Run for It, Bro!

A black domain barrier expanded in all directions with Shiratori Gotsu at its center.

He's a sorcerer of that level?! Ryu Ishigori stared in disbelief.

Shiratori Gotsu looked as refreshed and relieved as a man who had finally taken a good dump after three days of constipation:

"My Cursed Technique, Fate Track Binding Curse, has no offensive power of its own, so I don't need to put extra Cursed Energy into maintaining a sure-hit effect or an attack..."

The barrier continued to expand...

"So, when supplied with the same amount of Cursed Energy, my domain barrier is much larger than an ordinary closed domain!"

"On top of that, I made a Binding Vow, giving up my ability to harm anyone inside a domain for the rest of my life in exchange for a permanent increase in my domain's range..."

"Under those conditions, my domain will reach..."

The domain barrier gradually closed, leaving an enormous black sphere stretching across the Sendai Colony.

"A radius of 100 meters!"

The instant the barrier closed, densely packed "health bars" appeared from all over.

"And my domain's effect is to add a 'health bar' to every target within its range that qualifies as living in the broad sense, microorganisms excepted!"

"And at the same time..."

Above Shiratori Gotsu's head, layer upon layer of "health bars" rose into the sky like a skyscraper shooting up from the ground!

"For every additional unit inside the domain that receives a 'health bar,' I gain an 'extra health bar' of my own, almost indistinguishable from an ordinary one!"

"I already used bread crumbs to gather a huge number of cockroaches and ants nearby. Add the grass, flowers, and trees, and the total number of 'health bars' above my head is now..."

"Thirty-seven thousand eight hundred and thirty-two!"

"And you, Sukuna," Shiratori Gotsu said smugly, pointing at Sukuna, whose face had darkened, "how are you going to deal with me now?"

So many "health bars" were stacked together that they rose far beyond the height the domain barrier could cover and conceal.

The "health bars" themselves were merely a visible manifestation of the Cursed Technique's effect. They had no physical form and would not interact with or affect the domain barrier.

Shiratori Gotsu naturally didn't mind, but to Takako Uro, watching from a distance outside...

An enormously tall green bar stuck out of the giant black sphere. The sight was bizarre beyond belief.

"Heh... you seem pretty pleased with yourself, brat..."

Sukuna raised a hand and tapped his neck, unconcerned. His face was full of disdain. "Even so, you're just a lamb waiting for slaughter, a little harder to kill than most..."

"Besides, if I break your domain, all those densely packed 'health bars' will disappear, won't they?"

He raised both hands and formed the King of Hell Mudra:

"Be proud. You've done quite well to make me open my domain..."

Seeing that things were taking a bad turn, Shiratori Gotsu acted fast. He formed the Fearlessness Mudra again and aimed it at Ryu Ishigori.

The "health bars" stretching into the sky above his head were instantly cut in half, and the missing half appeared intact above Ryu Ishigori's head.

While inside his domain, Shiratori Gotsu could use a hand sign and expand the targets of his Cursed Technique to transfer any number of "extra health bars" to the target indicated by the hand sign.

Watching from outside, Takako Uro thought, ...That thing can undergo mitosis too?

"Domain Expansion: Malevolent Shrine!" A cruel smile spread across Sukuna's face.

The next moment, Malevolent Shrine's slashes came crashing down, and the towers of "health bars" above the two men began to be demolished at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Refrain of the Life Wedge's domain barrier was not very strong to begin with, due to the Binding Vow and its enormous range.

Faced with Malevolent Shrine's slashes from every direction, leaving no blind spots, it began to crack under the strain almost instantly.

Shiratori Gotsu immediately grabbed Ryu Ishigori by both wrists. Ignoring the other man's confused expression, he shouted:

"Quick, Ryu Ishigori, squat down and blast me as hard as you can with your Cursed Energy cannon at maximum power!"

"I don't know what you're up to, you piece of shit..." Ryu Ishigori smiled faintly, then raised a hand and grasped the "cannon barrel" on his head.

"But... since you're trying to save my life, I'll do as you say!"

"Here it comes! Maximum output! Granite Blast!"

The full-powered Cursed Energy cannon slammed into Shiratori Gotsu. The next moment, the tremendous impact sent him... flying!

Although Fate Track Binding Curse transferred the damage from an attack to the "health bars," the attack's impact and other effects still acted on the body in full.

At Ryu Ishigori's maximum output, Granite Blast had enough power to blow a building away.

Under that impact, Shiratori Gotsu and Ryu Ishigori crashed through his own domain barrier, which was already on the verge of shattering, and continued on without slowing down.

In just two seconds, they flew out of Malevolent Shrine's range!

Fragments of the domain barrier, which had collapsed after its owner left, fell like rain. Sukuna heard only a distant shout drifting through the air:

"Running for it, bro! No need to see us off!"

"..." Sukuna stood there in a daze for more than ten seconds. Only after Malevolent Shrine's slashes had cleared away everything around him did he slowly lower his hands and dismiss the domain.

"Tch... he really got me!"

He could no longer keep his composure. A disgusted expression crossed his face, as though he had eaten shit, and he stood there for a long time before recovering.

"Oh well... he's just a dog by the roadside. He's not what I came here for..."

Sukuna let out a long breath and started walking in Yorozu's direction.

Elsewhere, Shiratori Gotsu and Ryu Ishigori flew straight into an office in an office building at the edge of the colony.

After tumbling across the floor for a while, they were finally brought to a stop by an air-raid desk.

"Whew... what a satisfying escape!" Shiratori Gotsu sprang to his feet.

His shirt had been completely blasted away by Ryu Ishigori's Cursed Energy cannon, and his pants had been sliced almost to rags by Malevolent Shrine.

He glanced at the little less than half a "health bar" remaining above his head, then at his clothes, which had died a heroic death, and finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

Sukuna had been right. After leaving the domain barrier, the extra "health bars" would disappear within five seconds, and Shiratori Gotsu would indeed suffer Cursed Technique burnout.

As an Open Domain, Sukuna's domain, Malevolent Shrine, had a slashing range with a radius of 200 meters, enough to completely engulf Shiratori Gotsu's domain barrier.

Under normal circumstances, even if Shiratori Gotsu endured for a while with the extra "health bars" added by Refrain of the Life Wedge, he would not be able to escape.

But this was where Fate Track Binding Curse's special nature came into play.

Cursed Technique burnout only prevented Shiratori Gotsu from adding new "health bars." What did that have to do with the "health bars" he had added before the burnout?

Fate Track Binding Curse was a true fire-and-forget technique!

Besides, even after leaving Refrain of the Life Wedge's range, the "extra health bars" could continue to exist for five seconds.

And those five seconds were more than enough for the two of them to use a full-powered Granite Blast for propulsion and fly out of Sukuna's domain!

As for the damage from landing afterward, the "health bars" added before he expanded his domain would take it for the two of them.

"That was a brilliant tactic..."

Having just survived such a thrilling brush with death together, Ryu Ishigori's eyes were full of emotion:

"I think I've changed my mind about you a little. You don't seem like such a piece of shit after all!"

"Hmph! Of course!" Shiratori Gotsu patted his chest, thoroughly pleased with himself. "I'm... a bona fide genius!"

"Uh... your OO is hanging out of a hole in your pants..."

"..." Shiratori Gotsu fell silent for a few seconds, then looked at Ryu Ishigori, whose clothes were just as ragged. "How about we find ourselves some new clothes first?"

"I was thinking the same thing..."

Meanwhile, Takako Uro, who had watched almost the whole thing, silently made up her mind:

As I thought, once the Culling Game ends, I'm getting out of the country... The Jujutsu Sorcerers in Japan are a little too inhuman...