Chapter 63: A New Champion is Born
"Boom!"
Black and red Cursed Energy exploded violently. The massive impact sent both of them flying. His back slammed against a broken wall with a dull, heavy thud.
Before Aoi Todo could recover, a crisp "clap" rang out again.
Using Mei Mei as a medium, Rin swapped places to Aoi Todo's side in an instant. His right fist, already imbued with sharp Cursed Energy, smashed toward Aoi Todo's face.
Aoi Todo's pupils constricted. Despite the intense pain wracking his body, he instinctively raised his arms to block.
But just as his arms were about to block the fist, Rin's punch took an eerie, sudden turn—it was a simple genjutsu triggered by the Sharingan!
Even without eye contact, Rin successfully activated it, interfering with Aoi Todo's visual judgment.
"How... his eyes clearly aren't even open."
Aoi Todo cried out in his mind, but it was too late to adjust his movements.
"Bang!" Rin's fist slammed squarely into his temple. Immediately after, black lightning erupted from the fist.
"Black Flash!"
The terrifying impact made Aoi Todo's vision go dark, and his consciousness blurred instantly.
Yet he forced himself to counterattack. Just as he raised his arm, Rin's whip-like kick whistled toward his ribs, followed by another explosion of black lightning.
"Double Black Flash!"
The clear sound of bones cracking echoed as Aoi Todo's body slumped down.
A white light suddenly flashed before his eyes. For a moment, he seemed to arrive at a bright, open space. Not far away, a girl was smiling and waving at him.
"Takada-chan, why are you here?" Aoi Todo stumbled forward, his voice dazed with disbelief.
"Don't ask. Come with me, Todo. You're already so tired."
Takada-chan's voice was as soft as cotton, causing Aoi Todo's tense nerves to relax instantly.
But in the next second, he suddenly realized something and shook his head violently.
"I can't... Mei Mei is still... the battle isn't over yet..." Aoi Todo looked at Takada-chan, who was holding his hand, and said:
"I'm sorry, Takada-chan. My partner is still waiting for me."
After speaking, Aoi Todo let go of Takada-chan's hand and turned to leave.
Just as his consciousness was about to sink into darkness, he suddenly snapped his eyes open. Returning to the battlefield, he searched for Rin's whereabouts.
But all that appeared in his vision was Rin's iron elbow.
"Feel my respect as well, Todo."
Rin's voice rang in his ear. Following that, an iron elbow imbued with Black Flash slammed hard into his face.
"Third Black Flash!"
The black lightning illuminated the ruins once more. Aoi Todo completely lost consciousness, his eyes rolling back as he fell into a coma.
On the other side, Mei Mei had just crawled up from the impact. Seeing Aoi Todo fall, she grew anxious and was about to rush over to support him when she realized the ground around her had begun to vibrate. Cursed Spirits crawled out from the void one by one, swarming around her in dense numbers, submerging Mei Mei like a tide.
Without the restraint of Aoi Todo's [Boogie Woogie], Rin's [Cursed Spirit Manipulation] finally had no limits.
Although these Cursed Spirits weren't strong, their sheer numbers were overwhelming, pinning down Mei Mei's movements.
Mei Mei gripped her long axe and managed to slay a few, but the agonizing pain from her wounds and her depleted Cursed Energy made every swing incredibly difficult.
Watching the increasing number of Cursed Spirits, her body slumped down. She was submerged by the Cursed Spirits, completely losing her ability to resist.
Rin stood in the center of the ruins, covered in blood and blind in both eyes, yet his back remained straight.
After three consecutive Black Flashes, Rin's injuries had fully recovered.
His eyes also snapped open again.
When his perception caught the completely silenced auras of Mei Mei and Aoi Todo, a surging sense of victory suddenly exploded from his heart, instantly washing away all fatigue and pain.
He slowly lifted his head toward the gray sky, and all the emotions built up in his chest turned into a roar.
Like the wild howl of a trapped beast breaking its chains, it echoed repeatedly through the broken walls and ruins.
As if responding to his roar, the recalled Cursed Spirits also became restless. The Shadow Beasts crouched low on the ground, letting out dull growls.
The crows' caws were clear, and the curses' roars were coarse. These high and low sounds intertwined, enveloping the ruins in a strange "celebratory" atmosphere.
This battle had ultimately ended in his victory.
Rin took a deep breath, slowly exhaling the lingering scent of blood and fatigue. He walked with steady steps toward where Mei Mei was being besieged by the Cursed Spirits.
At this moment, in the corner of the ruins, Mei Mei could no longer be seen. Only a dense mass of Cursed Spirits piled up like a small hill. Green limbs and black Cursed Energy residue intertwined, completely swallowing her.
He stepped forward slowly. Everywhere he went, the surrounding Cursed Spirits retreated.
It wasn't until Rin stopped that the swarm of Cursed Spirits fully dispersed, finally revealing Mei Mei's body from the pile.
Her condition was even more wretched than imagined. Her clothes were torn to shreds, her exposed skin was covered in scratches and bloodstains, and her long hair was messily stuck to her face. Her chest rose and fell weakly; she had clearly exhausted all her strength.
Two Second-Grade Cursed Spirits were flanking her, holding her arms. Sharp claws were pressed against her neck; with just one command from Rin, they could take her life in an instant.
Rin crouched down, reached out, and grabbed Mei Mei's cheek.
His fingertips bore wet blood. With enough force to lift her lowered head, he forced her to face him directly.
Mei Mei's cheek was slightly deformed by the pinch, but her eyes didn't flicker away. Even though she couldn't move, a faint ghost of a smile hung on the corner of her mouth. It was the pride of a top-tier Jujutsu Sorcerer—even in defeat, she refused to show the slightest cowardice.
Rin's gaze swept over her face. He reached out to brush away the messy braids on her forehead, revealing those eyes that remained clear.
Seeing the fearless light in her eyes, he shook his head slightly and curled his lip, his tone carrying a hint of complexity:
"I really didn't expect that even after reaching this point, you could still laugh."
"You've already said it. Now that things have reached this point, what else can I do?"
Facing Rin's almost provocative questioning, Mei Mei gave a light chuckle. Her voice was raspy yet still composed. "If I cried and begged for mercy, would you let me go?"
Hearing this, Rin curled his lip disdainfully and slightly loosened his grip.
"To be able to keep a smile in failure... Big Sis, I admire your attitude. Actually, we didn't have to reach this point. If you hadn't insisted on making things difficult for me, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
His tone shifted, his gaze suddenly turning cold, carrying the unquestionable authority of a victor:
"However, saying all this is useless now. You'd better consider your own situation. Todo is unconscious, and your life is in my hands. The survival of both of you depends entirely on my word."
"As the winner, shouldn't you return my spoils of war? Sukuna's Finger—I saw it with my own eyes just now; your crow hid it."
His gaze locked onto Mei Mei's eyes, not missing any subtle expression on her face.
But even in the face of such a direct threat, the composure in Mei Mei's eyes did not diminish.
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