The terrifying impact exploded loudly within the ruins, and black and red Cursed Energy erupted like a sudden volcano, surging outward, carrying scorching heat waves.
The surrounding rubble was instantly blown away, and the rotten wooden beams were torn directly into powder. Wood chips mixed with dust churned in the air, weaving into a vast, sky-obscuring gray mist.
Even the hard ground cracked under this power, and a half-meter deep crater suddenly appeared.
Mei Mei's pupils contracted sharply, and a stormy shock rose in her heart. This level of power far exceeded the scope of a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer; perhaps only a Special Grade Sorcerer could unleash such a terrifying attack.
Ignoring the need to calm her surging Cursed Energy, she stumbled over to Aoi Todo's side.
Aoi Todo was half-kneeling on the ground, his right hand not yet fully recovered. Blood gushed from the severed limb, staining the rubble beneath him, yet his face showed no sign of distress, instead bearing the composure of someone in complete control.
Mei Mei rushed to his side, her voice filled with surprise:
"Aoi Todo, how did you do that just now?"
Just now, Mei Mei's attention had been entirely on Rin, and she hadn't clearly seen Aoi Todo's movements.
Hearing this, Aoi Todo curved his lips into a confident smile. Instead of answering immediately, he first mobilized light blue Cursed Energy to cover the wound on his severed arm, clearly accelerating the healing process.
Only when the bleeding from the wound gradually slowed did he slowly begin to speak:
"When Rin's'shell' came flying just now, the Ox-Head Cursed Spirit beside me happened to swing its palm toward my neck. I used my still-functional left hand to clap the Cursed Spirit's attacking palm, using the Cursed Spirit's hand to activate [Boogie Woogie]."
Pausing deliberately here, he looked at Mei Mei's suddenly widened eyes before slowly revealing the answer, "I swapped my position with Rin's. The one who ultimately took the 'tank' attack was himself."
"What?!" Mei Mei cried out, her face full of disbelief.
She had never imagined that [Boogie Woogie] could be used this way —using an enemy's hand to activate the Cursed Technique.
Even more unexpected was that Aoi Todo could, in a life-or-death situation, simultaneously calculate the trajectory of the projectile and the Cursed Spirit's attack, achieving a reversal through such a risky method.
This level of control over his Cursed Technique and his composure in a desperate situation were far more terrifying than she had imagined.
Aoi Todo merely curved his lips slightly and said no more. For him, reversing the battle in a desperate situation was more convincing than any explanation.
After a brief moment of astonishment, both their gazes simultaneously turned toward the direction shrouded in smoke and dust —the place where Rin had disappeared, and the key to the current battle.
The gray mist had not yet dissipated; they could only vaguely see the rubble at the edge of the crater trembling slightly. Rin's figure was completely obscured, and even a trace of his presence seemed to have been swallowed up.
Aoi Todo subconsciously clenched his fist, Cursed Energy quietly gathering around him, his eyes full of vigilance. He knew all too well the consequences of "cutting the grass without pulling the roots," especially when facing an opponent like Rin.
But Mei Mei, standing beside him, had already relaxed. She raised her hand to brush the dust from her clothes, her tone containing a degree of certainty:
"No need to be so tense, right? You saw the power of that'shell' just now. Even if Jujutsu Sorcerers have innate immunity to their own Cursed Techniques, an attack of that intensity would certainly not leave him unscathed. Moreover, that projectile just now consumed a massive amount of his Cursed Energy."
She closed her eyes, sensing the flow of Cursed Energy around them. After a moment, she opened her eyes, even more certain:
"I can clearly sense that his Cursed Energy signature is as faint as a candle flickering in the wind; he'd struggle even to maintain basic defenses. Even if he's lucky enough to stand up, he definitely won't have any spare Cursed Energy left to continue fighting. We've won this battle."
Despite Mei Mei's optimism, Aoi Todo's brow remained tightly furrowed.
Mei Mei's analysis was certainly logical, but he just felt it wasn't that simple.
"The more certain victory seems, the more careful we must be," Aoi Todo murmured, his tone filled with undeniable caution:
"We know too little about his Cursed Technique to judge him using conventional thinking."
Immediately after speaking, Aoi Todo suddenly moved his right hand. The faint blue glow of Cursed Energy completely receded, and his previously severed right arm was fully recovered.
Yet, even so, the area of smoke and dust remained eerily silent.
There was no Cursed Energy fluctuation, no sound, as if Rin had truly lost the ability to fight, just as Mei Mei had said.
Aoi Todo's gaze grew deeper. He slowly stepped forward, preparing to confirm the situation himself. He would rather expend a little more effort than give his opponent any chance to turn the tables.
Just as Aoi Todo took half a step, his pupils suddenly contracted. Deep within the smoke, the Cursed Energy signature that had been so faint it was almost gone suddenly erupted without warning!
The feeling was like a candle flickering in the wind suddenly turning into a raging wildfire. The energy fluctuation, previously almost imperceptible, instantly became scorching and violent, spreading through the air.
Aoi Todo instinctively stopped. The Cursed Energy around him instantly tensed. The intensity of this signature was actually slightly stronger than Rin's during his peak!
Mei Mei, standing nearby, instantly dropped her relaxed demeanor, the certainty on her face replaced by shock.
She snapped her eyes open, her previously slow breathing becoming ragged. Her right hand instinctively gripped the handle of the Great Axe behind her:
"How is that possible... How did his Cursed Energy suddenly recover?!"
In the center of the ruins shrouded by smoke, Rin was half-kneeling on the ground, the scorching sensation of the Cursed Energy explosion still lingering on his fingertips, but his mind was rapidly reviewing the battle.
This was his first direct confrontation against two top-tier Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers. It was completely different from his previous overwhelming battles against Cursed Spirits. Even though he had proceeded cautiously, he had ultimately underestimated Aoi Todo.
Beneath that burly exterior, that guy hid a Battle IQ far exceeding the average person's.
Mei Mei might not have seen it clearly, but Rin's Sharingan distinctly captured every detail. The moment Aoi Todo used the Ox-Head Cursed Spirit's palm to activate [Boogie Woogie], his movements were incredibly precise.
Rin could even determine that Aoi Todo could have used this move earlier to escape the Cursed Spirits' encirclement, but he deliberately hid it until the last moment, waiting to use this unexpected reversal to force Rin into a desperate situation.
A searing pain came from his chest. Rin looked down at his charred clothes, tasting the power of his own Cursed Technique for the first time.
If Jujutsu Sorcerers didn't have innate immunity to their own Cursed Techniques, that Tank shot just now would have been enough to incapacitate him. His internal Cursed Energy was indeed nearing exhaustion, but he knew very well that this battle was far from over.
The instant Aoi Todo activated his Cursed Technique, although Rin didn't have time to dodge, he had already used [Cursed Spirit Manipulation] to recall all the Cursed Spirits present into the Divine Tree Space. That was his final trump card.
Inside the Divine Tree Space now, the Cursed Spirits that usually wandered freely were all standing rigidly at attention, their gaze collectively fixed on the sky.
There, a blood-red Sharingan was slowly revolving, hanging like a crimson moon in the sky, emitting a suffocating sense of pressure.
As the Sharingan accelerated its rotation, the first crack suddenly appeared on the body of a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit.
"Bang!"
That Cursed Spirit exploded violently, transforming into wisps of pure Cursed Energy that rushed toward the Sharingan like streams.
Next came the second, the third... The muffled sounds of Cursed Spirits disintegrating were continuous, all eventually transforming into the same type of energy and merging into the Sharingan's halo.
It wasn't until the thirtieth Cursed Spirit completely disintegrated that this cruel Sacrifice finally ceased.
A massive amount of Cursed Energy flowed from the Sharingan into Rin's body. His depleted Cursed Energy reserves visibly replenished at a rapid rate.
Within the smoke and dust, Rin slowly straightened his body. The Reverse Cursed Technique circulated around him, and the burns on his chest and the scratches on his arms healed at a slow yet determined pace.
Outside the ruins, Mei Mei and Aoi Todo's breathing had already stalled.
They watched helplessly as the figure in the smoke gradually became clear, sensing the Cursed Energy surge from "a flickering candle" to "peak power." In just a few short seconds, Rin's presence was actually stronger than it had been at the start of the fight.
When the smoke completely cleared, the two finally saw Rin's appearance. The clothes on his upper body had long turned to ash in the explosion. His muscular body was covered in deep brown burns, half his face was bloody and mangled, and charred scabs clung to his hair, but his pair of Crimson Sharingan glowed astonishingly bright.
Three tomoe spun rapidly in his pupils, reflecting their shocked faces.
Despite injuries that would have killed an ordinary person, Rin seemed completely unfazed, and the Cursed Energy around him surged like a tide.
He looked at the two people before him, his voice hoarse but carrying undeniable resolve, as if declaring the resumption of the battle:
"You fought very well. Come on, let's continue."