"Flowing Red Scale!"
Choso had already realized that his Piercing Blood had been completely seen through, so without hesitation he canceled it and switched techniques.
Two vertical streaks of blood appeared above and below his eyes as the blood in his body compressed and surged rapidly. His whole body felt like it had been injected with a stimulant, and both his strength and speed rose noticeably.
At the moment when Kenjaku and Yuji's fists collided, his blood-covered punch followed right after, slamming toward Kenjaku.
"Too slow… huh?!"
Crack!
Kenjaku was about to mock him and dodge, but in that instant, a sudden force burst from his right arm, freezing him for a split second.
And in that moment, Choso's fist smashed directly into his face.
Boom!
Kenjaku was sent flying, crashing through a pillar thicker than a human body before slamming into a train on the tracks.
'The timing gap between physical force and cursed energy?!'
As he flew back, he finally understood the strange feeling.
Among sorcerers of the same level, Yuji's physical ability was overwhelming. And because he had learned cursed energy control later than others, his cursed energy often lagged behind his body.
The punch lands first. The cursed energy follows after.
Layer upon layer, like waves crashing forward, making it unpredictable.
That was why Kenjaku hesitated for a moment and got hit. The power stacked too suddenly, leaving him no time to prepare.
'As expected of the perfect vessel I created.'
Even now, the thought in his mind was nothing more than slight satisfaction toward his own creation.
He raised his right hand, and the small fractures in his arm were already repaired with cursed energy. His left hand returned to its original form.
Yuji carried Sukuna inside him, so Idle Transfiguration could not be used recklessly on his soul. As for Choso, because he was a Death Painting Womb incarnation, he likely wouldn't be affected either.
After all, the Death Paintings were a mix of human, curse, and sorcerer blood.
Right after sealing the two special grades, Kenjaku had already activated Idle Transfiguration from a distance on those he marked. Now, all the hostages here had been used up, and there was no need to waste more cursed energy on it.
At that moment, Yuji and Choso had already rushed into the train carriage and attacked from both sides.
"Crow Cloud."
With a wave of Kenjaku's hand, dozens, even hundreds of crows enhanced with cursed energy surged out, blocking their vision.
Snap!
His left hand shot out through the swarm and grabbed Choso's arm mid-motion. With a violent pull, Choso was lifted into the air, spun around, and smashed straight into Yuji.
The two who had just entered the carriage were blasted back out.
Kenjaku followed closely behind them.
"Blood Manipulation: Crimson Binding!"
While still airborne, Choso adjusted his posture. His cursed energy turned into blood, forming a massive net that closed in on Kenjaku.
"God Feeding Art: Divine Descent, Grade 1 Imaginary Vengeful Cursed Spirit, Umibōzu."
Kenjaku didn't dodge, nor did he slow down.
His hands formed a seal as his left arm turned blue, his palm growing webbed like a sea creature's. Then, with a single swing of his palm, a powerful stream of water burst out and instantly scattered the blood net.
"What is this…"
Although Choso was highly skilled in Blood Manipulation, he hadn't had a physical body for long. This was the first time the blood outside his body had slipped out of his control.
"That's why I said all nine of you are failures. Blood Manipulation is nothing but a scattered mess."
In the brief moment Choso was stunned, Kenjaku's fist slammed into his face, driving him straight into the ground.
Blood dissolved in water.
That was exactly why he chose Umibōzu.
"Choso!"
Yuji gathered cursed energy into his fist and blew away all the crows blocking his vision. Then he saw his brother smashed into the ground.
He shouted and rushed toward Kenjaku.
"Ocean Current Defense."
Kenjaku simply raised his left hand. A ripple spread across his palm, forming a layer of flowing water like a glove.
Yuji's punch struck it.
The impact did not land cleanly. Rather, the force was gradually dispersed, his speed slowing with each passing moment until he could no longer reach the hand at all.
'It won't connect?!'
Shock flashed across Yuji's eyes.
"Pfft!"
In the next second, Kenjaku's right fist, wrapped in cursed energy, slammed into his stomach.
Yuji spat out blood.
"Blood—"
Choso tried to use a technique to help, but Kenjaku grabbed Yuji's fist, lifted him, and slammed him down again.
The two brothers crashed together, smashing a crater dozens of centimeters deep into the ground.
"You two are really boring. Yuji Itadori, if you weren't Sukuna's vessel, you wouldn't be much different from them."
As a curse user who had lived for over a thousand years, Kenjaku far surpassed them in both experience and raw cursed energy. Yet he didn't continue attacking.
Instead, he stepped back a few paces, shaking his head with a sigh.
It wasn't time for them to die yet.
'Damn it…'
The two struggled to climb out of the crater. Choso reached out, stopping Yuji, then stepped forward on his own.
"You can say whatever you want about me… but you will never call my brothers boring!"
His eyes were bloodshot, filled with fury.
His brothers did not come into this world to be called meaningless, and he would never let them feel that way.
'I can still become stronger…'
Until his younger brothers grew strong, the older brother would always stand in front.
"Hm?"
Kenjaku blinked, clearly unable to understand Choso's way of thinking.
Thud… thud…
Suddenly, the sound of bodies collapsing echoed from behind.
Yuji turned around.
From the stairs, a group of transfigured humans was coming down.
"Where did they—"
Then it hit him. The people he had just saved had gone up those stairs.
"There are people on the upper floors too. I activated the technique all at once. The ones you saved… just entered another grave."
Kenjaku spoke at the perfect moment, his words cutting deep.
"All this suffering, including everyone who died in Shibuya, is because of you, Yuji Itadori. You are the center of this disaster."
Seeing the boy hesitate, he pressed further.
"Shut up!"
Choso charged forward again, but just like before, his punch was easily caught.
Even so, the killing intent in his gaze burned brighter than ever.
"Noritoshi Kamo, all of this is because of you. You are the source of all suffering, not Yuji!"
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