Three days later, at Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.
On an autumn afternoon, sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering across the empty training ground.
The second-year students seemed to be out on a mission; in the vast space, only one figure was working up a sweat.
Fushiguro Megumi.
His hands were formed into a seal, with two Divine Dogs—one black, one white—by his side.
Since the Yasohachi Bridge incident where he opened an incomplete Domain, he had been trying to grasp that feeling and perfect it.
"Not enough... it's still not stable enough..."
Fushiguro Megumi panted heavily, released his technique, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Just as he was about to go to the vending machine for a bottle of water, a wave of intense malice appeared at the entrance of the school's barrier without warning.
"Who is it?!"
Megumi whipped around, his body tensing as the two Divine Dogs instantly entered a combat stance, letting out low growls.
"Oh my, isn't this Megumi-kun?"
A dismissive, sarcastic male voice with a thick Kansai accent reached his ears.
Standing under the torii gate of the training ground was a young man wearing a casual kimono, his short hair styled with blond highlights.
He had his hands tucked into his sleeves and a faint, mocking smile on his face, looking at Fushiguro Megumi as if he were a stray dog on the side of the road.
"What a pathetic sight. Despite inheriting the Zenin clan's finest technique, you're holed up in this backwater school playing house."
The man stepped nonchalantly into the field.
"Zenin... Naoya..."
Megumi gritted his teeth as he uttered the name.
As a child of a concubine in the Zenin clan, he naturally knew who this man was.
The legitimate heir of the Zenin clan, a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer.
A twisted, vile man whose personality became extremely warped after being traumatized by Toji.
"What? You won't even greet your older brother?"
Naoya stopped ten meters away from Megumi, his eyes filled with unconcealed disgust.
"I heard... there's an outsider named Hayashi En who not only uses the Ten Shadows Technique but uses it better than you, the legitimate successor?"
Naoya sneered, his tone turning cold.
"Also, there's Maki. She's been forgetting her place lately, hasn't she?"
"Call them over."
It was a command.
Megumi's eyes were filled with loathing.
"Why should I do what you say?"
Swish!
Without any warning.
Megumi's vision blurred as Naoya's figure vanished into thin air.
[PROJECTION SORCERY]
Dividing one second into twenty-four frames and following a predetermined movement path.
Megumi instinctively tried to summon the Great Serpent for defense, but he couldn't finish his hand seal in time.
"Too slow."
The voice sounded as if it were whispered directly into his ear.
Bang!!!
Megumi felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He felt like he had been hit by a high-speed truck, instantly flying backward and smashing heavily into the training ground's perimeter wall.
"Cough... gah..."
Megumi spat out a mouthful of blood. Just as he tried to struggle to his feet, he realized his body wouldn't obey him.
"This is the gap between you and a genius."
Naoya appeared in front of Megumi, looking down at him. He raised his foot and unceremoniously stepped on Megumi's face.
"Ngh..." Megumi tried to resist, but the difference in physical technique meant he couldn't break free at all.
"Tell me, where is that thief Hayashi En?"
Naoya applied pressure, grinding his heel into Megumi's cheek with a cruel expression.
"Nobuaki and those other useless fools said he was strong... but in my eyes, anyone who hangs around trash like this is just a slightly stronger monkey."
"Where is he? Tell him to crawl out here."
"If he doesn't..."
Killing intent flashed in Naoya's eyes as he raised his other foot, aiming it at Megumi's arm.
"I'll start by destroying those hands you use for seals. It's not like you're using them for anything useful anyway, right?"
This stomp contained terrifying cursed energy. If it landed, Megumi's hand bones would definitely suffer comminuted fractures, potentially leaving him permanently disabled.
Click, clack, click.
The rhythmic, crisp sound of a cane tapping against the ground suddenly echoed from the entrance.
"Master Naoya, while Jujutsu High doesn't charge admission, there is an extra fee for assaulting my 'business partner' without permission."
Naoya's foot stopped in mid-air.
He slowly turned his head.
He saw a man in a high-end suit and gold-rimmed glasses, leaning one hand on a cane named Golden Rule, walking unhurriedly out from the shade of the trees.
He wore a gentle, professional smile and held a 'bill' in his hand.
"You're Hayashi En?"
Naoya retracted his foot and turned around, narrowing his eyes to size up the man who had terrified Nobuaki.
Aside from being good-looking, the man didn't possess the overwhelming pressure of a strong individual at all.
"You just look like an ordinary pretty boy."
"That would be me."
Hayashi En adjusted his glasses. His gaze swept over the bloodied Megumi, a faint cold light flashing in the depths of his eyes, though his tone remained as warm as a spring breeze.
"Welcome to the Jujutsu High branch of Exchange No. 8."
"However, before we proceed, you need to settle your debt."
"Your subordinates should have told you. Due to their rude behavior toward me, the loss incurred by my shop amounts to..."
"One billion yen."
Hayashi En gave the bill in his hand a shake.
"Cash or card?"
Naoya froze for a second.
Then, he burst into a fit of arrogant laughter, doubling over as if he had just heard the world's greatest joke.
"Hahaha! One billion? You suicidal pig!"
"It seems Nobuaki was right; you really are a madman."
Naoya's laughter stopped abruptly.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
[PROJECTION SORCERY]
He hadn't truly disappeared; rather, his speed had reached such an extreme that he left dozens of afterimages on En's retinas.
Dividing one second into twenty-four frames and performing actions according to a preset path without violating the laws of physics.
The extreme speed generated by this technique left many jujutsu sorcerers helpless.
Generally speaking, it was an incredibly unfair technique.
You couldn't hit him, you couldn't run away, and if you were touched, you'd be frozen in place.
"Since you love money so much, take your bill..."
The voice seemed to come from all directions simultaneously, accompanied by the sonic boom of tearing air.
"...and collect it in hell!!"
Naoya's palm, carrying the massive kinetic energy accumulated within that second, aimed straight for Hayashi En's heart!
If this strike connected, En would be frozen for one second.
And in that second, Naoya had enough time to kill him ten times over.
Facing this lethal strike, En didn't dodge or form a seal to summon a shikigami.
The corners of his mouth curled into an arc.
"Here it comes."
Just as Naoya's fingers were about to touch the button of En's suit.
A layer of transparent, ripple-like liquid cursed energy instantly covered En's entire body.
[DOMAIN AMPLIFICATION]
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