Chapter 46: Special Grade (2)

[Third Person's Point of View]

Echoes of Mei Mei's farewell lingered in his mind: "Good luck."

As the officially appointed arbiter for their match, she stood outside the entrance of the mirror realm, ready to intervene if needed. Otherwise, He wouldn't see her again until the 5 minutes were up.

"I've heard a lot about you, Genbu Kushihashi," August finally broke the silence. "Your reputation precedes you."

Genbu's lips curled in disdain. "The same cannot be said for you," he replied in a voice dripping with condescension. "Young upstarts like you with your disregard for tradition, thinking you're qualified for Special Grade just because your technique packs a bit more punch than others."

August's eyes narrowed in response. "I respect tradition," he retorted. "But power doesn't always reside in the past. Sometimes, it's forged in the present."

Genbu scoffed at this statement. "We'll see if your words hold true," he sneered. "Today, I will show you where you truly belong."

August's heart thumped heavily. Fear? No, why would he feel that? All he felt was the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

"Please forgive me, Sect Elder!" he stuttered, "I have committed a grave mistake by not recognizing Mt.Tai."

"...Mt.Tai?" Genbu was genuinely surprised.

But before he could react further, August burst into laughter. "Do you really think I need to be put in my place by pussies like you?"

Anger boiled beneath the surface, but Genbu managed to suppress it. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the sky and spoke with a voice filled with resounding authority. "The Special Grade Evaluation begins now."

_________

The highest level of the Jujutsu Headquarters, a symbol of authority and influence, was surprisingly busy. Instead of the typical reserved atmosphere for the Supreme Council members, the floor was teeming with high-ranking individuals from throughout the headquarters.

The meeting room, which usually took up a third of the floor's space, was packed full.

The seven members of the Supreme Council sat at their usual long wooden table, intently watching the massive theatre-like screen in front of them. Others who attended had to sit at newly added tables behind them, their whispers kept low as they focused on the video playing on the large screen.

The screen displayed a live feed from the mirror dimension, where the main participant of the test, August, was walking alongside Mei Mei towards the clearing where Genbu Kushihashi was waiting for them. As soon as August appeared on the screen, the room buzzed with hushed murmurs as the attendees discussed the young examinee.

Suoh Himejima, a member of the Supreme Council, turned towards the back of the room and asked, "Is this the person you recommended? Doesn't he look a bit young?"

The silver-haired blindfolded man leaning against the wall replied nonchalantly, "Don't act like you haven't read his file or heard Naobito's impression of him."

The room quietened for a bit, only to buzz again as August finally came face-to-face with Genbu Kushihashi, the only Special Grade sorcerer in the Orthodox faction and their unofficial leader.

They watched with bated breath as the raven-haired boy on the screen casually shrugged off the heavy aura of the elderly Special Grade sorcerer as if it were nothing. A few of those present even shuddered when they recalled the few moments they had come under the same imposing and mighty aura.

"Heh, this kid isn't half bad," one person chuckled, earning nods from others. Another asked curiously, "What is his Innate technique?"

But before he could get a reply, a shocking exchange suddenly unfolded between August and Genbu on screen. 

The room fell into a stunned silence at the audacity of the young man on the screen, his words echoing in the chamber, adding to the rising tension of the room.

"The audacity of this young man!" someone muttered, causing a sense of dread to fill some as they witnessed August's audacious words, while others seemed smug and eager for what was to come.

One of the latter snorted out loudly, "The kid has the balls to provoke Genbu. Let's hope he is sturdy enough to endure what's to come."

This broke the silence, as everybody erupted into a cacophony of voices, some expressing worry, others condescension, and a few attempting to control the chaos.

"Silence!" one of the elders of the Supreme Council shouted, his voice reverberating through the room, effectively silencing the commotion. He turned towards the silver-haired man leaning against the back wall and said, "Gojo-sama, please go support Sorcerer Mei Mei. She won't be able to handle Genbu on her own if anything happens."

This declaration caused an uproar among the rest of the Supreme Council, with some protesting that August should face the consequences of provoking a sleeping lion.

But before this could continue, Satoru silenced them with a firm "No." Taking a deep breath, he added, "August doesn't need help."

Before they could ask the meaning of his words, a loud bang from the screen interrupted them, forcing them to refocus their attention on the live feed on the screen.

_________

In the heart of the dense forest clearing, just on the outskirts of Tokyo, the air was thick with anticipation. The tranquil atmosphere was abruptly shattered as Genbu Kushihashi, the renowned Special Grade sorcerer, surged forward towards his opponent. His fist encased in a swirling vortex of cursed energy, shot out like a blinding comet aimed directly at his target.

The impact of his punch created an explosive boom that reverberated through the clearing and sent shockwaves throughout the forest, the sheer force of which uprooted a small portion of the forest behind them. The ground trembled and dust clouds billowed into the air, obscuring the aftermath of the powerful strike.

Genbu stood there with his fist extended, but eyes wide in disbelief. "What?" he muttered, his voice barely audible over the ringing in his ears. He had been certain of his hit, but the lack of solid impact left him confused.

As the dust settled, Genbu's gaze darted around the clearing, searching for his opponent. His eyes widened further when he spotted the unscathed figure of August gently floating in the sky above him, who looked down at him with an arrogant smile playing on his lips.

"But I was certain I hit him," Genbu murmured, more to himself than anyone else.

His confusion didn't last long as the reply came from above. "It was my afterimage that you hit, old man," August's voice echoed through the clearing, laced with clear amusement.

As if to demonstrate his words, August instantly appeared in front of Genbu, just a few feet separating them. His movements were so swift that it could be easily considered as teleportation.

'Teleportation?! No, this is….' Genbu understood the subtle differences between his opponent's technique and teleportation, but before he could accurately determine anything further, August gave the answer.

"My technique is called Shunpo," he informed.

Relishing in the look of shocked realization on the old man's face, he chuckled, "Even the old timers watch Bleach nowadays, huh?"

His words were met with a scoff from Genbu. "What's wrong with an older person enjoying Bleach? It was released decades ago anyway." He paused, then huffed in annoyance. "You're too self-centred to think that you're the only one who has brought anime techniques to life."

He added, "Shunpo from Bleach was actually inspired by real-life movements, not the other way around." With that, he tapped into his cursed energy, causing the air to crackle with raw power.

An immense amount of cursed energy hummed to his will as Genbu activated his powerful cursed technique - Mokuzai Rebirth.

The trees of the forest seemed to move with a will of their own, swaying and shifting around them. In a sudden frenzy, an army of roots sprang from the ground, converging towards August at a rapid pace.

Like the majority of the clans around the world, the Kushihashi Clan possessed a variety of inherited techniques that were handed down through their bloodline. However, their most prized technique was 'Mokuzai Rebirth', similar to the Zenin's 'Ten Shadows'. Once wielded by their founding ancestor, this rare technique only appeared every few generations, granting its wielder a world of vast immense power and control at their fingertips.

As towering wooden vines threatened to ensnare him, August's lips curled up into a half-smirk as his eyes reflected pure amusement. With a casual flick of his fingers, a large fiery dome erupted around him. The encroaching roots disintegrated upon contact with the searing barrier, their once imposing forms reduced to mere piles of ash.

"Come on, old man," August goaded, his hand casually tucked into his pocket. His voice carried through the clearing, a stark contrast to the intense scene unfolding around them. "Is that the best you can do?"

Genbu, however, was not one to be easily provoked. He assessed his opponent keenly with his sharp and calculating gaze. Despite his dismissive demeanour, he was far from letting his guard down. He had been taken aback by August's ability to withstand his powerful aura without so much as flinching, a feat that would have caused discomfort even to newly minted Special Grades.

His wariness only heightened when he observed August manipulating magic without leaving behind a trace of residual aura. The only other person capable of such mastery was Gojo Satoru. With this realization, Genbu decided on his next move. Forming seals with his fingers, he caused the forest to rumble ominously.

"Mokuzai Rebirth - Verdant Legion," Genbu declared as he activated his technique. The trees around them transformed into treant-like creatures, with rapidly growing appendages, eyes, and mouths. New trees continuously sprouted from the ground, followed by massive wooden statues and colossal wooden dragons.

Their numbers were already in the thousands thanks to their surroundings and still increasing. With a simple gesture from Genbu, they rushed towards him.

Mokuzai Rebirth, like the wood style, granted the ability to manipulate and produce wooden objects. However, unlike the wood style, these creations were cursed in nature.

These cursed wooden structures sapped the vitality and magic out of anyone who touched them, transferring it to their caster. Therefore, it was highly advised not to engage in close combat with them, a lesson he had learned from one of the books he borrowed from Satoru not too long ago. These texts were usually closely guarded secrets of the clan, not meant for outsiders to read. However, Satoru had granted him extensive access to the Gojo Clan's library without paying any heed to the clan elders.

The woods created through this technique were also highly resilient against magic. Recognizing this, August switched to a newer and more destructive approach.

[Shrine - Inferno Cleave]

Invisible fiery lines scorched through the distance between them, slicing through the oncoming army with ease. The destroyed targets were simultaneously reduced to ashes, their once formidable presence eradicated in an instant.

Despite the destruction of his initial attack, Genbu remained unperturbed. His eyes held a determined calm as they never left August, focused on their target. With his cursed technique, Mokuzai Rebirth, he continued to conjure more and more cursed wooden constructs which gradually surrounded August as their numbers grew exponentially like a swarm of locusts.

But August seemed completely in control, with fluid and precise movements orchestrating his fiery technique, large numbers of cursed wooden constructs were culled down at a time. Yet, no matter how many he destroyed, they kept coming, seemingly endless in number.

Suddenly, a sizeable group of the wooden army broke away from the swarm surrounding August and headed straight for the city behind him. His eyes widened in surprise, but before he could react, his instincts warned him of impending danger.

His heart raced with a mix of alarm and exhilaration as he turned around. What he saw completely startled him. "Looks like the Old man wasn't bragging about watching anime," he muttered to himself in disbelief.

An endless expanse of towering trees, each reaching over a hundred meters high, stretched out before him in perfectly organized rows. At the very top stood an enormous sunflower, with its equally large head tilted towards him.

Swirling particles of eerie light surrounded its vibrant yellow petals and glowing centre, providing a deadly yet accurate visual representation of the immense solar energy being harnessed.

"Solarbeam" Genbu's voice boomed through the clearing.

The scene was reminiscent of a futuristic sci-fi movie. The air crackled with power as thousands of energy beams, each one powerful enough to devastate a city block in a single hit fired at their designated targets. It was a spectacle to behold, the representation of a true Ultimate-Class.

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Author-san here!!!

Sorry for being late!

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So the next chapter is at the same time, next week.

See y'all.