Chapter 91: Desperate Standoff
Amidst the swirling smoke, a giant hand suddenly materialized out of thin air.
The hand was not connected to any arm, as if it had reached out directly from the void, its knuckles as thick as stone pillars.
With a whistling sound, it violently grabbed at the fleeing group; the moment its five fingers closed, it trapped them firmly in its palm like iron pincers.
Immediately after, the hand began to shake violently!
It was as if someone were frantically shaking a bottle filled with soda, and the immense force transmitted from the palm caused the Jujutsu Sorcerers to lose their balance instantly.
In just a few seconds, the struggle within the palm gradually weakened; those Jujutsu Sorcerers had long since lost consciousness from the shaking, collapsing limply in the palm.
After confirming the prey had lost their combat ability, the hand suddenly flicked upward, hurling the group fiercely into the sky.
Almost at the same time, a massive white figure darted out from the smoke—it was a White Snake Cursed Spirit over ten meters long, its scales shimmering with a cold light under the sun.
It opened its blood-thirsty maw, its sharp fangs flashing with a cold glint; before the group could land, it swallowed them all in one gulp, and as its throat rippled, the figure quickly vanished back into the smoke.
At this moment, the black smoke from the explosion finally began to disperse.
Momo Nishimiya, hovering in the sky, felt her pupils constrict, her gaze locked firmly on the clearing smoke where a slender figure stood.
The hem of his black trench coat fluttered violently in the wind, and he was surrounded by such dense Cursed Energy that it had almost materialized, the oppressive pressure causing even her broom to tremble slightly.
"It's him!"
Momo Nishimiya's voice was filled with irrepressible horror; she screamed frantically into her communicator, her voice cracking from tension:
"It's Rin! The enemy is the Special Grade Curse User Rin!!"
A sharp intake of breath came instantly from the communicator, but Momo Nishimiya had no time to hear any response; the moment she shouted the name, the scene before her eyes suddenly spun wildly!
The shift in perspective was so fast she couldn't react; the sky she had been hovering above vanished, replaced by a cracked concrete ground.
She could even clearly smell the dust on the ground; her body slammed heavily onto the street, her oak broom slipping from her hand and rolling away not far off.
A massive, icy aura was slowly approaching from behind, pressing down on her back like a physical weight, making her lose even the strength to lift her head.
...
"Momo Nishimiya! Momo Nishimiya! Please respond if you copy!"
Kento Nanami's voice rang out urgently through the communicator, carrying a rare sense of anxiety.
His pace did not falter; his black leather shoes trod across the rubble-strewn street, each step kicking up fine dust.
The thick smoke at the explosion site had not yet fully dispersed, but there was only deathly silence on the other end of the communicator, with no response whatsoever.
Just then, the sound of fluttering wings came from overhead.
Nanami looked up abruptly, and saw countless crows circling in the Kyoto sky, their ink-colored wings obscuring half the sky, their sharp cries piercing and dense.
Seeing this, Nanami's expression sank instantly; that was Mei Mei's Black Bird Manipulation, but Mei Mei was currently in Tokyo—there was only one person in the whole world who could copy and use this technique.
"Rin..."
He gritted his teeth as he uttered the name, his fingertips turning slightly white from the force.
Before setting out, the instructions from Principal Yaga still echoed clearly in his ears:
"If you encounter Rin when Satoru Gojo is not present, remember not to engage alone; evacuate immediately and preserve your strength."
But at this moment, all those instructions were cast to the back of his mind.
He did not know how that unpredictable youth would treat the Jujutsu High students, and he could not stand by and watch those young students fall into danger.
He could not run; he had to hold this position to ensure the others could evacuate safely.
Nanami quickly pressed the button on his communicator, his voice calm to the point of being icy, yet carrying an unquestionable command:
"Everyone, withdraw from the battlefield immediately and get away from the explosion zone; do not engage in direct conflict with Rin under any circumstances! Repeat, do not engage, prioritize evacuation!"
Having said that, he turned resolutely and sprinted toward the center of the explosion.
When he finally reached the battlefield, the scene before him made his heart tighten suddenly.
In the center of the street, Rin stood amidst the wreckage, his black trench coat not stained by a speck of dust, surrounded by Cursed Energy that flowed like ink-colored mist.
And before him, Momo Nishimiya lay on the cold concrete ground, her oak broom rolled away not far off, her eyes closed, clearly having lost consciousness.
Before Nanami could react, the ground suddenly began to shake violently!
A massive white shadow darted out from the street corner; it was the White Snake Cursed Spirit that had previously swallowed the Jujutsu Sorcerers.
It opened its large mouth, its movements swift but without any violence, carefully scooping Momo Nishimiya from the ground into its maw, then with a flick of its tail, it vanished into the depths of the alley, leaving no trace behind.
Nanami's pupils constricted slightly, and his suspended heart relaxed a little; Rin had not killed Momo Nishimiya, just knocked her out and taken her away.
Looking at it this way, those Jujutsu High students who had "disappeared" earlier were probably not met with misfortune, but had been captured by Rin.
"Capturing Jujutsu Sorcerers... what exactly is his goal?"
Nanami thought quickly in his mind, but had no time to delve deeper; regardless of the goal, stopping Rin from continuing his actions and buying more evacuation time for the others was the only objective right now.
He slowly stopped, maintaining a safe distance of about twenty meters from Rin.
He reached his left hand to his neck and deftly pulled off his dark tie, wrapping it around his right wrist, the sensation of the fabric rubbing against his skin helping him calm down slightly.
His right hand gripped the Cursed Tool at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force.
His gaze remained locked onto Rin's movements, deliberately avoiding those blood-colored eyes of his opponent.
He remembered the intelligence report mentioning that Rin's Ocular Technique might conceal an unknown cursed technique, so he must not let his guard down.
Rin seemed to have sensed his arrival long ago, but did not initiate an attack, instead observing the man before him with great interest, a faint smile curling at the corner of his mouth:
"You know me?"
Nanami did not relax his vigilance, his voice steady and waveless:
"Of course. The fifth Special Grade Sorcerer, Rin; you underestimate your current fame too much."
He deliberately emphasized the word "Special Grade," both to remind his opponent and to steel himself.
"Since you know it's me,"
Rin stepped forward, the Cursed Energy around him instantly becoming a bit denser, the oppressive pressure rushing toward him:
"Why do you still dare to stand here? Do you have confidence that you can defeat me?"
"I am not confident I can defeat you."
Nanami answered honestly, but his feet did not retreat a single step:
"But I need to buy time for the others to escape, even if it's just one more second."
Rin looked at Kento Nanami's tense back, then swept his gaze over his hand gripping the Cursed Tool, knuckles white, a hint of imperceptible admiration flashing in the depths of his eyes.
He had seen too many people shrink back under the pressure of his Cursed Energy; some Jujutsu Sorcerers would tremble all over, unable to even hold their Cursed Tools steady.
Some would turn and run, casting the safety of their companions to the back of their minds.
Even worse, some would kneel directly to beg for mercy, just to save their own lives.
But this man before him, clearly knowing he was a Special Grade Sorcerer, clearly aware of the gap in their strength, had not even retreated half a step.
Rin raised an eyebrow, the interest in his eyes deepening:
"Then does our conversation right now count as part of the time you are trying to buy?"
Nanami did not respond again, but slightly lowered his center of gravity, preparing for battle.
His gaze swept quickly over Rin, his mind calculating constantly.
Intelligence reports said Rin could copy others' cursed techniques; he used Black Bird Manipulation earlier, and now with no other targets around, he should be unable to activate Aoi Todo's Boogie Woogie... as long as he guarded against openings, perhaps he could drag it out a little longer.
But just then, Nanami's pupils constricted suddenly, and the hairs on his body stood on end instantly.
He saw, around Rin's lips, several strands of light purple Cursed Speech seals appearing, which were the unique Cursed Speech seals of the Inumaki family!
"Oh no!"
He exclaimed in his heart, wanting to retreat, but it was already too late.
The next second, a calm voice carrying an irresistible power entered his ears, drilling into his mind like a demonic spell:
"Sleep!"