Chapter 72 — Sisters' Duel
CLANG!
A long blade came crashing down against Miwa Kasumi's katana, the sheer force of impact numbing her arm and driving her backward through the shallow stream.
Her grip trembled as she desperately parried blow after blow.
Each strike from Zen'in Maki carried monstrous power — fast, precise, and utterly merciless.
CLANG! CLANG!
"Damn it, Mai, you liar!" Miwa hissed between clenched teeth, bracing against another crushing swing.
That idiot had said Maki was "a useless four-grade sorcerer with zero cursed energy and a bit of brute strength."
This?
This was brute strength that could split mountains.
Even the ever-gentle Miwa couldn't hold back a curse of frustration as she barely kept herself from being sent flying again.
"Just a little bit of physical strength, huh?!" she shouted inwardly.
"If this is what a 'fourth-grade failure' looks like, I'll quit being a sorcerer right now!"
Maki's naginata whirled with lethal grace, pressing her like a storm.
Miwa's shorter katana left her at a disadvantage — a longer reach means a stronger threat — and she could barely keep up with the tempo.
And this was with Maki deliberately keeping the blade's edge sheathed.
If she hadn't… Miwa shuddered.
She'd probably have been bisected a dozen times already.
"This is a four-grade sorcerer?! Damn you, Mai, you absolute moron!"
Her protest was cut short as Maki seized an opening, pivoted, and kicked her square in the gut.
The impact hurled Miwa into the river with a violent splash, water exploding around her.
Maki's voice followed, calm and cold.
"That's all you've got?"
From above, Maki dropped down like a hawk, blade raised high.
Miwa barely rolled aside before the ground where she'd been standing split from the impact.
"Damn—she's faster than I thought."
Sliding her blade back into its scabbard, Miwa drew a deep breath.
Her stance tightened.
"New Shadow Style — Simple Domain!"
A faint shimmer spread around her — a circle roughly two meters wide.
Within it, her sword arm would move on instinct, automatically countering any strike that entered.
It was her trump card — but one with limits.
If her opponent leapt out of range before the blade cleared its sheath, the domain would collapse instantly.
"An iaidō stance?" Maki mused, raising an eyebrow.
"So you're betting everything on a single opening."
Her grin widened.
"Cute."
"Stay sharp!" Miwa warned — too late.
Maki's muscles coiled like springs as she hurled her own naginata straight at her.
Then, in the instant Miwa focused on deflecting it—
SPLASH!
Maki exploded forward, launching herself across the water like a bullet, summoning another weapon mid-charge.
"What—?!" Miwa barely managed to parry the incoming blade, steel screeching against steel—
CLANG!
Before she could recover, Maki was already inside her guard.
"You're done."
One hand caught Miwa's wrist, the other slammed into her throat.
Maki twisted, pivoted, and threw her through the air like a rag doll, sending her crashing several meters away into the stream.
"Ugh—!" Miwa coughed, splashing as she tumbled, but managed to roll to her feet, drenched and shaking.
Then she froze.
Her hand instinctively reached for her sword—
It wasn't there.
"Looking for this?"
Maki twirled Miwa's katana effortlessly in her hand, then leveled the blade toward her.
"Nice sword. I'll hold onto it."
"Ah—m-my sword… give it back…"
Miwa slumped, completely deflated.
A swordswoman without her sword — it was over.
She had no face left to continue fighting.
---
Observation Room —
Mei Mei leaned back in her chair, an amused smile tugging at her lips.
"My, my… Zen'in-sensei, that's your student, isn't it? She's remarkable."
The once-awkward girl from years ago now moved with lethal precision.
Even Mei Mei couldn't help but be impressed.
Zen'in Shinsuke gave a short nod. "Yeah. That's her."
"Why hasn't she been promoted yet?" Mei Mei asked, her tone curious.
Gojo, lounging nearby, added before Shinsuke could answer, "I've been wondering the same thing. Probably the Zen'in clan's handiwork. They love stepping on their own talent."
Shinsuke's eye twitched. "…Thanks for the reminder."
"Isn't the ranking system important?" Gojo continued with mock innocence. "You know — recognition, mission access, pay grade. Kind of a big deal."
Shinsuke scratched his head, genuinely puzzled. "I never really thought about it."
Gojo smirked. "Typical. You're literally from the Zen'in family — can't even pull a few strings for your own disciple?"
The older man sighed. "Fine, fine. You're right. Can't have her stuck as a fourth-grade sorcerer forever — sounds pathetic. After this, she's getting bumped up to First Grade."
He turned toward Principal Yaga sitting silently in the back.
"No objections, right, Yaga?"
Yaga folded his arms, considering.
"Promotion to First Grade requires two recommendations from existing First Grades or higher… and, well, the Zen'in clan's been blocking her file for years."
Shinsuke waved a hand dismissively.
"Then I'll handle them myself. If they have a problem, they can come find me."
His tone was calm, but the weight behind it left no room for debate.
"Alright," Yaga said finally, cracking a small grin. "Then it's settled."
Once Maki gets promoted to First Grade, her status, pay, perks will improve a lot — and she'll owe her master a nice debt of gratitude.
Seeing that, Principal Yaga could only concede; after all, as a mere principal he wasn't exactly someone the two big wildcards of the jujutsu world would take orders from. Gojo he could handle to some extent — but this other one? No way.
"Tsk, you act like you're the head of the Zen'in family or something," Gojo mocked from the side, then switched topics. "By the way — the feed around Yuji keeps glitching since the match started."
Mei Mei answered calmly, "They're animals. They move on whims. Sharing vision is taxing."
Her crows were broadcasting the whole event; if the stream had trouble, it was because of her birds.
"Is that so…" Gojo wasn't entirely reassured. He knew Yuji would be targeted, but he wasn't overly worried — Yuji wasn't so fragile anymore.
"So, Mei, which side are you on?" Gojo asked.
Mei Mei propped her chin on her hand, bored. "I back money. I don't care about things that don't involve money."
She wouldn't pick a side unless someone paid enough to make it worth her while.
Back on the field, Mai — perched in a tree a few hundred meters away — rose slowly, spinning a handgun in her hand.
"Good. It's still in range. One down," she whispered.
"Hey, ambushing a first-year girl like that? Not cool," Maki's voice came from the branch across from her. She stood perfectly straight, gripping the katana that once belonged to Miwa — the wind lifting her short hair, lending her an air of sharp elegance.
"I'll give you time to call your teammates," Maki said. "Two-on-one's beneath me."
"Heh — finally showed up," Mai smiled and aimed her gun at her sister. "Don't think you can be arrogant just because you're his disciple."
"I'd rather do this one-on-one," Maki replied coldly. "I want you to bow and apologize for what you put us through."
"Ready to lose, sister?" Mai's eyes hardened. This was the day she'd waited for — the chance to prove she wasn't the weak link.
"You're such a troublesome little sister," Maki said with a small smile, tightening her grip on the hilt. She could lose to many things — but she would never lose to her own sister.