Mechamaru's massive steel body adjusted its direction in the distance, its joints emitting a faint mechanical hum.
Momo Nishimiya rose higher on her broom, observing the battlefield from above as she searched for the best opportunity to intervene.
Kamo Noritoshi remained where he stood, forming hand seals as crimson blood beads floated around him. His cold gaze locked onto his target.
Their objective was clear.
It was no longer the Cursed Spirits.
Itadori Yuji had become the focus.
The Tokyo Jujutsu High students immediately sensed that something was wrong.
"Hey! What are they trying to do?" Nobara shouted as she smashed a Cursed Spirit with her hammer. Her expression darkened when she noticed the Kyoto students moving into a pincer formation.
Megumi Fushiguro frowned.
"Their target has shifted to Itadori."
He immediately issued a command to Nue. The Shikigami shrieked and sped toward Itadori's location.
"Maki-senpai!"
"I see him!" Maki snorted as she swung her staff, intercepting Kasumi Miwa before she could approach from the flank. "Your opponents are us."
Panda released a low growl and planted himself in Mechamaru's path.
"This way is closed."
Inumaki Toge lowered his collar and pointed toward Momo.
"Descend."
Momo instantly felt her broom lose altitude, forcing her to land. She glared angrily at Inumaki.
"You annoying Cursed Speech user!"
Kamo Noritoshi remained motionless, but the blood beads surrounding him suddenly shot forward. They transformed into sharp blood arrows aimed not at Itadori, but at Megumi and Nobara, preventing them from providing support.
The battle instantly shifted from Cursed Spirit extermination to a direct confrontation between the students of both schools.
At the center of the conflict, the battle between Aoi Todo and Itadori Yuji never stopped.
"It seems some unnecessary people want to interrupt our exchange, Brother!" Todo shouted as he forced Itadori backward with a punch. He cast a displeased glance toward the encroaching Kyoto students. "How disappointing!"
Itadori noticed the changes around him and felt his heart sink.
"They're coming for me?"
"That's right! But!"
Todo roared and launched another fierce attack.
"Before dealing with those annoying flies, let's determine who's stronger!"
His assault became even more relentless. He paid no attention to his approaching teammates and even deliberately steered the battlefield away from them.
Itadori had no choice but to devote his full attention to Todo, leaving no room to focus on anything else.
Elsewhere, Kasumi Miwa was completely tied down by Maki. Sword and staff collided repeatedly, producing sharp metallic clangs.
Maki's close combat skills were clearly superior, steadily suppressing Miwa and preventing her from breaking away.
Mechamaru and Panda slammed into each other with heavy impacts, their strength surprisingly even.
Momo attempted to regain control of the air, but Inumaki's Cursed Speech repeatedly interfered with her movements like invisible restraints.
Meanwhile, Kamo's Blood Manipulation Technique clashed with Megumi's Shikigami and Nobara's nail attacks, making it difficult for him to push forward.
The battlefield descended into chaos.
From the high ground, Sol quietly observed the melee below.
Most of his attention remained on the duel between Itadori and Todo. The battles elsewhere only received the occasional glance.
Kyoto's intention to eliminate Itadori was obvious. However, Tokyo's response had been swift enough to create a temporary stalemate. Todo himself seemed unwilling to allow anyone to interfere with his fight, unintentionally reducing the pressure on Itadori.
Aoi Todo... he's an interesting variable.
Sol's eyes narrowed slightly.
This man's actions could not be judged by common sense. His personal interests seemed to outweigh any orders he received.
At that moment, Kasumi Miwa suddenly feinted against Maki before retreating a step.
"Mechamaru!"
Mechamaru immediately abandoned his clash with Panda.
The armor on its chest opened, revealing a charged energy cannon.
"What?" Panda exclaimed.
A sharp mechanical whine filled the air.
The blazing beam that followed was not aimed at Panda.
Instead, it curved across the battlefield and shot directly toward Itadori's back.
The attack came without warning.
Itadori was completely focused on Todo's relentless offense and had no chance to react.
"Despicable!" Maki shouted furiously.
She tried to intervene, but it was already too late.
Todo also noticed the incoming attack.
"Don't get in the way!"
He slammed his fist into the ground, launching a massive chunk of earth and stone into the beam's path.
Boom!
The beam struck the debris and exploded violently, filling the area with smoke and dust.
Although Todo had blocked the attack, the resulting shockwave still caught Itadori off guard and sent him stumbling backward.
Todo immediately grabbed him and pulled him upright.
At the same time, he roared into his communicator.
"Kamo! Control your people! This is an exchange between me and Brother!"
Kamo's calm voice responded.
"Todo, this is the Principal's order."
"I don't care whose order it is!" Todo snapped. "If anyone interferes again, don't blame me for being impolite!"
He released Itadori and glared toward the smoke-filled battlefield.
His fighting spirit burned even brighter, though irritation now mixed with it.
Itadori took a deep breath and looked at Todo with a complicated expression.
"You..."
"Don't get distracted, Brother!"
Todo resumed his stance.
"Our battle isn't over yet!"
The Kyoto students were clearly deterred by Todo's outburst. For the moment, none of them dared launch another surprise attack.
However, the encirclement remained.
The battle continued, growing increasingly chaotic and bizarre.
Sol watched everything unfold.
"An order, huh..."
He could already guess that it came from Gakuganji Yoshinobu.
The higher-ups had always viewed Sukuna's vessel with extreme suspicion and hostility.
Still, with Todo acting as an unpredictable variable and the Tokyo students protecting him, Itadori was not in immediate danger.
Sol had no intention of intervening.
This exchange event was a valuable opportunity for Itadori and the others to grow through real combat.
His gaze drifted back to the battlefield below.
The smoke gradually dispersed.
Without another word, Itadori and Todo charged toward each other once more.
Their fists collided head-on with explosive force.
For that brief moment, all outside interference seemed irrelevant.
Only the pure clash of strength remained.
===
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