After waiting more than ten seconds, Jogo still saw no sign of Satoru Gojo. "Did he run away?"
"Ah, sorry, sorry. I went back to bring two students." Satoru Gojo returned to the battlefield on the lake with Yuji Itadori and Chiyo Shin.
Yuji Itadori looked at Jogo in astonishment. "Ah, he has Mount Fuji on his head! Mount Fuji!"
"Gojo-sensei, this cursed spirit is really something." Chiyo Shin sized Jogo up, looking thoroughly pleased.
Seeing the brats on either side of Satoru Gojo, Jogo immediately began racking his brain.
That pink-haired brat is Sukuna's vessel, and the other one is Chiyo Shin, the one with dual cursed techniques.
All three people from the original plan are here. Has Satoru Gojo discovered our plan?
His emotions churning, Jogo probed, "Why did you bring two brats? Are they backup?"
Chiyo Shin stepped forward and pointed the Bone-Binding Umbrella at Jogo. "Backup? You really think highly of yourself."
Jogo laughed in anger. "Haha! Brat, who gave you that kind of courage? How foolish."
Cursed energy surged around Chiyo Shin. "Courage? How can you even say that when you're so weak?"
The word "weak" instantly set Jogo off. Vast amounts of cursed energy erupted through the three volcanic vents on his head, sending three pillars of fire blasting into the lake, evaporating water and churning up waves.
"You dare underestimate me, brat! I'll burn you to ashes!"
Yuji Itadori stared at Jogo across from them, momentarily stunned. Chiyo called this guy weak?
But he's ten thousand times more terrifying than any cursed spirit I've ever seen.
Satoru Gojo watched Jogo lose his composure. "Starting already? Yuji, don't leave my side. Our lesson on domain clashes is about to begin."
Yuji Itadori came back to his senses, but he was still worried about Chiyo Shin. "Gojo-sensei, will Chiyo really be okay handling him alone?"
Satoru Gojo wasn't worried in the slightest. "He'll be fine. Shin is really strong."
Chiyo Shin was delighted by Jogo's outburst. "Gojo-sensei, I absolutely love this cursed spirit."
Their behavior left Jogo stupefied with rage. "Brat, you'll pay for your ignorance!"
"Domain Expansion: Coffin of the Iron Mountain!"
A black curtain instantly spread out from Jogo, enveloping the surrounding space. Once it closed around them, masses of rock surged forth, covering the space again.
As the rocks took shape, long-suppressed magma erupted, and the temperature inside the space soared.
Yuji Itadori watched their surroundings transform over and over. "What is this?"
Satoru Gojo explained, "This is what we're studying today: domain expansion.
"You use cursed energy to construct an innate domain imbued with a cursed technique around you.
"You experienced a domain at the Juvenile Detention Center too, but that was only an incomplete domain. It hadn't been constructed with a cursed technique.
"Domain expansion consumes an enormous amount of cursed energy, but it offers plenty of benefits in return.
"First, the changes to the surrounding environment enhance your cursed technique.
"Second, any cursed technique used by the person who activated the domain is guaranteed to hit."
Yuji Itadori sounded doubtful. "Guaranteed?"
Satoru Gojo affirmed, "Guaranteed!"
Satoru Gojo was about to continue when a blazing pillar of magma rushed toward the three of them. Chiyo Shin merely raised his hand and broke the attack apart.
"Tch." Seeing Chiyo Shin block his probing attack so effortlessly, Jogo abandoned his contempt and began taking him seriously.
Chiyo Shin turned back and said, "Gojo-sensei, take your time explaining things to Itadori. I'll go beat him senseless first. He'll be hard to subdue while he's still jumping around."
Satoru Gojo agreed. "Sure, Shin. Go ahead."
"Anyway, there are ways to deal with being dragged into a domain.
"The first is to block with a cursed technique, just as Chiyo Shin did.
"The second is to break out of the opponent's domain, but that's practically impossible."
Watching the three stroll through his domain as if they owned the place dealt a crushing blow to Jogo's pride as a new human. "You bastards! You..."
"Could you stop getting so angry? It's bad for your health!" The ground beneath Chiyo Shin shattered, and he appeared beside Jogo in a blink, swinging a fist carrying seismic waves equivalent to a magnitude-four earthquake at Jogo's head.
Jogo wanted to activate his domain's cursed technique to block, but Chiyo Shin was too close.
He had no choice but to raise his hands to defend himself. The instant they met Chiyo Shin's fist, however, he knew something was wrong.
Bang!
Chiyo Shin's punch sent Jogo tumbling several times through his own domain before he finally stopped.
"You bastard brat!" Jogo exploded with rage, and the cursed energy in his domain surged.
Countless streams of magma erupted explosively around Chiyo Shin.
Satoru Gojo pointed at Chiyo Shin. "Yuji, watch closely. The third method, and the most effective one, is to expand your own domain.
"Of course, when two domains are expanded at the same time, victory depends on whose understanding of their cursed technique is more refined and who has more cursed energy."
Chiyo Shin pressed his palms together. "I told you anger was bad for your health. Why won't you listen? Let me help you cool off."
"Domain Expansion: Lin You Zhen Dang Ping."
Jogo's Coffin of the Iron Mountain vanished completely.
Chiyo Shin's domain overwrote Jogo's outright.
The scenery changed, leaving everyone standing in midair.
An endless range of wild mountains stretched beneath their feet. Far off on the horizon, four pillars reaching into the heavens were faintly visible.
The sky above was colorless and transparent, opening straight into the cosmos as the stars cast down a faint glow.
Yuji Itadori exclaimed, "It's beautiful! This is way better than the last one."
Jogo's mind went completely blank. Whatever pride he had as a new human was now being trampled under Chiyo Shin's feet.
"Let's begin round two."
Chiyo Shin punched empty air, stirring up a thousand ripples. A teeth-grating sound spread rapidly through the air.
Jogo quickly raised his hands and released flames to defend himself, but Chiyo Shin's layers of vibrations disrupted them. His defense accomplished nothing.
The vibrations struck his body, and Jogo's eye bulged.
This was nothing like the earlier punch. These vibrations attacked from within.
The parts of Jogo's arms and torso that came into contact with the vibrations dissolved into bloody liquid and dripped away.
Chiyo Shin swung the Bone-Binding Umbrella in midair. "Seriously? You're done already? Weren't you full of fighting spirit a moment ago?"
The missing portions of his body regenerated immediately, but Jogo had lost all desire to fight. Kenjaku's words before his departure remained vivid in his mind. It seemed he had been right.
Looking at the silent Jogo, Chiyo Shin grew bored. "Did I knock you stupid? Then I'll hit you one more time. If you can withstand it, I'll let you go."
Jogo glanced at Satoru Gojo, then back at Chiyo Shin. "Do you really think that's possible?"
Noticing his glance, Chiyo Shin turned around to ask, "Gojo-sensei, is my proposal okay?"
Satoru Gojo nodded. "How could I refuse a student's request?"
Chiyo Shin turned back to Jogo. "Haha, come on. That should put your mind at ease."
Jogo took his stance. "Hmph. Bring it on, brat. You'd better keep your word."
"Here I come. Maximum Technique: Level Ten!"
Jogo blurted, "What?"
Even Satoru Gojo was somewhat surprised. "He can already do this much? That's my student for you."
Chiyo Shin sent out a tiny, translucent sphere with both hands, constantly distorting its surroundings.
It seemed slow, but it actually struck Jogo at incredible speed. In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent, and white light illuminated the night sky, swallowing everything.
Within the white light, Jogo finally understood why Kenjaku had included Chiyo Shin in the plan.
Once everything faded, only half of Jogo's head remained floating in midair.
"Oh, crap." Chiyo Shin hurried forward to check Jogo's head. He had gone too far. If he had accidentally killed him, it would all be over.
Chiyo Shin took Jogo's head in his hand. Jogo's large eye was tightly shut.
After examining him carefully, Chiyo Shin breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. There's still a faint fluctuation of cursed energy.
He quickly touched the tip of the Bone-Binding Umbrella to Jogo's head. The cursed inscriptions on the umbrella instantly spread over it in a dense black mass.
Once they covered it completely, the inscriptions began returning to the umbrella, and Jogo's head disappeared along with them.
Chiyo Shin opened the Bone-Binding Umbrella. Jogo and his domain now occupied one-fifth of its canopy, though Jogo's eye was tightly shut.
After Chiyo Shin subdued Jogo with the Bone-Binding Umbrella, information about his cursed technique, name, and origins appeared in his mind. "So your name is Jogo? Not bad."
Chiyo Shin took a step and appeared beside Satoru Gojo, showing off the canopy. "Gojo-sensei, I've subdued this cursed spirit."
Satoru Gojo smiled. "You've made real progress, Shin. You've even mastered a maximum technique. What a wonderful surprise for your teacher."
Chiyo Shin lifted his chin proudly. "Of course! I'm the great Chiyo!"
Yuji Itadori interrupted his posing. "Um, can we leave now?"
Chiyo Shin dispelled his domain. "Itadori, couldn't you play along just a little?"
Their surroundings returned to the lake.
On a distant mountain.
Kenjaku watched the domain disappear, but saw no sign of Jogo. "It seems Jogo has been exorcised."
Beside him, Hanami clenched a fist. "δΩΨΥΥΨΤ"
"If you go down there now, not only will you fail to avenge him, they'll exorcise you just as easily as they did Jogo. You should calm down and plan for the long term."
Hanami stared reluctantly at the three figures in the distance, but could only give up and turn to leave.
Kenjaku looked at Chiyo Shin in the distance and revealed a meaningful smile.
Before you continue