Chapter 157
Cursed Spirit Manipulation might have been Geto’s innate technique, but that did not mean he relied entirely on summoned creatures.
His close-combat ability was exceptional.
More accurately, he belonged among the very best.
Barring an absurd physical monster like Toji Fushiguro, there were very few opponents Geto would hesitate to face head-on.
Kiriya had already shown how dangerous he was.
Continuing to feed him cursed spirits would only make him stronger, so Geto abandoned that approach and decided to settle things personally.
"Ready, boy?"
He gripped Playful Cloud, and a crushing presence erupted from his body.
It was not simply raw power. It was the composure and pressure of someone who had polished his martial skill to the highest level.
Shing!
Kiriya drew his sword.
His eyes burned with excitement, and even his breathing grew hotter as his fighting spirit surged.
"Come on!"
The ground beneath both of them exploded.
They became two blurs and collided in the middle of the ruined street.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Metal struck metal in a deafening barrage.
The sharp impacts were loud enough to make an ordinary person’s ears bleed, but neither fighter paid them any attention.
Every ounce of concentration was focused on the battle.
For Kiriya, Geto was unlike any opponent he had faced before.
His martial arts were already masterful, and the enormous amount of cursed energy reinforcing his body amplified that skill to a terrifying degree.
Every swing of Playful Cloud felt like being struck by a charging beast.
His relentless offense crashed down like an endless tide, giving Kiriya barely any room to breathe.
Kiriya fought back with everything he had.
The Three-Tomoe Sharingan granted him vastly improved perception, allowing him to follow Geto’s movements and respond in time.
But his Level 3 physical abilities were still far below those of the monster in front of him.
Each collision sent overwhelming force through his sword and into his arms.
Kiriya was driven backward again and again, leaving deep craters beneath every step.
’This strength... he’s strong.’
Kiriya gritted his teeth as the muscles in his arms began to tear. His wrists screamed from the repeated impacts.
After barely a dozen exchanges, the difference was already showing.
Bang!
Geto snapped Playful Cloud upward and knocked Kiriya’s sword from his hand.
Before Kiriya could recover, Geto drove a kick into his stomach.
The impact launched him like a cannonball.
Kiriya tore through several buildings before finally crashing to a stop beneath a mountain of shattered concrete.
"Guh!"
He coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The kick had hit hard enough to make his organs feel as though they had been knocked out of place.
Whoosh!
Geto burst through the dust and appeared above him. Playful Cloud descended with enough force to split a mountain.
Rumble—!
The three-section staff smashed into the ground.
Cracks dozens of centimeters wide spread through the street and tore apart several nearby buildings.
Geto showed no satisfaction.
His gaze had already shifted toward a location nearly a hundred meters away.
Kiriya stood there, breathing heavily.
"That was spatial movement, wasn’t it?"
Geto narrowed his eyes.
"How many different techniques do you possess?"
"Cough..."
Kiriya spat out more blood and immediately activated Yang Power: Everflowing Vitality.
Green light flowed over his body, rapidly repairing the damage. Only then did his breathing begin to steady.
"I’ll admit it."
He exhaled slowly.
"I underestimated you."
Kiriya had become overconfident after his recent victories.
"A special-grade sorcerer really is something else."
Geto studied the green light around his hands.
"Changed your mind about joining me?"
"No."
Kiriya clenched both fists.
"I’ve simply decided to stop holding back!"
His body began gathering power as Geto’s instincts screamed a warning.
He did not know what Kiriya was preparing, but he knew one thing with absolute certainty: allowing him to finish would place Geto at a severe disadvantage.
Without hesitation, Geto poured cursed energy into his legs and exploded forward at full speed.
The air burst around him as he broke the sound barrier.
In an instant, he was directly in front of Kiriya, Playful Cloud swinging toward the side of his head with overwhelming force.
Bang!
The weapon stopped less than an inch from Kiriya’s face.
Green energy blazed around his body like fire. His skin had turned red, and one hand was wrapped firmly around Playful Cloud.
"Sixth Gate—the Gate of View... open!"
After months of training and repeated combat, Kiriya could finally open six gates almost instantly.
His strength and reactions had risen to an entirely different level.
The balance of the fight shifted in a heartbeat.
"He caught Playful Cloud... with one hand?"
For the first time, Geto was nearly left speechless.
What kind of technique was that?
He had swung Playful Cloud with all his strength.
Even a special-grade cursed spirit would hesitate to take that attack directly, yet Kiriya had stopped it with his bare hand.
"Hah!"
Kiriya threw a punch.
His fist broke the sound barrier, producing a violent sonic boom.
Bang!
Geto reacted at the last possible moment and brought Playful Cloud across his body to block.
Even so, the impact was brutal.
The bones in his arms creaked under the pressure, and a bolt of pain shot straight into his brain.
’What a ridiculous strength...’
He had no time to process it.
Kiriya’s second fist slammed into his chest.
BOOM!
Geto flew backward through more than a dozen buildings before finally smashing through one last wall and crashing to the ground.
"Cough... cough..."
He looked down at the deep indentation in his chest.
Every breath sent agony through his ribs.
In the distance, Kiriya stood wrapped in blazing green energy.
Geto could barely believe what he was seeing.
’One punch did this?’
’What kind of technique did he use?’
There was no time to investigate.
Right now, his most important goal was survival.
Geto understood that Kiriya could have followed up immediately and killed him. The only reason he had paused was obvious.
He wanted more cursed spirits.
’Fine.’
Geto wiped the blood from his mouth.
’Then I’ll let you eat until you burst.’
He released another massive wave of curses.
The fastest insect-type and flying curses came first, pouring across the sky toward Kiriya.
Behind them followed nearly a hundred Grade 2 and Semi-Grade 1 cursed spirits.
Kiriya’s eyes lit up.
He immediately abandoned Geto and charged straight into the swarm.
"Atatatata—!"
His fists blurred.
Countless compressed air blasts mixed with flame erupted from his strikes, spreading outward in every direction and detonating throughout the approaching horde.
"Morning Peacock!"
Each fiery impact tore another cursed spirit apart.
Geto watched his collection shrink at a visible rate, his expression becoming increasingly grave.
Kiriya’s physical ability had reached a horrifying level.
He could no longer be treated as an inexperienced newcomer.
This was an opponent worthy of Geto’s full power.
"Come on!"
His fighting spirit rose, and he summoned another enormous group of cursed spirits.
He had no expectation that they would defeat Kiriya.
They only needed to delay him long enough for Geto to prepare his finishing move.
Geto began extracting the cursed energy from the spirits under his control.
The power gathered, compressed, and condensed again and again until it formed a dense black vortex that seemed to swallow the surrounding light.
"Cursed Spirit Manipulation: Maximum—Uzumaki."
The technique compressed an enormous amount of cursed energy before firing it in a single devastating blast.
Its destructive force rivaled a tactical nuclear weapon, and even Geto could not completely control it once released.
"I had hoped we might become allies," he murmured.
"What a shame."
He raised the spiraling mass toward Kiriya.
By then, Morning Peacock had already destroyed most of the cursed-spirit army.
Kiriya suddenly felt every hair on his body stand on end.
He followed his instincts and saw the terrifying black vortex gathering in front of Geto.
"So that’s your ultimate move."
Kiriya grinned.
"Perfect! I’ve been wanting to test something new."
He crossed his arms and released another restraint within his body.
"The Seventh Gate—the Gate of Wonder... open!"
BOOM!
An even more violent eruption of chakra burst from his body.
The shockwave swept through the surrounding ruins, throwing dust and debris high into the sky.
"Oh?"
Geto smiled despite his injuries.
"You enhanced your physical abilities again?"
His hands moved forward.
"Unfortunately, none of that will matter against this."
The enormous vortex compressed one final time, then erupted into a pillar of black energy that tore straight toward Kiriya.
Kiriya offered only one response as he drew back his fist.
"Daytime Tiger!"