As the dust settled, Ryuu erged from the shattered ground, casually brushing debris from his shoulder.
His gaze flickered toward Aoi Todo, the sudden new arrival.
"More and more people, huh?"
A whirlpool spun into existence in his right eye, and in an instant, Ryuu's figure vanished.
"Behind!"
The shift in his position sent Kusakabe Atsushi and the others into high alert.
i i, always relying on her crows for battlefield awareness, imdiately pointed backward.
Ryuu had reappeared—farther down the road, standing in the middle of an open, empty street.
Ignoring the others for now, he assessed the battlefield.
Just as expected.
The curse spirits and Geto's forces were already showing signs of retreat.
Against high-level jujutsu sorcerers, low-grade curse spirits—no matter their numbers—were only ant to be exorcised.
Even with overwhelming quantity, they were up against the elite of the jujutsu world.
Not to ntion—
In the original tiline, there had been a slight chance of victory.
But with Geto absent and Ryuu having devoured so many first-grade curse spirits—
The odds were likely zero.
"Natsukawa!"
A familiar voice called from above.
Looking up, he spotted Nanako and Mimiko, still monitoring the battlefield from their pelican shikigami.
"Why the hell are you just showing up now?!" Nanako yelled.
"Geto's entire plan relied on you not being late!" Mimiko added.
Ryuu sighed.
The retreat was happening faster than expected, and the cultists from Geto's faction weren't thrilled about it.
However—
The mont the surrounding curse users saw Ryuu standing there, their fighting spirit surged back.
His presence alone changed the montum.
"Really now… They act like I actually care about their cause."
Ryuu let out a small laugh.
"I'm just an individualist. I go where the rewards take ."
A few ters behind him, i i, Kusakabe Atsushi, and Todo Aoi ford a triangular formation, maintaining equal distance.
Kusakabe spoke first, his tone neutral but laced with intent.
"If it's just about money, how much would it cost to make you walk away?"
Ryuu actually considered it for a second, tapping his chin.
"Hmmm… Give a couple of special-grade curse spirits and we'll talk."
Kusakabe sighed.
"Tch. Thought so."
At his side, i i let out a small chuckle.
"That's quite the demand, considering a special-grade curse spirit is worth at least a billion yen… and that's if it can even be caught."
The absurd value seed to amuse her more than concern her.
But then—her blue eyes sharpened, her grip on her axe tightening slightly.
"Regardless of how long your intangibility lasts, you should know the situation on the battlefield. If you keep dragging this out, you might walk away with nothing."
Ryuu t her gaze.
"I appreciate the concern, i i. I'll buy you tea soti."
His grin widened.
"But if I can shift the tide of battle alone, then I won't be walking away empty-handed."
The Mangekyō Sharingan in Ryuu's eyes flickered—
And the air itself grew heavy.
BOOM. BOOM.
A crushing wave of cursed energy radiated outward.
A tangible force that pressed down on everyone near him.
Even first-grade sorcerers like Kusakabe, i i, and Todo felt it bearing down on their chests.
"Tch… This guy's ridiculous." Kusakabe muttered, beads of sweat forming.
Todo, on the other hand, let out a booming laugh.
"IF YOU FEAR A STRONGER OPPONENT, THEN YOU ARE NO TRUE MAN!"
Without hesitation, he launched forward, muscles coiling like a spring-loaded cannon.
A fist, backed by monstrous strength, tore through the air toward Ryuu's face.
At the last mont—
Ryuu raised his arm to block it.
Todo's eyes glead.
"YOU STOPPED HIDING BEHIND THAT TRICK?!"
"I wouldn't want to miss out on the fun."
Black Flash.
BOOM.
Todo's fist detonated with compressed cursed energy, the shockwave rippling outward.
But—
Ryuu's own Black Flash ignited at the sa mont, eting Todo's head-on.
The impact created a violent burst of air, sending dust and debris flying.
And then—
They traded blows at speeds nearly imperceptible to the human eye.
Fist clashing against fist, the air cracking like a thunderstorm around them.
Todo grinned.
"NOW THIS IS A REAL FIGHT!"
But—
Despite their exchanges, Todo was being pushed back.
Ryuu's blows weren't just fast—
They were getting faster.
His movents sharpened, as if his Sharingan were copying Todo's form in real-ti.
And then—
Ryuu planted his foot forward, suddenly slamming his palm into the ground.
CRACK.
The entire street fractured apart, shockwaves blasting outward.
Todo, Kusakabe, and i i were all caught in the impact, montarily thrown off balance.
Ryuu seized the opening—
"Black Flash."
A devastating punch rocketed toward Todo's chest.
BOOM!
At the last second—
"BOOGIE WOOGIE!"
CLAP.
Their positions instantly switched.
Todo disappeared—
And in his place—
Nanami Kento stood, sword mid-swing.
"Ratio Technique: Collapse."
His blade was already in motion.
But—
Just before it connected—
A faint blue glow shimred around Ryuu.
The blade halted mid-air, as if an invisible force had stopped it.
Nanami's expression darkened.
"Tch. What is this…?"
He stepped back—
And only then did he see it.
A skeletal fra, wreathed in cursed energy, forming around Ryuu's body.
"This isn't a shield."
Nanami realized, eyes narrowing.
"This is… a manifestation of cursed energy itself."
i i, also regaining her stance, cursed under her breath.
"...What a pain in the ass."
Kusakabe, still catching his breath, tightened his grip on his sword.
"So this is the guy Geto was talking about."
Todo, anwhile, grinned even wider.
"I LIKE YOU EVEN MORE NOW, RYUU!"
Ryuu cracked his knuckles.
"Glad to hear it, Todo."
Then—his Mangekyō Sharingan spun.
And in an instant—
Aoi Todo's body froze.
His surroundings shifted.
The city of Shinjuku lted away, replaced by a vast, blood-red moonlit wasteland.
"What the hell—?! A Domain Expansion?!"
But—
"Not exactly."
Ryuu's voice echoed through the landscape.
Todo turned—
And standing before him—
Was not Ryuu.
But his ntor, Yuki Tsukumo.
Todo's eyes widened in shock.
"Sensei?!"
And just like that—
The Tsukuyomi had begun.
====
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