A sharp hiss escaped from Yoichi's mouth as he pushed himself up. Rather than a cry of pain, a manic grin appeared on his face.
"Now... this is what I'm talking about. That was actually a good time!"
A moment of contemplation followed as the adrenaline began to settle.
The crux of the problem was understood.
While the body was coated in a massive, shimmering layer of Cursed Energy, it wasn't the same as the raw, chaotic force of Demonic Energy.
Cursed Energy was a byproduct of human misery, but the simulation demanded the primal power of the Underworld to truly interact with the Boss's mechanics.
The raw force of Demonic Energy was staggering, and currently, only the steel of Rebellion could bridge that gap.
Without that infernal power flowing through the veins, every strike against the Hell Vanguard was like trying to cut through a mountain with a butter knife.
It was strenuous, taxing the soul just to land a scratch.
A frown deepened on Yoichi's face as the movements of the boss were analyzed.
A monster like the Vanguard couldn't be read like a common textbook; its power stemmed from using Space itself as the element of surprise.
Toji remained leaning against the wall, a shadow of a smirk playing on his lips.
"Welcome to the real world, brat. The universe doesn't play fair. No mercy for the weak and hopeless ones."
Demonic Energy, huh? A tight grip was maintained on his own arm. If I don't have it naturally, I'll just have to find a way to forge it. Or maybe... I just need to get so fast that space-time can't keep up with the style.
After a brief period of mental recovery, a determined push brought Yoichi back to his feet.
Every subsequent attempt to dismantle the Hell Vanguard, however, met with the same devastating conclusion.
The blade of Rebellion couldn't find its mark.
Frustration bubbled beneath the surface as the reaper flickered through dimensions, mocking the very concept of physical distance. A decision was made to abandon the defensive mechanisms of Royalguard.
Even though a pang of annoyance was felt regarding the "Style" system. A literal power lock-up dictated by the iron-handed rules of the simulation, the current strategy was a dead end.
So a shift occurred as the playstyle was swapped to Trickster.
An incredible sensation washed over Yoichi in an instant, as if the very atmosphere had become a roadmap of possibilities.
The senses were amplified to a frightening degree; the world seemed to slow, and the microscopic ripples in space-time became visible to the naked eye.
A sudden thought crossed his mind: maybe these styles weren't ordinary move-sets, but actual biological enhancements tailored for specific concepts of combat.
Another dive into the simulation ensued.
The Hell Vanguard wasn't defeated this time either, but the outcome was fundamentally different.
Instead of a brutal ejection, the duel lasted minutes rather than seconds. The reaper lunged, its scythe tearing through the fabric of reality, yet a "Dash" was executed with such fluid grace that Yoichi seemed to phase through the steel itself.
A focused grin appeared on Yoichi's face.
He's getting closer.
Closer to pinning down the ghost.
Closer to finding the gap in this damn boss.
Like a dance, the dodges were becoming more than just reactions. The instincts, already honed by Toji's brutality, were being sharpened to a razor's edge by the spatial warping boss.
"Come on, you hooded freak!" A taunt was thrown. "I'm starting to see your flaws and I'm about to close the road!"
Back in the observation room, a low whistle escaped from Haibara's mouth. "His movement just changed completely. It's like he's not even touching the ground anymore. Is that still Jujutsu, Toji-san?"
"I don't know either," Toji replied, his eyes following the silver blur on the screen with a rare focus. "That's something else. Something out of this world that only this brat knows."
An ecstatic thrill washed over his body despite the lack of a "Victory" screen.
Each grueling round with the Hell Vanguard acted as a forge, tempering combat experience against the boss's cheats.
Coupled with such freakish natural talent, it wouldn't take much longer to annihilate this troublesome monster.
...
...
...
The days settled into a predictable rhythm until Yoichi returned to his usual school routine. His personal mission to exterminate the pesky Grade 4 and 3 curses continued, but he noticed their remnants were amalgamating far too quickly.
It felt like his very existence was acting as a catalyst, fueling a theory that he was drawing them in like a beacon.
One evening, as he neared home, Yoichi noticed Grandpa Noborou's house was dark, unlit, and silent. The Cursed Energy clinging to the property was thick enough to make him frown. It was too close to his family; if something was nesting here, they were in the line of fire.
"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Yoichi called out, stepping toward the front door.
Soon, with Yoichi's improved senses, a hint of iron assaulted his nose, smelling like a liquid iron... Like blood.
"Yoichi, why not call the authorities first?" Mamaguro urged from the background.
"You're still just a child."
"No, do what you can do," Toji countered, his voice cold and pragmatic.
Taking a deep breath, Yoichi stepped inside.
The iron stench of blood along with the gloaming environment was unsettling.
"Grandpa?! Where are you?" Yoichi yelled, but no one responded.
One by one, he opened each light until he found Noborou slumped in the middle of the room, dripping wet with red.
However, there was no curse in sight so Yoichi rushed to help him and reached for the landline, but a trembling hand gripped his wrist.
"Don't call them," the old man mumbled, his eyes flickering open. "I merely injured my legs... It's going to be fine, kid."
Ignoring the protest, Yoichi called his parents and began wrapping the gashes with bandages from a first-aid kit.
By the time Kiyoshi and Michelle stormed in, they found Yoichi covered in blood and Noborou pale as a ghost.
Shortly after, the emergency department arrived to treat him, but the front door swung open once more.
Noborou's son entered, followed by two men.
Yoichi froze. Those high collars... the dark, reinforced fabric.
Ummm... isn't that a Jujutsu High uniform?!
The tension in the room remained high as the son of Noborou, sweating and frantic, stepped forward to introduce himself.
He bowed deeply, his voice trembling as he thanked Kiyoshi and Michelle for their quick response. Michelle, however, stepped aside and placed a hand on her son's shoulder.
"Don't thank us."
"Yoichi is the one who found him. He's the one who kept your father stable until we got here."
The two men in the high-collared uniforms shifted. They were looking directly at the five-year-old and leaned in close to one another, their voices dropping to a barely audible whisper.
"Did you notice that?" one murmured.
"Yeah," the other replied. "This kid... he has Cursed Energy. To a grotesque extent, too."
Noborou's son followed their gaze, his eyes lingering on Yoichi with a confusing intensity.
Being stared at by professionals wasn't like being stared at by Toji; these men represented a system he wasn't ready to enter yet.
He shifted uncomfortably, tugging at his mother's sleeve until she finally led him and Kiyoshi back toward their own home.
Back in the blood-stained living room, the three men stood in a circle, the atmosphere heavy with silent deliberation.
"Thank goodness," Noborou's son breathed.
"If not for their help, my father would have died from blood loss right there on the floor."
"He's right," one of the colleagues said, though his mind was clearly elsewhere.
"Should we report this back to the school?"
The other man replied. "What's with the hesitation? Of course, we report it. A child with that kind of monstrous cursed energy at his age must be a high-tier sorcerer in the future. We can't just let a talent rot like that in a city."
"Yeah," Noborou's son agreed, nodding slowly. "The potential is there."
"Who knows?" the first colleague added.
"Maybe he's the one we've been searching for all this time."
"Hahaha, you're getting ahead of yourself. You're good at joking, I'll give you that. Let's leave the kid for now and get to work."
He looked back at the shadows creeping across the walls. "We have a lot of spirits to exorcise in Kanagawa before the sun comes up."
...
...
...
"Those guys were the real deal..."
Yoichi looked into the bathroom mirror as the steam swirled around his small frame.
He had felt their Cursed Energy immediately, but he had kept his own presence locked down tight.
To him, they were a glimpse into a world he wasn't ready to enter.
With Haibara's help, his Jujutsu fundamentals were becoming rock solid, but Yoichi wasn't in a hurry. He knew that getting involved with Jujutsu High too early was a recipe for disaster.
He looked at his reflection and gave a small, confident smirk.
I'm still enjoying my childhood. The sorcerer's life can wait until I'm at least tall enough to reach the table. And besides, I haven't even unlocked my best moves yet! Can't let the "professionals" see the main event too early!