"What?"
Kagami Reiji didn't expect Rozen to react so quickly, and his expression subtly changed.
The Wood Talisman that Rozen had driven into the ground absorbed the water energy that had yet to be suppressed by the earth energy, causing the wood energy to surge.
Instantly, towering trees sprouted from the fissure in the earth, preventing it from closing and even cracking it further, reversing the suppression and subduing the earth energy instead.
Wood overcomes Earth. Even though Kagami Reiji's earth energy had been strengthened by absorbing fire energy through the cycle of mutual generation, Rozen's wood energy had also absorbed water energy and grown stronger in the same way. As a result, due to the principle of elemental counteraction, Rozen's talisman techniques naturally overpowered Kagami Reiji's.
Seeing the situation turning against him, Kagami Reiji didn't hesitate. He immediately cast a new talisman.
"Order!"
Kagami Reiji released the jutsuryoku imbued in the talisman, sending it into the fissure to absorb the earth energy.
It was a Metal Talisman.
"Earth generates Metal!"
Kagami Reiji changed his hand seals, and from beneath the ground, countless blades burst forth like a torrential downpour of arrows, striking violently.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Under the relentless barrage of these razor-sharp blades, the flourishing trees were pierced, shattered, and severed, turning into countless wood splinters that danced in the air.
Metal overcomes Wood—this was an inevitable outcome.
However...
"My wood energy hasn't dissipated yet."
Rozen suddenly grinned and leisurely pulled out another talisman.
It was not a Fire Talisman meant to counter metal energy or a Water Talisman to absorb wood energy, but another Wood Talisman—just like before.
Yet, the script on this talisman had been altered.
Kagami Reiji, keen-eyed, noticed this change, and his pupils contracted as if he had recalled something.
"Thunder Art!"
Yes.
Thunder Art.
Rozen possessed an exceedingly rare mastery of Thunder Art, a power Kagami Reiji had experienced firsthand in the past.
And thunder energy was a derivative of wood energy, belonging to the same elemental category.
"————!"
In the next moment, Rozen cast his modified Wood Talisman, forming an Indra Seal with his hands and invoking the name of the Thunder God to activate the lightning jujutsu.
The Wood Talisman instantly erupted in a brilliant glow, which transformed into dazzling electric arcs. The sparks condensed into roaring lightning, blazing with white-hot intensity.
If it were only this much, Kagami Reiji could still handle it. His strength was sufficient to counter Thunder Art.
But Rozen had already made it clear—his talisman's wood energy hadn't dissipated yet.
Thus, a chemical reaction took effect.
It was as if the dispersed wood energy in the atmosphere was transmuted entirely into lightning energy, causing the storm of electricity to surge like wildfire. Countless thunderbolts crackled and danced through the surroundings, transforming the entire area into a pool of lightning, flickering madly.
Seeing this, how could Kagami Reiji not realize what had happened?
"You used me!"
Rozen had predicted Kagami Reiji's next few moves the moment he began using talismans, saw through his actions, and guided him into destroying his own talismans—scattering the wood energy into the surroundings.
By doing so, Rozen had indeed used Kagami Reiji.
"Consider it a lesson. Not bad, right?"
Rozen smirked, his tone teasing.
Kagami Reiji, however, was enraged.
But he had no time to dwell on his anger—
Because the rampaging lightning was already upon him, ready to incinerate him whole.
"Don't underestimate me!"
Kagami Reiji roared in fury. With no way to evade the attack, his hands moved like claws, his arms slicing through the air like the wind. As he did, the space before him seemed to be torn apart, forming a barrier of interwoven grids.
It was none other than the Nine Syllable Seal.
The lightning crashed against the barrier like a tidal wave of plasma, violently striking Kagami Reiji while he braced himself behind the Nine Syllable Seal.
"Boom——!"
The blinding thunderclap echoed outward like a shockwave, stinging the skin of everyone present.
"Ooooooohhhhhh——!"
Kagami Reiji let out a frenzied roar, pouring his jutsuryoku wildly into the Nine Syllable Seal, desperately trying to keep it from being breached.
If the spiritual veins hadn't already been funneled into the ritual barrier, Kagami Reiji could have used Far Step to sink into the veins and evade the attack. But unfortunately, Tokyo's spiritual veins had already been integrated into the barrier, preventing not only Rozen but also anyone else from using them.
Kagami Reiji had no choice but to withstand the relentless assault of the lightning storm head-on.
And to his credit, he was indeed strong.
Even as the overwhelming jujutsu shattered his Nine Syllable Seal, he still managed to withstand the devastating Thunder Art, gradually diminishing the lightning's intensity.
"Hah... Hah... Hah..."
Only then did Kagami Reiji finally come to a stop, his body heaving with ragged breaths as he dropped to one knee.
A closer look revealed that his entire body was covered in blood, his skin riddled with wounds, making him appear utterly battered.
Rozen merely observed him with unwavering composure, his expression unchanging from start to finish.
To Kagami Reiji, it felt as if he had been rendered utterly powerless before Rozen.
"Incredible..."
Standing off to the side, Kurahashi Kyouko had been watching the entire battle unfold, now staring blankly in awe.
The duel between Rozen and Kagami Reiji had perfectly demonstrated one thing—
This was a battle between true jujutsu masters.
From the aggressive probing of the Fire Realm Incantation, to the clash of mantra incantations, from the overwhelming dominance of the Usnisavijaya Mantra, to the tyrannical power of Thunder Art—
These were forces beyond the reach of mere students, even ones from an Onmyo Academy.
Even among professional Onmyoji, few could wield such power.
The battle had showcased a brilliant interplay of talismans, the collision of the Five Elements in mutual generation and counteraction, and the strategic calculations of both combatants—
All of which embodied the essence of a true jujutsu battle.
"I'm still too weak..."
Kurahashi Kyouko fully recognized this reality.
And so did Kagami Reiji.
"Damn it...!"
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his face twisting in frustration.
Hadn't the ritual barrier already suppressed Rozen's power?
Then why could he still wield such overwhelming strength?
Did this mean that even in a weakened state, he still couldn't defeat Rozen?
"Bastard...!"
Kagami Reiji cursed angrily.
Rozen, in contrast, remained calm as ever.
"What's wrong? Are you done already?"
Once again, Rozen posed the same question.
But this time, he had more to say.
"That can't be all, right?"
Rozen narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"After all... this guy has been getting restless for a while now."
With those words, Rozen suddenly whirled around, extending one hand abruptly.
"Swoosh!"
At that very moment, a dark figure burst forth, appearing right behind Rozen.
A blade gleaming with icy-cold sharpness swung downward—
Slashing through the air directly toward Rozen's outstretched hand.
"CLANG——!"
A piercing clash of steel rang out like a resounding shockwave, shaking the battlefield once more.