Chapter 220: I Never Expected a Mere Human to Understand
"Dagon?!!"
On the other side of the battlefield, seeing his companion use a Domain to trap Emiya inside, Jogo instantly became agitated.
This concern, of course, was not for Emiya, but for Dagon, who had impulsively used a Domain to partition the battlefield. If the two of them had tried to break through together, there was still a chance they could have traded the lives of non-sorcerers for an escape route.
But now, Dagon's attempt to seize the advantage using a Domain had completely cut off their possibility of retreat.
Indeed, in all battles of the jujutsu world, [Domain Expansion] is the undisputed method of victory.
Especially when facing an opponent who hasn't mastered a Domain, it is a finishing move that guarantees victory the moment it is unleashed.
The inherent logic of the jujutsu world is that only a Domain can counter a Domain.
Coincidentally, Emiya was that terrifying monster who excelled in every other aspect of combat but happened to lack [Domain Expansion].
But who could have predicted that he was an utterly irrational freak? During their previous battle, Jogo had naively thought that using a Domain could turn the tide, only to find that what awaited him was an even more brutal beating.
The [Reality Marble] this man spoke of... was a realm that completely transcended a Domain, a level of existence Jogo couldn't fathom. It was like a father disciplining a son; its Domain had been utterly suppressed.
Even today, Jogo felt the weight of Emiya's terrifying growth rate. After a mere month, Emiya had reached a level where Jogo simply couldn't resist him.
Jogo had reason to suspect that if Emiya wanted to counter his Domain now, he wouldn't even need to go through the trouble of using his Reality Marble.
The rule that "only a Domain can counter a Domain" is indeed the iron law of the jujutsu world, but such rules are only meant to protect and bind those who lack the power to break them. The moment Dagon chose to expand its Domain, Jogo foresaw that the moment they emerged, he would likely be left in a state of isolation and helplessness again.
And yet, he had no way to change this situation...
His voice and thoughts couldn't reach Dagon inside the barrier. Even if Jogo wanted to actively destroy Dagon's Domain to prevent Emiya from doing something to it, it would only result in a technique burnout for Dagon, making its situation even worse.
Most importantly, the thing causing Jogo's emotions to fluctuate so violently wasn't just the fact that Dagon's actions might ruin their escape; he was genuinely worried about whether his companion would be heavily injured or even lose its life.
Unlike Dagon, who was quite open about caring for its "family," Jogo was unwilling to admit that he possessed these emotions that supposedly belonged to humans. But the truth was, he couldn't help but care.
Even though the probability of Jogo escaping alone from Itadori and the others was high now that Emiya was stalled by Dagon, he simply couldn't bring himself to do it.
He was clearly just a cursed spirit born from human negative emotions. Could it be... that these indecisive emotions were also classified as human negativity?
"Who told you to get distracted!"
The moment Jogo turned his head toward the other battlefield, Itadori's shield-axe swung in from his side, knocking the fully defensive spirit over ten meters away. Having done this, Itadori Yuji didn't pursue, but instead stood in place, grumpily criticizing Jogo's incompetence as a punching bag.
"Focus on the fight while we're fighting! You weren't like this just now!"
"What's with the act? Do cursed spirits actually worry about others?"
Emiya had already explained to him why the brothers Eso and Kechizu had such deep affection: they were flesh-and-blood brothers who became hybrids after being victimized by an evil curse user. Itadori Yuji naturally felt sympathy and care for them because of their tragic past.
But the Jogo before him—a pure cursed spirit who had almost killed them and a group of civilians—was completely unworthy of any emotion other than loathing.
Seeing Jogo display a soft, caring side for a companion, Itadori's first reaction was: Is he trying to trick me?
"Worry? I am not like you hypocritical humans who only scheme against their own kind and partners.
Our partnership is unbreakable, and I naturally care for their safety... the ugliness of humanity does not exist among us...
Forget it... I never expected a mere human to understand us!"
Thanks to Itadori, Jogo realized he was still in a life-and-death struggle and couldn't let other emotions interfere. Dagon had pulled Emiya into an independent barrier precisely to give Jogo a better chance to turn the tide. No matter how much he worried about the situation over there, he couldn't waste this precious opportunity.
He might not be able to beat a monster like Emiya, but surely he couldn't be helpless against a few wet-behind-the-ears brats?
Don't make such a meaningless joke!
"If you want to be tortured that badly, then I'll satisfy you, brat!"
With Jogo's angry roar, scorching lava began to erupt wildly from the "craters" on his head and sides, threatening to splash onto the crowds of unconscious people in the distance.
Right at that moment, dozens of dark red threads pierced through the air from a distance, accurately scattering every bit of lava aimed at the civilians.
"Rage is one thing, but involving innocent people makes your behavior quite ungentlemanly, Jogo."
Hearing this familiar voice calling his name, Jogo spun around. Not far behind him stood Eso, who had shed his outer garment for his light, strapped combat gear, looking very serious.
It wasn't that he didn't want to dress conventionally; it was primarily because his unique constitution couldn't handle stifling environments, and Jogo's ability involved lava that easily created high temperatures. If he didn't shed his clothes, he felt like he was about to be physically steamed. Fortunately, Jogo had "kindly" used the heat to knock out all the onlookers, which was quite considerate.
"...?"
Jogo naturally recognized this ally revived by Kenjaku from the [Cursed Womb: Death Paintings]. However, seeing this fellow—who should have been captured by Jujutsu High—standing here unharmed could only mean one thing...
"You actually chose to betray us, Eso?
I should have known. You who are tainted with human blood would also be tainted with the inferior nature of humans. You aren't worth trusting at all."
To Jogo, these guys were just cannonballs Kenjaku had brought in to fill the front lines. He didn't even want to trust Kenjaku, so how could he trust these human-curse hybrids from over a hundred years ago? Humans were a species he loathed, and inferior, mindless cursed spirits were also something he loathed... so he had no real affection for Eso and his brothers.
"Since you said we have human blood, you should know we only got involved with cursed spirits because we were framed... originally, our relationship with you was purely transactional.
As for betrayal, that's out of the question—I only feel affection for my brothers, and I will never betray them."
In a few sentences, Eso completely distanced himself from Jogo. If it hadn't been for the fact that these guys were the ones who revived them—and they had been threatened to a certain extent—they likely wouldn't have agreed to the terms at all.
For the brothers, as long as they were alive and had decent living conditions, it was enough. Participating in such a brutal war was never their desire, and neither was exterminating human life. If they were to kill anyone, it would only be the curse users who committed such atrocities against them in the past.
"Great! Well said, Aniki!" Kechizu shouted from the side, only regretting his lack of eloquence and settling for cheering for his brother.
"Hmph.
After all that nonsense, do you really think I won't kill you?"
Jogo couldn't be bothered to argue. To him, the only things that mattered in this world were his Special Grade companions and the humans who all needed to be slaughtered. Since things had reached this point, Jogo saw no further need to restrain himself.
By unleashing his technique as he pleased, these people would sooner or later tire themselves out trying to save those useless non-sorcerers. That would be his real chance.
For something that could both harm the enemy and benefit himself, Jogo was all in.
The moment he stopped speaking, Jogo slammed his hands together. The erupting high heat instantly melted the road surface, spreading rapidly in all directions.
"Filthy creatures like humans should have been burned to cinders long ago!!!"
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