What looked like a wild idea, using a Road Roller to block a Cursed Spirit, was actually the result of careful thought. It was the optimal solution to break a deadlock. That kind of thinking was exactly what he wanted to pass on.

  “Weak people? Are you talking about me?” Maki Zenin asked.

  The corner of her mouth lifted in a self mocking smile, as she was the most competitive among the students. She never liked being placed on the lower end of anything.

  “No. You, me, Toge, Panda, and even my Little Sha. Everyone on this field except Teacher Gojo is a weak person. We all have clear flaws and shortcomings, so words alone will not convince you. We’ll talk while we fight.”

  “I’ll go first,” Maki Zenin said.

  She stepped forward without hesitation. A fierce wind rushed in as the long bladed weapon in her hands swept across, and from that single move it was clear she had trained in martial skills for at least ten years. Her foundation was extremely solid.

  Akira was prepared and took a step back to evade. Maki Zenin pressed the advantage and closed in, fully using the heavy power of a long weapon. The sound of the blade cutting through the air grew louder with each swing.

  Her physical ability was clearly above average, and combined with excellent technique, her attacks became faster and faster. In a short time, she forced Akira into a position with nowhere left to dodge.

  “I’ve got you!” she shouted.

  The blade came down hard, but with a sharp crack it snapped in the middle where she was gripping it. Just before the strike landed, Akira shifted aside and punched the wooden shaft with his fist.

  The sudden change in balance threw her body off, and she nearly fell. She managed to adjust and flipped backward to create distance, but she was still slower than Akira at full readiness. He drove an elbow into her abdomen and sent her flying.

  Akira did not hold back just because Maki Zenin was female. He closed in, clearly intending to finish the exchange in one sequence. At the critical moment, a voice filled with force rang out.

  “Don’t move!”

  Cursed Speech activated as Toge Inumaki pulled down the collar covering his mouth. The markings of rings and wave patterns were revealed, the curse seal of the Inumaki Clan, symbolizing snake eyes and fangs. Under the effect of the voice, Akira was forced into stiffness.

  Using that opening, Panda rushed in with speed that did not match his bulky figure. He slapped Akira and knocked him back several steps. Because Akira had protected himself with Cursed Energy in time, he was not injured and simply rolled his shoulders to shake off the restraint of Cursed Speech.

  “Good teamwork,” Akira said. “You’ve already grasped one way that weak people fight. But your thinking is still not flexible enough. Panda, why did you attack from the front? A human’s back is harder to guard than the front.”

  “Because I had to cover Maki Zenin. If I couldn’t drive you back, I would take her and continue to widen the distance,” Panda replied. He had clearly thought it through, fitting his role as the strategist.

  “Good, but not enough. If I were commanding, I would have you ambush instead. You are a Cursed Corpse, not a normal living creature, and having no breathing is a huge advantage.” He raised one finger, then a second. “The second way weak people fight is by using your own strengths. Pull the enemy into the field you are best at, then defeat them with your experience.”

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  “Then what about Maki Zenin?” someone asked.

  “Of course she goes to Toge.”

  “Huh?” Panda froze, and both Toge and Maki Zenin looked confused.

  Among the observers, Satoru Gojo reacted fastest. “I see. Because of Cursed Energy, differences in size and physical ability don’t matter much. Toge doesn’t lack Cursed Energy.”

  “That’s right,” Akira nodded. “‘Cursed Speech’ is very strong, but its flaws are just as obvious. My evaluation is that it’s a Jujutsu that forces head on clashes. Against weak enemies it’s convenient, just one shout. But against someone stronger, the backlash is much heavier, right?”

  “Salmon,” Toge replied, meaning yes.

  After that, he made a running motion. Panda helped explain, “Toge runs very fast. It’s for evasion and repositioning when he’s at a disadvantage.”

  “Very good, but still not enough.” Akira repeated his earlier evaluation, which was also the biggest problem of first year students. “In my view, this is a huge waste. You have such a convenient technique that you don’t need to run at all.”

  He continued, “Take the situation where you chased Maki Zenin just now. If you were close enough, you could hit me hard during the instant I was frozen.”

  Toge’s eyes changed. Maki Zenin and Panda also straightened their expressions. They had clearly realized something important.

  “Did you notice it?” Akira said. “Toge can completely become a close combat killer.”

  In high intensity, high frequency close combat, any pause that should not exist was fatal. Even a single forced stop could decide the outcome.

  Maki Zenin thought for a moment and said, “But Toge’s Jujutsu is very hard to use. Cursed Energy spread, target selection, and technique precision all take huge amounts of practice. People like us who focus on close combat can’t do that.”

  “Then specialize in one part, or borrow tools,” Akira replied. “Jujutsu Sorcerer are still human. There’s no reason not to use human advantages. If it’s just fighting people, guns and grenades are actually the best single soldier weapons. One pause, one shot to the head.”

  “You’re pretty evil,” Satoru Gojo laughed happily. “But I like it.”

  Akira also smiled. “Only dead enemies are good enemies.”

  Maki Zenin and Panda unconsciously took a step away. The atmosphere given off by a teacher and an assistant together felt too dark and frightening. They both wondered if they might one day get sold out by them.

  After briefly showing an adult level of Optimization Method, Akira returned to normal. “But considering the special nature of Cursed Spirit, it’s better to choose materials that can conduct and store Cursed Energy, or directly use cursed tools.”

  Cursed tools were items imbued with curses, similar to Cursed Corpse. They could not act on their own, but they carried Cursed Energy and could damage Cursed Spirit.

  “That’s easy,” Satoru Gojo decided. “Maki Zenin, take Toge to pick cursed tools this afternoon. Choose ones that are easy to use and carry, with priority on long range.”

  Cursed tools, like Cursed Corpse, were rare items. But as one of only two Jujutsu Sorcerer training institutions in all of Japan, the school still had some in storage.

  “The same theory applies to Panda,” Akira added. “Even if you don’t need weapons, you can carry smoke bombs, flashbangs, or concussion grenades. Some people say relying on external tools isn’t real strength, but cultivation is one thing and combat is another. I said it from the start, we are weak people, and pursuing victory alone already takes everything we have. Style and grace can wait until you become strong.”

  “Understood,” Panda said, standing straight and bowing respectfully.

  “Finally,” Akira continued.

  “Me?” Maki Zenin asked, already aware.

  “You have the most problems, both hardware and software,” he said calmly. “Your advantage is physical ability far beyond ordinary people, even beyond what normal Cursed Energy reinforcement can reach. Your disadvantage, if I’m not mistaken, is that you don’t have Cursed Energy, right?”

  “That’s right,” Maki Zenin admitted readily, pushing up the glasses on her nose. “Without it, I can’t even see a Cursed Spirit.”

  She, Maki Zenin, was not a Jujutsu Sorcerer at all.

  Maki Zenin was born into the Zenin Clan of the Three Great Clans, yet her situation was even worse than Noritsuna Kamo in his past. Noritsuna Kamo lived well until the age of eight, while Maki Zenin had never known a single good day since she could remember. Being unable to see Cursed Spirit directly sentenced her Jujutsu Sorcerer career to failure from the start.