Seeing the shift in Gakuganji Yoshinobuâs expression, Yuki continued in a sharper tone.
âA Grade 1 sorcerer can protect a non-sorcerer, so why canât a Special Grade choose someone outside the system?â
âAlso, what Masamichi just mentionedâSatoshiâs strongest technique, the one Principal Sekiguchi spoke ofâdoes exist. Iâve seen it with my own eyes.â
âSatoruâs Endscape is indeed powerful. But the technique Satoshi is about to use next⊠is more than enough to flatten the General Directorate.â
âSatoru may be strong enough to protect it, but youâd do well to remember, he and Satoshi are brothers.â
âDo you really think the General Directorate is worth driving a wedge between the two of them? I donât think itâs that deep, is it?â
Yuki said no more after that and turned her gaze back to the screen.
She, too, wanted to knowâwhose technique was stronger?
Senbonzakura Kegoyoshiâs BankaiâŠ
Or RyĆ«jin Jakkaâs Shikai?
Although Gakuganji remained silently annoyed, Yukiâs words echoed in his chest.
They really werenât qualified to judge Satoshi based on their usual standards.
But was Satoshi truly invincible?
That couldnât be, right?
Just as Gakuganji was lost in thought, a wave of gasps erupted all around him.
Whatâs happening?
He looked up instinctively, eyes fixed on the live projection broadcast.
Under the brilliant white radiance of Satoruâs Endscape: White Imperial Sword, Satoshi also made his move, swinging RyĆ«jin Jakka with deliberate calm.
âEnnetsu Jigoku.â
Satoshi finally began to take this battle seriously.
Satoru had already displayed enough strength. Now it was time to bring the duel to its conclusion.
Cursed Technique Reversal: He, Bankai: Senbonzakura Kegoyoshi, GĆkei, Endscape: White Imperial SwordâŠ
Each one of those techniques would be enough to earn someone renown throughout the entire jujutsu world.
But unfortunately, against Satoshi, none of them held an advantage.
As Satoshi traced a circle with Ryƫjin Jakka, the ground beneath them cracked. Dozens of towering fire pillars erupted into the sky.
The earth itself trembled, waves of intense heat radiating from every fissure.
On one side of the screen stood Satoru, bathed in cold light from Senbonzakura Kegoyoshi.
On the other stood Satoshi, surrounded by blazing fire from Ryƫjin Jakka.
Endscape: White Imperial Sword warped the air, frost creeping across the surrounding trees.
But Ennetsu Jigoku began scorching the landscape, causing leaves to shrivel and curl under the sheer heat.
Suguru and the others watching at the scene were trapped in a world where one side froze while the other burned. It was unbearably intense, yet no one dared look away from Satoru and Satoshi.
This battle was on a level that could only be described as mythic.
âŠâŠ
The pure white wings of the White Imperial SwordâŠ
The raging flame pillars of Ennetsu JigokuâŠ
Though they initially appeared evenly matched, Satoruâs white wings seemed more elegant and imposing.
But as the fire pillars began to converge, the entire audience was stunned once again.
Thatâs even possible?
The previously thin fire pillars, only about a meter wide, began to fuseâdozens of them combining into a single, monstrous inferno over ten meters in diameter.
The flame pillar towered into the sky, completely suppressing the icy aura of the White Imperial Sword.
This was the current strongest technique of Ryƫjin Jakka.
Watching the scene unfold, Suguru couldnât help but shudder.
Compared to nine years ago, this version of Ennetsu Jigoku was even more terrifying.
Back then, his own reckless actions nearly got both him and Yagyƫ Saemon killed during the Rainbow Dragon incident.
If not for Satoshi and this very move, the Rainbow Dragon would have wiped them out.
Satoshiâs Ennetsu Jigoku had incinerated the beast in an instant, allowing Suguru to seize it with Cursed Spirit Manipulation.
Now, nine years later, Ennetsu Jigoku had become even stronger.
Even at this distance, through the warding barriers and city walls, they could still feel the oppressive heat.
What kind of power was this�
Even Suguru, who had personally witnessed this move up close, was shaken.
For Mei Mei and Utahime, who had never seen it before, the sight was beyond comprehension.
This level of destructive power went far beyond their understanding of what a jujutsu technique should be.
Before this, they had always assumed that every sorcererâs cursed technique had its own limits and counters.
But the techniques unleashed by Satoru and Satoshi completely shattered that logic.
At the start of the goodwill event, Satoru was still using the Limitless Technique to face Satoshi head-on.
He had even displayed Cursed Technique Reversal: Red and Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue.
But as the battle went on, it had become something else entirelyâa war between ZanpakutĆ.
Satoshiâs RyĆ«jin Jakka and Satoruâs Senbonzakura Kegoyoshi.
These two blades had become the stars of the event. All the sorcerers, no matter how talented, were reduced to mere spectators.
Everyone understood that a ZanpakutĆâs power ultimately depended on its wielder.
That was common knowledge.
And yet, they couldnât help but be captivated.
Because the ZanpakutĆ themselves were just too spectacular. The visuals, the impactâit was something no cursed technique could compare to.
âŠâŠ
The frost in the air began to fade.
The colors on the screen slowly shifted as the white light of the White Imperial Sword was gradually devoured by the red glow of Ennetsu Jigoku.
As one surged, the other receded. And at that moment, everyone realized who would have the last word.
The fire pillar pierced the sky, sweeping across the entire field with unrelenting intensity.
Ennetsu Jigoku blazed with terrifying purpose, consuming all in its path.
The entire venue fell into stunned silence.
Was it even possible?
Was this really Satoshiâs strength?
Both RyĆ«jin Jakka and Senbonzakura Kegoyoshi were ZanpakutĆ, and Satoru had even activated his Bankai.
Meanwhile, RyĆ«jin Jakka was only in ShikaiâŠ
Yet even with Senbonzakura Kegoyoshiâs Endscape: White Imperial Sword, Satoru still couldnât suppress it.
Could any sorcerer truly wield such powerâpower capable of burning heaven and earth?
(To be continued.)