The First Clash Between Limitless and Cursed Spirit Manipulation

"3, 2, 1, begin!"

As the countdown ended, the two opponents both took a step back in unspoken agreement.

If they were simply going to clash techniques, distance would make things easier for both of them.

Gojo Satoru intended to end the match as quickly as possible. He raised his right hand toward Geto Suguru, and azure light began to swirl and gather at his fingertips, seemingly ready to shoot forth the next second.

Before the fight began, Yaga Masamichi had specifically stated that they could not use attacks that would injure the other person. Victory would be decided by the number of hits landed on the body—or on vital areas.

That meant he could only use Blue at minimum output, while the other side could only use less aggressive cursed spirits.

Even so, he did not think he would lose.

Geto Suguru reacted quickly as well. With a sweep of both hands, several bird-shaped cursed spirits suddenly appeared in the air and swooped toward him.

Though he had already mastered Limitless by then, he still could not deploy and retract it freely at will. He withdrew part of the cursed energy maintaining Blue and used it to raise Limitless instead.

The effect was immediate. Those cursed spirits stopped just a few centimeters from his body and could not advance another inch, as though they had struck an invisible wall.

He casually threw out the Blue he had just formed.

The flying cursed spirits were instantly swept up by Blue, twisting as they hurtled toward Geto Suguru. Though the other man narrowly dodged it, the ease of it all still made Gojo laugh.

"If this is all you've got, you can't threaten me at all, Geto."

"Is that so... Then try these, Gojo."

Seeing him deal with his attack so effortlessly, Geto Suguru's expression did not change much. He merely waved a hand and summoned even more cursed spirits to surround him.

This time, it was not just flying cursed spirits. Other small cursed spirits swarmed in as well, looking as though they intended to drown Gojo Satoru beneath their numbers.

But he did not take such an attack seriously at all. Maintaining his Limitless defense with one hand, he casually flicked out several minimum-output Blues to destroy them, then gave a somewhat punchable yawn.

"If this is all, it's really not interesting. If you don't give me something more fun... I'm ending this fight, you know?"

As he spoke, he gathered a brighter, more dazzling light at his fingertips than before. It seemed he was about to get a little serious and end the battle with the maximum output allowed by the rules.

Because in his eyes, he had stood undefeated from the very beginning.

Geto Suguru might have acted quickly, and his army of cursed spirits was indeed troublesome, but he had no way to break through Limitless.

That was why Gojo said he was the strongest.

Yet, contrary to his expectations, the other man did not look despairing. Instead, he revealed a smile as though his scheme had succeeded.

"Gojo, it seems you haven't noticed that you've already fallen into my trap."

"Oh?"

He smiled dismissively and was just about to end the fight when he noticed that the flow of cursed energy within his body had become slightly sluggish, causing the Blue in his hand to warp and fluctuate.

Yaga Masamichi's gaze flickered as he fixed his eyes on the cursed spirits surrounding Gojo Satoru, a thoughtful look appearing on his face.

Though Shoko Ieiri was not particularly interested in the fight between the two classmates, she too sharply noticed that something seemed off.

As for Toho Tetsu, he locked his gaze on one of the cursed spirits, looking intrigued.

"Mist?"

That was right. A thread of extremely pale mist, so faint it was nearly impossible to notice, was being exhaled from the mouth of one of the cursed spirits surrounding Gojo Satoru, where it merged into his body.

In the original story, Gojo Satoru had once mentioned that, in the beginning, his Limitless could not block toxins or certain abstract things—but that was something he himself had said.

Others did not know this. They only believed that his Limitless could block every form of attack.

Geto Suguru had naturally heard the relevant information as well. Before proposing this spar, he had considered how he should deal with the Limitless technique.

The information circulating through Jujutsu Society was that the Limitless technique could, through its user's judgment, block all threatening attacks outside the body.

Since it depended on the user's judgment, if it was a threat the user did not notice, would the Limitless technique be unable to block it?

For example, air—or rather, dust and smoke?

He did not know whether the idea was correct, but he thought it was worth trying.

So he searched through his cursed spirit collection and found a cursed spirit he had never used in actual combat—it could exhale a mist that impeded the flow of cursed energy. Its effect was weak, but it was sufficiently concealed and silent.

Then, he controlled a large number of weaklings to obstruct Gojo Satoru's vision while having that cursed spirit quietly disperse the poisonous mist, creating an opening to attack.

He did not need much. Just once would be enough.

Because he did not need to truly defeat him. It was enough to make that guy understand that he was not truly the strongest, and not truly invincible.

At that thought, Geto Suguru's gaze sharpened as he controlled an extremely fast cursed spirit to appear behind Gojo Satoru.

Though he still did not understand why the flow of his cursed energy had slowed, when the Six Eyes detected the threat behind him and provided the information, Gojo Satoru instinctively deployed Limitless.

But at that exact moment, the poisonous mist took effect again. The process of deploying Limitless stalled for a second, and a blow—not heavy, but remarkably precise—landed squarely between his shoulder blades.

It did not hurt, but the impact it had on him was stronger than anything before.

Because from the day he was born until now, this was the first time he had truly come up short against someone else—and in front of other people, no less.

The unfamiliar emotion stimulated his mind, causing the azure light in his hand to flare even brighter. Its power directly exceeded the output stipulated and permitted by the rules.

Seeing this, Yaga Masamichi could not help shouting.

"Gojo!"

Only after hearing the shout did Gojo Satoru snap out of the influence of his emotions.

But by then, the bright, dazzling azure vortex had already shot toward Geto Suguru at tremendous speed. Its pulling force was several times more violent than before, even tearing up several floor tiles and clouds of dust.

Yet the black-haired youth did not panic. He merely summoned a samurai cursed spirit clad in black armor and holding a massive shield before him.

The spinning Blue slammed into the shield, producing a sharp, ear-piercing screech. While making the onlookers frown, it also left twisting, torn vortex-shaped scars across the shield.

Only after Blue had been completely exhausted did he wave his hand and dismiss the cursed spirit. Yaga Masamichi then strolled unhurriedly between the two and announced the result of the first round.

"Round one, Geto Suguru wins."

"Wait, why did I lose?"

As expected, Gojo Satoru had no intention of admitting defeat. His face held nothing but stubbornness and dissatisfaction.

Yaga Masamichi merely looked at him silently.

"You used output beyond what was permitted first."

Hearing that, Gojo paused before continuing to argue.

"What about Geto Suguru? He clearly used a quasi-grade 1 cursed spirit too, didn't he? That ability that affected my cursed energy—no matter how you look at it, that's not something an ordinary cursed spirit should have, right?"

Faced with that accusation, Yaga Masamichi merely shook his head unhurriedly and repeated what he had just said.

"Pay attention. I said you could not use attacks that would injure the other person. Control abilities do not fall within that category."

Hearing that, no matter how unhappy he was, Gojo Satoru could only fall silent.

After all, that cursed spirit's ability merely hindered and affected his cursed energy. It had not caused any real harm. On the other hand, he was the first one to use Blue at normal output.

But as he looked at Geto Suguru, who was smiling at him, he still felt unconvinced.

"It was just a little trick. In a real fight, if I could go all out, this mist wouldn't affect me at all."

"Whether it's a little trick or not, as long as it works, that's what matters, isn't it?"

Geto Suguru was not angered by his words. He merely looked at him with that irritating smile, making Gojo's gaze sharpen once more.

"The next round isn't something you can muddle through with little tricks."

"Heh. We'll see."

After a brief rest, the two arrived at the next segment: hand-to-hand combat.

Since cursed energy reinforcement could not be controlled to make it completely identical, the two could only fight through ordinary close-quarters combat—otherwise known as beating each other up with their bare bodies.

The first person to be struck ten times in vital areas would lose.

Seeing that the two had only rested for a moment before becoming ready to draw swords again, Shoko Ieiri could not help sighing inwardly.

In her view, this dispute was completely unnecessary. Whether it was because of Gojo Satoru's casual attitude or Geto Suguru's seriousness, it was merely a clash of youthful pride.

They could have spent every day peacefully without bothering one another, yet they had insisted on taking things to the point of fighting.

"Those two are really idiots."

Two identical voices spoke at the same time. Startled, she looked to her side and saw Toho Tetsu wearing the same surprised expression.