Just how strong is a Special Grade Cursed Spirit? There has never been a standard answer to this question.
Because even within the same "Special Grade" classification, the gap between them can be as vast as a chasm.
Some, like Jogo, can summon magma and destroy an entire city with a flick of a finger, while others might be crushed barehanded by a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer like Aoi Todo.
However, one thing is universally acknowledged in the Jujutsu World: any Special Grade Cursed Spirit possesses the strength to instant-kill a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.
This instant-kill doesn't even require complex Cursed Techniques or martial arts; it only takes a simple release of Cursed Energy—as quick as spitting—to turn a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit into ashes.
Because of this, no Jujutsu Sorcerer dares to underestimate even a seemingly "weak" Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
In the training ground at this moment, Suguru Geto raised his hand and made a gesture toward the [Cursed Spirit].
The Six-Eyed Cursed Spirit immediately stopped its movements and slowly raised its right arm. The muscles of its dark-green arm tensed, and the Cursed Energy seeping from the gaps in its armor quietly withdrew. Clearly, Geto was having it temporarily drop its defense and rely solely on its physical hardness to endure the attack.
"Hit its right arm directly," Geto nodded toward Rin.
Rin did not hesitate. He formed a pistol shape with his right hand again, Cursed Energy condensing at his fingertips as a black-red glimmer flickered between them.
"Revolver," he lowed softly. Before his voice even faded, a bang pierced the air.
The Cursed Energy bullet shot out like an arrow from a bow, instantly hitting the [Cursed Spirit]'s right arm.
Without any buffer, that robust arm exploded directly amidst the roar. Flesh and blood scattered across the stone ground like a rain of blood. Only a small stump remained on the shoulder of the originally complete right arm, with dark red blood gushing from the break.
Geto looked at the [Cursed Spirit]'s stump, a flash of understanding crossing his eyes as he nodded slightly: "The power is fine. Do it again."
Just as he finished speaking, black-red Cursed Energy ripples suddenly appeared at the [Cursed Spirit]'s stump, and the flesh began to churn and squirm like a living thing.
In the blink of an eye, it had reconsolidated a complete right arm. The rust on the armor, the texture of the muscles, and even the lines on the fingertips were exactly the same as before, as if the heavy damage just now had never happened.
The new right arm was raised again, but this time, Rin could clearly see Cursed Energy continuously pouring into the [Cursed Spirit]'s right arm, wrapping it in a faint blue glow. It had clearly activated its Cursed Energy defense.
"This time it's reinforcing its arm with Cursed Energy. See if you can break through its defense," Geto's voice carried a hint of anticipation.
Rin took a deep breath and redirected his Cursed Energy.
This time, he deliberately compressed the condensation time of the Cursed Energy bullet, making the black-red light at his fingertip even more intense. "Bang!" Another crisp sound rang out as the Cursed Energy bullet accurately hit the [Cursed Spirit]'s palm.
Amidst the roar, the [Cursed Spirit]'s palm instantly exploded into a spray of flesh, but this time, the power of the Cursed Energy bullet was noticeably weakened.
The wound only spread to the forearm before stopping, failing to blow off the entire right arm like last time.
"Excellent." Geto couldn't help but clap, his tone full of satisfaction.
"To be able to cause this much damage while a Special Grade Cursed Spirit is actively defending with Cursed Energy... your Cursed Technique is indeed not simple."
He walked over to the [Cursed Spirit] and pointed at the scorch marks on its forearm:
"Look, even with the Cursed Energy buffer, the Cursed Energy bullet still pierced the surface defense and injured the body. If that shot had hit its head directly—which is the core of a Cursed Spirit—no matter how strong the defense, it wouldn't have held. The [Cursed Spirit] would have likely been instant-killed."
Rin looked at the [Cursed Spirit]'s slowly healing forearm and felt a sense of relief.
Those two "Revolver" shots just now had not only tested the basic power of the Cursed Technique but also gauged the actual effect it could achieve against a defending Special Grade Cursed Spirit. It was even better than he had expected.
At the very least, in actual combat, this Cursed Technique was enough to become a killing move that could threaten a Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
"Very good! I can't wait. Quickly show me the other two applications!"
Excitement gleamed in Geto's eyes. He even uncrossed his arms and leaned forward slightly, his anticipation clearly piqued by the power of the "Revolver."
Hearing Geto's expectant words, Rin was actually stunned for a moment. He raised a hand to scratch the back of his head, an embarrassed expression appearing on his face:
"I can... show you, but I need to recover for a bit first. The Cursed Energy in my body is almost depleted."
As soon as these words came out, both Geto and Miguel were stunned.
Just now, the two of them had been so busy marveling at the power of "Revolver" and "Rifle" that they hadn't noticed Rin's state at all. At this moment, his face was indeed paler than before, his breathing was slightly hurried, and even his fingertips lacked the luster they had when condensing Cursed Energy earlier.
"Huh? The Cursed Energy consumption of this technique is that terrifying?"
Miguel was the first to react, clicking his tongue in amazement. "No wonder the power is so strong. It's practically 'brute force flying a brick'—relying on piling up Cursed Energy to forcibly smash out such massive destruction. Simple and crude!"
Geto, however, shook his head slightly. He didn't respond immediately, but instead walked over to the [Cursed Spirit] again, squatting down to stare at the traces of Cursed Energy remaining on the edges of the holes. He traced a few lines in the air with his finger, as if simulating the trajectory of the Cursed Energy flow.
A moment later, he stood up and looked at Rin, his tone serious: "It's not entirely because the technique itself has high consumption."
He paused and continued:
"I roughly measured it before. Rin's current total Cursed Energy is roughly equivalent to the sum of ten Grade 1 Cursed Spirits. This has already reached the Cursed Energy reserve level of an ordinary Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Logically, even if 'Revolver' has high consumption, three shots shouldn't have drained ninety percent of his Cursed Energy. The real problem lies in Cursed Energy control."
Geto's gaze fell on Rin, carrying a hint of helplessness:
"When you release the technique, the waste of Cursed Energy is too severe. A lot of Cursed Energy isn't condensed into the bullet but dissipates into the air during the release process. It's like holding a leaking bucket; the more you fill it, the more it leaks. This is the core reason for such rapid consumption."
Saying this, he sighed softly:
"Too many things have been happening lately. I have to handle the collection of Cursed Spirits, and there are many issues on Rin that need adjusting—from Sharingan techniques to the use of Cursed Spirit Manipulation. Everything piled up, and I neglected to specifically teach you Cursed Energy control. Ultimately, it's my failure as a teacher."
As soon as he finished speaking, Geto turned to look at Miguel, his eyes carrying a sense of entrustment:
"Since we're free today, Miguel, I'll leave the Cursed Energy control part to you."
Hearing this, Miguel immediately patted his chest, a confident smile appearing on his rough face: "Leave it to me! Once this experiment is over, I'll teach Rin in the afternoon."
Rin hurriedly nodded, also feeling relieved. He had long felt that it was "inefficient" when he released Cursed Techniques; he clearly felt like he used a lot of Cursed Energy, but the actual effect was discounted. Now he finally knew where the problem lay.
Learning Cursed Energy control from Miguel would not only reduce the consumption of his techniques but might even take the power of "Revolver" and "Rifle" to another level.
Geto watched the two walk toward the corner of the training ground, then turned back to look at the [Cursed Spirit] that was still slowly self-healing. A flash of gratification crossed his eyes—Rin's technical potential far exceeded expectations. As long as he patched up his weakness in Cursed Energy control, his future achievements would likely surpass everyone's imagination.
Rin nodded in agreement. After resting for a while, he approached the [Cursed Spirit] once more.
His gaze swept over the [Cursed Spirit] in the center of the field as he slowly spoke:
"Next is 'Rifle.' Unlike 'Revolver,' its core advantage is continuous attack and ultra-long range. Its effective range can reach five hundred meters, making it suitable for mid-to-long-range suppression. However, its power is significantly less than 'Revolver,' leaning more toward saturation fire rather than single-point armor-piercing."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rin adjusted his posture. No longer using a single hand to form a gun, he kept his right hand in the pistol shape aimed at the [Cursed Spirit], while his left hand firmly grasped his right wrist, fingers locked tight as if to steady the recoil from high-speed firing. His stance was as steady as a true machine gunner.
"Watch closely."