Chapter 179: A Qualified Assassin
The most commendable part of Itadori Yuji's performance this time wasn't that he thought of such a simple and direct piece of reverse psychology, but rather that his supposedly crude charging process actually managed to escape Emiya's notice.
It was truly strange. Even while Emiya was "teaching" Kugisaki Nobara, he had been maintaining constant awareness of his surroundings.
How had he missed Itadori's movements? Fortunately, the boy still showed an opening at the moment of impact—he even went as far as shouting to warn Nobara.
Never mind the fact that Itadori had just initiated the attack; even if that strike were already inches away, Emiya would be fully capable of reacting.
"Trace on!"
BOOM—!!!
Itadori Yuji's physical stats were in a league of their own at Jujutsu High. This was a fact Emiya recognized personally—or rather, it was a result he had personally cultivated.
Combined with the custom-made heavy Charge Blade, which could even adapt to the Cleave technique, Itadori had become a true battlefield meat grinder.
It was no exaggeration to say that even if you brought back that Finger Bearer from the juvenile detention center—the one that had easily brutalized the three first-years—it wouldn't be able to stand its ground against his berserk assault.
Under Emiya's meticulous tutelage, Itadori Yuji was no longer just the "elbow-strike boy" who only knew how to kick and punch; he was a berserker who could truly hold his own.
Especially when facing an attack following multiple charges, even Emiya had to focus his mind to respond.
The weapon Emiya held up with both hands to block the strike was, of course, the Axe-Sword, which provided the maximum strength boost. This way, even if Itadori added the power of a "Cleave" technique to the attack, the indestructible nature of the "temple foundation" would successfully hold firm.
Under the impact of unimaginably vast force, the ground beneath Emiya's feet shattered into an unbelievable state. Even the earth dozens of meters away was compressed into gravel by the invisible shockwaves...
But a block is a block. Despite the terrifying momentum, Emiya stood his ground firmly. The Axe-Sword only suffered a visible notch.
While such damage would be a significant weakening for the original Heracles, for Emiya, it was at most a matter of projecting a new weapon.
Such a trick, once used, clearly wouldn't pose much of a threat to Emiya again.
Yet, facing this situation where the advantage should have been his, Emiya slowly lowered the Axe-Sword. A helpless but gratified smile appeared on his face.
"Alright. I'll count this as your win."
Why did Emiya concede so readily? Because at some point, an Odachi approximately three meters in length had been pressed against his back.
After all that buildup, even Itadori's "high-risk, high-reward" attack had been a pure feint. The true killing blow was behind him.
So, had these kids planned this seamless coordination beforehand, or was it all just a perfectly timed coincidence?
Emiya could have, of course, used his full power in the very first instant of the battle to eliminate either Itadori or Nobara, but wouldn't that have defeated the purpose of the test?
"Regardless of whether Itadori-kun discussed it with me beforehand, isn't this exactly what you hoped I would do, Emiya-sensei?"
Zen'in Maki, standing behind him and gripping the Nodachi, gave Emiya this answer.
"That's true, but I still didn't expect you to show up at a time like this."
While Emiya was focused on fighting Itadori and Nobara, Zen'in Maki had suddenly appeared behind him without a sound. Who could react to something so devoid of warning?
"Isn't this exactly the feeling you want the enemy to experience, Emiya-sensei?"
Correct. As a special talent born with zero Cursed Energy due to a "Reverse" Heavenly Restriction, Zen'in Maki possessed a Jujutsu version of Presence Concealment. She was essentially invisible to the senses of sorcerers who rely on Cursed Energy.
Based on this, as long as Maki was decisive and ruthless enough, she could become a true "Assassin," achieving a one-hit kill the moment a sorcerer or cursed spirit let down their guard.
This was Emiya's original vision for her.
As it turned out, his vision was flawless.
If even he himself could be fatally threatened while off-guard, isn't that proof enough? Emiya at least knew that Maki was a potential threat; a real enemy would be completely in the dark, making it nearly impossible to avoid an ambush.
"You're absolutely right. That's why I'm admitting my defeat so gracefully, isn't it?
The rules of the spar were indeed set between Itadori and me, but you don't need to follow them. My goal was always to train you into a decisive fighter who doesn't care about such distractions."
Wasn't the "Sorcerer Killer" Fushiguro Toji just like that?
He never cared how he took down an opponent, as long as the opponent stayed down. Emiya wanted Maki to achieve that as well. Compared to a frontal battlefield, this was the domain she should specialize in.
Besides, Emiya had never forced her. He simply laid out different paths for her to choose from. This was the path she chose for herself.
"So does this mean we really won, Emiya-sensei?!"
Itadori, off to the side, didn't care if Maki had "interfered" with the battle process. He cared more about whether it counted as a win, and whether he could go brag to Megumi about it later. You got thrashed, but I won—isn't that worth celebrating?
"Yes, that's right. You won," Emiya nodded cleanly.
"YES!"
Upon receiving confirmation, Itadori immediately started bouncing around in excitement, not feeling at all like he had taken an unfair advantage.
"This guy... is it really worth being that happy?"
Kugisaki Nobara walked over, clutching the large bump on the side of her head, completely unable to fathom Itadori's mindset. She stood there hesitating for a moment, then walked up to Emiya and stated seriously: "Emiya-sensei, I need to get even stronger. Please teach me what I should do."
Nobara could feel it.
Whether it was Itadori or Megumi, there was still a gap between her strength and theirs; they weren't even in the same league of comparison yet. If she faced either of them alone, she had almost no chance of winning... the distance was simply too great.
"There's no need to ask like that. I would have helped you even if you hadn't said anything.
Let's work hard. All of us together."
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