Chapter 97: Tokyo Battlefield: The Late Reinforcements
Tokyo Battlefield.
The air had long been scorched by Cursed Energy and gunpowder smoke. Unlike the scattered skirmishes on the Kyoto battlefield, the battle here had gone straight to white-hot intensity from the very beginning.
The figure of Gojo Satoru stood as an absolute deterrent, firmly planted at the core of the battlefield, the Limitless Cursed Energy swirling around him causing the very air to distort slightly.
Meanwhile, the Cursed Spirits on Geto Suguru's side surged forward like a tide. Most troublesome of all was Miguel, wielding the black rope; his attacks always managed to precisely slot into the gaps of Gojo Satoru's Cursed Technique, forcibly dragging this one-sided slaughter into a stalemate of a death match.
Every collision between the two sides was accompanied by violent energy shocks. The roars of Cursed Spirits, the shouts of Jujutsu Sorcerers, and the deafening sounds of crumbling buildings intertwined, and the streets were already covered in rubble and scorch marks from residual Cursed Energy.
No one held back their strength; every strike was aimed at completely annihilating the opponent. The light of Cursed Energy exploding in the air instead became the most glaring "fireworks" over this ruin.
"Boom!"
A deafening roar suddenly exploded, and a figure, like a kite with a broken string, was violently smashed against the outer wall of a nearby office building.
The concrete wall instantly caved in, forming a huge crater. Dust and smoke rose into the air along with shattered bricks and stones. Only when the dust settled slightly did Miguel's figure emerge.
"Miguel, what are you doing?!"
Nanako's urgent cry came from below. Her fingers, gripping her Cursed Tool, were white, clearly sweating for Miguel's predicament.
But before she could step forward to support him, Miguel had already braced himself against the wall and slowly stood up straight. One hand was clutched tightly over his dazed head, his voice filled with unprecedented dishevelment:
"Can't you see? I'm about to be beaten to death!"
Just as his words fell, an indifferent voice came from the other side of the dust and smoke, carrying a touch of nonchalant pressure:
"Quite a handful."
Gojo Satoru's figure walked out of the smoke. Although the Six Eyes beneath the white bandage were not revealed, one could clearly feel that gaze locking onto everything.
He raised his hand to brush the dust off his jacket, as if the intense collision just now was nothing more than an insignificant interlude to him.
Miguel did not reply; the only response to Gojo Satoru was the black rope he suddenly whipped out.
That black rope, entwined with a special curse, acted like a living thing, rushing straight for Gojo Satoru's wrist with a sharp whistling sound.
Just as his Cursed Technique was about to touch the black rope, the Cursed Energy around him suddenly became slightly chaotic, and the originally concentrated Cursed Technique instantly dissipated!
"Hm?"
Gojo Satoru slightly raised an eyebrow, then reached up and pulled off the bandage covering his eyes.
The light blue Six Eyes shimmered with a cold light in the sun. In just an instant, he saw through the principle of the black rope.
The special curse contained within the rope could directly interfere with the flow of Cursed Energy, perfectly countering the Limitless Cursed Technique, which relied on precise Cursed Energy manipulation.
Miguel watched Gojo Satoru's actions, his back already soaked in cold sweat, his palms clenched tight.
He forced himself to maintain a facade of calm, even wanting to pull off a mocking smile, but his heart was already in chaos.
The Cursed Energy of the black rope was already running low; it wouldn't last much longer... Rin, I can't hold on much longer, where on earth are you?
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, a dull vibration suddenly came from behind them both.
The wall of the office building that Miguel had smashed a crater into slowly bulged with a huge outline. Immediately after, a giant claw covered in dark red mane violently broke through the wall, sending bricks and stones falling like raindrops.
The red-haired Cursed Spirit was slowly poking its head out from inside the building, its scarlet eyes staring fixedly at the two below, drool dripping down its fangs, emitting a nauseating stench.
Yet this powerful Cursed Spirit, enough to make ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers retreat, was instantly locked onto by Gojo Satoru the moment it appeared.
"Don't be in the way."
The cold voice fell. Without any extra movement, Gojo Satoru just raised his hand and pressed it into the air toward the direction of the red-haired Cursed Spirit.
The next second, terrifying Cursed Energy condensed in his palm. The red light, like a compressed star, was suddenly unleashed with earth-shattering power!
"Boom!!!"
A roar even more violent than before resounded across the battlefield. The beam of Cursed Energy instantly pierced through the body of the red-haired Cursed Spirit, and the entire office building behind it was blasted with a hole that went straight through.
Rubble and dust shot into the sky. The massive Cursed Spirit didn't even have time to scream before it turned into Cursed Energy particles that dissipated into the sky under the impact of the Cursed Energy.
Miguel watched the scene before him, his pupils contracting sharply, his heart beating uncontrollably.
Is this the Limitless Cursed Technique that Geto Suguru spoke of, the one hailed as the "the strongest" in the Jujutsu World? A single strike, and it instantly killed such a powerful Cursed Spirit; this power was simply terrifying enough to make one despair.
Can't keep dragging this out, must escape to the end!
Miguel gritted his teeth, suppressing the shock in his heart, and violently injected the last bit of Cursed Energy into the black rope.
The black rope darted out again like a viper, but its target was not Gojo Satoru's vital points, but the air conditioning unit behind him.
What he needed to do was not attack, but stall!
Taking advantage of the brief gap while the black rope entangled Gojo Satoru and the opponent's Cursed Energy was momentarily hindered, Miguel turned and sprinted toward the ruins at the edge of the battlefield.
His figure stumbled a few times in the pile of rubble, but he didn't dare to pause for even a second.
As long as he held on for one more second, perhaps he could wait for Rin's reinforcements. As long as he hadn't fallen yet, it didn't count as losing.
Miguel's back had just grazed the ground, and before he could manage to prop his body up, a shadow suddenly covered his field of vision.
Gojo Satoru's speed exceeded the understanding of Jujutsu. Without any warning, that white figure was already blocking the front of his escape, the Cursed Energy condensed in his palm carrying a cold sense of pressure, smashing straight into his chest.
"Urgh!"
Miguel only had time to let out a short, strange cry before his entire body was sent flying into the air by this immense force.
But before the wind of his descent could blow through his collar, a sudden suffocating tightness came over his neck.
Gojo Satoru's hand had already gripped his collar, and like holding a puppet with broken strings, he smashed him violently against the ground!
"Bang!"
The concrete road cracked in response, spiderweb-like patterns spreading from the point of impact.
Miguel's consciousness was blurring in the intense pain, but before he could catch his breath, Gojo Satoru's figure had already stuck to him like a ghost.
Fists wrapped in the impact of the Limitless Cursed Technique landed one after another on his abdomen, chest, and back, each strike accompanied by the dull sound of bones.
Like a dilapidated sandbag, Miguel was beaten without any power to fight back, able only to curl his body in the intense pain, even the strength to struggle quickly draining away.
"Cough... cough cough..."
The final side kick slammed heavily into his side, and Miguel flew backward like a kite with a broken string.
All the bones in his body felt like they had been dismantled and put back together; he didn't even have the strength to lift a finger. He could only stare at the gray sky, nothing but desperate complaints left in his heart.
Could he really not hold on until Rin arrived?
Just at this moment:
"Bang!!!"
A deafening roar that shook the very ground suddenly exploded from the massive "Curtain" shrouding Tokyo! That layer of Cursed Energy barrier, which isolated the inside from the outside and distorted space, was directly smashed into a large circular hole by a brutal force.
Sunlight, like a sharp sword piercing through dark clouds, poured down from the hole, casting a dazzling patch of light onto the ruined streets.
And in the center of that patch of light, a figure was rapidly diving at a staggering speed.
Rin's clothes fluttered loudly in the gale, and the Cursed Energy swirling around him, though not ostentatious, carried an irresistible sharpness.
His gaze was locked straight onto the center of the battlefield. Each step he took left a shallow pit in the ground, and in an instant, he crossed several streets, rushing toward Miguel's direction.
"Stop him!"
Mei Mei, at the edge of the battlefield, was quick-eyed and fast-handed; almost the moment Rin appeared, she charged up with her long axe.
Her Cursed Tool shimmered with cold light in the sun, and the long axe, with a whistling sound that tore through the air, slashed fiercely toward Rin's back.
This axe strike condensed all her Cursed Energy; if it landed, it would be enough to cut a person in two at the waist!
But facing this fatal blow, Rin didn't even make a move to turn his head.
He just tilted his body slightly, his right hand quickly tapping at his waist, and an invisible burst of Cursed Energy instantly erupted.
Mei Mei only felt a sharp pain in her wrist, her grip on the axe suddenly failing, and her whole body felt as if it had been hit by a giant hammer.
Her body flew backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the glass curtain wall of a building, and shattered glass shards fell like rain.
Rin, having dealt with the obstacle, did not slow down in the slightest. The rubble under his feet was suspended by Cursed Energy, and like a black lightning bolt, he rushed straight toward Miguel, who was about to fall onto the road.
At this moment, Miguel was in a state of weightlessness, his consciousness floating between pain and dizziness, about to smash into the ground again.
But in the next second, a gentle yet inescapable force suddenly supported his waist and abdomen, and the momentum of his fall abruptly stopped.
He blinked blankly, his vision gradually clearing, and what came into view was Rin's face with a confident smile.
Sunlight spilled down from the hole in the "Curtain," landing on Rin's shoulders, gilding his silhouette with a layer of warm light.
He held Miguel's collar firmly, gently placing him on a broken wall nearby, his voice carrying a hint of apology, yet filled with a reassuring power:
"Sorry, am I late?"