Naoya had changed into his signature loose kimono at some point, his short blonde hair swaying gently in the breeze.
He looked at Renji with disdain and said with a smile, "Hey, Special Grade, what's the point of just fighting? How about we put something on the line as a prize?"
"Sure, I wonder what kind of prize you're planning to offer."
Renji absolutely loved these experience packs that delivered items. He just wondered if there would be experience point rewards after defeating him.
"This is something an unorthodox clan could never have." Naoya took out a golden cross from his pocket and shook it in the sunlight.
Renji looked at the golden cross, a terrifying aura of Cursed Energy faintly emanated from it. It was some kind of terrifying Cursed Object, at least Special Grade.
Below the stage, Suguru frowned and muttered to himself, "Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Object – God's Punishment. A Cursed Object that can forcibly dispel any Cursed Technique or Domain once. After one use, it requires at least nine First-Grade Sorcerers to continuously charge it with Cursed Energy for a month."
"Okkotsu, that's a good item."
Suguru formed a hand seal with one hand, transmitting his voice to Renji through his connection with the invisible Hayabusa.
A good item?
Then I'll take it.
Naoya kept watching Renji's face. From Renji's smile, he could tell this guy was a purely unorthodox Jujutsu Sorcerer who probably didn't even know what this thing was.
Hmph... bumpkin.
"I wonder if you, a Special Grade, can produce something of equal value?" Naoya sneered, the contempt in his voice self-evident.
Renji rubbed his chin and replied, "If you win, I'll give you the title of Special Grade Sorcerer."
Naoya said viciously, "Not enough. I also want you to kneel before me and shout loudly: 'The strongest man in the Zenin clan is Zenin Naoya.'"
"Accepted."
"Let's begin! Special Grade!"
Naoya didn't dare to be careless. He immediately formed a hand seal and shouted, "Cursed Technique Release: Projection Sorcery!"
[Ding! The Host has witnessed the Cursed Technique: Projection Sorcery for the first time.]
The principle of Projection Sorcery is: divide one second into 24 equal parts, using one's own field of vision as the frame. Then, pre-design and mimic a series of movements within that field. The designed movements cannot be corrected mid-way. If one performs movements that excessively ignore the laws of physics or the trajectory of action, they will be frozen.
There are two steps to this technique.
First is "Presetting the Action," which requires designing a coherent sequence of 24 individual movements within the user's field of vision.
Second is "Projecting the Action," where the user mimics the 24 designed movements one by one.
But...
This technique also has a problem.
The two steps of Projection Sorcery must be completed within one second, and the "preset actions" cannot be corrected mid-way. Once the movement mimicry fails, the user will be frozen for one second. Therefore, the user must consider all factors that might hinder the completion of the movement when designing them, such as the opponent's counterattack.
This means using Projection Sorcery requires immense calculation ability, frame-by-frame decomposition of inspiration, the concept of time, and combat anticipation. Ordinary people, even if they had this Cursed Technique, would be unable to complete the calculations. This is likely why Naoya was hailed as a genius since childhood.
Crack!
Naoya's figure vanished instantly.
Renji instantly drew his blade to block his left side.
Hum!
A strong sense of incongruity crawled from his toes to the crown of his head. The Renji who was originally standing there was forcibly turned into a giant "Projected Photograph."
"So it's the restriction of this technique." Renji smiled.
As long as a movement was performed incorrectly, one would be forcibly halted for one second. In a battle between high-level Jujutsu Sorcerers, one second was enough to end the fight.
"Heh. Special Grade, didn't you excel in speed? Then I'll make it so you can't move at all. I've seen many sorcerers like you—amazing speed, but in reality, your body is so weak it's barely human."
Naoya arrived behind Renji with a bizarre stuttering sensation.
Is Projection Sorcery invincible?
Of course not.
The preset actions of Projection Sorcery are not without limits. It's impossible to complete 24 maximum-distance instant movements in 24 frames. If one performs movements that excessively ignore the laws of physics or the trajectory of action, the movement cannot be completed, and the user will be frozen.
So, what does "following the laws of physics and the trajectory of action" mean?
The answer is...
Smooth storyboarding.
"Following the trajectory of action" represents "smooth movement." The 24 preset frames must be a complete set of movements. Moving 10 meters in one second is possible, but there must be a continuous sequence of actions.
Therefore, to break this technique, one only needs to make the caster's movements incomplete, which will force the caster's Cursed Technique to terminate.
"Do you think your left face looks better, or your right?" Renji in the photograph asked abruptly.
Naoya was stunned.
Why could he still talk after being turned into a photograph?
He reacted instantly and ignored Renji, clenching a knife in a fist infused with Cursed Energy, ready to strike.
[Ding! Copy activated. The Host has obtained Projection Sorcery (3/3).]
Boom!
A cloud of smoke dissipated.
Naoya, still with a smile on his face, had his pupils shrink violently.
Where is he?
How could he possibly break my Cursed technique's restrictions?
Suddenly—
Naoya's body was suddenly bound and he discovered to his shock that his own body was gradually being turned into a photograph.
But how could he, as the caster, make a mistake?
All 24 frames of the images should have been preset.
Why?
"Forget it, both sides are equally ugly, so..."
Renji's figure appeared on the right side of Naoya's photograph.
Boom... Boom...
The smoke dissipated and the other students could finally see clearly.
Naoya had actually turned into a giant photograph. Inside the photo, Naoya had been slapped multiple times, his swollen cheeks bulging high. He had turned into an eyesore, while Renji stood leisurely beside him.
Below the stage, Suguru opened his eyes and looked toward Renji. Others couldn't see clearly, but he saw the general idea.
Renji, who had initially turned into a photograph, used the massive Cursed Energy in his body to instantly break free from the technique. Then, at a speed Naoya didn't notice, he dragged Naoya's body forward by two meters.
And that forward direction was exactly the direction Naoya was charging toward.
This meant the trajectory of the Projection Sorcery had gone wrong. You can't continue moving forward from your original position after you've already been moved forward.
Renji's speed surpassed that of Projection Sorcery. By using terrifying speed combined with Cursed Energy, he created a "membrane" unaffected by Projection Sorcery. Within this "membrane," he could forcibly crack the technique with his own terrifying speed.
"What terrifying speed. Even I can only see afterimages." Suguru sighed in admiration.