Chapter 105: Tokyo Jujutsu High Battlefield - The Clash of Ideals and Blades
The smoke and dust on the Tokyo Jujutsu High battlefield had yet to dissipate. Okkotsu stood on the scarred open ground, Rika beside him, her body shrouded in light pink Cursed Energy, her long hair swaying without wind.
He had just dealt with the last miscellaneous Cursed Spirit sent out by Geto Suguru. Residue of undissipated Cursed Energy still clung to the blade of his Cursed Tool, but his gaze was fixed intently on Geto Suguru opposite him, his eyes full of confusion.
This probing exchange had already lasted ten minutes. Although Geto Suguru had sent out many Cursed Spirits, none had truly aimed for a killing blow.
The attacks that should have been fatal always shifted half an inch the moment they reached him, and the Cursed Energy impacts powerful enough to severely injure a Jujutsu Sorcerer always lacked a crucial degree of force.
Okkotsu keenly realized that the man named Geto Suguru standing before him...
...was not trying to "kill him" as he had previously claimed. Instead, it felt more like constant pressure, slowly forcing out his hidden power.
Geto Suguru stood on the steps not far away, the hem of his black Kasaya sweeping over the gravel on the ground, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Watching the Cursed Energy around Okkotsu grow denser, a flicker of approval crossed his eyes, and he slowly spoke:
"How does that feeling treat you?"
Okkotsu didn't answer. He simply lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the handle of his Cursed Tool.
The agitated emotions that had erupted when he was surrounded by Cursed Spirits earlier had not yet calmed down. The Cursed Energy throughout his body was surging like boiling water, almost beyond control.
This was a state he had never experienced before, so powerful that it felt alien even to himself.
"When your emotions burst forth, your entire body must be flooded with Cursed Energy, right?"
Geto Suguru's voice carried a guiding tone:
"It feels much freer than the power you usually carefully suppress, doesn't it?"
Okkotsu remained silent, but the hand gripping the Cursed Tool tightened.
He understood Geto Suguru's words and grasped his intention, but this "deliberate" pressure made him inexplicably irritated.
Just then, Geto Suguru raised his hand to form a Finger Seals, and Cursed Energy coalesced in front of him.
The Cursed Spirit Choubou suddenly appeared but did not attack immediately, merely staying obediently beside its master.
Immediately after, Geto Suguru took a three-section staff from Choubou's mouth—it was the special grade cursed tool, playful cloud.
"It seems those rabble were no match for you."
Geto Suguru weighed playful cloud in his hand and walked slowly toward Okkotsu:
"In that case, I'll personally spar with you."
The moment the words fell, Okkotsu snapped his head up, the confusion in his eyes completely gone, replaced only by determination.
He had no unnecessary words, simply raising the Cursed Tool blade to his chest, his voice low and firm:
"Work with me, Rika."
Rika immediately understood. The light pink Cursed Energy instantly surged, transforming into several sharp threads of Cursed Energy that wrapped toward Geto Suguru.
Okkotsu, meanwhile, leaped up using the Cursed Energy, the blade cutting through the air with a fierce whoosh, striking directly at Geto Suguru's face!
The smile on Geto Suguru's face remained unchanged. His footwork was nimble, and he avoided Rika's attack using only Martial Arts, while simultaneously raising his hand to block Okkotsu's strike with playful cloud.
With a crisp "clang," sparks flew from the collision of the Cursed Tools. The powerful impact numbed Okkotsu's arm, forcing him to take half a step back.
But Geto Suguru did not press his advantage; instead, he used the recoil force to sidestep, the shaft of playful cloud scraping past Okkotsu's Cursed Tool, leaving a faint trace of Cursed Energy.
Using only playful cloud and without relying on any Cursed Techniques, he fought the combined attack of Okkotsu and Rika to a standstill. Every block and every dodge was perfectly timed, maintaining a suppressing posture throughout.
The longer Okkotsu fought, the more alarmed he became. Geto Suguru's Martial Arts were far more refined than he had imagined. What concerned him more was that his opponent's attacks still held back.
The blade strikes that could have severely injured him always had their force withdrawn at the last moment; the openings that could have locked down his movement always deliberately left a sliver of opportunity.
On the battlefield, Cursed Energy intertwined, and the sound of metal colliding echoed continuously.
Okkotsu's attacks grew sharper, and the Cursed Energy surrounding him became increasingly violent.
Geto Suguru, however, remained calm and composed, as if he truly was just "sparring," patiently waiting for the moment Okkotsu completely unleashed his power.
playful cloud and Okkotsu's Cursed Tool collided again. The instant the blades met, a Cursed Energy shockwave spread outward, kicking up gravel from the ground.
Geto Suguru tightened his grip on the handle, and black and red Cursed Energy flowed across the weapon's body.
Yet, his eyes held a hint of casual mockery, and his voice carried over the crisp sound of metal striking metal into Okkotsu's ears:
"Look at those wretched humans."
Geto Suguru's gaze swept over the ordinary citizens huddled far away outside the battle zone, his tone filled with disdain:
"They stand at the apex of the food chain, yet they must conjure up gods to place their hopes in.
They are so fragile they cannot withstand a single blow, yet they constantly try to escape disaster through prayer.
But there are no gods in this world. There are only Jujutsu Sorcerers. Only we can decide the rules of this world."
"You're wrong!"
Okkotsu suddenly exerted force, and light blue Cursed Energy erupted from the Cursed Tool blade, pushing playful cloud back half an inch. His eyes were blazing with fury.
"Your idea is impossible to realize!
Using the power of Jujutsu Sorcerers to rule the world and forcing everyone to accept your rules—that isn't salvation, it's tyranny! Stop being childish!"
"Childish?"
Hearing this, Geto Suguru suddenly let out a miserable laugh, his smile carrying an indescribable sense of sorrow and resolve.
He stopped arguing with Okkotsu. His wrist suddenly flipped, and the body of playful cloud darted out like a snake's tongue, instantly avoiding Okkotsu's Cursed Tool and sliding through the gap in the blade toward Okkotsu's wrist.
It was not an attack, but a skillful technique of using the opponent's force against them.
Okkotsu felt a sudden numbness in his wrist, and the Cursed Tool nearly slipped from his grasp.
Before he could adjust his posture, Geto Suguru's knee, laced with black and red Cursed Energy, slammed heavily into his lower abdomen!
"Ugh!" Okkotsu groaned, his body sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily onto the concrete ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.
He tried to push himself up off the ground, but felt waves of sharp pain in his lower abdomen, and his Cursed Energy suffered a momentary disruption.
And Geto Suguru gave Okkotsu no chance to catch his breath.
The moment he dealt with Okkotsu, he spun around abruptly, as light pink threads of Cursed Energy were already attacking from behind.
It was Rika! Seeing Okkotsu get knocked away, she immediately launched an attack. The Cursed Energy threads, sharp as blades, aimed for the back of Geto Suguru's heart.
Geto Suguru acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head, stepping forward instead of retreating, slightly turning his body while raising playful cloud's flat side to block the attack.
With a crisp "snap," the light pink threads were shattered by the back of the weapon, dissolving into countless motes of Cursed Energy light.
Rika attempted a second attack, but Geto Suguru had already closed the distance. playful cloud's body was pressed against Rika's Cursed Energy Barrier, and the black and red Cursed Energy suppressed the light pink barrier, causing it to tremble continuously.