Curse Return: Swordsmith Start

This is what makes Gojo Satoru so extraordinary. Previously, it was mentioned that "technique reversal" was something that only a "supercomputer" level brain could handle. But this guy can do something even more outrageous: he can perform "forward" and "reverse" simultaneously, thus creating the strongest offensive with "no limits".

Within the smoke and dust, Gojo Satoru raised his hands.

Maintaining the terrifying imaginary mass in his hands with extraordinary control.

This is a secret technique known even to few in the Gojo family. When the clockwise "Azure" and the counterclockwise "Kazure" condense, expand, compress, and overlap in the palm of the hand...

This generates an imaginary mass that can be launched outwards, which directly manifests as an energy wave capable of cutting through space.

"Empty Form · Zi".

This is the strongest killing move of the monster in front of us, an attack that even the final boss, Sukuna, dared not directly withstand.

The terrifying purple sphere dispersed the smoke and dust, revealing the five figures with their clothes badly torn to the others.

The reason he was able to escape that barrage of attacks is now self-evident: in the face of such mass, any other energy that does not involve concepts appears extremely fragile.

This guy used this move to block the previous barrage of attacks, and at the same time, it signaled the start of his own offensive...

Gojo Satoru's fervor had reached its peak, especially after seeing that Yue Ren showed no surprise at what he was holding.

He instantly abandoned the idea of ​​extinguishing "Zi". He wanted to attack. He wanted to see what kind of countermeasures his student would have when facing his strongest killing move.

This wasn't because he didn't care about the students' lives, but because he had absolute trust in Yue Ren, trusting that Yue Ren, with that look in his eyes, could withstand his attack, or at the very least, dodge it.

Then, a bright purple light took shape in front of him, growing larger and brighter.

Yue Ren didn't wait; he acted the moment he sensed the move.

Logically, the best way to deal with this kind of attack should be to dodge, but Yue Ren did not intend to do that; he wanted to test this move today.

Before Fukuro could recover from the intensely oppressive energy sphere released by his teacher, the weapon he was holding, stuck in the ground... no, all the weapons in this world, shattered into countless pieces at the same moment, then gathered towards Yue Ren's palm like snowflakes.

In the boy's hand, a small but inexplicably eye-catching flame was burning.

Gojo stood a hundred meters away, his hands clasped together in a gesture of respect.

Dark purple energy intertwined, tore, and expanded in his palm, its light obscuring the azure sky and devouring all light, leaving only the purplish-black source of destruction throbbing wildly.

The world created by "Boundless Sword Technique" trembled, and under this level of attack, the immature world space showed signs of being torn apart.

Fushiguro Megumi knelt on the ground, her hands gripping the earth tightly, but she felt her body being peeled away bit by bit... not being blown away by the huge commotion, but being "decomposed" by that energy field.

Is this "茈"?

Is this... what Gojo Satoru looks like when he gets serious? He now has a concept of the title of the strongest. This kind of person could definitely take on an entire country by himself. The higher-ups' definition of a Special Grade person is correct.

At this moment, he witnessed the true gap in strength between himself and the strong. It was a chasm as deep as an abyss, an existence that could render a reasonably competent sorcerer like him helpless with just the aftershocks of an attack.

He tried his best to look up, to see the center of that light, but his eyes burned with a stinging pain, and his tears evaporated before they could even flow.

He had no choice but to turn his attention to the Yue people on the other side of the battlefield.

Instead of dodging as he expected, the boy had somehow already grasped a knife blank in his hand—a very simple knife blank that had not undergone any treatment.

No, to be more precise, it should be called a "branding iron" because it was still burning with flames and was glowing red-hot, as if it had just been taken out of the furnace.

There were no intricate patterns, no tangled spells, and not even any noticeable aura.

Under the light of "Zi", it even appeared somewhat dim.

As the holder, Yue Ren did not show the painful expression that a normal person would show when in contact with a branding iron.

He just stared blankly at Gojo Satoru across from him.

Squat slightly, hold the blade horizontally at your waist, grip the handle with your right hand, and gently support the back of the blade with your left hand.

That's the starting stance for Iaijutsu.

It is also the simplest, most basic, and the first move that every swordsmanship beginner will practice.

But in his actions...

The myriad snowflakes of the world gather in your hand.

Those weapons willingly shattered themselves, entrusting everything about themselves—the blade patterns, the sharpness, the flames during forging, the mournful cries during quenching, the memories of every strike—to become their 'foundation'.

Across from him, Gojo Satoru's smile grew even brighter. He saw that the boy was once again producing something new that could threaten him, and he was determined to give it his all.

His "six eyes" could no longer see clearly, and he didn't know what the boy was holding.

I only noticed the changes happening to the knife—

He knew from his intuition that it was neither becoming stronger nor awakening.

Instead, it's about returning to normalcy.

Let's go back to the very beginning of the concept of "knife".

Let's go back to the moment when the first knife was held in the hand of the first human and the first strike was made, from the instant when the concept of "slash" was used.

That is the starting point of cause and effect, that is the origin of the strike.

"Very well, come on, let me see if you can really surpass me."

——"Virtual Form · Zi"

The energy ball was launched in an instant, carrying a destructive force that could shatter all matter into atomic states, leaving nothing but emptiness in its wake.

Under such energy, the Yue people opposite appeared as fragile as paper.

"Severing ties, severing destiny, severing past karma, can also sever the self."

When Yue Ren spoke, his voice was as calm as if he were stating a fact.

"The one who built the eight-layered wall said—"

"Muramasa Sengo"

The moment the last word fell, he swung his knife—

No sound.

There was no light.

There were no perceptible signs.

only--

The purple light in front of Gojo Satoru suddenly stopped.

Not defeated, not neutralized, but rather—

It was "cut off".

If we simply compare "茈" to a watermelon, from the perspective of the Yue people who are about to be swallowed by this slowly growing watermelon, it seems as if something is splitting this perspective in two from the middle.

An imperceptible strike, a strike as dazzling as a suddenly ignited flame.

That single strike severed "Zi," severed the flow of incantation power that constituted the spell, and severed cause and effect itself—

"茈" still existed a moment ago.

Then it was cut open.

Therefore, "茈" was inexplicably split in two.

Even before Yueren unleashed his strike, Gojo Satoru's pupils instinctively contracted, and he activated his limitless technique, attempting to expand his attack to an infinite distance around himself—

But it was too late.

The blade was already at him.

It wasn't the strike that hit his technique, nor his body, but rather the entire space itself.

Even the possibility that "he is about to dodge".

-

The world was covered by a white light. When they came to their senses, the three of them had reappeared in the Yue people's workshop.

Fushiguro Megumi didn't know what was happening, but the next moment, a voice rang out.

Yue Ren knelt on one knee, drenched in sweat and panting heavily, looking as if he had "burned out," while opposite him, Gojo Satoru stood upright.

Did Teacher Gojo win?

The first thought that popped into Fu Hei's mind was that Senior Yue Ren had closed his 'domain' in order to avoid that move?

On the other side of Yue Ren, Gojo Satoru felt nothing. He was stunned for a moment, and when he realized what was happening, the boy was kneeling on the ground panting. He had failed.

Just as I was about to get up and say something, a strange feeling immediately followed.

An unusual sound came from the right. Turning his head, he saw his right arm, which did not move forward with him. Instead, it seemed to be fixed in place, and the two arms were separated as he moved.

The next moment, his right arm detached from his body and fell downwards as if it had lost its support, but he caught it with his other hand in a fraction of a second.

Only now did he feel pain in his right arm, and he realized what was happening.

His own arm...was "cut off"?

After realizing what he had done, he laughed.

Gojo Satoru stood still, looking down at his own body.

He then looked up at the Yue people.

Meanwhile, the Yue person opposite him had already stood up. Gojo Satoru could tell through his six eyes that the opponent had no strength or curse power left.

So that's how it is...

He placed his right hand back into the bloodied joint, activated the reverse spell, and reattached his arm, opening his mouth at the same time.

"That last stab...would you be willing to explain?"

Upon hearing this, the Yue man raised the blade in his hand, and with this action, the weapon shattered into countless points of light in his hand, dissipating in the wind.

"It was just a single cut, infused with something to allow it to sever things, including 'space' itself."

"..."

Gojo Satoru was taken aback for a moment.

"I see, a fleeting spatial slash... In that case, it makes sense that 'Zi' is useless..."

Although his virtual form is a hypothetical destruction of mass, it is still energy in the end, just at a higher level. It is not surprising that it was defeated by this kind of power that has risen to the conceptual level.

Then--

He smiled.

They laughed heartily, laughing so hard they were doubled over, their laughter causing the entire shattered barrier to tremble.

"Interesting! Really interesting! That was a great fight! You won, Yue Ren, you've surpassed me."

He raised his hand, looked at his recovered right arm, felt the effects of the wound, and his eyes gleamed.

Fushiguro Megumi came to the two of them and collapsed to the ground. He had already understood the whole situation through the conversation and reality, and he was completely dumbfounded.

He couldn't understand what level of battle this was.

To be honest, he had a very strong urge to get away from these two "monsters" as soon as possible, but that was unrealistic.

What is a destructive energy sphere that can instantly destroy a small town? What is a "space slash" that can cut through such energy? Are the things he heard and witnessed truly things that humans can use?

Or to put it more bluntly, are these two people in front of us really human?

"No, I didn't. That was my limit. It wasn't that I deliberately avoided your vital points, teacher. It's just that I could only choose between 'Zi' and you. I can't lock onto two units at the same time, while you still have the strength and range. I lost."

Yue Ren's words were quite impressive. This was already his current limit. He didn't have an efficiency booster like Gojo Satoru's "Six Eyes," nor did he have the unfathomable innate power of Otsuku. He had exhausted all his means to achieve this result. In the end, the accumulation was too short, and the panel values ​​didn't rise.

How did you think the "Sword Control Without Yuan" was broken? It was because his curse power was exhausted and dissipated on its own.

The mishap during the surgical reversal has already exposed the problem.

No matter how exquisite his swordsmanship is, without sufficient strength and speed, he cannot compete with truly top-tier masters. The fact that he was able to cut off one of his arms by taking advantage of the information gap was already an extraordinary performance on his part.

Gojo Satoru remained silent for two seconds.

Then he clapped his hands.

"In that case, let's call it a draw."

The Yue man looked at him without saying anything. Let it be. He was already very satisfied with the results so far.

It's been a little over half a year since he got the system. In that time, he's gone from an ordinary person who couldn't even kill a chicken to someone who can stand shoulder to shoulder with Gojo Satoru. He thinks that's pretty good.

It wasn't that he was complacent; he was aware of his problems and was preparing to delve deeper into this area. However, considering today's move as a summary of a certain stage, he believed that his actions and efforts were commendable.

"That last strike," Gojo Satoru pointed at him, "if it were a life-or-death battle, would you have been able to aim more accurately?"

The Yue man did not answer.

He simply turned and walked towards Fushiguro Megumi.

Fushiguro Megumi remained slumped on the ground, her entire body drenched in cold sweat as if she had just been pulled out of the water.

He watched the Yue people approach, opened his mouth as if to say something, but found that his tongue was completely unresponsive.

The Yue people stretched out their hands.

Fukuro Megumi instinctively grabbed it.

Then I only felt that the hand was very steady and warm.

"Get up," said the Yue man. "It's over."

Fuhei Hui was pulled up by him, his legs were weak and he was swaying.

He then looked at Gojo Satoru—the man stood there, looking down at his palm, a smile that was hard to decipher.

Finally, he looked at Yue Ren, the senior who had his back to him, his shoulders slightly drooping, his breathing a little heavier than usual, and the fingertips of the hand holding the knife were trembling slightly.

"If I were to risk my life, I don't think I would fail!"

This is the confidence of the Yue people as warriors, because in a real life-or-death battle, they would not choose to define the target as "Zi", but would directly choose the opponent himself.

However, he estimated that doing so would seriously injure him, as he would have to bear part of the damage from the opponent's attack, just like when Gojo Satoru dodged his barrage of attacks. When he first appeared, he was frantically using the Reversal Technique because although "Zi" helped him negate most of the damage, he couldn't dodge something as ubiquitous as explosions.

Among the torn and flying metal fragments, many were engraved with interference spells.