Chapter 135: Chapter 124
Zenin Zoro did not often fight with Geto Suguru.
There were many reasons for this.
Firstly, unlike Satoru Gojo, Geto was someone who, in times of conflict, would calmly assert his opinions and listen to others (though listening didn't necessarily mean agreeing). Secondly, unlike Zoro or Gojo, Geto did not particularly enjoy fighting itself.
'It's because talking doesn't work with Satoru.'
Fundamentally, Suguru was a kind and gentle person.
Therefore, even though Geto recognized Zoro's strength, he did not want to clash with him physically. After all, he was still a child, at least for now.
Zoro also was not the type to challenge someone to a fight just because he was strong, especially if the other party was not interested in fighting. There was no need for Zoro to forcibly teach Geto anything, as he was neither reckless nor weak.
'Besides, there's little to gain from fighting each other.'
They were a poor match. Their fighting styles were too different.
Especially for Geto, there was little to gain. Geto was a curse sorcerer. If Zoro killed the curses, all of Geto's painstakingly subdued curses would be extinguished.
While Zoro could gain experience by encountering various curses in combat with Geto, from Geto's perspective, he would just be wasting his stored curses.
Thus, what to do in this match depended more on Geto's wishes than on Zoro's.
Zoro half-listened to Gakuganji's rules of the duel. Gakuganji wasn't the important one right now.
"What do you want to do?"
Surprised by the unexpected question, Geto's eyes widened.
"Isn't this different from usual? You usually dive right in whenever there's a chance."
"…Do you think I'm some kind of beast starved for blood?"
"It's true that you like to fight."
"Your eyes light up, you know." Chided by Geto, Zoro had no retort and scratched the back of his head.
"I'm not thoughtless enough to rush into battle anytime, with anyone."
Especially if the opponent is a friend.
Of course, Zoro would enjoy a genuine fight where he could freely cut down all of Suguru's curses. But since Suguru was not an enemy of Zoro, there was no point in Zoro enjoying it alone.
Geto spoke calmly.
"I don't want to hurt you, Zoro."
"..."
"But I don't plan not to fight at all."
He had no intention of harming a child. However, he knew that Zoro was not someone who would easily be hurt.
Thus, a confrontation that wouldn't harm Zoro seemed possible.
While not as competitive as Gojo or Zoro, Geto did have a desire to win. It would be a lie to say he had never felt curiosity or a competitive spirit while watching Zoro fight and even injure Gojo.
Though he was kind, he was still a sorcerer. Even if he didn't enjoy fighting, those who disliked it could not last long here.
Zoro's eyes sparkled as he discerned determination in Geto's words.
"How do you want to do this?"
"I won't use curses."
Losing curses gives me heartburn, Geto added in a light tone.
"Hand-to-hand and energy alone against me? That'll be tough."
"Fair's fair, don't use your sword either."
"Huh? What's that about? Just use your curses, and I'll use my sword."
"I don't want to use curses against you."
Using curses not only risked losing them, but when Geto summoned curses to attack, it was harder to control the power finely compared to moving himself. There was a risk Zoro could get hurt.
A trivial curse would get swept away by Zoro's overwhelming presence, and against Zoro, it had to be a curse stronger than Grade 1 anyway.
Geto calmly explained,
"If you get hurt, it's my loss, and vice versa, if I get hurt, it's your loss. It means we failed to control our strength. Also, if you draw your sword, you lose; if I summon a curse, I lose. Because it means we hurt the other despite not intending to."
"…It sounds like the opposite of a typical battle."
"This is an exchange meeting. We should respect its purpose."
It's not about overpowering each other, but about growth for me and my peers.
Of course, fiercely fighting could also be a way to grow, but Geto didn't want to become stronger by staining his hands with the blood of a child.
Zoro looked intently at Geto as if to ask if they really had to do it this way. Geto shrugged with an expression that said, 'if you don't like it, that's fine.'
"…Alright."
Zoro accepted. He didn't particularly enjoy non-sword combat, but this wasn't his first time facing such a situation.
Geto approached Gakuganji and explained the rules they had agreed upon. After some thought, Gakuganji consented to them fighting under those terms. He also felt it inappropriate to have a life-or-death match between a 16-year-old and a 6-year-old.
The two faced each other in the open field and bowed. Geto smiled slightly.
"Shall we begin?"
Zoro.
Ziiing, ziiing. Gakuganji played the guitar with a deeper tone than before and solemnly declared,
"Begin."
Whooosh.
Blue flames of energy enveloped Geto.
Zoro sensed Geto's transformation with his observation haki and blinked slowly. Perhaps because he had just witnessed the clumsy battle between Nanami and Haibara, he was impressed by Geto's control of his energy.
'It's not quite like Gojo's control to the granularity of sand grains.'
But he clearly knew where to focus his energy.
Although Geto said he wouldn't use techniques, he was certainly not an opponent to be taken lightly. Zoro tensed his body.
With a flash, Zoro's hands were wrapped in a black armament haki. The eyes of those who saw Zoro use haki for the first time widened, especially Naoya, whose eyes bulged.
"Toji-kun. What's that? His hands have turned black. Is that energy? Shouldn't you have told us if he was a sorcerer?"
Toji, who clenched his lips tightly, was replied to by Gojo instead.
"Zoro isn't a sorcerer."
"Then, what's that?"
"Who knows."
Gojo had no intention of explaining haki in detail to someone like Naoya. He also didn't know much himself. Gojo coolly responded.
"See for yourself."
Whether he could understand it was another matter.
Swish!
Geto, who had moved instantaneously right in front of Zoro, launched a kick. Zoro, ducking low, easily dodged and clenched his fists.
"Martial Path, Dragon Twister!"
His body spun rapidly, creating a powerful whirlwind. Unyielding, Geto, wrapped thickly in his own energy, dove into the vortex.
Whizz! Bang!
Zoro blocked Geto's flying fist with his palm. Seeing a kick aimed to smash his face, Zoro caught Geto's leg as if grabbing a blade.
Thump!
"…!"
"Heh."
With a kiai, Zoro forcefully flung Geto's leg upward. Geto momentarily lost his balance, but used his energy to increase his speed and evade Zoro's spinning follow-up attack.
Bang! Whack, whack-whack!
Fists and hand strikes, energy and armament haki clashed ceaselessly.
One of the staff from Kyoto Jujutsu High rubbed their eyes. Even though they were enhancing their vision with energy, they could hardly believe what they were seeing. It was astonishing that Geto Suguru had such solid martial skills at his age, but Zenin Zoro was something else entirely.
"Is that child really… a non-sorcerer? Did he inherit those physical abilities from a thousand generations?"
There seemed to be no other explanation.
"..."
Toji did not respond, instead continuing to watch the match.
Clang!
As Geto blocked Zoro's hand strike, which was reinforced with armament haki, sparks flew from his arm strengthened with energy. The corner of Geto's mouth lifted.
"He fights hand-to-hand as if it were swordsmanship."
Since he couldn't use his sword, it felt like he was using his body as a substitute for a sword. It was distinctly different from ordinary martial arts and felt refreshing.
"Where on earth did he learn something like this?"
Even Teacher Toji didn't use techniques like this. It was quite peculiar.
"Martial Path, Dragon Twister!"
As Geto was momentarily distracted by his thoughts, another attack came flying in. He stopped thinking; giving Zoro any openings was pure arrogance.
He continuously moved his body, attacking and manipulating his energy. There was no room for thought or hesitation.
"What's needed is an attack strong enough to make Zoro feel threatened."
Yet, Zoro shouldn't get hurt. To meet this challenging condition, Suguru focused intently on gradually increasing the power of his energy. Any thought would slow him down, so everything had to be instinctual.
Thump!
Suguru's kick struck Zoro's abdomen, but Zoro continued his assault as if nothing had happened.
"Not enough."
More energy was needed. How much? He didn't know. He had to keep increasing it bit by bit.
Boom!
Geto slammed the ground, creating a crater. Zoro, who had swiftly dodged, jumped up and swung his fist wrapped in armament haki towards Geto's face. Geto dodged with a slight tilt of his head and threw a punch full of energy in return.
In a state of no-mind, gradually increasing the intensity of his energy, Suguru suddenly thought,
"Have I ever been this focused?"
Even that fleeting doubt was washed away like dust in the rain. All of Suguru Geto's mental and sensory faculties were wholly concentrated on the movement of his energy.
"Ah."
As he drove his fist, wrapped in energy, into Zoro's black-armored arm, Geto realized that everything he had to consciously perform was now happening unconsciously. More accurately and finely.
"This is how it's done."
Suguru suddenly understood how the energy wrapped around his body, the energy in his abdomen yet to be used, the energy circulating through his body after use, and the slight energy within Zoro's abdomen moved.
An enlightenment about energy, and understanding it.
These realizations allowed Geto Suguru to do what he had never been able to do before.
Tick.
Like the moment a raindrop hits the ground, clapping his hands together.
He synchronized the movement of his body with the flow of energy.
The space in front of Geto warped into a single point, turning white. Yaga, who was watching, widened his eyes. Surely not.
Crash!
Following Geto's lightning-fast punch, the darkened energy filled the area, scattering in all directions.
"...!"
With the suddenly intensified power of the attack, Zoro, who defended with armament haki, was pushed far back.
Barely maintaining his stance, Zoro shook his numb arm and his eyes sparkled brightly.
"That was different from before."
One of the teachers at Kyoto Jujutsu High said in astonishment,
"Dean, could that be...?"
"Right."
The thought that a sorcerer of that age could achieve it. Gakuganji muttered.
Toji, who had neither learned nor experienced such phenomena, asked,
"What's that?"
"When you attack with energy, if the physical impact occurs within 0.000001 seconds of the energy collision, the energy glows black, and the power of the hit is squared by 2.5."
Black Flash.
A blessing for any sorcerer, like the fruition of energy.
And now, it had manifested from Geto Suguru.
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