"Dankū! I wonder if Satoshi's Dankū can withstand my Star Rage?"
There was a glimmer of excitement in Yuki's eyes.
Satoshi was incredibly powerful—and so was she. In her eyes, she and Satoshi were the most perfectly matched pair in the entire jujutsu world.
Yuki knew that Satoshi was emotionally slow, but she would not give an inch in matters of the heart.
Because she was the so-called "girlfriend" from nine years ago, Yuki felt more justified than anyone else when standing before Satoshi. In the eyes of the cursed tool community, her connection with him was undoubtedly closer.
Satoshi, I know you're looking for someone who can test your strength. But you've chosen the wrong opponents. Satoru and the other six can't be your grindstone. They can't give you the pressure you need.
Yuki tossed her long golden hair, exuding a mixture of charm and heroism.
"Satoshi, in the entire world of jujutsu, the only ones qualified to be your opponents are Lord Tengen, me, Toji, and that Curse User who ambushed you with a Domain."
"Satoru barely counts as half an opponent..."
"If you want to experience the true peak of sorcery, then come fight me. This sister school goodwill event is nothing but a game to you."
After understanding Satoshi's real reason for participating in the event, Yuki found it meaningless.
Satoshi was not under any pressure.
Kenshin and the others would soon realize the overwhelming gap between them and Gojo Satoshi. They might even fall into the same despair Toji had nine years ago.
Yuki's heart burned with anticipation. She wanted a real battle with Satoshi, regardless of the level...
...
Satoshi stood high above, calmly looking down at the six participants below him.
Disappointed. He was too disappointed.
The future generation of both Tokyo and Kyoto Jujutsu High couldn't even force him to draw his Zanpakutō.
He admitted that the new Kidō techniques he had mastered were powerful and difficult to predict.
However, if the six had been a bit stronger, perhaps they could've pushed him to unsheathe his blade.
After firing off so many Kidō spells, Satoshi's Reiryoku was nearly exhausted. But the six who stood before him seemed to have already given up on continuing the fight...
Utahime and Shoko had lost all pretense of grace and collapsed to the ground.
As support sorcerers, they had exhausted nearly all of their Cursed Energy. Though their amplification and healing played vital roles during the battle, they hadn't achieved any substantial results.
Mei Mei was still barely standing, but the backlash from her Black Bird being pierced by lightning had left her aching all over and unable to move.
Tamamonomae, summoned by Suguru, had completely lost her previous elegance. Her kimono was wrinkled and torn, lacking any of the mystique of a special-grade spirit.
Kenshin was kneeling on one knee, using the replica of the Inverted Spear of Heaven to hold himself up. Even in this condition, he was unwilling to show weakness before Satoshi.
The pride of the Kamo clan wouldn't allow him to surrender.
As for Satoru, Satoshi's biological brother—other than their opening clash at the start of the event, none of Satoru's techniques, from Reverse Cursed Technique to his Zanpakutō attacks, had even touched Satoshi. Even Satoshi's Dankū couldn't be broken.
Was this the gap between them?
Satoru didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe there could be such a huge disparity between himself and Satoshi.
But when he saw the disappointment in Satoshi's eyes, Satoru felt a flame of frustration building inside him.
They weren't enemies. They were brothers born of the same mother. Deep down, Satoru was happy that Satoshi was strong.
But as the gap between them continued to widen—even after Satoshi had been asleep for nine years—Satoru couldn't hide his sense of defeat.
Maybe he shouldn't have compared himself to Satoshi at all?
Satoru knew he was strong. If given a few more years, he was confident he could surpass even a Special Grade like Yuki—just as long as he didn't compare himself to Gojo Satoshi...
But was that even possible?
Satoshi was like a monolith standing at the summit of the jujutsu world. To reach the peak, one had no choice but to surpass him.
No one wants to be second best. Not even when the one above them is the strongest in the world.
Satoru gripped Senbonzakura tightly. All that remained of his blade was the hilt—but to him, it was his last hope, his final conviction.
The Limitless Technique was incredibly powerful. When paired with the Gojo clan's Six Eyes, it was arguably the strongest technique in the entire world of curses.
Senbonzakura was also incredibly powerful. According to Satoshi, it was the most refined Zanpakutō he had forged aside from Ryūjin Jakka, standing on par with Katen Kyōkotsu.
Yet even with this configuration, Satoru still couldn't see any hope of victory.
They were the majority, and Satoshi was the lone opponent.
And still, Satoru felt nothing but despair.
Am I really not as good as Satoshi?
Compared to his own privileged upbringing in the Gojo clan, Satoshi had grown up under harsh discrimination. If not for forging a Zanpakutō at the age of six, he might have continued to be dismissed as worthless.
A useless Six Eyes paired with a body devoid of Cursed Energy.
And yet, with that body, Satoshi earned the title of the strongest sorcerer, and even destroyed Ryoumen Sukuna's fingers.
Satoru asked himself if he could've done what Satoshi did. But no matter what, he would never admit defeat.
A white mist flowed from Satoru's Six Eyes. The once-lifeless cherry blossom petals scattered in the sky began to move in unison.
The petals seemed to embrace Satoru, as if acknowledging and welcoming him.
Seeing this, Suguru and the others were stunned. None of them reacted right away to what was happening.
Kenshin had no idea what these dancing petals meant.
Only Satoshi looked at the swirling Senbonzakura petals surrounding him. His eyes first showed surprise, then anticipation...
(To be continued.)
***
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