Between Special Grade Cursed Spirits
"It's really not that easy to complete the S-grade entrance exam..."
"Tch, if you don't have what it takes, don't take the mission. That's just walking straight into death..."
Zenin Naobito frowned. Then as if recalling something, he shook his head and muttered, "Satoru and Suguru aren't that easy to kill..."
The very next moment.
Just as the rescue team monitoring Satoru's battle was about to move, Principal Sekiguchi Seiji shouted,
"Stand down. No need for rescue!"
He cut off the operation before it could begin.
"Principal Sekiguchi, are you insane?"
"Why aren't you authorizing a rescue? You want to watch them die in there?"
"Gojo Satoru's Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue didn't even damage the cursed spirit earlier, and now their Cursed Energy is sealed..."
Sekiguchi pointed at the massive screen and said calmly,
"The feed from the Cursed Corpse live broadcast hasn't been interrupted."
Everyone froze, turning back toward the display.
What they saw shocked them.
Even with their Cursed Energy sealed, Satoru and Suguru didn't look the slightest bit panicked inside the cursed spirit's Domain.
There was no call for help.
Instead, it was the cursed spirit that suddenly howled in pain.
The tension in the room eased at once.
They had no idea what had just happened.
The feed flickered, then stabilized.
On-screen, Suguru stood with Hōzukimaru in hand, gently waving it aside.
"Sorry," he said calmly, "I'm actually pretty good at hand-to-hand combat too."
It seemed the cursed spirit had miscalculated. Thinking Suguru was vulnerable with his Cursed Energy sealed, it had gone in for the kill… only to be repelled by the Zanpakutō in his hand.
The audience was stunned.
"That's a Zanpakutō in Geto's hand!"
"Yeah. Zanpakutō don't rely on Cursed Energy to be used!"
"That explains it."
"No wonder Principal Sekiguchi didn't authorize a rescue. Even with their Cursed Energy sealed, with Zanpakutō, they can still fight a Special Grade cursed spirit head-on!"
Sure enough.
After being repelled by Suguru, the cursed spirit didn't get a moment's rest.
Because Satoru was already waiting for it.
Without anyone noticing, he had moved with precise coordination and was now standing at the cursed spirit's flank.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura!" Satoru shouted.
The blade in his hand fragmented into thousands of tiny invisible petals under the light, and they shot toward the cursed spirit like a blizzard of cherry blossoms.
Pink fragments enveloped the cursed spirit.
Moments later, it shrieked in agony again.
When the blades dispersed, its entire body was riddled with shallow cuts. It staggered, nearly falling to the ground.
It was terrified.
Even with their Cursed Energy sealed, they're still this strong...
If not for the regenerative power granted by Sukuna's finger, that last attack from Satoru might have sliced it to pieces.
Seeing this, the crowd watching the broadcast was shaken.
"As expected of the strongest duo of the new generation. Their power is insane!"
"Damn. That cursed spirit thought Geto was easy prey just because his Cursed Energy was sealed. Instead, it got slammed back with his Zanpakutō!"
"Suguru's hand-to-hand combat combined with his Zanpakutō is terrifying. The cursed spirit completely underestimated him. What a joke!"
"No wonder Principal Sekiguchi didn't call for help. They didn't need it."
"Honestly, the Zanpakutō might even output more damage than Cursed Techniques!"
"If this keeps up, it's just a matter of time before that cursed spirit is exorcised!"
"And they'll be the first to clear an S-grade trial at Jujutsu High!"
...
Watching all this, Kumaen almost crushed his teacup in excitement.
"Thank goodness Satoshi made Zanpakutō for them. Otherwise, Satoru would've really been in danger this time."
Shunichi also laughed, "It's just a matter of time before he wins."
"Now it's up to Young Master Satoshi!"
...
Zenin Shinsuke, who stood silently at the edge of the crowd, trembled as he looked at the Zanpakutō.
"That's...."
The monks around him sighed quietly.
"Now that Gojo Satoshi has awakened, it makes sense that his Zanpakutō creations have returned with him."
...
Toji watched the screen and muttered emotionally, "Satoru and Suguru are surprisingly proficient with their Zanpakutō. Yuto, if you keep slacking off, they will surpass you."
Yuto replied flatly, "Toji, I'm not a power-obsessed maniac like you. If they surpass me, then so be it."
"Either way, I'm still very satisfied with Nozarashi right now."
...
Meanwhile, in a remote courtyard in Shikoku.
Itadori Kaori scowled and shook her head.
"Zanpakutō again… Gojo Satoshi's influence is everywhere."
"I didn't expect that even the Domain prepared specifically for Satoru and Suguru couldn't kill them... but?"
She narrowed her eyes.
"There's something off about Sukuna's Domain. Why are they still able to use their Zanpakutō within it? It's as if Sukuna intended it that way."
Then, sensing something, she suddenly smiled.
"Did Satoshi walk into the trap too?"
"As long as Gojo Satoshi dies, these Zanpakutō will be meaningless. Ryoumen Sukuna, King of Curses from a thousand years ago... don't disappoint me."
...
Back in the footage.
Even with his Zanpakutō, Satoru was clearly caught in a back-and-forth battle.
Despite the power of Sukuna's fingers, the cursed spirit was on its last legs.
It was only a matter of grinding it down now before it could be fully exorcised and Sukuna's finger reclaimed.
Meanwhile, the other group.
Satoshi hadn't even encountered his cursed spirit yet.
The contrast between the two was obvious.
The crowd, who had hoped to witness an intense battle between the two Gojo prodigies, now felt deflated.
Satoru was nearly finished. Satoshi hadn't even started.
The gap in attitude was disappointing.
But suddenly, someone cried out, "Look! Satoshi's team just ran into a cursed spirit too!"
The entire crowd perked up and quickly turned toward Satoshi's screen.
(To be continued.)
***
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