The next morning...
Around eleven o'clock, Satoru Gojo finally sent a message in the group chat. As expected, it was a notice for everyone to come witness his promotion. He even specifically tagged Sōjun Minamoto.
The promotion process for Special Grades was always the same: first, eliminate a Special Grade curse to prove your strength, then undergo an additional evaluation—usually in the form of recognition from other Special Grades.
How do you get that recognition? Naturally, through a fight.
Compared to Sōjun Minamoto's time, Gojo had more flexibility to complete his task. No one was going to give him a hard time over it.
"Too slow, huh? Sōjun was way faster last time." Riko Amanai was the first to respond, her words clearly meant to tease. "You're not gonna take this long fighting Tsukumo-sama too, right? No way, right? No way."
She definitely had a knack for provoking people—one sentence and she'd stirred up all three of them.
"I can't teleport, okay? Most of my time was spent getting there and back. Should've just asked Minamoto for a ride."
Gojo sounded a little regretful. It had taken him longer to travel than to actually exorcise the curse. He figured it was about time to work on developing teleportation.
"I wouldn't if I were you. It's really disorienting," Riko replied instantly.
She had a lingering psychological scar from being the only person so far to experience Minamoto's space-warping transport. It was like being thrown into spatial orientation training—and even now, the memory gave her chills.
"That's just because you're weak. I'd be totally fine."
"..."
"Good luck, Satoru!" Suguru Geto chimed in with encouragement.
"Don't mess it up. Stay sharp. You got this," Sōjun Minamoto added, tossing in the classic three-piece combo of mockery and motivation.
From there, the chat turned to random banter.
Laughter and teasing filled the group chat...
Until a new notification popped up: Tsukumo-sama has joined the group.
...Well then.
Sōjun Minamoto stared at the message. He'd been the one to add her, but now he kind of wished he hadn't.
He'd never seen anyone call themselves "-sama" before. People say the more someone lacks something, the more they emphasize it. And thinking about it, Tsukumo really wasn't the most mature person—widely regarded as a laid-back slacker.
Maybe she just lacked respect?
Sōjun Minamoto locked his phone, stuffed it in his pocket, and opened a swirling black vortex at his side. One step in, one step out—he was already at Training Ground No. 1.
This time, he was the first to arrive.
He casually picked a good spot to sit down and waited for Satoru Gojo and Yuki Tsukumo to show up.
Before long, the others started arriving one after another, gathering around Minamoto, chatting and laughing like they were waiting for a concert to start.
The two main stars of the show eventually strolled onto the field at their own pace.
Sōjun Minamoto gave a quick glance around. The setup was similar to last time—students and teachers from all years at Jujutsu High, and off in the distance, on the raised platform, stood Masamichi Yaga and a few of the old guard.
"Let's wrap this up quick. The sooner we're done, the sooner we eat," Gojo said, taking off his sunglasses and handing them to Geto.
Then he walked straight toward the center of the field.
Yuki Tsukumo casually stepped to the opposite side. Hearing those words, she leaned in with a smile. "Perfect. Let's go—make it quick."
In the spectator stands—
"Who do you think is stronger?" Suguru Geto glanced at Sōjun Minamoto and suddenly asked in a gentle tone.
"Who knows? It's not like it's a real fight." Sōjun Minamoto sat on the steps, lazily leaning against the railing.
Strength beyond Special Grade was hard to quantify—both had abilities that could guarantee victory. It all depended on who acted first and managed to land the hit.
A flicker of starlight shone in his eyes as he gazed toward the center of the field.
If you had to assign them roles, Yuki Tsukumo would be the warrior and Satoru Gojo the mage. One was high attack, high defense; the other, overwhelming offense with minimal defense.
It was already clear how a mage and a warrior would clash.
The two squared off, no trash talk—just silently building momentum. The fight was about to explode.
As the starlight in Sōjun Minamoto's eyes flashed and faded, both fighters made their move.
Yuki Tsukumo was straightforward and forceful. She rolled Garuda into a ball and launched it with a powerful kick.
She noticed Gojo's defensive technique, but it didn't matter. Her approach was brute force over finesse—crushing all fancy tricks head-on.
If Sōjun Minamoto broke through Gojo's automated technique with skill, then Tsukumo smashed through with raw strength. A pure show of power.
Garuda flew straight at Gojo, hovering briefly before charging forward with almost no resistance.
For opponents on the same level, automated techniques weren't some insurmountable barrier—more like a shallow ditch you could step over.
Gojo never expected to rely solely on automation to win. He knew he'd need something new.
He sidestepped, but the airflow—a push and pull—dragged him toward Garuda. Like standing too close to a speeding train, the mass and speed generated immense force. Caught off guard, he stumbled to the side, regaining his balance awkwardly.
A minor slip-up right from the start.
Garuda didn't stop. As it unfurled behind him, its tail hooked toward his forearm, trying to coil upward.
If it could pin him down, the fight would be over.
Bearing Garuda's full mass wasn't something that could be done twice—let alone three times. Sōjun Minamoto was already one such anomaly. A second like Gojo? Unacceptable to Tsukumo.
Would her Cursed Technique be pointless then?
Her eyes sharpened. She rushed Gojo, fist clenched. Drawing power downward, she struck at his jaw. Air compressed around her fist, unable to disperse fast enough, visibly wrapping around the strike.
Tsukumo and Garuda's attacks landed together, pushing Gojo to the limit.
"You're having way too easy of a time," he muttered.
Activating Six Eyes, he analyzed the Cursed Energy density in both.
He ramped up his technique's power, halting Garuda midair, then leaned into Tsukumo. A powerful repulsion clashed with her fist—the air compressed again, unable to expand, and exploded between them with a thunderous crack.
Both were blasted back by the shockwave but quickly stabilized, stomping down and closing in again. Their movements flashed across the field, the ground beneath them fracturing.
Gojo excelled at Taijutsu too, though it was a relative weakness—offset by his technique. His precise Cursed Energy control covered the gap.
As for Tsukumo, her Taijutsu spoke for itself. Her technique and physical skill stacked seamlessly in her offense.
She blocked her right elbow with her left, lifted her knee, shifted her center, spun into a back elbow with her left, then stepped forward and slammed into Gojo's shoulder.
Every strike was brutal, every transition smooth.
The composure and confidence of a seasoned Special Grade sorcerer.
Gojo dodged repeatedly but was still knocked aside, his arm numb and weakened.
He was clearly outmatched in close combat. Activating Reverse Cursed Technique, he healed his arm—then unleashed a blast of [Cursed Technique Reversal: Red] toward Tsukumo's incoming elbow.
She reacted instantly, raising her arm to block and retreating a few steps, dissipating the attack through movement.
[Red] was a fusion of Cursed Technique Lapse and Reversal—creating internal conflict within the Infinite to unleash imagination-weighted mass.
He used it to clash with Tsukumo's raw power.
And Tsukumo was just getting fired up. The thrill, building since yesterday, finally boiled over. Smashing into a force equal to her own only made her more excited.
She advanced casually, steps fluid and unpredictable. With each step, she cast a technique, shifting the ground's properties to create a chaotic gravity field.
The idea came from Sōjun Minamoto.
Gojo noticed her casting, but at first paid it little mind. Then, as she advanced—deliberately or not—his footing grew erratic. His body suddenly light, then heavy. Movements wavered. Garuda kept pestering him, adding to the frustration.
He'd always been able to dominate with just basic Cursed Energy control and Taijutsu…
But now, with the mage and the warrior fighting so close, he realized this was a serious disadvantage.
So he changed his strategy.
He pulled back, leaping out of the gravity field. Forming hand signs rapidly, he summoned various sizes of [Red]—small, medium, large, extra-large—to counter Tsukumo's overwhelming weight.
With Limitless and Six Eyes, that kind of control was second nature to him.
After all, a battle was about exploiting your strengths against the enemy's weaknesses.
But Tsukumo knew that too. So the two clashed—strength against strength.
To Sōjun Minamoto, things were getting boring. One tried to kite, the other closed the distance.
He ran, she chased. He chased, she ran.
The starlight in Sōjun Minamoto's eyes slowly faded.
In the arena, the two fighters stopped simultaneously. That was enough.
They both turned to look toward the spectator stand… at Sōjun Minamoto.
Hm?
Trying to win my approval?
Sōjun Minamoto could see what they meant.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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