The Ultimate Strike—formed by the fusion of a sharp blade light, keen enough to distort the air, and Fushiguro Toji's terrifying explosive power—was about to pierce Kenmyo Isayama.
"Clang!!!"
An unusually sharp and piercing sound rang out!
A previously invisible barrier gradually materialized in the air due to Fushiguro Toji's attack. Its calm surface began to tremble violently, with continuous rising and falling ripples, appearing multicolored.
When the immense force of Fushiguro Toji's attack collided and wrestled with the barrier, it affected the surrounding ground, sending dust and rock fragments flying.
Although one was defending and the other attacking, the momentum of their clash was comparable to a charge between a thousand horses and ten thousand soldiers!
The stubborn Fushiguro Toji continued to slice downward with his blade, the sound of him cutting the barrier making one's teeth ache and scalp tingle.
The Psychic Shield, which Kenmyo Isayama had constructed using 80 mana points, was actually emitting sounds of strain—"Zila, Zila"—under Fushiguro Toji's blade.
With this strike, Fushiguro Toji was definitely serious!
But a person is not a machine, after all. Once the initial force of the relentless "thrust" was expended, the follow-up power felt slightly lacking.
It seemed somewhat ironic; no matter how hard Fushiguro Toji hammered with his blade tip, the seemingly precarious and cracked Psychic Shield remained completely motionless.
Ultimately, he still could not break through this layer of defense, stopping fifty centimeters from his target, unable to advance further.
"Tch, this turtle shell is really hard."
However, at this distance, perhaps...
But just as Fushiguro Toji was about to pull out a new weapon from Ugly Treasure's mouth to attack the Psychic Shield.
The eyes of the brat in front of him lit up with an unsettling glow, and Fushiguro Toji's beast-like instinct sensitively picked up on something wrong.
Especially when the barrier blocking him strengthened further and began to concentrate toward his blade tip, seemingly trying to restrain him, this unease grew into outright anxiety.
Without hesitation, Fushiguro Toji immediately decided not to continue clashing with Kenmyo Isayama and instantly dodged to the side.
The barrier that had just been blocking Kenmyo Isayama shattered explosively the next second, turning into tiny fragments.
But this was intentional on Kenmyo Isayama's part. He wanted to rely on the shockwave generated by actively destroying the barrier to accelerate these Psychic-formed crystals to a speed similar to a bullet's muzzle velocity.
Like a shotgun blast, Fushiguro Toji would certainly find it extremely difficult to dodge at this range.
If it were a Jujutsu Sorcerer, even though the properties of the Psychic Crystals could corrode and penetrate a Cursed Technique barrier generated by Cursed Energy, the power would still be weakened as the kinetic energy diminished.
But Kenmyo Isayama had no such concerns regarding Fushiguro Toji, who was the only existence in the world without Cursed Energy. Forget Cursed Techniques; he couldn't even use the simplest basic skill, the 'Curtain'.
Fushiguro Toji's attack speed was extremely fast, but at close range, under Kenmyo Isayama's comprehensive covering attack, he was forced to raise his blade to block.
Fushiguro Toji's retreat speed was severely hampered. Before him, spikes as dense as a blizzard were relentlessly bombarding him, and he would be hit if he wasn't careful.
"Clang, clang, clang."
Fushiguro Toji retreated while swinging his Cursed Tool to block, but sparks flew, and lapses inevitably occurred.
Seeing dozens of blood-stained Psychic Crystals on the ground around Fushiguro Toji, Kenmyo Isayama had achieved his preliminary goal.
This was merely a feint.
Just as Fushiguro Toji was retreating and blocking this "blizzard" curtain, about to reach a safe zone, Kenmyo Isayama set up his next maneuver.
Several Psychic Chains appeared from beneath Fushiguro Toji's feet, and simultaneously, the air around him became exceptionally solidified.
Immediately, a horrifying sense of crisis rushed into Fushiguro Toji's mind, making his heart tremble violently.
It was the threat of death.
"Damn it!"
Everything before him was instantly covered by a pale blue light. Whether it was those bothersome unknown energy fragments or anything else, everything was completely annihilated at the molecular level by this destructive force.
The "Blade of Prospero," with its inherent molecular Decomposition Field, had stronger cutting power than the Chainsword and could cleave objects at the molecular level.
The offensive, rising up towards Fushiguro Toji like a dragon lifting its head from dry ground, came from the scythe-shaped blade in Kenmyo Isayama's hand. He merely injected Psychic power, and the runes on the curved blade came alive, actively condensing a pale blue sheen on the blade body.
When the terrifying energy on it exceeded his control, he unleashed all of it directly at Fushiguro Toji.
A pale blue "Sword Aura" shot straight out in the darkness, engulfing all visible buildings around it, slicing them in half.
Several large warehouses vanished in Kenmyo Isayama's single strike, replaced by a vast expanse of scorched, dark brown earth.
One can imagine how frantic the spokesperson would be tomorrow morning.
"Hmm?"
Feeling something amiss, Kenmyo Isayama raised the curved blade in his hand and blocked.
Clang!
Sparks from the clashing and grinding blade tips illuminated their faces.
It was Fushiguro Toji, covered in wounds. His black bodysuit was practically rags, and a visible bleeding injury had appeared on his forehead.
Kenmyo Isayama was quite surprised that Fushiguro Toji had reappeared before him. This time, the Heavenly Restraints Tyrant was far from composed, covered entirely in metal chains.
This was Fushiguro Toji's second Cursed Tool, the Chain of a Thousand Miles, which he used to escape the previous restraint.
That caterpillar Cursed Spirit also had burn marks on its body, with purple blood flowing from its surface.
"Yo, brat."
"That strike really startled me just now. Too bad, I didn't die."
"That is truly regrettable."
Kenmyo Isayama merely swung his blade defensively with one hand, expressionless, relying solely on pure close-quarters combat to fend off Fushiguro Toji's fierce assault.
The two silver blades clashed back and forth repeatedly in mid-air, constantly shifting from defense to offense, gradually inflicting injuries on the opponent.
But the tide of battle changed. Suddenly, the sound of air being ripped apart could be heard, followed by a dazzling flash of sharpness.
Blood dyed the sky, and a fierce cross-shaped cut appeared on one of their bodies.
During the blade skill competition, Fushiguro Toji didn't even know what happened before the Cursed Tool in his hand was knocked away.
It was only then that Kenmyo Isayama seized the advantage, changing the course of the battle in an instant.
[Precognition Attack]: Psykers can predict the trajectory of bullets and swords; it is a type of prophetic Psychic Spell.
[Perfect Timing]: Predicts the enemy's actions down to the nanosecond; it is also a type of prophetic Psychic Spell.
[Debilitate]: Temporarily weakens the target.
These three spells were simultaneously cast upon Fushiguro Toji.
The result of preparation and planning.