Coffin of the Iron Mountain

Enhanced by the Mangekyo Sharingan, Majestic Destroyer Flame surged toward Jogo like a wall of fire.

As a cursed spirit born from humanity's fear of the earth, Jogo was exceptionally skilled with fire-based attacks and highly resistant to extreme heat.

To him, flames were no different from taking a sauna.

Yet today, he sensed a trace of danger within the flame-based cursed technique Lin Mu had unleashed!

Being hit head-on would not necessarily injure him, but it certainly would not feel pleasant.

"Flames? Then let me show you what real flames are!"

Jogo sensed provocation in Lin Mu's cursed technique. With a sweep of both hands, two fleshy, volcano-like vents grew from behind him.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The scorching lava spewed from the fleshy volcanoes collided with Lin Mu's Majestic Destroyer Flame, and the enormous explosion instantly leveled the surrounding area.

Rubble flung out by the explosion shot toward Satoru Gojo, but its speed dropped sharply when it was still a fist's distance away from him, unable to move any closer.

Gojo brushed aside the rubble and looked at Lin Mu thoughtfully. "The technique may be superior, but it shouldn't be enough to bridge such a huge gap in strength."

"Logically speaking, Lin Mu should have lost the instant their techniques collided, yet he actually managed to fight him to a draw?"

"Was it because of those eyes?"

"How interesting. Let Itadori observe as well."

Gojo vanished in an instant. He was not worried that anything would happen to Lin Mu while he was gone; with Lin Mu's strength, that cursed spirit was still far from capable of killing him.

The tremors caused by the explosion gradually subsided, and neither Lin Mu nor Jogo had been greatly affected.

Lin Mu gathered chakra to repair the skeletal frame that had already developed fine cracks.

After several exchanges, Lin Mu had not been injured, but the amount of chakra left in his body was far from reassuring.

Maintaining Susanoo consumed far too much chakra and ocular power.

Under such intense combat, Lin Mu's eyes had already begun to sting.

However, Lin Mu's inheritance progress was also rising rapidly. He was only a paper-thin barrier away from 20%.

As his opponent, Jogo could no longer remain calm.

"I actually fought a little brat to a draw in a contest of flame-based cursed techniques?"

"What kind of joke is this?!"

Jogo's frustration erupted. The small volcano atop his head spewed lava, and his eyes were bloodshot.

"What happened?" Gojo suddenly appeared beside Lin Mu, one arm draped around Itadori's shoulders.

"Lin Mu, what did you do? That cursed spirit guy looks really angry."

Lin Mu knew Gojo was mocking Jogo indirectly and ignored him.

Itadori had only just recovered from the shock of teleportation when he saw the overwhelmingly powerful cursed spirit before him again!

The feeling this cursed spirit gave him was that even if Sukuna inside him were released, there would be no chance of victory!

But why was Lin Mu present in a battle against such a powerful cursed spirit?

Itadori suddenly recalled that when Teacher Gojo had returned earlier, Lin Mu had been nowhere in sight.

Could it be?!

With an expression as though he had seen a ghost, Itadori looked at Lin Mu. "Don't tell me you were the one fighting that thing just now!"

"Correct!" Gojo clapped excitedly. "Itadori is getting smarter and smarter."

The casual chatter of the three, utterly disregarding Jogo, completely ignited his rage.

"All of you! I'll show you what true strength is!" Jogo roared as lava sprayed from the top of his head and his ears.

"Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain!"

The surrounding scene changed instantly. The ground shook and split apart, gushing with scorching lava.

The space occupied by the three was enclosed by rock, and the temperature inside the domain soared high enough to melt even steel in an instant!

Gojo raised an eyebrow and became slightly more serious, intending to extend Infinity to cover Lin Mu.

But Lin Mu did not seem to be affected by the cursed spirit's domain at all, his expression remaining calm.

Jogo's eyes widened as he incredulously controlled a massive boulder and smashed it toward Lin Mu and Gojo.

Gojo finally made his move. In a flash, he appeared before Lin Mu and lightly flicked a finger.

The mountain-sized boulder turned to powder.

"The reason special grades are called special grades is because their abilities are special enough and their strength is great enough."

"The most important point is that they possess a domain!"

"A Domain Expansion is an innate domain imbued with a cursed technique. Within the domain's range, your cursed technique gains a guaranteed-hit effect."

"So generally speaking, once you pull your opponent into your domain, you can declare victory." Gojo calmly explained the knowledge of domains.

At the same time, he placed one hand on Lin Mu's shoulder and extended Infinity outward.

Lin Mu also cooperatively dispelled Susanoo, warmth rising in his heart.

Teacher Gojo truly was as considerate toward his students as he had been in the original story. He could see that Lin Mu was nearly unable to hold on, yet he did not say so openly. Instead, he silently protected him.

Just as he would during the Shibuya Incident and in the final battle against Sukuna, always bearing everything alone.

Don't worry, Teacher. From now on, you won't have to fight alone anymore! Lin Mu silently made up his mind.