In the silent neighborhood, the lingering light of the setting sun stretched the long shadows of the confronting parties. The air seemed to be sucked dry, filled with a suffocating sense of oppression.
The three sorcerers from the Zenin family had gloomy eyes, and the Cursed Energy fluctuations radiating from their bodies carried an ancient, unquestionable arrogance and killing intent.
Their gazes were locked dead onto Mukyoku Nagi, as if looking at a stain about to be removed.
"Mukyoku Nagi,"
The leading sorcerer's voice was hoarse, carrying undisguised disgust. "You heavily injured Young Master Ryuichi and trampled on the dignity of the Big Three Families. How can such a sin allow you to continue being arrogant? Today is the time for you to pay the price!"
The playfulness on Gojo Satoru's face had long disappeared, replaced by a cold expression, as if looking at trash.
Just as he was about to step forward, the Six Eyes behind his sunglasses had already locked onto the weaknesses in the opponent's Cursed Energy flow.
Geto Suguru also restrained his gentle smile, Cursed Energy faintly surging around him.
Even the second-year senior, Iori Utahime, nervously assumed a defensive posture.
However, just the moment before they were about to act—
"Satoru, Suguru, Senior Utahime."
Mukyoku Nagi's voice rang out coldly, like crushed ice in winter, interrupting their movements. He didn't turn back, still facing the three from the Zenin family, but those words carried an unquestionable, almost commanding determination.
"You guys, don't interfere."
Gojo Satoru raised an eyebrow: "Huh? What stupid things are you saying? These scum..."
"They are mine."
Nagi interrupted him, tone flat, yet containing a silence like a volcano about to erupt.
He slowly took a step forward. Just this single step, and an invisible yet heavy-as-a-mountain pressure suddenly spread out with him as the center!
The dust in the air seemed to stagnate because of it. Under the setting sun, his vermilion pupils no longer flickered but were like two pools of congealed blood, emitting a cold and violent fierce light, locking dead onto the three opposite him.
"Some scores, I want to settle personally."
His voice lowered, every word seeming to carry cold weight. "Some anger... needs to be thoroughly extinguished... in the most direct way."
Zenin Ryuichi's twisted face full of contempt and viciousness at the exchange event, those inferior words insulting his mother and companions, pierced into his mind again like poisoned needles.
That forcibly suppressed, cold killing intent and rage exploded with a bang at this moment like a bursting flood!
The brief warmth and peace felt at the amusement park today only highlighted the ugliness of these people before him even more.
He needed a thorough, crushing destruction to vent this accumulated emotion that was almost burning him!
This was the only way!
Gojo Satoru looked at Nagi's back. That almost substantial cold killing intent and oppression made him raise his eyebrows slightly, then the corners of his mouth split into an excited and dangerous arc: "Wow~ getting real. Fine, the stage is yours."
He relaxed completely, putting his hands in his pockets, looking like he was watching a good show.
He felt it. The current Nagi didn't need help, but catharsis.
Geto Suguru frowned deeply. He could sense the unusualness of Nagi's state—it was a near-pure, cold desire for destruction. But he also chose to trust, slowly restraining his Cursed Energy.
Senior Utahime turned pale from this sudden terrifying momentum, subconsciously taking half a step back.
The three from the Zenin family bore the brunt of it and felt it most profoundly!
The oppression rushing toward them almost made their breath stagnate, as if being stared at by some prehistoric beast. A fear originating from instinct quietly grew, but long-term arrogance made them forcibly suppress this fear.
"Playing tricks! Attack!"
The leader suppressed his fear and roared. The techniques of the three changed suddenly!
One person didn't manipulate shadows but formed seals with both hands and pressed them on the ground: "Mud Bind Coffin!"
The ground beneath Nagi's feet instantly softened and collapsed, as if turning into a viscous, heavy swamp. Countless pitch-black muddy arms made of Cursed Energy suddenly stretched out from it, grabbing at his legs, attempting to drag him underground and imprison him!
Another person didn't use shockwaves but fiercely tore open the front of his kimono, revealing a chest covered in incantations. Those incantations squirmed like living things, instantly spraying out dozens of Cursed Energy beams flashing with ominous purple-black light, like solid chains!
"Cursed Binding: Soul-Etching Chain"!
These chains didn't strike directly but wove into a large net in the air as if possessing life, covering Nagi from all directions. Once entangled, they would directly erode and seal the target's Cursed Energy flow!
The last person didn't hide but stomped his foot fiercely. His body expanded like a balloon being blown up, muscles bulging, skin turning gray-white like rock, red light emitting from his eyes—
"Body Curse Technique: Rock Demon"!
He abandoned technique and chose the purest physical strength attached with berserk Cursed Energy, roaring and charging toward Nagi like a humanoid tank. Every step cracked the ground, and his huge fist smashed over with the momentum to crush everything!
Facing these three distinct, well-coordinated killing moves, Nagi's eyes didn't change at all, holding only a patch of cold, bottomless crimson.
He didn't even make any dodging movements.
Just at the instant before those muddy ghost hands were about to grab his ankles, that Cursed Energy chain net was about to cover him, and that rock giant fist was about to bombard his body—
"Maximum Technique: Nagi."
A cold, emotionless finger snap echoed crisply in the deadly silent neighborhood.
*Buzz—!!!*
An absolute, incomparably unreasonable force field expanded boldly with him as the center!
Not precise single-target cancellation, but in an incomparably domineering posture, forcibly zeroing out all kinetic energy within his radius!
No process, no struggle, only result!
Those countless muddy ghost hands grabbing from underground, the moment they extended out of the ground and were about to touch the target, all their "grabbing" and "dragging" kinetic energy was thoroughly stripped away!
They stiffened helplessly in place maintaining their hideous forms for a second, then, because the core power driving the technique was lost, they went limp like real mud and fell back into the swamp. The swamp technique itself also quickly failed because the core power was cut off, and the ground returned to hardness!
That purple-black Cursed Energy chain net covering from all directions, the moment it entered the domain, its "entangling" and "binding" kinetic energy was thoroughly canceled!
The entire net made of Cursed Energy seemed to suddenly lose all power support, disintegrating abruptly, turning into countless broken, flashing purple-black light spots, annihilating silently in mid-air like popped bubbles!
And that sorcerer incarnated as "Rock Demon," his berserk forward charging kinetic energy, the momentum contained in that giant fist enough to split mountains and crack rocks, was completely canceled by an irresistible, completely opposite huge resistance the moment it touched the edge of the force field!
He felt as if he had slammed head-first into an invisible, absolutely unshakable steel wall of billions of weight!
*Bang!!*
A heavy muffled sound!
His forward momentum was forcibly braked in place! That huge inertia acted on his own body, making his expanded body emit a tooth-aching twisting sound, as if about to tear itself apart!
The fist he smashed out hovered powerlessly less than ten centimeters from Nagi's face, unable to advance even a fraction!
The hideous expression on his face froze, replaced by extreme horror and pain!
He wasn't blocked, but the power of his "charge" and "attack" was thoroughly stripped away!
Absolute silence!
Crushing display of power!
The remaining two Zenin sorcerers' minds went blank; their thinking couldn't even comprehend everything happening before them!
Their combined technique, a killing move enough to trap and kill a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, was just... easily disintegrated? Like being casually smoothed out by an invisible big hand!
However, this was just the beginning.
Nagi moved.
His figure disappeared from the spot like a ghost. Not relying on the acceleration of "Fast" (Shun), but pure physical strength and extreme speed strengthened by "Vermilion Eyes," leaving a faint afterimage in place.
The next second, he had already appeared in front of the sorcerer who used "Mud Bind Coffin."
That sorcerer only saw a pair of cold, ruthless vermilion pupils rapidly enlarging before his eyes. Boundless fear instantly seized his heart!
Nagi's fist blasted simply and directly toward his abdomen.
"Zetsu (Absolute)."
On the surface of the fist, the "No Resistance" domain covered instantly!
No sound.
No loud noise of collision.
The Cursed Energy defense that the sorcerer hastily condensed on his abdomen, in front of that "absolutely smooth" fist ignoring all energy friction resistance, had its structure easily slid away and disintegrated! Nagi's fist seemed to hit empty air; the Cursed Energy defense failed to provide the slightest hindrance!
*Thud!*
A muffled, terrifying sound of flesh squeezing rang out!
That sorcerer's abdomen caved in visibly to the naked eye, and the clothes on his back exploded with a fist imprint! His eyeballs instantly bulged and filled with blood vessels. A leaking sound of "Huk huk" came from his throat, filth mixed with gastric juice and bile sprayed from his mouth. His whole person slumped down like a kite with a broken string, completely unconscious.
Cold! Brutal! Precise strike on weakness!
Nagi didn't even spare another glance there. His cold gaze instantly locked onto the last "Rock Demon" sorcerer who was scared silly and temporarily immobile due to technique backlash.
Nagi didn't rush over immediately. He stood in place, slowly raised his arms, palms facing each other, aiming from a distance at the sorcerer's completely exposed, thick knee joint.
This action was eerily calm, forming a sharp contrast with his violent crushing just now, yet bringing a more hair-raising sense of precision and control.
"You... what do you want to do?!"
That sorcerer screamed in horror, trying to mobilize residual Cursed Energy for defense.
But in Nagi's vermilion pupils, there was only cold focus, as if performing a precise surgery.
"Slow."
He whispered softly.
Not a violent force field, but two extremely exquisite, condensed invisible resistances, like the thinnest yet toughest steel wires, precisely guided by his "Vermilion Eyes," instantly penetrated the opponent's hastily condensed, rough Cursed Energy defense, acting directly on the left and right sides inside the knee joint!
One "Slow" applied to the left side of the joint, resistance direction squeezing inward.
Another "Slow" applied to the right side of the joint, resistance direction pulling outward.
These two powerful and precise resistances with completely opposite directions didn't explode instantly, but like slowly turning precision gears, began to act continuously and gradually increasing inside his knee joint!
"Ugh, ahhh————"
The sorcerer immediately felt as if his knee was being bitten firmly by two invisible, immensely powerful pliers from both inside and outside directions!
And these two pliers were constantly, slowly increasing force!
This wasn't instant shattering, but continuous, increasing crushing and tearing!
He could clearly feel his knee joint cartilage, ligaments, and even bones, under the slow and firm action of those two opposite forces, emitting a tooth-aching, tiny creaking sound... That was the precursor of tissue being squeezed, deformed bit by bit until breaking!
Violent pain like death by a thousand cuts instantly overwhelmed his nerves!
He wanted to scream, but due to extreme pain could only emit gasping sounds. Veins popped on his forehead, tears and snot gushing out uncontrollably!
"Ah... Ah... Stop... Stop it quickly!!!"
He wailed shrilly, body trembling violently, but unable to move significantly because the joint was imprisoned by invisible force. He could only watch helplessly, feeling with incomparable clarity that his knee was being slowly, cruelly destroyed from the inside!
Nagi's palms still faced each other, maintaining that slow closing posture, eyes looking coldly at the opponent's painfully twisted expression, as if appreciating a symphony named "Pain" conducted by him. He controlled the power output of "Slow," making this process slow enough, clear enough.
This was catharsis. Not just defeating, but completely crushing the opponent's arrogance and malice in the way they feared most.
Gojo Satoru put away his playful smile and clicked his tongue: "Hiss... this kid... ruthless enough. This move is interesting."
Geto Suguru frowned deeply, remaining silent, seeming also shaken by this cold and precise punishment method.
Senior Utahime had already turned her head away unbearably.
Finally, when the sorcerer's screams had become hoarse and weak, and the abnormal sound at the knee reached a critical point.
Nagi's opposing palms closed gently.
*Crack—Snap!*
A more muffled, yet more thorough shattering and tearing sound came from inside the sorcerer's knee!
Those two opposite forces of "Slow" reached their peak at the last moment, like a finally closing crusher, completely destroying all structures inside the knee joint!
"OWWW—!!!"
The sorcerer let out a shrill howl unlike a human voice. His vision went black, and his massive body crashed to the ground as if all bones had been pulled out, clutching that knee already presenting an eerily twisted angle, fainting directly from pain.
The battle started suddenly and ended as swiftly and cruelly as thunder.
In less than half a minute, the three Zenin sorcerers who came menacingly—one heavily injured in the abdomen and unconscious, one with a shattered knee wailing on the ground, one with technique broken slumping on the floor.
Under the setting sun, Nagi slowly straightened his body, breathing terribly steady.
In his vermilion pupils, that violent coldness gradually faded, recovering to a deep pool-like calm, as if that cruel crushing just now was merely an illusion. That accumulated cold anger needing vent seemed to have finally found an outlet and subsided temporarily.
He turned around, not looking at the losers on the ground, but at his companions behind him.
Gojo Satoru whistled, expression complex: "...Although the method was a bit brutal, but... effect is outstanding."
Geto Suguru took a deep breath, eyes complex, finally turning into a light sigh: "...Truly... terrifying growth."
He confirmed again, absolutely never become enemies with this youth.
Senior Utahime was pale, unable to say a single word.
Nagi didn't say much, as if he had just done a trivial thing.
He walked to the side, carefully picked up that ugly-cute small doll placed on the steps, used his fingertips to carefully and gently brush off the dust stained on it, appearing as a different person from that cold crushing posture just now.
However, the moment he bent down, his "Vermilion Eyes" warning and Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes almost simultaneously captured an extremely weak Cursed Energy fluctuation flashing past on the top of a tall building in the extreme distance—that was the reflection of a telescope lens and a trace of more hidden, cold prying intent!
Someone else was watching! Moreover, the peeper was much more dangerous than the Zenin family small fry!
Nagi looked up abruptly, gaze sharp as a knife, instantly locking onto that direction!
Gojo Satoru also restrained his smile, the gaze under his sunglasses becoming cold and dangerous: "Oh? Seems the real audience... has been hiding behind the scenes all along."
That cold killing intent, just subsided, seemed to have a new target.
The real mastermind, after appreciating this "performance," seemed to have finally left a trace.
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