Seeing Nanami and Mei Mei dismantle the Three Tengu's domain, Mahito let out a sharp hiss of annoyance. "Useless trash," he spat.
Then, catching sight of the sorcerers closing in from all sides, he playfully stuck out his tongue. "Game over! Nigerundayo!"
His arms morphed into massive, feathered wings. With a powerful spring, he took to the sky, beating the air with a rhythmic whoosh.
"Don't you dare run!" Momo Nishimiya shouted, banking her broom to give chase. She launched a gale of cursed wind, but Mahito banked sharply, weaving through her attacks with effortless grace.
However, the moment Mahito exposed his flank, a crow streaked through the air like a kinetic penetrator, punching a hole straight through his shoulder.
As Mei Mei's Bird Strike sent Mahito spiraling toward the pavement, Nanami and Todo lunged forward to deliver the finishing blow. But the curse's shattered body suddenly imploded. His flesh squelched and shivered, shrinking into the form of a common sewer rat. With a flick of its tail, it vanished into the narrow slats of a drainage grate.
"Damn it!" Todo slammed a fist into his open palm, the impact echoing like a gunshot. "That ability is such a cheat!"
Nanami watched the dark drain for a moment before letting out a weary sigh. "Forget it. At least there were no casualties among us. Our sector is clear. What about your teams?"
"Clear on our end too," Todo replied, thumping his chest. "Let's move. Time to support the other squads!"
Nanami nodded. Under these circumstances, he didn't mind the overtime.
Mei Mei rolled her shoulders, her axe resting casually against her neck. "I suppose I'll tag along as well."
Ui Ui looked up in surprise. "Sister?"
Mei Mei offered a thin, knowing smile. "Don't misunderstand, dear. It's simply that Souma Gojo paid far too much for me to quit now. My professional reputation is worth more than a little extra cardio."
"..."
Asakusa, Tokyo
The monks of Senso-ji Temple had been the first victims. Mahito had twisted them into a singular, agonizing mass of limbs and torsos—a grotesque "Human Pillar" that pulsated with wet, rhythmic thuds. It was the kind of sight that stripped away one's sanity just by looking at it.
"Don't move!"
Toge Inumaki's voice, thick with cursed energy, rippled through the air. The monster's twitching limbs instantly locked into a rigid, frozen state.
Panda, currently in his hulking Gorilla Mode, dropped from the temple eaves like a meteor, burying a massive fist into the creature's central mass. As it toppled backward, Maki Zenin was already in position.
She wasn't using a naginata today. Instead, she gripped a two-meter-long Jumonji Yari—a cross-shaped spear.
Maki spun the shaft with blurring speed. The spearhead wailed as it rotated like a high-powered drill, punching a gaping hole through the heart of the Transfigured monster.
The battle over, Maki flourished the spear, snapping it to the side to clear the gore from the blade. She stood tall, the moonlight catching the fierce determination in her eyes.
Panda reverted to his cuddly, standard form and stretched his arms with a yawn. "And that's the last of them!"
"Salmon! Salmon!"
"So, Captain, can we finally take a break?" Panda asked teasingly.
Maki rubbed her temples. "I told you, don't call me that! It's embarrassing. I have no idea what Souma-sensei was thinking, putting me in charge."
"Yeah, I wonder about that too."
The voice was dripping with arrogance. Naoya Zenin, flanked by the elite Hei unit, stepped into the temple courtyard. His eyes, cold and dismissive, raked over Maki.
"Maki, Maki... You're a Grade 4 failure. How can you show your face as the leader of the Sixth Squad without dying of shame?"
"Hey! Watch your mouth!" Panda growled.
"Bonito flakes!"
Maki, however, merely waved them off. "Ignore him. Panda, Toge, let's go."
But Naoya wasn't finished. He stepped into her path, a sneer twisting his handsome features. "What's the matter? Does the trash finally know its place?"
"A failure born with Heavenly Restriction... unable to see curses, unable to use a technique. A lowly Grade 4. Oh, I see! This is just Souma Gojo's way of 'polishing' his students, isn't it? Giving you a title so you don't drag down his impeccable reputation."
Maki stopped. She turned slowly, meeting Naoya's gaze with an expression of unsettling calm.
"You're jealous," she said. It wasn't a question; it was a flat, clinical observation.
Naoya's eye twitched. He maintained his smirk, but his voice sharpened. "Ha! Me? Jealous of a piece of trash like you? Jealous of what?"
Maki's lips curled into a mocking grin. "You're jealous because I became Toji's disciple. You're jealous because I have Souma-senpai as a teacher. You're jealous that I spend my days being trained by monsters like Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto."
"And you?" She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "You're stuck guarding the 'honor' of a rotting clan, surrounded by mediocre fools in a stagnant honey-trap. You know deep down that you'll never see the view from the top. You'll never be a true powerhouse."
"ENOUGH!!!"
Naoya's roar echoed through the temple grounds. His face was flushed, veins bulging at his temples. His beautiful, refined features were now distorted by raw, naked envy.
Panda leaned over to Toge. "Maki-jechan really is Souma-sensei's student. Every word is a knife to the heart. Look at him, he's about to pop a blood vessel."
"Salmon. Salmon."
"Maki... I don't know why Toji took an interest in you," Naoya hissed, his eyes venomous. "But you aren't him. You are not Toji Fushiguro!"
"The only thing you share with him is that cursed body! You will never reach the heights they occupy! That seat... that glory... belongs only to me!"
Naoya lunged.
Projection Sorcery. The ancestral technique of the Zenin.
He moved in bursts of blinding speed. By dividing one second into twenty-four frames and pre-calculating his movements, Naoya could force his body to match the frames, achieving subsonic acceleration.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he circled Maki like a cyclone.
"Maki!" Panda and Toge moved to intervene, but Maki held up a hand.
"Stay back. This is Zenin family business."
"No!" Naoya laughed, his voice a blur of sound. "This isn't business. This is a personal grudge!"
"To the Hei! Do not move, no matter what happens!"
Finally, Naoya hit his peak velocity. With a sonic crack, he veered inward, aiming a palm strike directly at Maki's head. As he brushed past her, his hand made contact.
Naoya's grin widened. Caught you.
At that moment, both he and Maki were locked into twenty-four preset movements for the next second. Naoya had scripted every frame: Naoya's fist hits Maki's face. Maki stumbles. Naoya strikes again. If Maki failed to follow the "script" he had forced upon her, her body would be frozen in a 2D frame for a full second.
"Let's see you handle this!"
His fist was inches from her jaw, but Maki's expression didn't change.
"So it's the same Projection Sorcery the old man uses? Twenty-four frames per second?"
Maki suddenly bared her teeth in a savage, predatory grin. Her slender frame exploded with a speed that defied logic—a speed born of pure, unadulterated physical perfection.
"What if," she whispered, "I finish your 'scripted' movements in 1/24th of a second... and use the remaining time to pay you back?"
Frame one: Naoya's fist touched Maki's cheek. The scripted movement was complete.
But before the force of the blow could even register against her skin, she had already vanished from the trajectory.
Frame two: Naoya's hand brushed her back. Script complete.
Again, she moved before the impact could land. To Naoya, it felt like his punches were merely skimming the surface of water—skipping along without ever sinking in.
Frame three. Frame four.
A full second—twenty-four frames—passed in the blink of an eye. Maki had followed the script perfectly. But she was untouched.
Naoya skidded to a halt, his eyes wide with disbelief. "How... how is this possible?"
Maki's sneer was devastating. "Have you spent so much time being the 'king' of your rotting castle that you've become this arrogant?"
"When Souma and Toji-senpai train me, they demand I draw my blade and cleave a concrete pillar in under 1/48th of a second."
"A 1/24th second window? That's more than enough time for me to follow your rules... and still find a gap to cut you down."
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