Chapter 118: Chapter 118: Lotus Bloom!
"Seriously, he's playing so hard with the students?"
Standing on the steps not far away, Gojo Satoru watched Hayashizaki surrounded by students and pouted in mock complaint.
Squatting beside him, Hikigaya Komachi stared intently at the ongoing battle on the field and mumbled, almost unconsciously, "Are all Jujutsu Sorcerer battles this scary?"
"Scary?"
Gojo Satoru chuckled when he heard her whisper.
"This is just playing around."
"Really...?"
Komachi's face filled with shock. If this was just play, how intense and brutal must real battles be?
"Don't worry. Hayashizaki knows how to control himself," Gojo Satoru reassured her.
"Ah, my brother's slacking off in the back!"
Komachi, who had been keeping a close eye on her brother, quickly spotted Hikigaya Hachiman taking it easy. She cupped her hands around her mouth like a megaphone and shouted loudly:
"Brother! Stop slacking off!!"
So, she wasn't worried at all…
Gojo Satoru's smile froze on his face.
In the distance, Hikigaya Hachiman's expression changed when he heard his sister's voice. As the others cast puzzled looks his way, he could no longer pretend to be invisible. Reluctantly, he got up from the ground to face an opponent he had no chance of defeating.
"That guy's name is Hikigaya, right?"
Zenin twitched slightly at the corner of her mouth.
"Seriously, what is he even here for?"
"He seems pretty scared of Hayashizaki," Panda said, scratching his cheek with a paw.
"Like that new first-year kid?"
She thought of the new black-haired, side-parted freshman who'd recently joined Jujutsu High.
"Newcomers should be training with Nanami. Why's he here? The exchange event spots are already full anyway."
"Alright, this isn't the time for that," Panda reminded her.
"True. Let's focus on the fight at hand," Zenin agreed, shifting her attention back to the battle. She raised her weapon, Cloudy Blade, and stared warily at Hayashizaki ahead.
"Ready? Here I come."
Hayashizaki grinned and, before Yukinoshita Yukino and Itadori Yuji could close in from behind, launched himself forward. With a powerful step that left a deep crater in the grass, he shot toward Zenin and Panda like an arrow from a bow.
He's even faster than before!
The eyes of both Zenin and Panda widened in surprise. Hayashizaki's sudden speed increase caught them off guard. Before they could react, the black-haired young man was already upon them.
Hayashizaki's arms, like blunt blades, crashed into Zenin and Panda's necks. Zenin managed to block with Cloudy Blade, but Panda relied only on the thick fur around his neck for protection.
The impact sent both of them hurtling toward Kugisaki Nobara. Their legs left deep furrows in the grass as they were dragged along.
Fushiguro Megumi, standing near Zenin, didn't even have time to defend. He only snapped out of his daze after watching his two seniors get dragged away.
"Tch, there's no way I can avoid hitting Maki-senpai and Panda-senpai like this!"
Kugisaki Nobara bit her lip. Forced to dodge clumsily, she rolled to the side, ending up covered in grass and dirt.
Hayashizaki clapped his hands together, flinging Zenin and Panda away. They tumbled across the grass, finally stopping as they clutched their throats, coughing violently.
Without missing a beat, Hayashizaki turned toward Kugisaki Nobara. As she launched a few nails at him, he caught them mid-air and flung them back. The nails pierced her shoulder, making her movements falter.
Just as he was about to reach her, Hayashizaki came to an abrupt halt, stopping his charge in an instant.
The next moment, a Great Serpent shot past him like a speeding train.
Fushiguro Megumi, who had anticipated Hayashizaki's movements and directed the Great Serpent to attack, suddenly froze in alarm as the black-haired man turned sharply and charged toward him.
"So attacking Kugisaki was just a distraction? The real target was me!?"
Realizing this, he quickly commanded Nue to lift him into the air, trying to put some distance between himself and Hayashizaki.
Below him, Itadori Yuji and Yukinoshita Yukino were rushing toward Hayashizaki.
"ORA!"
Itadori Yuji was the first to confront Hayashizaki, throwing a straightforward punch. But before his fist could connect, the figure in front of him vanished.
"Huh?"
Yuji felt a heavy stomp land on his head, throwing him off balance and causing him to stumble forward.
Using Yuji's head as a springboard, Hayashizaki leaped high into the air. In mid-air, he instinctively dodged an invisible slash and then reached for Fushiguro Megumi.
"You've got to be kidding me!"
Fushiguro Megumi's face turned pale as he urgently signaled Nue to fly higher, but Hayashizaki was faster.
With a sudden drop in motion, Hayashizaki grabbed Fushiguro's ankle. Using it like a vine, he swung through the air, flipping himself upside down. His legs locked onto the arm Fushiguro was using to hold onto Nue's claw.
Fushiguro was forced to release the Shikigami, and both of them plummeted to the ground. Locked in Hayashizaki's grip, Fushiguro could only brace for impact as they crashed, sending up a cloud of dust.
When the dust settled, Fushiguro Megumi was unconscious. Hayashizaki, meanwhile, casually stretched as he walked toward Itadori Yuji.
"This is insane..."
"Fushiguro-senpai got wrecked..."
The others stared in shock at Hayashizaki emerging from the dust. His aerial throw had stunned everyone.
"Is Fushiguro-senpai really not going to die from that?"
From afar, Komachi's voice was filled with worry, fearing Hayashizaki might have gone too far.
"He'll be fine. Megumi's tough," Gojo Satoru said nonchalantly. "Honestly, Jujutsu sorcerers are all tough. Plus, that guy knows Reverse Cursed Technique. With his skills, even if his heart was ripped out, he could just grow a new one."
"..."
Komachi, utterly shocked, gaped in silence.
As the black-haired man strolled forward, the remaining group instinctively stepped back.
They couldn't help it—Hayashizaki's presence was overwhelming.
If Gojo Satoru represented an insurmountable gap in skill, then Hayashizaki felt like an unbeatable force.
Even though Hayashizaki had lowered his abilities to their level, his speed, while fast, wasn't entirely unmanageable. Yet in terms of battle experience, real-time decision-making, and judgment, he completely dominated them.
Losing to Gojo Satoru didn't feel personal.
But losing to Hayashizaki like this filled everyone with a deep sense of frustration.
Even if Gojo-sensei fought them without using cursed techniques, relying only on physical strength, he wouldn't crush them as completely as Hayashizaki just had.
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