Seeing the shift in Gakuganji Yoshinobu's expression, Yuki continued in a sharper tone.
"A Grade 1 sorcerer can protect a non-sorcerer, so why can't a Special Grade choose someone outside the system?"
"Also, what Masamichi just mentioned—Satoshi's strongest technique, the one Principal Sekiguchi spoke of—does exist. I've seen it with my own eyes."
"Satoru's Endscape is indeed powerful. But the technique Satoshi is about to use next… is more than enough to flatten the General Directorate."
"Satoru may be strong enough to protect it, but you'd do well to remember, he and Satoshi are brothers."
"Do you really think the General Directorate is worth driving a wedge between the two of them? I don't think it's that deep, is it?"
Yuki said no more after that and turned her gaze back to the screen.
She, too, wanted to know—whose technique was stronger?
Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's Bankai…
Or Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai?
Although Gakuganji remained silently annoyed, Yuki's words echoed in his chest.
They really weren't qualified to judge Satoshi based on their usual standards.
But was Satoshi truly invincible?
That couldn't be, right?
Just as Gakuganji was lost in thought, a wave of gasps erupted all around him.
What's happening?
He looked up instinctively, eyes fixed on the live projection broadcast.
Under the brilliant white radiance of Satoru's Endscape: White Imperial Sword, Satoshi also made his move, swinging Ryūjin Jakka with deliberate calm.
"Ennetsu Jigoku."
Satoshi finally began to take this battle seriously.
Satoru had already displayed enough strength. Now it was time to bring the duel to its conclusion.
Cursed Technique Reversal: He, Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi, Gōkei, Endscape: White Imperial Sword…
Each one of those techniques would be enough to earn someone renown throughout the entire jujutsu world.
But unfortunately, against Satoshi, none of them held an advantage.
As Satoshi traced a circle with Ryūjin Jakka, the ground beneath them cracked. Dozens of towering fire pillars erupted into the sky.
The earth itself trembled, waves of intense heat radiating from every fissure.
On one side of the screen stood Satoru, bathed in cold light from Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
On the other stood Satoshi, surrounded by blazing fire from Ryūjin Jakka.
Endscape: White Imperial Sword warped the air, frost creeping across the surrounding trees.
But Ennetsu Jigoku began scorching the landscape, causing leaves to shrivel and curl under the sheer heat.
Suguru and the others watching at the scene were trapped in a world where one side froze while the other burned. It was unbearably intense, yet no one dared look away from Satoru and Satoshi.
This battle was on a level that could only be described as mythic.
...
The pure white wings of the White Imperial Sword…
The raging flame pillars of Ennetsu Jigoku…
Though they initially appeared evenly matched, Satoru's white wings seemed more elegant and imposing.
But as the fire pillars began to converge, the entire audience was stunned once again.
That's even possible?
The previously thin fire pillars, only about a meter wide, began to fuse—dozens of them combining into a single, monstrous inferno over ten meters in diameter.
The flame pillar towered into the sky, completely suppressing the icy aura of the White Imperial Sword.
This was the current strongest technique of Ryūjin Jakka.
Watching the scene unfold, Suguru couldn't help but shudder.
Compared to nine years ago, this version of Ennetsu Jigoku was even more terrifying.
Back then, his own reckless actions nearly got both him and Yagyū Saemon killed during the Rainbow Dragon incident.
If not for Satoshi and this very move, the Rainbow Dragon would have wiped them out.
Satoshi's Ennetsu Jigoku had incinerated the beast in an instant, allowing Suguru to seize it with Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
Now, nine years later, Ennetsu Jigoku had become even stronger.
Even at this distance, through the warding barriers and city walls, they could still feel the oppressive heat.
What kind of power was this…?
Even Suguru, who had personally witnessed this move up close, was shaken.
For Mei Mei and Utahime, who had never seen it before, the sight was beyond comprehension.
This level of destructive power went far beyond their understanding of what a jujutsu technique should be.
Before this, they had always assumed that every sorcerer's cursed technique had its own limits and counters.
But the techniques unleashed by Satoru and Satoshi completely shattered that logic.
At the start of the goodwill event, Satoru was still using the Limitless Technique to face Satoshi head-on.
He had even displayed Cursed Technique Reversal: Red and Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
But as the battle went on, it had become something else entirely—a war between Zanpakutō.
Satoshi's Ryūjin Jakka and Satoru's Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
These two blades had become the stars of the event. All the sorcerers, no matter how talented, were reduced to mere spectators.
Everyone understood that a Zanpakutō's power ultimately depended on its wielder.
That was common knowledge.
And yet, they couldn't help but be captivated.
Because the Zanpakutō themselves were just too spectacular. The visuals, the impact—it was something no cursed technique could compare to.
...
The frost in the air began to fade.
The colors on the screen slowly shifted as the white light of the White Imperial Sword was gradually devoured by the red glow of Ennetsu Jigoku.
As one surged, the other receded. And at that moment, everyone realized who would have the last word.
The fire pillar pierced the sky, sweeping across the entire field with unrelenting intensity.
Ennetsu Jigoku blazed with terrifying purpose, consuming all in its path.
The entire venue fell into stunned silence.
Was it even possible?
Was this really Satoshi's strength?
Both Ryūjin Jakka and Senbonzakura Kageyoshi were Zanpakutō, and Satoru had even activated his Bankai.
Meanwhile, Ryūjin Jakka was only in Shikai…
Yet even with Senbonzakura Kageyoshi's Endscape: White Imperial Sword, Satoru still couldn't suppress it.
Could any sorcerer truly wield such power—power capable of burning heaven and earth?
(To be continued.)
***
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