Then bring it on.
Sōjun Minamoto wasn't afraid in the slightest.
Forget it? That was just talk. They had agreed from the start to go all out—this was only the beginning.
He hadn't even used his Reverse Cursed Technique yet.
Sōjun Minamoto stood his ground, not planning to target either of them first. This time, he'd take them both on at once.
Starlight shimmered in his eyes.
The techniques he had assimilated were now etched onto his eyeballs.
[Locust Head], representing Spatial Techniques—very useful. He'd been using it constantly earlier.
[Skull Head], which disrupts the mind and creates illusions—its power is limited, ineffective against Special Grades.
[Paper-Sack Head], a Cloning Technique—not very practical in combat. Creating too many clones just dilutes strength; it's better to concentrate power.
[Time Barrier], a Projection Sorcery—not effective against Satoru Gojo's Limitless, but it could work once against Yuki Tsukumo, maybe catching her off guard.
[Green-Faced Ghost Face], which rewrites dreams—unfortunately, it's daytime now, so the effect is greatly reduced.
There was also the flame from the Chōchin-obake, but the temperature wasn't high enough.
Still, all of them could be useful—if any one could disrupt the enemy for even a second, it would boost his odds of winning.
Sōjun Minamoto thought it through and decided not to use them just yet.
There were too many eyes watching—both in plain sight and from the shadows. He didn't care about the spectators in the stands, but on the farther high platforms, several higher-ups were observing.
The fact that he could assimilate others' techniques and make them his own wasn't public knowledge. Meaning, almost no one knew about this ability of his.
If the higher-ups found out, it wouldn't be a huge issue, but it would bring endless small troubles.
Their tolerance for special abilities was extremely low.
Especially ones like Sōjun Minamoto's—those that could steal other people's techniques. They'd label him as an unstable element... once discovered, they'd eliminate him on the spot. If they couldn't, they'd place him under constant surveillance.
It's their standard procedure.
And right now, with two Special Grades standing before him, it was a rare chance. He wanted to use them to test something—Unlimited Cursed Technique's...physical side capabilities.
With that, he made up his mind.
Sōjun Minamoto lifted his gaze to the two standing on his left and right. Starlight flickered from his Star Eyes, giving him a full 180-degree field of view—enough to cover both at once.
In fact, his gaze wasn't fixed on either of them—it was locked on the empty space between them.
It gave off an air of complete disregard.
That's exactly how Satoru Gojo and Yuki Tsukumo felt. Even though they could sense his eyes on them—and the weight of his gaze was heavier than most—they still felt...
Completely irritated!
"There's no advantage here. I've always seen Yuki as a tough guy, the kind you'd hit the gym with."
Sōjun Minamoto's flippant tone only stoked the flames.
Both of them frowned at once, especially Yuki Tsukumo, whose brows furrowed into a deep scowl. No words were needed—they moved at the same time.
Yuki Tsukumo lunged at Sōjun Minamoto, Garuda already coiled back around her forearm.
Satoru Gojo... took a few steps back and began rapidly forming hand seals with both hands.
Halfway through her charge, Yuki suddenly snapped her wrist. Garuda shot straight with a sharp "pop" through the air, crashing down toward Sōjun Minamoto.
The moment Sōjun Minamoto committed to fighting with only his Unlimited physical abilities, his body responded.
Muscle lines surged and hardened, turning a pale gray, taking on the marbled texture of stone. A bone-white face mask slid into place, mysterious patterns carved where his senses lay. Three barbed darts jutted from the crown of his head, extending backward, their tips curling slightly to form a graceful arc—amplifying his perception.
This wasn't just armor of flesh—it was flesh transformed. A complete manifestation of the Unlimited Technique's physical side.
His height exceeded 2.5 meters, clothes hanging in tatters from his body. With his long limbs and forward-leaning stance, he radiated aggression. His lats flared subtly, and as he extended his arms, his erector spinae and traps slowly expanded beneath his skin.
As Garuda crashed down, Sōjun Minamoto naturally didn't take the hit head-on. He stepped to the side.
Satoru Gojo had been waiting for this—right then, he completed the setup for his technique. A blue orb drifted to the other side of Sōjun Minamoto, pulling at him with powerful suction.
It was the Cursed Technique Lapse – Blue, an enhanced version of the Limitless Technique, imbued with attractive force.
The Garuda wheel loomed in front of him—without hesitation, Sōjun Minamoto raised his arm to block it.
Clang——
The two clashed, the impact ringing out like metal against metal. The upper and lower halves of the forearm bent at unnatural angles.
It was clear now—last time, Yuki Tsukumo had held back. This time, she didn't.
She had already closed the distance, her right hand raised high. With a sharp hand chop, she struck directly at the bent section and snapped the forearm in two.
There was no time for emotions to catch up.
Instead, Sōjun Minamoto grinned. The break was only partly due to Yuki Tsukumo's strength—the rest was intentional on his part.
Satoru Gojo had kept his distance, never coming close. His positioning was perfect for output, while Yuki Tsukumo subtly blocked his approach, whether intentionally or not.
The two had worked together quite well, managing to give Sōjun some trouble.
The arm was broken. Good.
Sōjun Minamoto kicked the severed limb straight toward Satoru Gojo. An eyeball pushed out from the back of the hand, rolling wildly before locking onto Gojo with a fixed, unwavering stare.
It had everything—flesh, blood, and Golden Core—allowing him to fully control it even when detached.
From Sōjun's mutilated shoulder, black energy flowed. In a blink, a new forearm formed, first from pure Cursed Energy, then quickly converting into flesh and blood.
The Cursed Energy version was weaker, but it had other perks—faster regeneration, for one…
Still, in this case, a flesh-and-blood arm was more suitable.
His regeneration took no more than an instant. Before Yuki Tsukumo could even react, another heavy punch landed, black light coiling around it as it slammed into her abdomen.
She was launched into the air, body curled, frozen midair for a brief moment.
It was a powered-up Black Flash—
A blow meant to end the fight.
The severed arm had reached Satoru Gojo. He didn't pay much attention, casually fired off a feint to destroy it, but the arm twisted midair and dodged cleanly, landing a slap on his shoulder.
Gojo's body tilted instantly. The weight from the embedded eyeball bore down mercilessly on his left side. He ramped up the output of Limitless, trying to bear and push back against the weight.
Yuki Tsukumo's body went limp. Sōjun Minamoto hoisted her up with one arm, staining her with a precise splash of blood-red, triggering a clash between assimilation and self, leaving her paralyzed—only her eyes could still barely move.
For a moment, both of them were completely restrained.
Thinking about it, they actually didn't know much about Sōjun Minamoto's technique or its potential evolutions. On the other hand, he seemed to know their abilities inside out.
Maybe he had misjudged the power levels of some of their moves, but the techniques themselves? He knew them well.
They had always thought Sōjun was too arrogant. But now, it seemed the truly arrogant ones were themselves.
They'd had frequent contact and trained together many times, and he had clearly taken the time to keep track of their evolving abilities. They, in contrast, had underestimated him.
Sōjun Minamoto had no idea what they were thinking—and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
He slowly approached Satoru Gojo. Just his towering figure exuded overwhelming pressure.
When he got close, he casually tossed Yuki Tsukumo aside. Garuda swooped in just in time, catching her and carrying her to Gojo's side.
Sōjun's shadow blocked out the sunlight, casting both of them in shade.
"Well? Special Grade Sorcerer," he said to Satoru Gojo.
The reason Gojo had called him here in the first place was to fight.
Originally, it was supposed to be a no-rules three-way match—the last one standing would be the winner.
As for the evaluation part? No one had taken it seriously.
But the moment Sōjun Minamoto entered the fray, he chose to take on both of them—and he'd actually managed to overpower them.
Neither of them had gone all out, true.
But even if they had, would they have won?
Given their current states and how little they truly understood each other's capabilities..They might've just died even faster.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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