As Always

The cursed energy in Dai Li's body suddenly surged, unlike his earlier simple bursts of cursed energy.

This was a peculiar change brought on by his body suddenly gaining such an enormous increase in cursed energy.

"What's going on?! Dai Li's cursed energy is churning like crazy! Gojo-sensei!"

Yuta Okkotsu, who had been chatting calmly just a moment earlier, instantly went on alert. Something was very wrong with the cursed energy of the classmate beside him.

Normally, this kind of change only happened when an inexperienced Jujutsu Sorcerer's cursed energy went out of control due to their own cursed technique.

Satoru Gojo, however, remained perfectly calm. Although he did not know how confident Dai Li was, he knew Dai Li would never gamble with his own life or those of his classmates.

Dai Li's aura continued to rise, the cursed energy within him growing greater and greater. There was no hiding that surging aura, and every other Jujutsu Sorcerer turned to look in his direction.

"Seriously?"

"Dai Li's total cursed energy has already shot way past mine?!"

"Life and Binding can even do this?"

Satoru Gojo had confirmed it with his Six Eyes from the start. Dai Li had activated his cursed technique, and all the changes in his body stemmed from it. There was no risk of it running wild; the cursed energy was still under Dai Li's control.

It was like suddenly filling a water jar with a huge amount of water. The surface was unsettled, and the cursed energy kept churning inside, needing some time to stabilize.

"What is Life and Binding? Is Dai Li okay, sensei?"

"There are still plenty of people around eyeing us like predators, but Dai Li now has enough strength to protect himself. There's no harm in telling you, is there?"

Satoru Gojo seemed to be asking for Dai Li's opinion, but in reality, he was also helping him make the decision. He figured that if Dai Li dared to use Life and Binding openly on an occasion like this, causing such a commotion, he surely no longer intended to hide it.

For the weak, having two cursed techniques was a burden that must never be carelessly exposed. For the strong, however, having two cursed techniques not only raised their ceiling but also served to deter others.

"Dai Li's innate cursed technique isn't the Projection Cursed Technique, but Life and Binding. Strictly speaking, the Projection Cursed Technique he usually displays comes from his innate cursed technique, Life and Binding."

"Satoru Gojo! What is going on? Why has someone suddenly unleashed such an enormous amount of cursed energy?"

"I need a reasonable explanation from you."

After sensing that aura of cursed energy, Yoshinobu Gakuganji, the principal of Kyoto Jujutsu High, could no longer sit still. He immediately sought out Satoru Gojo and confronted him face-to-face.

"This enormous aura of cursed energy isn't coming from Yuta Okkotsu, but from your other student, Dai Li. Am I right?"

Yoshinobu Gakuganji's questions to Satoru Gojo also sparked heated discussion among the other students, because the cursed energy Dai Li was now releasing was already monstrous.

"Shut up. You're so annoying, old man."

Just then, Dai Li himself, the cause of the whole incident, stood up, straightened his arms, and stretched, shouting at Yoshinobu Gakuganji without a care.

"Couldn't you see I was in the middle of a breakthrough? What would you have done if I'd failed my tribulation?"

Dai Li yawned after speaking. His body, which had been tense from the surge in cursed energy, instead began to relax.

He raised both hands, interlaced his fingers, and pushed upward. His shoulders gave a faint crack with the movement, and then he lazily rolled his neck.

It was as though that terrifying cursed energy, enough to put every Jujutsu Sorcerer present on alert, had been nothing more than a stretch after waking up.

"You..."

For a moment, Yoshinobu Gakuganji was left speechless, a vein twitching faintly on his forehead.

"Didn't Satoru Gojo just say it? I have two cursed techniques. That commotion was just me unsealing my innate cursed technique. No need to be so scared."

"You don't need to know what the technique does. You only need to know one thing-

"I'm strong now."

From his elevated position, Dai Li looked down at Yoshinobu Gakuganji as he spoke, his manner somewhat arrogant.

Those words had been aimed even more at the Jujutsu Higher-Ups.

With Satoru Gojo standing beside him and showing no intention of intervening, Gakuganji could only suppress his doubts for the moment, even if he wanted to pursue the matter.

"Don't worry, Principal Gakuganji." Satoru Gojo stepped in front of Dai Li with a smile.

"He's doing incredibly well right now. He's even livelier than he was earlier."

"I can see that."

Gakuganji snorted coldly, his gaze still fixed on Dai Li. Although that enormous cursed energy had begun to stabilize, it still left him feeling a sense of oppressive pressure.

A young sorcerer who had previously displayed only the Projection Cursed Technique had suddenly revealed a second cursed technique, one that could also increase his total cursed energy to this degree in such a short time. No matter how he looked at it, this was not something he could easily ignore.

I must report this to the Higher-Ups and let them decide.

Dai Li had already sat back down.

He propped his cheek on one hand while the other hung loosely beside his knee. His eyelids drooped halfway, and he even rubbed his eyes, which ached a little from being closed for so long.

"All right, all right. Stop staring at me."

"I'm doing great right now. There won't be any problems with this afternoon's final, either."

"As long as you haven't lost any arms or legs, I'm relieved. I was worrying about what exactly you'd done."

Other than Dai Li himself, Satoru Gojo knew the most about Life and Binding. Yet even with his Six Eyes, he could not determine the conditions of Dai Li's binding vow.

Still, there was no question that Dai Li's total cursed energy after the boost from the binding vow had far surpassed his own.

Yuta Okkotsu stood nearby, watching Dai Li like this, his feelings even more complicated than before.

He could clearly sense that Dai Li's total cursed energy was no longer remotely comparable to what it had been. Its sheer density even exerted a faint pressure on the cursed energy inside his own body.

And yet Dai Li himself acted as though nothing had happened.

"Dai Li..."

"Are you really okay?"

Dai Li looked up at Okkotsu, then rubbed his head again.

"I'm fine. At worst, my head's a little muddled. I just need to close my eyes and rub them for a bit."

"I see..."

The instant Life and Binding activated, Dai Li gained an incomparably vast amount of cursed energy, but he also felt an indescribable emptiness sweep through his mind.

There had been no process of those memories disappearing, no gradual blurring, not even a trace of resistance left behind.

They had simply, all at once, ceased to belong to him.

When he first opened his eyes, everything around him remained unchanged.

The buildings of Kyoto Jujutsu High, the students in the distance, Yuta Okkotsu beside him, and Satoru Gojo standing there with a smile.

As always.