Chapter 96: Bloody Confrontation
Before his words could fully land, a figure appeared before him as if teleporting, the wind it created lifting the hem of Rin's trench coat.
The newcomer wore loose white casual clothes, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders, and a playful smile played on her lips.
Standing on one foot in a peculiar posture, the other leg slightly raised, and her hands forming an exaggerated gesture, it was none other than the belated Special Grade Sorcerer, Yuki Tsukumo.
"You must be Rin, right?"
Yuki Tsukumo scrutinized him from head to toe, her eyes full of curiosity, completely devoid of the tension expected in a Special Grade battle. Instead, she was as casual as if she'd run into an acquaintance on the street:
"Interesting, not quite like what I heard on the phone. Oh, by the way, what kind of women do you like?"
Rin looked at the woman before him, with her strange posture and opening line about his personal preferences, and his temple couldn't help but twitch. He was utterly speechless internally.
What kind of bizarre setup is this?
Why are all the strong female Jujutsu Sorcerers in this world so eccentric?
Mei Mei was like that before, and now Yuki Tsukumo is even more outrageous, asking such irrelevant questions right off the bat.
He didn't reply, merely watching Yuki Tsukumo silently, his gaze carrying a hint of scrutiny.
The Cursed Energy fluctuations around this woman were indeed very strong, far exceeding any opponent he had encountered before, but her nonchalant demeanor made it impossible to associate her with a "reliable Special Grade."
Yuki Tsukumo didn't mind his silence. Instead, she boldly stepped two paces closer, staring intently into Rin's eyes, her tone carrying a hint of admiration:
"Your eyes are beautiful, young man. That blood-red pupil color is quite rare."
"Big sister,"
Rin finally couldn't help but speak, his tone tinged with exasperation:
"Didn't Jujutsu High give you my intel before you arrived?"
He truly couldn't understand how someone who didn't even know the basic situation of their opponent dared to confront him so confidently.
Upon hearing this, the smile on Yuki Tsukumo's face instantly froze, her eyes drifting as she awkwardly scratched her head:
"Uh... the intel was given, but I was in a hurry, so I just shoved it into my pocket and forgot to read it."
She paused, then immediately straightened her back, her tone regaining its confidence:
"But it doesn't matter! Judging by your age, even if you're a Special Grade, your strength is quite limited. I have absolute confidence I can defeat you!"
Rin looked at her blindly confident demeanor and couldn't help but let out a disdainful scoff:
"Forget it, I'm in a hurry. If we're going to fight, let's do it another time."
He had already captured the core combat power of Kyoto Jujutsu High; his mission was complete. There was no need to waste time with this Special Grade who hadn't even read the intel.
"Little brat, you don't actually think I'll let you go, do you?"
Yuki Tsukumo's smile instantly vanished, her eyes gaining a sharpness, and her tone became serious:
"That's impossible. You'd better obediently release that old man Gakuganji and the Jujutsu High students you captured. If you do that, I can go a little easier on you and leave you a way out."
"Well, that's really too bad."
Rin's lips curved into a faint smile, his tone carrying a hint of mockery:
"Because I'm already gone.
Oh, and remember to read the intel next time before you come looking for me, lest you rashly confront an opponent without even knowing their abilities."
Yuki Tsukumo was taken aback by his words. Before she could react, the scene before her suddenly changed.
Rin's figure rapidly dissipated like mist, leaving behind only a faint residual Cursed Energy, as if he had never been there.
She instinctively reached out to grab, but only grasped empty air.
"Huh? Where'd he go?"
Yuki Tsukumo stood frozen, looking at the empty ground, her eyes full of bewilderment. Her earlier confidence and sharpness vanished without a trace.
She lowered her head and felt the unopened intel in her pocket, then looked at the shattered barrier and the Jujutsu Alliance members huddled in the corner. Her face gradually turned grim:
"Oh no, oh no... I didn't stop him, and he got away. I'm definitely going to get chewed out by the Jujutsu High people when I get back..."
The sunlight fell upon her, yet it brought no warmth.
Yuki Tsukumo stood rooted, hands clutching her head, questioning her "Special Grade strength" for the first time.
She couldn't understand how, as a Special Grade, she had let a mere boy escape right under her nose without even touching the hem of his clothes.
Meanwhile, Rin had already left the Kyoto battlefield and arrived at Tokyo Jujutsu High via a Cursed Spirit he had deployed in advance.
The air was thick with the lingering heat of clashing Cursed Energy, mixed with an overpowering scent of blood.
Suguru Geto stood in the center of the devastation, his gaze falling upon Panda and Toge Inumaki, who lay on the ground.
Panda's outer shell was cracked, revealing damaged cotton inside.
Toge Inumaki was curled up, his face ashen from excessive use of Cursed Speech, blood constantly oozing from the corners of his mouth, and even his iconic Cursed Speech collar hung askew around his neck.
Suguru Geto's voice softly resonated, carrying a sentiment that was strangely out of place with the surrounding tragic scene:
"It's truly beautiful, it makes one feel... this is the wonderful world I want to see, Jujutsu Sorcerers helping each other."
If Rin had been there, he would have instantly perceived the strangeness in these words.
There was no fervent excitement for an "ideal" like in the manga, nor the arrogance of being in control. Suguru Geto's tone held only a thin, indescribable sigh, like a layer of fog obscuring his true emotions.
His gaze was even more contradictory, a hint of imperceptible confusion hidden deep within his eyes, as if he himself hadn't fully grasped the meaning of his actions at this moment.
Yet, looking at his companions on the ground, protecting each other, not giving up despite severe injuries, that confusion was indeed tinged with a genuine joy, as if he had seen something pure, long forgotten.
Just as this brief silence wavered with the wind, a roar filled with anger suddenly ripped through the air:
"What have you done, you bastard?!"
Yuta Okkotsu stumbled forward, his gaze immediately locking onto Maki Zenin, who lay on the outermost edge.
Her Cursed Tool was broken in half, her left arm was unnaturally twisted, and the wound on her chest was deep enough to expose bone, blood gushing from the seams of her clothes, staining a large area of the ground.
Looking at Panda and Toge Inumaki, Yuta's pupils suddenly constricted, and the Cursed Energy around him began to surge uncontrollably, causing the surrounding rubble to tremble slightly.
Suguru Geto slowly turned around to face the boy, who was radiating violent Cursed Energy.
He suddenly curved his lips, but there was no malice in that smile, only an undisguised regret:
"What a pity, Yuta. I didn't want to kill you, nor did I want to harm your friends... but I had no choice; I had to do this."
His voice gently faded, the confusion in his eyes deepened, and even his expression was tinged with melancholy, as if he himself were the one being pushed forward.
"Run... Yuta..."
Toge Inumaki, lying on the ground, suddenly stirred. He used his last ounce of strength to lift his head, his chapped lips struggling to utter a few indistinct syllables.
The power of Cursed Speech was long overdrawn; these words were so faint they were almost carried away by the wind, yet they pierced Yuta's heart like a needle.
Yuta didn't look back, nor did he respond.
The Cursed Energy around him suddenly turned berserk, black Cursed Energy surging like a tide, almost engulfing the entire battlefield.
He slowly raised his hand, his voice deep and firm, with an undeniable resolve:
"Come... Rika."
The moment his words fell, an even more powerful Cursed Energy erupted from within him, and a blurred figure flickered in and out of sight within the Cursed Energy.
Suguru Geto looked at the boy who had fully unleashed his power. His previously haggard face suddenly brightened, the confusion in his eyes receding slightly, replaced by a light that was almost expectant.
He straightened his body slightly, and the Cursed Energy around him also began to slowly rise, confronting Yuta's Cursed Energy from afar.
"That's it,"
Suguru Geto's voice finally showed a hint of fluctuation, not of fanaticism, but of a resolute calm, as if relieved:
"Come, Yuta. Let us fight to the death."
The wind stirred up dust and blood mist from the ground. The Cursed Energy between the two constantly collided and intertwined, and an unavoidable decisive battle officially began amidst the ruins of Tokyo Jujutsu High.