CHAPTER 17: GAMBLE vs THUNDER

The night sky tore open.

Two Ryoiki Tenkai.

Two wills clashed.

Two storms collided.

Kashimo's Ryoiki Tenkai - Thunder Burial unleashed a barrage of piercing volts, warping the space around them into an electrified storm field. Each raindrop in the domain buzzed with fatal voltage.

Across him, Hakari's Idle Death Gamble Domain spun to life, the slot machine embedded in the air itself, rotating wildly until — JACKPOT. Regeneration activated once again, healing his scorched skin as fast as it was burned.

"You just don't die, huh?" Kashimo roared, lunging forward.

Hakari smirked through a cracked jaw. "You just don't stop."

The two of them met again at the center, fists and cursed techniques colliding with brutal, elegant violence.

Every movement sent shockwaves across the city outskirts. Buildings crumbled. Earth cratered. Wind howled in unnatural gales.

Then — BOOM.

A final impact. Ryoiki Tenkai vs Ryoiki Tenkai.

The domains overlapped. Cancelled.

A cataclysmic shockwave erupted, flattening the entire train yard.

Both Hakari and Kashimo lay on the cracked pavement, smoke rising from their battered bodies.

"…Fun," Kashimo exhaled. "That was…fun."

Hakari sat up, groaning. "You done frying me? Or you got more lightning tricks in that old bag?"

Kashimo coughed a laugh. "…You're not bad. Almost reminded me of Sukuna."

Hakari raised a brow. "That a compliment?"

"More than you'll ever get from him."

A silence hung between them.

Then Hakari stood and extended a hand.

"Care to be an ally?"

Kashimo looked at the hand. Then at the carnage they had left behind. Then back at Hakari.

"…Fine," he said, gripping it tightly. "I'll forfeit the game. But next time, we fight to the death."

Hakari chuckled. "Looking forward to it."

And just like that, the Thunder Beast of the past walked forward — no longer an enemy, but an ally of Jujutsu High.