" gorilla woman?"
Upon hearing Nishimiya Momo refer to her as that, Tokisaki Kurumi froze on the spot.
As someone playing a role, she wasn't genuinely offended. Even if she appeared offended, it was certainly an act.
There was only one thing she was worried about now.
"Am I a bit out of character?"
Tokisaki Kurumi had many attributes—insanity, gothic, lady-like... but definitely not gorilla woman.
For a moment, she regretted showing off the physical prowess unique to a Spirit.
But then she remembered—in the original story, Tokisaki Kurumi also tore DEM's robots apart with her bare hands. So what's the issue with her tearing apart a Supreme Mechamaru?
There's no issue!
Calming down, she quickly got back into character.
"How rude, to call someone a gorilla woman upon first meeting."
Since she had already revealed her extraordinary physical capabilities, Kurumi no longer intended to hide anything.
With a strong push from her feet, she left deep grooves in the ground and shot toward the fleeing Nishimiya Momo at an incredible speed.
"Eek! Eeeeek—!"
Realizing that Kurumi was actually giving chase, Nishimiya Momo's face turned even paler as she forcefully rose higher into the sky.
Her left hand trembling, she pulled out her phone from the pocket of her skirt and hastily pressed a number.
"The number you dialed is currently turned off. Please try again later."
"Todo! You bastard!"
To her disbelief, her teammate's phone had been off the whole time. Momo gritted her teeth in frustration.
There were no rules in the Exchange Event prohibiting communication via cellphone, so the students of Kyoto Jujutsu High had agreed to keep their phones on, ready to receive messages at any time.
But that Aoi Todo hadn't listened!
Kurumi strength was beyond her imagination, and within Kyoto Jujutsu High, the most physically capable student was undoubtedly the third-year and Grade 1 sorcerer—Aoi Todo.
During last year's Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, he alone had exorcised multiple Grade 1 curses and even one Special Grade.
When fighting Grade 1 curses, he didn't even use his Cursed Technique—it was pure physical combat.
If anyone could arm-wrestle with a gorilla woman, it would be a male gorilla.
But now, her only hope was unreachable.
Just as Momo frantically searched for the numbers of other students on the messaging app, a sharp whooshing sound came from behind.
Looking down, her heart skipped a beat.
Because she saw that Kurumi had somehow climbed to the crown of the tallest ancient tree below her. Using the trunk to leap, she launched herself in Momo's direction.
"She is a gorilla!"
Momo screamed in her heart in despair.
And why was it in her heart?
Because Kurumi had already grabbed the tail end of her broom and brought them both crashing down to the ground.
"Ah!"
Off balance, Momo failed to land properly and faceplanted into the ground.
Kurumi, however, landed gracefully without the slightest hint of disarray.
"Senpai, calling a lady a gorilla woman—others might actually get angry, you know."
Kurumi gently helped Momo up and kindly wiped the dust off her face like she was dealing with a child.
"I...I surrender!"
Perhaps feeling an indescribable pressure, Momo didn't dare to resist and immediately raised both hands.
Meanwhile, in the monitoring room—
Watching the footage on the screen, all the senior sorcerers present fell into stunned silence.
The principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, looked as if his pale eyes were about to pop out. He nearly ripped off his own beard.
That was Supreme Mechamaru!
Created from the highest-grade cursed corpse materials, it was officially classified as semi-Grade 1, but in reality, it had combat capabilities equal to a Grade 1 sorcerer!
Whether in mobility, ranged attacks, or close combat—it was a top-tier existence among cursed corpses!
Even he would need time and effort to defeat it. But this little girl had torn it apart with her bare hands?!
According to the file, she was supposed to be a traditional sorcerer using compressed techniques.
So why is her physical ability even greater than those with Heavenly Restriction specialized in brute strength?!
"So her physical prowess is one of the things she inherited..."
Satoru Gojo stroked his chin, thinking with great interest:
"Even if she claimed she only inherited a small part, even that small part is enough to make her the top-ranking student in both destructive power and physical strength across both schools."
This was the first time he had seen Kurumi openly display her physical capabilities.
But based on that brief battle, Gojo was certain—her physical strength surpassed every student present.
Heavenly Restriction is a trait that a few sorcerers are born with.
Some believe it's a blessing, but most consider it a curse.
Because its essence is to forcibly remove one innate talent in order to greatly enhance another.
For example, Mechamaru's controller, Kokichi Muta, is a representative of this.
He was born without a right arm and everything below his knees. His lower body was numb, his skin so fragile it couldn't withstand even moonlight, constantly wracked with pain like needles pricking every pore.
But in exchange, he was granted immense cursed energy output and a broad technique range.
He sacrificed his body to gain cursed energy.
On the other hand, Maki Zenin is a representative of the reverse Heavenly Restriction.
Born without cursed energy—unable even to see curses—but still capable of defeating hundreds with superhuman physical prowess, even without training.
Perhaps Yuji Itadori is a similar case.
And Gojo was certain—even those two reverse Heavenly Restriction users were outclassed by Kurumi in physical strength.
Though he didn't know how much of Nightmare cursed energy and techniques Kurumi had inherited, in terms of physical capability, she had clearly inherited everything.
"This can't be your only secret, can it?"
Gojo rubbed the scar on his face left by Nightmare attack, a smile forming on his lips.
"Just how should I go about testing your full strength..."
Three minutes later.
After defeating the fleeing mantis and spider curses, Maki Zenin and Nobara Kugisaki finally arrived on the scene.
"Uhh..."
Looking at the Ultimate Mechamaru, torn in half on the ground, and Nishimiya Momo, whose hands and feet were bound and who was now hanging from a tree branch, Zenin Maki, the team leader, momentarily fell into deep thought.
Just what had happened in the five minutes she was away?
"Hey hey, Kurumi, you didn't do this, did you?"
Having a closer relationship with Tokisaki Kurumi, Nobara Kugisaki directly asked, poking at the body of the Ultimate Mechamaru as she squatted down. "I remember this guy was ranked number two in strength over on the Kyoto side, right? How exactly did you deal with him?"
"To put it simply, I was holding back just a tiny bit of my power before," Tokisaki Kurumi said apologetically. "It's not because I didn't trust you all that I kept a trump card—it's just that I'm not someone who likes solving problems with violence. Besides... it always feels a bit too crude to handle things that way."
"No way! Tearing a cursed corpse in half is insanely cool!" Nobara Kugisaki eyes sparkled as she spoke. "Come on, let's spar a bit—I want to see how much strength it takes to pull something like that off!"
"You mean you also want to be torn in half?" Zenin Maki stopped her from doing anything reckless. "If you want to spar, do it after the exchange event is over. For now, we should focus our strength on exorcising the curses."
After saying that, her gaze fell on Tokisaki Kurumi, scanning her up and down.
"I'm going to have to reassess my opinion of you," Zenin Maki said with a smile of admiration tugging at the corner of her lips. "I used to think you were a pampered young lady who needed protection, but turns out you're even fiercer than me when it comes to fighting. Without a cursed tool, I wouldn't be able to achieve that level of destruction. Looks like our chances of winning the exchange event just went up."
"Ahem... So what should we do next?"
As if she didn't see being strong as something to be proud of, Tokisaki Kurumi pretty face flushed slightly, and she gave a light cough to change the subject. "Should we continue exorcising curses?"
"Pfft, as if." Zenin Maki waved her hand dismissively. "You saw it yourself—those Kyoto guys are already throwing punches at us. Of course we've gotta hit back."
"That's right! Kurumi, your technique and physical strength are both top-tier—that's a massive advantage. Plus, you just took out two of their students. We're totally dominating now," Nobara Kugisaki chimed in. "Let the boys handle the curse-exorcising work. The three of us should go and beat the crap out of those Kyoto punks!"
"Well... if that's how you feel about it..."
"Yes!" Nobara Kugisaki pumped her fist in excitement. "Then I'll call Fushiguro and tell them what's going on over here!"
With that, she couldn't wait to take out her phone and dial Megumi Fushiguro number.
Beep——!
Beep——!
Beep——!
However, after three calls in a row, Megumi Fushiguro still didn't pick up.
"What the heck? Didn't we tell that guy before we left not to put his phone on silent?"
Seeing no response from Megumi, Nobara Kugisaki frowned in frustration and dialed Panda's number instead.
Surprisingly, Panda didn't pick up either.
Even Inumaki Toge didn't answer.
If it was just Megumi not answering, that might still make sense—but all three of them not picking up clearly pointed to a bigger problem.
"Don't tell me those three already got taken out?" Nobara Kugisaki asked with a strange look on her face. "No way, it hasn't even been that long!"
"Didn't we just take out two opponents even though we were outnumbered?" Zenin Maki said with a bit of a headache. "If the other side was up against four opponents in a three-on-four fight, it's entirely possible they got taken down. Especially with Todo's terrifying combat strength."
BOOM——!
Just then, a rumbling sound echoed from the distance.
It sounded like a building collapsing.
Zenin Maki's expression changed slightly. In a couple of quick steps, she jumped onto the nearest tree and looked out over the distance.
"Looks like someone just used a large-scale destructive technique."
After confirming the situation, Zenin Maki quickly jumped back down and motioned toward the other two.
"Let's go—time to back them up!"
"Why is there a Special Grade Curse in a place like this?!"
Rolling to narrowly dodge the vines violently bursting from the ground, Megumi Fushiguro looked at the curse spirit not far away, his face twisted with dread.
In fact, Nobara Kugisaki and Zenin Maki's guess wasn't wrong.
While the Ultimate Mechamaru and Nishimiya Momo were confronting Tokisaki Kurumi, the Kyoto faction found them.
More precisely, at first, it was just one person—Kyoto's strongest fighter, Aoi Todo.
But the battle between them was so intense that it quickly attracted the rest of the Kyoto group.
And so, the three-on-four battle broke out in the dense forest.
Megumi Fushiguro went up against Aoi Todo, while Panda and Inumaki Toge faced off against the remaining three Kyoto students. Even at the start, they were already at a significant disadvantage, with little hope of winning. They were only hanging on in the hopes that the girls' team would arrive in time to help.
But just as they were about to reach their limit, something unexpected happened.
Instead of receiving support from the girls' team, a Special Grade Curse appeared in the forest—one that was covered by a barrier.
The curse had a humanoid form, dark patterns etched rhythmically across its body, and two tree branches growing from its eyes. As soon as it appeared, the previously opposing teams instantly stopped fighting each other and turned to cooperate.
Thanks to this, the five of them managed to barely hold out against the curse's attacks.
"Don't go for a head-on attack! We just need to hold out until Gojo-sensei gets here!"
Seeing Aoi Todo charging straight toward the Special Grade Curse, Megumi Fushiguro shouted in panic.
"If Gojo-sensei hasn't arrived already, that must mean something is stopping him!"
Aoi Todo's muscles were fully tense, his agile movements carrying him rapidly toward the curse. "We must buy time!"
Hearing that, Megumi face turned even grimmer.
This muscle-headed guy might look like he only thinks with his biceps, but surprisingly, his thoughts were actually quite sharp.
Satoru Gojo had been monitoring things from the surveillance room and would have definitely seen the earlier three-on-four fight. Naturally, he would've also noticed the appearance of the Special Grade Curse.
But if Gojo didn't instantly teleport over to resolve the crisis, that alone meant something was wrong.
"Need some help?"
Suddenly, a pleasant female voice rang out.
The moment he heard that voice, Megumi Fushiguro froze and turned his head stiffly.
And then, he saw that familiar figure quietly watching from the shadows cast by an ancient tree.
Nightmare.
Nightmare had shown up here!
But instead of joy, Megumi heart was filled with dread.
Why was she here?
Could it be that she was the one who let the Special Grade Curse into the area?
"Don't be so tense. If I wanted to kill you, I would've done it the first time we met."
Nightmare slowly stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight. Two flintlock pistols of an ancient design materialized in her hands out of thin air.
"I've been tracking that curse for a long time. Mind if I take it from here?"