Naturally, there was more than one ambush.
After the first cursed spirit burst out of the ground inside a crate, several more sprang out after it-all making the same entrance, all clutching wooden barrels.
Gojo Gen immediately sensed trouble. He expanded Limitless's defensive range from half a meter around him to two meters, and its consumption rose exponentially.
But the barrels exploded right on cue.
Splat!
Splut, splut, splut!
Splooosh!
A dozen or so wooden barrels smashed against Limitless, coating the space evenly in foul-smelling, dark brown matter.
The fragile wooden barrels specially made by House-Maker burst under the slightest pressure.
And Jianxia had ordered the cursed spirits to dig this aged filth out of the deepest reaches of Hiraizumi's sewers.
Together, they became the most terrifying biological weapon of the Heian Era.
Watching from the Zenin Estate, Tengen looked troubled. Although she had known Jianxia's plan in advance, she had never actually seen a spectacle like this, with filth flying everywhere.
Thankfully, the barrier transmitted only images, not smells.
Otherwise, there was no way she could keep watching.
"And he says his cursed spirits are all his closest friends. How is this treating them like friends?" Kamo Michisada fought back his nausea and kept watching the images relayed by the barrier. "No normal person would make their closest friends use such a disgusting tactic!"
Megumi Zenin and Shinji Zenin both responded with silence.
After all, their consciences as human beings really wouldn't let them defend Jianxia.
In the end, it was Uraume, Jianxia's most devoted supporter, who rebutted Kamo Michisada. "This proves that Lord Jianxia is giving it his all. It's a sign of respect for the Gojo Clan's head!"
Respect?
Kamo Michisada broke out in a cold sweat.
Then I'd rather he showed me a little less respect in the future.
Back on the mountain behind the estate.
Gojo Gen was now completely surrounded by filth on all sides, but his Six Eyes still allowed him to observe the outside clearly.
Before that wooden crate burst open, even the Six Eyes had failed to detect the cursed spirits inside. It must have been capable of blocking cursed energy.
Gojo Gen stood still, making no rash moves. Maintaining Limitless at a two-meter radius was already his limit, and moving on top of that would only increase the drain.
In the end, he chose to remove the shit stuck to Limitless to reduce the consumption.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue."
A blue sphere of attraction appeared in front of Gojo Gen. He controlled Blue's output, keeping it from becoming too powerful.
At such close range, an excessive pull could easily affect him as well.
As Blue activated, the black, brown, and yellow mixture clinging to Limitless was sucked toward it, clearing Gojo Gen's view once more.
But before he could shrink Limitless's range, more cursed spirits leaped out of the ground and hurled wooden barrels at him in exactly the same way.
"Trying to wear down my stamina like this?"
Gojo Gen immediately understood Jianxia's tactic-force him to maintain Limitless at high intensity, thereby weakening his cursed technique.
He came up with a counter like this after only getting a rough understanding of what my technique does. Not bad at all.
Gojo Gen's opinion of Jianxia rose slightly, disgusting though the tactic was.
"But this alone won't be enough to beat me!"
Then he abruptly increased Blue's output and moved it away from himself-dragging both the nearby cursed spirits and the shit on Limitless into it.
Within seconds, he had created a Blue that reeked of filth and the cursed spirits' purple blood.
"Ewww-"
The spectators all voiced their disgust in unison.
The revolting sight, combined with that sour, fermented stench, nearly made Gojo Gen vomit. He hastily flung it far away before dispelling Blue.
As he deactivated Limitless, Gojo Gen let out a long breath.
Though he had yet to recover, his professional instincts as a jujutsu sorcerer immediately set him thinking.
"So far, all the attacks have come from cursed spirits... Is it Cursed Spirit Manipulation?"
Although he still hadn't seen Jianxia himself, their first exchange had already given Gojo Gen a rough idea of his opponent's cursed technique.
As the head of the Gojo Clan, he had naturally heard of this rare technique, but this was his first time seeing it firsthand.
"So that wooden crate that blocks cursed energy is another cursed spirit's ability..."
"You're right."
Startled, Gojo Gen whipped around. Jianxia had already drawn his blade and was slashing at him.
Jianxia was clad in an armor-like wooden structure that covered his entire body.
Even his scabbard was covered in wood.
Not even the Six Eyes had detected the approach of this thing that gave off no cursed energy.
This was the special protective gear Jianxia had constructed using the Clumsy House technique.
House-Maker's crude cursed energy control had originally made such intricate craftsmanship impossible.
But after Jianxia took over, he needed only seconds to create this special suit of armor, which allowed unrestricted movement and perfectly concealed cursed energy fluctuations.
It was hard where it needed to be, and incredibly supple at the joints.
Jianxia was willing to call it-the Heavenly Restriction Tyrant Mini.
In his panic, Gojo Gen immediately activated Limitless to block the attack, only to discover, to his astonishment, that his opponent's slash hadn't slowed at all. It came straight for his abdomen.
Even more shocking was the familiar smell wafting from the blue-green blade.
"There's shit on the blade too?!"
Gojo Gen hurriedly deactivated Limitless, reinforced his body with cursed energy, and leaped backward, narrowly dodging Jianxia's attack.
Even so, the blade still sliced through part of Gojo Gen's clothes.
Jianxia sheathed his sword, then opened his visor. "Impressive. I'd intended to end the fight with that strike."
He wasn't joking. Jianxia had wanted to reenact Toji Fushiguro stabbing Satoru Gojo, taking his opponent out of the fight with a single strike-or at least seriously wounding him.
He hadn't expected Gojo Gen to change tactics and dodge his attack immediately after realizing Limitless had failed.
As expected of a powerhouse from the Heian Era, even his fundamentals were frighteningly strong.
"You still haven't answered my question. That cursed tool definitely has shit on it, doesn't it?!" Gojo Gen grew irritated when Jianxia failed to answer him.
"Shit on it? No, no, I don't have tastes that twisted." Jianxia rested his hand on his sword's hilt, ready to attack at any moment. "I merely soaked Evening Mist's blade in a latrine for half an hour before fighting you."
Gojo Gen's pupils contracted, and he shouted, "No cursed tool should be like that!"
Jianxia chuckled softly. "You're just scared."
"Who the fuck wouldn't be?!"
Gojo Gen really was scared. He had thought Jianxia making cursed spirits throw barrels of excrement at people was already the limit, but he hadn't expected the man to enchant even his own sword with filth.
Whatever actual effect it might have, he absolutely did not want to be touched by a shit-covered cursed tool.
Absolutely not!
Jianxia lowered his stance. He had practiced swordsmanship ever since obtaining Evening Mist, and with his learning speed, it was no exaggeration to say he had already achieved considerable mastery in a month.
But he knew perfectly well that if he abandoned tactics and simply attacked Gojo Gen head-on, he had no chance of winning.
The absurd combination of the Six Eyes and Limitless appeared only once every few hundred years. Even with just Blue and Limitless, its user could surpass eighty percent of jujutsu sorcerers.
As it happened, however, Evening Mist's special property was that its attacks would always hit-though this was somewhat weaker than a Domain Expansion's sure-hit effect.
For example, the strike that had damaged Gojo Gen's clothes earlier had also counted as a "sure hit."
In short, Jianxia's advantage was his ability to bypass Limitless and hit Gojo Gen, but he still had to contend with the threat of Blue.
"Jianxia, I never expected you to go this far!" Gojo Gen removed the outer garment struck by the shit-covered sword, revealing a tight black outfit underneath. "From now on, I'm going all out."
"Head of the Gojo Clan, you're even stronger than I expected. But there's one thing I need to make clear first."
Jianxia slowly drew his foul-smelling blade and pointed it at his opponent.
"You're the challenger."
Before you continue