HRU: Chapter 302: Who Is the Challenger

"The winner is about to be decided." Suguru widened his eyes, staring intently at the two figures below.

He didn’t want to miss a single detail.

"...Rustle."

The swirling energy gradually dissipated. Ice shards fell to the ground with a soft clinking sound.

The figures of the two gradually came into focus.

The area around them had long been razed, the ground overturned as if plowed.

Which made the two figures standing there all the more conspicuous.

The one who appeared first was Satoshi.

He lightly swung his Zanpakutō, a smile playing on his lips.

Suguru’s pupils shrank. His gaze quickly shifted to where Satoru had been, his expression filled with worry.

Soon after, cracks began to appear along a human-shaped ice pillar.

With a loud crack, it shattered.

Satoru emerged, gently brushing the ice shards off his head, seemingly unharmed.

Suguru let out a sigh of relief.

"This trick again?" Satoru lightly adjusted the black scarf around his neck and smiled. "Satoshi, it’s a bit chilly, you know."

Under the reflection of the falling ice fragments…

A faint, colorless barrier shimmered over Satoru’s body.

"It was Satoru’s Infinity that blocked the absolute zero freezing..." Suguru murmured with a trace of joy.

"Satoshi, you've grown even stronger. But Suguru and I won’t just stand still." Satoru’s voice rang out faintly. "We promised Principal Sekiguchi that we’d stop you here and defend the honor of Jujutsu High."

"You seem to be mistaken, Satoru." Satoshi's lips curled slightly. "Let me make it clear."

"In this sister school goodwill event, your two technical colleges are the challengers."

"Welcome to the event. Satoru, Suguru—you can come together."

Satoshi raised his blade and took a stance toward the two of them. The Zanpakutō in his hand glowed coldly, like a crescent moon resting atop untouched snow.

Not far away.

A black bird-type shikigami transmitted everything to Mei Mei.

Feeling the terrifying tension from the confrontation between the two Gojo prodigies, those present were filled with a sense of dread.

They were actually expected to face off against such monsters?

No wonder Kamo Kenshin had such thoughts.

Against top talents from the Big Three Sorcerer Families… they were truly far behind.

Even if they wanted to help Satoru, they’d likely only become dead weight.

At Jujutsu High, all the sorcerers stared at the godlike battle within the barrier, their faces subtly shifting.

Looking once more at the flattened forest, their expressions turned blank.

They finally understood why Principal Sekiguchi had arranged for the battles to take place inside the barrier.

If this exchange was held at a technical college campus, the entire headquarters might’ve been blown away.

Satoshi and Satoru… both were terrifying.

---

"Challenger? Satoshi, don't go overboard." Satoru chuckled. "You’ve already used absolute zero. That’s good news for us."

A 120% Cursed Energy output from Blue had replaced Sode Shirayuki’s Absolute Zero, creating an opening for Suguru to enter the battle.

This time, they definitely had the upper hand.

Last time, Satoshi had relied on that move to disrupt Satoru’s Infinity.

This time, Satoru had deliberately pushed Satoshi to use it right from the start.

Satoru’s technique was still cooling down.

But the cooldown time was far shorter than Satoshi’s Absolute Zero.

Now, he had to defeat Satoshi before that move could recover.

"Satoshi, I'm coming." Satoru dropped into a stance, then suddenly stomped forward. The ground beneath his feet shattered. "I've been beaten by you too many times. Now, I can finally go all out."

"Then come try." Satoshi smiled.

His words had barely fallen…

Satoru’s figure vanished from his original spot like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.

As the two vanished into motion, a wave of invisible pressure swept across Minazuki toward Shoko and Suguru.

"They’re starting." Shoko’s breathing grew unsteady, tension creeping up her spine.

Suguru said nothing, eyes locked on the two shadowy figures trading blows at high speed.

With the aid of Cursed Energy, Satoru blurred into an unreal high-speed state, like a cheetah striking at its prey.

But even more terrifying—

Under everyone's gaze, Satoshi’s speed was no slower.

In fact, he was slightly faster.

At that moment…

The snowy white on his sleeves flashed like a cold beam of light, disappearing instantly. Icy and lethal.

Every strike—direct, fatal.

Satoru furrowed his brow slightly, watching the ghostlike figure before him.

He immediately shifted tactics, activating Infinity.

In a blink, he transitioned from offense to defense.

The pressure from Satoshi’s physical strikes, enhanced by his Heavenly Restriction, was overwhelming.

“His body refined under Heavenly Restriction is too strong in close combat.” Suguru noticed the subtle shift and his expression darkened.

"Thankfully, we helped Satoru refine his Infinity before the match. His current control over Infinity is probably unprecedented in Gojo family history."

Still, Suguru didn’t relax. Satoru’s words before the battle echoed in his mind.

If it came to a critical moment—he would join the fight.

Suguru’s eyes stayed locked on Satoru’s movements, ready to move at a moment’s notice.

As the one directly facing him, Satoru’s eyes widened.

The moment he felt the sheer power behind Satoshi’s hand-to-hand combat...

His Infinity did not activate automatically.

(To be continued.)