In the observation room, the teachers and students from Kyoto Jujutsu High were filled with a wave of inexplicable anger.
All the low-grade cursed spirits for scoring had been exorcised.
The critical Grade 2 cursed spirit was heavily injured but not killed.
And it was being dragged along.
Even a fool could tell what Tokyo Jujutsu High was planning.
They weren't just aiming to win the team battle; they wanted a perfect victory.
Not only a perfect victory, but they also wanted Kyoto to score zero—maybe even negative points.
How ruthless.
Not an ounce of mercy was shown.
Utahime Iori even began to regret that Principal Zenin Yoshinobu didn't agree to Gojo Satoru's terms.
Clinging to their last shred of dignity like this… Was it really better than being utterly humiliated?
It was important to remember that the most crucial purpose of the exchange event was to give students the chance to showcase their abilities and earn more promotion opportunities.
Even though Kyoto was the conservatives' stronghold, they couldn't be too blatant in their actions.
If they blocked Tokyo's promotions while promoting Kyoto's, did they think the Grade 1 sorcerers were blind? Sure, many jujutsu sorcerers didn't use their eyes, but that didn't mean they'd just go along with the Jujutsu Alliance's agenda.
Still, Utahime's thoughts couldn't sway either side's approach.
The higher-ups wouldn't listen to her, and Tokyo Jujutsu High certainly wouldn't.
Under Akira's guidance, everyone except Hakari Kinji, who was still in an intense fight with Todo Aoi, was converging on Okkotsu Yuta's location.
And Yuta, who was the center of attention, remained as composed as ever.
He hit hard but didn't go for the kill.
He responded to attacks and stayed calm under pressure.
This, too, was part of Akira's plan.
If you take down everyone, what are the rest of us supposed to do?
Little brother (Yuta was the youngest, the same age as Fushiguro Megumi), you're the one least worried about promotion, but the others need this chance to shine.
So even though Yuta looked fierce, he was actually holding back significantly.
If you attack me, I'll fight back. If you stay far away, I won't chase you.
At first, Kyoto thought this was Yuta's limit. After all, using Cursed Speech along with high-powered cursed energy output would wear anyone down—no workhorse could keep up.
But as the battle dragged on, they realized something was off.
Is this kid playing with us? A workhorse may get exhausted, but this kid's like a nuclear reactor.
A feeling of insulted rage swelled within the Kyoto students, and more than one of them considered going all-out in a life-or-death struggle against this "demon possessed by a curse."
But at the critical moment, team leader Kamo Noritoshi kept his head cool and ordered loudly:
"Everyone, scatter and retreat! Avoid direct confrontation with the enemy. Focus on exorcising cursed spirits. The match isn't over yet."
Given the current situation, it was clear that the mission to kill Okkotsu Yuta wasn't going to be completed. So they shifted to the next best thing: focus on the exchange event itself.
With Yuta's overwhelming strength, it was unlikely they'd win any head-to-head battles. They had to score a win in the team event to preserve their dignity.
Although they had no idea what the other Tokyo students were doing, there would be a broadcast when the match ended. If they could find and exorcise the key Grade 2 cursed spirit before that, victory would be theirs.
Fortunately, none of their four members were seriously injured, and all still had the ability to take on the Grade 2 cursed spirit.
There's still a chance. We haven't lost yet.
Kamo Noritoshi's command was on point, and his teammates, willing to listen, quickly collected their emotions and followed his instructions, scattering in different directions.
Yuta, seeing this, frowned slightly and reported into his earpiece:
"Captain, the enemy is retreating in four directions. Should I pursue?"
"Faster than I expected," Akira's voice remained casual. "Just pick the weakest close-combat fighter and tail them. Don't actually catch up, just stay behind for positioning."
"Got it." Yuta knew he had already done enough to showcase his abilities and didn't need to hog the spotlight.
"Toge."
"Salmon."
Inumaki Toge responded, knowing that Akira was setting things up for him. Since his Cursed Speech required more practice and his close combat was weaker, it made sense for him to get an easier target.
"Alright, everyone. Time to start the cleanup. Make sure to eliminate them properly from the match."
"Yeah~~~~~"
And so, the harvesting began.
The first to make a move was Inumaki Toge, who had been specifically assigned by Akira.
The unfortunate Kyoto student who had been targeted by Yuta was retreating in the same direction as Panda's team.
You could've gone anywhere, but you walked right into hell.
The gentle-hearted Inumaki had no choice but to accept the fate handed to him by the universe.
But the process wasn't entirely smooth. Among the four Kyoto students, one had a wide-range detection ability.
It just so happened that this was the one being pursued.
Before Inumaki could catch him, the Kyoto student sensed the danger of being caught between a "wolf" (Toge) and a "tiger" (Panda)—or more accurately, between a dog and a giant squid (Tentacruel). He cunningly changed direction, trying to use the complex terrain to loop around and stall for time, giving Kyoto more opportunities.
But Toge and Yuta were much faster than he anticipated, and with their wireless communication, they were coordinating effortlessly, quickly closing the gap.
In a last-ditch effort, the Kyoto student charged at Toge, hoping that if he couldn't beat Yuta, he could at least break through on the other side.
This played right into Toge's hands.
As soon as the enemy got within range, Toge opened his collar and, in the calmest voice, uttered the harshest words:
"Twist your ankle. Choke."
And so, the enemy twisted his ankle and choked on air.
Such an unexpected development during a full sprint… the consequences were obvious.
While the enemy struggled for balance, Toge rushed in with a flurry of attacks: a kick to the knee, an elbow to the chest, and a punch to the jaw, leaving the enemy reeling.
As soon as the Kyoto student regained his vision, he found himself staring down the barrel of a hand crossbow pointed right at his nose.
Constantly drilled in the philosophy of "the weak winning through tactics," the normally kind-hearted Toge had learned to be "crafty."
The meaner, the better.
In the past, he would've hesitated to issue commands like "twist your ankle" or "choke," but after trying it once, he realized he couldn't stop.
Such specific, localized commands not only used less cursed energy but were just as effective as broader commands like "don't move."
Along with the hand crossbow, Toge held up his phone, where he had already typed a large message: Surrender and leave the match.
Looking at the crossbow inches from his nose, and then at Yuta, who was leisurely approaching from behind, there was no choice but to admit defeat.
Not far from them, Panda also took down his target.
His method was just as efficient. Using his life-sensing abilities, he predicted the enemy's movements and waited in ambush behind some bushes.
Since Panda had no life signals and had suppressed his cursed energy to the lowest level, the enemy had no idea he was there.
And so, with one sneak attack and a flurry of ora ora punches, Panda secured the win.
There was no need for the enemy to declare his own defeat. Panda simply sat on him until he passed out, while Spinda, who had also been hiding, stomped on him a couple of times for good measure.
The damage wasn't high, but the insult level was through the roof.
Akira, while slower than Panda's team, took the shortest amount of time to finish his opponent.
He dangled the Grade 2 cursed spirit in front of the enemy, and as soon as they realized the situation, Darkrai emerged from the shadows, grabbing the enemy by the throat.
"So, will you surrender, or should I use 'reason' to convince you?"
The word reason was engraved on Akira's cursed sword.
The outcome was inevitable.
Akira didn't waste much time on his defeated opponent. He simply opened his phone's contact list and tapped on the name displayed on the screen—Gardevoir.
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