Cursed Technique Burnout

Got him.

The instant he saw Hollow Wicker Basket shatter, Gojo Gen began preparing his victory speech.

Unlike most domains of the Heian Era, which only had a sure-hit effect, Gojo Gen's "Void Sea of Consciousness" truly guaranteed both a hit and a kill.

If the domain's sure-hit effect wasn't neutralized, even existence itself would be imbued with the concept of "infinity."

Every action imbued with "infinity" would stall at the instant before completion, looping forever.

In plain English, no matter how someone tried to resist, they would never succeed.

But just as Gojo Gen was about to activate his Cursed Technique directly through the domain's sure-hit effect, he sensed something amiss.

He couldn't find Jianxia.

Not just Jianxia-even the Cursed Spirit serving as a foothold beneath him was nowhere to be found.

This didn't mean he couldn't locate them. Neither Jianxia nor "Banquet of Fated Remnants" had moved, and both remained within Gojo Gen's field of vision.

Rather, the domain's effect, which should have automatically locked onto him, had failed. It was as though Jianxia and his Cursed Spirit didn't exist within the domain at all.

Then Gojo Gen immediately realized what was happening.

"So that's it. It's that armor of yours."

Jianxia's armor could completely block off the Cursed Energy inside it. Even the Six Eyes couldn't perceive its interior, which showed just how effective its concealment was.

A domain's sure-hit effect worked by indiscriminately applying its Cursed Technique to every living creature within the domain that possessed Cursed Energy.

The Cursed Energy barrier of "Clumsy House" cut that process off at the source. Jianxia was now being identified as a building with no Cursed Energy, rather than a Jujutsu Sorcerer.

And before Gojo Gen had even opened his domain, Jianxia had used "Clumsy House" to cover "Banquet of Fated Remnants" with a thin membrane.

It had been made in haste, without time to reinforce it, so any slightly larger movement could tear it apart.

But even that thin layer was enough to fool the domain's sure-hit effect.

"Impressive. Had you prepared this tactic beforehand, or did you come up with it while fighting me?"

Yet after figuring out Jianxia's tactic, Gojo Gen wasn't angry at all. Instead, he admired him even more.

He had actually noticed something when he first expanded his domain, but at the time, he had simply assumed Jianxia's Hollow Wicker Basket had neutralized the sure-hit effect.

Only when Hollow Wicker Basket shattered did he realize that his opponent had never feared the domain's automatic targeting.

The strategic thinking Jianxia displayed far exceeded that of an ordinary Grade 2 Jujutsu Sorcerer. Calling him the Chief of "Auspicious" wasn't overstating his abilities in the slightest.

The Zenin Clan really had picked up someone extraordinary.

Still, he had one more question.

"...Since the domain's sure-hit effect wouldn't affect you anyway, why go to all that effort to maintain Hollow Wicker Basket?"

By now, Gojo Gen had completely put aside the anger and disgust of being force-fed filthy water. In their place, he had developed a keen interest in Jianxia himself.

Even if the domain couldn't lock onto Jianxia automatically, he could still target him manually and apply its effects. Victory remained firmly in his grasp.

But Jianxia merely smiled and answered frankly, "To buy time, of course-Gojo Clan head, haven't you noticed something missing?"

Gojo Gen froze, then his pupils abruptly contracted.

"House-Maker"-that Special Grade Cursed Spirit.

When Jianxia had activated Hollow Wicker Basket, he had casually tossed it into the filthy water, where it sank.

At that point, "House-Maker" had already been covered in the same kind of membrane as "Banquet of Fated Remnants." Once reinforced, it allowed the spirit to perform certain movements.

And what could "House-Maker" accomplish after spending so long deep underwater?

The filthy water began bubbling and churning. Then a towering wooden pillar surged up beneath Jianxia, finally giving "Banquet of Fated Remnants," which had been floating for so long, something solid to stand on again.

More enormous pillars burst out from beneath the filthy water-one after another, stopping only when they had almost completely filled its turbulent surface.

Countless giant wooden posts stood incongruously in the endless void, with raging black water beneath them. From a spectator's perspective, the sight was almost beautiful.

Reeking of filth, "House-Maker" returned to Jianxia to report its success. Even the gaps beneath the fingernails of its huge hands were packed with sludge, making Gojo Gen frown.

"I never thought you could take things this far, Jianxia..."

More than amazement, Gojo Gen's voice held resignation... and even a trace of respect.

At the very least, he could never have come up with a tactic like this himself.

Even if he had, he wouldn't have put it into practice.

"But all of this is wasted effort. Even if you use your Cursed Technique to create favorable terrain, you're still powerless against Domain Expansion."

Gojo Gen didn't think he was exaggerating.

After all, as far as he knew, a Jujutsu Sorcerer with a domain facing one without a domain was no different from an adult facing a child.

The fact that Jianxia could pull off so many tricks without a domain had already far exceeded his expectations.

Granted, that was partly because he hadn't been in a hurry to end the fight, but one fact was undeniable.

Through his own abilities, Jianxia had earned Gojo Gen's recognition.

"I'm sorry, Jianxia. Until now, I always thought the Chief of 'Auspicious' was nothing more than a fraud trading on an undeserved reputation-but now I see you're fully worthy of that title."

Gojo Gen descended from the air and stood on the giant wooden post Jianxia had created. Carefully avoiding a puddle of filth by his feet, he walked up to his opponent.

"To show my respect for you, I'll defeat you as quickly as possible."

The moment he finished speaking, violent attraction took tangible blue form in Gojo Gen's hand.

Even the sturdy giant wooden posts began swaying under that tremendous force. Jianxia connected the armor around his feet to the post, barely managing to steady himself.

"Cursed Technique Lapse: Maximum Output-Blue!"

Gojo Gen sent "Blue," which appeared to measure over five meters across, into the distance. It shredded several wooden posts in succession without stopping.

Then Gojo Gen leaped into the air. Only after putting a safe distance between himself and the post Jianxia stood on did he steer "Blue" back toward it.

Yet faced with such danger, Jianxia showed no panic at all. Instead, he smiled up at Gojo Gen, who stood in midair.

"Hey, Gojo Clan head." Jianxia cupped both hands around his mouth, raising his voice as much as possible. "When I said I was buying time, I wasn't talking about 'House-Maker'!"

What did that mean?

Hadn't he been buying time so his Special Grade Cursed Spirit could create favorable terrain?

Was there something else he'd missed?

With the Six Eyes, Gojo Gen could think at high speed.

In just one second of real time, he could complete over a minute's worth of thought.

And after he had spent a minute thinking inside his head, Jianxia's words pulled him back out.

"If a domain is destroyed or dispelled, the Jujutsu Sorcerer enters a state called 'Cursed Technique Burnout.' During that time, they can't use any effects of their Innate Cursed Technique."

"And in a domain battle, to keep the enemy from breaking the barrier from within and putting them at the disadvantage of burnout, Jujutsu Sorcerers usually reinforce the inner shell when expanding their domains, reducing that possibility."

Jianxia could already feel the approaching "Blue" tugging at the hem of his clothes, but he still showed no panic.

"But in exchange, a domain shell reinforced on the inside becomes relatively fragile on the outside. In other words, it becomes easier to destroy from outside."

"Flying that high in the sky is going to make the fall hurt, Gojo Clan head."

Then, under Gojo Gen's stunned gaze, a crack appeared in the dome above, which should have been nothing but empty void.

Then came a second, a third, a fourth... until cracks densely covered the domain's barrier.

The next instant, the barrier shattered. Sunlight shone on Gojo Gen's face once more-and with Cursed Technique Burnout setting in, he inevitably began to fall.

In the final instant before his fall, he clearly saw the figure that had destroyed his barrier from outside.

It was the first Cursed Spirit that had burst out of the ground and thrown a bucket of sewage at him.