Yuki Tsukumo glanced at Gakuganji Yoshinobu. "These are your so-called prodigy teens?"
Gakuganji's eye twitched, his wrinkled face quivering.
"You two idiots… we've got company!"
Sawa Gojo spotted the crowd at the teaching building, hissing under his breath.
Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto snapped to, releasing each other.
The trio dusted off their clothes, wiped their bloody noses, and donned cracked sunglasses, guiltily scanning the area.
Playing dumb…
The scene grew painfully quiet, awkwardness thick in the air.
"Oh! Teacher Yaga, you're here too!"
Satoru caught a familiar figure in his peripheral vision, waving shamelessly.
Yaga, trying to blend into the crowd, flinched.
Under scrutinizing stares, he kept his stern face, saying nothing.
Cool as a cucumber outside, but internally, he'd checked out ages ago.
Not just Yaga—the Gojo clan higher-ups were nursing headaches.
Zenin Ogi, the Zenin clan elder sent for the event, snapped, "This is the Gojo clan's upbringing? Heirs of the great families, brawling like thugs in public? Disgraceful!"
Suguru, fuming but aware of Ogi's status, knew his non-sorcerer clan background gave him no leverage to retort. He stayed stone-faced.
Satoru, however, leaned into his Gojo heir privilege, sneering at Ogi and spitting on the ground.
"Insolent brat!"
Ogi's face twitched, ready to explode.
Sawa patted Satoru's head.
"My foolish otouto! This is a great family elder. As a junior, mind your manners!"
Ogi puffed up, "Finally, a kid with some respect…"
Before he finished, Sawa added, "I mean, look at his scrawny frame. Guy's got one foot in the grave. Us youngsters should cut him some slack!"
"You…"
Ogi choked, nearly drawing his blade in a rage.
"Hahahaha!"
Yuki Tsukumo roared with laughter, unrestrained.
She'd long despised these old fogeys but couldn't act out due to her position.
Now, she envied Sawa's razor-sharp, curse-free insults.
"Enough squabbling! We're here for the sister school event!"
Gakuganji coughed twice, his tone flat.
Ogi took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let it go.
Soon, Tokyo and Kyoto High split into their teams.
Compared to Kyoto's twenty-plus squad, Sawa's trio looked pitifully small.
"The competition area contains several Grade 3 cursed spirits and one terrifying Grade 2 cursed spirit!"
"Rules: The team that exorcises the Grade 2 spirit first wins. If neither team does so within the time limit, the team with the most Grade 3 exorcisms wins!"
"Also, without causing fatal injuries, you may hinder, interfere with, or temporarily incapacitate opponents to force their withdrawal!"
Yaga announced loudly.
Glancing at the half-asleep trio, his face darkened.
"Dismissed!"
At the command, Kyoto's twenty-plus students charged into the dense forest.
Sawa, Satoru, and Suguru exchanged looks, then trudged into the arena, swaying listlessly.
"Onii-chan, got any snacks? I'm starving!"
"Shut it, Satoru. You still owe me for stealing my hagi cakes!"
"I can't believe you two gorge on sweets without getting sick. Soba noodles are a million times better!"
"Salty-food lovers, get out!"
They bantered as they walked.
Suddenly, a blood-red line shot like an arrow, aiming for Sawa's back.
Ding!!!
The blood line hit an invisible wall twenty centimeters from Sawa, shattering instantly.
The trio paused, lazily glancing back.
A four-person group—two Zenins, two Kamos—emerged from behind the trees.
One Kamo, smiling, clapped repeatedly, seemingly impressed by Sawa's reaction.
"As expected of the Gojo clan's Six Eyes twins. Limitless Technique is truly remarkable!"
Sawa chuckled. "You're not bad yourself!"
Kamo Atsushi raised a brow. "Was my attack that impressive?"
"Nah, I mean your taste in targets is spot-on!"
"…"
Satoru and Suguru stifled laughs.
Atsushi, humiliated, roared, "Damn it! Don't underestimate me! Feast your eyes on the Kamo clan's inherited technique!"
"Blood Manipulation: Piercing Blood!"
Atsushi clapped his hands, firing dense blood lines like bullets.
Sawa raised his right hand, flicking his middle finger, instantly deflecting the blood lines.
"What?"
Atsushi's jaw dropped.
"Hold your shock—I'm the one who should be shocked!"
Sawa raised a brow. "As far as I know, the Kamo clan hasn't produced a Blood Manipulation user, right?"
Atsushi sneered. "You're out of touch! Soma!"
"Got it!"
Kamo Soma, the other Kamo clansman, formed hand signs, summoning a rain of blood around him.
"Blood Manipulation: Thousand Needle Barrage!" ×2
Simultaneously, the two Zenin clansmen moved.
Their shadows writhed like living creatures, morphing into two shikigami!
"Ten Shadows Technique: Jade Hound!" ×2
The trio froze. "You've got to be kidding!"
First, Blood Manipulation heirs from the Kamo clan, now Ten Shadows heirs from the Zenin clan?
Were these techniques growing on trees?
"Wait!"
Sawa noticed these Jade Hounds were nothing like Megumi Fushiguro's.
Their fur was patchy, limbs deformed, eyes vacant, drool dripping—like zombie mutts.
Jade Hounds? These are barely stray dogs!
Their power was pathetic, swallowed by Suguru's sandworm before getting close.
"And this Blood Manipulation…"
The Thousand Needle Barrage hit Sawa's Limitless Technique, collapsing instantly.
Suguru summoned a defensive Grade 2 cursed spirit, easily blocking the attack.
These so-called Blood Manipulation and Ten Shadows Techniques were laughably weak.
Suguru frowned.
"If this is the Blood Manipulation and Ten Shadows Techniques, famed alongside Limitless, they're kind of a letdown!"
Sawa stroked his chin, critiquing, "More like watered-down versions!"
Satoru nodded in agreement. "Should call them Fake Blood Manipulation and Fake Ten Shadows!"