The first day of the Kyoto Goodwill Event.
The team battle officially began.
The battleground was the forest training zone inside Tokyo Metropolitan Jujutsu Technical College.
This area had been deliberately transformed into a complex combat environment.
Dense trees covered most of the terrain.
Abandoned structures were scattered throughout the forest.
A shallow river wound through the area, creating natural obstacles.
The rules were simple.
Each team had to exorcise the Grade-2 cursed spirit hidden inside the forest.
Whichever side succeeded first would win.
However—
Interfering with the opposing team was fully permitted.
In fact, that was the true purpose of the event.
To test how sorcerers handled real combat pressure.
"The match begins!"
The carefree voice of Satoru Gojo echoed across the forest.
It even sounded slightly smug.
At that signal—
Students from both schools rushed into the forest simultaneously.
Birds burst into the sky.
The quiet woodland instantly filled with tension.
Tokyo Team
The Tokyo side moved quickly according to their plan.
Yuji Itadori.
Megumi Fushiguro.
Nobara Kugisaki.
Maki Zenin.
Panda.
Toge Inumaki.
The six of them scattered into the forest.
Each heading toward assigned positions.
"Remember!"
Maki spoke sharply before disappearing into the trees.
"If you encounter Todo, don't fight him head-on!"
"Just run!"
The team nodded.
Everyone moved immediately.
Except one person.
Yagami Sora.
He didn't follow the team.
He didn't search for the Grade-2 cursed spirit either.
Instead—
Hands in his pockets—
He walked casually toward the Kyoto team's starting point.
Not through the hidden forest paths.
But directly along the most visible road.
"Hey!"
Yuji shouted from behind.
"Yagami!"
"The cursed spirit's presence is that way!"
Sora didn't turn around.
He only waved a hand lazily.
"I'm going to end the match."
Yuji blinked.
"…What?"
"Chasing cursed spirits is annoying."
Sora's voice drifted through the trees.
"So I'll just eliminate the opponents."
"If they're gone…"
"…we win automatically."
Kyoto Team
Meanwhile—
The Kyoto team gathered deeper inside the forest.
Noritoshi Kamo calmly outlined their strategy.
"Our primary target is Yuji Itadori."
His voice was steady.
"According to our principal…"
"…he is the vessel of Ryomen Sukuna."
"We must eliminate him during this event."
"This isn't a match."
"It's an execution."
Several students exchanged uneasy glances.
Kamo continued.
"Todo insists on confronting Yagami Sora himself."
"So we'll allow him to intercept Sora."
"The rest of us will focus on surrounding Itadori."
"Overwhelm him with numbers."
But suddenly—
A voice interrupted.
"No need for that."
Everyone looked up instantly.
High above them—
On a tree branch—
Stood Yagami Sora.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves behind him.
But his expression was cold.
Like a hunter watching prey.
The entire forest fell silent.
Even the insects stopped chirping.
The Kyoto students felt something suffocating.
An invisible pressure.
Not simple cursed energy.
Something colder.
More absolute.
"This…"
Kamo's breathing became heavy.
"Why is he already here…?"
The distance between the two teams had been nearly one kilometer.
And the forest terrain was extremely complicated.
Yet Sora had arrived in less than a minute.
It felt impossible.
Sora jumped down from the branch.
He landed lightly.
Not even a leaf stirred.
But the Kyoto students could hear their own heartbeats.
"See?"
Sora spoke calmly.
"This is what you call an ambush."
"In front of absolute vector control…"
"…numbers are just another variable."
Kamo's pupils shrank.
"How did you get here so fast?"
"Teleportation?"
"Flight?"
"Since everyone is gathered in one place…"
Sora cracked his neck slightly.
"…this saves me time."
He landed fully.
BOOM!
A shockwave burst outward.
Dust exploded across the forest floor.
The Kyoto students staggered backward.
"You… actually came here alone?"
Mai Zenin forced herself to raise her revolver.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"You walked straight into our trap!"
"Alone?"
Sora smiled faintly.
Then shook his finger.
"To deal with you…"
"One person is already excessive."
"I'm in a hurry."
"I want to go back and take a nap."
"So can you all collapse quickly?"
"Don't get arrogant!"
Kokichi Muta snapped.
Inside the mechanical puppet body known as Mechamaru, anger surged.
The humiliation from their previous encounter still burned inside him.
Today—
He had prepared new weapon systems.
"I couldn't fight you properly last time!"
"But today…"
"…you'll see real firepower!"
CLANK.
CLANK.
The mechanical arms transformed.
Metal plates shifted rapidly.
A triple-barreled Gatling cannon emerged from his arm.
At the same time—
Missile launchers opened along his back.
"Ultimate Mechamaru!"
"All-Out Fire Mode!"
"Wait!"
Kamo tried to stop him.
But it was too late.
Sora simply stared at the weapon calmly.
Instead of dodging—
He stepped forward.
Then spread his arms.
"Go ahead."
His voice was bored.
"Let me see if your 'heavy firepower' can even light a cigarette."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Don't disappoint me…"
"…tin can."
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