"What is he doing? He's up against the legendary King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, and he's still muttering nonsense instead of running? Is he trying to die?"
"Yeah, at the very least, he should be calling for backup! Winning or losing doesn't matter anymore. If you don't survive, what's the point of the exam?"
"I feel like he was probably scared stiff by Sukuna. I mean, he just woke up from nine years of sleep and immediately ran into the King of Curses…"
"Now that you say that, I do feel a little bad for him. If it had been any other cursed spirit, he probably would've passed the exam easily. Who would've thought Sukuna's consciousness would awaken in something like this…"
But at that moment.
"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"
On screen, under everyone's stunned gaze, a red light began to gather around Satoshi's body. A terrifying and unfamiliar energy surged into his hands.
As his chant ended, an explosive wave of wind pressure erupted from his body, whipping his hair and clothing into a frenzy.
In the next second, a beam of blazing crimson light shot from his fingertips, colliding directly with Sukuna's Domain Expansion.
The blinding red-white light consumed the entire screen, shaking even the broadcast itself.
After a few moments, the radiance faded.
Satoshi and Sukuna's figures reappeared on screen.
Sukuna looked at himself, seemingly unharmed, and was about to sneer.
When suddenly, under his shocked gaze, the domain he had used to seal Satoshi's Zanpakutō cracked like shattered glass.
Boom!
The domain collapsed.
Seeing this, Sukuna's expression froze. He stared at the space crumbling around him, utterly stunned.
"What kind of spell is this?!"
He was the King of Curses who had once stood against all sorcerers a thousand years ago.
Though modern techniques had evolved, their foundational principles remained largely unchanged. Yet, he had never encountered anything like this before!
What shocked him even more was the complete lack of cursed energy flowing from Gojo Satoshi's body.
"…A technique that can activate without cursed energy?"
Sukuna's pupils shrank sharply.
...
Jujutsu High, in front of the screen.
Everyone stared at Satoshi in disbelief.
How was this possible?
They were all shocked by the dazzling technique.
If any other sorcerer had used it, they wouldn't have been surprised. But for Gojo Satoshi, who had no cursed energy, this defied all logic.
Nine years ago, the abilities Satoshi used had all stemmed from his Zanpakutō.
But his Zanpakutō was currently sealed by Sukuna's domain. How could he still use that technique?
Did Gojo Satoshi have some other unknown power?
Ogi and Shinsuke both felt a chill crawl up their spines. Their bodies trembled slightly.
Shinsuke's eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets. He shouted, "That was a spell just now?! But Gojo Satoshi… How can he have cursed energy?! He has a Heavenly Restriction body, he shouldn't have any innate techniques!"
Ogi looked at Satoshi's figure, awe-struck and confused. "Isn't Satoshi's body bound by Heavenly Restriction? Then what the hell was that?"
Naobito, standing nearby, glanced at them but chose not to speak.
In the end, he simply sighed.
After all, nine years had passed. A person like Gojo Satoshi could no longer be understood through common logic.
In the Gojo family area.
Kumaen swallowed hard. Then, his face lit up with joy.
"A spell? That's a spell?! This power… it has to be a spell!"
"Satoshi slept for nine years, and he really came back with something incredible! Hahaha!"
Shunichi at his side was practically trembling with excitement.
"I knew it. I knew Young Master Satoshi would be fine! Acting Head, once this is all over, I say we bring him back and officially appoint him as our new clan head!"
Kumaen didn't hesitate. His smile was filled with pride. "Yes. Satoshi is of age now. It's time for me to step down."
Not far away, in the Yorozuya area.
Yuto threw his arm around Toji's neck and shouted in delight,
"Satoshi just casually used a spell?! That's insane! Even after nine years, he's still surprising us!"
Up on the platform, in the Kamo clan's area.
Kamo Shinji stared silently at the screen for a long time. Finally, he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Gojo Satoshi seems to have given us a new surprise."
"In addition to his Zanpakutō, the spell he just used was also terrifying."
A clan member replied, "Hmm, a spell? I don't think so.
After all, Satoshi doesn't have cursed energy. We confirmed it clearly when he drew lots earlier.
Even if he used some unknown method to temporarily fight back against Sukuna, his crisis isn't over yet.
After all, the one he's facing is the King of Curses from a thousand years ago.
Even without the domain suppression, defeating him won't be easy."
Since they were close, Kumaen clearly heard their conversation.
But he said nothing.
Because based on his understanding of Satoshi, as long as he could regain his Zanpakutō, this battlefield would become Satoshi's domain.
Sukuna might be strong, but with only one finger's worth of power, it was unrealistic to think he could defeat Satoshi at full strength.
After all, Satoshi wielded not just the fire-type Zanpakutō Ryūjin Jakka, but also the only known user of Sode no Shirayuki capable of Bankai.
He was already invincible.
In this situation, knowing both sides were capable of victory, Kumaen was more focused on another matter.
The battle between the Gojo clan's two Six Eyes prodigies. Who would take the final win?
He turned his eyes to the other screen.
Satoru and Suguru's fight was nearing its end. It would probably be over in less than five minutes.
Even if Satoshi defeated Sukuna, catching up to Satoru's progress would be extremely difficult.
But it couldn't be helped. Satoshi's team had simply drawn the short straw. Not even Jujutsu High could've predicted that a single finger would awaken Sukuna's consciousness.
On the judging platform, Principal Sekiguchi's expression had grown grim.
Mistakes were unavoidable, but this one was just too big. This round really hadn't been fair at all.
(To be continued.)
***
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