"Alright, Fushiguro, change of tactics," Shin yelled over the howling wind. "Protect that... that classmate over there!"
"My name is Yuji Itadori!" the pink-haired boy shouted back.
Obviously I know your name is Yuji Itadori, Shin thought, exasperated. I just have to pretend I don't so I don't look suspicious.
"Protect Yuji Itadori," Shin corrected himself. "When the Cursed Spirit attacks again, Itadori, you are responsible for intercepting it to force it to reveal its form. Fushiguro, prepare to follow up with me!"
The three teenagers immediately formed a back-to-back triangle. Shin pulled a Splash Potion of Regeneration from his inventory and smashed it at their feet, granting all three a minute and a half of continuous cellular healing.
On a tall rooftop a safe distance away, a tall, silver-haired man wearing a black blindfold casually popped a bite of strawberry shortcake into his mouth.
"Not bad, not bad at all," Satoru Gojo murmured around a mouthful of cake. "To come up with a viable stalling tactic so quickly... truly worthy of being my student."
Much further away, hidden within the boundaries of a localized barrier, a man in monk's robes observed the street. He had narrow, slit-like eyes and a distinct, stitched scar running horizontally across his forehead. He watched the three boys struggle against the Kamaitachi in silence.
This was Kenjaku, currently possessing the corpse of Suguru Geto. He had come to the school tonight to observe if there was an opportunity to turn Yuji Itadori into a vessel for Sukuna. Even if it did not happen tonight, there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.
"Hmm. They ran into sorcerers from Jujutsu High?" Kenjaku muttered softly. "A slight deviation from the plan, but it is not a major issue. It is just a pity that the Kamaitachi will likely be exorcised."
Having gathered enough intel, the false monk stepped out of the barrier and vanished into the night, his destination unknown.
Meanwhile, back in the courtyard, Shin and the others were rapidly adapting to the Kamaitachi's fierce, relentless assaults.
The Kamaitachi's attack speed was blinding. At first, only Yuji could barely track its afterimages. But after a few frantic exchanges, Shin and Megumi noticed a distinct pattern.
The lacerations caused by the Kamaitachi were all incredibly shallow. They might be long and bleed profusely, but the actual severity of the wounds was quite low.
Shin was virtually immune. Clad in a full set of Netherite Armor and actively coating his body in Cursed Energy, the monster could barely scratch him. It struggled to even break through Megumi's basic Cursed Energy reinforcement, only managing to scrape the outer layers of his skin.
Ironically, the most severely injured of the three was Yuji, who had absolutely zero Cursed Energy to defend himself with. But even then, the depth of his cuts was barely worse than accidentally nicking a finger while chopping vegetables.
Furthermore, Megumi was a naturally talented fighter, and Shin was no slouch either. After just a few minutes of high-speed combat, both sorcerers adjusted their visual tracking enough to barely catch sight of the Kamaitachi's physical form.
Normally, being continuously worn down by a hyper-speed Special Grade would be a death sentence for an average Jujutsu Sorcerer. However, this was exactly where the importance of a dedicated healer became apparent.
A single pulse of Shin's Regeneration Potion effortlessly healed the shallow cuts. Furthermore, Shin could apply various area-of-effect buffs to his team depending on the combat flow.
Right now, Shin had doused the trio in a Splash Potion of the Turtle Master and a Speed Potion, completely maxing out their physical resistance.
Although the Turtle Master potion severely reduced their movement speed, they did not need to move at all. They anchored themselves to the dirt, effortlessly tanking the superficial damage while taking every opportunity to land heavy counter-punches on the Kamaitachi.
My attack speed might be slow, and my base damage might be low, Shin thought smugly, but looking at this sheer utility, is it not obvious who the carry of this team is?
After taking several heavy, coordinated punches from the trio, the Kamaitachi grew visibly enraged. The three individual weasels suddenly stopped their assault, looked at each other, and began to violently devour one another.
A chill ran down Shin's spine. He certainly was not stupid enough to politely wait for the enemy's second phase to finish transforming. He immediately summoned a barrage of ignited TNT blocks and hurled them into the fleshy mass.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A chain of deafening explosions rocked the courtyard. A massive gust of wind blew out from the center of the smoke and dust, knocking both Yuji and Megumi flat on their backs.
Relying on the immense weight of his Netherite Armor, Shin dug his boots into the dirt and stood firm. As the thick smoke cleared, a grotesque, three-headed giant weasel towering over two meters tall emerged from the crater.
The leftmost head opened its jaws and exhaled a hurricane-force gale, forcing Shin to squeeze his eyes shut against the flying debris. The moment the wind died down and Shin opened his eyes, he saw the middle head spit out a dense barrage of crescent-shaped wind blades.
Shin instantly equipped his Shield and stepped in front of Megumi and Yuji. The wind blades battered against the wood and iron with a rapid, pattering sound, but the shield held strong.
The raw power has definitely increased, Shin analyzed. But it is still pretty average for a Special Grade. If it were any stronger, it might as well rename itself the Three-Headed Sukuna!
The effects of the Turtle Master potion finally wore off. Shin quickly smashed another Speed Potion and Regeneration Potion at their feet. He ordered Megumi to grab Yuji and fall back to create some distance.
By fusing into a single, massive entity, the Kamaitachi had drastically strengthened its Cursed Technique, but its movement speed had plummeted.
Shin quickly devoured an Enchanted Golden Apple. Gripping his Shield in his left hand and his Netherite Sword in his right, he charged the beast head-on.
From the rear, Megumi commanded the newly returned Nue to dive-bomb the Kamaitachi, providing crucial aerial cover for Shin's advance.
"Try a Slowness Potion combined with this!" Shin yelled, hurling vials. "Poison! And Instant Damage!"
Three splash potions shattered against the Kamaitachi's fur. The already sluggish monster was practically paralyzed, and its Cursed Energy began to aggressively corrode from the poison. Enraged, it unleashed a frantic volley of wind blades from its middle mouth, aiming directly at Shin's legs.
Shin did not bother dodging. Relying entirely on the massive temporary health buffer provided by the Enchanted Golden Apple, he sprinted right through the wind blades. He closed the distance and swung his sword in a brutal arc, cleanly severing one of the Kamaitachi's legs.
Nue shrieked and dive-bombed from above, wrapping its electrified wings around the beast and delivering a paralyzing, full-body shock.
"Jump Boost! Strength!" Shin shouted, smashing two more potions at his own feet.
Fueled by the buffs, Shin leaped four meters into the air. With a devastating downward strike, he cleanly decapitated the Kamaitachi's middle head.
"Whoosh!"
Suddenly, the rightmost head—which had remained entirely motionless until now—violently spat out a massive glob of purple-black slime. The foul liquid drenched Shin from head to toe.
Instantly, Shin lost all physical sensation. His body went entirely numb. He subconsciously tried to raise his arm to block; he could see his arm moving upward, but he felt absolutely nothing. The proprioception between his brain and his limbs was completely severed.
The bizarre, disconnected feeling completely destroyed his combat rhythm. He stumbled awkwardly, leaving himself wide open. The Kamaitachi retaliated, slamming a massive claw into Shin's chest and pinning him to the ground. A storm of furious strikes rained down upon him.
Am I being attacked? Shin thought in a panic. I don't feel any pain... I can't feel my body at all!
Shin desperately tried to drink a Healing Potion, but without the ability to physically feel his own arm, he misjudged the distance and smashed the glass bottle directly into his own face.
He could not perform any precise motor functions. He could not even coordinate his muscles enough to stand up.
The slime isn't a paralytic... it just cuts off the nervous system's sensory feedback, Shin deduced frantically. How bad are my injuries? Am I bleeding out? Am I dying right now?!
"Shin!" Megumi screamed.
Megumi frantically summoned a swarm of Toads. Dozens of long, sticky tongues shot out and wrapped around the Kamaitachi's limbs, anchoring it in place. The hold only lasted for two seconds before the monster violently tore the shikigami apart, dissolving them into shadows.
But those two seconds were all they needed. Nue swooped low to the ground, grabbed Shin by the shoulders, and yanked him out of the kill zone.
Lying in the dirt a safe distance away, Shin struggled to control his numb hands. He managed to summon a Bucket of Milk from his inventory. He looked pleadingly at Megumi, unable to coordinate his jaw muscles enough to speak.
Understanding the silent plea, Megumi grabbed the bucket, pinched Shin's nose shut, and forcefully shoved Shin's entire head into the milk.
"Gulp, gulp, gulp..."
If you enjoyed this chapter, drop a comment or power stone!