"Damn it!"
Kento Nanami was lifted high off the ground, his feet dangling uselessly in the air as an overwhelming, tyrannical force clamped tightly around his head.
The fear of death and utter despair flooded his brain. As his consciousness began to fade, even the Cursed Tool in his hand slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground.
"Survival probability: 0%."
Suddenly, Nanami heard something like a blade slicing through the air—a sharp, piercing wind whistling toward him.
The speed of the cold glint was unbelievable. Accompanied by the chilling sound of flesh and bone being severed, a miserable shriek rang out. Nanami felt the pressure vanish instantly, dropping him to the ground as the restraint disappeared.
Gritting his teeth, Nanami tore whatever was left on his head away and opened his eyes. He saw the Cursed Spirit clutching a gushing wound, its expression twisted in agony. The ground in front of him was sprayed with foul blood.
The severed arm Nanami had just pulled off lay beside him on the ground. The fingers and muscles of the freshly cut limb were still twitching violently.
But what shocked Nanami even more was that the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit, which he couldn't even scratch, had been decimated by a slender figure standing before him.
At first, he thought Geto-senpai or Gojo-senpai had come to save him.
But it was neither!
It was a boy who looked about his age, someone he had absolutely no memory of seeing before. He wielded a massive axe taller than an average person.
In his hands, the black blade moved with terrifying lightness. It tore through the air with fierce speed, making the wind scream under the burden.
In that split second, whether it was dozens of slashes or hundreds, Nanami couldn't tell. The speed was so fast that his eyes couldn't keep up; the wind generated by the blade forced him to squint, blurring his vision completely.
As the axe whistled down, dozens of bloody lines appeared on the Cursed Spirit's body.
In the howling wind, the spirit's flesh tore apart, blood sprayed, and internal organs scattered. Everything exploded simultaneously in a shower of gore.
The blade beams that broke through the curtain of blood and flesh didn't stop there. They surged forward, devouring everything in their path. The vegetation and trees within a hundred meters, centered on the Cursed Spirit, were obliterated before the energy finally dissipated.
Looking at the scars on the ground, the entire training field looked like it had been carpet-bombed. Not a blade of grass remained.
Except for the spot right in front of Nanami. It was as if an invisible shield had been erected, protecting the ground behind and beside him perfectly. In the midst of this barren wasteland, his spot stood out abruptly like an isolated island.
"Oops. might have overdone it a little."
The young man in casual clothes let go of the heavy axe, letting it embed deeply into the ground. The brilliant azure energy above it dissipated like a dream.
He glanced at the heavy two-handed axe, the corners of his mouth curving up slightly.
"It's a bit heavy, but surprisingly, it feels pretty good."
"I'm saved..."
Nanami, clothes tattered and looking utterly wretched, stared blankly. This smiling, harmless-looking young man basking in the sunlight was the architect of the natural disaster scene before him.
Nanami was certain this person didn't go to his school.
"Wait, is that Geto-senpai's technique?"
He watched as the unidentified young man gathered the remains of the Cursed Spirit—which had been reduced to dregs—into a glowing blue sphere.
"Who exactly is he?"
Nanami became even more curious about his savior's identity. He wasn't a Jujutsu High student, so was he an elite trained by the Three Great Families?
As his adrenaline faded, the exhausted Nanami lost consciousness. Just before blacking out, he murmured:
"...But thank you."
---
The person who delivered that devastating strike was Kenmei. He had foreseen this outcome the moment he saw Nanami use his technique release.
Sigh. Man-made machines really can't handle attacks specialized for destruction.
If Kenmei had been the one fighting, a single fatal blow would have been the best method. But obviously, Nanami didn't have that level of skill yet.
With Kenmei's vision, predicting an accident in this exam wasn't hard. But initially, he had no intention of interfering.
After all, the Jujutsu High supervisor was right there. Why should Kenmei overstep?
Unfortunately, the "stupid woman" everyone was counting on dropped the ball at the last second. Before she could even release her Cursed Energy, she was clutching her head in agony, unable to fight.
Kenmei hadn't realized that the "little shock" from Warhammer 40K was so potent that she still hadn't recovered to this day.
"Couldn't they have sent Geto or Gojo? Putting a wounded person on duty is just forcing it."
In that situation, the only possible outcome was that the promising freshman would lose his life in this accident.
If Kenmei weren't there, it would be whatever. But since he was, it became troublesome.
Kenmei had already revealed part of his strength to Geto. If he couldn't even handle this Cursed Spirit, where would he put his face?
So, Kenmei stepped in. And he used Mei Mei's Cursed Tool to do it.
This was truly "when in Rome, do as the Romans do"—adopting the combat style of a "Brawler-cer."
It definitely wasn't because Kenmei wanted to experience what it felt like to chop "people" with a long-handled greataxe.
Chopping stuff is seriously satisfying.
---
"Kenmei!"
By the time Suguru Geto and Satoru Gojo finally had free time to find Kenmei, they saw him sitting alone on a bench outside the basketball gym.
Kenmei noticed Haibara was worried about Nanami's injuries, so he sent the kid away. The "monthly exam" accident had made everyone busy instantly, leading to Kenmei being ignored until this duo arrived.
"Long time no see, Geto. And Gojo-kun."
Kenmei was drinking a soda he bought from a nearby vending machine. Seeing them approach, he tossed them the drinks he had bought in advance—a soda and a strawberry milk.
Kenmei had met Gojo once before, so he recognized the silver-haired boy in sunglasses next to Geto. Plus, the stick figures on the map were labeled "Geto" and "Gojo."
Geto had once complained to Kenmei that his best friend had a serious sweet tooth. So, the refreshing soda was for Geto, and the sickeningly sweet strawberry milk was for Gojo.
caught off guard by the sudden feeding, the two were a bit surprised.
Gojo didn't stand on ceremony with Kenmei. He casually said "Thanks!" and happily started drinking.
Watching his best friend act like this made Geto even more helpless. He said:
"Sorry, Kenmei. We were supposed to be the ones hosting you."