Chapter 6: A Dimensionality Reduction Strike of Pure Technique
The thrust was unbelievably fast.
So fast it left a blur in the air.
Although Maki Zenin lacked the cursed energy of a normal sorcerer, her physical ability far surpassed that of an ordinary person. And this strike, fueled by anger and pride, carried a fierce, all or nothing intensity.
The air itself seemed to split apart, releasing a sharp whistle as the spear shot forward.
"So fast!"
Panda could not help blurting out in shock.
"Tuna mayo!"
Toge Inumaki's eyes widened as well.
Even they could not confidently say they would take Maki's full power strike head on without difficulty.
Could that first year dodge it?
Every eye on the training ground locked onto Yami.
And yet, faced with this fierce and heavy spear thrust, Yami did not move to evade.
He simply stood there, silent and still, his eyes calm as unmoving water.
Then, at the very instant the spear tip was about to touch his brow
He moved.
Yami's wrist gave the slightest flick.
The wooden sword in his hand did not slash out forcefully. Instead, it glided along the shaft of the spear like a nimble fish slipping through water.
There was no dramatic clash.
No showy movement.
Not even much visible force.
But Maki's expression changed instantly.
Her full power thrust felt as though it had sunk into empty space.
No, it was worse than that.
It was as if some strange force had attached itself to the line of her attack and gently pulled her weapon off its intended course.
"This is..."
Maki's pupils contracted sharply.
She tried to draw back her strength, but her own forward momentum had already carried her too far.
An opening.
A massive opening.
At the exact moment when her old force had been exhausted and her new force had not yet risen, Yami casually flicked the wooden sword in his hand.
Smack.
A crisp sound rang out.
The tip of the wooden sword struck Maki's wrist with perfect precision.
A numbing jolt spread through her arm at once. Her fingers loosened involuntarily, and the spear flew out of her hand.
But Yami was not done.
His figure slipped forward like a ghost.
Smack.
Smack.
Two more soft, clean sounds followed in quick succession.
The wooden sword struck Maki's elbow, then her shoulder.
The three strikes came so quickly that the eye could barely follow them, yet each was terrifyingly precise.
Every blow landed directly on the key point of her strength output, shattering her balance and breaking apart her offense with surgical accuracy.
Thump.
Maki stumbled and dropped to one knee.
Her spear spun several times through the air before falling and stabbing into the dirt beside her.
Silence.
Utter silence.
Even the rustling of leaves in the wind sounded unnaturally clear on the training ground.
Panda's mouth hung open so wide his jaw nearly hit the floor.
Toge forgot to keep his collar raised, revealing the markings at the corners of his lips as he stared blankly at the scene before him.
It was a complete annihilation.
Clean. Swift. Absolute.
No cursed energy.
No Cursed Technique.
Yami had used nothing but the most basic physical skill, and a harmless wooden sword at that, to instantly defeat Maki Zenin, a student known for excelling in close quarters combat.
And from beginning to end
He had not even taken a single step forward.
"Haa..."
Yami exhaled softly.
He casually spun the wooden sword once, then let it rest at his side, his posture once again returning to its quiet stillness.
He looked at Maki kneeling on the ground.
There was no arrogance in his expression, no smugness from victory.
Only the same gentleness as before.
"Your breathing is too chaotic."
His soft voice carried clearly through the silent training ground.
Maki jerked her head up and stared at him.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Sweat covered her face. Shock, humiliation, and disbelief all churned in her eyes.
Chaotic?
My breathing is chaotic?
Since childhood, she had clawed and fought her way through the hellish environment of the Zenin clan. She had trained harder than her peers, harder than almost anyone, throwing in a hundred times, a thousand times more effort just to become stronger.
She had always believed that, among people of her age, no one could surpass her in pure physical combat.
And yet now, in front of this quiet, seemingly frail first year
She had lost miserably.
Utterly.
Pathetically.
It did not feel like losing to someone stronger in the ordinary sense.
It felt like a child throwing a clumsy punch at a seasoned master.
They were fighting on entirely different levels.
"You..."
Maki bit her lip and tried to stand, only to find that half her body was still numb from those strikes.
This was not brute force.
It was an exquisitely refined technique.
Use the smallest amount of force.
Strike the weakest point.
Achieve the greatest result.
Who the hell is this guy?
"Your strength is excellent, and your speed is fast too."
Yami walked over, reached out, and pulled the spear from the ground with an easy motion.
"But your heart is too impatient."
He held the weapon out and offered it back to her.
"Fighting isn't about venting emotion. It's about staying calm at every moment. Feeling your opponent's breathing. Feeling the rhythm of their muscles. Feeling the flow of the wind."
He placed the spear in her hand.
"When Heavenly Restriction gave you a body beyond ordinary people, it also took away part of your ability to perceive the world's finer details."
"Try slowing down."
"Feel every cell in your body."
"Listen to the voice of all things."
Yami's voice was gentle and clear, like spring water flowing through stone.
It washed slowly through the agitation in Maki's heart.
Maki froze.
She looked at the pale, slender hand in front of her, then lifted her gaze to Yami's dark red eyes.
In those eyes, she found no mockery.
No pity.
No condescension.
Only sincerity.
He was really teaching her.
Maki's face flushed red at once, not from anger this time, but from embarrassment.
She had stormed over to provoke him like an idiot, only to be effortlessly beaten down like a monkey dancing in someone else's palm. And after all that, he had not held it against her in the slightest. He had even given her genuine advice.
The contrast was so overwhelming that, for the first time in a long while, Maki genuinely wanted the earth to split open and swallow her whole.
"Hmph!"
She snatched the spear from his hand, used it to push herself upright, and immediately turned her face away, not daring to look directly at him.
"D Don't lecture me!"
"I was careless this time. Next time... next time I definitely won't lose to you!"
She tried to sound fierce, but her voice had already softened considerably, and there was even the faintest tremor in it.
"Alright."
Yami smiled and did not expose her bluff.
"I'll wait."
At that moment, footsteps sounded from the distance.
"Excuse me, is this the first year training ground at Jujutsu High?"
A slightly restrained voice called out.
Everyone turned at once.
Two boys were walking toward them.
One had spiky black hair and sharp, composed eyes.
The other had pink hair and an open, athletic look.
Megumi Fushiguro.
And Yuji Itadori, the vessel who had just swallowed one of Sukuna's fingers.
"I'm Megumi Fushiguro. This is Yuji Itadori. We're here for the entrance exam."
Megumi's gaze swept over the scene. He took in Maki's slightly disheveled state, then looked at the calm, composed Yami standing nearby.
A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes.
Maki senpai lost?
And judging from the state of things, it was a total defeat.
Megumi understood Maki's strength very well. In a pure physical exchange, even he would have trouble matching her without relying on shikigami.
And yet this ordinary looking first year had beaten her that thoroughly?
But Yuji, standing beside him, felt increasingly off.
Ever since they had approached the training ground, the mouth on his cheek had started twitching restlessly.
Sukuna.
Something about this place was irritating the King of Curses.
"Ugh..."
Yuji's body suddenly stiffened.
A pained groan escaped his throat.
"What's wrong, Yuji?"
Megumi's expression changed, and he instinctively stepped closer.
"Don't go near him!"
Yami's voice rang out sharply, more serious than it had ever been before.
Before anyone could react, Yuji suddenly jerked his head up.
His clear eyes were bloodshot now.
The muscles in his face twitched violently, as though something beneath the skin was about to tear its way out.
"So hot... my body's burning..."
Yuji clutched at his chest, his fingernails digging so hard into his flesh they nearly drew blood.
It felt as if the finger inside him had suddenly come alive and was now frantically trying to devour his will from within.
Not far away, the wooden sword in Yami's hand trembled faintly.
It was anger.
The instinct carved into Yoriichi Tsugikuni's body was reacting violently, a near absolute hatred toward demons and all similar forms of evil.
A moment ago, he had already sensed it.
That sickening presence.
"That pink haired one..."
Yami's gaze pierced through the crowd and locked onto Yuji, who was struggling in agony.
"There's something terrifying living inside him."
The air on the training ground seemed to freeze.
The light atmosphere from before vanished completely, replaced by suffocating pressure.
Panda and Maki also sensed that something was deeply wrong and immediately shifted into combat stances.
"This presence... is it a curse?"
"And not just any curse, it's Special Grade!"
Then, without warning, a fresh tear split open across Yuji's contorted face.
Immediately after
"AAAAAAAH!"
Yuji threw his head back and roared.
Cursed energy erupted wildly from his body.
Black markings began spreading across his skin.
That was the sign.
Ryomen Sukuna was about to awaken.