The following morning, the individual battles officially began.
The venue was the largest dojo on campus. Teachers from both schools sat on either side, with a large open space left in the center. Once all participants had arrived, Principal Yaga and Principal Gakuganji gave brief opening remarks. Then, after a quick rundown of the rules, the matches were underway.
"First match: Kamiya Hajime vs. Miwa Kasumi."
Despite having stayed up late gaming, Kamiya Hajime looked full of energy as he stepped into the center of the arena. Miwa Kasumi took a deep breath to compose herself and followed. After bowing to each other, the match began.
Both of them wielded cursed swords. Miwa looked somewhat tense, and Kamiya didn't go all out with a technique right away. Instead, he assumed a ready stance, signaling for Miwa to make the first move.
Miwa summoned her courage and charged. As Kamiya defended, he analyzed her swordsmanship. His own style was rather eclectic—he had initially learned from Maki, and then continued improving through practice and actual combat.
Miwa's sword techniques, on the other hand, clearly followed a defined school of thought. The style was called New Shadow Style (Shin-Inryu). The homeroom teacher for the second-years, Kusakabe Atsushi, also practiced this style—and he was quite strong.
It was said that during the Heian period, a powerful sorcerer named Ashiya Sadakane created a simplified domain to protect his disciples from curses and rogue sorcerers. That same technique had been passed down through generations. The New Shadow Style wasn't just swordsmanship; it also incorporated cursed energy and tools.
After trading over a dozen blows, Kamiya could tell that Miwa still lacked in key areas—her strength and cursed energy were insufficient. Even with decent sword technique, against a powerful opponent, she wouldn't last more than a move or two.
Of course, Kamiya was comparing her to monsters. Compared to average sorcerers, Miwa wasn't bad. Given someone like Kusakabe became a Grade 1 Sorcerer, Miwa might have a bright future as well.
But she wasn't there yet. Kamiya exploited a gap in her form and closed the distance, forcing her into a defensive stance. A few rapid, sharp slashes quickly put her on the back foot.
After a sweeping strike knocked Miwa to the ground, Kamiya mentally compared their sword styles and then said to the recovering Miwa,
"Your sword is too slow. It lacks strength—and conviction."
Miwa blinked in confusion. Kamiya, in a surprisingly good mood, clarified:
"To put it simply, you don't have the will to cut down your opponent. Even if you're using a wooden blade and know you won't kill, once you pick up a sword, you need to understand—it's a deadly weapon. You must fight with that awareness."
"Why did you come to Jujutsu High? Or rather, why did you become a sorcerer in the first place?"
Still catching her breath under the pressure, Miwa hesitated before replying honestly:
"Because I was poor. I have two younger brothers to support, so I became a sorcerer."
Kamiya understood. Normal people couldn't fight curses. But as long as negative emotions exist, curses will too. The government and those in power were aware of the jujutsu world but kept it hidden from the public to avoid mass panic, which could spawn even worse curses.
There was always a shortage of sorcerers. Exorcising curses was dangerous work, but the pay was high. Unfortunately, it couldn't be publicized—otherwise, sorcerers would have much higher social standing.
The higher one's grade, the more money one could earn. Miwa's answer didn't surprise Kamiya. She didn't come from a sorcerer clan, didn't thirst for battle like Todo, nor did she carry a heavy past like Yuta.
That reason was fine—but it had one flaw. Kamiya pointed his blade at her and said:
"You don't have a compelling reason or will to become stronger. Right now, you're just trying to earn a living. But have you thought about what happens if you encounter a curse way beyond your ability and die suddenly?"
Before Miwa could respond, Kamiya continued:
"That's why you do have a reason to grow stronger. Whether it's for money or to avoid dying on a mission, you need the resolve to kill your enemies with everything you've got."
Miwa stared at her reflection in the blade, momentarily dazed. Kamiya then said:
"One strike. You get one more shot—show me your resolve."
Looking up, Miwa saw Kamiya mirroring her own earlier stance perfectly. She sighed inwardly: What kind of monster is this?! But that thought faded quickly.
Kamiya was right. She hadn't fully embraced the weight of her role as a jujutsu sorcerer. Training with Momo, Mai, and others had been serious, and some missions had been dangerous—but never extreme.
If she faced someone like Kamiya in the future… how long could she last? Would she die immediately? What about her family? Her friends at Jujutsu High?
Miwa slowly sheathed her sword and took a draw stance. With a calm heart, she felt cursed energy flowing within the scabbard. She was acutely aware of everything within range—anything that entered her space would be cut down like lightning.
New Shadow Style – Simple Domain.
New Shadow Style – Draw Slash.
Kamiya watched with interest:
"So this is that Simple Domain? And this draw technique… applying cursed energy to the blade, accelerating it within the scabbard, and unleashing it with explosive speed? Interesting."
He also took a draw stance, though he couldn't replicate the domain just yet. He couldn't help but envy Gojo-sensei's Six Eyes—if he had them, he could easily see through these techniques and mimic them after a few tries.
"Let's see how fast I can go without using techniques."
Kamiya locked eyes on the poised Miwa. Cursed energy surged across his sheathed blade, blazing like blue fire.
"Clang!"
With a sharp metallic ring, Kamiya vanished. His blade was drawn and at Miwa's throat. But the moment he touched her domain, her sword moved on its own, slashing out with thunderous force.
Kamiya finally acknowledged her: this was a proper attack—filled with killing intent, speed, and precision.
In such high-speed draw slashes, the expected outcome was a direct clash where one blade would break, and the winner would be decided.
But Kamiya did not follow through. At the last instant, he twisted his blade off-line, letting the swords slide past each other. Then, with a swift motion, he hooked and twisted her weapon.
Miwa lost her grip. Her sword spun away—only for a hand to reach out and catch it mid-air. Miwa looked at her empty hands, sighed deeply, and bowed to Kamiya:
"Thank you."
Yaga announced:
"First match: Kamiya Hajime wins. Tokyo Jujutsu High gains one point."
Returning to his seat—well, everyone else knelt formally, but Kamiya just sat cross-legged—he glanced at the Kyoto side. Miwa was being comforted by her teammates.
Maki muttered:
"So, there are normal people in Kyoto after all."
Then Yaga announced the second match:
"Panda vs. Mai."
Mai's technique wasn't a secret, especially with her sister on the Tokyo team. Her ability, "Construction Technique," allowed her to create matter from nothing. The created object remained even after the technique ended.
Kamiya had found this power baffling at first. Jujutsu sorcery really was full of absurd abilities.
Due to her limitations, Mai could only construct one object per day—usually a single cursed-energy-infused bullet. She'd hide it among regular rounds in her revolver for a surprise attack.
The match began. Panda gave her a shock—despite his cuddly appearance, he was formidable in close combat. The dojo's enclosed space worked both for and against Mai.
Panda's large, durable body took several hits and kept going, enhanced by cursed energy. Meanwhile, Mai struggled in close quarters and was pushed into a dangerous position.
Eventually, she landed her cursed bullet on Panda's core—an opening earned through multiple injuries.
But Panda wasn't just a panda—he had three cores. When he switched to Gorilla Mode, the outcome was sealed.
"Second match: Panda wins. Tokyo Jujutsu High gains two points."
"Panda is the best!"
"Tuna mayo!"
Panda scratched his head sheepishly while the Kyoto side fell into gloom. After comforting Mai, Kamo Noritoshi spoke up:
"Let's just give it our all from here. No need to beat yourself up…"
"Third match: Inumaki Toge vs. Mechamaru."
Mechamaru stepped forward:
"I'll go."
Toge politely said "Kelp," though Mechamaru wouldn't understand. At the match's start, Mechamaru launched a barrage of small spheres.
They hit the ground and burst into smoke, allowing him to vanish.
"Blow away!" Toge commanded.
A gust of wind scattered the smoke. At that moment, a red glow lit up the haze—followed by a pillar of fire.
Toge dodged, while Mechamaru continued his hit-and-run attacks, trying to wear Toge down.
Toge realized the tactic and avoided overusing his speech, focusing on locating his opponent.
The dojo, reinforced with high-level barriers, held up under the bombardment.
Eventually, with his throat nearly shredded and Mechamaru's stealth gear depleted, Toge finally pinpointed him.
Faced with imminent defeat, Mechamaru conceded to avoid destroying his hard-built puppet.
"In a different setting, maybe I could've won…" he thought, returning to his seat.
Toge was immediately swarmed by concerned teammates and handed throat medicine.
With three wins, Tokyo had guaranteed at least a draw. One more win would secure overall victory.
Maki stood and said:
"Guess it's my turn."
Sure enough, Yaga announced:
"Next match: Zen'in Maki vs. Nishimiya Momo."
The outcome was clear. Nishimiya hovered near the ceiling, attacking with wind blades from her broom, but Maki deflected them all with her animalistic instincts.
Using the room's structure, Maki leapt from wall to wall and brought Nishimiya down—then proceeded to utterly dominate her in close combat.
"Zen'in Maki wins. Tokyo gains another point."
"Wooohoo!"
Kamiya and Panda wanted to cheer loudly, but were silenced by Maki's m
urderous glare.
"Next match: Okkotsu Yuta vs. Kamo Noritoshi."
(End of Chapter)
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