Seiya, whose head just took a punch from Panda in his "Gorilla" state, was sent flying backward at an astonishing speed, skidding over ten meters on the ground. This didn't surprise Maki and Inumaki. As comrades, they had executed many missions with Panda. In his Kongo Gorilla state, Panda's jumping and arm strength were ridiculously strong; they had seen him tear apart a Grade 2 Curse with those very arms.
While they weren't surprised that Gorilla Panda could send Seiya flying with one hit, they were stunned that Seiya's prior uppercut had also sent Panda's massive body flying several meters into the air! What was more baffling was that Panda, being a Cursed Corpse, shouldn't be significantly affected by physical blows as long as his core was safe. Yet, they clearly saw Panda wince in pain after taking that punch. Evidently, that single blow had caused more trauma to Panda than they could have imagined!
"That is one of Seiya's specialties—he excels in ancient martial arts. After awakening his Cursed Energy, he instinctively integrated it into his martial skill. He uses Shockwave (Hatsudou) techniques to drive Cursed Energy into the opponent's body, causing secondary damage."
Fushiguro explained, "The resulting shockwave from the Cursed Energy is strong enough to shatter human blood vessels. Although Panda-senpai is a Cursed Corpse and his core is the main body, he would certainly sustain damage from that."
As Fushiguro explained to Maki and Inumaki, Seiya, who had used the ground friction to slow his descent from Panda's punch, now instantly shattered the earth with his feet. As air swirled and broken stones flew, the massive recoil launched Seiya's body forward like a high-speed cannonball, rocketing straight toward Panda, who was still airborne from Seiya's previous uppercut.
"So fast! Not only is his strength equal to Gorilla Panda's, but his speed is incredible too!" Maki, watching from the side, was astonished.
Born without Cursed Energy, Maki relied solely on Cursed Tools and fighting techniques to be a Sorcerer. As a woman, Maki knew that no matter how hard she trained, her inherent physical disadvantage meant she could never match a powerful Curse in raw strength. To compensate, she maximized her speed, flexibility, and refined her martial arts. Prior to this, Maki believed that among her peers—excluding Cursed Energy and innate techniques—her physical ability and martial arts skill were outstanding.
But watching Seiya now, Maki was struck silent. She realized that in speed, strength, and technique, this new student named Wenren Seiya was superior to her. And because he was not limited by a lack of Cursed Energy like she was, his martial arts, augmented by his Cursed Energy, erupted with fighting power that far surpassed her own.
"No wonder Principal Yaga brought Panda to be his exam opponent. With the talent and skill this student is showing, he's probably like Fushiguro—easily worthy of being rated as a Grade 2 Sorcerer right upon enrollment." Maki looked at Seiya, a hint of envy on her face. Some people in this world are simply favored by destiny, and they are usually called geniuses.
Maki felt that if they fought without Cursed Energy, she might stand a chance against Seiya. But when using Cursed Energy, facing Seiya, whose martial arts and physical ability were no less than her own, she had no chance of winning.
"Panda probably isn't this Wenren student's match either. Even in his Gorilla state, his strength is incredible, but his speed and reaction time are far too slow compared to the boy's."
As if to prove Maki right, when Seiya's body shot straight toward Panda, Panda did attempt a counterattack. However, his full-powered punch struck only Seiya's afterimage. The real Seiya had already flashed to his side and launched a high, roundhouse kick!
Sensing the danger from behind, Panda tried to react, but the moment he turned, all he could see was a calf, whistling through the air, rapidly growing larger in his vision!
"BOOM—!"
With no time left to dodge, Panda could only shield his face with his muscular arms. In the next instant, he was sent flying backward again by Seiya's kick. The force of this roundhouse kick was far greater than the previous punch. Although Panda managed to cross his arms for defense, the powerful shockwave transmitted through his arms sent his massive body soaring out in a series of circular air currents.
But while Panda was still airborne, being carried by the momentum and wind pressure, Seiya, who had just kicked him into the sky, used a rapid series of movements and flashes to close the distance again, appearing directly above the flying Panda.
"THUD—!"
Following a violent tremor of the ground where the onlookers stood, a huge cloud of dust and debris erupted, leaving a deeply cracked crater several meters wide. The crater was caused by Panda, who had just been spiked down from the air by Seiya in a powerful smash.
Masamichi Yaga watched Seiya descend from the air, then looked at Panda slowly climbing out of the pit. He understood that even Panda couldn't test Seiya's true limits. Seiya was clearly holding back in this fight; aside from the initial injury-trading punch, Seiya hadn't used his Shockwave technique again. The subsequent kick and smash, though impressive, hadn't significantly impacted Panda's core. This restraint impressed Yaga.
As a veteran of the Jujutsu world, he had seen many talented Sorcerers over the years. But possessing talent and strength was one thing; knowing how to use that power was another. The reason he questioned Seiya and Itadori about their motives for joining was his concern that such talents might go astray.
"Maki, Inumaki, you two join in as well. It seems that Panda's strength alone is insufficient to evaluate this kid's Sorcerer grade."
Maki and Inumaki were momentarily stunned to hear Yaga's command, but they quickly snapped to attention, entering their respective combat states.