"Special Grade?!" Itadori exclaimed, clenching his fists.
Nobara gasped as well, instinctively taking half a step back while tightening her grip on her hammer.
Only Sol remained where he was, his dark red eyes fixed on the Special Grade Cursed Spirit that had turned toward them. His expression didn't change in the slightest. To him, the terrifying existence before them seemed no different from the fodder they had already dealt with.
"Four Jujutsu Sorcerers." The Special Grade Cursed Spirit's stitched face twisted into a cruel grin. "This looks a little more entertaining than the last group."
Its grotesque body slowly turned, radiating nauseating malice.
A twisted arm rose and pointed directly at them.
"So... who should I play with first?"
The instant those words fell, a massive wave of Cursed Energy crashed over them like a tsunami.
Itadori, Nobara, and Megumi Fushiguro felt their breathing seize up. Their hearts pounded violently as cold sweat drenched their backs.
"Megumi! Get them out of here!" Itadori stepped forward, placing himself between the others and the monster despite the slight tremble in his legs.
He could clearly feel death looming over him.
Nobara tightened her grip until her knuckles turned white.
"What kind of joke is this...?"
Despite her fear, there wasn't the slightest intention of retreat in her eyes.
Megumi's face had gone pale. His hands rapidly formed signs as shadows spread beneath his feet.
"Divine Dogs! Nue!" he shouted. "Something's wrong. Focus on securing our escape!"
Then he turned urgently toward Sol.
"Sol! Its target seems to be..."
Before he could finish, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit crouched slightly.
It was preparing to attack.
Surprisingly, it ignored Itadori and Nobara.
Instead, its stitched face snapped toward Sol.
Its gaze locked onto him with unrestrained malice.
"You..."
Its overlapping voice carried a note of irritation.
"Why aren't you afraid?"
Sol's complete composure felt like a silent insult.
The fear shown by the others was what the curse expected from its toys. Sol's calmness, however, stirred a strange sense of displeasure within it.
"I'll start with you."
A sneer spread across its face.
Its gray-green arm shot upward, and the writhing flesh beneath them erupted.
Several Cursed Energy tentacles lined with razor-sharp teeth burst through the air at terrifying speed and lunged straight at Sol.
"Sol!"
"Watch out!"
The moment the curse attacked, Itadori, Nobara, and Megumi moved.
Their instincts screamed at them to run, but none of them hesitated.
"Don't underestimate us!" Itadori roared.
Exploding forward, he slammed into Sol from the side, attempting to push him clear while driving a Cursed Energy-covered fist into the nearest tentacle.
Bang!
The tentacle was knocked aside, but the impact numbed his entire arm and forced him back several steps.
"Straw Doll Technique: Resonance!"
Nobara reacted instantly.
The nails she had already prepared shot forward with a sharp whistle, piercing another tentacle.
Cursed Energy surged through it.
Boom!
The front half of the tentacle exploded, scattering foul energy and slowing the assault.
"Nue!"
Megumi's shikigami appeared almost simultaneously with his command.
The winged shikigami shrieked as lightning crackled around its body. It dove toward the remaining tentacles, slashing with electrified talons to buy Sol time.
"Sol! Move!" Megumi shouted, sweat running down his forehead as he maintained his technique.
A casual attack from the Special Grade had already forced all three of them to fight at full strength.
Yet Sol still hadn't moved.
The remaining tentacles screamed through the air as they closed in.
Itadori, Nobara, and Megumi felt their hearts leap into their throats.
Then Sol finally acted.
His movements weren't fast.
If anything, they seemed almost leisurely.
He shifted slightly and tilted his head.
The first two tentacles passed by with only a hair's breadth to spare. The foul wind they generated ruffled his hair, yet failed to touch him.
Immediately afterward, he casually raised his right hand.
His fingers closed around the middle of the third tentacle with perfect precision.
The force capable of piercing steel vanished the moment it reached his grasp.
The tentacle twisted violently, but it couldn't move forward even an inch.
The final tentacle swept past his side and missed completely.
A deafening impact followed as it blasted a charred crater into the flesh-covered ground behind him.
Everything happened in an instant.
Every movement Sol made was smooth, precise, and efficient.
Not a single action was wasted.
It looked as though he had already known exactly where every attack would land.
He hadn't displayed any obvious use of Cursed Energy.
Using nothing but pure physical reactions, he had effortlessly neutralized the Special Grade's assault.
Itadori, Nobara, and Megumi froze in shock.
Even the smile on the curse's stitched face disappeared, replaced by surprise and uncertainty.
"Oh?"
A strange sound escaped its mouth as it studied Sol carefully.
"Interesting... It seems you're not an ordinary toy."
The mouths covering its body began opening and closing erratically, spewing incoherent gibberish.
At the same time, the surrounding Cursed Energy became even more violent.
Itadori recovered first.
He immediately rushed to Sol's side and looked him over.
"Hey! Sol! Are you okay? That was way too dangerous!"
Nobara let out a relieved breath before glaring at him.
"You idiot! What were you doing standing there? You almost got hit!"
Megumi remained silent.
However, the look in his eyes grew increasingly serious.
What Sol had just done wasn't luck.
That level of evasion and timing bordered on perfection.
Sol released his grip.
The tentacle he had been holding instantly lost its form and dissolved into scattered Cursed Energy.
Looking at the three concerned faces, he shook his head lightly.
"I'm fine."
___
Bro's just Aura farming atp😭.