Chapter 95: The Assault of the Crows' Cry
Just then, a voice, old yet steady, suddenly rang out, like a stabilizing anchor, temporarily calming the chaotic situation:
"Everyone, don't panic!"
Everyone looked towards the sound, seeing Yoshinobu Gakuganji slowly emerging from behind the crowd, leaning on his cane.
He wore his signature kimono, with that electric guitar strapped to his waist. Although advanced in age, his back was ramrod straight, and there was no trace of panic in his eyes.
"It's just a barrier,"
He raised his hand and tapped his cane, his voice carrying undeniable authority:
"Concentrate everyone's Cursed Energy and attack the same spot. Even if it is a barrier set up by a Special Grade Sorcerer, it might not be unbreakable!"
Seeing the Kyoto Jujutsu High Principal appear, the tension in everyone's hearts slightly eased.
Yoshinobu Gakuganji was highly experienced in the Jujutsu World, and even though he was the leader of the Conservative Faction, he became the backbone of the group at this moment.
The Jujutsu Sorcerers quickly adjusted their stances. Some aimed their Cursed Tools at the same spot on the black barrier wall, others began condensing Cursed Energy, and even the previously flustered Jujutsu High Assistant regained his composure, preparing to coordinate the attack.
"Listen for my command. Three, two."
Just as Gakuganji's hand was raised high and about to drop, a hoarse, grating cry of crows suddenly came from overhead.
The sound was so sharp it was like fingernails scraping metal, carrying the chill of death, instantly piercing everyone's eardrums.
Everyone subconsciously looked up, only to see countless crows circling and gathering in the sky above the Junction point. Their ink-black wings obscured the sunlight, plunging the entire area into shadow.
Before anyone could react, a black figure suddenly dropped from the flock of crows, appearing instantly in the center of the Junction point like a phantom.
A black trench coat flapped loudly in the wind, and the Cursed Energy swirling around him resembled flowing ink mist, carrying a suffocating sense of pressure.
Rin stood rooted to the spot, his gaze sweeping over the panicked crowd. A faint smile played on his lips, as if he were merely arriving at a long-scheduled appointment.
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly entered everyone's ears, carrying a playful understatement:
"I apologize for the trouble, but you'll have to come with me!"
Yoshinobu Gakuganji's face instantly darkened. He instinctively gripped the electric guitar at his waist, Cursed Energy flickering at his fingertips. He had never expected Rin to be so brazen, directly breaking into the Junction point, which was wrapped in a Double Barrier, without even a hint of warning.
Meanwhile, the surrounding Jujutsu Sorcerers felt their newly kindled hope instantly freeze.
Staring at the Special Grade Curse User who had thrown the entire Kyoto Battlefield into chaos single-handedly, panic surged once more. Some even lost the strength to lift their Cursed Tools.
The cry of the crows continued, like the accompaniment of the Grim Reaper, playing the prelude to despair inside the cage enveloped by the Double Barrier.
The battle had no suspense from the start; it was a completely one-sided massacre.
Rin stood in the center of the Junction point, the Cursed Energy around him acting like invisible blades. Every time he raised his hand, several Jujutsu Sorcerers fell.
Some didn't even have time to raise their Cursed Tools before they were wrapped in petrifying Cursed Energy, their legs instantly turning into cold stone statues, causing them to lose balance and fall heavily to the ground.
Some attempted a sneak attack from the side, but Rin easily evaded them using the copied [Boogie Woogie].
The Jujutsu Sorcerers from Jujutsu High and the Jujutsu Alliance resisted with all their might, but their attacks either bounced off Rin's Cursed Energy barrier or couldn't get close to him, failing to pose even the slightest threat.
Panic swallowed everyone like a tide. Some began fleeing aimlessly, only to discover that the Double Barrier had already sealed off all exits, leaving them to swing their Cursed Tools futilely in place.
Some simply gave up resistance, collapsing onto the ground, watching their companions turn into stone statues one by one, their eyes filled only with numbness.
By the end, only Yoshinobu Gakuganji was left struggling to hold on within the entire Junction point.
Half of his body had already completely turned into a pale stone statue, spreading from his left leg up to his right shoulder. Cracks from Cursed Energy collisions still marked the stone shell.
His right hand tightly clenched the electric guitar, the body of which was propped diagonally on the ground, barely keeping him from falling.
His left hand could still move slightly, concentrating the last trace of Cursed Energy at his fingertips to pluck the strings.
The discordant melody carried a faint Cursed Energy fluctuation, flying towards Rin, but it was shattered by an invisible Cursed Energy barrier three meters away, failing to even cause a ripple.
"Cough..."
Gakuganji coughed, a trace of blood spilling from his mouth. His vision was already blurring, yet he still stared intently at Rin, his eyes full of unwillingness.
Rin glanced at him and then ignored the old man, half of whose body had turned to stone.
To him, Gakuganji was no longer a threat, merely prolonging the inevitable.
He raised his hand to form a hand sign, and a low voice sounded in the air: "Come out."
The ground shook violently. A massive white shadow squeezed through the gap in the Double Barrier—it was the White Snake Cursed Spirit.
It opened its massive maw and slithered towards the remaining Jujutsu High students. Those students were already trembling with fear, lacking even the strength to run, and could only watch helplessly as the White Snake swallowed them.
The White Snake's throat visibly rolled. With every person it swallowed, its body slightly expanded, indicating that its storage space was limited.
As for the members of the Jujutsu Alliance, Rin didn't spare them a single glance.
To him, these people neither possessed special Cursed Techniques worth copying nor were they important targets for capture; they could just be left there to fend for themselves.
Several members of the Jujutsu Alliance huddled in a corner, watching the White Snake rampage, barely daring to breathe, only able to feel fortunate that they were not included in the "target list."
Rin raised his hand to look at his wristwatch; the pointer indicated the ninth minute since the battle began.
"The timing is perfect."
He muttered softly, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. According to plan, he needed to neutralize the core combat strength of Kyoto Jujutsu High within ten minutes. It seemed the mission was already overfulfilled.
Just then, Gakuganji's voice suddenly came, hoarse like an old bellows:
"Don't think... it's over just like this..."
Rin turned his head to look, seeing that only Gakuganji's head still retained its original form.
Everything below his neck was a cold stone statue, but his gaze remained stubborn, carrying a threat born of defiance:
"This world... doesn't only have one Special Grade... Our trump card... will arrive soon... If you don't want to die... let those students go... That woman... is extremely powerful..."
"That woman?"
Rin raised an eyebrow, walking up to him with interest, looking down at the sole remaining head:
"Are you talking about Yuki Tsukumo? Is she really as formidable as you claim?"
He paused, his tone laced with sarcasm:
"If she was truly reliable, why is she late? Didn't you notify her beforehand?"
These words were like a sharp knife, plunging deeply into Gakuganji's heart.
His face instantly flushed crimson. He wanted to roar in anger, but found he didn't even have the strength to open his mouth.
He had notified that woman a day ago.
Half an hour before the battle began, he had specifically contacted Yuki Tsukumo via Jujutsu Communication.
She had clearly promised to arrive on time, yet now the battle was almost over. Not only had Yuki Tsukumo failed to appear, but not a single message had come through; the communicator remained completely silent.
He had considered that Yuki Tsukumo might delay, but he never imagined she would completely lose contact, proving so unreliable.
Gakuganji's eyes were filled with rage and despair, but he couldn't refute Rin's words.
The facts were undeniable: the "trump card" on whom they placed all their hopes had failed to arrive on time.
Just then, the petrifying Cursed Energy finally spread to his head.
Gakuganji's gaze solidified in final anger and defiance, his mouth still shaped as if trying to retort. His entire body completely transformed into a cold stone statue, with only the electric guitar still propped diagonally on the ground, serving as his last act of stubbornness.
Rin glanced at the new stone statue, then turned and walked toward the exit of the Double Barrier.
Inside the Junction point, only a few lifelike stone statues remained, along with a group of terrified Jujutsu Alliance members huddled in the corner.
The Double Barrier still enveloped the area, like a massive cage, locking despair and silence firmly within.
As for Yuki Tsukumo... a faint smile curled Rin's lips.
We'll meet again next time.
Just as Rin stepped out of the gap in the Double Barrier, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted behind him!
"Boom!"
Rin turned his head slightly and said in surprise:
"She actually came."