Chapter 79: Getting a Taste Before Satoru

Shinsuke's smug smile didn't faze Satoshi in the slightest. Tsukishiro was only the appetizer—he had never intended to end the battle with it.

The moment Tsukishiro activated, he had already prepared for The Second Dance: Hakuren (White Ripple).

Beneath Satoshi's feet, the ice from his blade had already melted, but Shinsuke failed to notice.

From this point onward, Satoshi was untouchable.

With Hakuren hidden beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed, all he had to do was let Shinsuke come close. Once he did, he would drown him in an avalanche of ice.

Toji had exceptional physical prowess and inhuman reflexes, that was the only reason he had managed to retreat in time during their last encounter.

But Zenin Shinsuke?

He was just an ordinary sorcerer.

There was no way he possessed the same superhuman reaction speed as the Heavenly Restriction-enhanced Toji.

In Satoshi's eyes, the moment Shinsuke rushed toward him, seeking close combat, he had already sealed his fate.

The second Shinsuke got close—

Satoshi swung Sode no Shirayuki, unleashing a raging white torrent of snow.

The spectators shuddered.

The power of Tsukishiro had already left them in awe, and now Hakuren was proving to be just as terrifying.

So this is Sode no Shirayuki's technique…

For everyone except Toji, this was their first time witnessing Hakuren in person.

They couldn't even begin to imagine how Shinsuke could possibly survive something that resembled a natural disaster, an avalanche in the form of a Cursed Technique.

Take it head-on?

Naobito and Jinichi locked their eyes on Shinsuke, waiting to see if he had a way to counter Hakuren.

The frigid wave of ice surged forward, but Shinsuke remained unnervingly calm.

He wasn't the least bit shaken by Hakuren's power.

Because he had already been defeated once before.

After that loss, Shinsuke had devoted an immense amount of time and effort to researching Gojo Satoshi and Sode no Shirayuki.

Currently, there were only three recorded battles involving the Zanpakutō.

The first instance was when it was used against Gojo Satoru after its initial forging, revealing Tsukishiro for the first time.

The second was his own fight against Satoshi, where he had been instantly frozen by Tsukishiro.

The third was a private match between Toji and Satoshi. The Zenin Clan had not been able to observe that fight in detail, but from various sources, he had learned that Sode no Shirayuki possessed a second ability—Hakuren.

A relentless, indiscriminate snowstorm at close range.

Satoshi's trump card.

If he wanted to defeat Satoshi, he had to erase Hakuren from the equation.

As long as Satoshi had Hakuren, he would always hold the advantage.

If Shinsuke couldn't get close, he would inevitably lose.

That was why he had chosen this Special Grade Cursed Tool.

It was because of this very weapon that he had deliberately allowed Satoshi to unleash Hakuren.

"The battle is over," Toji muttered.

From his experience, Shinsuke had no way of avoiding Hakuren.

Once he was hit, it was game over.

Everyone else in the audience had the same thought.

But Satoshi, the one in the fight, felt something was wrong.

Shinsuke's expression was too composed—too prepared.

If he knew how Hakuren worked, why would he willingly step into its range?

Does he have a countermeasure?

Satoshi's frown deepened as he focused on the weapon wrapped in white cloth in Shinsuke's hands.

Now that they were up close, he could make out its shape through the fabric.

Wait a minute…

Satoshi's brows furrowed slightly as a possibility came to mind.

Raising his sleeves in front of his chest, he instinctively took a defensive stance.

No one understood why Satoshi had suddenly chosen to defend.

From the spectators' perspective, Shinsuke was clearly about to be overwhelmed by Hakuren.

Shouldn't Satoshi be pressing the attack instead?

A second later, they realized something was off.

The white snowstorm continued to surge forward.

But Zenin Shinsuke kept moving.

The ice wasn't stopping him.

Then, they saw it.

Hakuren had been split apart.

Shinsuke walked through the raging snow, completely untouched—standing in a void within the storm.

And the reason for this was the weapon in his hand.

Special Grade Cursed Tool, Inverted Spear of Heaven!

I didn't expect this… Satoshi thought.

So Zenin Shinsuke actually got his hands on the Inverted Spear of Heaven?

This thing already existed back then, huh?

Then, in the future, is this why Toji ended up obtaining the Inverted Spear of Heaven?

Inverted Spear of Heaven, a Cursed Tool that could forcibly negate all techniques.

In the original timeline, this was the weapon that had nearly killed Satoru.

Satoshi hadn't expected that, in this timeline, before his brother even got a taste of the Inverted Spear of Heaven…

He would be the one to experience it first.

No wonder Shinsuke was so confident.

He wasn't panicking, because he knew he had the Inverted Spear of Heaven in his hands.

As that thought crossed Satoshi's mind.

Shinsuke's strike landed.

Despite predicting the attack and using Sode no Shirayuki to block, the impact still sent a sharp pain through Satoshi's chest.

The sheer force behind the blow was undeniable.

This was the power of the Inverted Spear of Heaven.

As Shinsuke stood holding the ominous-looking spear-like weapon, the spectators finally understood.

They had underestimated Shinsuke's weapon.

The question that burned in their minds now was.

How had Zenin Shinsuke gotten his hands on such a powerful Special Grade Cursed Tool?

Only Naobito should have had access to the Treasury.

Did Shinsuke have some sort of special privilege allowing him to take Tenshoku out?

Despite his curiosity, Naobito's main focus remained on the battle.

Aesthetically, the Inverted Spear of Heaven was far less impressive than Sode no Shirayuki.

But in terms of effectiveness, the Inverted Spear of Heaven clearly had the upper hand.

After all, it was the Inverted Spear of Heaven that had allowed Shinsuke to turn the tides from a losing position.

This thought settled in the minds of most observers.

Satoshi and Sode no Shirayuki were supposed to lose.

Without Cursed Energy, without techniques, how could Satoshi fight against someone wielding the Inverted Spear of Heaven?

After all…

Wasn't Satoshi's strength entirely reliant on Sode no Shirayuki's abilities?

(To be continued.)