"Black Flash!"
"GRAH—!"
The Special Grade curse let out an agonized howl. The instant the punch connected, it was launched backward violently. The sheer impact forced blood from its mouth as its nearly three-meter-tall body slammed into a thick concrete wall.
BOOM—!
Dust billowed outward. The sturdy concrete crumbled under the violent force, and the cursed spirit's back punched straight through, sending it tumbling into the adjacent room.
"..."
To completely isolate Megumi Fushiguro from the battle, Yuji had deployed the barrier technique "Curtain"—sealing himself and the Special Grade in their own space.
Yuji's Domain was... special. Even though he now understood how to construct one, his lack of cursed energy reserves prevented him from successfully building the barrier.
Given his current growth rate, though, he believed it was only a matter of time before he regained his full strength.
Yuji walked slowly to the hole he'd punched through the wall. Beyond it lay an unusually vast, abandoned hall. A red carpet ran down the center aisle. A performance stage sat at the front, and countless audience chairs filled the space below—some kind of massive concert venue.
He looked down at the Special Grade cursed spirit sprawled in the wreckage below.
The Black Flash he'd just unleashed had left a clear dent in the creature's abdomen. Its internal bones were probably shattered. However—
"Huh—?"
The Special Grade wiped blood from the corner of its mouth, then ran a hand over the wound on its stomach.
The injury vanished.
"Heh. Hehehe..."
"Regeneration? Though unlike humans, a cursed spirit using cursed energy to heal is nothing impressive."
Yuji saw through the trick immediately.
As someone who'd survived countless battles, this didn't surprise him in the slightest.
The pink-haired boy raised his arm, opened his palm, and chanted: "Flowing Red Scale—Stack."
He clenched his fist. The veins on his arm bulged simultaneously.
Flowing Red Scale. Its effect was essentially doping—the kind banned in professional sports. The user manipulated their body temperature, pulse, and even red blood cell count, ultimately unlocking the full potential of their physical body.
Black Flash worked differently. It was like landing a critical hit in a video game. When the delay between a physical strike and the impact of cursed energy fell within 0.000001 seconds, the user's cursed energy would cause a spatial distortion—resulting in a devastating special attack.
After landing a Black Flash, the user entered a state called "the Zone," where they could exert 120% of their potential. Cursed energy flowed incredibly smoothly, making manipulation far easier than normal.
Even though his base physical stats and total cursed energy were far inferior to the Special Grade before him, these two "buffs" leveled the playing field—bringing Yuji's effective strength infinitely close to Special Grade.
This gave Yuji Itadori, a "Grade 4 jujutsu sorcerer," the capital to defeat a Special Grade curse.
"GAH—!"
The Special Grade roared. It assumed a bow-drawing posture, and golden cursed energy instantly condensed in its palm, forming a massive energy arrow.
With a flick of its arm, it hurled the projectile at Yuji.
"Tch!"
Yuji leaned forward and leaped down into the empty concert hall. The first arrow grazed past his shoulder—
BOOM—!
The wall behind him exploded.
The moment he landed, the second and third cursed energy arrows followed close behind.
Yuji dodged sideways, letting both arrows whistle past his waist and abdomen. At the same time—
"ROAR—!"
The cursed spirit let out an angry hiss. This time, its attack wasn't the slow bow-and-arrow technique, but several compressed golden energy spheres.
BANG BANG BANG BANG—!
Explosions echoed through the empty concert hall. Countless chairs flew into the air. Dust and rubble instantly filled the space. But Yuji's figure darted through the gaps in the blasts like a phantom—finally arriving directly in front of the Special Grade!
He raised his right arm. Cyan cursed energy flames enveloped his fist.
BANG—!
A dull thud echoed through the hall. The atmosphere fell silent for a heartbeat.
But the expected scene—the cursed spirit crying out and flying backward—never came. Yuji's cursed-energy-infused right fist had been caught by the creature's hand, which was larger than his entire head.
This punch hadn't triggered a Black Flash.
The boy's arm trembled as he remained locked in a stalemate with the curse.
Without Black Flash's enhancement, the gap in raw strength was immediately apparent. But Yuji's expression didn't change. He knew no jujutsu sorcerer could unleash Black Flash at will—not even Satoru Gojo.
Boy and curse withdrew their arms simultaneously. Then raised their fists again at the same time.
BANG—!!!
The two fists—one massive, one small—clashed fiercely! A terrifying shockwave exploded outward from the point of impact, instantly clearing the surrounding dust and debris!
BANG! BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!
But it wasn't over. The curse's attacks were wide and sweeping, pure power behind every strike. Each punch and kick forced Yuji to scramble on defense. But relying on combat experience far surpassing any ordinary fighter, he dodged, blocked, and countered through the flurry of blows—weaving through the onslaught like a butterfly through flowers.
Curse and boy fought fiercely. The ground beneath their feet cracked inch by inch. Rubble flew everywhere.
But the gap in power was cruel. In prolonged close-quarters combat, although Yuji's attacks caused pain, it was difficult to truly damage the thick-skinned Special Grade. Meanwhile, the curse's strikes—even when blocked or barely grazed—left Yuji's arms numb.
"Hehe... hehehe!"
Realizing the power gap, a mocking smile spread across the creature's face. It hadn't expected the imposing boy from earlier to be so weak.
As the fight dragged on, wounds accumulated across Yuji's body. The smile on the curse's face grew wider. Its movements took on a cat-and-mouse quality—toying with its prey.
BANG!
"Ugh!"
A punch landed on Yuji's jaw. He stumbled back several steps. A sweet taste rose in his throat, and a trickle of blood seeped from his lips.
Seeing Yuji's breathing grow ragged—his stamina seemingly bottoming out—a distinctly human mocking grin twisted the Special Grade's ugly face. Victory was assured.
"..."
In the history of the jujutsu world, the record for consecutive Black Flashes was four—held by Grade 1 sorcerer Kento Nanami.
In the future Shinjuku Showdown, Yuji Itadori would completely shatter that record, setting a terrifying new mark of eight consecutive Black Flashes.
No jujutsu sorcerer could unleash Black Flash at will.
But after sixty-eight years of training, Yuji could come infinitely close.
In the hand-to-hand combat just now, he'd been intentionally holding back.
Cursed spirits could use cursed energy to heal their wounds. For Yuji, the damage from ordinary cursed energy strikes on this Special Grade was almost negligible.
Therefore, he needed to inflict irreparable damage all at once—completely exorcise it before it could recover.
He needed to create an opening.
"Hehe. Hahahahaha!"
The curse's mocking laughter echoed through the hall. Growing overconfident, it stepped forward. A simple but heavy punch fell toward Yuji's head.
This is what I've been waiting for.
The massive fist, wrapped in howling wind pressure, came crashing down. Just as it was about to connect with Yuji's face, he raised his right arm. His palm floated up lightly—like a willow leaf—landing perfectly on the curse's wrist.
The punch was redirected. Using a subtle technique, Yuji deflected its trajectory, letting it brush harmlessly past his shoulder.
"...?"
Astonishment flickered across the creature's ugly face.
Yuji's left fist was already pressed against its abdomen.
"My turn."
His voice was terrifyingly calm.
The instant his fist made contact, the cursed energy Yuji had been accumulating poured out like a dam breaking. Deep blue energy danced wildly around his knuckles. Pitch-black lightning tore through space once again.
"Black Flash!"
BOOM—!!!
This punch was completely different from everything before. A massive dent caved into the curse's abdomen. The sound of shattering ribs echoed clearly.
"Pfft!"
Blackish-purple blood sprayed from its mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs. Its eyes bulged. Its expression twisted into pure pain and disbelief.
As the curse's body lurched backward, Yuji's right hand shot out like lightning. Five fingers clamped onto its wrist, yanking its center of gravity back!
"Not done yet!"
Second punch.
"Black Flash!"
The fist crashed into its chest. Its sternum caved inward. More blood gushed from its mouth.
Third punch.
"Black Flash!"
This one landed on the curse's right shoulder. The entire arm bent at a grotesque angle. The shoulder blade shattered.
Every punch Yuji threw landed precisely on a vital point—throat, heart, liver. In the brief moments the curse tried to use cursed energy to heal, the violent attacks came one after another, leaving it no time to regenerate. No time to breathe. No time to resist.
"Black Flash! Black Flash! Black Flash—!!!"
Pitch-black lightning exploded continuously through the empty concert hall. Yuji's fists were a blur. The curse's screams—initially deafening—gradually faded to muffled whimpers.
"Black Flash!"
The final punch landed squarely on its face.
BOOM—!!!
"GRAH—!"
The entire concert hall trembled. Light fixtures crashed from the ceiling. Cracks spread across the floor like a spiderweb.
The curse's head caved in from the impact.