As the sparks crackled around Maki's body, Keitaro couldn't help but grin.
"Well, damn," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "So, you've got more tricks up your sleeve, huh? Let's see it."
The air around Maki's body became charged with static. He could see her hair lifting slightly as electricity surged through her body.
Yet, at the same time, a gust of wind howled around her, swirling like her own personal storm.
Oh... so this was the neat buff Heavenly Restricted people gained that he had limited access to... fun.
Keitaro wondered if he could achieve a state similar to this using Akane as his anchor.
It should be technically possible.
Then, she vanished.
Keitaro barely had time to register before a sudden gale-force wind slammed into him from the left, threatening to knock him off balance. At the same time, a spear crackling with lightning came from the right, aimed straight for his ribs.
Keitaro could see all the power behind the blow, and frankly, he was not going to let himself get hit by that.
Using the most basic form of his curse technique, he activated Temporal Distortion, slowing down his perception of time just enough to react to Maki's lightning-infused blows.
He managed to narrowly dodge Maki's blow... by a hair's breadth... That was way too close for comfort.
As he dodged, the air around him shifted unnaturally. A vacuum had formed—a sudden drop in pressure designed to pull him right into her next attack.
Keitaro clicked his tongue. "Smart."
She was learning how to use strategy mid-combat... that was smart of her. To that, Keitaro applauded her.
A flash of movement. Maki was already behind him, her gauntlets surging with electricity.
She threw a punch.
Keitaro barely managed to block, but the moment her fist made contact with his forearm, a jolt of electricity surged through his body. His muscles tensed involuntarily—she was using lightning not just to enhance her strikes, but to disrupt his motor functions.
Oh, she's really trying to stun me, he thought as he felt his arm going numb.
Maki didn't hesitate. With a burst of wind-enhanced speed, she spun, delivering a devastating roundhouse kick aimed at his temple.
Keitaro exhaled sharply, his instincts taking over.
Mirage Afterimage.
A split-second blur—his body seemed to be there, but Maki's kick passed right through it. She landed, only to realize too late—Keitaro had already teleported behind her.
A single tap on the back of her neck.
"You have gotten stronger," he said calmly.
She rushed at him again, throwing more and more blows aimed at his weakest spots.
He dodged and ducked under her every attack, a lazy look on his face.
Maki's growth was nothing to scoff at.
The way she infused lightning into her attacks was incredibly refined.
Yet Keitaro wasn't really fazed... She was probably the second strongest Zen'in alive... behind Megumi.
He ducked under another blow, partially entering Sage Mode, before punching her in the stomach.
She gasped out for air.
Hm, strength.
The seal on her neck glowed faintly as Maki became a blur, zooming all around the battlefield.
Keitaro could be seen dodging and weaving—it looked like he was fighting Mother Nature herself.
Deciding to end it... he blitzed Maki, knocking her out.
She did great...
Placing her over his shoulder, he decided to drop her off at her dorm. She would need the rest... but not before writing her a little note, telling her what she could improve on and so on.
Once that was done... he got out and went for a walk.
Walking around the country of Japan, the city of Tokyo, he felt an odd sensation...
Holding his chest, he calmed himself a bit.
His Soul Knowledge had reached its peak... Give it one more year, and he would finally be able to decode Sukuna's cursed fingers.
Opening a special seal, Keitaro looked at the cursed finger in his hand.
He could feel the soul inside of it... Pouring some of his natural energy reserves into it, he watched as the finger negatively reacted to the energy.
Yet inside the finger, he saw how Sukuna's soul was being restrained...
Crack...
Crack...
It took him three months of trying to do this much damage to the King of Curses' soul.
Once he mastered the technique, he should be able to completely destroy the soul in those fingers.
Killing the King of Curses before he even had the chance to make an appearance. Sure, that might be anti-climactic, but the safety of his friends and loved ones was more important to him.
Maybe in another life, they got to fight, but in this life, Keitaro would work to ensure this monster was completely destroyed and that nothing remained of him.
Speaking of which, he should probably finish refining his barriers a bit more. He was so close to another bottleneck... Just a few more days, and he would achieve perfect mastery.
He had gained strength... Now he just needed to learn how to fully utilize 100% of it without wasting even an ounce of cursed energy.
He was getting there.
Slowly yet steadily, he was going to achieve it.
A/N....I have been wondering to myself...How can I not publish a chapter, I had so many ideas...then it hit me...Keitaro is too smart....his strength is okay, however when I thought of it further, considering he trained under Tengen for a few years, search about the soul for god know how long.....Keitaro by now...should have learned how to undo the seal on Sukuna finger....removing Sukuna soul while keeping the power.
Considering how caring and loving this man is...the chances that this happen are so freaking high, the story basically done, once Jjk 0 over, story basically done.
Kenjaku wouldn't try shit...am I wrong for thinking that