*Crash!*
Hiromi Higuruma heard the sound of ocean waves. But the sound didn't come from the distance—it came from right beneath his feet! He lowered his gaze and saw the floor beneath him turning into unstable, undulating waves. It was as if he were standing on the surface of the sea. The stern floorboards of the miniature courtroom had, at some point, transformed into black water. This tide was Megumi Fushiguro's shadow; it was his Domain Expansion!
Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden!
Purely out of instinct, Higuruma moved away from where he stood.
*BOOM!* A massive sound exploded. Right before Higuruma's eyes, a giant elephant appeared out of nowhere, crushing everything in front of it. The elephant swung its trunk, lashing out at Higuruma. The trunk swept through horizontally; fences and earth were lifted unceremoniously, like a storm passing through.
—Max Elephant!
Higuruma's [Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing] had not disappeared. It had been enveloped.
"Let me teach you something, Higuruma-kun." Megumi revealed a smile, a grin so ferocious it looked like a man-eating demon! He formed a hand sign. The shadows beneath his feet rose and fell, and the world seemed to plunge into a shadow of absolute darkness. "When a Domain Expansion clashes with another Domain Expansion, they don't cancel each other out. They suppress each other. The Sure-Hit effects of both Domains are active simultaneously. Attacks will strike directly through both techniques. Both you and I must suppress the other's Sure-Hit. And I, unlike you, have a Sure-Kill in addition to my Sure-Hit. Your Domain, which has only rules and no Sure-Kill, will be threatened by my Sure-Kill!"
This was why modern sorcerers were required to include a [Sure-Kill] when constructing a Domain Expansion:
The logic was simple. Assuming both sides had a [Sure-Hit], whoever could kill the enemy in the shortest time would naturally hold the absolute advantage. A primitive Domain Expansion with only [Sure-Hit] and no [Sure-Kill] could never win against a modern Domain Expansion in a Domain battle!
Higuruma's face was gloomy. He spoke faintly, "I stand corrected."
Megumi formed another hand sign. "—Great Serpent!"
The Great Serpent shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique was an expert at surprise attacks because it could generate directly from the ground beneath the enemy's feet. From the moment of its creation, it would surge from the earth to bite and kill the enemy, just like now!
The ground beneath Higuruma suddenly collapsed. In the moment he lost his footing, a massive snake's maw swallowed him whole! At the critical moment, Higuruma thrust his hands forward. A Cursed Tool materialized in his hands—the gavel often used by judges. The original gavel was small and exquisite, but the one now was so huge it required two hands to hold. The long handle propped against the Great Serpent's lower jaw, and the head of the gavel braced against its upper palate.
Hiromi Higuruma suddenly erupted with astonishing Cursed Energy. Cursed Energy reinforcement covered his entire body. The Great Serpent's bite force was strong enough to pierce steel, yet at this moment, it couldn't snap that massive gavel.
Although Higuruma withstood the attack, Megumi laughed out loud.
"Just as I thought! Your offensive power might truly be at the Special Grade level—after all, you killed the Key Keeper of Tokyo No. 2 Colony fair and square. You couldn't have achieved such a feat without sufficient attack power. But your defense and mobility are lacking! You can only rely on simple Cursed Energy reinforcement to defend and move. That's because you've been a sorcerer for too short a time—only a day! I suspect you haven't even fully developed your own technique yet."
Although Megumi said this, sweat dripped from his forehead. He realized it: even though the opponent lacked a [Sure-Kill], his [Sure-Hit] was precisely suppressing Megumi's own [Sure-Hit]. Neither Max Elephant nor the Great Serpent should have appeared in those positions. Max Elephant should have crushed him directly; Great Serpent should have swallowed him instantly. The reason they didn't was that Megumi couldn't do it—he sensed his Sure-Hit had been knocked off course.
Despite being a jujutsu novice, to grasp the essence of Domain battles so precisely... it meant the opponent's talent for Cursed Energy was so high that Megumi couldn't even comprehend it.
*Damn it.* He had just specifically said suggestive lines like "Both techniques will hit simultaneously" and followed up with trash talk to lower the opponent's morale, but this guy didn't show a shred of wavering. He was like a battle-hardened warrior.
Higuruma stomped his foot onto the massive gavel he had conjured, pushing off with force. The Great Serpent's mouth slammed shut, but before that happened, Higuruma had already launched himself out. He reached out in mid-air, and the massive gavel reappeared in his hand.
*Thud.* He landed on the ground.
He looked up. Max Elephant and the Great Serpent looked down simultaneously. These two large-scale animal shikigami were easily over two meters tall. Looking down at him now, it was like looking at an ant crawling on the ground.
"All true," Higuruma said faintly. "I am indeed still growing, still groping for the direction of my growth."
He raised his hand and adjusted his collar and tie once more. He was dressed immaculately, like a samurai placing his katana at his waist. There was no wavering in his eyes, only the gavel held against his chest.
He knew no martial arts skills, yet his heart held absolutely no fear.
He said, "November 1st, 2018. Megumi Fushiguro is suspected of committing homicide in a courtroom."
The black shikigami [Judgeman], floating in solitude, had remained indifferent throughout the series of attacks. Until this moment, it repeated Higuruma's words: "November 1st, 2018. Megumi Fushiguro is suspected of committing homicide in a courtroom."
Higuruma slammed the gavel down violently. "Please—" he said, "Defendant, begin your defense!"
Megumi formed a hand sign and roared, "Piercing Ox—!"
Max Elephant and Great Serpent moved aside simultaneously. Suddenly, the entire barrier shook. A ferocious fighting bull smashed through the outer barrier and charged inside. Ten Shadows Technique: Piercing Ox! This was an extremely powerful shikigami that increased its attack power based on the distance it ran in a straight line. Now, charging in from outside the barrier, it carried momentum enough to shatter all creation.
Usually, the outside of a Domain Expansion was easier to breach than the inside. This was because the inside was the user's domain of advantage; one only needed to prevent the target from escaping the range. No user cared about someone breaking in from the outside.
Megumi exploited this! Piercing Ox rammed from the outside of [Deadly Sentencing] toward the inside, and sure enough, it broke through effortlessly.
Max Elephant's trunk slammed down hard, not aiming at Higuruma, but to Higuruma's left. At the same time, the Great Serpent swung its tail. The massive tail swept toward Higuruma's right. The attacks of the Elephant and Serpent created two walls, trapping Higuruma between them. And right down the middle—
—Piercing Ox came charging!
Higuruma raised the gavel. Suddenly, the gavel enlarged, becoming a giant hammer. He stood his ground, staring expressionlessly at the charging bull. A deafening roar erupted on both sides of him as the Elephant and Serpent's attacks missed—because Higuruma didn't dodge at all. He chose to face the Piercing Ox head-on.
Then, in the instant before the Piercing Ox made impact, he brought the gavel down.
*Legal Apprentice, 59th Term. Member of the Iwate Bar Association. Hiromi Higuruma, 36 years old.*
*Applied to the T University Faculty of Law. Before Japan introduced the law school system, he easily passed the notoriously difficult old bar exam. To Hiromi Higuruma, that was nothing more than a simple operation of inputting necessary knowledge into his brain and retrieving it when needed.*
*Because of this, everyone who knew Hiromi Higuruma called him a [Genius]. However, the greatest spark within him was actually:*
*—His talent as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.*
*BOOM!*
The gavel collided with the Piercing Ox's forehead. The Ox's skull, along with its body, was shattered instantly. The massive clash of Cursed Energy shook the entire barrier. The Cursed Energy residuals of the disintegrating Ox scattered like exploding flesh and blood. Higuruma slowly rose from amidst the flying residuals. The gavel in his hand suddenly shifted from a sledgehammer to a two-handed war hammer style. Then, holding this war hammer, he swung it horizontally with violent force.
*BANG!*
The face of the hammer slammed into the Great Serpent beside him. A visible shockwave of Cursed Energy pulverized the Great Serpent's body. The Serpent let out a soundless scream, thrashing its body and tail, but before its death throes could hit Higuruma, its entire form had already crumbled into residuals.
"...You! Have! Got! To! Be! Kidding! Me?!" Megumi yelled in disbelief.
Higuruma's eyes shifted to the left, reflecting Max Elephant. Megumi snapped back to reality and shouted, "Max Elephant!"
This seemed to be the trigger. In that instant, Max Elephant moved with agility. It took a step back, not to retreat, but to position itself. Then, it raised its trunk—not to smash down, but to aim its nostrils at Higuruma.
Max Elephant: Water Jet!
A torrent erupted from the elephant's trunk! Higuruma prepared to move, but his steps faltered for a split second. He looked down. At some point, toad after toad had surfaced from the black shadow tide. These toads shot out their tongues, pinning Higuruma's feet firmly to the ground.
Ten Shadows Technique: Toad!
These frog shikigami weren't powerful, but their tongues were tough and sticky. In the original story, Megumi had used this move to trick a Special Grade Curse during the Yasohachi Bridge incident. And now, it worked again.
The torrent rushed toward his face. Higuruma held his breath and placed the gavel in front of his eyes. The gavel suddenly enlarged, acting like an umbrella to block the initial impact of the flood. Only now did Megumi realize, belatedly, that this gavel wasn't a Cursed Tool at all—it was a special shikigami!
This gavel-style shikigami could change at Higuruma's will—growing larger or smaller, transforming into a war hammer or a mallet, even bending its handle. Disappearing and recalling it was also effortless. It was practically a personalized universal weapon, Higuruma's deadliest arm.
*Clap.* Megumi formed a hand sign.
"Nue!"
Ten Shadows Technique: Nue. It was an owl-like shikigami. Aside from avian attack methods, it had a hidden ability: It could discharge electricity!
Megumi leaped up violently, grabbing Nue's ankles. Using the momentum to climb higher, Nue coordinated with its master's force to throw Megumi into the air. Then, Nue shrieked, and a massive current of electricity was dumped into the torrent sprayed by Max Elephant.
The entire flood flashed with lightning-like current!
The shikigami summoned by the Ten Shadows Technique each had their own characteristics, but their greatest strength lay in coordination. And now, Megumi could execute shikigami combinations with ease, especially within his Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden.
Although the Sure-Hit was compromised due to the Domain battle, the Sure-Kill was still active. Megumi didn't hesitate to expend vast amounts of Cursed Energy to summon high-power shikigami. Each possessed genuine [Sure-Kill] power. A mere jujutsu novice, even if his offensive power was genuinely Special Grade, would die due to his defects in defense and mobility!
Suddenly, a grandiose voice filled with echoes rang out. It was the voice of the solitary, floating black shikigami:
"The defendant has offered neither [Confession] nor [Denial]."
Megumi's pupils trembled in shock.
Hiromi Higuruma emerged from the water within the torrent. He held one hand out flat, the small gavel still gripped in his palm. He was covered in water, electricity flashing across his body, yet on the surface, he was completely unharmed! His spine was perfectly straight, his face expressionless. Solemn like an inorganic machine, his flesh and blood radiated the stillness of a mountain rock.
At the same time Higuruma figured out how his innate technique came with a Domain by default, he comprehended the basics of Barrier Techniques. Then, by reverse-engineering Barrier Techniques, he mastered Cursed Energy reinforcement through manipulation. In the original story, within a mere 12 days of obtaining his technique, he had grown to a level no less than that of a Grade 1 Sorcerer.
And now, the moment he entered the Dream Migration, he actively hunted Cursed Spirits. He used the points from killing spirits as fuel to nurture his talent as a sorcerer. During a battle, he counter-killed a sorcerer, confirming his own strength.
Then, he actively sought out Jogo and fought him. —Jogo died.
He thoroughly understood the rules of the Dream Migration. Here, death was not the end; on the contrary, death was just a trivial part of the loop. Once he realized this, he knew how to maximize his growth.
Death matches with true powerhouses—that was the answer he arrived at. That was why he published his own intel.
He didn't save his points. He used every single point gained from fighting Jogo as nutrients to grow once again.
Megumi had sneered at Higuruma for daring to call himself Special Grade, but Megumi didn't know:
He wasn't [Self-Proclaimed].
His current evaluation was clearly written in the Kogane's introduction. In his power ranking—he was Special Grade.
Megumi muttered in disbelief, "What the hell is with this guy's reinforcement? He can withstand the Cursed Energy erosion of water and electricity? No, considering I have my Domain open, he must have tanked the direct damage of the Cursed Energy too. Aside from Gojo-sensei, this is the first time I've seen someone able to tank the direct damage of a Domain Expansion with just Cursed Energy reinforcement."
Right now, Megumi felt exactly how Jogo felt when he faced Satoru Gojo after opening his Domain. Back then, Jogo had thought in disbelief: *[An ordinary sorcerer should have been burned to ash in an instant.]* At that time, Gojo hadn't opened his own Domain to counter; he simply used Cursed Energy reinforcement to withstand Jogo's Domain, and even a direct hit only burned a corner of his sleeve.
Just like Higuruma now—flashing with electricity but unscathed!
"It seems to be quite impressive," Higuruma said faintly. "My rating said: My Cursed Energy manipulation is at the level of Ryomen Sukuna."
Megumi's breath hitched.
Higuruma stared at Megumi, saying expressionlessly, "Regrettably, time is up."
Megumi's instincts suddenly blared a massive warning. His flowing blood was hot, yet he felt ice freezing his veins. The hot blood passed through only to leave a chill behind.
He didn't hesitate. He formed a hand sign and roared to the heavens: "—With this treasure, I summon...!"
Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga—a hand reached out from Megumi's shadow.
"Useless," Higuruma said faintly.
The terrified face of the solitary floating black shikigami suddenly opened its eyes. There were no eyeballs, only pitch-black voids. The sewn threads were pulled open to their limit. Looking through the empty sockets, it looked exactly like the bars of a prison. The black shikigami opened its mouth wide, emitting a banshee's shriek from the void:
"[GUILTY]! [CONFISCATION]! [DEATH PENALTY]!"
*Pop.*
Before Mahoraga could fully emerge from Megumi's shadow, it vanished. Max Elephant and the airborne Nue disappeared simultaneously.
Megumi understood immediately: His technique could no longer be used.
"This is [Confiscation] and [Death Penalty]." Higuruma pulled at the gavel, as if drawing a sword. The gavel indeed transformed into a slender blade—an [Executioner's Sword].
"Let us continue," he said.
Megumi breathed deeply. Because his technique vanished, the *Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden* faded away. Simultaneously, *Deadly Sentencing* also dissipated.
They returned to where they started: the screening room inside the supermarket.
[Confiscation] made his technique vanish, and [Death Penalty] formed a sword. Megumi didn't know exactly what that sword did, but since it was the most severe punishment, [Death Penalty], its power must be astonishing. The [Attack Power] that defeated the Key Keeper must have been that [Sword].
*I cannot be hit by that sword!*
Megumi thought: *I haven't lost yet. The opponent is just a jujutsu novice. Until a day ago, he had never received combat training. I am different. I am battle-hardened, and recently I received training from Tengen. My combat experience far exceeds his. Even if his Cursed Energy manipulation really is at the legendary level of Ryomen Sukuna, his taijutsu level is low.*
*This technique confiscation shouldn't be permanent either. I don't need to truly fight him; I just need to stall for enough time. As long as I don't get hit by that sword during this period, I can turn the tables. And for a professionally trained fighter like me, that should be very easy. In other words:*
—THE! ADVANTAGE! IS! MINE!
"Bring it on! Hiromi Higuruma!" Megumi roared.
"As you wish, Megumi Fushiguro." Higuruma took a step forward, his eyes calm as if absorbing the darkness.
About ten seconds later: Megumi Fushiguro, dead.