Dream of a Past Life

"Shogun! Those two monsters are here! They demand a duel before the shogun!"

In the Ninth Year of the Keichō Era, in Edo, Japan, an armored samurai rushed into the shogunate in a panic, shouting as he ran.

The elderly shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu heard this and hurriedly waved his hands, trembling. "L-Let Hidetada go... I still want to live a few more years!"

Tokugawa Ieyasu had been appointed Seii Taishogun and Minister of the Right by the Emperor. In truth, he had sidelined the Emperor and become the highest authority in Japan.

Yet such an important figure now wore a flustered expression, solely because the two monsters mentioned by the samurai were far beyond what ordinary humans could defeat.

If those two fought, the consequences would likely be world-shattering.

The older people grew, the more they feared death. That was why Tokugawa Ieyasu hurriedly ordered his son to preside over the duel in his place.

Though Tokugawa Hidetada, the future second shogun, was also afraid of dying, he did not dare defy his father's wishes. He could only lead a large group of guards out of the city, trembling with fear.

"Well, someone from the Tokugawa family is here. Too bad it isn't that old man Tokugawa Ieyasu."

"Whatever. Since they're here, let's begin."

The voices of two men actually descended from the sky.

As Tokugawa Hidetada and the others looked up at the two figures overhead, they felt as though they were seeing gods.

Both men were exceptionally handsome.

One had long black hair loosely tied behind his back. He wore a kimono as black as the night sky, and his dark eyes resembled an abyss, inspiring fear in all who saw them.

Standing atop a gigantic bird-faced humanoid monster, he urged the other man to begin their decisive battle.

The other man replied frivolously, "Don't be in such a hurry."

He was equally handsome, but his temperament was entirely different.

He had white hair, cut into a short style that seemed rather strange to people of this era. His eyes shone like sapphires, as dazzling as a vast blue starry sky.

Dressed in a loose, pure-white kimono, he stood suspended in midair with a faint smile often lingering on his lips. He was exactly the sort of man most women would fall in love with at first sight.

"The Three Great Families of Jujutsu Society have inherited family techniques embedded in their bloodlines for generations. The Zenin Clan's strongest technique is the Ten Shadows Technique, while the Gojo Clan's strongest are the Limitless Technique and the Six Eyes."

"The two clans had originally coexisted peacefully, taking turns as Jujutsu Society's strongest family. But unexpectedly, a Ten Shadows user and a Limitless Six Eyes user were born in the same era."

"That sparked an unprecedented conflict between the two families over the title of strongest, forcing their heads to determine the outcome through a duel before the shogun."

The speaker was Tokugawa Hidetada. Jujutsu Society hid itself from the world, but Japan's secular upper class was well aware of its existence.

If sorcerers had any interest in worldly affairs, how could ordinary people like them possibly rule this world?

As Hidetada explained the identities of the two men before him, his face was filled with distress. He was meant to inherit the Edo Shogunate in the future. He could not afford to die young.

So he quickly ordered his guards to surround him tightly, hiding within their ranks in an attempt to protect himself.

"The white-haired one is Gojo Sora, and the black-haired one is Zenin Yoru. Keep your eyes on them. Don't let them injure me by mistake!"

Having received their orders, the guards surrounded Tokugawa Hidetada.

Gojo Sora smiled from the sky. "You haven't even put up a veil. Are you planning to destroy Edo? Besides, we need to keep those people below as witnesses to my victory over you."

Zenin Yoru said unhappily, "You have it backward. They're here to witness my victory over you."

Their verbal clash had already begun, while both formed hand signs with one hand.

"[From the darkness, emerge. Darker than black. Purify that which is impure.]"

As the two chanted, an enormous black barrier suddenly appeared outside Edo, shrouding an open area nearly as large as the entire city.

Within it was a smaller, translucent barrier that enclosed Tokugawa Hidetada and his group.

Both barriers prevented those inside from leaving and those outside from entering, while possessing extremely powerful defenses from both within and without.

Only these two, the strongest of their era, could likely produce barriers with such effects.

"Now, we can begin." Gojo Sora raised a finger in provocation.

Zenin Yoru's expression darkened. He formed shadow puppets with both hands and shouted, "Get down here!"

Ten Shadows Technique: Max Elephant!

A gigantic, fleshy pink elephant covered in patterns suddenly appeared above Gojo Sora's head.

It was a shikigami Zenin Yoru had summoned through shadows using Cursed Energy. Its size and weight far surpassed those of an ordinary elephant, and it possessed strength comparable to an ancient ferocious beast.

Boom!

Gojo Sora was smashed from the sky to the ground. The weight of Max Elephant, combined with its downward momentum, blasted a huge crater into the earth as a cloud of dust soared high enough to blot out the sky.

But it was not over yet. With a shrill cry, Max Elephant's trunk spewed out an enormous torrent of water that instantly swept across the area.

The interior of the veil was reduced to a flooded wasteland in an instant.

If not for the veil's protection, even Edo would likely have been submerged.

Zenin Yoru immediately dispelled Max Elephant and controlled the bird-faced creature beneath his feet to dive downward.

Ten Shadows Technique: Nue!

Zenin Yoru leaped into the air as Nue plunged down, carrying massive arcs of purple lightning across its body.

Nue crashed into the water, and the lightning around it spread outward, whipping up enormous waves that glimmered with violet light.

Seeing this, Zenin Yoru shifted his hand signs once more, this time forming the shape of a snake.

Ten Shadows Technique: Great Serpent!

Zenin Yoru summoned a giant serpent and landed steadily on its back.

At the same time, Nue seized Gojo Sora in its claws and hurled him into the sky.

The giant serpent, dozens of meters long and capable of swallowing the heavens, immediately gulped Gojo Sora down whole.

However, an unexpected change occurred at that moment.

An unusual red light shone from the serpent's mouth. Then its entire head exploded with a bang, and Gojo Sora flew out completely unscathed.

"You haven't improved much since we were children."

The Gojo and Zenin Clans had once been on good terms, so the two had met and fought when they were young.

"You learned Cursed Technique Reversal?!" Zenin Yoru's face was filled with shock.

He knew his previous series of attacks could not break through the Limitless Technique's defenses. He had merely intended to trap Gojo Sora.

Yet Gojo Sora had unexpectedly learned Cursed Technique Reversal ahead of him, directly destroying one of his shikigami.

"Damn it. I can't use a Domain while maintaining the veil."

Both Domains and veils were barriers, and they interfered with each other. In other words, one could not maintain an exterior veil while inside a Domain.

"If you can't use a Domain, then use your technique. Let's settle this once and for all."

As Gojo Sora spoke, he extended two fingers toward Nue flying through the air.

Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!

Boom!

A huge hole suddenly appeared in Nue's massive body. It then fell helplessly to the ground and dissolved into shadows.

"That's the second."

Gojo Sora's smile deepened, as though victory was already his.

Enraged, Zenin Yoru mobilized all the Cursed Energy in his body, his hands constantly changing through shadow puppets.

Divine Dogs! Toad! Rabbit Escape! Max Elephant! Round Deer! Piercing Ox!

Zenin Yoru's mastery over the Ten Shadows Technique had reached perfection, bringing every shikigami to its utmost potential.

Even weak shikigami like Toad and Rabbit Escape could restrain and confuse the enemy.

For medium and small shikigami like Divine Dogs, which lacked wide-area attacks, Zenin Yoru kept them in an unstable state and poured vast amounts of Cursed Energy into them, driving them berserk to increase their power and range.

But no matter how hard Zenin Yoru fought, he could not bridge the gap in their raw strength.

The shikigami could not break the absolute defense of the Limitless Technique. Instead, they were destroyed one after another by Gojo Sora's Blue and Red.

In the end, only Round Deer, which was using Reverse Cursed Technique from the rear to restore Zenin Yoru's condition, and the most durable Piercing Ox remained.

Piercing Ox planted its hooves against the earth and, after building up power, launched its final charge.

The farther Piercing Ox charged, the greater its damage.

Yet Gojo Sora did not dodge. Instead, he met it head-on.

Blue!

With the Limitless defense active, Gojo Sora simultaneously used Blue to pull himself toward Piercing Ox.

Man and ox collided head-on. Their powerful Cursed Energy erupted into astonishing shockwaves that cracked the ground beneath them.

Even the entire Edo region was shaken violently.

After the tremors subsided, Gojo Sora was the final victor.

Gojo Sora looked at Zenin Yoru. "Just admit defeat. It's not like this is the first time you've lost to me."

Zenin Yoru was half-kneeling on the ground. The previous battle had drained him heavily.

He stroked Round Deer beside him and dispelled its technique.

Even Piercing Ox had been defeated, so there was no point in trying his other methods. Besides, his current condition made it difficult to use them anyway.

Zenin Yoru suddenly raised his head, revealing an unprecedentedly crazed expression. "If I can't beat you, then we'll die together!"

Gojo Sora was horrified. "Are you insane?!"

Gojo Sora knew the Ten Shadows Technique possessed a shikigami that no Ten Shadows user in history had ever subdued.

"[Furube Yurayura]!"

Subduing a shikigami required a ritual, which could be performed alone or with others.

If performed alone, the shikigami could be successfully subdued. If multiple people participated, the ritual would merely be rendered invalid.

Likewise, if the shikigami killed the participants instead, the ritual would fail.

And Zenin Yoru had now activated the final subjugation ritual of the Ten Shadows Technique.

A colossal humanoid shikigami several meters tall rose from the shadows, a wheel hanging behind its back.

Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga had arrived!

"HAHAHAHAHA! I'll be leaving first! Do your best!"

Bang!

Mahoraga punched Zenin Yoru away, leaving his fate unknown.

Mahoraga then looked toward Gojo Sora before violently stomping the ground and charging at him.

Feeling Mahoraga's formidable strength, Gojo Sora muttered, "Zenin... you're even crazier than I am when it comes to fighting..."

Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!

Gojo Sora used the same tactic again, pulling himself toward Mahoraga with Blue's attraction. He moved so quickly that it was no different from teleportation.

BOOM!!!!!!

Edo suffered its second earthquake of the day.

Mahoraga was blasted away, its chest caved in by the collision.

Yet as Mahoraga lay on the ground, the wheel behind it turned, and its injuries instantly healed.

Before Mahoraga could rise, Gojo Sora launched the same attack again.

Edo's third earthquake struck.

But this time, Gojo Sora was the one sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut.

"The Limitless was breached?!"

Gojo Sora was deeply shocked. He had never imagined that something besides a Domain could break through the Limitless.

His white kimono had been dyed red with his own blood, and his internal organs were practically pulp.

Fortunately, he could use Cursed Technique Reversal and instantly healed his injuries.

Gojo Sora's expression became grave as he guessed that it had something to do with the wheel behind Mahoraga.

Mahoraga rushed at him. This time, Gojo Sora did not dare take the hit head-on. Instead, he maximized the output of Cursed Technique Lapse.

Mahoraga's body was instantly pulled off the ground and dragged into the sky, along with the earth itself.

The ground shattered beneath the immense attraction. Pieces of rock, large and small, gathered overhead and wrapped around Mahoraga.

Gojo Sora flew upward, intending to seize the wheel behind Mahoraga while he had the chance.

However, after Mahoraga failed to break free, its wheel turned once more.

Gojo Sora sensed danger and flew backward.

Boom!

The vast mass of stones in the sky exploded violently, allowing Mahoraga to land steadily on the ground.

"It's adaptation! It can adapt to anything!"

Gojo Sora's scalp tingled. Under the immense pressure, his battle-crazed side emerged.

"HAHAHAHAHA! How exquisite! There's actually a shikigami like this! Zenin Yoru! You really left me one hell of a surprise!"

Gojo Sora extended two fingers toward Mahoraga.

Since it could adapt to attacks, he would defeat it in one blow before it had the chance to adapt.

Maximum Output Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!

Crimson light gathered in Gojo Sora's hand before firing out in an instant.

Mahoraga was struck immediately and hurled away by Red's repulsive force, crashing heavily into the veil.

A ring of cracks appeared across the veil.

Mahoraga collapsed to the ground without moving. Gojo Sora instantly flew above it and fired Red downward again and again.

The Six Eyes reduced Gojo Sora's Cursed Energy consumption to nearly zero, allowing him to use a mastered technique like Red almost without limit.

The ground was shrouded in dust, and only flashes of red light could be seen endlessly bursting from within.

Then, one blast of Red was deflected and slammed into the veil's edge on the other side, dealing it another heavy blow.

Gojo Sora was thrown out immediately afterward.

Mahoraga had adapted to Red. It leaped from underground and struck Gojo Sora with a punch.

Gojo Sora was sent flying backward, all the way to the other side of the veil.

"Looks like I'll have to try that move!"

Even with blood on his face, Gojo Sora could not hide his excitement. He had never fought so wholeheartedly before.

Within the Gojo Clan, there was a technique that had only ever been passed down among the family's upper ranks.

Because no one had ever truly managed to use it.

That technique was called Purple.

Purple's principle was to combine the negative infinity created by the technique's forward reversal with the positive infinity created by its reverse reversal, causing them to clash and generate imaginary mass.

However, the consequences of combining two infinities were impossible to predict, and the difficulty was immense. Thus, this move had existed only in theory.

And Gojo Sora was about to bring it into reality.

Gojo Sora stretched out his entire hand and smiled. "If this fails, we're as good as dead."

An enormous amount of Cursed Energy gathered in Gojo Sora's hand as two utterly different forms of infinity began to collide.

Hollow Technique: Purple...

Mahoraga charged forward once more.

Just as it was about to reach Gojo Sora, he said, "Looks like it failed. Let's die together, hahahahahaha!"

Mahoraga pierced Gojo Sora's body with the Sword of Extermination, but the immense energy produced by the collision of infinities had already spiraled out of control.

Mahoraga was so startled that it hurriedly retreated several meters.

In the deepest silence, strange black light erupted from within Hollow Technique: Purple, silently swallowing Gojo Sora in an instant.

Then, the black light transformed into a purple radiance woven from red and blue.

The purple light destroyed everything around it: Mahoraga, Zenin Yoru lying on the ground, the barrier, and vast stretches of land within it.

The translucent barrier was destroyed as well. Tokugawa Hidetada and the others were thrown to the ground by the shockwave, terrified out of their wits.

After a long while, Tokugawa Hidetada asked, "Did they... did they... finish fighting?"

A samurai replied, "The Gojo Clan head... seems to have perished together with the Zenin Clan head..."

In the middle of the night, Toru woke from his dream.

"I... didn't die."

(A four-thousand-word chapter)