Chapter 14: [14]: Reversal
"I've got it—here's what we'll do. Each of you will come at me one by one, attacking with your full power. Remember, I want to see your full strength!"
In the training grounds, Satoru Gojo rolled up his sleeves and addressed the five students standing across from him. His lazy tone somehow rubbed everyone the wrong way.
Maki stepped forward first, her gaze sharp. "I'll go first!"
Gojo, standing with his hands in his pockets, barely shifted his stance as Maki cleared her mind of distractions, gripping her staff tightly and charging at him. In the blink of an eye, she was upon him, but then swiftly pivoted, changing her angle as her staff sliced through the air toward Gojo's upper body.
The rapid, seamless blur of her attack suddenly came to a halt, caught firmly in a long, slender hand.
Gojo's casual voice broke the silence: "Maki, did you use up all your strength in the earlier training? Also, didn't I say to use your full power?"
"Part of this training is to prepare you for the upcoming exchange event. But more than that, I want you to learn things you can use in your future missions."
A smile tugged at Gojo's lips as his sunglasses slid slightly, revealing a glimpse of his eyes—those eyes that looked like the sky and the ocean, now carrying a hint of seriousness.
"So… treat me like a real enemy and use everything you've got. I won't hold back my teachings."
He laughed. "Don't worry about your teacher! After all… I'm the strongest."
Gojo's brief moment of reverie was interrupted by a shadow moving at incredible speed. Maki seized the opportunity to strike with a sweeping blow, and at the last possible second, Gojo leaned back, narrowly dodging the staff.
He then placed one hand on the ground, using it to push off and counter Maki's changing attack, forcing her to retreat. In an instant, he sprang up, his fist and palm ready to strike back at her.
Maki found herself on the defensive, feeling utterly suppressed by the overwhelming pressure. It felt like she wasn't facing just one person—his attacks were coming from all directions, as if multiple people were fighting her at once.
But her fighting spirit only burned brighter. Each movement became instinctive, her long staff an extension of her will, flowing with precision. Yet, none of it mattered. Every time her staff was about to hit Gojo, he would shift ever so slightly, as if blinking in and out of existence, evading each strike as though teleporting.
In truth, even if Maki had managed to land a hit, Gojo's passive infinity technique would have prevented her staff from ever touching him.
Gojo continued to easily dismantle each of Maki's attacks, casually pointing out her openings or offering unsolicited advice on how she should attack.
Despite his seemingly lackadaisical counters, every hit stung. He had clearly resolved to let his students feel the full force of his tough love.
But they were no strangers to pain. After all, they had faced cursed missions before, and this level of injury was far from unusual—especially for someone like Maki, who thrived in close combat. For her, the pain only fueled her desire to keep pushing forward.
After exchanging dozens of blows, Gojo finally tapped Maki on the forehead, sending her crashing to the ground. He declared her out and called for the next challenger.
Shin Shuichi, watching from the sidelines, sighed. "He's even using his technique… How are we supposed to win?"
Panda cracked his knuckles and said, "Isn't that perfect? My turn!"
A short while later, Shin watched as Panda, now in his "Gorilla" mode, was thrown back effortlessly. Gojo, meanwhile, stretched casually, like he was just warming up.
Panda was a mutated cursed corpse, different from others because he possessed not just one core, but three, each tied to a different personality. His usual form focused on balance, the second was his power-focused "Gorilla" mode, and the third, rarely seen due to its shyness, was the speed-focused "Sister's core" Triceratops.
Even in his powerful Gorilla mode, armed with his devastating technique—Shockwave Palm, which bypassed most defenses—Panda stood no chance. He was quickly beaten back into his balanced form, lying bruised on the ground.
"Alright! Who's next?" Gojo's sunny smile turned toward Shin Shuichi. Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Shin reluctantly picked up a wooden sword and walked over.
"Sensei, isn't this pointless? I can't break your Infinity right now, so this is just going to be one-sided."
Gojo waved him off. "Don't be like that, Shin. Show me your current strength."
Bang!
The air exploded with a sharp sound, and in the next moment, Shin, who had been standing calmly, was flying backward. The wooden sword in his hand had already shattered into tiny fragments. Mid-air, he suddenly vanished, only to reappear along his flight path again.
Rubbing his wrist, Shin complained, "Sensei, that's so unfair."
Gojo, intrigued, stroked his chin. "You've mastered your technique to this level already? That was a reversal of your technique, wasn't it?"
Shin grinned. "Gojo-sensei, how about we make a deal? Let's fight using only hand-to-hand combat. I won't use my technique to enhance my speed, and you won't use your technique to repel me. Deal?"
Gojo smiled faintly, amused by Shin's taunt: "No way, no way! Is the invincible Gojo-sensei afraid of a fair fight?"
Gojo chuckled. "Alright, I'll agree."
Shin's expression turned serious as he approached Gojo with his sword. Though he wasn't using his technique to boost his speed, his movements were still incredibly fast, fueled by his cursed energy.
The others—Maki, Panda, Yuta Okkotsu, and Toge Inumaki—watched intently, confused by how quickly Shin had attacked earlier, ending the bout before they could fully understand what had happened.
Maki thought back to the missions she had shared with him, her mind racing. 'Was it speed?' She looked at Gojo, remembering his ability to defend even against that insane speed.
Meanwhile, Shin fought hard, dodging, parrying, and countering with all his might, searching for that elusive feeling of landing a "Black Flash"—a perfectly timed hit where cursed energy surged within 0.000001 seconds of a physical strike.
Gojo, seemingly playing along, kept evading Shin's blows, giving him just enough space to keep the fight going but never allowing him to land a decisive hit.
"Shin, you're hiding something, aren't you? Why not show it already? Or could it be… you won't be able to use it before I knock you out?"
Shin almost lost his focus at the taunt but managed to block Gojo's casual swipe. Gritting his teeth, he charged up a powerful punch.
This feeling… it's coming!
A black glow of cursed energy appeared, catching Gojo's attention for the first time.
"Black Flash!" Shin roared.
Maki gasped as the scene brought back memories of a previous mission where Shin had used Black Flash to obliterate a curse. Beside her, Yuta asked curiously, "What's Black Flash? Is that black energy dangerous?"
Maki explained while Shin's Black Flash clashed with Gojo's hand, only for Gojo to easily catch the energy in his grasp. With his other hand, Gojo struck Shin, sending him flying.
"My dear student, if you get knocked into the air, you better be careful!"
Before Shin could recover, Gojo blinked in front of him again, a bright, cheerful smile on his face, as if he knew Shin was about to take a serious beating.
Shin, catching his breath, grinned. This is it! My plan…
Gojo's smile faded slightly as Shin activated his technique.
"Technique Reversal: Time Loop—Reversal."
The scenery around Shin shifted. The attacking Gojo was now gone, replaced by the surprised faces of Yuta and the others. Gathering his cursed energy, Shin smiled and twisted, striking behind him at the now-open Gojo.
Black cursed energy surged again—the second pseudo Black Flash!
But instead of victory, Shin saw Gojo smiling smugly, catching the blow once more. The immense collision of cursed energy was held firmly in Gojo's grasp.
Then, Gojo punched Shin in the stomach, and the only word that came to Shin's mind was "Cheat!" He collapsed to the ground, struggling for breath. Still, he managed to ask, "How… how did you know?"
Gojo whistled cheerfully. "I know all about your techniques, Shin. And didn't you show me the effects of your reversal earlier? Plus, you forgot—my Six Eyes see everything. There's no escaping me!"
Sliding down his sunglasses, Gojo revealed his sparkling, mischievous eyes. Shin pounded the ground in frustration and groaned, "That's cheating! Who let someone have map-wide vision!?"
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