Next Target, 400PS!
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Tempest Kick was one of the Rokushiki techniques from the One Piece world. The devastating power cleanly sliced the upper half of the Special Grade Cursed Spirit right in two.
"Now!" Kai called out. "Spider Woman! Sadako!"
The moment the words left his mouth, several strands of hair shot forward. They seemed infinitely long, rapidly winding around the Special Grade Cursed Spirit before snapping tight to bind it completely. At the same time, Sadako materialized alongside the Spider Woman, locking her sights onto the target.
"IS THAT..."
Panda gasped, instantly losing any interest in chatting with Haruno and the others. He stared at the scene in shock. "Cursed Spirit Manipulation?"
"No wonder," Panda muttered. "I was wondering how he had those crazy variety of abilities. It's Cursed Spirit Manipulation!"
"He has to be the new Special Grade Sorcerer that just popped up in the Jujutsu world recently."
"Makes sense!"
They were confused at first, but seeing Cursed Spirit Manipulation and hearing the name Kai finally jogged their memories. The Jujutsu world had recently gone from having three Special Grade Sorcerers to four. After all, Yuta Okkotsu hadn't enrolled in Jujutsu High yet. Otherwise, there would be five.
Knowing that Cursed Spirit Manipulation could extract the Innate Techniques of consumed spirits, Kai wielding a massive arsenal of random abilities wasn't surprising in the least.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation? What is that?" Haruno asked. Their earlier chat had thawed the tension between them, so she felt comfortable enough to probe. She still knew far too little about Jujutsu Sorcerers.
"..." Maki gave Haruno a passing glance but didn't say a word. She looked like she couldn't be bothered to explain.
Haruno had dealt with prickly people like her before, so she didn't push it. Instead, she turned to the much friendlier Panda.
"Uh..." Panda hesitated. It wasn't exactly a secret, he just didn't know how to explain it to a bunch of normal humans.
"Simply put, most Jujutsu Sorcerers awaken a specific Innate Technique. But not always," Panda explained. It was a game of chance. Not every Sorcerer awakened a technique.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation is a powerful technique that allows the user to unconditionally subjugate and control Cursed Spirits. Theoretically, there is no limit to the number of spirits they can absorb!"
"No limit?"
The rest of it was a bit confusing, but Haruno understood exactly what "No Limit" meant. Given enough time, Kai would inevitably become the most terrifying existence in the Jujutsu world.
"Yep, no limit!" Panda nodded, catching her drift. Cursed Spirit Manipulation was undeniably strong, but Jujutsu High still had the Strongest Modern Sorcerer, Satoru Gojo. They weren't about to lose sleep over it.
"Then... is there any chance for us to become Jujutsu Sorcerers?" Haruno couldn't resist asking the burning question.
Having witnessed the supernatural, no one would turn down that kind of power. Even Soyo Nagasaki looked over, eagerly waiting for the answer.
"Heh," Maki was the first to react. She let out a scoff, sweeping a dismissive glance over Haruno and Soyo before turning her attention back to the battlefield. She didn't say a word, but her silence spoke volumes.
"Isn't that a bit rude?" Haruno snapped. Even knowing Maki was a Sorcerer, being looked down on like that rubbed her the wrong way.
"Hey now, don't take it personally!" Panda quickly stepped in to defuse the tension. He was genuinely worried Maki might just punch the two girls to death.
"Give it up," Maki said bluntly.
Coming from the Zen'in clan, she didn't have much patience for average people. It was just her personality—she was cold to everyone. "Normal humans can never become Jujutsu Sorcerers. It's a power born from bloodlines!"
"Bloodlines..."
Haruno's lingering annoyance vanished instantly. In Japan, the moment someone mentioned bloodlines, everyone knew exactly what it meant. You either had it at birth, or you didn't.
"Is there really zero chance?" Haruno asked, refusing to give up just yet.
"Nope!" Panda shrugged, stating it casually. He had heard this question plenty of times before. "Normal people don't have the innate talent for Cursed Energy. You can't become a Sorcerer."
"..." Haruno and Soyo fell into a disappointed silence.
"Though, even if you don't have a chance, who's to say your kids won't?" Panda quipped.
At that, Haruno and Soyo simultaneously looked over at Kai. If the power came from bloodlines, it could definitely be passed down, couldn't it?
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"Alright! That's enough!"
Meanwhile, Kai's battle was wrapping up. The Spider Woman was just a hair away from reaching Special Grade. Paired with Sadako, taking down a newly born Special Grade was a total breeze.
"Hold back a bit. Don't kill it. I still need to 'eat' it!" Seeing the Special Grade Cursed Spirit on the verge of exploding under their combined assault, Kai called out lazily.
The Spider Woman and Sadako obediently backed off—
Kai walked right up to the mangled spirit, raised his hand, and condensed it into a pitch-black Cursed Spirit orb before tossing it into his mouth.
"Much better!" The rush of growing stronger was intoxicating. He just added another Special Grade to his arsenal.
Witnessing this confirmed it for Maki and the others. Kai's technique was definitely Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
"Kai, right? You're really something. Looks like the Jujutsu world has another monster genius on its hands!" Maki looked at him with genuine respect. "Thanks for saving us back there."
With the Cursed Spirit consumed, the Domain shattered. The environment reverted to the dark, abandoned construction site. Only this time, the sinister, chilling aura was gone.
"It was nothing. You're Maki Zen'in, right? Satoru Gojo mentioned you." Out of everyone here, Kai was most familiar with Maki.
The second generation's Heavenly Restriction tyrant.
"Just call me Maki!" She hated hearing the name "Zen'in" coming from anyone's mouth. Kai knew this, so he didn't press the issue.
"Me too! I'm Panda!" Panda introduced himself cheerfully before gesturing to the guy beside him. "This is Toge Inumaki. He doesn't talk much because of his Innate Technique, but he's actually a real softie."
"..." Hearing Panda praise him like that, Toge scratched his head awkwardly and offered Kai a polite nod.
"I know. Cursed Speech, right?" Kai glanced at Toge. It was a shame Cursed Spirit Manipulation couldn't consume Sorcerers or extract their techniques. Otherwise, Kai would have loved to get his hands on Cursed Speech.
Casting a technique just by speaking. It was a pity Toge hadn't mastered it yet. He couldn't control it properly, which was why he couldn't speak normally. Plus, Cursed Speech carried a heavy backlash. Every time he used it, Toge suffered physical damage.
'If I were the one using it... I could push that technique to its absolute limits.'
"..." Toge suddenly flinched. For no apparent reason, a bone-chilling dread washed over him, as if he had just been targeted by a predator. But looking at Kai's neutral expression, nothing seemed amiss. 'Must be my imagination!'
"Alright, it's getting late. You guys should head back and rest." Seeing how battered Maki and her team looked, Kai wrapped things up.
"Let's exchange numbers," Maki said, suddenly pulling out her phone. "I owe you one for tonight. I'll pay it back."
She sounded dead serious.
Seeing Maki actually ask for a guy's number, Panda almost let out a teasing hoot. But as if anticipating it, Maki shot him a lethal glare before he could even open his mouth. Panda choked back his noise and obediently lowered his head.
"Sure." Kai didn't turn her down. There was no real reason to refuse anyway.
After successfully swapping numbers, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Maki's lips. Her gaze swept over Haruno and Soyo standing next to him.
"These two aren't your friends, are they?" she asked pointedly.
"What, did you inherit the Zen'in clan's 'non-sorcerers are non-humans' mindset?" Reading Maki's thoughts, Kai fired back with an amused tone.
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