"The treatment isn't over yet, don't move."
In the now-ruined training ground, Ieiri Shoko was pressing down on Satoru's white cat-like head, treating him.
Satoru's physique was truly formidable. He had regained consciousness in just over ten minutes.
Of course, Shoko's Reverse Cursed Technique played a role in that as well.
"Speaking of which, Eichi."
"Hmm?"
Eichi, who had been admiring a group photo of the team with Satoru, turned to look.
"Can your external technique, Heroic Spirit Summoning, summon anything?"
He'd already had a guess when he saw Artoria, but when Medea appeared, that guess had been confirmed.
Standing nearby, Suguru looked thoughtful upon hearing the question.
According to Eichi, as long as he gathered enough fantasies about a Heroic Spirit, he could summon them.
Wouldn't that mean if Eichi designed an invincible Heroic Spirit and summoned it, he'd instantly become invincible?
If that was true, it would be incredibly unfair.
"No. For me to summon a Heroic Spirit, they must first be sufficiently reasonable."
That reasonableness was judged by the Holy Grail. Eichi had tried tacking on extra settings before, but the fantasies generated by those settings weren't absorbed by the Grail.
"Also, fantasies about Heroic Spirits aren't easy to gather. Haven't you noticed that after all these years, I've only managed to summon Ria?"
In another decade or so, that might change. With the rise of computers and smartphones, the internet would allow fantasies to spread far more widely.
"As for Caster Medea, I can only perform an incomplete manifestation right now, and her presence duration is extremely short."
Recalling how quickly Medea disappeared earlier, Suguru nodded in understanding.
"Even so, it's still broken."
Seven Special Grade-level Heroic Spirits, plus Mahoraga and Chimera.
No, he had to have faith in himself.
"Hmph."
Suguru took a deep breath.
First, a small goal—absorb the sixteen Special Grade Cursed Spirits recorded by Jujutsu Headquarters.
Then, he'd find the ones not yet documented.
A long-lost sense of urgency to become stronger welled up inside him.
"How do you feel, Gojo-kun?"
Yaga, who had just returned from inspecting the state of the training field, walked over.
The condition of the training ground was just as expected. After being devastated by black holes, lightning, storms, and floods, it no longer resembled a proper training space.
The training field had been obliterated by only the second day of school.
Yaga felt a headache forming.
That's enough for today.
He had originally planned to observe Suguru and Artoria's strength, but now he dropped that idea.
One was already recognized as Special Grade, and the other could summon Special Grade Cursed Spirits. It was obvious without seeing them fight.
"Totally fine."
Looking at Satoru now, no one would guess he'd just been knocked unconscious.
"Oh right, didn't you want to see everyone else's strength too? Who wants to go next?"
Satoru clapped his right fist into his left palm.
"No, I'm a non-combatant."
Shoko, catching his gaze, immediately formed an X with her arms across her chest.
"Boring."
He'd wanted to see what this new classmate could do.
"No, I mean…"
"Yaga-sensei, let's leave now. Otherwise, you'll get caught in it."
"Wait—"
Yaga, who was about to say there was no need for another match, was promptly pushed out of the training area by Eichi.
"Then we're off. Have fun, Suguru and Saber."
Satoru waved as he turned to leave.
"Then, please take care of me."
With a flash of light, Artoria's black Tokyo Jujutsu High uniform transformed into her blue and white armor. The invisible sword, concealed by Invisible Air, pointed at Suguru.
"No, I should be the one saying that. Please take care of me."
Suguru smiled as a dark void flickered behind him.
Once Eichi and the others had returned to the ancient tower, the battle officially began.
Artoria charged in.
Suguru, fully prepared, immediately summoned a Rainbow Dragon to intercept her.
Facing the incoming strike, Artoria's figure flickered as she dodged repeatedly.
Suguru waved his hand, summoning a giant white worm Cursed Spirit to bite down on her.
Mana Burst.
Artoria exploded upward with a burst of mana, bypassing the worm Cursed Spirit entirely.
As she flew past, she caught sight of the writhing dark space beneath Suguru's feet.
What is that?
Her instincts flared in alarm.
She immediately abandoned her attack plan and raised her Holy Sword to defend.
A massive bloated cyclops burst up from the ground the next moment.
Its colossal fist slammed into Artoria's blade midair, sending her flying.
Suguru leapt up, but instead of pursuing her directly, he mounted a pelican Cursed Spirit and soared into the sky.
While confident in his close-combat abilities, charging in recklessly against a master swordswoman like Artoria wasn't smart.
Her real combat experience might be limited, but this wasn't anime. It was reality.
He needed to observe more first.
Just as Artoria regained her stance, the Rainbow Dragon swooped again.
Artoria twisted her body, narrowly evading the strike. As they crossed paths, her Holy Sword pierced into the Rainbow Dragon's body.
Skreee—
A deep gash opened along its scales.
"Hey, hey, that's the Rainbow Dragon with the highest durability!"
Suguru's expression grew serious as he gained a clearer understanding of Excalibur's destructive power.
"In that case."
The dark space behind him opened, and countless squid Cursed Spirits poured out.
A moment later, they shot toward Artoria like bullets.
Suguru's arsenal didn't allow him to launch Noble Phantasms like Gate of Babylon, but it didn't matter—mature Cursed Spirits launched themselves.
Artoria's eyes narrowed. Her sword danced, cutting down every approaching Cursed Spirit.
In the sky, Suguru crossed his arms with a wild grin. More spatial rifts opened behind him, spewing out even more Cursed Spirits.
Faced with the overwhelming numbers, Artoria switched tactics. She used high-speed movement to evade most, only slashing the ones she absolutely couldn't avoid.
She looked at Suguru with a serious expression.
In that moment, his figure overlapped with a certain despised individual.
Roar—!
The Rainbow Dragon opened its jaws wide, aiming to devour her whole.
Artoria swung her sword, halting the fangs mid-bite. But the Rainbow Dragon's massive force still pushed her across the ground.
Suguru, still airborne, guided the pelican in pursuit.
Artoria kicked the Rainbow Dragon's snout. As it recoiled in pain, she slipped free of its grip.
She landed cleanly on the field. Suguru hovered above.
Once again, one on the ground, one in the sky, they faced off.
(To be continued.)