After crushing the blade, the Cursed Spirit was not satisfied and reached forward with its other hand toward the culprit who had "bullied" Yuta Okkotsu. Its fingers tore through the air, warping it unnaturally, and the podium, desks, and chairs in their path shattered into pieces. Seeing this, Maki Zenin finally understood how Yuta Okkotsu had stuffed four boys into a storage locker that normally felt cramped with just two people, and still left them badly injured rather than dead.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit attached to him had surpassed ordinary attacks and reached a level where a basic strike was like a Domain Expansion fueled by Jujutsu. For someone like Maki Zenin who relied purely on close combat, this was the worst possible matchup. At the critical moment, Akira stepped in.
He had been watching all along and now grabbed a desk, pouring it full of Cursed Energy as he charged straight at the giant hand. With a loud crash, the desk broke apart as expected, but the combined burst of Cursed Energy and physical strength brought the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's attack to a halt. The impact forced Akira backward until his body hit something soft.
He turned his head and saw Maki Zenin looking away as she said, "Thanks." "No need," Akira replied with a crooked smile, thinking to himself that maybe good deeds really did pay off.
After the failed strike, the opposing Special Grade Cursed Spirit revealed more of its body. One hand sheltered Yuta Okkotsu, while the fingers of the other moved with rhythm as it asked in an innocent yet chilling voice, "Do you want to play with Rika Orimoto?" "Wait, Rika Orimoto, you cannot come out!" Yuta Okkotsu finally reacted and tried to stop the destruction.
Akira waved his hand instead. "Stretching a bit after waking up is fine. Let her play for a while." He had destroyed hundreds of Cursed Spirit in his life, but he had never truly fought a top level powerhouse, so he let things unfold to test his limits.
Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto was the perfect opponent. With Satoru Gojo present and Shoko Ieiri also inside Tokyo Jujutsu High, there was no real risk. He glanced at the white haired broom head, saw no objection, and relaxed.
He punched through the outer wall of the classroom, opening a hole. "There is not enough space inside. Let us go outside to play. Gardevoir, Psychic Power." "Sha~" Gardevoir floated up as psychic power surged out, carrying Akira, Yuta Okkotsu, and even Rika Orimoto flying outside.
Yuta Okkotsu had never experienced anything like this and fell back into a dazed, timid state. Rika Orimoto was instead in high spirits, clapping her hands and cheering, "We are flying. This is so fun." Gardevoir frowned at the sight.
This was the first time she had seen a being that could fully endure her Psychic Power and still move normally. In the past, when she used Cursed Energy, enemies were forced under control and heavily affected even if they could move. Satoru Gojo did not count, since her Psychic Power could not even land on him and was deflected outright.
Akira gently patted her head and explained, "That is the ceiling among Cursed Spirit. She is not easy to deal with. You do not need to hold back this time." "Sha, sha." Her doubt turned into resolve.
She canceled her usual Psychic Power and replaced it with a new move mastered at level 42. Skill, Psychic Force. It was an upgraded version of Psychic Power, doubling its power, range, and precision, resulting in an explosive leap overall.
Even though there was one more Pokémon now, and even though she went out less after entering Tokyo Jujutsu High, Gardevoir's experience gain had not slowed down and had even increased. The reason lay in the newly obtained Pokémon trainer template, Green. Known as the trainer of trainers, the effect of System was simple and direct, increased experience gain.
Just before the skill was released, Akira spoke up. "Okkotsu, move farther away. Do not get caught in it." "Ah, okay. Be careful, Rika Orimoto is really strong," Yuta Okkotsu said kindly as he retreated.
"I know." Facing Rika Orimoto, one mistake would spell disaster for both him and Gardevoir. Akira steadied his breathing, opened the backpack he carried, and drew an ancient sword chosen from the Cursed Tool Vault.
Fists and kicks were convenient, but in pure destruction they could not match Cursed Tools, which meant he was entering full combat mode. More importantly, his Cursed Tools had a special effect. With a swing through the air, a crescent shaped slash flew out at range.
By compressing Cursed Energy and releasing it from afar, it formed a sword like wave, a rare first grade Cursed Tools. Like a Jujutsu Sorcerer, Cursed Tools also had ranks, four, three, two, one, and special, with smaller numbers meaning higher value. The most expensive ones were priced in the hundreds of millions.
The ten billion paid by the Zenin Clan for Megumi Fushiguro was only enough to buy two Special Grade Cursed Tools. As the sword wave landed, Gardevoir's Psychic Force also blasted out like a pure psychic shell, tearing through the air with a frightening roar.
Faced with such an attack, Rika Orimoto did not dodge at all and caught it head on with both hands. She was pressed into the ground by the psychic force, and her arms and chest warped from forcibly taking the blow, but she truly stopped it. "I am impressed," Akira muttered.
He knew Rika Orimoto was strong, but not this strong, strong enough to easily block even Gardevoir's current ultimate move. With shared health and energy mechanics, her injuries were only superficial and healed in the blink of an eye, with barely any drop in Cursed Energy. This was not even her complete form.
As she repaired her body with Cursed Energy, the special Cursed Spirit that had only shown half or most of itself finally revealed its full appearance. Its lower body matched its arms, thick and powerful, demonic limbs dripping with scattered curses like flowing blood. Even Satoru Gojo commented, "Scary, scary. That is Rika Orimoto in full."
The ceiling among Cursed Spirit lived up to its name. Now, that existence fixed its gaze on Gardevoir. "Red. Rika Orimoto likes red."
Gardevoir's pendant was bright red.
Special Grade Vengeful Cursed Spirit Rika Orimoto reached out with both hands. The motion looked casual, yet the pressure of wind burst forward, giving the feeling that it could not be blocked or avoided. The space in front of her warped under the force.
Akira knew he could not meet it head-on and gave an order. "Split up." The boy moved left, the girl moved right.
No matter which side Rika Orimoto grabbed, or even if she tried to take both, Akira had a follow-up ready. Rika Orimoto stayed true to her own words about liking red and fixed her attention on the red-clad owner of Gardevoir.
Seeing that, Akira decisively circled behind Gardevoir and drew his sword. The blade flashed again and again like falling rain, so fast that an average swordsman would not even see how he struck. This was the result of relentless training, combined with the boost from the Trainer Template granted by System.
The Trainer Template taken from Megumi Fushiguro was actually the second one he obtained. The first default template from System was called "Wisdom," and it was the one Akira used most often. Ash Ketchum, despite a name tied to wisdom, was a youth whose talents leaned heavily toward strength.