The courtyard of Tokyo Jujutsu High was barely standing.
Cracked stone.
Collapsed walls.
Dust floating in the cold night air.
At the center of it all—
Two monsters faced each other.
Yuta Okkotsu stood calm, sword lowered but ready.
Across from him—
Toji Fushiguro, breathing steady, blood trailing from his shoulder.
For the first time since this war began—
Toji was being forced back.
The Shift in Pressure
Yuta closed his eyes briefly.
"Rika."
The air distorted.
The ground trembled violently.
Behind him, the massive cursed spirit fully materialized—
Rika Orimoto unleashed.
Her scream shook the entire campus.
Windows shattered across buildings.
Students inside barriers felt their knees weaken.
This was no partial manifestation.
This was full output.
Absolute Assault
Rika lunged first.
Her claw crashed downward like a meteor.
Toji rolled aside at the last possible second—the ground exploded into rubble where he stood.
Before he could regain balance—
Yuta was already there.
Blade flashing.
A diagonal slash aimed for Toji's neck.
CLANG.
Toji blocked with his cursed tool—but the force drove him to one knee.
Rika's tail-like arm whipped around from behind.
Toji twisted mid-air, barely avoiding being crushed.
But even he felt it now.
This wasn't a rhythm he could break easily.
This was overwhelming force from two synchronized fighters.
Adaptation Under Pressure
Toji analyzed quickly.
Yuta controlled spacing.
Rika controlled brute force.
Their coordination was near-perfect.
Toji dashed forward instead of retreating—closing the distance between himself and Yuta.
Break the controller.
Rika reacted instantly—
Too fast.
Her claw intercepted Toji mid-strike, sending him crashing through a wall.
Concrete buried him under debris.
Silence.
Dust.
Then—
The rubble shifted.
Toji stepped out slowly.
Bleeding more now.
But smiling faintly.
The Edge of Instinct
Yuta noticed it.
He's adjusting.
Toji had started predicting Rika's delay timing.
The half-second lag between Yuta's command and Rika's execution.
Tiny.
But real.
Toji moved again—
This time cutting upward toward Rika's arm.
The blade connected—
A deep gash split across the cursed spirit's limb.
Rika roared in fury.
Yuta's eyes widened.
"He can damage her directly…"
Toji spoke calmly through heavy breathing.
"Curses bleed too."
Unleashed Completely
Yuta's expression hardened further.
"Then I won't hold back anymore."
His cursed energy surged violently, covering both him and Rika in a dense aura.
The sky above darkened as pressure intensified.
Yuta rushed forward with Rika simultaneously—
A full synchronized attack.
Blade and claw descending together from opposite angles.
Toji crossed his weapons—
Impact.
The explosion flattened the entire courtyard.
Shockwaves rippled across campus barriers.
When the dust cleared—
Toji was still standing.
Barely.
Blood running down his arm.
Knee slightly bent.
But not fallen.
Across from him—
Yuta exhaled slowly.
Rika stood towering behind him.
Both serious.
Both ready to end it.
And far beyond the campus—
A presence stirred with excitement.
Because the Sorcerer Killer was finally being pushed to his limit.
And the night was not over yet.