This field, usually used for testing the power of students' techniques, had been reinforced to its absolute limit today.
A multi-layered barrier, erected by several Special Grade sorcerers, surrounded the area.
At the center of the field stood a massive black rock.
It was obsidian, rumored to perfectly reflect attacks even from Special Grade cursed spirits. After being reinforced with jujutsu, its hardness rivaled that of a diamond.
This was the Special Grade evaluation task set by the General Headquarters.
"Split it in two with a pure slash."
This was an impossible task.
No cursed energy enhancement, no technique reinforcement—just a mortal body and a sword?
What a joke!
"Aren't they making this way too difficult?" Maki Zenin frowned, her grip tightening on her cursed tool in the stands.
"Even Gojo-sensei would have trouble splitting a rock of this density in one go with Red, right?"
"And they aren't even allowing any cursed energy assistance..."
"They might as well have written 'we want you to fail' on their foreheads."
Megumi Fushiguro, standing beside her, also looked grim.
Although he believed in Yoru's strength, this test was clearly rigged against those without cursed energy.
A pure physical slash? In the jujutsu world, that was a total joke!
"Tch, those rotten oranges." Nobara Kugisaki stomped her foot in anger.
"Yoru already took down three Special Grades. Isn't that enough to prove his strength?"
"They just have to insist on these useless formalities!"
On the other side of the stands, the Kyoto School students were whispering among themselves.
Aoi Todo stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Yoru in the center of the field with fanatical intensity.
"My best friend!"
"If it's you, you'll definitely create a miracle!"
"A rock like that, before your blade..."
"It's nothing!"
High up on the observation deck, Satoru Gojo sat with his legs crossed, holding a bag of Kikufuku.
"Oh boy, those old guys really went through a lot of trouble."
"They even brought out their most prized treasures."
"But..."
"They seem to have forgotten that my student is a monster."
A sharp glint flashed in the Six Eyes beneath his sunglasses.
In the center of the field, Yoru stood silently before the obsidian.
He ignored the murmurs around him and the mocking gazes from the higher-ups.
In his eyes, there was only the stone.
And... the sword in his hand.
'So this is what you call the threshold for a Special Grade?'
Yoru slowly drew Shiranui.
The pitch-black blade reflected a cold light under the sun, and for a fleeting moment, a scorching aura seemed to flow within it.
'In that case.'
'I'll show you.'
'What a true... slash really looks like.'
Whoosh—
Yoru took a deep breath.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze in that instant.
Total Concentration Breathing.
This time, it wasn't the heat of Sun Breathing or the cold of Moon Breathing.
It was a purer, more absolute state of mind.
It was the truth Yoriichi Tsugikuni had realized through countless swings of his sword.
Everything has a rhythm.
As long as you find that gap, there is nothing that cannot be cut!
Transparent World, open!
Yoru's eyes became crystal clear. In his vision, the once indestructible obsidian transformed into a structure of countless particles.
And between those particles, there was an infinitesimal gap.
It was its weakness, its line of death.
'Found it.'
The corner of Yoru's mouth curled up slightly.
Swish!
His figure vanished instantly.
There was no flashy sword ki, no world-shaking explosion.
Only a draw-slash so simple it defied logic.
Fast!
It was so fast that not even an afterimage could be seen! Even sound itself was severed by this strike!
When Yoru reappeared behind the obsidian, Shiranui was already being slowly returned to its scabbard.
Click.
The crisp sound of the sword seating echoed.
The entire field fell into a deathly silence.
Everyone held their breath, staring fixedly at the giant rock in the center.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
Just as someone was about to laugh...
Rumble!
A massive roar suddenly erupted.
The ten-meter-tall obsidian rock slowly split down the middle!
The cut was as smooth as a mirror, without a single shard out of place!
But that wasn't all.
As the rock collapsed, the invisible shockwave of the slash continued to extend backward!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The multi-layered barrier—claimed to be an absolute defense—was as fragile as tofu before this slash, shattering instantly!
It tore through the testing ground walls, the distant peaks...
Everything was cleaved in half!
A bottomless trench stretched as far as the eye could see!
"This..."
"How is this possible?!"
The rotten oranges on the high platform were scared witless, their mouths agape as if their jaws were about to hit the floor.
No cursed energy? Purely physical?
Is this something a human can actually do?!
The power of this single strike far exceeded the ultimate attack of any Special Grade cursed spirit!
"That's..."
"The Sword Saint."
Someone shouted it first.
Then, the entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers!
Yoru stood in the middle of the ruins and slowly turned around.
He looked at the pale-faced higher-ups, then at Satoru Gojo, who was clapping frantically.
Finally, his gaze fell upon the Shiranui in his hand.
"This is preposterous!"
Suddenly, a voice full of authority but laced with a hint of trembling echoed through the speakers.
It was the roar of the General Headquarters' higher-ups in Kyoto, broadcast through remote monitoring.
"No cursed energy! This completely violates the fundamental rules of Special Grade evaluation!"
"If someone can become a Special Grade with just physical strength, does that mean every Heavenly Restriction user will want a piece of the pie?!"
"We cannot set such a precedent!"
On the screens, several blurred figures of elderly men were arguing heatedly, clearly terrified by the destruction caused by Yoru's slash.
Yet, to maintain their so-called orthodoxy, they stubbornly clung to the rules.
"Oh?"
Satoru Gojo scratched his ear, interrupting their yelling with an impatient look.
"Listen, you old oranges, have you misunderstood something?"
"I'm not asking for your opinion."
"I'm giving you a notification."
Boom!
A terrifying pressure of cursed energy suddenly exploded from Satoru Gojo.
Even through the screen, those elderly men seemed to feel the suffocating weight of his presence.
"If you don't grant him the title of Special Grade..."
Satoru Gojo adjusted his sunglasses, a dangerous curve forming on his lips.
"Then I'll take my student and personally visit Kyoto to have a chat with you."
"And while I'm at it, I'll let Yoru see if he can split the General Headquarters building in half, just like that rock."
"You... you wouldn't dare?!"
The voice through the speakers turned shrill, clearly showing their panic.
"Alright, alright, don't be so stingy." Gojo suddenly retracted his aura and waved his hand with a grin.
"How about this? We both take a step back."
"He might not have cursed energy, but his strength is undeniable."
"Why don't we give him the title of 'Special Grade Candidate'?"
"It might sound like an intern, but his treatment must be on par with a Special Grade."
There was a long silence from the other side.
Finally, perhaps out of fear of Gojo's power, or perhaps completely cowed by Yoru's slash...
An old voice sighed helplessly.
"...Approved."
"Additionally, the Special Grade Cursed Tool: Shiranui shall be gifted to Yoru as compensation for the inability to grant a formal rank."
Hearing the result, the crowd gasped once more.
Although just a 'Candidate,' this was a precedent-breaking exception in the history of the jujutsu world!
Furthermore, that was a Special Grade Cursed Tool! A treasure worth a fortune!
They were just giving it away?
Satoru Gojo nodded in satisfaction, turned around, and gave Yoru a thumbs-up in the middle of the field.
"Congratulations, Yoru."
"From today on, you are an officially recognized 'Special Grade combatant'."
"Even if there's a 'Candidate' tag in front of it..."
Gojo pointed to the respectful gazes around them.
"In everyone's hearts, you are already the undisputed 'Sword Saint'."
Yoru stood in the center of the ruins, listening to the cheers around him with a calm expression.
He slowly raised his hand and looked at the blade that now truly belonged to him.
His fingertips brushed across the cold edge, yet he could feel a warm resonance within.
"Special Grade Candidate, huh?" Yoru gave a light chuckle and slowly sheathed Shiranui.
"Such titles don't matter."
"As long as my sword is in hand, there is nothing..."
"...that can block my path."
From this moment on.
Yoru's name would echo throughout the entire jujutsu world!
No longer a cursed-energy-less failure, no longer just a transfer student.
But...
The strongest combatant standing alongside Satoru Gojo!
The one hailed as the Sword Saint who can cut through everything!
[ Author's Note : If you're loving the story, a power_stone, review or comment means the world!
Want 40+ chapters ahead right now? patre0n.c0m/Royal_ink ]