In the forest.
Tokyo Jujutsu High's tactics were executed perfectly.
Maki Zen'in broke through Kyoto Jujutsu High's defensive line all by herself.
Just as everyone thought the match would end in a crushing victory for Tokyo Jujutsu High.
"Boom—!!!"
A dull, heavy explosion suddenly erupted in the air above the arena without warning.
The ground shook violently, as if a giant hand were frantically stirring beneath the earth. Countless birds flew out of the woods in terror, blotting out the sun.
"What's going on?!"
Maki, who was chasing Mai, suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky.
Right above the arena, the once clear blue sky was suddenly stained as if by ink.
A layer of pitch-black, viscous liquid substance gushed out of the void, flowing downward at high speed like a giant bowl being placed over them.
That was the "Curtain."
At the same time, a massive and suffocating evil Cursed Energy erupted in the central area of the forest.
It was the presence of a Special Grade Cursed Spirit!
"An enemy attack?!"
Maki's expression changed.
"Mai! Stop dazing!"
Maki turned back and shouted at Mai, who had yet to snap out of it.
"Get back to the rest area! This isn't a battle you can participate in anymore!"
After saying that, she didn't even have time to glance at her sister. She shot off like an arrow toward the center of the Cursed Energy eruption—the area where Megumi Fushiguro was... the center of the forest, downstream of the river.
It had now turned into a hell of plants.
Countless thick roots, like giant pythons gone berserk, frantically burrowed out from underground, crushing the surrounding trees and even grinding rocks into powder.
Megumi Fushiguro, Kamo Noritoshi, and Toge Inumaki, who had just arrived to provide support.
These three elites from both schools were now standing together, covered in wounds and in a wretched state.
And before them.
Stood a tall, white figure.
Its left arm was wrapped in white cloth, branches grew from its eye sockets, and it radiated the aura of the forest and the earth, yet mixed with an ultimate malice toward humanity.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit—Hanami.
"Humans, do you still not understand?"
Hanami's voice rang out directly in everyone's minds, carrying a kind of sorrowful compassion while speaking the cruelest words.
"The forest is weeping."
"The Earth is wailing."
"For the sake of the planet's future, please... become fertilizer."
Boom!
Hanami raised its right hand.
The ground instantly exploded, and dozens of sharp wooden spikes shot toward the three like spears at an incredible speed.
"Get out of the way!!"
Megumi Fushiguro roared.
The three scattered in all directions in a flurry.
"Divine Dog: Totality!"
Megumi Fushiguro formed a hand seal, and a giant wolf of mixed black and white emerged from the shadows, roaring as it lunged at Hanami, attempting to tear at its throat.
However.
Hanami simply waved its hand gently.
*Snap!*
That Divine Dog, strong enough to tear apart a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit, was actually swatted away by a suddenly elongated branch, dissipating into black ink.
"The gap... is too large."
Kamo Noritoshi gritted his teeth. The "Piercing Blood" shot from his Blood Manipulation struck Hanami's skin, which was as hard as iron, leaving only a white mark.
"Don't move!"
Toge Inumaki pulled down his collar and used Cursed Speech.
Hanami's movements froze for a split second.
But immediately after, Toge spat out a mouthful of blood, his throat in searing pain as he fell to his knees. The level difference was too great; the backlash came too quickly and too violently.
"It's useless."
Hanami walked over slowly, the flower on its left arm about to bloom as massive Cursed Energy gathered, and the surrounding plants seemed to cheer.
"Gentle treatment did not bring understanding."
"Then..."
"Sleep in this field of flowers."
Countless bloodthirsty seeds were scattered from Hanami's hand; they were parasitic plants capable of sucking a Jujutsu Sorcerer's Cursed Energy dry.
Desperation.
Megumi Fushiguro gripped his blade tightly, his eyes filled with resolve.
If it came to the absolute worst, he would have no choice but to summon that thing... even if it was a suicidal move.
At this critical moment.
"Fushiguro! Give me that!!"
A sharp shout came from the tree canopy above.
Megumi Fushiguro instinctively looked up.
He saw a tall figure falling like a meteorite with an unstoppable momentum.
"Maki-senpai?!"
Megumi Fushiguro reacted extremely quickly; he knew what Maki wanted.
Shadows surged.
A red three-section staff radiating an ominous aura shot out from the shadows.
The Special Grade Cursed Tool—[playful cloud].
This was the only Special Grade Cursed Tool that had no Cursed Technique and relied purely on the user's physical strength to exert its power.
*Clap!*
Maki caught playful cloud firmly in mid-air.
The moment she landed, the ground beneath her feet cracked into spiderweb-like fissures.
"A guy who only knows how to plant grass..."
Maki gripped the three-section staff, feeling its heavy weight.
After Lynn's treatment, the sluggish shackles within her body had been mostly opened. At this moment, playful cloud seemed to come alive in her hands, and the resonance of that power made her whole body tremble.
"A lesson with a staff is enough!"
*Bang!*
Maki's figure instantly vanished.
Pure physical explosive power.
She was so fast that even a Special Grade Cursed Spirit could only catch an afterimage.
"So fast!"
Hanami was startled and instinctively raised its arm, summoning a wooden wall to block.
However.
"Shatter... for me!!"
Maki roared, and the playful cloud in her hand, accompanied by the sound of whistling wind, slammed violently into the wooden wall.
"Boom—!!!"
Wood chips flew everywhere.
That hard wooden wall, which even Kamo Noritoshi's Piercing Blood couldn't penetrate, was actually smashed to pieces in an instant like it was made of paper!
playful cloud's momentum didn't slow as it crashed heavily into Hanami's blocking arm.
*Crack!*
The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible.
Hanami's massive body was actually sent flying by this single strike, stopping only after crashing through three large trees.
"What?!"
Kamo Noritoshi and Toge Inumaki were both stunned.
This was the... Zen'in Maki whom the family called a "failure"?
This kind of destructive power, this pure aesthetic of violence... it was as if the "tyrant of heaven" of years past had been reincarnated!
"I'm not done yet!"
Maki pressed her advantage, her playful cloud dancing into a red storm as she launched a torrential barrage of attacks at the just-risen Hanami.
Every strike was heavy and powerful.
Every hit aimed for a vital spot.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit, who had been insufferably arrogant just moments ago, was now being pummeled by a human with "no Cursed Energy"!
"So strong..."
Megumi Fushiguro watched Maki's back, his eyes full of shock.
He knew Maki had grown stronger, but he hadn't expected her to be this strong.
Was this... that man Lynn's doing?
...At the same time.
At the edge of the arena, the forest entrance.
The shrill sound of alarms echoed throughout Jujutsu High.
Students began to evacuate in an orderly fashion under the teachers' direction.
Satoru Gojo stood outside the "Curtain," looking at the black barrier, a hint of coldness flashing in his azure eyes.
"A 'Curtain' that 'excludes Satoru Gojo'?"
"And the priority is set so high..."
He raised his hand, terrifying Cursed Energy condensing at his fingertips as he prepared to break it down by force...