"You're not human anymore, are you? Same freak breed as Gojo Satoru," Barb Croc said, calming down. Rage wouldn't cut it—this kid needed a one-shot kill, or he'd bite back.
"Human? Sure. Just the oddball kind," Hayashi cracked his neck. "Enough chatter—you can die now."
"Funny, I was thinking the same," Barb Croc's eyes flared red, cursed energy exploding. Legs launched him at Hayashi.
"Know baseball?" Hayashi quipped out of nowhere. Right hand up, legs bent front and back.
Barb Croc charged, roaring:
"Maximum: Rend!"
"Thunder…Bagua!"
A blinding force lit up the area. Fighters in the distance turned, jaws dropping.
Hayashi's right hand crackled with lightning. A massive blue spiked club formed—thunder rumbled, whipping the air as he swung.
Barb Croc glowed green, a giant crocodile head phantom encasing him—a colossal jaws-first rush.
The ground cratered. Trees splintered into dust under the clash.
Boom!!!
Bang!!!
The earth shook. The ground collapsed around them, dirt and rock spraying. Raw power detonated between them.
Hayashi flew back, smashing through dozens of trees before hitting the ground. Crimson Armor held, but the shock rattled his insides—blood sprayed from his mouth.
Barb Croc fared no better—blasted far, spewing blood midair. His mind nearly shattered. This foe—too strong.
"Hayashi!"
"You okay!?"
Fushiguro Megumi and Nobara Kugisaki saw him get launched. That force? They'd be dead.
"I'm fine," Hayashi shot up, green light flashing—a reversal healing him. "Now I'm pissed!"
Time Blink kicked in. As Barb Croc landed, Hayashi materialized before him, right arm cocked.
"Thunder Bagua—Power Doubled!"
[Power Doubled: Random Multiplier]
[Power Doubled ×5]
Thunder roared, sky trembling—lightning cracked.
Loaded with cursed energy and force, Hayashi swung the hammer down.
Barb Croc's guts froze. He shrank into his shell—his toughest spot. Hide there, and sorcerers were helpless.
Only way to dodge this insane kid.
Hanami clocked the fight tipping wrong, but Todo Aoi and Yuji Itadori pinned it down—others backing them up.
Noritoshi Kamo and Mechamaru were banged up bad. The odds sucked.
Boom!!!
Thunder Bagua landed.
Barb Croc felt an unreal force—his body quaked, blood bursting out.
Crack!
His unbreakable shell shattered under the blow. The ground caved, consciousness fading as he was pounded into mush underground.
Huff, huff, huff~ Hayashi gulped air. That drained him—cursed energy running thin. He needed a sec.
That turtle was a tank. Normal special-grades? Basic Thunderclap would've done it—no need for a boost.
Shrieeek!
A piercing howl cut through. A giant bird swooped over Hayashi's head.
"Barb Croc's dead?" Lumi's face twisted mid-fight.
Barb Croc—no domain, but packing a Maximum. Among this crew, only Hanami outranked him.
Stronger than Lumi—and Hayashi took him out.
They'd banked on Barb Croc dropping Hayashi. Instead, he was the one dropped.
[Killed Special-Grade Cursed Spirit: +198 Points]
Hayashi clocked Barb Croc's points. No domain—maybe he really couldn't—but his raw power? Insane.
Without Azure Black Flash, Thunder Bagua, or power multipliers, Hayashi wouldn't have stood a chance. They'd all be dead.
He rested for ten seconds, then locked onto the bloodied Juzo Kumiya with cursed energy. Time Blink—Black Steel drawn.
Miwa Kasumi and Maki Zenin were tangling with Juzo Kumiya—blood on them from the fight.
Mai Zenin knelt aside, waist bleeding—Juzo Kumiya's axe had grazed her, not fatal.
"Slash!"
Black Steel fell. Juzo Kumiya, tied up with two foes, didn't see Hayashi coming. Too late—his head split, body cleaved in two, guts spilling as he dropped.
"Ah!" Miwa yelped—Hayashi was a ghost, popping up out of nowhere.
Maki exhaled—exhausted. Hayashi's timing saved her from who-knows-how-long.
"Get out of here. These guys are tough—I can't split focus to cover you," Hayashi told Maki and Miwa, charging Hanami.
Hanami was likely the strongest cursed spirit here. To win, it had to go down—or they were all screwed.
The teachers? Still not here—probably the barrier. Had Mahito's crew juiced it up?
"Todo, Fushiguro, Yuji, Panda-senpai, Toge-senpai—hold that deer-head. I'll handle the rest. Don't die," Hayashi blinked to Hanami, cutting off Todo and Yuji's flank to redirect them at Lumi.
"Oh—watch it, that one's got a domain," he added.
"Bro, you good? Don't push it," Todo eyed Hayashi's crimson-clad form, unsure how much gas he had left.
"I'm fine for now. Go—keep them safe," Hayashi said, not looking back.
"Got it!" Todo clapped—swapping spots with a rock under Lumi's feet. Post-switch, he smashed a fist into Lumi's gut.
Now—Hayashi vs. Hanami. The seniors weren't pushovers—shouldn't need babysitting.