"Leave them be for now. Let them wear each other out."
Granny Ogami made up her mind almost instantly, without much deliberation.
No matter how you looked at it, that Special Grade sorcerer and that monster were anything but easy opponents.
She knew the Heavenly Restriction was strong—he might not lose to either of them—but she had no intention of risking herself.
She only had one set of the Heavenly Restriction's remains left. There were no spares. Summoning his spirit through necromancy was the last chance she had to harness his power—her technique required the target's corpse to summon their spirit.
She wanted to wait a little longer, to strike when the Special Grade and that monster had exhausted each other.
Even if they didn't completely wear each other out, whoever won would still be significantly drained. By then, with her grandson wielding Toji Fushiguro's power, victory would be all but guaranteed.
"What's this? Not gonna jump in?"
At that moment, the black-haired man spoke again.
In an instant, Granny Ogami sensed something deeply off.
The tone of the black-haired man's voice no longer carried any stiffness. Instead, it was filled with disappointment, as if he disapproved of her cowardice.
It was nothing like her grandson.
"...Grandson?"
"Old hag, who the hell are you calling 'grandson'?"
The black-haired man turned his head.
His pitch-black eyes were like the depths of a moonless night. A wild, unrestrained grin spread across his face, the scar at the corner of his lips adding a roguish charm.
"I remember dying... Never thought I'd open my eyes again to something like this..."
The man spread his arms wide, breathing in the fresh air as if only a second—or a lifetime—had passed.
"Y-You... Don't tell me you're Toji Fushiguro?!"
Granny Ogami was so startled by this unforeseen turn of events that she lost all composure, her hair standing on end.
Her face drained of color as she collapsed to the ground, staring at him in utter disbelief.
"Impossible! When I perform the Séance Technique, I never download soul information—only physical data...!"
"So that's how it is. That explains why I've returned to this world. As expected, the world of sorcerers never fails to be interesting... Unfortunately, my body is rather special. It seems this guy's soul can't handle my physique."
The black-haired young man, Toji Fushiguro, casually stretched his arms and flexed his entire body, his movements radiating an air of utter indifference as if the elderly Granny Ogami didn't even exist in his world.
"When will this technique be undone?"
Toji turned his head slightly, casting a fleeting glance at Granny Ogami, who lay sprawled on the ground like a lump of mud.
It was just an ordinary look.
But to Granny Ogami, it felt like being locked in the gaze of a lion emerging from the savannah. A chill shot up from the soles of her feet to the crown of her head, instantly extinguishing any thought of resistance.
"The technique will last until my grandson's cursed energy runs out! And—I can't die! If I die, you'll lose control of that body! If you want to live again, you can't harm me!"
Driven by sheer terror, Granny Ogami instantly concocted reasons to justify her survival.
She was genuinely afraid Toji might kill her on a whim.
The closer she was to death, the more she feared it. Having lived nearly ninety years, she desperately wanted another decade—preferably to reach a hundred.
"You're telling the truth?"
"Yes! Absolutely true!"
Under Toji's intimidating gaze, Granny Ogami shivered and nodded frantically in panic.
But her mind was racing.
In truth, she had never encountered a case like Toji's in her entire life.
She had no idea what would happen.
Normally, when she summoned a powerful spirit, her grandson would inherit that individual's techniques and strength—though his cursed energy remained his own. As he fought using the summoned power, his own cursed energy would deplete until it ran out, ending the summoning and returning him to normal.
But Toji was the Heavenly Restriction's Tyrant—the only one of his kind in the world!
His combat prowess relied entirely on his physical body, consuming no cursed energy at all!
What would happen now?
Even Granny Ogami couldn't predict it.
The situation was hurtling toward an utterly unpredictable outcome.
"Find somewhere to hide. I'll come for you later."
Toji gave Granny Ogami a glance, his expression as cold as if he were looking at a dish served at a meal.
As a former mercenary, he had killed far too many people. He was all too familiar with the desperate justifications of those clinging to life out of fear.
He didn't fully believe Granny Ogami's words, but killing her now would serve no purpose. For the time being, he'd let her live.
This so-called Séance Technique—he knew nothing about it yet. Once he understood it fully, he could deal with her then.
Granny Ogami, as if granted a royal pardon, scrambled away on all fours.
"Come for her later"? Like hell she'd wait around for that!
She absolutely must not be found by Toji Fushiguro!
After all, she had several grandsons like that Mohawk-headed brat, all snatched from others when she was younger. If they died, so be it—her own life was what mattered most.
She had to run now, escape the barrier, flee as far as possible. Best to leave the country entirely, ensuring Toji Fushiguro would never find her for the rest of her life. And that special-grade teacher—if he survived, he'd surely come after her too. She had to get out of the country!
Damn it all!
Didn't Geto Suguru say this job would be easy?
Hadn't he arranged everything perfectly?
So why did things keep going wrong?!
Toji coldly watched the direction where Granny Ogami had vanished, in no hurry to chase her.
As long as she was alive, he had countless ways to track her down.
Right now, the battlefield over there held far greater appeal for him!
"That white-haired brat… Could he have the same physique as me?"
Toji shifted his gaze, looking into the distance at the fight unfolding in the stadium.
That monster seemed a bit odd.
But he dismissed it with a glance.
Because, in comparison, the other white-haired boy was far more intriguing.
Every punch and kick radiated devastating power. Without even using cursed energy, his fists could tear through the air, his kicks shatter the earth… Exactly like Toji in his prime.
Facing another fighter who relied purely on physical prowess like himself, Toji's stagnant heart, long devoid of excitement, couldn't help but stir with interest.
And—
"I hate white-haired brats!"
BOOM!
Toji stomped the ground, shattering it instantly.
His figure left a trail of afterimages as he shot forward like a cannonball, a long vapor trail streaking through the air as he charged toward the stadium with terrifying force.
In less than a second, he appeared on the battlefield as if teleporting.
Ignoring Mahoraga entirely, he arched his back like a drawn bow and launched a flying kick straight at Roy's face!
The shockwave of his strike howled through the air, violently churning the atmosphere within several meters.
"This bastard!"
Roy's expression darkened.
Daring to ambush me?
Thinking I'm an easy target, huh?
And aiming for my face?!
The moment Toji had begun his leap, Roy's omnidirectional "Perception" had already detected the movement. With his heightened awareness, sneak attacks were the least of his worries.
As Toji's foot shot toward him, Roy instantly bent backward, evading the kick with the fluidity of an iron bridge stance.
Simultaneously, he used the momentum of his dodge to flip backward, planting his hands on the ground and driving both feet upward in a vicious heel kick aimed at Toji's chin!
At the same time, Mahoraga—who had been swinging the blade attached to its right arm toward Roy—suddenly halted its attack. It redirected its assault, slashing diagonally at Toji's back instead!
"Huh?"
Toji's eyes narrowed dangerously.
He had already decided his opponent was that white-haired brat. This monster really had no sense of timing!
Toji kicked off mid-air, his body twisting impossibly as he narrowly slipped between Roy's flying kick and Mahoraga's descending sword, barely evading their combined assault.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he instantly launched another kick straight at Mahoraga!
The strike was blindingly fast and carried tremendous force.
Mahoraga couldn't dodge in time and could only cross its arms to block. A tremendous force struck, forcing it to stagger back several steps.
"This can't be right?"
Toji landed on the ground, staring at Mahoraga, which had only retreated a few steps without any further reaction. A hint of bewilderment flashed across his face.
"Don't tell me you don't even recognize this thing?"
At that moment, Roy, now free, stretched his shoulders and looked at Toji with undisguised mockery in his eyes.
"Toji Fushiguro, this is your Zen'in family's ancestral treasure—Mahoraga!"
"...Ah, no wonder it felt so strange."
Toji fell silent for a moment before sighing heavily.
"And it's not that I don't recognize Mahoraga—it's that I never knew Mahoraga in the first place."
Wait, hold on.
Mahoraga can only be summoned by a sorcerer who possesses the Ten Shadows Technique.
...It couldn't be related to his son, could it?
Before his death, he knew his son had remarkable potential as a jujutsu sorcerer, but the likelihood of him awakening the Ten Shadows Technique shouldn't be that high, right?
The vast stadium was now riddled with destruction, the ground shattered and debris scattered everywhere.
Roy stood to one side, a smirk plastered across his face.
Toji stood on the other side, his expression growing increasingly irritated.
Mahoraga stood apart from both of them, poised like a hunting tiger, watching the two with predatory intensity.
A three-way standoff.
In an instant, the situation descended into utter chaos.