The trademark traits of the Inumaki Clan, Snake Eyes and Fangs, appeared on Yuta's face.
Because of the gap in strength between him and Inumaki, the power of the Cursed Speech coming from Yuta was obviously far greater.
Under the condition that it only consumed cursed energy without causing backlash to himself, he still managed to forcibly pin Kashimo in place for a full second.
Kashimo's staff failed to swing down, and Panda's massive fist landed squarely on his face. This time though, it only knocked him back a few meters.
"Another Cursed Speech user? But you've actually got some skill. Warming up with you before fighting Sukuna doesn't sound bad at all."
Kashimo raised a hand and casually wiped the blood from the tip of his nose. Even if it was only superficial damage, Panda's full-force attack in Triceratops Mode had still injured him slightly while he was caught off guard.
But for a battle maniac like Kashimo, bleeding only made him more excited. After hundreds of years, the desire for battle inside him had finally been stirred awake again.
His blood was boiling.
"Panda, take Inumaki outside and let Ieiri-san treat him first. I'll handle this guy."
There was no time for reunions. After confirming that Inumaki's injuries were not fatal, Yuta stepped in front of them and spoke calmly. The markings on his face faded, but the seriousness in his expression deepened.
Even with cursed energy as vast as an ocean, Yuta did not dare waste too much of it on Reverse Cursed Technique right now.
The man before him gave off an incredibly small amount of cursed energy. So little that if someone had not witnessed his strength personally, most sorcerers would probably mistake him for a grade 2 or even grade 3 sorcerer.
Such precise control over cursed energy could only belong to a true expert.
"Be careful, Yuta!"
Hearing that, Panda returned to his normal form, picked up Inumaki, and prepared to run.
"Salmon..."
Even while leaving, Inumaki still forced out a warning through his ruined throat.
Kashimo ignored their departure completely. In his eyes, those two were far too weak. So weak that fighting them was not even entertaining.
The young man standing before him was obviously their leader anyway. He could ask him about Sukuna later.
"So you're Hajime Kashimo? Why did you kill so many innocent people?"
Instead of attacking immediately, Yuta questioned him first. He and Itadori had entered the colony together, but they were separated during transportation. On the way here, he had also wasted some time dealing with a strange guy claiming to be a manga artist.
Fortunately, he still arrived in time. Otherwise Panda and Inumaki might have died.
"Enough talking. Either tell me where Sukuna is, or I'll beat the answer out of you!"
Cursed energy surged wildly from Kashimo's body. In the next instant, he appeared in front of Yuta and swung his staff.
Clang!
Yuta drew his katana from his waist and blocked the strike head-on as metal collided with a sharp ringing sound.
Immediately after, their figures crossed repeatedly. More than ten exchanges happened in the blink of an eye.
"What's your name?!"
But in the end, there was still a difference in close combat skill. During the next clash, Kashimo struck Yuta directly in the waist and blasted him backward. Yuta crashed through several shipping containers before finally stopping.
Yet Kashimo did not chase after him. Instead, he stopped and seriously asked his question.
Ever since reincarnating, this was the first time someone had matched him in hand-to-hand combat without relying on cursed techniques.
This boy was a true prodigy. To possess such powerful physical abilities while also being a Cursed Speech user, he was worthy of having his name remembered.
"Yuta Okkotsu."
From within the smoking wreckage, Yuta walked out while wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. There was no sign of weakness in his expression as he firmly answered back.
'He can greatly resist my cursed energy properties?'
The smile on Kashimo's face widened even further. That strike earlier had not been his full power, but with the force behind it and the special nature of his cursed energy, it should have destroyed the internal organs of most sorcerers.
That was the penetrating nature of lightning. Simply reinforcing the body with cursed energy should not have been enough to resist it.
There was only one explanation for Yuta's condition. His immense cursed energy reserves and massive cursed energy output allowed him to ignore Kashimo's cursed energy traits entirely.
"I'll remember your name. I hope you survive long enough to tell me about Sukuna afterward."
Kashimo's cursed energy exploded outward again, and this time, he was even faster.
By the time Yuta reacted, the staff was already right in front of him.
Bang!
Unlike their first clash, even though Yuta reinforced his katana with cursed energy and blocked the attack again, he failed to stop all of it.
His entire body trembled violently.
'So heavy!'
He had only ever felt this kind of power from his teachers and seniors.
"Get blown away!"
The Snake Eyes and Fangs reappeared on Yuta's face as he unleashed Cursed Speech again.
At once, cursed energy transformed into a violent gust of wind, forcibly dragging Kashimo backward several meters like a giant invisible hand.
However, this command itself carried no destructive force. That was part of Yuta's strategy.
Cursed Speech was not some absolute ability where words automatically became reality. To achieve results, it required cursed energy consumption and sometimes even damage to the user. In some ways, it functioned similarly to Binding Vows.
The easier the desired effect, the lower the cursed energy cost and backlash.
Against someone on Kashimo's level, if Yuta tried to command him to die or suffer severe injuries, the backlash would likely become unimaginable. Perhaps even enough to kill Yuta himself.
So there was no need to waste excessive cursed energy on Cursed Speech. As long as it remained useful, that was enough.
"Don't disappoint me! Show me more fun!"
The moment Kashimo regained his balance, he charged again. But this time, he suddenly sensed a strange bit of cursed energy attached near his chest.
Bang!
Before Kashimo's attack could land, Yuta suddenly twisted his body at an extremely precise angle. He narrowly avoided the staff and simultaneously swung his katana toward Kashimo.
This was the cursed technique he had "learned" from that manga artist earlier.
Like reading a manga panel while accidentally glimpsing the next page ahead, Yuta could now see the future, though only for a single second.
Of course, without that manga artist's special weapon acting as a medium, the activation conditions became far stricter.
He needed to use cursed energy as ink and his katana as a pen, constantly "drawing" on the opponent during battle. Only after enough "ink" accumulated could the technique activate.
And the result was astonishing.
Both attacks missed.
Kashimo's staff smashed into the ground, shattering over ten meters of concrete as more than a third of the weapon buried itself underground.
At the same time, Kashimo immediately let go of the staff and rapidly retreated to avoid Yuta's counterattack.
'Two cursed techniques?' Kashimo's thoughts raced.
That was the conclusion he reached instantly. There was no other explanation.
Yuta's movement just now was completely different from earlier. It did not look like he reacted to the attack. It looked like he had predicted the attack path beforehand.
Seeing the future?
Kashimo burst into laughter.
If he was the only one crushing the opponent the whole time, could that even still be called a battle?
Kashimo lunged forward once more, but before that, he first drove his foot into the ground and kicked upward violently.
A huge section of flooring was ripped into the air and sent crashing toward Yuta like a tidal wave. Dust and debris completely blocked his vision.
Yuta dodged to the side, but suddenly realized Kashimo had vanished from the front.
"So as long as you can't see me, that technique won't activate, right?"
Behind him, Kashimo's fist was already prepared.
It had only been a guess at first. But now he knew he was right.
This punch was aimed directly at Yuta's head.
Even without a weapon, he could still defeat his opponent.
Yet...
"You finally fell for it."
Yuta turned his head and smiled gently, as though everything had gone exactly according to plan. The ring on his left ring finger shone brightly.
In the next instant, a giant fist burst from empty space and smashed directly into Kashimo's face before he could hit Yuta.
"Don't bully Yuta!"
An enormous wave of cursed energy erupted skyward as a terrifying figure tore through space itself and emerged before them.
The Queen of Curses, Rika, fully manifested!
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