"Principal Gakuganji!"
Mei Mei was the first to react.
The moment the shadowy figure disappeared, she was already on full alert.
But to her surprise, the shadow didn't charge at her at all.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the shadowy figure darting toward Gakuganji Yoshinobu like a silent ghost!
Her expression changed instantly, and she shouted a warning.
But Gakuganji hadn't anticipated this.
The shadowy figure had been held up by Mei Mei and had even turned on that blond-haired guy.
Whether they fought Mei Mei or the blond, it was an expected outcome. No matter how you looked at it, he shouldn't have been the target right now.
In the blink of an eye, a flash of gleaming steel entered his peripheral vision.
The next thing he knew, the world spun before his eyes.
Forest, sky, the familiar sight of a headless body—all flashed past him in rapid succession.
"That familiar body... that's mine..."
The thought flickered through his mind.
Then, his consciousness plunged into darkness.
He didn't even get the chance to rage over how meaningless his death was.
Gakuganji Yoshinobu's headless corpse swayed unsteadily before collapsing to the ground.
Blood slowly gushed out, staining the earth beneath him.
Mei Mei watched the scene unfold, taking a deep, heavy breath.
"No way..."
The strength of this shadowy figure far exceeded her expectations!
Was it her turn to deal with that guy now?
What a joke.
Mei Mei smirked slightly, then turned and ran straight into the forest.
Without a moment's hesitation.
She hadn't earned enough money yet—she had no intention of dying here.
As for things like a sorcerer's dignity? How much was that worth anyway?
Okita beheaded Gakuganji with a single slash, but made no move to chase after Mei Mei as she fled without hesitation.
Her gaze turned toward Shigemo Haruta's direction.
The current situation was somewhat unexpected.
At the very moment Shigemo Haruta desperately tried to evade the slashing grid—
A sudden gust of wind came from nowhere, blowing Shigemo Haruta away just in time to narrowly, miraculously dodge the deadly mesh.
Having narrowly escaped the slashing net, Shigemo Haruta collapsed to the ground, his face pale with shock.
The six black marks under his eyes had all faded into faint traces.
The accumulated miracles he had stored were completely depleted in that single moment.
Shigemo Haruta frantically patted himself down, checking his body.
Only after confirming he was still in one piece did he finally exhale in relief, his expression one of someone who had narrowly escaped death.
"...I just like watching the weak get trampled—I don't want to become the weak one getting trampled!"
His face twisted into an ugly grimace.
What the hell!
Why was he being targeted?!
...No, it was probably because, like Juzo, he was just another worthless weakling in her eyes.
"—Then, why don't you become the strong one yourself!"
Just as Shigemo Haruta's emotions were in turmoil, a familiar voice abruptly spoke up behind him.
Startled, he turned to look.
Standing behind him was none other than the special-grade cursed spirit Hanami, who had left earlier for some business.
She appeared beside him in a gust of wind strong enough to knock someone over, her legs crackling with electricity.
The moment she reached him, she suddenly punched herself in the stomach, startling Shigemo Haruta.
With a retching sound, she spat out a cursed object from her mouth.
Before Shigemo Haruta could even see what it was, Hanami grabbed him and forcefully shoved the cursed object into his mouth!
"Mmmph?!"
Shigemo Haruta had no chance to react.
By the time he came to his senses, Hanami was already clamping his mouth shut, forcing him to swallow the cursed object.
The moment it entered his stomach, the cursed object erupted with immense cursed energy, crackling with electricity as it surged through his entire body.
Shigemo Haruta couldn't resist at all—his head slumped weakly as he lost consciousness, his very soul sinking into slumber.
Then—
Shigemo Haruta raised his head again.
This time, when his eyes opened, they were filled with icy coldness, his expression brimming with uncontrollable madness.
His entire aura had changed completely—as if he were a different person!
"Finally incarnated... That bastard Kenjaku really loves bossing people around!"
Shigemo Haruta—no, he was no longer Shigemo Haruta.
He was now an ancient sorcerer incarnated within Shigemo Haruta's body!
He tilted his neck and stretched his arms, his face twisting with displeasure.
"This body is quite ordinary. As a vessel, its quality isn't bad, but it's not a perfect fit for me... Oh well, a perfect vessel isn't so easy to find. I'll make do with this for now!"
Kenjaku?
After expelling the cursed object from her body, Hanami's aura immediately diminished, and the electric currents that had been coiling around her legs vanished without a trace.
A flicker of confusion crossed her face. Who was Kenjaku?
This cursed object had clearly been obtained by Suguru Geto—
"Who... are you?"
Hanami studied the sorcerer before her, a faint unease stirring in her heart.
Regardless of the relationship between Suguru Geto and Kenjaku, could this person really defeat that human?
"What's this? Kenjaku summoned me, yet didn't even bother to tell you my name?"
A disappointed smile surfaced on his face, as if he held nothing but disdain for Kenjaku.
At the same time, his cursed energy surged through his entire body, and Haruta Shigemo's form began to writhe violently.
His golden hair transformed into a deep ocean blue, his facial features sharpened, and his muscles swelled, exuding an overwhelming sense of power. His aura erupted explosively, making him several times stronger than before!
"My name is Kashimo Hajime, the strongest sorcerer of four hundred years ago! Remember it well, little curse!"
Kashimo Hajime pointed a thumb at himself, his face breaking into an arrogant grin that seemed to regard all sorcerers as nothing more than ants. His expression was wild with confidence.
"Now, who's my opponent?"
Hanami fell silent for a moment.
The strongest sorcerer from four hundred years ago—Suguru Geto had actually managed to obtain a cursed object formed from such a figure?
Should she call that resourcefulness?
Still, if Kashimo Hajime had once dominated an era, then he should be strong enough to face Roy!
She slowly stepped aside, allowing Kashimo Hajime to see the scene behind her.
"Him."
Behind Hanami.
Not far away, the white-haired youth had been waiting for some time, giving them ample opportunity to converse.
"I was wondering why Hanami's cursed energy had surged so much and why she could manipulate lightning. Turns out it was because she swallowed a cursed object Kenjaku provided!"
The white-haired youth stood there, smiling as carefree as a breeze.
His presence swayed like willow catkins in the wind, as though he had draped himself in an illusory veil.
"This guy... he's strong!"
Kashimo Hajime observed the white-haired youth, unfazed by his elusive aura.
The corners of his eyes lifted dangerously, and an eager glint surfaced on his face.
"What's your name? An opponent like you—even if you die by my hand, you've earned the right for me to remember you!"
"Hahaha, such big talk, Kashimo Hajime the Well!"
Roy couldn't help but laugh.
Were you a character from a comedy manga or something?
Kashimo Hajime's brow furrowed, his expression darkening for an instant.
Though he didn't understand what "Kashimo Hajime the Well" meant, Roy's tone made it clear it was meant to mock him!
Roy paid no attention to his reaction, nor did he care to spare his feelings.
He nodded generously and answered.
"Fine, I'll tell you—so you don't die not knowing who to hate. My name is Roy."
"Roy, huh? I'll remember that name. And one more thing—it's not Kashimo Hajime the Well, it's Kashimo Hajime. You'd better remember that too!"
Kashimo Hajime's lips curled into a grin, his body exuding a dangerous aura, like a coiled viper ready to strike.
"Be careful. This guy is strong—you could say he's the strongest of this era!"
Hanami took a step back, leaving the battlefield to Kashimo Hajime while sternly warning him.
Though Kenjaku believed Gojo Satoru was stronger than Roy, Hanami had suffered two brutal beatings from Roy without ever being pummeled by Gojo even once.
Deep down, she considered Roy the strongest of this era!
"The strongest? That's exactly the kind of opponent I like! If they're too weak or timid, it'd be downright boring!"
Far from being intimidated, Kashimo Hajime's eyes lit up at her words.
His fighting spirit erupted like a volcano, and his cursed energy, infused with terrifying lightning, burst forth with overwhelming force. He radiated an invincible aura, as though the heavens and earth lay beneath his feet.
Meanwhile, Roy, standing opposite him, swept his hand across his waist, summoning a pure-white activation device into his grip. Infusing it with cursed energy, he instantly transformed it into a razor-sharp white blade, wreathed in black infernal flames.
Who would've thought Kenjaku had managed to retrieve Kashimo Hajime's cursed object and even handed it to Hanami? That was completely unexpected.
But why didn't even Okita know about this?
Had Kenjaku secretly given Kashimo's cursed object to Hanami?
So he really had started suspecting Okita? Was he wary of her possibly leaking information?
Hanami retreated several more steps.
Only then did her gaze sweep across the surrounding ground. When she spotted the corpses of Juzo and Gakuganji, she couldn't help but feel a surge of astonishment.
"Trading one curse user for a Jujutsu High principal isn't a bad deal… but both bodies seem to have been killed the same way. What's going on here?"
"What now?"
At that moment, the shadowy figure approached her.
"Should we retreat? Or join forces with this Kashimo Hajime and gang up on Roy?"
The words snapped Hanami out of her contemplation.
Hearing Okita's question, she hesitated.
Retreat?
Or attack together?
If they chose to retreat now, they could preserve themselves—as long as they survived, there'd always be another chance.
But Roy remained their greatest obstacle. Without eliminating him, they'd never achieve their grand ambitions.
Besides, Mahito was still in his hands—they had to rescue him!
"Where's Geto Suguru? Where did that guy run off to?"
Hanami suddenly realized.
Right—Geto Suguru!
That guy had mentioned that while they engaged the Jujutsu High sorcerers, he would infiltrate the school himself.
Though this battle had gone beyond expectations, he should've sensed the fighting by now and taken action. So where was he?
If he had also entered, combining the strength of her, Okita Souji, Geto Suguru, and Kashimo Hajime, they could surely crush Roy here and now!
BOOOOOOM—!!!
At that moment, an earth-shaking roar erupted from the distant mountains.
A massive tremor surged toward them, shaking the ground beneath their feet as though an earthquake had struck.
"What's happening?!"
Steadying herself, Hanami turned toward the source of the noise, her face filled with shock.
"That's the Jujutsu High's back mountain… Could it be Geto Suguru?"
No one else would be capable of causing such a disturbance.
But could Geto really unleash something that massive?
"It's Kenjaku."
Roy also raised his head, looking toward the direction of the back mountain as if he had already seen through the events happening there. His eyes were filled with a strange expression.
"That guy actually had the misfortune of running into Bocchi-chan. Even I wouldn't dare provoke Bocchi-chan in that state. That guy really has guts—as expected of a thousand-year-old monster!"
Don't ask why he wouldn't dare provoke her.
The answer is just a wild guess.
"Hey, you dare to get distracted when you're about to fight me?"
Kashimo Hajime glared at him with clear displeasure.
He felt underestimated, and obvious irritation surfaced in his eyes.
"Ah, don't mind it. Actually, it's not just over there."
Hearing this, Roy turned his head back and smiled at Kashimo Hajime.
"There's also one more thing to deal with here—Souji."
Souji?
Okita—Souji?!
Hanami instantly felt her scalp tingle with instinctive dread.
She reflexively tried to sidestep away.
But before she could—
A shadowy figure kicked out.
Sending her flying like a cannonball.
Straight toward Roy's position!
"Nice job."
Roy smiled faintly and swung his blade at the incoming figure.
The tip of his demonic sword pierced through Hanami in an instant!