For the first time since appearing—
Hanami felt panic.
It was a Special Grade cursed spirit born from humanity's fear and hatred toward forests.
For centuries, it had existed as a manifestation of nature's wrath.
Countless sorcerers had struggled and died inside the forests it controlled.
To Hanami—
Humans were fragile parasites.
Creatures sheltered by nature yet endlessly exploiting it.
Even Satoru Gojo was merely powerful because of his cursed technique.
But the boy standing in front of it—
Was something else entirely.
From Yagami Sora, Hanami sensed a force more terrifying than any natural disaster.
It wasn't chaotic power.
It was cold, absolute logic.
A power capable of overwriting the laws governing energy and matter.
"Domain…"
Hanami's cursed energy surged violently.
Its enormous reserve of cursed energy began boiling.
It attempted to deploy its Domain Expansion as a final measure.
Illusory flowers began appearing around the battlefield.
The air trembled.
The cursed energy density spiked rapidly.
But—
Sora moved first.
WHOOSH.
His body vanished.
The speed left behind only a faint afterimage.
In less than a blink—
He appeared directly in front of Hanami.
The distance between them was less than ten centimeters.
The oppressive presence felt like standing before a collapsing star.
"Too slow."
His voice was quiet.
Almost gentle.
But it carried the chill of execution.
Sora placed his hand on the giant flower embedded in Hanami's chest.
The core through which its cursed energy circulated.
"Your technique manipulates plant life."
"It absorbs life force and converts it into growth."
Sora's eyes gleamed with cold calculation.
"So what happens…"
"…if that process is reversed?"
Vector Manipulation — Inversion.
The channel that normally released life energy outward—
Collapsed inward.
Instead of flowing into plants—
The energy began violently collapsing back toward Hanami itself.
"GRAAAAH—!"
Hanami screamed.
For the first time since arriving.
Its cursed energy, life force, and internal moisture were violently pulled inward.
But Sora wasn't absorbing it.
Instead—
He compressed the energy.
Then forced it back into Hanami's body.
The effect resembled overinflating a balloon.
CRACK.
CRACK.
The bark covering Hanami's body split apart.
Gray, lifeless veins appeared beneath the surface.
Its vibrant green leaves withered instantly.
They fell to the ground.
Turning to ash.
Hanami's regenerative ability completely failed.
Every cell attempting to regenerate lost its moisture immediately.
The vector control forcibly dehydrated them.
Life itself was being erased.
The pain reached beyond the physical body.
It tore at the spirit's core.
The surrounding forest reacted instantly.
Within a radius of nearly one hundred meters—
Life collapsed.
Leaves yellowed.
Branches cracked.
Trees rotted in seconds.
What had been a vibrant forest transformed into a dead wasteland.
A single gust of wind scattered gray ash through the air.
Yuji Itadori stared in shock.
His throat felt dry.
"This…"
"…this is Yagami-sensei's power?"
This wasn't a battle.
It was something closer to dimensional interference.
The manipulation of life's fundamental processes.
Sora looked down at Hanami.
The cursed spirit had collapsed to its knees.
Its once towering body had shrunk dramatically.
The flower in its chest had withered.
"You're supposed to be a Special Grade."
Sora sighed.
"Honestly…"
"That's disappointing."
"I expected you to last long enough for a warm-up."
He released his grip.
The flower core crumbled.
Turning into black powder.
Hanami looked like a sculpture weathered by centuries.
Its body trembled weakly.
Yet—
Its eyes still moved.
Barely alive.
Sora tilted his head slightly.
"Well…"
"You're still holding together."
"I suppose that means your vitality isn't completely useless."
His gaze turned cold.
"In that case…"
"I'll finish it properly."
He stepped backward.
Then raised his right hand.
His fingertip pointed toward Hanami's head.
A brilliant white light began forming at the tip of his finger.
Air compressed violently.
Electrons stripped away under extreme pressure.
A tiny sphere of superheated plasma appeared.
The surrounding air warped from the heat.
Electric crackling filled the forest.
Even space itself seemed unable to withstand the pressure.
Sora spoke quietly.
"Goodbye."
His voice carried no emotion.
Only absolute certainty.
The moment before destruction.
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