Chapter 66: Domain Exploration
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Rin headed straight for Geto Suguru's study. After reviewing the details of the battle last night, he had organized many questions regarding the application of Cursed Techniques and wanted to consult Geto Suguru.
However, just as he reached the study door, he saw Manami standing under the corridor organizing documents.
"Sister Manami, is Master inside?" Rin stepped forward and asked.
Manami looked up and shook her head, her tone carrying a hint of apology:
"Lord Geto has gone out. He left before dawn this morning and didn't say specifically where he was going, only that he would be back after a while."
Rin was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, then lowered his head in thought. Geto Suguru would never go out without reason, especially after just completing the mission for Sukuna's Finger; there must be something important.
Combining the recent dates...
And calculating the timeline, he suddenly realized. Geto Suguru had likely discovered Yuta Okkotsu's whereabouts and went personally to test that young man who possessed Special Grade strength.
Having figured this out, Rin didn't linger any longer.
Since he couldn't find Geto Suguru for the time being, rather than waiting, it was better to use the time to improve his strength.
He turned and walked toward the training grounds.
That deathmatch with Aoi Todo and Mei Mei was like a mirror, reflecting the most fatal cracks in Rin's combat system.
His Taijutsu and Cursed Techniques were both formidable hard strengths when viewed individually, but once entering close-quarters combat, the coordination between the two was like gears with a broken line, unable to mesh smoothly, and even slowing each other's rhythm.
He had recalled the battle scenes of Ryomen Sukuna more than once. Also possessing a dual-strength configuration of "Cursed Technique + Taijutsu," Sukuna's performance in close combat was "textbook level."
Those slashes imbued with Cursed Energy never weakened in power because the distance closed; instead, they amplified the threat through the explosive power of Taijutsu.
Raising a hand, slashing, triggering the technique—every movement connected like flowing water without the slightest stagnation. Even when facing top-tier experts, he could firmly control the rhythm of the battle.
But what about Rin himself? He could only barely maintain this sense of fluidity when facing opponents weaker than himself.
Once he encountered experts like Aoi Todo or Mei Mei, the shortcomings in his coordination were immediately exposed.
During several close-quarters exchanges in the ruins, he had clearly pinned down his opponent with Taijutsu, and the "Rifle" bullet rain or "Revolver" single shots condensed at his fingertips should have been enough to heavily injure Aoi Todo and Mei Mei, but in the end, they were always dodged by the opponent.
At first, he thought it was Mei Mei's Black Bird Manipulation obscuring his vision or Aoi Todo's Boogie Woogie teleportation being too sudden, but after a calm review, he realized the real problem lay within himself.
The primary issue was the attack wind-up of the "Revolver" and "Rifle."
The "Rifle" required him to concentrate Cursed Energy at his fingertips to form a continuous magazine. Even if this process took only half a second, it was enough for Aoi Todo to predict the trajectory and dodge in time.
The "Revolver's" single shot was more powerful, but it also required time to charge. Mei Mei could even use the gaps in the crow swarm's interference to pull away in advance.
To an ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerer, this bit of wind-up might not mean much, but in a duel between masters, a half-second delay is enough to change the course of the battle—it could be a fatal attack missing its mark, or it could give the opponent a chance for a counter-kill.
Like that time he traded blows with Aoi Todo at close range, Rin originally wanted to trigger the "Rifle" through a parrying motion, but just as the Cursed Energy condensed at his fingertips, Aoi Todo had already used his Taijutsu momentum to sidestep and hit his ribs with an elbow strike instead.
At that moment, he fully understood that the coordination of Taijutsu and Cursed Technique isn't a simple addition of "doing a move then releasing a technique." Instead, it should be like Sukuna, letting both melt into the same rhythm, even letting the technique become an extension of Taijutsu. The moment a hand is raised is the moment the technique triggers; the trajectory of Taijutsu is the path of Cursed Energy... If the connection between Taijutsu and Cursed Technique was a "detail shortcoming," then Domain Expansion was Rin's "final step" toward becoming a Special Grade Sorcerer.
This was not just a symbol of strength, but a key ability that could completely rewrite the course of a battle.
He had imagined countless times in his mind that if he could have expanded his domain when facing the pincer attack from Aoi Todo and Mei Mei, those annoying crow swarms would have been directly suppressed by the rules within the domain, and Aoi Todo's Boogie Woogie would have been useless.
He wouldn't have had to fall into such a pathetic struggle at all, and could have even easily taken down his opponents under the absolute advantage of the domain.
More importantly, mastering a domain meant he truly possessed the capital to contend with top-tier powerhouses.
Now, he might be able to defeat ordinary Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerers by relying on copying techniques and Cursed Energy advantages, but facing Satoru Gojo, Sukuna, or even stronger opponents who might appear in the future, without a domain, he would ultimately lack a "trump card."
And Rin always firmly believed that his Cursed Technique, Weapons of War, definitely contained the potential for Domain Expansion.
This technique could manifest various weapon forms like the "Rifle," "Revolver," and "Tank."
Its essence was the ultimate manifestation of "attack." Since it could derive different levels of offensive means, theoretically, it should be able to construct a domain centered around "absolute attack."
He could even faintly perceive that when he highly condensed the Cursed Energy of multiple weapon forms, a subtle "Spatial Resonance" would ripple within his body, like a door waiting to be pushed open. But no matter how he tried, he couldn't find the "key" to open the door.
He tried to forcibly merge the Cursed Energy of all weapon forms, but the result only triggered a Cursed Energy disorder, and his arm was burned by the out-of-control energy.
He studied a lot of information about Domain Expansion, but didn't have much of a clue.
The conclusion reached was that Domain Expansion has no fixed "formula"; everyone's domain is deeply bound to their own Cursed Technique and soul characteristics.
Satoru Gojo's Unlimited Void is based on the information control of the Rikugan. No one could teach him "how to develop his own domain"; he could only figure it out for himself.
That evening, the setting sun dyed the sky over the training ground a bright orange-red. Rin sat on the edge of a high platform, his legs dangling in the air.
He lowered his eyes, repeatedly condensing and dispersing Cursed Energy at his fingertips. The black-red energy mass flickered in his palm, sometimes shrinking into the sharp shape of a bullet, sometimes expanding into the heavy outline of a Tank. Every change was accompanied by subtle Cursed Energy fluctuations, yet he still couldn't touch the threshold of the "Domain."
He tried to forcibly blend the Cursed Energy of the "bullet" and the "Tank," wanting to catalyze Spatial Resonance. The result was only a violent tremor of the energy mass, which finally dissipated with a "bang," the aftershock even making his fingertips go numb.
Once, twice, three times... continuous failures were like fine pebbles, tapping away at Rin's patience.
He lowered his hand and looked at the faint curse marks remaining on his palm, his mouth unconsciously tightening. He could clearly feel that trace of "Spatial Resonance" in his body.
But every time he reached out to grab it, it was like trying to scoop the moon out of the water—he just couldn't grasp it.
Frustration quietly crept up, and even the setting sun on the horizon seemed to dim a bit.
But only for a moment, Rin took a deep breath and wiped his face. He remembered the hard fight with Aoi Todo and Mei Mei in the ruins, remembered Geto Suguru's instructions, and remembered his own determination to become stronger. Which path to the top was easy?
He raised his hand again, and black-red Cursed Energy ignited at his fingertips once more.
"If I have to take a detour, then I'll take a detour," Rin whispered to himself, clenching his other hand until his knuckles turned slightly white. "I'll find the right direction eventually."
The evening wind ruffled his clothes. The training ground below the platform was empty, with only the Cursed Energy in his palm stubbornly flickering in the twilight.
As long as he continued to explore and constantly polish the compatibility between his Cursed Technique and space, one day, he would be able to personally push open that door and truly step into the realm of a Special Grade Sorcerer.