Gen stood in place.
This was the first time he had seen someone else with such abundant Cursed Energy.
Compared to his previous opponents, Hajime Kashimo before him probably possessed about 350% of the Cursed Energy of the head of the Gojo family, while the original Gen had roughly 1000%.
But Gen did not possess that much Cursed Energy on his own.
He had gained an external Cursed Energy vessel through the capacity of his “Shikigami,” just like Yuta Okkotsu.
It was not infinite, though.
It had only nearly doubled his total Cursed Energy.
Crackle!
With a flash of lightning, Hajime Kashimo suddenly appeared right in front of Gen.
Along with his lightning-fast approach came the Nyoi Staff, smashing down toward Gen’s head.
The heavy blow struck Gen’s crossed arms with a dull impact, and the terrifying force crushed the floor beneath him until it cracked like a spiderweb.
Gen immediately deflected the Nyoi Staff, then threw a punch before Hajime Kashimo could land.
The punch, surging with Cursed Energy, hit Hajime Kashimo in the side of the waist.
Hajime Kashimo partially dispersed the force, flipped once in midair, then landed on the floor.
“What, not using a weapon?”
“Yeah, I’ll use one.”
Without another word, Hajime Kashimo charged again.
This time, he thrust his staff toward Gen’s abdomen.
Gen raised his hand, and the Caduceus suddenly spewed out ink-black shadow.
A broadsword blocked Hajime Kashimo’s thrust.
The sound of clashing weapons exploded instantly.
Hajime Kashimo did not stop attacking.
He released the long staff, lightning flashing around his left fist as he immediately swung a hook at Gen.
Although the fist did not land directly, the crackling lightning cut across Gen’s cheek.
A wisp of white smoke rose, and the wound on his face vanished.
So lightning Cursed Energy with special properties can’t be blocked by ordinary Cursed Energy?
As Gen thought that, Hajime Kashimo did not stop moving.
The moment he landed a hit, he tapped the ground ahead with his toes, pushed off with his heel, and flashed to the right.
With a turn of his wrist, he pulled the Nyoi Staff back into his hand, then swept it in from the side.
Gen casually leaned back and dodged Hajime Kashimo’s attack.
The Caduceus spun once in his palm.
The condensed broadsword distorted violently.
The originally short grip suddenly extended, and as Gen leaned back to avoid the staff, he flicked his wrist and thrust.
The long handle of a scythe slammed into Hajime Kashimo’s chest.
“Ugh… That blade changes way too fast, Strongest!”
With a muffled grunt, Hajime Kashimo was driven back several steps by the blow, yet his face was filled with excitement he could not suppress.
Pale blue arcs of electricity ran from his palm onto the shaft of the Nyoi Staff, making the staff give off a fine, continuous sizzle.
“There’s plenty more where that came from…”
Gen gripped the long handle of the scythe, and lightning burst from his body, increasing his speed.
Hajime Kashimo was forced to dodge again and again under a barrage of horizontal slashes, diagonal cuts, and vertical chops.
In Gen’s hands, the long scythe spun in a full circle, carrying not only tremendous force, but incredible speed as well.
As Hajime Kashimo dodged, he observed Gen’s stance.
Breathing, heartbeat, footwork.
All perfect.
Then the only option was…
Take it head-on!
The massive scythe came crashing down.
Hajime Kashimo abandoned defense and immediately raised his staff to block.
The instant the weapons collided, Cursed Energy burst out violently.
The street beneath their feet, already covered in debris, groaned again under the strain, and shattered fragments flew in every direction wreathed in lightning.
Ugh… heavy…
The moment Hajime Kashimo took the attack, he did not retreat.
Instead, he erupted with Cursed Energy and forced his way one step forward.
He tightened his grip on the Nyoi Staff, his Cursed Energy bursting out again, and pushed Gen’s pressure back by sheer force.
“Hey, did you know?”
As Gen spoke, Hajime Kashimo saw the blade portion of the long scythe suddenly split apart.
The wide blade dissolved in midair, and the Nyoi Staff stabbed upward right after it.
Gen dodged.
At the tip of the now-bladeless handle, shadow gathered once more, but this time, what formed was the head of a giant hammer.
Hajime Kashimo immediately released the long staff, charged forward, and wrapped his arms around Gen’s waist.
Then Cursed Energy exploded beneath his feet, and the two of them shot into a distant building, blasting a shattered hole through the brick wall.
Boom.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!!
Black lightning exploded violently between the buildings.
Their Cursed Energy erupted again, and amid the flashing black lightning, Hajime Kashimo’s body was blasted out of the building.
Hajime Kashimo tumbled through the air several times before finally crashing into another building dozens of meters away and coming to a stop.
The brief battle inside the building had begun when Hajime Kashimo let go of his weapon.
With both of them without weapons, it turned into pure hand-to-hand combat.
Hajime Kashimo gritted his teeth, advancing, charging, stepping in.
And at the instant he threw his punch, as if favoring this God of Lightning who dared to collide with one of the strongest, black lightning coiled around Hajime Kashimo’s hand.
Gen responded in kind.
Black lightning flashed as their fists collided, bursting into sparks at the point of impact.
The difference in Cursed Energy sent Hajime Kashimo flying with a single punch.
As Hajime Kashimo rose, he reached out.
An electric arc lifted the Nyoi Staff lying on the ground, and then, as if summoned, it spun through the air and flew back toward him.
At the same time, Gen on the other side also leaned forward, holding the giant hammer that had somehow returned to his hand.
Gen looked at Hajime Kashimo, and Hajime Kashimo sized up Gen.
After landing Black Flash, both of them had reached 120% of their original understanding of each other, as well as of themselves.
“…You’re stronger than everyone I defeated or killed while I was alive.”
As Hajime Kashimo spoke, he lowered his stance.
The long staff rested across his shoulder, and his entire body looked like a missile waiting to launch.
His charge was fast.
With a crackle of lightning, Hajime Kashimo’s body only appeared in Gen’s eyes for an instant.
In that instant, Gen could have dodged Hajime Kashimo’s attack with a single sidestep.
But immediately afterward, Gen sensed something wrong.
Bang!
Hajime Kashimo’s charge had left behind a “trail.”
That was normally nothing unusual.
Lightning left a trail when it cut through the air, and lightning formed from Cursed Energy would naturally leave an even more obvious one.
What Hajime Kashimo was doing now was delaying the trails left by his Cursed Energy, then making them explode while Gen was still processing them, catching him off guard.
Electromagnetic force burst out in an instant.
The flickering current nearly formed an entire sphere of electricity.
Gen narrowed his eyes and violently drove his Cursed Energy, wrapping his whole body in shadows that spread in an instant.
“Damn, you’re tough… Strongest.”
The Shadow Armor did not shatter outright, but it was covered in dense cracks, and the moment Gen moved, it burst apart.
Not only did it leave a trail, it strengthened that trail.
With a move like that, once he slipped it into the fight, Gen would have to spend the rest of the battle paying attention to the Cursed Energy Kashimo left behind whenever he moved.
“Not bad, Hajime Kashimo.”
Once again, Hajime Kashimo rushed out of the dust.
This time, Gen did not dodge.
Instead, he swung the broad blade that had condensed in his hand once more and met him head-on.
The Nyoi Staff collided with the blade.
As Gen poured Cursed Energy into it for reinforcement, he also borrowed Tiger Funeral’s Cursed Technique.
The muscles in his arms swelled unnaturally in an instant, and the strength in his hands immediately forced Hajime Kashimo’s attack back.
Hajime Kashimo let go again.
The staff in his hand was smashed into the ground by the blade, while he himself flipped away.
“A move you’ve already used once won’t work a second time.”
A slash filled with Cursed Energy suddenly appeared before Hajime Kashimo’s eyes.
In an instant, it swept across his body and carved a bloody gash into his chest.
“What was that?”
Hajime Kashimo landed after being struck.
After staggering a few steps, the blood-spattered wound on his body slowly began to heal.
“A slash.
It’s the result of using my Innate Technique to imitate Sukuna’s Cursed Technique.”
Delight spread across Hajime Kashimo’s face.
The wound on his chest, deep enough to show bone, had already healed completely.
“You’ve seen Sukuna?”
“Unfortunately, not face-to-face.”
“Then… compared to Sukuna, who’s stronger?”
“Maybe me.”
“Then… I’ll defeat you first, and then I’ll defeat Sukuna!”
Hajime Kashimo charged at Gen again.
Without his weapon, his speed became even faster, lightning flashing violently in his hands.
Positive charge.
Gen also had Nue’s lightning Cursed Technique, but it did not share the same Cursed Energy trait as Hajime Kashimo’s.
The principle, however, was the same.
Although Gen did not understand why Hajime Kashimo was separating the charges, he focused most of his attention on it.
The Caduceus was not useful in close-quarters combat, so he had already withdrawn it into the shadows.
Hajime Kashimo stepped in.
Gen blocked an elbow strike with his right arm.
Gen pressed in with his left palm, only for Hajime Kashimo to raise a hand and slap it away.
Both of them instinctively lifted their legs, and their whip kicks collided, the burst of Cursed Energy once again pushing them apart.
Hajime Kashimo charged again, throwing and retracting punches in rapid succession, giving Gen no chance to grab his fists.
Gen retreated while counterattacking.
Amid the crossing fists, Hajime Kashimo could feel positive charge rapidly building up on the man before him.
Then Hajime Kashimo leaped up, kicking both feet fiercely toward Gen.
Gen waved his hand, and the Cursed Energy in his palm formed a soft cloth of shadow that instantly hardened to block Hajime Kashimo’s kick.
Then Gen punched out, sending force through the cloth toward Hajime Kashimo’s body.
But that was exactly what Hajime Kashimo wanted.
Using that force, Hajime Kashimo immediately flew far away.
Then a streak of lightning connected from the Nyoi Staff lying on the battlefield nearby to Hajime Kashimo’s hand.
And between them was Gen.
The raging lightning instantly surged toward Hajime Kashimo.
Realizing this, Gen immediately planted both feet on the ground and shot hard to the left.
But because he had already been locked onto by the charge, he failed to avoid the attack.
The lightning abruptly changed direction in midair and rushed toward Gen.
In that brief half-second of evasion, Gen immediately realized this was a move with the same effect as a Domain’s guaranteed hit.
So that was it.
No wonder he split his lightning Cursed Energy into positive and negative poles.
It was aimed straight at the brain.
Once enough charge had accumulated, he could release Cursed Energy with a guaranteed-hit effect and attack the opponent’s core directly.
A pretty good idea.
Unable to dodge in time, Gen was finally struck by the lightning chasing him.
With a thunderous explosion, a massive cloud of dust burst from where Gen had been, swallowing his body.
But Hajime Kashimo showed no joy on his face.
The guy in front of him had changed his Cursed Energy output again.
From shadows, to slashes, and now lightning.
Three types.
What a strange Cursed Technique.
The dust dispersed.
Half of Gen’s face and neck were marked with severe burns and blood, but they were recovering at a visible speed.
By the time the dust cleared completely, he had already healed.
Nue’s Cursed Technique and Hajime Kashimo’s lightning came from the same essence.
What should have been a devastating headshot had lost most of its damage under Gen’s countermeasure.
“This is the first time I’ve ever been this roughed up.”
“There’ll be plenty more chances for you to look even worse…”
As Hajime Kashimo spoke, the smile on his face deepened.
“Hahahahahaha!
Then I’ll be looking forward to it!”
Gen rolled his neck, then raised his hand.
The moment Hajime Kashimo saw that gesture, he immediately lowered his stance.
A transparent slash instantly cut through the already battered city street behind Hajime Kashimo, and Hajime Kashimo rushed out at once.
In a single instant, he clenched his fist and appeared before Gen.
The moment Hajime Kashimo threw his punch, that strange sensation ran through his perception again.
Following that feeling, Hajime Kashimo shouted the name of the punch.
“Black Flash!”
Facing Hajime Kashimo as he charged in, Gen also swung his fist.
“Black Flash!”
Their fists, both wrapped in black lightning, struck each other at once.
Violent energy merged and exploded again.
Immediately after, the ground beneath their feet groaned under the strain.
In the brief moment their eyes met, Gen and Hajime Kashimo both saw the fighting spirit in each other’s gaze.
Once again, they pulled their fists back at the same time and struck out again.
“Again!”
Hajime Kashimo sensed the change in his body.
The feeling delighted him.
With both of their conditions raised even higher, they collided once more.
Fists reinforced with Cursed Energy smashed into each other, erupting with astonishing force.
At the same time, the road beneath their feet finally shattered.
As the pavement broke apart, Hajime Kashimo and Gen fell with it.
The two landed in the sewer water below, unaffected by the surroundings.
“Hah… hah…”
Hajime Kashimo first looked around, then took his starting stance again.
“Damn… So this is what it feels like to really enjoy a fight?
Black Flash feels as natural as lighting a cigarette.”
“You really like chatting with your opponent during a fight, don’t you, Hajime Kashimo?”
Gen did not immediately take a fighting stance, but even standing there, he gave off a pressure Hajime Kashimo could feel.
He was ready.
“I never had any decent opponents.
Everyone who came to challenge me died without me even trying.
In my era, there wasn’t a single person who could make me reveal my Cursed Technique.”
“Isn’t your Cursed Technique lightning?”
“Hah… That impatient to pry for information?
Lightning is only the nature of my Cursed Energy.
My Cursed Technique is reserved for the person I acknowledge as the strongest.”
“Looks like I’m still not qualified?”
Hajime Kashimo looked at Gen, who stood there completely relaxed, and for a moment, he could not figure out what the man was doing.
“If you’re going to face me with that mindset… you’ll die soon.”
An opening… an opening.
Even though Gen’s stance was so relaxed, Hajime Kashimo could not find a single opening.
His eyes swept over Gen, but in the end, he still found nothing that could be called a weakness.
“Dismantle, lightning… all of them were given to me by my Shikigami.”
Gen suddenly spoke.
“It’s been a while, so I’ll use my own Cursed Technique.
Be ready to take it.”
Is it coming?
Where?
Hajime Kashimo did sense a burst of Cursed Energy, but…
Where am I?
A Domain?
No, there’s no sense of a Domain’s boundary.
The sky.
This feeling of rising.
Was I kicked?
When?
Hajime Kashimo felt pain spread from his back.
At the same time, he understood.
He had been kicked out of the sewer and into the air.
And his spine was probably already shattered.