The courtroom held its breath.
Takeru stood at the defendant's position.
Still.
Focused.
"…Objection."
Higuruma watched him closely.
"…Proceed."
Takeru didn't hesitate.
"…Charges lack precise intent and contextual framing."
A pause.
"…Engagements occurred under hostile conditions. Classification as criminal activity is disputable."
Silence.
Judgeman remained motionless for a moment.
Then—
Higuruma raised his hand slightly.
"…Evidence submission."
A file appeared in his grasp.
Thin.
Clean.
Absolute.
He opened it.
"…Let's test that."
Pages flipped.
"…Incident: localized engagement resulting in confirmed fatality."
A projection formed in the courtroom.
Takeru.
Mid-combat.
A finishing blow.
Clear.
Undeniable.
No ambiguity.
Yuji's voice echoed faintly from outside the domain space:
"…Takeru…"
Megumi clenched his jaw.
"…They're using specifics now."
Hana whispered:
"…That's not good…"
Angel added:
"…Concrete evidence increases conviction probability to near certainty."
Takeru didn't move.
Didn't deny it.
"…Confirmed."
Higuruma's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So you admit it."
Takeru answered simply.
"…Yes."
Silence dropped hard.
Judgeman spoke.
"…Verdict reached."
The scale tipped.
"…Guilty."
A heavy force pressed down on Takeru instantly.
His cursed energy—
vanished.
Gone.
No flow.
No reinforcement.
No technique.
Just—
his body.
Megumi's eyes widened.
"…They stripped everything."
Hana tensed.
"…He's fighting without cursed energy now…"
Angel confirmed:
"…Total restriction applied."
Takeru exhaled slowly.
Testing.
"…Cursed energy output: zero."
Higuruma stepped down from the stage.
Calm.
Measured.
"…Now we proceed to sentencing combat."
No execution blade.
Not yet.
Just—
him.
And Takeru.
Higuruma adjusted his stance slightly.
"…Let's see what remains when everything else is taken away."
Takeru raised his hands.
Not in panic.
Not in fear.
Just ready.
"…Raw combat engaged."
Higuruma moved first.
Fast.
Direct.
A clean strike aimed at Takeru's center.
Takeru reacted instantly—
sidestepping—
countering with a sharp body blow.
No cursed energy.
No amplification.
Just precision.
The impact landed.
Higuruma's eyes sharpened.
"…You're still standing."
Takeru responded mid-motion.
"…I trained for this."
They clashed again.
Blow for blow.
Higuruma's movements were calculated—legal mind turned into combat rhythm.
Efficient.
Minimal waste.
Takeru matched it.
Pure physical control.
Timing.
Reading movement.
No wasted motion.
Megumi watched from outside the domain edge.
"…He's actually keeping up…"
Hana nodded slightly.
"…Even without cursed energy…"
Angel added:
"…His baseline physical capability is significantly above standard."
Inside—
Takeru ducked under a strike—
drove forward—
landed another hit—
Higuruma slid back slightly.
Not overwhelmed.
But forced to acknowledge it.
"…Interesting."
Takeru straightened slightly.
Breathing steady.
"…Cursed techniques are not required for combat."
Higuruma adjusted his stance again.
"…But they do make it easier."
Takeru replied instantly.
"…Ease is non-essential."
They moved again—
faster now—
closer—
more precise.
The courtroom echoed with each impact.
No tricks.
No abilities.
Just two fighters—
testing each other under judgment.
And for the first time—
Higuruma wasn't fully in control.