You call this a projection?

It only takes a moment to fall from heaven to hell.

There was undoubtedly nothing wrong with Okkotsu Yuta’s strategy. By utilizing the Reverse Cursed Technique that he hadn’t previously exposed and seizing the perfect timing for a counterattack, he should have been able to defeat his opponent in one blow. Even if it didn’t defeat him, it should have been enough to heavily injure Fushiguro Toji.

After all, the [Heavenly Restriction] only enhances physical prowess. It does not grant its possessor a healing effect like the Reverse Cursed Technique. If a vital spot were truly struck, it would result in death for Fushiguro Toji just the same. He did not possess the formidable vitality of a sorcerer who had mastered the Reverse Cursed Technique—one who could restore themselves even if their brain was pierced, and who would only die if their head was entirely severed.

Moreover, as the character with the second-highest cursed energy reserves in the entire series of Jujutsu Kaisen, Okkotsu Yuta could generate even more positive energy for healing. It was likely he wouldn’t die even if his entire brain were cut out. This was the source of the confidence that allowed Okkotsu Yuta to dare to abandon his defense.

As long as he didn’t wish to die, it would be extremely difficult for Fushiguro Toji to kill him in that split second.

In fact, Fushiguro Toji indeed could not accomplish such a thing. Do not be deceived by how miserably Okkotsu Yuta seemed to be beaten by Fushiguro Toji, even having his arm severed. The positive energy cursed energy that had long been generated and prepared within Okkotsu’s body surged toward his wound at that very instant, reattaching the severed arm before it could even fall to the ground!

”Oh? You can repair an injury of even this magnitude?

It seems that merely cutting your head off might not be enough to stop this Reverse Cursed Technique of yours.”

After glancing at Okkotsu Yuta’s regenerative ability, Fushiguro Toji merely adjusted the position of his next attack slightly and continued to thrust the spear in his hand into Okkotsu Yuta’s thigh.

”First, the legs.

Thanks to that guy Gojo Satoru, who loves to show off and talk incessantly, I am quite well-acquainted with the Reverse Cursed Technique. Multiplying cursed energy, which is inherently negative energy, to produce positive energy through a ’negative times negative equals positive’ process—that is the Reverse Cursed Technique.

Though according to Gojo Satoru, this simple-sounding principle still requires a certain ’knack’ or technique to pull off. But to me, that is meaningless; I only need to know that the Reverse Cursed Technique also consumes cursed energy, and that is enough.”

”...”

He pulled out the spear in his hand with a slicing motion. While neutralizing Okkotsu Yuta’s mobility in this manner, he also increased the surface area of the wounds on Okkotsu’s body. This forced the Reverse Cursed Technique energy within Okkotsu to divert a portion to flow into this newly added wound.

Fushiguro Toji’s other hand was not idle either. Just as he could use the brute force of his [Heavenly Restriction] to seize the cursed tool from Zen’in Maki’s hand, the katana cursed tool held by Okkotsu Yuta was also affected. Because Toji had previously severed Okkotsu’s arm, even though the Reverse Cursed Technique healed it quickly, the arm had momentarily lost control and could not exert force. Consequently, Okkotsu Yuta was still unable to resist Toji’s weapon seizure.

In the blink of an eye, the katana cursed tool fell into Fushiguro Toji’s hands and was promptly stabbed back into Okkotsu’s body with the blade facing him!

”But cursed energy needs to be maintained and stabilized consciously by the sorcerer!

Even if you, brat, truly possess unfathomable cursed energy reserves, you still have to follow the established conventions of sorcerers when invoking that energy. You must prevent excessively intense emotions from letting the cursed energy escape uncontrollably from your body!”

As Fushiguro Toji spoke, both of his hands, now holding cursed tools, began to swing them like windmills, frantically delivering a continuous barrage of slashes against Okkotsu Yuta’s body!

”It seems you’ve also realized what I’m planning to do?”

Okkotsu Yuta’s resistance was strengthening. Or rather, after the initial shock, his consciousness began to recover, and he started increasing the output of his Reverse Cursed Technique. He wanted to heal the wounds on his body faster to fight back.

”But... slow! Too slow!”

Fushiguro Toji’s speed was even faster! It was only because Toji did not currently possess the [Inverted Spear of Heaven]. Otherwise, once he sensed the Reverse Cursed Technique energy within Okkotsu, he could have used the spear—which forcibly nullifies active techniques—to cancel the Reverse Cursed Technique and kill Okkotsu Yuta outright.

He wouldn’t need to do what he was doing now: gradually slicing through wounds and nerves to inflict even greater pain upon Okkotsu Yuta. He was doing this so that Okkotsu would be unable to control his cursed energy amidst the agony.

However... when a sorcerer who has received orthodox training, like Okkotsu Yuta, can maintain stability in emotional control at all times—ensuring they don’t experience true intense emotional fluctuations or get genuinely provoked by external stimuli—they gradually become accustomed to this deliberately amplified pain.

”You will gradually forget what normal pain feels like.”

Without needing much testing, Fushiguro Toji could tell from how Okkotsu Yuta went from being helpless at the start to now being able to withstand a few of his attacks. Okkotsu was gradually adapting to the pain.

And at this moment, Fushiguro Toji’s trap was complete.

Why was Okkotsu Yuta able to use the Reverse Cursed Technique in time to heal the sliced wounds? It wasn’t that the speed of his technique matched Toji’s attack speed. Rather, it was his body’s reflex: the moment it perceived pain, it covered that area with Reverse Cursed Technique energy to heal it.

In other words, the sensation of pain was the key to Okkotsu Yuta’s rapid response. But what if Okkotsu Yuta couldn’t perceive that pain? Or rather, after experiencing so much deep-level pain, what would happen if his subconscious began to treat minor pain as unnecessary and automatically filtered it out?

”Heh heh heh, who knows?”

With an excited smile on his face, Fushiguro Toji’s right hand, holding the spear, once again sliced through the nerves in Okkotsu Yuta’s body. Meanwhile, his left hand gripped the katana, and in an instant that Okkotsu could not react to, he swung a decapitating blow toward Okkotsu’s head!

”It’s over...!?”

Clang!!

”Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to intervene on purpose, it’s just that I still have a bit of payment I haven’t collected from Okkotsu yet. So...”

A Japanese sword suddenly appeared, blocking the decapitating blow right beside Okkotsu Yuta’s neck. Along with those words that followed into their ears, the voice said: ”...Could I ask you to stop for a moment?”

Read ahead (100 chapters) by supporting me on buymeacoffee com/varietl or ko-fi edwriting