo let out a beast-like roar in the air, the Cursed Energy around him churning wildly. The flames that had been subsiding surged again, like a burning comet, charging down toward Rin on the ground with an aura of destruction.
His injuries also recovered instantly at this moment; this was the advantage of a Cursed Spirit—no matter how severe the damage, as long as the core was not destroyed, they could quickly recover using Cursed Energy.
A hoarse roar was squeezed from Jogo's shattered throat, mixed with blood foam, filled with unwillingness and madness.
He detonated all his remaining Cursed Energy, seeking only to drag this human who had humiliated him into hell before he fell.
Rin stood where he was, watching the "comet" rapidly approaching in the sky. Instead of showing any fear, a playful smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
He could clearly feel the temperature around Jogo rising at a terrifying speed; that scorching aura even distorted the air, causing the scene before his eyes to shimmer slightly.
The ground beneath his feet had long since lost its original appearance.
Under the terrifying high temperature erupted by Jogo, the concrete road began to melt and crack, revealing the soil and rocks beneath.
These originally hard substances gradually softened and liquefied in the extreme heat, eventually turning into pools of bubbling magma that made "gurgling" sounds, as if the earth itself were wailing in pain under this high temperature.
The surrounding trees had already been destroyed by the previous explosion and shockwaves; the remaining branches were ignited in an instant, turning into charcoal, before being swallowed by the magma and disappearing without a trace.
The entire area had completely devolved into a molten purgatory; red magma flowed slowly along the ravines in the ground, burning everything in its path.
"Boom!!!"
A deafening roar echoed once again in the valley. The burning comet that Jogo had become slammed heavily into the ground, the immense impact instantly kicking up a sky full of magma and debris, forming a terrifying mushroom cloud that shot straight into the sky.
The earth trembled violently, and from the center of the impact point, deep fissures spread outward, as if the entire mountain range were about to collapse at this moment.
At the point of impact, a huge lava pit suddenly appeared.
The pit was filled with churning magma, red tongues of fire continuously spewing out, emitting a terrifying heat capable of melting steel.
Jogo's figure was enveloped by the magma; only a distorted mass of flames could be seen struggling and burning within, his Cursed Energy still erupting wildly, attempting to completely incinerate this corner of the world.
Smoke and magma vapor filled the air, making the area even dimmer and hotter.
Rin's figure retreated several steps under the impact of the explosion; his hem was singed by flying sparks, making a faint sizzling sound.
He raised his hand to pat out the sparks, his Crimson Sharingan still locked tightly onto Jogo in the lava pit, the smile on his face undiminished.
"Hmm, this move is not bad."
Rin's voice remained clear amidst the roaring, carrying a hint of light mockery:
"However, if you think this is enough to win against me, it's not."
Before the heatwaves of the lava pit had subsided, Jogo's figure suddenly rushed out from the churning magma.
His body erupted with astonishing resilience, and countless flying insects glowing with red light suddenly surged around him, dense and numerous.
The flying insects emitted a piercing drone, swooping down toward Rin like a cloud blotting out the sun. Each one contained concentrated fire Cursed Energy, which would detonate upon contact with the target.
This was Jogo's desperate, all-or-nothing surprise attack, intended to buy time to expand his domain amidst the chaos.
Facing the swarming insects, Rin only raised his hand lightly.
[Revolver]
"Bang!"
A Cursed Technique blast whistled out, hitting the core of the insect swarm with precision.
The next moment, countless insects burst apart, dense explosions sounding one after another in mid-air, forming a scorching wall of fire.
Violent shockwaves swept outward, but when they touched Rin, they were blocked by an invisible barrier of Cursed Energy, leaving him completely unaffected.
However, the dense smoke produced by the explosion successfully obscured his vision.
Jogo seized this fleeting opportunity, a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes, as he rapidly chanted the Cursed Speech:
"Domain Expansion, Mountain of Iron Walls Covering the Hall!"
The moment the words fell, the terrifying power of the domain erupted instantly.
With Jogo as the center, a hellish scene spread rapidly; scorching magma churned, and towering iron walls rose from the ground, completely surrounding Rin within this enclosed domain of fire.
The high temperature instantly climbed to the extreme, the air seeming as if it were about to be ignited, every inch of space filled with an aura of destruction.
Jogo hovered in the center of the domain, a ferocious smile on his face.
He knew very well that in a direct confrontation, he was definitely no match for Rin; only by utilizing the absolute advantage of his domain could he have a glimmer of hope.
"You're not opening your own domain?"
He looked at Rin, who was enveloped by the domain, and sneered:
"You are courting death!"
But before his laughter could fade, a massive stone figure appeared beside Rin.
The Gargoyle spread its broad stone wings, its body wreathed in thick Cursed Energy. Following Rin's command, a low Cursed Speech emerged from its mouth:
"Domain Expansion, Eternal Stone Coffin Garden!"
The grayish-white domain expanded instantly, colliding with Jogo's fire domain.
Stone walls clashed with magma, cold air countered heatwaves; the two distinct domain powers tore at and crushed each other, emitting a deafening roar.
But soon, the gap became apparent. Under the scorching flames of the Mountain of Iron Walls Covering the Hall, the stone structure of the Gargoyle's Eternal Stone Coffin Garden kept cracking, and the domain's range was gradually compressed, looking as if it were about to be completely suppressed.
Just at this critical moment, Rin's palm rested directly on the Gargoyle's stone torso.
Black-red Cursed Energy surged from his palm into the Gargoyle's body as he shouted in a deep voice: "Enhancement Spell!"
Tamamo-no-Mae's Cursed Technique.
With the injection of Cursed Energy, the Gargoyle's body instantly erupted with dazzling light. The previously crumbling Eternal Stone Coffin Garden also surged, the grayish-white stone walls instantly becoming indestructible, forcefully resisting the suppression of the fire domain, and soon forming a standoff with the Mountain of Iron Walls Covering the Hall.
"Hmm?"
Sukuna's voice rang in Rin's mind, carrying a hint of confusion and impatience:
"Why not just use your full power to finish him off? What are you waiting for?"
In his view, Rin was fully capable of a quick victory; there was no need to be so dilatory.
Rin's gaze pierced through the clash of domains, scanning the still-silent dense forest in the distance. A meaningful smile curled at the corners of his mouth, and he replied calmly:
"I'm just fishing. Don't forget, there's still one Cursed Spirit that hasn't shown its face yet."
He had long since detected through his Sharingan that another thick Cursed Energy was lurking deep in the dense forest.
It was none other than the Earth Fiend who had followed Jogo earlier.
He had deliberately feigned weakness and stalled for time, just to lure this hidden Cursed Spirit out so he could wipe them all out at once.
After all, if he were to finish off Jogo directly, that Cursed Spirit might just run away.
Jogo, in the center of the domain, had not yet realized Rin's true intention and was still frantically driving his Cursed Energy, attempting to completely crush the Gargoyle's domain.
And deep in the dense forest, a massive, earth-yellow figure was moving quietly, its murky eyes staring fixedly at the battlefield, seemingly looking for the best opportunity to strike.