"This time, I won't let you escape."
Geto unleashed his Cursed Spirit Manipulation, summoning dozens of powerful spirits — among them, a Special Grade.
"So it's you again. But now… I won't lose!"
The Special Grade snarled at Geto with newfound confidence.
Right now, it felt invincible.
"Is that so?" Geto smirked.
The stronger the opponent, the more thrilling it became. Bringing the remnants of the Geto faction here was clearly worth it.
"Oi, brat" Jinsuke lifted the broken remains of the cursed tool Playful Cloud and shot Geto a warning glare.
"That thing is my prey. Don't you dare set your sights on it — or I'll make up for it with your spirits."
"You again?" Geto's expression darkened.
"Last time, you stole my target. Don't tell me you plan to do it again."
The memory of the Monkey King being stolen from under him resurfaced like a wound torn open.
"This time, you won't take it from me."
Ignoring Jinsuke's warning, Geto ordered his spirits forward. Dozens surged toward the Special Grade.
"ROAR!!"
"Come! Make me stronger!!"
The Special Grade barreled forward, swinging its fists, relishing the brawl, eager to unleash its full might again.
"Tch… you were the one who stole my prey, remember?" Jinsuke muttered, eyeing the broken Playful Cloud. Should he copy Toji and sharpen it into something more lethal?
But at five billion yen, reducing the cursed tool to scrap felt like a waste.
At least as it was now, it could still be repaired.
"Forget it. Better to fix it and maybe pass it on to Maki someday."
With that thought, Jinsuke flickered across the battlefield, landing beside Kusakabe and tossing him the weapon.
"Kusakabe-sensei, hold onto this for me."
Using Toji's disposable fighting style clearly wasn't working for him.
"Eh? Oh—right!" Kusakabe accepted the bloodied Playful Cloud, looking dazed.
"Then… what should we do now? Do we pull back, or wait for Gojo to arrive?"
The Special Grade wasn't something they could deal with quickly. It had even managed to unleash Black Flash earlier. Once its technique burnout ended and it regained its cursed technique, it would only grow more terrifying. Still, with Geto here, as long as they didn't leave the barrier's bounds, maybe letting him handle it was safest. Worst case, they waited until Gojo arrived to erase it.
Jinsuke glanced at Kusakabe, then over to Utahime and Mei Mei.
"True. We've still got wounded. We should wrap this up quickly." His eyes fell on Mei Mei's massive axe. "That's a cursed tool, right? Mind if I borrow it?"
Playful Cloud was powerful but blunt—what he needed was something sharp.
"Go ahead. Break it, I won't make you pay. "Mei Mei handed it over without hesitation. Compared to him saving their lives, an axe was nothing.
"Appreciated." Gripping the weapon, Jinsuke stretched his shoulders, gaze locking onto the chaotic melee of cursed spirits. A thrill rose in his chest.
"Geto, I gave you your chance." Since he hadn't taken it, Jinsuke no longer needed to hold back.
"Let's finish this."
His body tensed—then a violent, searing pressure exploded from him, sending a wave of heat blasting outward.
Fifth Gate—Open!
Five gates flared at once. A horrifying surge of life force roared through his veins, muscles swelling, skin flushing crimson, blue veins bulging across his body. The sheer force of it shoved Kusakabe and the others several meters back.
BOOM!!
With a light step, the ground beneath him cratered like a spiderweb. In the blink of an eye, he vanished—reappearing in the midst of the cursed spirits.
"Die."
His axe swung, body blurring into afterimages.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!
In an instant, the entire horde—including the Special Grade—burst apart into clouds of blood.
"Impossible!!"
Before anyone could even comprehend what had happened, the spirits had been shredded into mist.
"What the hell just—!" Geto's face twisted in shock. He hastily recalled his Special Grade. Luckily, it survived—barely—half its body destroyed but still salvageable. The others? Completely obliterated.
"Damn you, human! You weren't even fighting at full strength just now!!" The Special Grade howled, its freshly restored technique barely keeping it alive.Desperately regenerating its arm, it forged two swords of lightning.
"I will not lose!!" Electricity danced across its body, its form beginning to evolve.
A flash.
Jinsuke, blazing with life force, streaked past, axe cleaving the air. A red line split across the cursed spirit's body.
"No… impossible!!" Refusing to be halved, it poured cursed energy into itself, pulling its sundered form back together.If it could just heal fast enough, it still had a chance—It could still grow stronger!
SLASH SLASH SLASH…!
But Jinsuke gave it no chance.
So you heal fast? Fine. Let's see if you regenerate quicker… or if I cut quicker.
All anyone saw was a storm of motion, his axe slamming again and again. Limbs, flesh, blood—shredded in a storm of brutality so savage, the line between human and monster blurred.
Finally—
CRACK!
The spirit could no longer heal. Its body had been reduced to nothing but minced flesh.In its final flicker of consciousness, its mind sank into darkness… staring up at Jinsuke.
"You were strong. But unlucky… you met me."
It had potential, limitless even. But cut down before reaching its peak, it became just another wasted tragedy.
And then—silence.
Of course, such a spirit could never truly die. As long as humanity feared natural disasters, one day, it would be reborn. But would it still be itself? Would it still seek strength above all else?
"Damn you… next time, I won't let you interfere again!" Geto's face hardened. Once again, his plan lay in ruins—every scheme he set in motion, this man disrupted!
Helpless, he withdrew. Another failure, another delay. He had hoped to add a Special Grade to his collection, but instead, he had lost dozens.
On the other side, Jinsuke didn't care what Geto thought. A powerful torrent of energy coursed through his meridians, flooding his limbs before surging into the Gate of Limit:.
[Gate of Limit: 3% → 15%]
His progress skyrocketed—by far the fastest leap yet. A formidable Special Grade, plus several First Grades among Geto's army, had pushed him forward in a single stroke.
"Haa…" Exhaling a heavy breath, Jinsuke's body cooled, returning to normal.
"Cursed spirits really are good stuff…You just have to kill them."