"This...!!"
"How can this be!?"
Miwa Kasumi and Zenin Mai's expressions shifted drastically. After processing what had just happened, Mai immediately drew her gun and shouted at Hayashi, "What did you do to Todo?!"
Such a bizarre scene was beyond anything they could have imagined. The sheer strength of Todo Aoi—an elite first-grade jujutsu sorcerer, with such a powerful body and jujutsu techniques—was undeniable. Yet, here he was, with his arm turned into a bloody mess by a single punch from a first-year. How could anyone comprehend that?
Todo was a first-grade jujutsu sorcerer, feared even among the Kyoto students, who often avoided him simply because they knew they couldn't defeat him.
Miwa Kasumi, now fully realizing the situation, called out to Todo Aoi, "Senpai, we should hurry to Tokyo High! Maybe they can still help you!"
"No, it's too late," Todo Aoi replied, devoid of anger or any desire to retaliate against Hayashi. Instead, he fully acknowledged the man standing before him. Just as Hayashi had said—he truly was the strongest first-year!
It was him!
Though Shoko Ieiri was a genius when it came to healing, even she couldn't possibly treat damage as severe as this. Todo's body was numb from shock; he couldn't even feel half of his side.
Hayashi, realizing he'd gone too far, remembered his fight against the Cursed Womb: Death Painting. Even at five times the damage, it had shattered its arm, and Todo certainly didn't have the same regeneration abilities as a Death Painting, meaning he couldn't recover on his own.
But!
Hayashi wasn't without options.
"Todo, stand still. I have a way to heal you!" Hayashi took a few steps forward, attempting to reach out.
"Don't touch him!" Mai shouted, gun aimed at Hayashi. "If you take one more step, I'll blow your head off. Don't think I'm joking!"
At this point, it was no longer just a sparring match. If Hayashi harbored any ill intentions, Todo in his current state wouldn't be able to evade. They didn't know enough about Hayashi to trust his intentions.
"Mai, put the gun down," Todo Aoi said weakly.
"No, in your condition—"
"I said, put it down!"
Todo's sharp gaze pierced through Mai, and she instinctively lowered her gun, her heart skipping a beat.
Only then did Hayashi approach Todo. He glanced at Todo's mangled arm—it was horrific. His entire arm was gone, and the exposed bone was visible.
"What are you going to do?" Todo's voice was weak. Although he was using cursed energy to temporarily stop the bleeding, it was only a temporary measure.
"I've never tried this before, but I need to make it clear: what I'm about to do must not be revealed to anyone else, especially not to your Kyoto schoolmates," Hayashi warned, preparing to use his Reversal Technique. He wanted to test if he could restore Todo's arm using the Reversal technique.
"Did you hear him?" Todo turned to Mai and Miwa Kasumi, his tone harsh. "If either of you breathes a word about this, I will kill you!"
Mai looked awkwardly at Todo. She had only been concerned for him, but now it seemed her kindness was being met with scorn.
Miwa Kasumi quickly bowed, nodding. "Understood." Todo's murderous gaze was terrifying, making her believe he really would kill her if she disobeyed.
Mai didn't say anything, but Todo didn't press the issue. Instead, he turned back to Hayashi. "Alright, go ahead."
"Good, let's give this a try." Hayashi took a deep breath and placed his hand near Todo's severed arm, initiating his Reversal Technique.
Reversal!
A green energy enveloped Todo's stump, and something miraculous started to happen.
However, Hayashi's face paled. After using the Reversal, he realized how taxing it was.
Reversal was a powerful technique that could reverse damage, restoring something to how it was five seconds before. However, it only worked for things that had been damaged within the past five seconds.
But!
It wasn't absolute. If the event had occurred more than five seconds ago, the cursed energy needed would exponentially increase for every additional five seconds.
They had already wasted about thirty seconds talking, meaning Hayashi had to reverse events from thirty seconds ago. He wasn't sure if he had the energy to pull it off.
"Is it not working?" Todo, now starting to feel the pain, was growing more impressed with Hayashi. Of everyone he'd fought, only Hayashi had injured him this badly.
"Don't worry. This is my responsibility, and I'll see it through," Hayashi said, exhaling as he pushed more cursed energy into the technique.
The reversal began ramping up.
Five seconds.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen seconds...
Twenty seconds...
Hayashi's complexion grew paler by the second. While his cursed energy reserves were massive, they weren't infinite. The Reversal technique, with its massive energy drain, was quickly exhausting him—especially after the cursed energy he had already used in their fight.
This Reversal was truly a heaven-defying technique, but its cost in cursed energy was astronomical.
Mai and Miwa Kasumi remained silent, too nervous to speak. They watched Hayashi perform his technique, their hearts pounding.
Twenty-five seconds.
Thirty seconds...
Thirty-five seconds...
Finally, after nearly forty seconds, Todo's arm suddenly reappeared, as if it had always been there. The limb restored itself in an instant.
The next moment, Hayashi collapsed backward, his energy completely drained.
Todo quickly caught him with his remaining hand, preventing him from falling to the ground.
"It...really worked?" Mai and Miwa Kasumi were in shock, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
"Who on earth is this Hayashi?" Miwa Kasumi whispered, her delicate hands covering her mouth in disbelief. She was utterly stunned, unable to comprehend the level of Reversal Technique she had just seen.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Todo suddenly burst out laughing, effortlessly hoisting the unconscious Hayashi onto his shoulder. He looked over at Mai and Miwa. "You didn't forget what my friend just said, right?"
"Friend?"
"Friend?!"
Mai and Miwa Kasumi exchanged bewildered looks. How had Todo suddenly decided that Hayashi was his best friend? The turnaround was so fast they hadn't even had time to process it.
Still, they both nodded in agreement, silently vowing not to speak a word of what had happened.
If they did, Todo alone could crush them. But even more frightening was Hayashi—who was apparently even stronger than Todo.