The sky looked as if it had been veiled by a black shroud, turning day into night in an instant.
The air was thick with a nauseating, putrid stench—the characteristic scent of a cursed spirit.
"ROAR!!!"
A shrill roar erupted from the depths of the abandoned building, making the nearby windows rattle in their frames.
An ugly cursed spirit, the size of a semi-truck, slowly crawled out from the shadows.
It had arthropod-like limbs and a body dripping with a viscous purple liquid. Every drop that hit the ground let out a sharp hiss of corrosion.
A Semi-Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Though it hadn't fully evolved into a Special Grade yet, its presence alone was enough to make an ordinary jujutsu sorcerer's legs go weak.
"Is this our target? It's even uglier than I expected."
Satoru Gojo strolled in, hands casually shoved into his pockets.
Behind his sunglasses, his sky-blue eyes held no trace of fear, only pure disgust.
"Satoru, be careful. Its cursed energy fluctuations are unstable."
Suguru Geto followed closely. Despite his warning, his posture was relaxed, and his hand movements for summoning were fluid and effortless.
However, before the 'strongest duo' could even make a move...
A black blur shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
It was Yoru!
He didn't hesitate for a single second, charging straight at the massive monster while tossing aside his worn-out guitar case.
Revealing...
A rusty, discarded steel pipe.
"Huh?"
Satoru Gojo watched, dumbfounded.
'Is that guy... serious?'
'He's going to fight a Semi-Special Grade with that piece of junk?'
'And he really has no cursed energy at all!'
Having no cursed energy meant it was impossible to deal any meaningful damage to a cursed spirit.
This was the absolute common sense of the jujutsu world.
It was like trying to hit a ghost with a wooden stick; it was completely futile.
"Hey! Get back! You're going to die!"
Suguru Geto couldn't help but shout, already preparing to summon Rainbow Dragon to intercept.
But in the next second, the scene that unfolded completely shattered their understanding of reality.
"Total Concentration: Sun Breathing."
Yoru adjusted his breathing rhythm in mid-sprint.
Though he had lost Shiranui and his body was in a weakened state from his journey through time...
The sword skills engraved into his very soul had never grown rusty!
He inhaled.
Oxygen flooded every cell in his lungs, and his blood roared through his veins like rushing lava.
His body temperature spiked instantly!
The steel pipe in his hand was just ordinary scrap metal.
But at this moment, as if sensing his iron will, it began to emit a faint, scorching heat!
"First Form: Dance!"
Yoru slammed his foot into the concrete, shattering the ground beneath him. He leapt high into the air, his steel pipe tracing a perfect arc.
There were no flashy fire effects since he lacked a Nichirin Sword, only pure, ultimate physical force and...
A terrifying heat that felt as if it could ignite the very air!
Boom!
The steel pipe slammed into the cursed spirit's hard exoskeleton. It didn't bounce off or shatter as Satoru had expected.
Instead, it let out a dull, explosive boom!
The iron-hard shell crumbled like a fragile cracker under the force of the blow!
"ROAR?!"
The cursed spirit let out a pained shriek as its massive body was knocked back several meters by the impact!
"What?!"
Satoru's sunglasses nearly slipped off his face.
'He has no cursed energy...'
'And he broke through a Semi-Special Grade's defense with just physical strength and a scrap pipe?!'
"Suguru, did you see that?"
Suguru Geto was equally stunned, his hands frozen mid-seal.
"I saw it..."
"That technique... it's like he compressed his entire body's strength into a single point of impact."
"Is this... a Heavenly Restriction?"
No.
Satoru's Six Eyes told him this was definitely not a Heavenly Restriction.
That man didn't have the traces of a binding vow that sacrificed cursed energy for physical power. He was simply...
Strong!
Strong in a way that defied all logic!
In the center of the battlefield, Yoru didn't give the cursed spirit a chance to catch its breath.
Having landed a successful hit, he transitioned his stance with fluid grace.
Even though the steel pipe was slightly bent from the massive recoil, it didn't slow him down.
"Transparent World, open!"
Yoru's vision instantly became clear and cold.
In his sight, the cursed spirit's hideous skin became transparent.
The texture of its muscles, the flow of its cursed energy nodes, and the core hidden deep within its chest...
Everything was laid bare!
'So that's where it is.'
Yoru's lips curled into a slight smile.
His footwork shifted, his figure darting through the gaps in the cursed spirit's attacks like a phantom.
Every swing of the pipe accurately struck a weak point in the monster's joints.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The dull impact sounds were like a rapid, rhythmic drumbeat.
The once-menacing Semi-Special Grade was being utterly suppressed by Yoru alone!
It swung its limbs frantically, trying to catch this slippery flea, but no matter how it attacked, Yoru always dodged by a hair's breadth.
It was as if...
He was predicting the future!
"Hey, Satoru."
In a brief gap in the fighting, Yoru even had time to look back at the two who were still dazed.
"Don't just watch."
"This is a rare lesson in practical combat. A jujutsu sorcerer shouldn't just rely on their techniques."
"Physical skills are very important too."
A vein popped on Satoru Gojo's forehead.
"Huh?"
"A practical combat lesson?"
"You... you actually dare to lecture me?"
Though he spoke with annoyance, Satoru's body was already moving.
The provocation instantly transformed into high-spirited fighting intent.
"Suguru! Don't let him hog all the glory!"
"This cursed spirit is our prey!"
Satoru charged forward with a grin.
"Blue!"
He extended his finger, and a ball of blue cursed energy condensed at the tip.
A powerful gravitational force erupted, tearing one of the cursed spirit's limbs clean off!
"I'm on it!"
Suguru Geto wasn't about to be outdone.
"Rainbow Dragon!"
A massive, white, dragon-shaped cursed spirit appeared out of thin air, slamming hard into the monster's flank.
The strongest trio.
Although it was their first time cooperating, they showed a strange, natural chemistry at this moment.
Yoru was responsible for close-quarters combat and breaking its balance.
Satoru was responsible for long-range damage and destruction.
Suguru was responsible for controlling the field and blocking its retreat.
The Semi-Special Grade Cursed Spirit that had been so terrifying moments ago was now just a toy for these three monsters!
"Satoru! Left side, three o'clock!"
Yoru's voice suddenly rang out.
In the Transparent World, he had seen a glaring flaw in the flow of the spirit's cursed energy.
"Got it!"
Satoru didn't hesitate for a moment, not even doubting Yoru's judgment.
A quick-fire 'Blue' blast accurately hit the position Yoru had pointed out.
Boom!
The cursed spirit's defense completely collapsed, exposing the purple core within.
"Now's the time!"
Yoru shouted.
He treated the severely deformed steel pipe in his hand like a javelin.
"Total Concentration: Sun Breathing."
He poured his strength into it.
He threw!
The steel pipe turned into a black streak of light, letting out a piercing whistle as it plunged deep into the core!
Squish!
Purple liquid splattered everywhere.
The cursed spirit let out a final, desperate wail before its massive body collapsed into a heap.
The battle was over.
"Phew..."
Yoru let out a long breath and wiped a bit of sweat from his forehead.
'As expected, without Shiranui and my peak physical condition...'
'Fighting even a Semi-Special Grade is this taxing.'
'If this were the 2018 version of myself, I would have one-shotted this thing. It looks like I need to find a way to recover my strength as soon as possible.'
As he was lost in thought, a shadow loomed over him.
Satoru Gojo had walked up to him. He pulled down his sunglasses, his sky-blue eyes staring intently at Yoru.
It was as if he were looking at some incredibly rare treasure.
"Hey, you..."
"Who exactly are you?"
"You clearly have no cursed energy, yet you can see through its flow... and that breathing style..."
"That's not something an ordinary person can do, right?"
Satoru leaned in very close—so close that Yoru could have counted his eyelashes.
"And another thing..."
"Why did you call me 'teacher'?"
Facing this rapid-fire interrogation, Yoru just smiled faintly.
He pointed to the completely ruined steel pipe lying on the ground.
"Are you done with the questions?"
"If we don't leave now, the Kikufuku shop outside will be sold out."
Satoru froze for a second.
Then.
"Hahahahahaha!"
He suddenly burst into a wild fit of laughter.
He laughed so hard he doubled over, tears nearly forming in his eyes.
"Interesting!"
"Too interesting!"
"Suguru! Look at this guy!"
"He's weak as hell (referring to his lack of cursed energy), yet he's incredibly cocky!"
Satoru threw an arm around Yoru's shoulder, all the previous coldness completely gone.
"I don't know what kind of freak you are or where you came from."
"But those moves just now..."
"Weren't half bad!"
Yoru felt the weight on his shoulder and the sharp, unrefined aura of this youth—an aura not yet ground down by the tragedies of the world.
A wave of warmth rose in his heart. 'Is this... the original bond?'
"Then, I'll be in your care," Yoru said with a smile.
"I am Yoru."
"Just... a passing physical combat teacher."
However, in this harmonious atmosphere, Yoru keenly noticed a fleeting, complex look in Suguru Geto's eyes.
Was it a longing for the power of the strong?
Or...
Confusion over the existence of someone who, despite having no cursed energy, could still slay a cursed spirit?
The seed.
It had already been planted.
As for what kind of flower it would bloom into...
That would depend on how this summer finally ended.