While Rin was still speculating about Geto Suguru's intentions, the Bone Armor Cursed Spirit across from him suddenly moved. It slowly raised its head, its skeletal skull—embedded with an evil blue-flamed eye—tilting slightly. Under the blood-red sunset, low words seeped out from beneath its terrifying skeletal jaw:
"Are you ready to die? Jujutsu Sorcerer."
The voice sounded like thousands of rusty steel wires scraping against rotting wood—sharp, piercing, and stabbing directly at the eardrums.
Rin felt a roar in his ears, and the hair on his body stood up instantly.
But in the next second, his spirits suddenly lifted. A Cursed Spirit that could talk?
This was definitely not something an ordinary Cursed Spirit could do! Combining this with his previous speculations, there was a high probability that Geto Suguru was controlling this Cursed Spirit's will from behind the scenes. In other words, he was currently "conversing" with Geto Suguru.
He could finally fish for some information.
Rin suppressed the excitement in his heart and immediately put on a look of bewildered helplessness, his tone carrying just the right amount of surprise:
"You can actually talk? What on earth are you things? Why do you call me a 'Jujutsu Sorcerer'? What do you want?"
He knew very well that playing dumb was the best choice right now. The more "ignorant" he appeared, the more Geto Suguru would let his guard down, making it easier to draw out the other party's true purpose.
On the rooftop, Geto Suguru couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this. He leaned against the railing, watching Rin feign surprise in the middle of the playground, his eyes full of amusement:
"Truly a little fellow who knows nothing."
But he didn't plan on revealing too much.
The key right now was to push Rin into a "desperate situation." Only by seeing hope in the midst of despair would his appearance as a "savior" be more dazzling, making it easier for Rin to develop a dependency on him.
Thus, the Bone Armor Cursed Spirit spoke again, its voice carrying undisguised mockery:
"Heh heh heh... You don't need to know anything, Jujutsu Sorcerer."
It raised a skeletal arm and pointed at the corpses of the students on the ground, a hint of greed flashing in its ghostly blue evil eye.
"And you won't have the chance to know. Soon, you'll become my nourishment, just like those pathetic Monkeys on the ground."
"Monkeys"?
Rin immediately cursed inwardly. This was definitely Geto Suguru! Only he would refer to Non-Sorcerers as "Monkeys"; an ordinary Cursed Spirit couldn't possibly have such a concept.
But he didn't show it in the slightest. Instead, he retorted with a tough tone:
"Hmph! You're speaking too soon, aren't you? I don't see any difference between you and those monsters from before. I might be able to take you down in just a few moves!"
While stalling for time, he quickly organized his thoughts. What exactly did Geto Suguru want?
First, exclude the possibility of "killing him." With Geto Suguru's strength, if he really wanted to act, there was no need to send a Cursed Spirit to put on an act. He could just jump down from the rooftop and finish him with one punch; it wouldn't take more than three seconds.
Secondly, Geto Suguru had always been particularly interested in "talented amateur sorcerers." The Sharingan, Cursed Spirit Devourment, and Cursed Technique Copying abilities he had shown were definitely "top-tier materials" in Geto's eyes. There was no reason for him to let them go.
So... could it be a variation of "the Hero Saves the Beauty"?
As soon as this thought popped up, it immediately occupied Rin's mind.
Geto Suguru's Cursed Spirit Devourment plan had already failed, and he, as an "unexpected factor," had long been exposed to Geto's sight.
He didn't appear immediately to recruit him, but instead sent a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit to attack. Most likely, he wasn't sure he could make Rin follow him willingly. After all, Rin's previous performance was calm enough that he wouldn't easily defect just because of a few "invitations."
Therefore, he came up with this move: let the Cursed Spirit push him to the brink first, then personally step in to save him. Using "gratitude" to close the distance would make it easier to cultivate a relationship later.
Having figured this out, Rin felt a slight sense of relief. The upcoming battle was likely not a struggle between life and death.
But he didn't plan on giving up directly. After all, this was just a speculation. In case Geto Suguru had other intentions, rashly giving up resistance would only leave him in a passive position.
By now, the Bone Armor Cursed Spirit had lost its patience.
The blue light around its body suddenly brightened, and the black cursed seals on the bone armor began to flicker. It was clearly preparing to launch an attack.
Rin also immediately entered a combat state.
He formed a hand seal with one hand, his Crimson Sharingan deadlocked onto every movement of the Cursed Spirit. His long hair behind him moved without wind, and a dozen strands of hair tightened slightly, like arrows ready to fly.
The battle was on the verge of breaking out.
But just then, Rin's eyes suddenly widened, and he yelled towards the back of the Cursed Spirit: "Hey! Student! Get away! It's dangerous here!"
The Bone Armor Cursed Spirit was momentarily stunned. Its perception clearly told it there was no one else there, but Rin's tone was too realistic. It still couldn't help but turn its head to look back.
Now!
A sharp light flashed in Rin's eyes. With a sudden flick of his wrist, several strands of hair shimmering with black light shot out like arrows from a bow, piercing straight towards the Cursed Spirit's vital points.
The gaps in the bone armor joints, the ghostly blue evil eye, and the gaps between the ribs on its chest that weren't fully covered.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The crisp sound of metal clashing echoed across the playground. The hair slammed hard against the bone armor, sending sparks flying. The immense force caused the Cursed Spirit to involuntarily retreat a few steps before it managed to stabilize its center of gravity.
But Rin's pupils suddenly contracted. The attack he had placed high hopes on hadn't even managed to create a single crack in the bone armor!
Even the three strands aimed at the evil eye were blocked by the Cursed Spirit's instinctively swung skeletal arm, leaving only a few shallow scratches on it.
It's like this again!
Rin's heart sank. Back when he dealt with the Mantis Cursed Spirit, the opponent's scythe could also easily block his hair attacks. Now, the defense of this Bone Armor Cursed Spirit was several times stronger than that of the Mantis Cursed Spirit!
But he didn't stop.
Taking advantage of the moment before the Cursed Spirit could regain its footing, Rin manipulated his hair to spin sharply. Like flexible water snakes, they slid into the gaps of the bone armor joints.
The pitch-black hair grew and coiled rapidly. In an instant, it had bound the Cursed Spirit's upper body tightly. The hair strained against the bone armor like tightened steel cables, sparks constantly flying from the friction.
"Roar—!"
The Bone Armor Cursed Spirit let out a deafening roar. Its thick skeletal arms swung with brute force that could tear anything apart, attempting to break free from the restraint.
But Rin had already mobilized all his Cursed Energy. The hair tightened even further as the Cursed Spirit struggled. Several strands even slid into its open skeletal jaw, muffling its roars and making its movements increasingly sluggish.
One man and one Cursed Spirit were thus locked in a stalemate in the center of the playground.
Rin, however, was filled with helplessness.
The advantage of the Silk Binding Cursed Technique was its low consumption and high sustainability, but its disadvantage was equally obvious: the upper limit of Cursed Energy output was too low.
It was just as he had speculated before: if Cursed Energy was compared to engine oil, a Cursed Technique was the machine.
The "maximum power" of the Silk Binding Cursed Technique "machine" was simply not high. Now, his Cursed Energy output had already hit the ceiling. Even if he injected more Cursed Energy, it wouldn't enhance the hair's destructive power; it would only be a waste.
What's more, he had been in contact with Jujutsu for less than two hours. He had no idea how to adjust the technique or break through the output limits.
If it were Ryomen Sukuna controlling this body, with his mastery over Cursed Energy, he might be able to push the power of the Silk Binding Cursed Technique to its limit and easily shred this bone armor.
But he wasn't Sukuna.
"If only I had a weapon..." Rin couldn't help but sigh in his heart. If he had that iron rod from before—even just an ordinary metal rod—he could use his Insight from the Sharingan and his physical output to forcibly break through the defense.
Just then, Rin's eyes suddenly lit up. He had thought of a way!
As long as he could stall for a few more minutes until some of his Cursed Energy recovered, and then use the Sharingan to find the weak points of the bone armor, there might be a chance of winning!
But before he could implement his plan, the Bone Armor Cursed Spirit across from him suddenly calmed down.
It stopped struggling, and the blue light around its body gradually dimmed. Only those ghostly blue evil eyes remained fixed on Rin, exuding an eerie calmness.
Alarm bells instantly went off in Rin's heart.