Chapter 75 — Special Grade Sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo
Bang!
A surge of overwhelming force collided between them.
Both figures were thrown back several steps, flipping and landing apart.
Yuki Tsukumo shook out her arm, a flicker of surprise crossing her face at the pain running through it.
Then she curled her lips into a grin, looking at Ren in the distance.
"Not bad, kid," she said openly, her tone full of approval. "No wonder you injured him too badly."
From the fact that he had seriously injured Todo, she had already judged his physical strength to be exceptional. So when she threw that punch, she had subtly reinforced it with her technique.
And yet—
they were still evenly matched?
It had been a long time since she'd felt this kind of thrill—meeting a true equal.
A faint tremor of excitement ran through her body. She loosened her shoulders, then settled into a proper fighting stance.
"I heard Todo's lying in bed right now, bored out of his mind," she said casually.
"How about I send you over to keep him company?"
"…What?" Ren's face twitched.
The mere thought of sharing a room with that eccentric man—listening to endless rambling about "brotherhood" and idols—was enough to give him a headache.
He immediately took his stance as well.
Cursed energy surged through his body, reinforcing every muscle.
No matter what—it must not come to that.
—
Boom! Boom!
They clashed again.
Their bodies blurred as fists rained down, each strike colliding with explosive force.
Ren blocked, dodged, and countered, his movements sharp and precise.
But with every impact—
his shock grew.
Just who… is this woman?
Todo, even at full cursed energy reinforcement, had only barely matched his raw physical strength.
But this woman—
Even with Ren now fully reinforcing his body with cursed energy, she could still fight him evenly.
No—
she might even be stronger.
He had never taken hits this solid before.
And yet, judging by the relaxed smile on her face—
she wasn't even going all out.
Should I use Black Flash?
The thought flickered through his mind.
But he hesitated.
Black Flash was too destructive, too unpredictable.
This wasn't a life-or-death battle.
He didn't want a repeat of what had happened with Todo.
—
Boom!
In that moment of hesitation, a massive fist shot toward his face.
At the same time, his own punch drove straight toward her abdomen.
"Ghh—!"
"Ugh!"
Ren staggered in place, blood rising in his throat as his head spun violently. His body swayed, barely holding together.
On the other side, Yuki stumbled back several steps. Just as she was about to press forward again, she suddenly bent over—
and gagged, unable to suppress the reaction.
—
That blow—
was terrifyingly powerful.
It felt like his neck had nearly snapped.
Like his organs had been shaken loose inside his body.
—
They looked at each other.
Both stunned.
Both realizing they had encountered a rare opponent—one of the strongest they had ever faced.
And at the same time—
their fighting spirit ignited even further.
They clenched their fists.
Cursed energy surged violently.
They were just about to charge again—
"Stop!"
A familiar voice suddenly rang out from the side.
"Utahime-sensei?"
"Utahime?"
Utahime Iori rushed over, her brows furrowed sharply.
"Ren, Yuki-senpai! What are you two doing?!"
Ren immediately complained:
"Sensei, this lady just showed up out of nowhere and started attacking me! Oh—and I think she's connected to Todo somehow!"
"Auntie?"
At that single word, Yuki Tsukumo snapped her gaze toward Ren. Her widened eyes brimmed with killing intent.
Ren instinctively looked toward his "reliable" teacher for support—only to watch Utahime Iori's expression change instantly.
"Show some respect, Ren," Utahime said flatly, veins practically popping on her forehead. "This is Special Grade Sorcerer Yuki Tsukumo—my senior."
"Special Grade?" Ren turned back, stunned, staring at Yuki, who was still glaring at him while forcibly suppressing her killing intent. "The same level as Gojo-sensei?"
So that's why…
His expression sharpened as he recalled that overwhelming, bone-crushing strength. No wonder her power had felt so terrifying.
"And," Utahime added after a brief pause, "she's the one who'll be guiding your Domain training."
"Teacher? Domain?"
The moment those two keywords registered, Ren's entire demeanor flipped. He looked around eagerly.
"Where is—?"
Then he froze.
Slowly, stiffly, he turned his head back—
—and met Yuki's gaze.
The kind that could kill.
"…Um… Miss—no, Yuki… sister."
He rubbed his hands together, forcing out an awkward smile.
"Is it… still possible for me to apologize?"
"Hm?"
"T-Todo's incident was my fault! Entirely my responsibility!" he blurted, bowing repeatedly at a full ninety degrees.
"And about the way I addressed you—I swear, it was out of respect! Pure respect for an elder! Nothing else! If you don't like it, I'll change it immediately—right now!"
"Since you want to learn," Yuki said lazily, "then start by acknowledging your teacher."
"Let me hear you say it—Master."
"…M-Master." Ren muttered, his face flushed red.
A true man bends when he must.
No matter what—learn Domain Expansion first!
"Good."
Yuki suddenly slung an arm around his shoulders, grinning brightly.
"From now on, you and Aoi Todo are fellow disciples. Get along well, alright?"
"Y-Yes…"
With that, she casually hooked his head under her arm and dragged him along as they walked down the building corridor. Utahime followed beside them.
…That's it? It's over?
Ren had been fully prepared for disaster. After all, his first meeting with his new teacher had turned into an all-out brawl.
But unexpectedly—
it ended just like that.
Once Utahime stepped in, the fight stopped naturally. Yuki simply made him call her "Master," then let it go—she even seemed pleased.
"Honestly, senpai," Utahime muttered as they walked, still somewhat irritated, "why would you pick a fight with a student?"
"Sorry, sorry," Yuki said, raising both hands behind her head in a carefree gesture. "I wasn't actually planning to stand up for Todo."
"I just wanted to tease the kid a bit… test what he's made of."
She grinned.
"Didn't expect him to perform so well. Got a little excited and couldn't hold back."
"Hehe—"
So she wasn't here to cause trouble… just to test me?
And it turned into… that?
Ren rolled his stiff neck, still sore from being restrained earlier, feeling a mix of helplessness and disbelief.
He straightened up, about to walk properly—
—but Yuki's arm suddenly dropped back onto his shoulder with a thud, pulling him right back in.
"Where do you think you're going, my dear disciple?" she said with a teasing grin. "If you're learning from your master, you should stay close, shouldn't you?"
"Y-Yes… of course…"
Ren nodded repeatedly, completely at her mercy as she half-dragged him forward with an easy, overbearing familiarity.