The cherry blossom petals of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, which had originally been pursuing Satoshi, paused slightly the moment Satoru dodged, giving Satoshi more space to maneuver.
"Shakkahō!"
"Sōren Sōkatsui!"
"Byakurai!"
Taking advantage of this opening, Satoshi fired off several Kidō in succession.
He followed the principle that as long as he could keep enough pressure on Satoru, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi wouldn't be able to apply full pressure on him. His Kidō barrage seemed endless, as if it cost him nothing, unleashing wave after wave of attacks on Satoru.
In order to disrupt Satoru's rhythm, he even abandoned incantations when casting the Kidō, reducing their power slightly, just enough to be disruptive.
The result was evident.
Satoru found himself too overwhelmed to control Senbonzakura Kageyoshi effectively. The battle reached a temporary stalemate. The petals couldn't keep up with Satoshi, let alone force him to draw his blade.
Even the incantation-less Kidō Satoshi casually flung couldn't hit Satoru, who possessed the Six Eyes.
The two continued to dodge each other's attacks, and eventually began to speak.
"Satoshi, I didn't expect you to have a trick like this. You can use Kidō without chanting?"
As time passed, Satoru had already analyzed the patterns in Satoshi's attacks. He began to dodge them with ease while gradually regaining control of Kageyoshi.
"It's just Abandoning Chant. The power gets halved. Satoru, do you want to try using Kidō like this yourself? It's not that impressive when the power's reduced."
Satoshi raised his hand and casually fired a thunder cannon, his expression playful.
"Heh, Satoshi, do you think I'm like you or Toji? You two have super-invincible bodies that can tank attacks like these. I still feel pain, alright? Instead of enduring it, I'd rather dodge. It's not like I can't react."
Satoru shrugged, continuing to guide Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
Though he said it lightheartedly, he felt a growing pressure inside. Maintaining Senbonzakura Kageyoshi and its Bankai consumed a tremendous amount of Cursed Energy.
The billions of cherry blossom blades created by Kageyoshi looked spectacular, but each one drained his energy.
Even with his massive Cursed Energy reserves, Satoru knew he couldn't sustain this consumption for much longer.
He had to end this quickly.
If this stalemate continued, he would inevitably lose.
Even if he still had other techniques under Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, he probably wouldn't have the energy left to activate them...
As that thought flashed through his mind, determination lit up in his Six Eyes.
At that moment, he stopped keeping his distance and began closing in on Satoshi, weaving through the barrage of Kidō.
The closer they were, the easier it was for Satoshi's spells to hit—but also the less room Satoru had to evade.
On the flip side, the closer he got, the faster he could command the cherry blossom petals, and the harder it would be for Satoshi to dodge.
Everything had two sides.
Satoshi noticed Satoru's approach and, after thinking for a moment, chose to close the distance as well. After all, to unleash the full power of his sword-drawing technique, he also needed to be close.
The two advanced toward each other simultaneously. The spectators were stunned.
They could understand Satoru's intentions. After all, if he couldn't pressure Satoshi from afar, getting close made sense.
But what was Satoshi thinking? Didn't he know that getting close made him more vulnerable to Senbonzakura Kageyoshi?
In a flash, the gap between them closed rapidly.
Although Satoru felt a flicker of suspicion, he still chose to end the battle with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
The distance was enough!
Satoru no longer relied on Kageyoshi acting independently. He planned to use himself as the anchor and directly guide the petals' attack.
Everyone watched as the sky's cherry blossoms rapidly gathered toward Satoru. Then, using them like threads, he wrapped himself and Satoshi inside.
A massive sphere made of billions of cherry blossom petals appeared in the sky.
In everyone's eyes, the sphere looked like a massive pink moon. Cherry blossoms drifted down from its surface, creating a stifling, suffocating atmosphere.
Senbonzakura Kageyoshi was powerful beyond words.
Utahime, Mei Mei, Suguru, and Shoko felt this most acutely.
Faced with the power of a Bankai, none of them had the strength to resist.
At this sister school goodwill event, Satoshi had chosen a one-versus-many strategy.
But in truth, now that his Bankai had been fully released, Satoru also possessed the power to fight many alone, just like Satoshi.
These two Six Eyes children of the Gojo clan were clearly born to dominate the world of Jujutsu.
"Satoru is going to win this!"
The oppressive aura of Kageyoshi made Suguru visibly excited. Between Satoru and Satoshi, he still leaned toward Satoru.
Shoko, however, looked worried. She didn't believe Satoshi would lose to Satoru so easily.
Even if others didn't understand Satoshi's actions just now, she believed there had to be a reason behind them.
Utahime and Mei Mei had complicated expressions. They didn't know who to support.
After all, both Satoru and Satoshi were from Tokyo Jujutsu High. Their overwhelming strength only highlighted Kyoto High's helplessness at this exchange.
But deep down, the two women still leaned toward Satoshi.
First, he was rumored to be Yuki's boyfriend and had close ties with her.
Second, if Satoru lost, it meant Kyoto High wasn't too weak—Satoshi was just too strong.
Even someone as powerful as Satoru couldn't take him down. That wasn't something to blame themselves for, right?
They'd done their best…
The audience all had their own thoughts.
Inside the cherry blossom sphere of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Satoshi and Satoru stood facing each other. A faint smile flickered in Satoru's eyes.
"Satoshi, I win."
"No, Satoru… this is the move I've been waiting for."
Suddenly, Satoshi used Shunpo, instantly closing the distance between them. In that moment, he drew his sword.
(To be continued.)
***
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