"Black Flash" is an attack Jujutsu Sorcerers unleash in a special state. As everyone knows, a sorcerer’s Cursed Energy is driven to "flow" from roughly the abdomen through the chest, arms, fists, and other parts of the body. The very act of willing it to move creates a delay—a beat too slow.
Normally, it may not seem like much; some people might not even notice that delay. But first-rate sorcerers are different. The flow of their Cursed Energy is impossible to predict, and their physical strikes and Cursed Energy strikes occur in sync. That is a more advanced application of Cursed Energy.
Yet when that "synchronization" is examined closely, it is not absolute. Black Flash is a special phenomenon that occurs when a sorcerer’s Cursed Energy impact lands extraordinarily close to that perfect timing. The margin of error is... 0.000001 seconds.
Whether through skill or sheer coincidence, once a Jujutsu Sorcerer lands a Black Flash, they enter a state similar to the Zone—a state of selflessness. Cursed Energy that normally requires conscious control flows as naturally and smoothly as breathing, as if everything around them revolves around their own body.
In that state, a sorcerer who has successfully landed a Black Flash and gained a deeper understanding of Cursed Energy finds it easier to unleash consecutive Black Flashes. Of course, "easier" is only relative.
Its outward manifestation is that, amid the spatial distortion produced under those circumstances, the light of Cursed Energy turns black. More importantly... the power of the strike rises to the power of 2.5!
In theory, no sorcerer can land a Black Flash at will. It is more like an elusive state, something that can be encountered but not sought. But the difference between a Jujutsu Sorcerer who has experienced Black Flash and one who has not, in terms of their proximity to the core of Cursed Energy, is worlds apart.
However... Kaito Kamishiro was an exception. The trigger conditions were much easier for him than for anyone else. When the Cursed Technique known as [Wheel of Time] was applied to himself and his Cursed Energy, that 0.000001-second margin no longer seemed so impossible to reach.
All he needed to control was the instant before his blow struck a Cursed Spirit. As his thoughts observed the nearly frozen surroundings, he would activate his Cursed Technique, accelerate his Cursed Energy to that precise point, and trigger Black Flash!
It sounded simple, but in practice it still required extraordinarily precise control. That was thanks to Kaito’s unique Cursed Technique, as well as his incredibly acute sense of time—perhaps another effect of the technique. At will, he could even heighten his perception of time far beyond that of an ordinary person, making a single day feel like a year.
Still, landing a Black Flash with his very first punch this time made Kaito quite happy. After unconsciously landing one once before, he had deliberately practiced it after learning more about it.
He still could not land one with a one-hundred-percent success rate, but he was guaranteed a Black Flash within ten punches! That probability would only keep rising as Kaito improved his control over his Cursed Technique and continued putting in the work.
...
After obliterating the Cursed Spirit with two punches, Kaito, who was just getting into the groove, felt like he had strength with nowhere to put it. He was feeling incredible right now. His instincts told him his next punch could have landed a Black Flash too! But the Cursed Spirit could not take it! He should have held back a little...
Standing nearby, Maki watched Kaito, who seemed far from satisfied, and could not help twitching her lips. That was the so-called Black Flash, right?
This Cursed Spirit had been the type with high resistance to ordinary attacks, yet was extremely vulnerable to high-intensity blows that struck its entire body. And Kaito had killed it in two punches.
Still, even a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit would not have had an easy time taking those two hits. If his third punch could have landed a Black Flash too, he might have been able to exorcise a Grade 1 Cursed Spirit...
Maki picked up her naginata and glanced over the corridor, which had practically been "expanded" by a full circle. "Let’s clean up the remaining low-grade Cursed Spirits first."
The two split up to exorcise the wandering low-grade Cursed Spirits. Mainly because some of them were exceptionally good at hiding, and being so weak made them difficult to sense. In the end, clearing them out took longer than defeating the Grade 2 Cursed Spirit had...
Once they were finally finished, Kaito and Maki left the hospital. A car was parked by the roadside, beside which stood a middle-aged office worker in a suit.
When they got closer, though, they realized he did not actually look middle-aged. It was just his salaryman outfit, unfashionable center-parted hair, and utterly unremarkable black-rimmed glasses that made him seem older than he really was.
"Mr. Ijichi!"
Kaito called out from a distance. Kiyotaka Ijichi was Satoru Gojo’s junior by two years. Lacking sufficient talent, and by his own choice, he had become an assistant supervisor at Tokyo Jujutsu High. In a word, he was reliable.
Kaito was not particularly close to him, but they knew each other. Seeing the two emerge from the Barrier, Ijichi knew the Cursed Spirit had been exorcised. He gave a slight bow. "Thank you for your hard work, both of you."
Kaito scratched his head with a grin. "No need to be so formal, Mr. Ijichi. Are we heading back now, then? Or is there anything else?"
Ijichi adjusted his black-rimmed glasses. "No. This was the only Cursed Spirit mission, and Mr. Gojo has no further arrangements for you."
Kaito stroked his chin, a smile spreading across his face. "In that case, let’s eat before we head back! I want sukiyaki!"
Maki had no objections. After all, this guy had said he was treating. The two put their weapons in the car, and Ijichi took them to a well-reviewed restaurant nearby.
The three ate their fill. When they returned, Panda and Toge Inumaki were already back at school. Seeing that the other two had only just returned, Panda crossed his arms, trying to show off his muscles. "Kaito! Too slow, too slow~ Panda and Toge already exorcised our Cursed Spirit!"
"Salmon."
Maki said flatly from the side, "Not exactly. This guy killed the Cursed Spirit in two hits. We just went for sukiyaki afterward..."
Panda’s mouth fell open. "Kaito’s that strong?" Then he processed the latter half of what Maki had said.
"What? Kaito, you went for sukiyaki without inviting Panda? And Toge?" Panda practically pounced on Kaito and pinned him down. Kaito hurriedly begged for mercy. "I just didn’t know whether you guys were finished! And Panda, how would you even go out to eat with us? You’d draw a crowd!"
But under Panda’s forceful suppression, Kaito quickly changed his tune. "Next time! I’ll definitely treat you next time!"
Seeing the lively scene, Maki adjusted her glasses, smiled, and left.
...
The days that followed were exceptionally peaceful: practicing hand-to-hand combat, studying jujutsu theory, and occasionally going out on missions.
Incidentally, their grades were provisionally determined. Kaito and Toge Inumaki were Grade 2, Panda was Semi-Grade 2, but Maki was Grade 4.
Naturally, none of them were happy when they found out. Maki herself, on the other hand, did not seem especially surprised, as if she had expected it. That did not mean she was any less annoyed.
Later, they learned from Satoru Gojo that the Zen’in Clan had interfered. Their opinion of the family Maki had always refused to mention plummeted immediately.
After they had all cursed those despicable bastards together, Maki was the one who became a little embarrassed. She stopped Panda, who was getting worked up, and Kaito, who was delivering barbed insults without using a single swear word. Maki simply said, "It’s fine. Everything I’ve lost, I’ll take back with my own hands someday."
"Maki, you’re the best!"
"Tuna mayo!"
Panda put on a serious face while he and Kaito each gave a thumbs-up from either side. Toge Inumaki chimed in as well.
"You guys..."
Maki was nearly covering her face when she seemed to think of something. A "kind" smile appeared on her face. "This afternoon, we’re doing Cursed Tool practice and hand-to-hand combat training."
The three froze on the spot. For those two kinds of training, Cursed Techniques and Cursed Energy were naturally prohibited. And without them, Maki could beat all three of them senseless one-sidedly in both areas. Especially when Cursed Tools were involved, it could only be called merciless slaughter.
"Mustard greens!"
Toge Inumaki patted Panda comfortingly, indicating that Panda would not be the only one getting brutalized. Panda was moved enough to wrap an arm around him. "Toge, you’re so nice~" Seeing this, Kaito smirked and poured cold water all over him. "What are you thinking, Panda? Maki goes easiest on Toge every time. In the end, it’s still you and me getting beaten up."
Every one of Toge Inumaki’s rice-ball ingredients carried only a simple meaning. Although he joined in when Kaito and Panda messed around, he was rarely the instigator. So Maki gave him less "special attention" during training. In other words... the two at the front of the line for punishment were still Kaito and Panda.
"What are you laughing at? Kaito, aren’t you the same?"
Laughing and shoving one another, the group headed to the training ground.
"The road to getting stronger starts with taking one step at a time, right now!"
The moment Panda finished his grand declaration, a wooden staff shot in from nowhere, jabbed him in the face, and knocked him flat onto his back. Kaito silently cursed Panda. That bastard really was sly.
He tightened his grip on the wooden sword in his hand and fixed his eyes on Maki across from him. The fight was about to begin. Maki made full use of the advantage granted by her long weapon. Every one of Kaito’s attacks was effortlessly deflected and countered, while Maki’s own attacks were far more difficult to handle.
"A weapon is an extension of your hands and feet!"
As Maki rained down a chaotic blur of staff strikes, forcing Kaito into a clumsy defense, she instructed him. This kid’s Cursed Energy and Cursed Technique were both powerful, but his fighting skills were merely passable. He relied entirely on overwhelming strength. That would put him at a disadvantage against an evenly matched enemy.
"Using a spear, blade, sword, or any other weapon is, in a sense, a variation of fists, palms, footwork, and more. The weapon in your hand is not merely a weapon—it is the embodiment of your martial will!"
While listening, Kaito allowed Maki to catch an opening. The wooden sword in his hand was knocked high into the air, and the end of her staff thrust into his shoulder, numbing half of it with pain.
Maki spun the staff once and planted it against the ground, the corner of her mouth lifting. "You’re already dead. If I’d aimed just a little to the side, I would’ve hit your heart."
"Maki, can’t you go a little easier on me?" Kaito rolled his shoulder as he reflected on what he had learned from their exchange.
"I refuse! Punishment for losing is the only way to speed up your improvement." Maki refused mercilessly. Still, Kaito learned quickly. Before long, once he had laid a solid foundation, he would have to gain the rest through real battles between life and death.
"I need to get stronger too! I can’t fall behind!"
Watching Kaito pull himself together and charge in again, Maki spun her long staff into an afterimage and began the next round.
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