The blazing flames gradually subsided, and the entire site of the goodwill event looked like a pitch-black scorched earth. Jōkaku Enjō… under the feet of Satoru and Satoshi, there was nothing left but a charred hell.
The flames of the barrier that had originally trapped Suguru and his group were completely absorbed into the burning Ennetsu Jigoku.
Jōkaku Enjō had perfectly shielded Suguru, Shoko, Utahime, Mei Mei, and Kamo Kenshin. After completing its mission, it withdrew, merging back into the hellfire, resisting the power of Endscape: White Imperial Sword until that technique was extinguished.
"Satoshi, as expected, it is still too difficult for me to use this move right now."
Satoru's face was pale, his light blue eyes clouded with exhaustion, but he still stood firmly in the air.
On the opposite side, Satoshi stood quietly. The only difference between them was the Zanpakutō in their hands, and a faint red flush on Satoshi's face.
At this moment, the two of them still gripped their Zanpakutō tightly.
The billions of petal blades that formed Senbonzakura Kegoyoshi had vanished, reassembling into the sealed Senbonzakura.
The towering pillar of fire that Ryūjin Jakka had released had also completely withdrawn into the blade, leaving only a faint heat radiating from it.
The two Zanpakutō looked ordinary now. If not for witnessing the clash of those two extreme powers just moments ago, no one would have believed that such terrifying forces had come from these seemingly simple blades.
"That was very good. Satoru, this was your first time using Senbonzakura's Bankai, and you were able to reach the level of Gōkei and Endscape. It's beyond my expectations.
"If you can reach the level of Gōkei and Endscape, then achieving the Senkei is only a matter of time.
"This time, your Endscape: White Imperial Sword did not yet display your full power. After you and Senbonzakura have been in sync for a while longer, you will definitely be able to unleash a far stronger Senbonzakura."
At this moment, Satoshi did not look like the opponent who had just battled Satoru. He seemed more like an examiner, evaluating Satoru's Zanpakutō performance.
Seeing how relaxed Satoshi was, Satoru understood that he had still been unable to force Satoshi to reveal his true trump card.
But that was fine.
At least, Satoshi had been serious enough during their battle.
…
The sister school goodwill event ended successfully.
Satoshi had single-handedly turned the entire event into a one-man show.
Whether it was Tokyo Jujutsu High or Kyoto Jujutsu High, their representative teams all ended up defeated.
At least Tokyo still had some reason to hold their heads high. The final winner, Satoshi, was still a member of Tokyo Jujutsu High, although his strength was on an entirely different level, making him the ultimate boss of this goodwill event.
Moreover, during the normal battles, Satoru had also fought against this final boss to the very end.
Kyoto Jujutsu High was not so fortunate.
After this goodwill event, their reputation in the entire jujutsu world was damaged.
From start to finish, the Gojo twins were the stars of the event, while the heir of the Kamo clan, who Kyoto had placed great hopes on, ended up looking like a clown.
From the beginning, he had only dodged, hoping to pick up the spoils.
Later, he was trapped by the wall of flames, and when he tried to escape, he was burned by the fire and knocked unconscious.
Kamo Kenshin had made an impressive entrance, but his performance during the event was completely disappointing.
As for Mei Mei and Utahime, while they were not as pathetic as Kenshin, their presence in this event was very weak.
Although Shoko had also been more of a supporting figure, she at least had one highlight during this event: she saved Kamo Kenshin, allowing the entire jujutsu world to witness the extraordinary healing ability of Shoko and her Zanpakutō, Minazuki, for the first time.
Reverse Cursed Technique was already the pinnacle of healing techniques. Combined with Minazuki, which could also heal others, the result was a complete breakthrough.
"Shoko, please check Satoru's condition. Using the Endscape earlier pushed him too hard. There may be hidden injuries left in his body. You and Minazuki should examine him thoroughly."
Satoshi supported Satoru as they landed beside Shoko.
After handing Satoru to Shoko, his gaze shifted to the unconscious Kamo Kenshin and the replica Inverted Spear of Heaven next to him, and he gave a small, silent laugh.
Kenshin had prepared extensively for this goodwill event, but it had all been for nothing.
Even though it was only a replica, the weapon was still a high-grade Cursed Tool.
The Kamo clan truly deserved its reputation as a great forging family. Even though Kamo Kaname had been gone for nine years, the clan could still produce top-grade Cursed Tools. Their foundation was indeed deep.
Thinking of this, Satoshi subconsciously glanced at the Ryūjin Jakka in his hand.
If it weren't for the "strong support" of the Kamo clan back then, he might not have been able to successfully forge Ryūjin Jakka.
After all, the flame-type special-grade Cursed Tool, combined with the Scorched Phase of the Cursed Womb: Nine Phases Diagram, had been the crucial elements for forging Ryūjin Jakka.
The Kamo clan really had been his lucky star, the force that allowed him to take a giant step forward. Without them, his strength would never have advanced this quickly.
Without Ryūjin Jakka, his strength would probably only be on the same level as Satoru with Senbonzakura Bankai.
Even with Heavenly Restriction and physical abilities far surpassing Satoru's, without the art of life, he and Satoru would have been evenly matched.
Ryūjin Jakka was the key to everything.
And that key, in a way, came from the Kamo clan.
Perhaps this was fate.
If Kamo had stopped after his first failure, stopped chasing after petty things, stopped trying to retrieve the Nine Phases Diagram, then, to be honest, Satoshi might have had to hone his forging skills for many more years before he could have successfully forged Ryūjin Jakka.
He hadn't had any contact with the Kamo clan for nine years.
Now, as he looked at this imitation Inverted Spear of Heaven, he suddenly thought of the genuine one he had obtained from the Zenin clan before.
(To be continued.)
***
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