["Huh?"]
[Looking at the newly appeared ugly freak, Nobara Kugisaki showed a clear trace of impatience on her face.]
[Meanwhile, Yuji Itadori turned to Megumi Fushiguro and asked:]
["Fushiguro, this thing's unrelated to the main target, right?"]
["…Yeah."]
[Megumi nodded without hesitation.]
["Then you two focus on that side…"]
[The playful look in Yuji's eyes vanished instantly, replaced by sharp focus. Blue flames formed around his fists—manifestations of cursed energy.]
[It was the technique Gojo had taught him—Divergent Fist.]
["I'll exorcise this one myself."]
"OOOH!!!"
"Yuji! Since when could you do that?!"
The members of the Occult Research Club stared at the Yuji in the sky—
Then looked back at the goofy guy standing beside them.
It felt like they were looking at two completely different people.
In the hospital—
Lying on his bed, Yuji's grandfather gazed at the scene in the sky through the window and murmured softly:
"…Yuji… looks like your future…"
"…won't end up as lonely as mine…"
[The scene continues]
["…What's this?"]
["You wanna play with me?"]
["Hehehehehe~~~~~~"]
[Eso split open the massive mouth on its chest, letting out a sinister, trembling laugh.]
[Without giving Yuji any time to react, the mouth snapped shut—]
[Then, after a brief moment of buildup—]
["Puh!"]
[It spat a large mouthful of blood straight at him.]
[Yuji didn't know what the attack meant—but he knew one thing for sure:]
[It couldn't be anything good.]
[At the very least—his clothes would get dirty.]
[So he rolled forward, easily dodging the blood.]
["Puh! Puh! Puh! Puh!"]
[But Eso was like a walking blood bank—]
[Spitting blood as easily as breathing.]
[Miss once—spit again.]
[Miss again—spit more.]
[However, no matter how much it spat, Yuji dodged every single attack with agility—]
[All while steadily closing the distance.]
["Take this!"]
[Once he got close enough, Yuji leapt up—]
[And delivered a flying kick straight into Eso's face—(or chest)—sending it flying several meters away.]
[Despite the heavy blow, Eso's body quickly recovered.]
[As Yuji rushed forward to follow up, Eso stabilized itself and retreated rapidly, creating distance while continuing to spit blood to interfere.]
[Unfortunately for it—]
[Yuji's physical abilities were even more monstrous than those of a curse.]
[In just a few exchanges, he closed the gap again.]
[Dodging another spray of blood with a low duck—]
[Yuji seized Eso around the waist—]
[Spun three times midair—]
[And slammed it into the ground.]
[Immediately afterward, he sprang up and kicked it in the face again, sending it staggering upright.]
[Before it could recover—]
[A flurry of spinning kicks followed.]
[Then came the punches.]
[To Yuji—]
[Eso might as well have been a mortal enemy.]
[His expression grew more ferocious with each strike—]
[Every punch leaving a deep imprint on Eso's face.]
[Yet despite the relentless assault, Eso remained eerily composed.]
[The moment Yuji's punches slowed even slightly—]
[Eso seized the opening and spat another mouthful of blood directly at his face.]
[Yuji reacted instantly, lowering his head to avoid it—]
[But in that instant—]
[Eso grabbed both of his arms.]
["Got~~~you~~~!"]
[The mouth on its chest grinned wide.]
[But Yuji didn't hesitate for even a moment.]
[He grabbed Eso's arms in return—]
[Pushed off the ground with both legs—]
[And flipped over its head while holding on.]
["Eh—? Eh~~~?!"]
[Eso froze in confusion.]
[As Yuji flipped over, he even rotated his body midair—]
[So that he would land facing Eso directly.]
[But in doing so—]
[Eso's arms were twisted into a grotesque angle.]
[Before landing, Yuji planted both feet on its back—]
[Kicking it several meters forward—]
[Before landing smoothly himself.]
"…Yuji… you're actually this strong?"
The Occult Club members stared at him like he was a monster.
Meanwhile, Yuji himself just scratched his head with a sheepish grin.
"I… don't know? Am I really that strong?"
"And seriously… how can you even hit something that looks like that?"
"Exactly! If it were me, I'd be too scared to even move—forget punching it. Holding in my pee would already be a win!"
The group compared themselves to the Yuji on screen—
And came to a realization.
Yuji wasn't just strong—
He was fearless.
They had always known his physical ability was abnormal—
Breaking athletic records like it was nothing.
They had even thought it was a waste he didn't go into professional fighting.
But now—
They realized—
They had underestimated him.
With that kind of relentless, flesh-on-flesh brutality—
Even a normal person would've been reduced to paste long ago.
[The scene continues]
[After launching Eso away with his combo, Yuji didn't immediately pursue.]
[He stood still, catching his breath for a moment.]
[Suddenly—]
[He noticed something and turned his gaze behind him.]
[On the stone wall where Eso's blood had splattered earlier—]
[A thin wisp of smoke was rising.]
["…That blood it spat…"]
["…There's something about it…"]
["…Is it poison?"]
[On the other side, Eso—who had just been pummeled, kicked, and even had its arms twisted—]
[stood back up.]
[And in the blink of an eye—]
[All its injuries vanished completely.]
[As if nothing had ever happened.]