"Is there another curse user manipulating bodies?"
Akira frowned. That shouldn't be the case; he didn't sense any foreign cursed energy.
The enemy didn't give him any time to think. After being thoroughly tricked earlier, they were no longer underestimating him.
With a wave of Kokun's hand, the combatants rushed in, their movements still stiff, but their speed had increased.
Akira let out a grunt, gripping his sword tightly, but Nanami Kento moved even faster.
The reliable man swung his blade with one hand, slashing at a combatant from the side.
As the blade struck the body, it wasn't the sound of metal against flesh but a much crisper noise.
Nanami exerted more force, sending the enemy flying, while his other hand reached up to tug on his tie.
"Now we know the trick."
"Indeed."
Akira also figured it out, using the special effect of his cursed tool to unleash a slash.
The sharp cursed energy cut through the combatant's clothing, revealing a dense weave of metallic threads, like a net.
"Your technique doesn't just manipulate weapons; you can control metal. Our intel was wrong."
The metallic threads woven into their clothes allowed Bayer to control their bodies, which is why the people Akira had nearly killed were still able to move so unnaturally.
"Exactly, my technique is 'Metal Manipulation'!" Bayer declared loudly, and the intensity of the combatants' attacks, as well as the number of floating weapons around them, increased.
This was the full extent of his "Cursed Technique Reveal."
Using misleading information or false hints is also part of the art of jujutsu sorcery.
At the end of the day, jujutsu sorcerers are human too. Whether they trade information for power or rely on information superiority to catch their opponents off guard, it all depends on the user.
Believing everything the enemy says is foolish—that's the essence of fighting sorcerers.
"Weapon manipulation" was already a powerful technique, but "Metal Manipulation" was on a whole other level. From Bayer's performance, he was definitely on par with a Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer.
If he could advance further and master a Domain Expansion, he might even have a shot at challenging a Special Grade sorcerer.
The title of "strongest combatant" was well deserved.
However, neither Akira nor Nanami seemed panicked.
Akira's short-term goal was to beat down the strongest sorcerer, Gojo Satoru, and Nanami Kento himself was one of the best among Grade 1 sorcerers.
"I'll handle this."
Nanami's calm declaration was enough to put anyone at ease. He spun the short blade in his hand before charging single-handedly at the entire combat unit.
"Foolish." Bayer sneered.
"The only fool here is you. If there were rankings for close-quarters combat, Nanami-sensei would be Special Grade."
Akira, while fending off the barrage of floating guns, retorted without missing a beat, sharing the load with Nanami.
Before Akira even finished speaking, limbs and body parts littered the ground.
Nanami's blade, though still blunt and wrapped in cursed cloth, showcased power equal to the sharpest weapons thanks to his azure cursed energy.
After clearing the first wave of combatants, Nanami stood tall, his face expressionless as he performed his "Cursed Technique Reveal," further enhancing its effects:
"My technique divides a target's length into equal parts and forcibly creates a weak point at the 7:3 ratio. Hitting that point triggers a critical hit. This applies not only to height and arm span but also to specific body parts like the head, arms, or torso. The technique even works on non-living objects. Even against stronger opponents, I can deal significant damage—this is the Ratios Technique."
Unlike Bayer, who concealed and misled, Nanami revealed everything at once.
He wasn't foolish—his technique was straightforward, leaving no need for secrecy. It was better to amplify its effect from the start.
With a single strike, flesh and concrete flew, blood dancing with the shadows of the night.
This was the true power of Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerer Nanami Kento.
"One-half."
The man cracked his neck, the ominous sound filling the air, his presence suffocating.
Just then, a grating laugh echoed, so harsh and discordant that Akira wondered if a human could even produce such a sound.
But in the world of jujutsu, anything is possible.
It was Kokun.
"Yes, one-half...but it's your half."
The man, who had faded into the background ever since Bayer activated his full technique, raised both thumbs.
Immediately, high-density cursed energy surged around Nanami.
It was Kokun's technique!
"Not only sorcerers—every combatant in the organization has been cursed by me. I can turn them into bombs at will, whether it's blowing off a part of them or their entire body."
Simply sealing their mouths or exploding their hearts would do the job, but when needed, he could maximize their usefulness by turning them into living bombs.
It wasn't just Bayer who had been holding back—Kokun had as well.
Before Akira could fully understand the danger, Kokun had already pressed his thumb down as if detonating a trigger.
A deafening roar shook the air as the explosion tore through the space, sending shockwaves so intense it was impossible to approach, even keeping one's eyes open became difficult.
As the explosion went off, the perpetrators, Kokun and Bayer, retreated without even waiting to confirm the result. The magnitude of the explosion spoke for itself.
Amid the swirling dust and debris, Bayer and Kokun resumed their positions, blocking Akira's path from both the front and back.
There was a line of floating guns ahead and a horde of bomb-ridden combatants behind.
"It's just you now."
Kokun, brimming with confidence, couldn't resist the temptation to taunt. However, just a second later, his smile vanished.
Because Akira responded, "Don't be so quick to write people off—did you not listen to the 'Cursed Technique Reveal' properly?"
And because a brilliant azure light burst through the ground beneath them.
It was the color of Nanami's cursed energy, a manifestation of his technique.
"Ratios Technique: Collapse!"
The earth split apart, Nanami Kento leaped out from underground, returning to the battlefield.
His Ratios Technique could target non-living objects, which allowed him to easily slice through the metal armor and the ground beneath.
In a city like Tokyo, with sewers and pipelines everywhere underground, hiding there meant that the explosion's threat was reduced to mere turbulence, something Nanami could handle with ease.
With the combined cover of the ground and the explosion's chaos, Nanami's underground ambush worked perfectly.
Bayer realized it too late. Though he desperately tried to dodge, he couldn't beat Nanami's strike by a hair and suffered a severe injury to his leg.
Now severely hampered in movement, Bayer was both shocked and furious, pushing his weapons and combatants to their limits to attack Nanami.
Kokun moved even faster than Bayer, rushing to assist, but Akira intercepted him.
It wasn't as if only the enemies knew how to work together. Had Nanami not signaled Akira to remain calm, he wouldn't have been so composed.
Akira swung his sword, its energy rippling outward, simultaneously fending off both enemies, giving Nanami time to catch his breath. The two of them fought in perfect harmony.
Cursed energy swirled around their blades, pulsing in unison, like the beating of hearts.