When did Rin realize something was wrong? It was probably the moment Mei Mei mentioned how she used crows to monitor the streets and discovered Negi.
"...So I had the crows set up a surveillance net in the area. The moment I discovered the Cursed Spirit you sent to help Negi, I used [Boogie Woogie] to swap them with crows..."
Mei Mei's voice was still echoing in his ears, but a chill suddenly ran down Rin's spine.
He scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision, remaining calm. Sure enough, without him realizing it, several pitch-black crows had landed on the temple rafters, in the crevices of the broken walls, and even in the shadows of the skull piles.
This woman was not to be underestimated.
Rin was secretly vigilant, but on the surface, he maintained his composure, even deliberately revealing a hint of annoyance at being exposed to lull the other party into a false sense of security.
He knew he had to seize his only opportunity to use the Sharingan's Illusion to simultaneously control Mei Mei, Aoi Todo, and Negi, who was being held hostage.
This was by no means easy.
Aoi Todo's perception was shockingly sharp, and Mei Mei's Cursed Technique was bizarre and unpredictable. If even one of them noticed the flash of red light in his pupils, the entire plan would fail.
Even more troublesome was that he had to ensure Negi also fell into the Illusion; otherwise, if there was any slip-up, all his efforts would be in vain.
That was why he intentionally let Mei Mei's [Black Bird Manipulation — Bird Strike] hit his left waist. The moment bright red blood gushed out and splattered on the ground, Rin knew the opportunity had arrived.
"Splat!"
The intense pain from the wound hit him, but Rin's focus remained razor-sharp.
He saw Aoi Todo subconsciously frown, a flash of surprise in his eyes—he clearly hadn't expected Mei Mei to suddenly go for the kill. He saw a flicker of smugness cross Mei Mei's face as she prepared to say something. He even saw Negi widen his eyes abruptly, making "he-he" sounds in his throat, struggling so desperately he almost broke free from Aoi Todo's grip.
All three pairs of eyes were briefly drawn to the wound on his waist, causing a momentary lapse in their concentration.
Now!
He snapped his head up. In his previously jet-black pupils, three tomoe spun into formation at a speed invisible to the naked eye. A blood-red light flashed, and like an invisible shockwave, it instantly enveloped the three people inside the temple.
"Hum!"
No one noticed anything unusual.
Aoi Todo maintained his frowning expression, but his eyes became somewhat dull, and his hand gripping Negi loosened involuntarily. The smugness on Mei Mei's face froze, her outstretched hand stopping in mid-air as if a pause button had been pressed. The anxiety in Negi's eyes faded, his body went limp, and he completely lost consciousness. He hadn't fallen into a painful Illusion; instead, Rin had specifically woven a void for him, allowing him to temporarily escape this dangerous standoff.
"Ugh!"
In reality, Mei Mei's body shuddered violently, her brows knitted in pain, and cold sweat seeped from her forehead.
Although her consciousness was still trapped in the Illusion, her body's instinctive reactions could not be completely suppressed.
...
The moment the alarm bells rang in Mei Mei's mind, her body reacted before her consciousness could. She wanted to step back, wanted to summon her crows to protect herself, but her feet were as if nailed to the spot, and her limbs were too stiff to obey her commands.
"How is this possible..." Her pupils constricted as she stared in disbelief at her motionless body.
Her Cursed Energy was clearly still circulating within her, yet she couldn't move her limbs, as if her consciousness and body had been forcibly severed.
At this moment, Rin, who was in front of her, slowly stood upright.
The wretchedness of his previous kneeling posture had vanished without a trace. Black and red Cursed Energy flickered around him, and the wound on his left waist was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye; the damaged skin was knitting back together, and the flowing blood gradually stopped.
"Reverse Cursed Technique..." Mei Mei's voice trembled as she stared intently at Rin's wound.
This kind of Cursed Technique that could reverse injuries was only mastered by a few top-tier Jujutsu Sorcerers. How many more trump cards was this young man hiding?
Rin paid no attention to Mei Mei, who was right in front of him. A playful arc curled at the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with the composure of someone in total control.
He had paid a heavy price for this Illusion setup. One had to know that Mei Mei's [Black Bird Manipulation — Bird Strike] was a powerful Cursed Technique capable of directly destroying Special Grade Cursed Spirits, but clearly, it was all worth it.
He took a step and walked in the direction of Aoi Todo.
His speed was not fast, but it carried a strange sense of oppression. Every step he took on the gravel ground felt like it was stepping on the tip of Mei Mei's heart.
In the blink of an eye, Rin stood before Aoi Todo.
Yet Aoi Todo acted as if he didn't see him, still maintaining his "ready for battle" stance, staring blankly ahead, completely unresponsive to the threat right in front of him. He was still trapped in the Illusion woven by Rin.
Mei Mei couldn't see what was happening behind her; she could only hear Rin's footsteps getting closer, her heart burning with anxiety as if scorched by fire.
She frantically mobilized the Cursed Energy in her body, attempting to contact the crows scattered around, wanting to make them launch an attack to interrupt Rin. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't establish a connection with the crows. The Illusion had not only trapped her body but also severed her connection with the Cursed Spirits.
Just as Mei Mei was about to fall into despair, thinking that both she and Aoi Todo were going to fall here, a sharp crow's shriek suddenly rang in her ears.
The sound pierced through the barrier of the Illusion, carrying real pain, and her consciousness jolted violently.
"Splat!"
Almost at the same time, Aoi Todo suddenly let out a muffled groan; intense pain surged from his right arm.
The Illusion before his eyes shattered instantly, and his vision cleared abruptly. Rin was standing right in front of him, holding a white bone blade condensed from Cursed Energy, and his own right arm, which had been grabbing Negi, had already fallen to the ground, with blood gushing from the stump like a fountain.
"Ah!" Aoi Todo roared in pain, clutching the stump with his left hand, his face instantly turning pale.
As Aoi Todo broke free from the Illusion, the Illusion trapping Mei Mei also shattered accordingly.
She suddenly regained control of her body and stumbled back two steps. Looking at the scene behind her, Aoi Todo was clutching his severed arm, his tracksuit stained red with blood, while Rin stood to the side, black and red Cursed Energy still swirling around his fingertips, his eyes as cold as if dipped in poison.
"You..." Mei Mei's voice trembled. This time, the calculation in her eyes was completely replaced by caution.
She finally understood that she had underestimated this young man from the very beginning.
The next second, a thick white snake suddenly appeared, opened its blood-red maw, and swallowed Negi, who was lying on the ground, along with Aoi Todo's severed arm, then disappeared.
Taking advantage of this opening, Aoi Todo gritted his teeth against the excruciating pain of his severed arm and retreated rapidly. He clutched his right arm stump tightly with his left hand, blood gushing out through his fingers, yet he still put as much distance as possible between himself and Rin, stumbling over to Mei Mei's side. The two stood together, forming a defensive stance.
Watching their guarded appearance, Rin calculated silently. The Sharingan Illusion he had invented could instantly pull multiple people into a mental cage, but it had a fatal flaw: if one person broke free from the Illusion, the mental shackles of the others would also crumble.
If it hadn't been for saving Negi first, he should have prioritized dealing with the most troublesome Mei Mei. Without her [Black Bird Manipulation] to hold him back, dealing with Aoi Todo one-on-one would have been much easier.
But fortunately, he had already crippled Aoi Todo's right arm.
For a short time, Aoi Todo could not use [Boogie Woogie], which bought him a valuable window of opportunity.
"What exactly happened just now?" Aoi Todo gritted his teeth, his forehead covered in cold sweat. The situation just now was truly too perilous; perhaps only he knew that he had been just one step away from death.
Mei Mei stared intently at Rin's movements while quickly explaining: "It's an Illusion, and an attack targeting the mind. When I tried to contact the crows just now, I found my consciousness was forcibly blocked. The key must be his eyes; do not look directly into his pupils!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her hand to push the long braid hanging by her cheek further back, completely covering her exposed right eye. She relied only on her left eye, hidden under her braid and sharing vision with the crows, to observe the surroundings. This way, she could avoid Rin's gaze while also monitoring the entire situation through the crows.
Aoi Todo nodded immediately, deliberately keeping his gaze below Rin's shoulders, while mobilizing the Cursed Energy in his body to activate [Reverse Cursed Technique].
Pale blue Cursed Energy condensed at the stump of his right arm, wrapping around the wound like a thin veil. The fractured bones began to emit faint "click, click" sounds, and the muscle fibers slowly regenerated under the nourishment of the Cursed Energy.
Rin sighed inwardly. As expected of a top-tier Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer from Tokyo Jujutsu High; they had figured out the attack method of the Sharingan in such a short time.
He was even more aware of Aoi Todo's recovery ability. Given the strength of the other's Cursed Energy, the severed arm could fully regenerate in at most thirty seconds.
These thirty seconds were the key to the life-and-death struggle.
If he waited for Aoi Todo to recover, with Mei Mei's [Black Bird Manipulation] responsible for long-range sneak attacks and visual blockade, and Aoi Todo's [Boogie Woogie], the two's Cursed Techniques were inherently complementary. Once they coordinated, it would be difficult for him to gain the upper hand again.
And Mei Mei and Aoi Todo clearly understood this point as well.
Mei Mei quickly summoned dozens of crows, letting them circle above the temple, which both cut off Rin's retreat and allowed them to launch a surprise attack at any time. Aoi Todo leaned behind Mei Mei, fully operating the [Reverse Cursed Technique], the veins on his forehead bulging from the high-speed consumption of Cursed Energy, his eyes locked tightly onto Rin, fearing he would take the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
The atmosphere inside the temple instantly dropped to freezing point.
This contest, centered around those "thirty seconds," had only just begun.