"What? You're really planning to bring these deadweights along to fight me?"
A trace of disdain appeared on Jogo's face.
"Humans these days are truly arrogant."
If not for the fact that Sukuna's vessel was standing behind him, Jogo would have already engulfed the sorcerers before him in a towering inferno.
"Don't worry about them. Just fight however you want."
Recalling how Jogo had once been enraged to the point of erupting like a volcano, Mirai smiled faintly.
"Because you… are really weak."
Boom!
The instant his words fell, the ground beneath Jogo's feet exploded into a massive crater.
"You brat—are you courting death?!"
In the next instant, Jogo's fist shot straight through Mirai's head!
But strangely—no blood splattered.
A flicker of confusion flashed in Jogo's eye. Visually, he had clearly blown the sorcerer's head apart…
Yet his fist felt no impact at all.
"Itadori Yuji—White Zetsu has told me about your situation."
Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Mirai raised one hand and caught Jogo's punch.
"You haven't awakened a technique, but you possess an exceptional body."
As he spoke, Mirai suddenly drove his knee hard into Jogo's abdomen!
Boom!
Jogo's single eye bulged, veins bursting across it, his entire body curling up like a shrimp!
A large spray of purple blood erupted from his mouth, the residual force blasting through his torso and whipping his cloak wildly behind him.
"As for the basics of reinforcing your body with cursed energy, you'll learn that at Jujutsu High."
"For now, I'll just teach you one thing."
Mirai's free hand became a blur, each punch landing solidly against Jogo's face.
Purple blood sprayed everywhere as if it cost nothing!
Itadori and the others stared blankly at Mirai's back, an uncontrollable thought rising in their minds…
Strong.
Incredibly strong.
If they hadn't already felt the terrifying pressure from Jogo earlier, they might have believed that what Mirai was beating down was nothing more than a weak Grade 3 or 4 curse.
"Focus. Absolute focus."
With a turn of his body and a swing of his arm, Jogo—whose hand was still held—was flung away like a child tossed by a giant.
"Now!"
Crimson-black lightning burst forth, and a whip-like kick that broke the sound barrier—even warping space—crashed heavily into Jogo's face.
BOOM!!!
A visible shockwave rippled through the air as Jogo was blasted away, smashing deep into the mountainside!
Debris and dust erupted into the sky.
Mirai glanced at the severed arm he was holding in mild disgust, then casually tossed it into the Kamui space.
"Every time you throw a punch or make an attack, discard all unnecessary emotions and distractions from your mind."
"Maintain a pure intent to attack—until your opponent can no longer stand or the curse is exorcised."
"Th-thank you, Sensei…"
Staring blankly at Mirai's gentle smile, Itadori replied absentmindedly.
"As for Fushiguro—the control of the Ten Shadows Technique—"
BOOM!
From the crater where Jogo had been slammed, it erupted like a volcano. Streams of flames and shattered rock shot skyward!
Like a dazzling firework display, meteoric torrents rose from the ground into the night sky.
The searing heat flowing down from the mountain made it difficult for Itadori and the others to even breathe.
"Ahhh!!"
"You damn brat!"
"I'm going to rip that fake smiling face of yours to shreds!"
Jogo roared furiously as he dove down from the mountain peak!
He had underestimated him—gravely!
Earlier, because of White Zetsu and Itadori behind Mirai, Jogo had held back and engaged in close combat cautiously.
But after being humiliated in such a one-sided beating…
Staring fixedly at Mirai below, Jogo released his cursed energy in full!
Amid rolling smoke, torrents of molten lava surged downward like a devouring maw.
Mirai, who had been interrupted earlier, paused briefly before continuing to speak to Fushiguro:
"Don't rush to tame the later shikigami."
"Train the ones you've already mastered. Explore their potential. Study the nature of shadows."
"Sensei! Sensei!!"
Itadori pointed behind Mirai in panic.
"Behind you! The lava's coming down!!"
Ijichi, Kugisaki, and Fushiguro were also drenched in cold sweat. The scorching air had already curled their body hair—was it really okay to keep teaching at a time like this?!
Mirai smiled calmly, forming a hand seal without a hint of urgency.
Fushiguro's eyes widened in shock at the familiar sign.
Rabbit Escape?
A shikigami that could be tamed at the very beginning—could it really stand against a Special Grade?
Before he could think further, the shadows beneath their feet began to boil and surge.
Ten… hundreds… thousands… tens of thousands…
Incomplete forms of Rabbit Escape emerged, each wrapped in drifting black mist.
An endless swarm of rabbits surged upward, charging toward the blazing torrent flowing down from the mountain!
Boom!
A black tide and a crimson tide collided violently, continuous thunderous roars echoing!
Seeing the lava forced to a halt right before them, Fushiguro was nearly stunned.
The sheer number aside—that was a difference in cursed energy.
That part couldn't be learned for now.
But the half-formed transformation of Rabbit Escape… he had seen it in materials Gojo Satoru provided, yet never studied it deeply.
Just as Mirai had said, most of his effort had gone into preparing to tame the next shikigami.
"It's not over yet, you brat!!"
With Jogo's furious roar, hundreds upon thousands of ember insects swooped down from the sky!
Mirai changed his hand seal and softly uttered:
"Nue."
Crackle!
Lightning lit up the night sky, and massive wings swept across the heavens.
The fire insects beyond Rabbit Escape's range were completely annihilated!
From casual indifference to blood at the corner of his mouth and a disheveled state—
Jogo had completely discarded his earlier contempt.
His gaze turned extremely grave.
He had thought this was just a warm-up…
But he had nearly been kicked straight to the end.
That crimson-black cursed energy strike—his face still ached from it.
Boom!
A volcanic head burst through the ground, spewing a pillar of blazing magma.
In an instant, countless advancing rabbits were devoured.
With the obstacle cleared, Jogo no longer held back against those behind Mirai.
With a single step, he vanished and reappeared before Mirai!
Boundless cursed energy surged in his palm—
As his punch landed, four volcanoes erupted from the ground!
Flames roared, instantly sealing off all of Mirai's escape routes.
In Itadori and the others' eyes, only Mirai's figure remained—completely swallowed by the inferno.
"Sensei…"
Itadori murmured anxiously.
"Relax, relax~"
White Zetsu waved casually, showing no concern at all.
"Itadori-kun! Mirai-sensei will be fine—don't leave your position!"
Ijichi pushed up his glasses and spoke sternly.
Only then did Itadori notice something strange beneath his feet—
A faint ripple of shadow covered their footing.
No wonder, despite being so close to the volcanic attacks, the temperature around them wasn't as unbearable as before.
"Don't step out. The moment you do, you'll be reduced to ashes."
Fushiguro also warned him.
For someone like Itadori—who would recklessly attack curses even without cursed energy—
it was better to be explicit.
Did he escape?
Did he dodge?
Did it miss?
Jogo stared uncertainly at the figure within the flames, frowning deeply.
Just like before—his attacks had no sense of hitting a physical body.
His eyes could see a burning figure, yet his cursed energy detected nothing.
"What… is going on?"
Bang!!
Jogo stared blankly at his right arm being shattered once again, alarm bells ringing wildly in his mind!
Step… step…
Mirai walked out of the sea of flames.
At this moment, he looked even more like a master of fire than Jogo himself.
The surging waves of heat around him made him seem like a newly born king of flames.
Only then did the pain register—Jogo no longer hesitated.
Gathering all his cursed energy, his right arm rapidly regenerated.
Since he couldn't figure out this bizarre technique…
Then there was only one option—
Jogo retreated in a flash. The moment he broke line of sight with Mirai, his hands formed a seal!
"Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain!"