Even at 10% power, the Simulated Sol displayed terrifying combat efficiency.
Itadori's continuous heavy punches were precisely blocked or avoided, with every collision leaving his arms numb from the impact. Nobara's war hammer repeatedly struck empty air, and whenever she overcommitted, the opponent used her momentum against her, forcing her to stagger.
Although the giant snake controlled by Megumi Fushiguro wrapped around the Simulated Sol's lower body, the figure possessed astonishing core strength. With a sudden burst of power, cracks spread across the snake's body inch by inch, and the Shikigami formed from cursed energy let out a painful hiss.
"Now!" Megumi Fushiguro gritted his teeth and shouted.
Ignoring the possibility of backlash from his Shikigami, he changed his hand seals once again.
"Max Elephant!"
A massive torrent of water suddenly erupted, surging toward the Simulated Sol like a high-pressure cannon blast, aiming to force him backward.
However, the moment the water struck him, the muscles throughout the Simulated Sol's body began vibrating at a visible high frequency. Using Energy Dissipation, he forcibly dispersed and neutralized most of the water's impact.
At the same time, he used the water as cover. His feet pushed against the ground, shattering the surface beneath him as his body launched forward like a cannonball.
Itadori only saw a pair of emotionless dark red eyes rapidly approaching through the curtain of water.
The next instant, a hand chop descended toward his face.
He barely managed to raise his arms in time to block.
Bang!
A heavy force exploded through the impact.
Itadori's legs sank into the ground, carving two shallow trenches as he was pushed backward.
The Simulated Sol failed to completely incapacitate him with a single strike, but he immediately adjusted his attack. The fingers of his other hand curled into sharp hooks, aiming directly toward Itadori's heart.
The movement was cold and precise, carrying the brutal instincts unique to the Hanma Bloodline.
"You wish!" Nobara shouted.
Several nails shot forward with sharp whistles, targeting the back of the Simulated Sol's head and vital points along his spine.
The Simulated Sol did not even turn around.
His ultra-dynamic vision and Combat Intuition had already captured the trajectory of every attack.
His hand aimed at Itadori remained unchanged, but his body twisted with impossible flexibility. His joints moved in an inhuman manner, allowing him to narrowly evade every nail while his knee struck toward Itadori's abdomen like a heavy hammer.
Itadori's abdominal muscles instantly tightened like steel, and cursed energy gathered to reinforce his defense.
Boom!
A deep impact echoed.
Itadori's body was lifted slightly into the air.
Megumi Fushiguro's Escape Rabbits surged forward once again, attempting to disrupt the Simulated Sol's movements.
The moment the Simulated Sol was slowed by the swarm of rabbits, Nobara had already rushed in. Her war hammer was raised high, and cursed energy shimmered around the weapon.
"Haaah!"
The war hammer crashed downward with full force.
The Simulated Sol finally abandoned his pursuit of Itadori.
Facing Nobara's powerful strike, he performed an action that left the trio stunned.
He did not dodge.
He did not retreat.
He simply shifted his body slightly and allowed the hammer to strike his shoulder blade.
Clang!
The impact sounded as if metal had struck superalloy.
The recoil caused Nobara's hand to go numb.
The Simulated Sol only lowered his shoulder slightly, dispersing the force, then immediately grabbed Nobara's wrist with his other hand.
His grip tightened like an iron clamp.
"Nobara!" Megumi Fushiguro shouted.
Nue descended once again from above.
The Simulated Sol held onto Nobara's wrist and swung her body like a weapon, using her as a human hammer against the incoming Nue.
Bang!
Nobara and Nue collided.
Both released painful groans as they were sent flying backward.
In only a few seconds of combat, the trio's teamwork had once again been effortlessly dismantled, and each of them suffered heavy losses.
Even with only 10% of his strength, Sol's simulation completely overwhelmed them.
"It's not enough!" Itadori wiped away the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression becoming more focused.
"Megumi! Nobara! Don't give him the chance to take us down one by one!"
The trio regrouped and changed their strategy.
Itadori stopped recklessly attacking and instead reinforced his defense with cursed energy. He became a human shield, desperately trying to restrain the Simulated Sol in close combat.
Megumi Fushiguro's Shikigami no longer attempted to land a decisive attack. Instead, they focused on constant harassment and control, with the snake's restraints and the Escape Rabbits' interference continuously layering together.
Nobara moved around the battlefield, searching for precise openings. Every nail she threw targeted weak points such as joints and eyes.
The Simulated Sol found the new strategy much more troublesome.
His movements remained concise and efficient. Every dodge, block, and counterattack was executed with perfect timing.
However, under the trio's nearly desperate defensive formation, he could no longer eliminate any one of them as effortlessly as before.
The battle entered a brief stalemate.
Itadori endured a direct side kick from the Simulated Sol. His chest churned from the impact, but he forced himself forward and wrapped both arms around the opponent's leg.
"Now!"
A sharp glint appeared in Megumi Fushiguro's eyes.
"Chimera Shadow Garden!"
Dense shadows spread across the ground instantly, attempting to bind the Simulated Sol's feet.
Nobara had already prepared her attack.
Three cursed energy-infused nails shot forward in a triangular formation, sealing off the Simulated Sol's upper body and restricting his possible movements.
Facing this perfectly coordinated pincer attack, the Simulated Sol's dark red eyes seemed to shine slightly.
The next moment, the muscles in the leg held by Itadori suddenly expanded.
The power of the Hanma Bloodline and Demon Back erupted with overwhelming force.
Itadori felt an unstoppable force surge through his body.
Before he could react, he was violently thrown away.
At the same time, the Simulated Sol used the recoil from throwing Itadori to rotate around his restrained leg at high speed like a whirlwind.
The movement not only allowed him to break free from the incomplete shadow bindings around his feet, but also let him narrowly avoid all of Nobara's incoming nails.
While still rotating, he delivered a hand chop toward the approaching Nue.
The Shikigami released a mournful cry before dispersing.
The instant he landed, the Simulated Sol pushed against the ground, cracking the surface beneath his feet.
His figure appeared before Megumi Fushiguro in an instant.
Megumi's movements had been slightly delayed due to the backlash from the repeated destruction of his Shikigami, leaving him vulnerable.
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