Golden radiance broke through the barrier, illuminating the entire battlefield and bringing the light of victory to the Jujutsu Sorcerers still fighting.
Tamamo-no-Mae resisted with all her might. The dozens of Advanced Cursed Spirits she had absorbed into her Nine-tailed Fox body emerged across her skin.
All sorts of techniques were unleashed.
But it was useless.
None of these techniques could withstand even a single moment against the Holy Sword.
Tamamo-no-Mae's figure was engulfed by the golden radiance.
Her massive Nine-tailed Fox form was instantly annihilated by the golden torrent erupting from the ground.
The pillar of light gradually dissipated.
The Holy Sword, having fulfilled its mission, along with the twelve phantoms surrounding Artoria, vanished at that moment.
The battlefield fell into a brief silence.
Then came an earth-shaking cheer.
The Jujutsu Sorcerers guarding the four gates knew victory had arrived.
The Cursed Spirits scattered in panic, fleeing in all directions.
All the Advanced Cursed Spirits who had led them had been eliminated.
At that moment, every surviving Cursed Spirit, driven by instinct, began to flee.
Some dug into the ground, others flew into the sky, attempting to escape through the top of the barrier.
But after the golden radiance had appeared, the Cursed Spirits lost all fighting spirit.
"Don't let them escape!"
A Jujutsu Sorcerer let out an excited roar. After being suppressed for so long, it was finally time for payback.
Soon, sorcerers rushed out of their positions, chasing after the fleeing Cursed Spirits.
The commanders of the four gates said nothing. They simply arranged for a portion to contract the defensive line and continue guarding the gates before leading the rest in pursuit.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dozens of crimson arrows shot into the sky, striking down Cursed Spirits attempting to escape through the gap blown open by the Holy Sword at the top of the barrier.
Jujutsu Sorcerers on the ground rushed toward the impact zones, smiling as they waited for the falling bodies to land.
Watching the Jujutsu Sorcerers below with fierce smiles, the airborne Cursed Spirits twisted in panic, flapping their broken wings in a desperate attempt to avoid falling to their deaths.
At the center of the battlefield, at the massive crater several hundred meters wide, Eichi, Satoru, and the others had gathered.
"So this is the Holy Sword...?"
Suguru muttered, staring at the crater before him.
He seemed to be wondering whether he could unleash a similar level of destruction.
"This power is totally cheating."
Yuki stood with one hand on her hip, the other shielding her eyes.
There was a hint of helplessness in her tone.
Looking at the three young men before her, Yuki couldn't help but feel, "Am I getting old?"
Then, almost instinctively, she began pondering the same question as Suguru.
Soon, Yuki reached a conclusion.
Even if she self-destructed, she couldn't replicate that level of devastation.
Though, in theory, she could create a black hole through her technique that would devour everything.
But theory was theory, and reality was reality.
Before she could generate a black hole of that scale, she'd exhaust all her Cursed Energy.
And don't be fooled by the crater's size—it might only be a few hundred meters wide on the ground.
The real problem was that most of the Holy Sword's power had been released skyward.
Even the roof of the Sendai Barrier had been blown off.
Not long ago, at Tokyo Jujutsu High, inside the Tombs of the Star.
Tengen had been leisurely watching a drama, somewhat intrigued when Artoria began calling names.
But the moment the roll call finished and the thirteen restraints were released, Tengen's heart sank.
"It couldn't be... It won't hit my barrier, right?"
Then she remembered what Eichi had said before the battle—asking her to open the roof of the Sendai Barrier.
And that towering pillar of light which shot straight into the sky, not outward.
Judging by everything, the power Artoria had used this time far exceeded the last.
"Oh no! It's really targeting my roof!"
Tengen scrambled in panic, trying to open the roof ahead of time.
But it was too late, far too late.
Now, she was frantically drawing power from nearby barriers to repair the Sendai Barrier's roof,
Trying to prevent any Cursed Spirits from escaping through the hole.
Back at the Sendai Barrier.
"Hey! Block the left!"
Eichi was leading a group of Rabbit Escapes, running around a massive group of Cursed Spirits.
"OK."
Satoru gave him a gesture, then instantly teleported to the right side of the Cursed Spirits.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Blue."
A cerulean black hole shot from Satoru's hand.
It skimmed over the heads of dozens of Cursed Spirits, passing just above their terrified faces.
The ones who had tried to break away from the group immediately ran back, rejoining the main horde.
Behind them, Suguru was driving hundreds of Cursed Spirits forward.
Any that fell behind were devoured by the Cursed Spirits trailing behind.
Under the pressure of life and death, the Cursed Spirits had no choice but to run harder.
In this way, thousands of Cursed Spirits—weak ones who were nothing more than cannon fodder on this battlefield—were herded into an enclosure created by Medea.
Bang.
The barrier closed.
With the danger gone, the Cursed Spirits collapsed to the ground, utterly exhausted and unable to escape.
Only a few known for their speed still moved around, searching for an exit.
Unfortunately for them, there was no exit.
And so, the Tokyo Jujutsu High trio, under the watchful eyes of countless Jujutsu Sorcerers—some awed, some admiring, some looking at them like lunatics—herded batch after batch of Cursed Spirits into the enclosure.
They only stopped when Suguru said it was enough.
Eichi walked over to a truck wrecked by Cursed Spirits. He flattened the cargo bed's metal sheet using his shadow,
Then found something usable as paint and wrote large characters:
Spirit Talent Center
Finally, Eichi hung the metal plaque at the entrance to the enclosure.
"Hmm, not bad. Not bad at all."
Eichi admired his handiwork, nodding with satisfaction.
"I think we should add a few more words."
Satoru suddenly appeared on top of the plaque.
He scribbled five characters below: Suguru's Exclusive
"Isn't that a bit much?"
Suguru walked over with his hands in his pockets.
Though he said that, there was no trace of objection in his tone.
"Not at all."
Satoru, squatting atop the plaque, waved it off.
"Think about it. If Utahime-senpai walked by and saw 'Spirit Talent Center,' and got curious enough to go in and pick out a few useful Cursed Spirits, what if she got torn to pieces the moment she stepped in?"
Satoru sat on the plaque, his left arm crossed with his right resting on it, and one finger from his right hand extended and twirling as if giving a lecture on a blackboard.
Suddenly, a fist-sized rock slammed into his head.
"Satoru! I'm your senpai! Show some respect!"
The one who threw the rock was Utahime, stomping her feet in fury.
"Ah, but Utahime, you're really weak. You would seriously get torn up if you went in."
"You're still going on!"
Utahime trembled with rage.
"Satoru."
Suguru's gentle voice drifted over to Utahime.
"Even Utahime-senpai wouldn't get shredded by a bunch of Grade 3 or 4 Cursed Spirits."
"Suguru!"
Utahime turned to him with sparkling eyes.
"With her strength, she'd at least be able to escape."
"Aaahh! I shouldn't have expected anything from you! Shoko was right, anyone who hangs around Satoru turns out bad!"
Utahime grabbed at her hair, launching into a fit of impotent rage.
Eichi, watching the scene with a smile: No, don't lump me in. There's still one normal person here... probably...
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)