It was a cerulean slash, one that seemed capable of quelling the entire world's fury.
Within the Special Grade Domain [HORIZON OF THE CAPTIVATING KATANA]—a place enough to drive any sorcerer to despair—it forcibly tore a rift toward survival through absolute stillness.
The seawater dissipating throughout the air vanished into nothingness.
A black-haired youth with a tall, lean build and handsome features stood suspended in mid-air at the edge of the massive rift.
In his hand, he gripped the Special Grade Cursed Tool known as Shiranui.
However, the blade was not wreathed in its usual scorching flames; instead, it was enveloped in a gentle yet unfathomably deep blue light.
"Yoru!"
Megumi Fushiguro's face, pale from exhaustion, instantly lit up with a surge of unbelievable relief.
The terrifying tsunami that had been about to swallow them whole had been completely annihilated by Yoru's casual use of 'Dead Calm'—not even a single ripple remained.
"It's Yoru..."
Kento Nanami adjusted his goggles, which now had only one lens left, as his frayed nerves finally caught a momentary reprieve.
Looking at the back of the figure descending from the sky, an indescribable sense of security washed over him.
It felt as though no despair was unbreakable as long as this man was present.
"Brat, you always love showing off at the most dangerous moments!"
Naobito Zenin clutched his severed right arm; though he grumbled, he couldn't hide the relieved smile in his eyes.
Having lived most of his life as a shrewd old veteran, he knew Yoru's strength all too well.
This was the monster dubbed the 'Sword Saint' by the higher-ups of the jujutsu world, a man whose power far exceeded that of a Special Grade.
Maki stared intently at his back, her hands trembling as she gripped the Special Grade Playful Cloud.
In this youth who also possessed 'zero cursed energy,' she saw the ultimate pinnacle she had been desperately chasing.
He was like an insurmountable mountain, yet he served as a lighthouse guiding her path forward.
"Who are you?!"
Dagon stared at Yoru in mid-air with terror, its massive eyes filled with wariness.
It could sense that the blue ripple which had easily dismantled its sure-hit attack wasn't a cursed technique at all!
No residual dregs! No sign of a technique activation! Not even a single shred of cursed energy fluctuation!
This black-haired youth who had suddenly invaded its Domain was actually a normal human with no cursed energy?!
No! Impossible! How could a normal person possess the terrifying power to tear through a Special Grade Domain's barrier?!
"You ask too many questions, octopus monster."
Yoru slowly descended from the air, his feet landing steadily on the sand.
Ignoring Dagon's questioning, he turned to look at the four behind him.
His gaze swept over Nanami's blood-stained suit, Naobito's empty right sleeve, and the pale faces of Megumi and Maki.
Yoru's eyes instantly turned cold.
"Sorry, I'm late."
Yoru's voice was soft, yet it carried a chill that made one's skin crawl.
"No, you're right on time."
Kento Nanami took a deep breath, forcing himself to stand straight despite the pain.
"Be careful, Yoru. This is a Special Grade Cursed Spirit's Domain. All attacks are sure-hits!"
"I know."
Yoru nodded, his gaze shifting back to Dagon.
He slowly raised Shiranui, the tip of the blade pointing directly at the massive sea curse.
"Since you dared to injure my companions like this..."
"Prepare yourself to be cut down."
"Arrogant human!"
Dagon was completely enraged by Yoru's gaze, which treated it like a mere corpse.
It was a Special Grade Cursed Spirit! A natural disaster born from humanity's fear of the ocean! How could it be so looked down upon by a lowly human who didn't even have cursed energy!
"Since you're seeking death, then become fodder for my children along with them!"
"[DEATH SWARM!]"
With Dagon's roar, the cursed energy of the entire Domain surged violently once more!
Colossal waves rose from the sea as countless massive, sharp-toothed deep-sea carnivorous shikigami swarmed toward Yoru like a tide from all directions!
"Yoru! Get out of the way!"
Maki turned pale with shock; she had personally experienced the elusive sure-hit attacks of these monsters!
However, Yoru acted as if he hadn't heard Maki's warning at all, remaining perfectly still.
He didn't dodge or move; he even let the sword in his hand hang loosely by his side.
'What is he doing? Has he given up?'
A flicker of doubt crossed Dagon's mind, but it quickly turned into a cruel sneer.
Whatever this human was planning, there was only death within its absolute Domain!
In the thousandth of a second before the hideous sea shikigami could completely devour Yoru—
"Whew—"
Yoru took a deep breath.
Along with this long breath, his chest emitted a dull yet powerful roar, like the beating of war drums!
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
It was the sound of his heart beating violently!
Yoru's body temperature soared in an instant, and his heart rate surged past the two-hundred mark!
The blood in his veins surged like a rushing river, delivering massive amounts of oxygen to every corner of his body!
"Vwoom—"
A visible heatwave erupted from Yoru's body, causing the surrounding air to shimmer and distort!
Then, under the shocked gazes of Megumi, Maki, and the others—and before Dagon's horrified eyes—
A strange, dark red mark, burning like a flame, slowly manifested on Yoru's left cheek!
The Slayer Mark had awakened!
If normal Yoru was merely a top-tier swordsman who had mastered ultimate breathing techniques...
Then, at this moment, when he activated the Mark and pushed his physical functions to their absolute limit...
Under the premise of zero cursed energy, the terrifying boost provided by the Slayer Mark caused a complete qualitative transformation in Yoru's physical strength!
The narrator must solemnly declare:
At this very moment, Yoru's limit-breaking physical capabilities were perfectly equivalent to those of the man who once trampled the entire jujutsu world underfoot—
The Sorcerer Killer, Toji Fushiguro!
"Boom!"
A deafening sonic boom exploded across the beach!
The hard sand where Yoru had been standing instantly collapsed into a massive crater several meters wide!
And within that explosion... Yoru's figure vanished into thin air!
Yes, he simply vanished!
No flicker of cursed energy, no light from a technique's activation!
Relying solely on physical explosive power honed to the absolute extreme, Yoru's speed had already surpassed the limits of human visual perception!
"What?!"
The sneer on Dagon's face instantly froze.
The army of sure-hit shikigami it was so proud of had completely missed their mark!
Not only that, Dagon discovered to its horror that no matter how it manipulated the rules of the Domain, it couldn't lock onto Yoru's presence!
In its perception, the human who clearly existed within the Domain now felt like an inanimate, transparent building!
"How is this possible?! Why is the sure-hit effect not working on him?!"
A storm of shock raged in Dagon's heart.
A Domain's sure-hit effect functions by locking onto the cursed energy within a target.
But Yoru was a being of absolute 'zero cursed energy'!
Before Yoru, who had activated the Slayer Mark and reached the realm of the Sorcerer Killer, these sure-hit rules based on cursed energy were nothing but a massive joke!
"Where are you looking, octopus monster?"
A bone-chilling voice abruptly rang out from above Dagon's head.
Dagon snapped its head up.
It saw Yoru, who had leapt into the air at some unknown point; his figure blocked out the light from the Domain's ceiling, looking like a god of slaughter descending upon the world.
Along with the loud crash of water exploding!
Yoru's form blurred into an afterimage, plunging like a falling meteor. With an utterly brutal stance, he lunged straight for Dagon's face!
The suffocating pressure was so intense it felt as if the very space around them was being crushed to pieces!
Facing this extreme violence comparable to the Sorcerer Killer, this Special Grade Cursed Spirit born from the fear of the ocean felt it for the first time...
The meaning of true terror!
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