"How rude."
Facing the storm of shattered glass flying toward him, Mahito didn't even bother to dodge.
Instead—
His body suddenly warped.
The sharp shards that could easily sever arteries passed through him like water.
Small holes appeared across his body—
Then immediately closed.
His flesh rippled like viscous liquid before restoring itself completely.
Under the streetlamp, Mahito stood unharmed.
His pale skin reflected the yellow light.
The smile on his face remained bright—
But his eyes had grown colder.
Predatory.
"Are you a sorcerer from Tokyo Jujutsu High?"
Mahito tilted his head while examining Yagami Sora carefully.
"You look young."
"A first-year student?"
"You don't smell like those old, conservative sorcerers."
His gaze shifted toward Junpei Yoshino, who was standing inside the house.
Mahito sighed softly.
"What a shame."
"I wanted to give that boy a little 'gift.'"
"Young people are so fragile these days."
"Push them just a little…"
"…and they bloom into the most beautiful flowers of despair."
He licked his lips.
"The scream of a collapsing soul…"
"…is the most beautiful sound in the world."
"Stop talking."
Yagami Sora stepped onto the lawn outside the house.
His hands remained casually inside his pockets.
His tone was impatient.
"Villains always die because they talk too much."
"Or is it because you're so ugly you're desperate for people to remember your voice?"
"Ugly?"
Mahito pointed to himself in mock surprise.
"No, no."
"I'm not a villain."
"I'm a new human."
"A being born from humanity's hatred toward itself."
He spread his arms.
His body began twisting grotesquely.
Bones cracked.
Muscles warped.
His right arm stretched and reshaped into a gigantic bone scythe.
His legs compressed like springs—
Ready to explode with speed.
"Since you ruined my experiment…"
"…I'll make you my new test subject."
Mahito's grin widened.
"I wonder what shape your soul has."
"Maybe I'll turn you into a loyal pet."
"An obedient watchdog sounds nice."
Then—
He vanished.
The air exploded with a sharp sonic boom.
Mahito crossed the distance instantly.
His massive scythe-arm swept toward Sora's neck.
If the attack connected—
Even reinforced concrete would split in half.
Inside the house, Junpei gasped.
"Watch out!"
The primal instinct of fear surged through him.
Faced with that monster—
He felt completely powerless.
But—
Sora didn't move.
Not even a little.
He didn't dodge.
Didn't defend.
Didn't even take his hands out of his pockets.
He simply stood there.
Calm.
Silent.
CLANG!
A metallic sound echoed across the quiet street.
Mahito's scythe stopped abruptly.
Only centimeters away from Sora's neck.
The weapon had struck something invisible.
The air rippled violently where the blade met resistance.
An invisible barrier.
Vector reflection.
CRACK.
The recoil shattered Mahito's scythe-arm instantly.
Bone fragments flew through the air.
His arm twisted violently under the rebound force.
Bone pierced through flesh.
"What?"
Mahito's smile froze.
He hadn't sensed any cursed technique activation.
No defensive barrier.
No cursed energy shield.
Yet his attack had been reflected back at him—
As if he had struck himself.
"Too weak."
Sora turned his head slightly.
His gaze toward Mahito was filled with disdain.
"This is the strength of a Special Grade curse?"
"You're not even worth scratching my skin."
He lightly stomped the ground.
BOOM!
The earth beneath him collapsed.
Chunks of stone floated upward against gravity.
A shockwave traveled across the ground.
It struck Mahito's feet directly.
Mahito reacted instantly.
"Idle Transfiguration!"
His body warped again.
His remaining arm stretched into razor-sharp claws.
He lunged toward Sora's shoulder.
All he needed—
Was a single touch.
Mahito's technique worked by directly manipulating the shape of the soul.
Once the soul was altered—
The body would follow.
Even the strongest physical defenses meant nothing.
His fingers reached Sora's shoulder.
Success.
A victorious smile spread across Mahito's face.
"At this distance…"
"No one can avoid my technique."
"Let's see what shape your soul—"
His words stopped.
Something was wrong.
His hand had touched Sora's shoulder—
But he felt nothing.
No soul.
No contact.
His cursed energy sensed an invisible membrane.
Perfectly smooth.
Perfectly solid.
Every attempt to transmit cursed energy was rejected instantly.
As if reality itself refused to allow the connection.
"Where do you think you're touching?"
Sora's voice whispered beside his ear.
Cold.
Disgusted.
"Pervert."
BOOM!
An overwhelming force erupted from Sora's shoulder.
Not simple physical strength—
But the reversal of vectors.
Every ounce of force Mahito had exerted—
Combined with the recoil from Sora's reflection—
Returned to him instantly.
THUD!
Mahito's arm exploded into a cloud of blood.
Not even bone fragments remained.
"AAAAAH!"
He screamed.
His body shot backward like a cannonball.
Mahito smashed through two streetlights.
Then slammed violently into a concrete wall.
Dust exploded outward.
The street fell silent.
Only the faint echo of the impact lingered in the air.
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