Jujutsu High's training field.
"Whoa! What's going on?!"
Yuji Itadori, mid-routine training, gaped as a teaching building exploded in the distance, his face shocked.
"Did a cursed spirit sneak into the school?!"
"More like terrorists."
"Salmon."
"I think I saw the principal."
Maki Zenin and others, just back at school, noticed the chaos too.
"Let's go check it out," Maki said, leading the group toward the explosion.
The field wasn't far from the building. In under a minute, they arrived.
Scanning the area, Maki quickly spotted Principal Masamichi Yaga standing before the ruins.
"Principal, what's happening?"
"Honestly, I'm not sure."
Yaga, who'd arrived seconds earlier, shook his head, equally confused.
But then, a boom echoed.
Under everyone's gaze, a six-armed figure burst from the underground ruins.
"Who are you?"
Yaga frowned, stepping protectively in front of the students.
"Cough—careless. Didn't expect you to master Balance Breaker."
Ignoring Yaga, Siegfried spat blood and looked ahead.
Following his gaze, Yaga and the others noticed a figure in red armor at the ruins' edge.
"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"
A mechanical voice rang out as hundreds of magic circles formed around Siegfried.
"You think I'd fall for the same trick twice?!"
As the mana torrent loomed, Siegfried's six arms, each gripping a demon sword, slashed around him.
Crisp cracks sounded as most of the magic circles shattered instantly.
Seizing the moment before the rest activated, Siegfried, also in Balance Breaker, stomped the ground.
Boom!
The ruins collapsed beneath him. He vanished, reappearing before Roy.
His six arms swung rapidly, dozens of sword shadows forming, striking Roy from all angles.
Roy conjured two demon swords and met the onslaught head-on.
In a flash, the eight swords clashed hundreds of times, sparks flying.
But as Roy's boosted physique began to dominate, a crack sounded.
Fissures appeared on his swords.
"Hm?"
Roy frowned, pulling back decisively.
Bang! Bang!
With two sharp snaps, Roy's swords shattered into fragments.
"Pretty quick escape."
Siegfried, the culprit, didn't celebrate. His brows furrowed, his expression growing graver.
Roy's preemptive strike had left him in rough shape.
Even boosting his physique with Balance Breaker for a counterattack was his limit.
Without overwhelming Roy through gear advantage, continuing would likely mean defeat.
"Time to retreat."
Siegfried glanced at Hercules's fight with Gojo, calculating.
But a calm voice cut through.
"Distracted during our fight? You must be pretty confident."
"Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!"
Like a devil's whisper, hundreds of magic circles reappeared as the mechanical voice sounded.
Siegfried's face twisted. He swung his swords, tearing a gap in the mana flood.
But as he escaped the circles, Roy appeared before him.
Surging Power of Destruction gathered in Roy's right hand, forming a Destruction Orb.
Balance Breaker's amplification kicked in, swelling the orb to twenty or thirty meters, blotting out the sky.
"Playtime's over."
Roy hurled the supercharged Destruction Orb at Siegfried.
"Damn it! How do you have so much mana?!"
Unable to dodge, Siegfried roared, fully activating his six demon swords.
A terrifying aura erupted as he swung with all his might at the oncoming orb.
But like an ant shaking a tree, the orb didn't budge, reaching Siegfried in a blink.
It swallowed him, then, under Roy's control, shot skyward.
Boom!
[Congratulations on defeating Siegfried. Obtained Red entry 'Demon Sword Master.']
[Demon Sword Master (Red): Swordsmanship talent +1000%, can wield any demon sword without conditions, slight physical boost when holding a demon sword.]
"Not bad."
Roy's eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
He'd expected a Purple entry at best from Siegfried.
A Red entry was a pleasant surprise.
Swapping out Demon Sword Creation for Demon Sword Master, Roy looked ahead.
After the orb consumed Siegfried, his six demon swords had scattered across the ruins.
Using magic to sense and retrieve them, Roy collected all six.
"So these are real demon swords."
Unlike the fakes created by his Sacred Gear, true demon swords were sturdier and held greater power.
That's why Roy's weapons broke in the fight, forcing him to retreat.
But now, with real demon swords, Demon Sword Creation was obsolete.
After checking their effects, Roy turned to the approaching figure.
"Who are you, exactly?"
Yaga stepped forward alone, leaving Yuji and the others behind.
"We've met a few times. You can't have forgotten me, Principal Yaga."
Roy deactivated Balance Breaker, shedding his armor.
"Hm? It's you?"
Yaga visibly froze.
"What's so surprising?"
Hanging three swords on each side of his waist, Roy glanced at the western woods.
"Ask the old man under my feet for details. I'm off to find Gojo."
"Wait—"
Yaga's head throbbed as Roy vanished.
What the hell was going on?
And what did he mean by "old man under my feet"?
Yaga looked down, pondered, then his eyes widened, realizing something.
"Yuji Itadori, everyone, come here."
Calling his students over, Yaga issued his first order.
"Help me dig through these ruins to rescue someone."
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