HRU: Chapter 215/216

Chapter 215: Inexplicable Chanting
"Even if that isn't the real Sukuna, it's still far stronger than a typical special grade cursed spirit!"

"In this situation, what can Satoshi even do? Why doesn't he call for help?"

"Is he... going to die?"

"..."

When Kumaen and Shunichi saw what was happening, their expressions turned pale.

Their hearts were suddenly filled with anxiety.

They both understood just how important the Zanpakutō was to Satoshi. Now that it had been sealed, the consequences could be catastrophic.

"Satoshi's probably going to lose," Kumaen said, shaking his head with a heavy sigh.

After all, the rescue teams were standing by. If he had just called for help, there'd be no issue saving his life.

Nearby, the members of the Zenin clan wore varied expressions.

Zenin Naobito narrowed his eyes, clearly surprised.

It might not have been obvious when Satoru's team had their cursed energy sealed, but Satoshi's Zanpakutō being suppressed as well… it was hard to believe that wasn't intentional.

Still, as the head of the Zenin clan, he couldn't speak on Satoshi's behalf.

But at this point, it seemed clear. Gojo Satoshi was destined to lose.

Zenin Ogi and Zenin Hidetsugu began trembling, not from fear, but excitement.

They had come at the perfect time. Who would've thought they'd get to witness Gojo Satoshi's humiliation today?

However, at that very moment—

On the screen, Satoshi suddenly began to mutter something incomprehensible.

...

Battlefield.

Satoshi stared solemnly at Sukuna and said, "Your Domain Expansion is impressive. It can suppress Zanpakutō for nearly five minutes."

"In other words, if I hold out for five minutes, I can break through it."

"But I've never been the patient type."

As soon as he said that.

Under Sukuna's surprised gaze, Satoshi raised his right hand. The strange power he had sensed upon awakening finally made sense to him. This power didn't belong to this world.

If not for this power, he would have had to survive five full minutes until the suppression over his Zanpakutō ended.

Unfortunately for Sukuna, Satoshi didn't just possess Zanpakutō power.

He had also awakened a new Kido ability granted by the system. Most importantly, this power wasn't sustained by the cursed energy used in this world.

Satoshi now understood why the system had to undergo a full upgrade nine years ago.

Back then, with an incomplete system and no cursed energy or external energy source, he couldn't support the Kido techniques of a Shinigami.

Now, he had awakened and mastered a power that existed outside this world entirely.

Following the incantation the system had provided, Satoshi began to chant softly,

"Ye lord!"

"Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!"

"Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!"

"..."

Ryomen Sukuna narrowed his eyes, watching Satoshi muttering to himself.

Even with only one finger's worth of power, he was still the King of Curses and as strong as any special grade cursed spirit.

He wasn't worried. Satoshi's Zanpakutō had already been sealed, and with a Heavenly Restriction body devoid of cursed energy, he was nothing more than a child whose physique had yet to fully develop.

Relying on hand-to-hand combat alone?

Sukuna thought it laughable. Right now, Satoshi was utterly powerless in his eyes.

He just wanted to see what new trick this boy had up his sleeve.

Clearly, when Sukuna had conversed with the cursed spirit earlier, he hadn't been told about Zenin Toji or the Heavenly Restriction condition with zero cursed energy.

Seeing Satoshi murmuring mysteriously, Sukuna couldn't help but sneer.

...

At Jujutsu High, in front of the screen.

Everyone was stunned as they watched Satoshi mutter to himself.

When Ogi saw that Satoshi's Zanpakutō had been sealed, he sneered and said with mockery, "I never thought I'd see the day Satoshi ended up like this. What a beautiful sight."

"But to not run or ask for help now, and instead just mumble nonsense? Haha, could it be that he's gone mad from fear after seeing Sukuna awaken?"

However, Zenin Naobito and Kamo Shinji, who stood nearby, didn't share their amusement. They frowned and stared seriously at Satoshi's image.

Even if Gojo Satoshi's Zanpakutō has been temporarily sealed, he isn't the type to act recklessly.

He's facing Ryomen Sukuna in such a dire situation and still hasn't retreated. Does he have something else up his sleeve?

In the Gojo clan's seating area.

Gojo Kumaen, who was serving as the representative of the clan, looked visibly tense. Despite Satoshi appearing trapped, his calm demeanor stood out.

Has he already found a way out of this?

Even so, Kumaen couldn't figure out what it was.

With no Zanpakutō and no cursed energy, and with a body not yet restored to its peak state, how could Satoshi possibly contend with a special grade cursed spirit?

What could he possibly be chanting?

It wasn't like reciting Buddhist sutras would pacify Sukuna.

Standing beside him, Shunichi seemed to read Kumaen's thoughts and reassured him.
"Sir, based on what I know about Satoshi, he wouldn't give up so easily.

If he didn't run or call for help, then he definitely has a plan.

Let's just watch."

Kumaen nodded slowly.
"Alright, let's see what happens."

Even so, the hand holding his teacup unconsciously tightened.

Not far away, in the Yorozuya section.

Yuto frowned deeply, his breathing growing heavy.

"Toji, what do you think Satoshi is doing?"

Toji narrowed his eyes as he stared at the screen, then slowly shook his head.
"To be honest, I can't say for sure. But I can tell you this—Satoshi isn't afraid. In fact, he seems… excited.

Even without his Zanpakutō, with that Heavenly Restriction body of his, he's still strong enough to hold out until reinforcements arrive."

"You really don't need to worry about him."

Hearing this, Yuto finally exhaled in relief.
"Is that so? If you say so, then the boss should be fine."

But Jogo clenched his fists in frustration.
"Damn it. That bastard Sukuna didn't even let us see the full power of Ryūjin Jakka again! And he even suppressed it ahead of time?!"

"..."

Of course, not everyone knew Satoshi as well as Toji did.

The rest of the audience simply stared at the screen, holding their breath.

No one dared to make a sound. All eyes were locked on Satoshi's form, and murmurs of disbelief filled the air.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 216: Satoshi’s Spell?

"What is he doing? He's up against the legendary King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, and he's still muttering nonsense instead of running? Is he trying to die?"

"Yeah, at the very least, he should be calling for backup! Winning or losing doesn't matter anymore. If you don't survive, what's the point of the exam?"

"I feel like he was probably scared stiff by Sukuna. I mean, he just woke up from nine years of sleep and immediately ran into the King of Curses…"

"Now that you say that, I do feel a little bad for him. If it had been any other cursed spirit, he probably would've passed the exam easily. Who would've thought Sukuna's consciousness would awaken in something like this…"

But at that moment.

"Hadō #31: Shakkahō!"

On screen, under everyone's stunned gaze, a red light began to gather around Satoshi's body. A terrifying and unfamiliar energy surged into his hands.

As his chant ended, an explosive wave of wind pressure erupted from his body, whipping his hair and clothing into a frenzy.

In the next second, a beam of blazing crimson light shot from his fingertips, colliding directly with Sukuna's Domain Expansion.

The blinding red-white light consumed the entire screen, shaking even the broadcast itself.

After a few moments, the radiance faded.

Satoshi and Sukuna's figures reappeared on screen.

Sukuna looked at himself, seemingly unharmed, and was about to sneer.

When suddenly, under his shocked gaze, the domain he had used to seal Satoshi's Zanpakutō cracked like shattered glass.

Boom!

The domain collapsed.

Seeing this, Sukuna's expression froze. He stared at the space crumbling around him, utterly stunned.

"What kind of spell is this?!"

He was the King of Curses who had once stood against all sorcerers a thousand years ago.

Though modern techniques had evolved, their foundational principles remained largely unchanged. Yet, he had never encountered anything like this before!

What shocked him even more was the complete lack of cursed energy flowing from Gojo Satoshi's body.

"…A technique that can activate without cursed energy?"

Sukuna's pupils shrank sharply.

...

Jujutsu High, in front of the screen.

Everyone stared at Satoshi in disbelief.

How was this possible?

They were all shocked by the dazzling technique.

If any other sorcerer had used it, they wouldn't have been surprised. But for Gojo Satoshi, who had no cursed energy, this defied all logic.

Nine years ago, the abilities Satoshi used had all stemmed from his Zanpakutō.

But his Zanpakutō was currently sealed by Sukuna's domain. How could he still use that technique?

Did Gojo Satoshi have some other unknown power?

Ogi and Shinsuke both felt a chill crawl up their spines. Their bodies trembled slightly.

Shinsuke's eyes bulged, nearly popping out of their sockets. He shouted, "That was a spell just now?! But Gojo Satoshi… How can he have cursed energy?! He has a Heavenly Restriction body, he shouldn't have any innate techniques!"

Ogi looked at Satoshi's figure, awe-struck and confused. "Isn't Satoshi's body bound by Heavenly Restriction? Then what the hell was that?"

Naobito, standing nearby, glanced at them but chose not to speak.

In the end, he simply sighed.

After all, nine years had passed. A person like Gojo Satoshi could no longer be understood through common logic.

In the Gojo family area.

Kumaen swallowed hard. Then, his face lit up with joy.
"A spell? That's a spell?! This power… it has to be a spell!"

"Satoshi slept for nine years, and he really came back with something incredible! Hahaha!"

Shunichi at his side was practically trembling with excitement.
"I knew it. I knew Young Master Satoshi would be fine! Acting Head, once this is all over, I say we bring him back and officially appoint him as our new clan head!"

Kumaen didn't hesitate. His smile was filled with pride. "Yes. Satoshi is of age now. It's time for me to step down."

Not far away, in the Yorozuya area.

Yuto threw his arm around Toji's neck and shouted in delight,
"Satoshi just casually used a spell?! That's insane! Even after nine years, he's still surprising us!"

Up on the platform, in the Kamo clan's area.

Kamo Shinji stared silently at the screen for a long time. Finally, he narrowed his eyes and muttered, "Gojo Satoshi seems to have given us a new surprise."

"In addition to his Zanpakutō, the spell he just used was also terrifying."

A clan member replied, "Hmm, a spell? I don't think so.

After all, Satoshi doesn't have cursed energy. We confirmed it clearly when he drew lots earlier.

Even if he used some unknown method to temporarily fight back against Sukuna, his crisis isn't over yet.

After all, the one he's facing is the King of Curses from a thousand years ago.

Even without the domain suppression, defeating him won't be easy."

Since they were close, Kumaen clearly heard their conversation.

But he said nothing.

Because based on his understanding of Satoshi, as long as he could regain his Zanpakutō, this battlefield would become Satoshi's domain.

Sukuna might be strong, but with only one finger's worth of power, it was unrealistic to think he could defeat Satoshi at full strength.

After all, Satoshi wielded not just the fire-type Zanpakutō Ryūjin Jakka, but also the only known user of Sode no Shirayuki capable of Bankai.

He was already invincible.

In this situation, knowing both sides were capable of victory, Kumaen was more focused on another matter.

The battle between the Gojo clan's two Six Eyes prodigies. Who would take the final win?

He turned his eyes to the other screen.

Satoru and Suguru's fight was nearing its end. It would probably be over in less than five minutes.

Even if Satoshi defeated Sukuna, catching up to Satoru's progress would be extremely difficult.

But it couldn't be helped. Satoshi's team had simply drawn the short straw. Not even Jujutsu High could've predicted that a single finger would awaken Sukuna's consciousness.

On the judging platform, Principal Sekiguchi's expression had grown grim.

Mistakes were unavoidable, but this one was just too big. This round really hadn't been fair at all.

(To be continued.)