Subjugating Piercing Ox

By the time Naomitsu hurried back overnight, dawn was already breaking. Rather than going home, he headed straight to Kyoto Jujutsu High.

On the way to Kyoto Jujutsu High, he met someone heading in the same direction.

She had distinctive features: long blue hair and blue eyes. She wore a black suit and carried a katana.

Naturally, this was Kasumi Miwa, Satoru Gojo's little fangirl.

The solemn-faced Kasumi Miwa began looking all around when she spotted Naomitsu.

She cautiously approached him and gave him a stern warning.

"Hey, little guy, this area isn't safe. It's still early in the morning. Where are your parents? I'll take you home."

Clearly, Kasumi Miwa had mistaken Naomitsu for a lost child. Naomitsu pointed toward Kyoto Jujutsu High and said something that left her stunned.

"I'm heading there too, miss."

Kasumi Miwa was shocked and grew curious about his age. When she learned that Naomitsu would turn eight in another six months, her expression became skeptical.

Her constantly shifting expressions really amused Naomitsu. He stopped paying her any mind and walked toward Kyoto Jujutsu High on his own.

Kasumi Miwa followed him at a distance.

After entering Kyoto Jujutsu High, Naomitsu and Kasumi Miwa waited in the classroom, while the other students trickled in over the next two hours.

Naomitsu swept his gaze around and found that six people had arrived in total. He knew five of them; the only stranger was the last one, an exceptionally beautiful woman.

First were the three girls from the Zenin Clan whom Naomitsu knew: Maki Zenin, Mai Zenin, and Zhenwei Zenin.

Two others were students of Kyoto Jujutsu High in the original story: Kasumi Miwa and Mechamaru.

Mechamaru was the one with the puppet cursed technique. He had been born with a beneficial heavenly restriction, trading his damaged body for a puppet cursed technique that could reach all across Japan.

The Mechamaru present in the classroom was his puppet. His real body was hidden somewhere unknown, so frail that he could not even endure sunlight.

"And who's the last one?"

Naomitsu studied the last person, that breathtakingly beautiful woman.

Could she be another unknown jujutsu sorcerer, like those from the Fujiwara and Inumaki clans?

"Everyone else has introduced themselves. What's your name?" Naomitsu raised his head and looked at the woman.

The woman looked up, her eyes sparkling like starlight. Her silver hair cascaded down her back like the Milky Way, reaching her calves.

"My name is Guzi Yunmeng. I'm eighteen."

Among the six people, Naomitsu found this woman strange. Her utterly unruffled gaze, in particular, resembled those of the ancient jujutsu sorcerers he had encountered last time.

Naomitsu focused and examined her cursed energy. What he saw gave him a fright. Her terrifying cursed energy nearly rivaled that of Yuta Okkotsu's Rika.

[527043]

Five hundred and twenty thousand cursed energy! Who the hell is she?

After pondering for a moment, Naomitsu decided he could not be bothered to dwell on it.

Whatever. What does someone like her have to do with me? Even if there's something wrong with her, I'll let that old man Gakuganji deal with the headache.

Once I get home, I'll tell Maki and the others to watch out for this woman, keep their distance, and avoid coming to Kyoto Jujutsu High unless they have to.

"Now that everyone has introduced themselves, I hope you'll all get along..."

Just as Naomitsu was about to wrap up the welcome session for the new students, hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door.

A moment later, a boy appeared, panting as he braced himself against the doorframe.

Naomitsu nodded at the newcomer. It was none other than Yuta Okkotsu, whom he had invited earlier.

"Come in, Okkotsu!"

After he introduced Yuta Okkotsu to the six others, the welcome session came to an end.

Next came arranging their lessons and deciding the direction of their training. Looking at the group of seven, Naomitsu felt a headache coming on.

Without his realizing it, there seemed to be more and more talented people in Jujutsu Society. Was that because of his presence, or because Tengen was up to something?

Over the next six months, Naomitsu began a long stretch of teaching and training.

Counting the previous six, Naomitsu now had a full thirteen people at his disposal. If all thirteen came under his command, he might one day have the final say among Jujutsu Society's higher-ups.

Of course, that depended on them being obedient enough.

"Whatever. It's almost time. Six months have passed, and my birthday's finally here again. Time to enjoy the rush of my cursed energy skyrocketing."

If there was one day Naomitsu looked forward to most every year, it was this one. He raised his head and looked at the cursed energy display above him.

[1513451]

After his cursed energy had doubled last time, it had been around 1.4 million. Through repeated training, he had barely managed to raise it to 1.5 million, given how large the starting amount already was.

"One more minute. This doubling will bring a qualitative change."

Doubling his current cursed energy would give him a full three million. His total cursed energy had already reached an utterly staggering level.

"Next year. Once next year comes, I'll be able to subjugate Mahoraga."

Naomitsu thought it over, planning to finish subjugating Piercing Ox and Tiger Funeral this year. He would leave the final one, Mahoraga, until his cursed energy doubled again on his birthday next year.

The minute passed quickly as he pondered, and Naomitsu's cursed energy underwent an exponential change.

[3,026,902]

With a full three million cursed energy, Naomitsu's body glowed like a firefly, radiating black-and-red cursed energy.

But a second later, that cursed energy began to fall. A full three hundred thousand was deducted from the original three million.

The final number settled at [2724211] points.

Feeling the cursed energy inside him, Naomitsu could hardly wait to test his strength. Though it was already dark outside, he still headed out.

He returned to the same mountain clearing where he had subjugated Round Deer, only this time he reached it faster and with less effort.

"Let's start with Piercing Ox!"

Among the shikigami of his Ten Shadows Technique, Naomitsu now had crowd control, healing, a tank, an assassin, and support. The only thing he lacked was a fighter with both high offense and high defense.

Piercing Ox's stacking attack power was a perfect fit for Naomitsu as he was now. With the other shikigami keeping its target occupied, Piercing Ox could gore even Mahoraga to death.

Of course, that depended on its attack power stacking to a truly terrifying level.

After beginning the Subjugation Ritual, Naomitsu cleared his mind and prepared to face it seriously.

Piercing Ox appeared, a monstrous giant ox with horns and frighteningly defined muscles. Its eyes were blood-red as it charged in a straight line.

"Let's have a little fun first!"

Naomitsu did not rush to expand his domain. Instead, he wrapped his body in cursed energy and began playing around with close-quarters combat.

Naturally, Naomitsu was sent flying again and again. But thanks to Reverse Cursed Technique, his body remained unscathed.

A few minutes later, Naomitsu stopped fooling around. If he kept going, things might get out of hand.

"Domain Expansion!"

Without another word, Naomitsu expanded his domain. A swarm of assorted creatures surrounded Piercing Ox and began steadily wearing down its cursed energy.