Ch.40 Who Holds the Bow?

Akira drew his sword with lightning speed.

The moment he realized there was a sniper, he had already prepared himself. Even as he spoke, his nerves remained on high alert.

With a flash of his blade, all the bullets were deflected.

"Not bad. Seems like you've got some skill, but how about this?" Bai'er's expression remained unchanged. Deflecting bullets with a sword wasn't rare among jujutsu sorcerers skilled in hand-to-hand combat.

Just because he could block bullets with a sword didn't mean he could withstand them with his body.

You can block four rifles firing at once, but what about five? Six? Seven? Eight?

What if I bring out more than just rifles?

With another wave of Bayer's hand, the number of rifles doubled, along with a newly added shotgun.

Akira felt the pressure rise significantly. He could no longer rely solely on his sword to deflect the bullets; now, he had to incorporate prediction and dodging just to barely handle the new wave of attacks.

But then, the number of guns under Bayer's control doubled again, reaching sixteen.

At the same time, Bayer performed his "Cursed Technique Reveal".

"My technique allows me to control weapons remotely. Whether it's swords or guns, I can control them with ease. Confident boy, how many rounds can you survive? My offer still stands."

"Funny thing is, my promise still holds too—you're not the only one with ranged attacks!"

As Akira braved the third wave of gunfire, his cursed energy surged dramatically.

Using the power of his cursed tool, he unleashed a crescent-shaped energy slash, destroying the most threatening shotgun among Bayer arsenal.

Immediately afterward, Akira unleashed a burst of speed, moving faster than the guns could adjust, slipping through the gaps in the weapon formation and launching a surprise attack on Bayer.

However, just as Akira closed in on Bayer, his foot suddenly stumbled, his center of gravity shifting unexpectedly. Akira tumbled across the ground, rolling several times before he finally got back to his feet, looking rather ridiculous and disheveled.

But compared to losing a leg in an explosion, this result was much better.

As it turned out, while charging, Akira had sensed an unusual gathering of cursed energy beneath his feet and quickly veered off course.

Had he been even a second slower, at best, he would've lost a leg. At worst—well, he might've lost three legs.

The explosion's cursed energy was different from the energy controlling the guns. This was the cursed technique of another Q Organization operative, Kokun!

Meeting Akira's gaze, Kokun confidently revealed his cursed technique: "My technique isn't as impressive as Bayer, but I can create bombs by injecting cursed energy into objects. Care to guess how many bombs are surrounding you? Five, ten, twenty? You've got nowhere to run."

To prove his point, Kokun snapped his fingers, and the ground three meters from Akira exploded, sending concrete debris flying, some of which struck Akira in the face.

However, Akira remained unfazed: "I'm guessing there's only one, and it's the one you just set off."

Kokun froze, confirming Akira's suspicion. "You guessed right?"

"How did you know?" Kokun's voice grew cold.

"Because your bombs are made of cursed energy. If you had laid mines everywhere, would you have enough cursed energy to do so?"

Cursed techniques come in different types—some are direct attacks, others involve manipulation.

The former are powerful but consume a lot of energy, like Kokun's technique.

The latter use far less energy and depend heavily on the objects being manipulated, like Bayer's weapon control.

Since guns are plentiful and effective, they pose a huge threat. But if Bayer were controlling swords instead, the danger would be much lower.

By the way, the reason Bayer was easily dealt with by Gojo Satoru back then was not only because he underestimated the power difference, but also because he had only brought a knife instead of firearms for convenience.

Given enough firepower, even high-ranking sorcerers could fall, with the exception of beings like Special Grades.

Having his weak point exposed, Kokun was momentarily at a loss for words. After a few seconds, he admitted, "You're smart and talented, but that only makes it more certain that we won't let you go. I don't mind telling you that the rule we placed on the 'Curtain' is that jujutsu sorcerers are forbidden to enter or exit. So whether you try to run or call for backup, it's impossible. Letting our prey escape once won't happen again."

He was clearly referencing the escape of the third-year students, hinting at the abundance of talent under Gojo's wing.

"Is that so?" Akira asked with deliberate ignorance.

Kokun was about to mock Akira, thinking he had lost his mind, when Bayer suddenly shouted, "Watch out!"

In an instant, an attack came from behind, forcing Kokun to dive forward, barely avoiding the sneak attack.

Bayer quickly redirected his guns to fire a barrage of shots, but the assailant effortlessly dodged the bullets.

Only now did the attacker respond to Akira's earlier question: "Yes, that's exactly the case."

The newcomer had golden hair, wore a white suit and dark sunglasses, and wielded a blunt sword wrapped in white cursed cloth. His voice was deep and magnetic, his demeanor calm and confident.

"Nanami Kento!" Kokun, who had just gotten back on his feet, was dumbfounded. "How...how did you get in here? The 'Curtain'—"

"The 'Curtain' is still functioning just fine. No sorcerers can enter, and none can leave. But I've been inside the whole time, so there's no need for me to enter."

The rules of the Curtain didn't differentiate between friend or foe, and Nanami wasn't in a hurry to strike.

"I get it now. The whole business about going drinking with the supervisor, and everything else, was a smokescreen," Bayer remarked, his observation completely accurate.

Indeed, they had gone to the bar, but only stayed briefly before leaving through the back door, borrowing a car from the bar owner and heading straight to the agreed location with Akira.

Nanami had chosen the bar specifically to evade any prying eyes.

The moment the gunfire began, Nanami rushed over from nearby. Everything had gone according to Akira's plan—except for one detail—

"Sorry, Akira. My cursed technique isn't suited for sneak attacks."

"No worries. They won't escape anyway."

Akira had never expected the fight to be easy. If it were that simple, the higher-ups in the jujutsu world would've been incompetent to let such enemies slip by for ten years.

As long as they could draw the enemy out and trap them, Akira's baiting strategy was a success.

Clap, clap, clap. Bayer began to applaud.

"Impressive acting, and an impressive plan. We were completely fooled. Nanami Kento, Akira—you've shown us we underestimated you. But if you think you've won, you're gravely mistaken. Although we didn't see through your ruse, we've already prepared for any reinforcements. Our target is two Grade 1 jujutsu sorcerers."

"Now, come forth, my personal combat unit!"

At Bayer's command, and Kokun's call, Q Organization's fighters began emerging from the hideout—those same ones Akira had taken down earlier.

But unlike before, their eyes were dull, and their movements mechanical, like the walking dead.

At the same time, something inside Akira's chest trembled again, as if something alive stirred within, like the movement of a fetus.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. But who holds the bow that aims at them all?