"The food… is coming!"
Hoarse and low words came from Kurourushi's mouth.
Ryu Ishigori, Dhruv Lakdawala, and Takako Uro all turned their attention in the same direction at the same moment.
Kazuma and Yuta stood side by side on an abandoned balcony, feeling the presence of the four figures atop the skyscraper.
A rocket-haired man, a giant cockroach, an old man, and a blonde woman dressed a little too boldly?
Yuta asked seriously, "They're the people who signed a contract with Kenjaku hundreds of years ago, right?"
Ryu Ishigori casually took out a comb and smoothed the "rocket" on his head, laughing disdainfully.
"What, you already found backup?"
"Do you think that will help you win? If you want to take points from me, you'll pay a heavy price."
But Yuta completely ignored Ryu Ishigori's provocation and instead focused on assigning opponents with Kazuma.
Yuta pointed at Ryu Ishigori and the other three.
He said, "Same as before. I'll handle the old man and the cockroach monster."
Kazuma nodded in agreement and said, "Then the Rocket Head and Cool Girl are mine."
Boom!
A terrifying aura erupted from Kurourushi, instantly collapsing the building it stood on.
Flapping its wings, it hovered mid-air, its mouth moving. "Cockroach monster?"
"Good! Very good! For centuries, I've devoured anyone who dared to call me that!"
"And you will be the next feast for my offspring!"
On the rooftop, Dhruv Lakdawala still sat in meditation, unfazed by Yuta's words. His expression remained unchanged.
Takako Uro suddenly let out a ghostly laugh and said, "Hehehe~ Who knew you two little boys had such an appetite?"
"You actually think so little of me? I won't show any mercy."
Even as she spoke, a fire raged inside her.
Cool girl? What do these two brats know? How dare they speak so rudely?
Who gave them the confidence to take on two opponents each?
She was the captain of the Sun Moon Star Team—revered and feared.
When had she ever been taunted like this?
It was always her looking down on enemies, not the other way around.
Ryu Ishigori glanced at everyone with disdain and spoke with the pride of someone at the top, "I only fight the strongest. Only those who survive are worthy of my attention."
"Remember, you are the challengers."
Swish!
Without hesitation, the cold and taciturn Yuta charged forward, blade in hand.
In an instant, he was in the sky.
His sword was aimed straight at Dhruv Lakdawala, who had remained silent this entire time.
Feeling the massive cursed energy surging from the blade, the old man slowly opened his eyes.
A flicker of surprise crossed his usually unreadable face.
At the same time—
Kazuma flung an iron dagger!
Ryu Ishigori scoffed at the incoming weapon, making no attempt to dodge.
He had already analyzed the composition of the dagger the moment Kazuma had thrown it.
"Haha, this scrap metal doesn't even qualify as a Cursed Tool. You really think this can hurt me?"
Smirking, he casually pulled a hand from his pocket and raised two fingers, preparing to catch the dagger mid-air.
"It's too slow—"
Before he could finish speaking, Kazuma, who had been standing far away on the balcony—vanished!
The dagger suddenly sparked with golden lightning, just as it was snatched by a large hand.
"Raikiri!"
A cold voice whispered from behind his ear.
Bang!
Sizzle!
Ryu Ishigori had no time to react. His eyes widened as a sharp pain shot across his right cheek.
An electric current paralyzed his entire face, and the sheer force sent him flying like a cannonball.
With one precise move, Kazuma had used Flying Thunder God to knock Ryu Ishigori away.
A seamless combination of techniques, executed in an instant.
It was as fast as lightning. Kazuma couldn't think of any way to evade it other than Kamui.
This scene completely stunned Takako Uro, who was still hanging upside down in midair.
Her eyes widened as realization dawned. Then, excitement flashed in them.
"So… so fast!"
What kind of technique was that? Faster than lightning? Was it teleportation?
A moment ago, she had been furious. Now, she was thrilled.
As a battle maniac, beyond collecting points and reviving, her only desire was to fight the strong.
Having slaughtered countless sorcerers before, she believed modern sorcerers were weak—far inferior to those from her era a hundred years ago.
But now, her opinion had changed.
"Doesn't your head get congested hanging upside down like that?"
Kazuma tapped his temple, smirking.
Honestly, this kind of upside-down stance only suited Gojo.
If he added, "I am the strongest," it would be even more fitting!
His single comment reignited Takako Uro's fury.
"Congestion? I'm going to tear your mouth apart!"
She let out a piercing screech and lunged at Kazuma.
The strongest assassin in history cared nothing for fairness—her style was swift, accurate, and deadly.
Her only goal was to twist off his head.
The space in front of Kazuma suddenly distorted, as if reality itself had wrinkled like a broken mirror.
In the next instant, Takako Uro's attack appeared directly in front of him.
Crack!
The sound of glass shattering echoed.
A terrifying force exploded, ripping the space apart.
The immense pressure devoured Kazuma in an instant.
Yuta, still clashing with Dhruv Lakdawala, turned his eyes to Kazuma's position in shock.
That attack had warped the entire rooftop where Kazuma stood.
The sheer force compressed the dust into a solid mass, completely covering the area.
Despite being in the heat of battle, Yuta's combat instincts kept him aware of the battlefield at all times.
Takako Uro's technique was too strange—there had been no warning before the space had twisted.
Could Kazuma have dodged in time?
"Ahem…"
A figure emerged from the smoke.
Standing unharmed in the deep pit created by the attack, Kazuma casually waved his hand to clear the dust.
"Not bad. A two-dimensional spatial distortion technique."
As the smoke cleared, Kazuma appeared in full view—completely unscathed!
How?! He was totally fine?
Even his clothes weren't torn!
No matter how strong a sorcerer was, taking that attack head-on and remaining unhurt should have been impossible.
But she was sure that Kazuma hadn't dodged!
Takako Uro stared down at him in disbelief.
What the hell just happened?!