When words failed, swords spoke.
After a few idle remarks, the battle began.
Dozens of Jujutsu Higher-Ups, even the weakest of them a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, launched a merciless assault on Ronova.
The old head of the Gojo Family led the charge, opening with the family's signature move: Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!
Its power was nowhere near that of Satoru Gojo's Blue.
After all, not everyone had the Six Eyes.
But with his own raw strength behind it, the old family head's Blue still reached Special-Grade Rank.
An ordinary Special-Grade Curse would have suffered badly from a direct hit.
Unfortunately for him, his opponent was Ronova.
Facing the Jujutsu Higher-Ups' combined assault, Ronova brought her palms together.
Domain Expansion: Between Existence and Nonexistence!
She had just been regretting that Satoru Gojo never got to experience the power of her domain.
Then the Jujutsu Higher-Ups had rushed forward to volunteer.
In that case, you can have the honor!
As a vast amount of Cursed Energy poured from Ronova, a massive black hole appeared before everyone.
An unusual domain then spread outward, enveloping everything within a radius of more than two hundred meters.
Every Jujutsu Higher-Up was drawn inside.
Unlike a domain such as Unlimited Void, however, Ronova's Between Existence and Nonexistence had no barrier.
In other words, it was an open-barrier domain.
Domains mainly fell into two types.
The first was a closed-barrier domain like Unlimited Void.
It had a distinct barrier.
Depending on the domain, that barrier was either impossible to break from within or impossible to break from outside.
The advantage of this type was its overwhelming strength in a one-on-one fight.
Its weakness was just as clear: that absolute advantage applied only to one-on-one fights.
Against multiple opponents, a closed-barrier domain was much easier to break.
Mahito's Self-Embodiment of Perfection was a classic example.
Inside Mahito's domain, escaping alone was nearly impossible.
But if someone attacked its barrier from outside, they could break it with relative ease.
The same was true of Unlimited Void.
It was nearly impossible to overcome from within, yet far easier to break from outside.
Closed-barrier domains had obvious strengths and weaknesses.
The second type was the open-barrier domain Ronova possessed.
An open-barrier domain's greatest advantage was versatility.
It had no obvious weakness, but no inherent advantage as decisive as a closed barrier's, either.
Its strength depended entirely on its user.
Take Sukuna's Malevolent Shrine.
Was Malevolent Shrine powerful? On its own, not especially.
Its mechanics were straightforward: the sure-hit effect all domains had, plus a boost to its user's Jujutsu.
It had nothing like the almost unfair effect of Unlimited Void.
But could anyone call Malevolent Shrine weak?
Of course not.
The one using it was Ryomen Sukuna!
In theory, escaping Malevolent Shrine's range was simple.
It had no solid barrier to hold anyone in.
But once caught inside, how many people could survive the endless slashes long enough to get out?
In short, both types of domain had their strengths and weaknesses.
Closed-barrier domains had stronger effects and an edge against powerful opponents in single combat.
Open-barrier domains were more versatile, suited to all kinds of battles, and had no obvious weakness.
Of course, a domain's strength ultimately depended on the person using it.
If its user was strong enough, even a domain with no special effect could be nearly impossible to deal with.
Ronova went a step further.
She was powerful in her own right, and her domain's effect was extraordinary.
It was also an open-barrier domain, with no clear weakness to exploit.
That meant anyone caught within Ronova's domain had only one option.
They had to open a domain of their own and fight hers head-on.
Otherwise, they were dead.
But even if they had domains of their own, could they really stand against Between Existence and Nonexistence?
The moment Ronova opened her domain, the old head of the Gojo Family and the other Higher-Ups reacted.
Several powerful elders prepared to open their own domains
and pit them against Between Existence and Nonexistence.
Ronova hovered high above them, the massive black hole at her back.
As her opponents moved to open their domains, she said coldly, "I forbid it!"
The next instant, the elders discovered to their horror that they could not open their domains at all.
It was as though they had never awakened domains in the first place.
"How is this possible? What's happening?"
"Why can't I open my domain?"
"It's... it's your domain's effect!"
The old head of the Gojo Family caught on at once and looked sharply up at Ronova.
Ronova smiled. "Correct. No prize, though!"
"My domain is called Between Existence and Nonexistence!"
"Whether something exists is mine to decide!"
"If I don't allow something, it doesn't exist."
"That includes your domains!"
Put simply, within Ronova's domain, the existence of anything—even a concept—depended on her will.
If she forbade something, what existed would become nonexistent.
And if she allowed it, even what did not exist would come into being!
That was how Between Existence and Nonexistence worked.
Of course, it was not truly unbeatable.
For now, at least, Between Existence and Nonexistence could still be resisted.
Satoru Gojo, for example, could force his domain open even if Ronova forbade it.
That was not a flaw in Between Existence and Nonexistence. Ronova simply did not have enough Cursed Energy yet.
Even the strongest effect needed raw power to support it.
Ronova was no exception.
Anyone whose combined Cursed Energy reserves and output efficiency surpassed hers
could push through Between Existence and Nonexistence's suppression and fight back.
Their domain would be severely weakened, but they would still be able to open it.
Were these old men of the Jujutsu Society Satoru Gojo?
Clearly not.
Their fate was therefore hopeless.
Inside Between Existence and Nonexistence, the Jujutsu Higher-Ups could not even open their domains.
And in a battle between powerful fighters, if one side could not open a domain,
the outcome was all too obvious.
It would be a crushing defeat, without the slightest suspense.
That was exactly what happened.
Once they realized they could not open their domains inside Ronova's,
despair was all the Higher-Ups had left.
Only then did they understand that Satoru Gojo had set them up.
Ronova was never someone they could defeat, even together.
But by the time they understood, it was too late.
Ronova had already begun her hunt!
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