They had considered the possibility of reinforcements, but they trusted their own strength and tactics. At the cost of one third of his weapons, Bale finally slowed Kento Nanami's advance and dragged the timing out until the combatants arrived to "support."
"Cursed Energy Release, Technique Activation!"
What happened next caught Kron off guard. Kento Nanami did not dodge like Akira had, but instead swung back and slammed his blunt blade straight into the human bomb's chest. Kron did not understand why, but this kind of foolish move suited him just fine.
You want to explode, then I will grant it.
Just as Kron was about to press his thumb and trigger the detonation, a black-red light darker than the night sky bloomed. Its shape was like lightning, and its force like wind and thunder. It was a distortion born from Cursed Energy synchronized to a physical strike.
"Black Flash!" Kron cried out in shock.
"No, it is more than just Black Flash!"
Bale was closer and saw more clearly. The point where Kento Nanami's blade landed was exactly the Seven:Three Ratio line across the combatant's chest. This was a combination of "Ratio Technique" and "Black Flash".
With the critical effect stacked on top of a 2.5 times damage boost, the power of that strike increased by far more than tenfold. In a single hit, the unlucky combatant was smashed apart. Truly smashed apart, with flesh and blood spraying everywhere.
Whether Jujutsu or Cursed Energy, both required a carrier. The carrier Kron needed had to have enough volume and density, and once it was destroyed by Kento Nanami, the Cursed Energy scattered with it and the bomb technique collapsed. This was why Akira had judged Kento Nanami to be a "close-combat Special Grade", because his style fused Jujutsu and Black Flash into explosive output.
"Pulled it off in one try. Lucky," Kento Nanami said calmly, his expression unchanged.
The calmer he was, the more it highlighted the enemy's failure and fueled their anger. "It is just one Black Flash. Let's see how many more you can throw out. Get him!"
The remaining combatants rushed in one after another. With fewer numbers, their control and reaction actually improved. Facing the second encirclement, Kento Nanami looked even more relaxed and swung his blade again.
"Ratio Technique! Black Flash!"
Another strike, another explosion, exactly the same as before.
"Impossible!" Kron was on the verge of losing his mind.
"There is nothing impossible about it," Kento Nanami replied. "Landing consecutive Black Flash is not that hard. After using it, a sorcerer enters a state like an athlete's Zone. Cursed Energy that normally needs control flows as naturally as breathing, and it feels like everything revolves around you."
As if answering his words, Kento Nanami swung a third time. Black Flash appeared again, and the third person burst apart.
"A friendly reminder," someone added. "Mr. Nanami holds the record for consecutive Black Flash with four in a row. It is not that he cannot do more, just that there were not enough targets. Today, he might even break his own record."
While the enemy's attention was fixed on Kento Nanami, Akira slipped through the blockade and closed back in on Kron. "That kind of thing does not matter," Kento Nanami said, clearly unconcerned with records.
First, he had set the record himself. Second, more hits did not mean greater strength, because an enemy he needed multiple Black Flash to defeat could be erased by Satoru Gojo in one shot. That kind of comparison meant nothing.
"Akira, this is a rare chance," Kento Nanami said. "I do not know how long this state will last, so make use of it."
Hearing this, Akira gave up the chance to sneak attack Kron. Instead, he focused fully on sensing the flow of Kento Nanami's Cursed Energy and consciously experiencing that special state. There were stories that athletes could influence each other, that one person entering the Zone could lift the whole team.
He did not know how true that was, but since the chance was right in front of him, he had to try. Nanami's teachings flashed through his mind one after another. Treat Cursed Energy as air, as blood, and let it move with your body.
Empty your mind and do not overthink, because thinking causes delay. If you must think, think faster, higher, stronger, and picture your future self. Throw away tactics, strategies, and responses, and chase pure strength.
Normally, Akira could never do this. He was the kind of person who could not sit still, who worried and overthought everything. But watching Kento Nanami demonstrate it in person, watching him crush the enemy's schemes again and again, and seeing perfect synchronization between body and Cursed Energy, Akira felt that he could do it now.
He took a deep breath and focused his mind to the extreme. It was not enough, still not enough. He could still feel the mismatch between Cursed Energy and his body, and he could still sense the presence of a limit.
Is this as far as I go. No, not yet. I have not truly pushed everything out of myself.
I lack the talent of a Jujutsu Sorcerer, and I stepped into this dangerous hidden world relying on the gift of System. Even though I keep telling myself it is part of me, deep down there is always a barrier. That thing appeared out of nowhere, and it is not pure strength.
Pure strength does not rely on external tools. It tempers the self and digs out inner potential. If Jujutsu is not enough, then dig deeper into Cursed Energy.
If Cursed Energy is lacking, then concentrate it further. If power is still not enough, squeeze out blood, spirit, everything that can be squeezed. There is no need to think about anything else, just this instant.
Refine my essence and cross the limit. I will put all my will into this one strike.
Crack, crack, crack. Akira seemed to hear something shattering, but he had no time to care. He did not notice his sword slipping from his hand, Bale firing, or Kron counterattacking, as he focused solely on swinging his right fist.
Cursed Energy burned like fire, growing stronger and darker. When the red faded completely and the flames turned fully black, everything in front of the fist twisted. Air, dust, Cursed Energy, and even space itself warped.
Where the black passed, all resistance became meaningless. The black flower bloomed.
You might not know what a power raised to 2.5 times really means. People usually use just two words to describe this move, and those words are Black Flash.
Akira had always been confused about one thing. Why describe it with such an odd number as 2.5 times, when squaring or cubing would be simpler to calculate. The description had always sounded more mysterious than helpful.
After Akira landed a Black Flash, he finally understood. This exponent was not just math, but the most accurate description of the technique itself. Physical force and Cursed Energy synchronized completely, existing on the same spatial layer and producing a spreading effect.
Its power was not a simple increase in numbers. It focused both elements fully onto the original point of impact, creating a leap in essence rather than scale. That was why it was so difficult to withstand.
Whether it was a weak nobody of a sorcerer or a Curse User like Kron who believed he could rival a Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerer, no one could block such a blow. Wherever you tried to defend, that place vanished, twisted out of existence by Black Flash without leaving a trace.