"Warrior, your persistence is spectacular, but this performance should now reach its climax."
The Matador Cursed Spirit's voice remained elegant, yet carried a hint of undeniable cruelty.
He slowed the movement of his cape, yet every time, he precisely evaded Maki's attacks while using his long sword to add new wounds to her body.
Maki stumbled back a step, slipped, and nearly fell into a pool of blood.
She clutched her knees, panting heavily, her gaze locked onto the Cursed Spirit before her, the anxiety in her eyes gradually being replaced by unwillingness.
She remembered Rin's words, the determination she felt while training at the Stadium, and the obsession with wanting to teach him about love.
She could not lose, at least not fall within a minute.
"I haven't... lost... yet..."
Maki gritted her teeth and raised the long sword again.
In the distance, Rin frowned imperceptibly. He could sense that Maki was at the end of her rope, her body reaching its limit due to excessive blood loss.
If the Cursed Spirit launched a fatal attack now, there was no chance for Maki to survive.
His fingers twitched slightly, crimson Cursed Energy quietly condensing in his palm; he had never intended to let Maki die here.
Observing the Cursed Spirit's strength and figuring out its attack patterns was true, but watching this stubborn girl get slashed again and again, struggling to stand up each time, his heart actually felt a ripple he had never experienced before.
A flash of genuine pleasure crossed the Matador Cursed Spirit's eyes. That smile was no longer just an elegant mask, but mixed with recognition of an "opponent."
In his "performance," he hated cowardly prey that ran away the most; only persistence like Maki's, knowing she was outmatched yet refusing to admit defeat, could paint this duel with the colors of "spectacular."
"Very good, this is a warrior worth my serious attention!"
The Cursed Spirit's voice grew more excited, the cold light on the long sword in his hand intensifying. It was no longer the playful slashing from before, but condensed with real, solid Cursed Energy.
He took a step forward, his bright red cape like unfurling blood-colored wings, bringing a biting wind pressure as it enveloped Maki. This time, he would bring out his true strength to respond to this "persistence."
Sword and blade collided again, but the impact was several times more intense than before.
Maki barely managed to block with her long sword, but the massive impact sent her flying, causing her to crash heavily onto the blood-stained lawn, a trace of blood spilling from her mouth. She struggled to crawl up, but her arms were limp and unresponsive; the long sword fell to the side with a crisp sound.
The battle continued, but Rin's Sharingan had long since captured the key.
Maki's movements were getting slower, her footsteps so unsteady it seemed she would fall at any moment, and she could barely keep up with the afterimage of the Cursed Spirit's cape.
Only those eyes, though somewhat unfocused from excessive blood loss, remained fixed on the Matador, revealing a stubbornness that refused to admit defeat.
That was the will supporting her until now; she wanted to prove to Rin that she was qualified to be his friend.
She wanted to break the label of being a "drag," to let everyone see that she could also stand beside the strong.
"Hold on... hold on a little longer..."
Maki's voice was as faint as a mosquito. She used her elbows to support herself on the ground, inching toward the long sword. Just as her fingertips touched the hilt, the Matador's figure appeared before her.
The silver blade hung over Maki's head but did not fall immediately.
The Cursed Spirit looked at her disheveled yet determined appearance, and the smile on his lips deepened:
"Still haven't given up? Interesting, truly very interesting!"
In the distance, Rin clenched his fists, crimson Cursed Energy churning in his palms, nearly breaking through his control.
He could clearly calculate Maki's limit; at most ten seconds, if the Cursed Spirit struck again, she would have no chance of survival.
He had even prepared himself in his heart; if Maki took a step back, even if she showed the slightest hint of retreating, he would immediately rush up to take over the battle and end this trial that had no suspense.
But Maki did not.
She grabbed the long sword suddenly and slashed with all her might at the Cursed Spirit's calf.
The blade only left a shallow white mark on the Cursed Spirit's skin, but it exhausted her last bit of strength, causing her to collapse to the ground again.
Rin's heart felt as if it had been struck hard by something.
He didn't understand; they were just classmates, just people who were "unrelated," so why would Maki bet her own life for a "problem" he set?
This foolish persistence, this stubbornness of knowing it couldn't be done but doing it anyway, actually caused his typically cold heart to ripple in a way it never had before.
"How truly foolish. Clearly fragile and weak, yet still pretending to be strong. How laughable, hahahaha!"
Sukuna's mocking voice exploded in his mind, carrying undisguised ridicule.
He loved watching Rin fall into this kind of "emotional dilemma," loved watching this kid who always pretended to be cold get tied down by so-called "companions."
This time, Rin did not ignore or refute it as usual.
He just stared fixedly at the girl in the field who was covered in blood yet still refused to admit defeat. The sound of Sukuna's laughter in his ears grew louder, but the struggle in his heart became more intense.
In the Divine Tree Space, Sukuna's scarlet vertical pupils shone astonishingly bright. He could feel Rin's wavering and could guess his next choice.
He licked his lips, his voice full of anticipation:
"Come on, Rin, be impulsive once more like last time! Let me see how much you are willing to pay for this brat!"
Sukuna was waiting, waiting for Rin to expose a flaw for the sake of Maki, waiting for him to be swayed by emotions, waiting for an opportunity to seize his body.
In the field, the Matador Cursed Spirit finally lost his patience.
He put away his smile, the Cursed Energy on the silver blade surging, carrying a lethal aura as he stabbed toward Maki's heart:
"Warrior, your performance should come to an end."
Maki lay on the blood-stained lawn, her vision blurred, seeing only the cold light of the silver blade drawing closer.
The moment she closed her eyes, there was only one thought in her mind: she had failed.
She couldn't hold on for three minutes, couldn't complete the bet with Rin, and even worse, couldn't prove that she was qualified to be his friend.
But the expected pain did not arrive.
A crimson light suddenly cut through the air, tearing through the noise of the Stadium like a meteor, carrying scorching Cursed Energy as it slammed into the Matador Cursed Spirit.
Maki opened her eyes abruptly. In her blurred vision, that familiar black figure stood in front of her; it was Rin.
She looked at Rin's back, her eyes suddenly burning, and a tear slid down her cheek, hitting the blood-soaked lawn.
That was not a tear of fear, nor a tear of gratitude, but a tear of unwillingness.
She had clearly given it her all, yet she still couldn't hold on to the end on her own, still needing Rin's rescue.
"I... still couldn't do it..."
Maki's voice was so weak it was almost inaudible. Her fingertips clutched the grass clippings, her nails digging into her palms, but she couldn't feel any pain.
The Matador Cursed Spirit was pushed back a few steps by the crimson light, and the cracks on the silver blade deepened a bit more.
Yet, instead of being angry, he revealed a strange smile, the corners of his mouth stretching to an exaggerated arc, as if he had finally waited for the prey he had been anticipating.
In the next second, he swung the bright red cape in his hand violently.
The fabric drew an afterimage in the air, like a wave of blood, sweeping toward Rin.
Rin instinctively raised his hand to block, protecting Maki behind him. The crimson Cursed Energy in his palm had just condensed when it collided head-on with the cape.
There was no expected impact, only a soft touch, as if falling into a pile of cotton.
He had successfully interrupted the Cursed Spirit's attack and saved Maki, but the moment his body touched the cape, it was completely covered by that blood-red color.
His vision was filled with red; the cheers and the sound of the wind in his ears disappeared, leaving only an eerie silence.
In just an instant, his vision cleared again.
Rin looked up abruptly, his pupils contracting slightly.
The surrounding environment had completely changed.
The Stadium, originally soaked in blood, had disappeared, replaced by an ancient and magnificent bullfighting arena.
The stone stands were layered, carved with intricate patterns. The air was filled with the scent of dust and sweat, and the sunlight in the distance filtered through the arches of the arena, casting mottled light and shadows.
"Domain Expansion — Bullfighting Arena!"
The Matador Cursed Spirit's voice carried an excited roar, echoing over the arena.
His figure appeared in the center of the arena not far away, his golden formal wear shining dazzlingly in the sunlight, the silver blade and cape in his hand stained with a faint red light, and the Cursed Energy around him was several times stronger than before.
He looked at Rin, his eyes full of wild joy, as if he had seen the most perfect "opponent":
"Welcome to this sacred arena! I have been waiting for you, waiting for a powerhouse who can fight me with all his might!"
Rin stood in place, his Sharingan spinning rapidly, taking in the entire domain.
He could feel that the Cursed Energy in this domain was exceptionally dense, almost condensed into substance, and in the stands outside the domain, those fans who were originally sitting in the Stadium stands were now frantically waving flags and shouting, their eyes still fanatical.
They had also been dragged into the domain, becoming the audience for this "performance."
"Look, Rin! This is the price of your impulsiveness!"
Sukuna's wild laughter exploded in his mind, carrying undisguised ridicule:
"Dragged into a domain, this time, how will you respond? I can remind you that the domain before you is not as simple as you think."
Rin ignored Sukuna's mockery and did not care about the fanatical audience around him.
He slowly raised his hand, crimson Cursed Energy condensing in his palm, no longer in a defensive posture, but with an eager excitement.
Since Maki was fine, he had no more worries.
He looked at the Matador Cursed Spirit not far away, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth. There was no panic in this smile, only anticipation for a battle between the strong.
"A domain, huh?"
Rin's voice was calm but carried penetrating power, echoing over the arena:
"Exactly, I also want to see how much weight your full power really has."
He could feel the restlessness of the Cursed Energy in his body, could hear the excitement coming from his blood.
So what if he was dragged into a domain? So what if Sukuna was watching like a tiger eyeing its prey? This kind of battle in a desperate situation was what he truly craved.
The Matador Cursed Spirit saw Rin's reaction, and the wild joy in his eyes intensified.
He raised the silver blade in his hand, pointed it at Rin, and shouted loudly to the audience in the stands:
"Ladies and gentlemen! Let us welcome this most spectacular performance with the warmest cheers!"
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