### Chapter 16: Mere Gravel
"Wh-what is that?!"
Facing that pair of crimson pupils that seemed like curses incarnate, Vayer felt as if he had plunged into a realm of darkness.
Only those eyes, comparable to the cursed eyes of the heavens, watched him from the silent, deep darkness.
At this moment, he felt smaller and more powerless than an ant.
*Drip!*
A drop of cold sweat fell from Vayer's fat face onto the ground. He involuntarily took two steps back, putting distance between himself and Ryota.
"Are those really eyes... No, I should ask, is this guy—"
"Is he really human?!"
Kokun also broke out in cold sweat.
His habit of rubbing his palms became unconsciously faster, a tell-tale sign of psychological pressure.
"So... so terrifying!"
Not only were the Curse Users Vayer and Kokun startled by Ryota's transformation.
Kuroi Misato also shivered under those eyes that radiated an ominous aura like blood.
Originally, she had felt a surge of excitement thinking Ryota appeared not to harm Young Lady Riko.
She thought Ryota might be here to save the Young Lady.
Although Ryota denied being from Jujutsu High, it was possible he was hiding his identity to make the two Curse User group members lower their guard.
But.
Ryota's subsequent laughter, full of arrogance and disdain for everything, was simply more like a Curse User than actual Curse Users.
Coupled with Ryota's eyes transforming into those evil and cursed Three-Tomoe Sharingan as they opened.
Kuroi Misato instantly felt like she had just escaped a wolf's den only to enter a tiger's lair.
"It can only be called a rivalry when strengths are equal."
"Mere gravel can only be annihilated in the dancing wind."
Ryota stood with his hands in his pockets, making no attempt to hide his disdainful posture.
Amanai Riko, located behind and to the side of Ryota, had flickering eyes filled with longing and admiration.
She wasn't scared at all by Ryota's bloody and ominous eyes.
"You brat, how dare you look down on me like that!"
A strong sense of humiliation surged in his heart. Vayer no longer had his smiling, sinister face.
Veins popped out on his face, and he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, looking hideous and terrifying.
Previously, he was the one looking down on others, but today he was treated with such disdain by an underage brat.
It was as if he and Kokun were powerless in his hands, toys to be kneaded and played with at will.
"Kill him! I must kill him!"
Even after witnessing Ryota's ghostly speed and seeing those weird blood-red pupils.
Vayer couldn't bear this humiliation and anger.
He stared dead at Ryota, his gaze like a bloodthirsty beast wanting to tear Ryota to shreds.
The Cursed Energy on his body surged frantically, and sharp blades flew out from his clothes.
Under the effect of his technique, a dozen sharp blades floated in the air, distributed on both sides of Vayer.
"Die for me!"
With a forceful wave of Vayer's arms towards Ryota, all the sharp blades shot towards him.
The rapidly flying blades, boosted by the Cursed Technique, were faster than bullets.
But under Ryota's eyes, their trajectories through the air were clearly visible.
"Too slow."
Ryota didn't move his body an inch. With just a slight tilt of his head, he dodged all the cursed blades.
"If this circus trick is the best you can do, perhaps I overestimated you."
"Hehehe..."
Regarding Ryota's sarcastic remark, Vayer didn't show the fury from before.
Instead, he revealed a cunning expression of a successful scheme.
"My cursed attack doesn't end that simply. Arrogant brat, this is the price for underestimating me!"
Gloomy Cursed Energy emerged on Vayer's arms as he pressed down from above.
The blades Ryota had easily dodged suddenly stopped in mid-air.
Then, the sharp edges drew an arc in the air, reversed direction, and stabbed straight towards Ryota's back with even greater speed than before.
"As expected—"
Ryota lowered his eyelids slightly, turning a deaf ear to the sharp breaking wind behind him.
"Big talk...?!"
Vayer, who was originally certain of success, had his pupils shrink to almost invisible points.
He saw the blades he launched weirdly bypass Ryota as if hitting an invisible barrier.
Then, they shot back towards him!
Vayer's chubby and short body hurriedly rolled on the ground, narrowly dodging the cursed blades.
He stood up from the ground wretchedly, blood flowing from a cut on his fat face.
"Damn it, what happened?"
Vayer's expression was ugly.
He didn't understand why the attack he launched ended up attacking him.
At this moment, Kokun arrived beside the disheveled Vayer.
He looked at Ryota:
"There was no trace of Cursed Energy sensed on him, which means what happened just now wasn't the effect of a technique."
"Then, it must be some Cursed Tool on him interfering with Vayer's technique."
In a very short time, Kokun analyzed the conclusion of the clash just now.
"Oh?"
Ryota raised an eyebrow, a smile of interest appearing on his handsome face.
But if one looked closely, they could see the amusement carried within, like watching a clown perform.
"And then?"
"However, the effect of a Cursed Tool is ultimately limited."
"Otherwise, just now, you could have used that Cursed Tool again to make Vayer's attack strike us a second time."
"That Cursed Tool of yours that can interfere with techniques probably has an upper limit of interfering with only one technique attack."
"I've seen through your means!"
Kokun's tone was filled with certainty and complacency as he turned to Vayer.
"Let's attack together."
"Good!"
Hearing Kokun's seemingly flawless deduction, Vayer breathed a sigh of relief in secret.
If that method of interfering with techniques could be used continuously...
Then no matter how he attacked, that damn brat would remain unharmed.
In the end, only he would be defeated.
But now, knowing the flaw in Ryota's means from Kokun, he regained his confidence.