HRU: Chapter 175/176

Chapter 175: A Little Expert in Sprinkling Salt on Wounds
In Satoru's opinion, Suguru was already badly injured, and Satoshi really shouldn't have rubbed salt into his wounds.

But unfortunately, Satoshi had watched almost the entire process of what Yagyū Saemon had done to protect Suguru.

This time, it was entirely due to Suguru's own overconfidence.

He knew that Suguru wanted to improve his strength by subduing cursed spirits, but what did that have to do with hiding it from them?

He left without saying a word, secretly going to seek out the Special Grade cursed spirit.

If they didn't give him a harsh wake-up call this time, Satoshi truly felt that Suguru wouldn't even understand how he might meet his end in the future.

If they didn't correct his extreme way of thinking now, this guy might really end up staging another Night Parade of a Hundred Demons down the line.

Satoshi glared at Satoru, completely ignoring his small gestures of protest.

Under Satoshi's sharp gaze, Satoru smiled awkwardly. Things hadn't reached the worst possible outcome yet. Scolding Suguru like this would genuinely hurt his self-esteem.

Yuki, Toji, and Shoko stood nearby without making any move to stop him. They simply watched as Satoshi continued to scold Suguru.

Yuki and Toji moved Yagyū Saemon away from Suguru, while Shoko began treating Saemon with the Reverse Cursed Technique.

The group coordinated seamlessly, not paying any attention to Suguru at all.

Without Saemon weighing down on him, Suguru was finally able to sit up. However, his body, exhausted from the fight, trembled uncontrollably, and he couldn't stand at all.

So at this moment, he could only look up at Satoshi standing in front of him.

"You wanted to subdue this cursed spirit. Why didn't you tell us in advance?"

"Before you came here, you already knew that Rainbow Dragon had the potential to become a Special Grade cursed spirit, didn't you?"

"You were hoping for the best, weren't you?"

"You were thinking of using the same trick you failed to use on Jogo against Rainbow Dragon, weren't you?"

"You thought that now, with a Special Grade cursed spirit under your control, you'd finally have the confidence to stand alongside us, didn't you?"

Satoshi didn't care about Suguru's response at all. He just kept asking one rhetorical question after another.

He had to force Suguru to face reality.

Suguru's Cursed Spirit Manipulation was indeed strong, and he was destined to become a Special-grade sorcerer in the future. However, he hadn't reached that level yet. His strength still needed to improve.

The Suguru who would stand at the top in the future wouldn't just rely on the series of cursed spirits he controlled. His own strength and combat abilities would also be the foundation for his place in the world of jujutsu.

If Suguru developed the habit of relying solely on cursed spirits to fight while still this young, he would never be able to become a Special-grade sorcerer.

As Satoshi questioned him again and again, Suguru's head sank lower and lower.

By the time Satoshi finished speaking, Suguru's head was already hanging down, nearly touching his chest.

Just as Satoshi was about to continue stabbing at Suguru's heart with words, a strong pressure suddenly descended out of nowhere.

The rainbow dragon that had just been knocked away by Sode no Shirayuki's technique reappeared.

The rainbow dragon in front of them clearly lacked foresight. Despite facing a group capable of standing at the peak of the jujutsu world, it still dared to attack them head-on. It was undoubtedly a foolish move.

Seeing this, Satoru prepared to release Senbonzakura, while Toji was ready to activate Katen Kyōkotsu and eliminate Hong Long on the spot.

However, their attempt to release their Zanpakutō was interrupted by Yuki.

Facing Yuki's gaze, the two men had no idea what she meant.

But neither of them took it seriously.

Even if the rainbow dragon launched an attack, they were confident they could easily tear it apart.

The two sheathed their Zanpakutō as if they understood, simply watching as the rainbow dragon opened its mouth and began to gather a sphere of cursed energy.

This cursed energy sphere was immensely powerful, even stronger than the attack that had previously struck Yagyū Saemon.

The Rainbow Dragon clearly understood that the humans before him were not easy to deal with. This time, it unleashed its full strength without holding anything back.

"Careful!"

The members of Tokyo Jujutsu High, who had arrived late, shouted loudly upon seeing the scene.

Under the intense light of the cursed energy, they couldn't tell who exactly the rainbow dragon was targeting.

They could only shout warnings, but by now, it was too late to stop the dragon's attack.

Sekiguchi Seiji could only pray that the giant manta ray floating in the sky would block the attack in time.

Otherwise, he felt that whoever was hit by the dragon's beam would surely die without even a body left behind.

However, to his dismay, the manta ray simply flapped its fins and continued floating leisurely through the sky, showing no intention of shielding its master.

The rainbow dragon's cursed energy sphere blasted out. A massive beam of light shot straight toward Satoshi and the others.

Toji and Satoru immediately prepared to counter.

But as soon as they heard the words "Reduce All Creation to Ash," both of them loosened their grips on their Zanpakutō.

They understood that Satoshi intended to handle Hong Long's attack personally.

"Ryūjin Jakka!"

"Ennetsu Jigoku (Hell of Scorching Flames!)"

As Satoshi released Ryūjin Jakka, the ground beneath them suddenly began to tremble.

The next moment, the earth cracked open and several towering pillars of fire shot up into the sky.

Dozens of flames cut through the rainbow dragon's cursed energy beam, then gathered together.

Explosions erupted violently as the fire pillars detonated one after another, filling the sky with enormous fireballs. Sparks scattered across the heavens like falling stars.

…

Far away at the Gojo family residence, Jogo sharply turned his head toward the direction of the explosion.

Even though it was daytime, Jogo could still clearly see the fireballs blooming in the sky, ignited by that terrifying inferno.

His single eye was filled with regret.

This wasn't the technique Satoshi had shown before. Jogo deeply regretted not being there to witness it firsthand.

Inside the forge, Yuto stepped out of the room.

He, too, was someone who had been abandoned. After briefly speaking with Nozarashi inside, he walked out to find everyone gone, leaving only Jogo, the cursed spirit, standing watch over the house.

"Is that Satoshi's attack?"

Yuto immediately sensed the searing heat radiating from the distant flames. At this level of intensity, it could only be the power of Ryūjin Jakka, unless a natural disaster like the eruption of Mount Fuji had occurred.

"Ryūjin Jakka… it truly is the pinnacle of fire."

Jogo muttered to himself, completely ignoring Yuto beside him. He was fully immersed in the overwhelming power of Ryūjin Jakka.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 176: Bankai?
When Yuto heard this, a glimmer of understanding flashed through his eyes.

He had already suspected the reason why Jogo would follow Satoshi, and now he had confirmed that Jogo's true goal was Ryūjin Jakka.

However, Jogo had no intention of stealing Ryūjin Jakka.

A Zanpakutō of this level was not something Jogo could possibly control.

Yuto realized that for a cursed spirit like Jogo, who possessed wisdom, just witnessing the power of Ryūjin Jakka was already an irresistible temptation.

Like a moth drawn to a flame.

Even if he were shattered into pieces or burned to ash, Jogo still hoped to witness the ultimate power of fire through Ryūjin Jakka.

Thinking of this, Yuto chuckled.

"This is just the beginning. The power of Ryūjin Jakka doesn't stop here."

Jogo frowned and subconsciously turned to look at Yuto, not understanding what he meant.

What did it mean that the power of Ryūjin Jakka didn't stop here?

The current power of Ryūjin Jakka was already terrifying. Wasn't this its limit?

One of his goals in following Satoshi was to learn the techniques of Ryūjin Jakka.

"What do you mean by that?"

Jogo stared at Yuto, waiting for his answer.

Yuto smiled and did not hide anything.

"You've been following Satoshi these past days, but your attention has been entirely on Ryūjin Jakka. You haven't learned anything about Zanpakutō at all."

"Do you really think that a Zanpakutō's Shikai is the limit of its power?"

As he spoke, Yuto touched Nozarashi at his waist, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

Just as Yuto said, Jogo had not paid much attention to anything else. But he did know that the true form of a Zanpakutō did not end at Shikai.

Just like Yuki's Zabimaru, or the incomplete Shikai form of Ryūjin Jakka when Satoshi fought him at the Tombs of the Star.

Before Shikai, the Zanpakutō was not yet in its true form.

Jogo understood this, but he couldn't yet connect it to what Yuto was implying.

Seeing the growing impatience in Jogo's single eye, Yuto continued calmly.

"There is another form above Shikai. Do you know what it is?"

Instead of answering directly, Yuto asked the question back.

Jogo's eyes widened in shock. Another form beyond Shikai?

Could that even be possible?

The power of Ryūjin Jakka after Shikai was already so overwhelming. How could there be an even stronger form?

Jogo found it hard to believe.

Yuto shook his head.

"I only learned about this in the past two days. Have you forgotten? Satoshi had an ice-type Zanpakutō before, the one he used against you."

"Don't you remember?"

Jogo shook his head. During their fight at the Tombs of the Star, he had not sensed any ice-type power.

If Yuto hadn't appeared so serious, Jogo might have thought he was lying.

"It's normal that you didn't notice," Okkotsu replied. "Listen carefully. The other Zanpakutō on Satoshi's waist is called Sode no Shirayuki. It's an ice-type Zanpakutō, and the only one Satoshi has fully mastered."

Jogo's mind struggled to keep up, unable to immediately grasp the meaning behind Okkotsu's words.

But Yuto didn't give him much time to process.

"You opened your Domain Expansion with the help of Lord Tengen and fought Satoshi on equal footing inside that Domain, right?"

"But aren't you curious why Satoshi didn't use Sode no Shirayuki?"

"In that battle, you were confident you would win because you had control of the Domain."

"If Satoshi hadn't awakened the techniques of Ryūjin Jakka during that fight, he might have really lost to you."

"So, why didn't he use Sode no Shirayuki?"

Yuto repeated the question deliberately.

"Why?" Jogo frowned, finally thinking carefully about the issue.

"Because Satoshi couldn't use Sode no Shirayuki?"

That seemed to be the only explanation.

Yuto clapped his hands lightly and nodded.

"You got it right."

"In that space, Lord Tengen placed restrictions on Satoshi. He wasn't allowed to use the power of ice. That's why he couldn't release Sode no Shirayuki."

"And Sode no Shirayuki is the only Zanpakutō in this world that has reached Bankai."

"It's not that Satoshi didn't want to use Sode no Shirayuki. It's that Lord Tengen didn't want the fight to end too quickly."

"Lord Tengen didn't want you to be killed instantly by Sode no Shirayuki's Bankai."

"She didn't want you to be purified before the battle could even properly unfold."

Yuto listed several things that Tengen did not wish to say out loud, and Jogo's expression turned ugly.

Instantly killed? How could that be possible?

Even though he was now following Satoshi, Jogo still felt that his own strength was not much different from Satoshi's.

The only difference was that Ryūjin Jakka recognized Satoshi.

If he could use Ryūjin Jakka, he believed that the power he could unleash would be even stronger.

Jogo still held onto his pride.

Seeing through Jogo's thoughts, Yuto shook his head and continued.

"Think about it carefully. Do you really have the strength to stand on equal ground with Satoshi?"

"These Zanpakutō were all forged by Satoshi's own hands."

"If you truly want to witness the full power of Ryūjin Jakka, then stay by Satoshi's side."

"Zanpakutō are already incredibly rare in this world, and only Satoshi has currently unlocked Bankai."

"How powerful would Ryūjin Jakka be after Bankai? Don't you want to see it for yourself?"

"What you've seen so far… the flames at this level are probably not even one-tenth of its true power."

(To be continued.)