"Red"

For the first time, Satoru Gojo's amused voice faltered noticeably.

He watched the red orb slowly taking shape at Dai Li's fingertip. Countless streams of information flowed through his six eyes, analyzing everything before him almost instantly.

The structure of the cursed energy, the operating path of the cursed technique, the direction of energy flow...

There was no mistake.

It was indeed extremely similar to the way "Red" worked.

But similarity was all it was.

The little red orb at Dai Li's fingertip flickered constantly. The enormous amount of cursed energy began to distort the surrounding air slightly, but unlike the "Red" Satoru Gojo had just unleashed, his cursed technique had failed to establish that stable, nearly perfect cycle of cursed energy.

It was like a machine with an identical exterior, but missing its most essential component.

"Stop. Something seems off."

Satoru Gojo suddenly spoke.

Dai Li did not try to force it to hold together, either. The red orb on his finger trembled slightly.

The next second.

Pop.

As though it had lost its support, the newly formed red orb rapidly shrank, then broke into countless red fragments of cursed energy that dissipated into the air.

Calm returned to their surroundings, leaving only a few lingering ripples of cursed energy.

"So it failed. Looks like reproducing Limitless isn't really possible for me without the six eyes."

Dai Li looked at his finger and spoke with some regret.

Satoru Gojo did not answer right away.

He lowered his gaze to where the red orb had dissipated, the smile gradually fading from his face.

"I wouldn't call it a failure."

"At the very least, you successfully reproduced the basic structure of Cursed Technique Reversal."

"So I'm already close to the core of Cursed Technique Reversal? Even though I still can't use Reverse Cursed Technique?"

Satoru Gojo raised his hand and lightly tapped that spot with his index finger.

"No, your cursed energy arrangement is still way off."

"Red isn't as simple as mixing negative cursed energy together to create a repulsive reaction."

As Satoru Gojo spoke, the little red orb of "Red" in his hand began to spin.

"The core of Limitless is infinity."

"Cursed Technique Reversal simply converts that infinity into another form."

"Right now, you've only seen the result, then used Projection Cursed Technique and a huge amount of information to force a simulation of the process."

Dai Li fell silent for a moment.

Then he nodded.

"In other words, what I'm projecting right now is just the outward form of 'Red.'"

"Not your actual Cursed Technique Reversal."

"Pretty much."

Satoru Gojo smiled.

"But it's already pretty outrageous."

"Normally, never mind copying my Cursed Technique Reversal, even understanding how it works is difficult."

"Your Projection Cursed Technique really is a cheat."

As he spoke, Satoru Gojo reached out and patted Dai Li on the shoulder.

"But even this kind of cheating has limits."

"You can project the Soul Liberation Blade because you understand its existence and principles. You can attempt to reproduce Red because I personally demonstrated it for you just now."

"You can't copy someone else's cursed technique through imagination alone."

Dai Li looked at his palm thoughtfully.

Although Satoru Gojo usually seemed incredibly unreliable, his knowledge of jujutsu was still highly advanced. He undoubtedly belonged at the doctoral level of jujutsu research.

His interest piqued, Satoru Gojo watched Dai Li ponder.

Suddenly, a knowing smile crossed his face.

"Have you noticed something really interesting?"

"What?"

"You're becoming more and more like a jujutsu sorcerer."

Dai Li froze for a moment.

Satoru Gojo looked at the distant sky, his tone turning unusually serious.

"When I first met you, all you had was a load of cursed energy and a powerful cursed technique. You didn't know the first thing about controlling cursed energy or anything else."

"But now you've started studying cursed techniques, cursed tools, and souls. You've even begun actively looking for your own shortcomings."

"That's how a jujutsu sorcerer truly grows."

The wind swept across the rooftop. Dai Li did not answer.

He simply lowered his head and looked at his palm.

Once, his greatest source of support had been those memories from the future.

That information he had believed could change everything.

But now, even after losing some of it, he could still move forward.

Because what truly belonged to him would not vanish along with his memories.

Projection Cursed Technique, Life and Binding, and his determination to keep growing stronger.

Those were the powers that truly belonged to him.

"But anyway."

Satoru Gojo suddenly returned to his usual flippant tone.

"The way you talked when you copied me just now really made me want to punch you."

"Especially that 'Cursed Technique Reversal: Red.'"

"It didn't have any of my coolness."

Dai Li gave him a sidelong glance and said irritably:

"That's mainly because you're too full of yourself, Satoru Gojo."

"That's exactly how you normally act."

Satoru Gojo wondered whether, despite being Dai Li's undisputed teacher, he was nothing more than a show-off in his eyes.

"Huh? A student actually dares to say that to his teacher? How disrespectful."

"I'm just stating facts."

"I'm heartbroken."

Satoru Gojo clutched his chest, looking as though he had suffered a devastating blow.

But the very next second, he laughed again.

Because he knew full well that the young man before him would soon reach a point where he could walk beside him.

Not because of how much cursed energy he possessed, nor how many cursed techniques he had mastered.

But because-

He had begun to find a path of his own.

As long as he did not stop, that path would keep stretching onward.

So don't stop, Dai Li.

Satoru Gojo stood at the edge of the rooftop, both hands tucked into his trouser pockets, gazing at Kyoto's distant streets.

Sunlight fell on his white hair, giving it a faint glow.

A brief silence settled over the rooftop. The evening breeze brushed the hems of their clothes, making their Jujutsu High uniforms flutter gently.

After the Goodwill Event ended.

Kyoto Jujutsu High remained in chaos. Although the barrier had been lifted and most students had returned to where they belonged, the impact of that battle between special grades clearly would not fade anytime soon.

For the whole of Jujutsu Society, the information about Dai Li was like a massive boulder thrown into a lake, sending enormous ripples across its once-placid surface.

The Jujutsu Higher-Ups first sent word summoning Satoru Gojo. As Dai Li's teacher, he had concealed a vast amount of information about him from all of Jujutsu Society, so he would naturally be the first held to account.

Deep within Kyoto Jujutsu High, in an ancient room that never saw sunlight, the air was so oppressive that it seemed to have solidified.

A long table stood in the center of the room, but no one sat behind it.

Several enormous screens completely concealed the figures within. Only the faint outlines of a few silhouettes cast against the paper screens were visible.

They did not reveal their true appearances, and even their voices were deliberately lowered, as though they were unwilling to expose their very existence to sunlight.

Those who truly held power in Jujutsu Society had always been this way.