Awasaka Jiro himself could never hope to stand against Gojo Satoru. This was because the Strength Reversal he released had an extreme limit; if that limit was exceeded, even if he operated Strength Reversal at full capacity, he would still be broken through by Gojo Satoru. Any casual punch from Gojo Satoru augmented with Limitless could achieve this.
But it wasn't that Strength Reversal was inadequate; it was that Awasaka Jiro was inadequate!
Now, it was being released by Mahito, whose physical performance and Cursed Energy control far exceeded anything conceivable. His Strength Reversal limit surpassed anyone's imagination, and that included Gojo Satoru's!
The Supernova erupted in mid-air, yet the Crimson Lotus Demon God inside was completely unscathed! However, the infinite energy still boundlessly destroyed everything in the vicinity. If someone were to look down from space, they would see a small section of the Japanese islands appearing as a protruding red speckle, the massive repulsive force even completely excluding the air.
After this came the backdraft phenomenon.
Infinite winds were drawn into the position that was originally a vacuum. A phenomenon like a waterspout appeared boundlessly in mid-air. Next, this backdraft phenomenon would explode and spread again, and only after several such cycles could things possibly return to their original state—
—or so it should have been.
A silver light pierced through the crimson Supernova—
New Line!
The Crimson Lotus Demon God swung kirigiri broadly, the massive blade light almost covering the entire Supernova. The physical phenomenon that should have occurred was directly killed by kirigiri, which can cut through concepts. Leaping out from the explosion of the crimson Supernova were two people, completely unharmed.
Gojo Satoru, maintaining his Limitless, and Mahito, maintaining his Strength Reversal, clashed fiercely in mid-air once again!
Mahito laughed while suspended in the air. "You almost killed me, Satoru!"
"Are you a cat, Mahito?!" Gojo Satoru also laughed.
A cat has nine lives—that's a legend from the West that has now spread throughout the world. Gojo Satoru now had the illusion that the Mahito he was facing was a nine-lived cat; no matter how he tried to kill him, he could endure it. He was just too tough!
A shroud rolled up out of nowhere.
—Instant Movement!
Gojo's severed hand and leg were regenerating at high speed. In the entire work, he and Ryomen Sukuna are the only two people capable of maintaining Reverse Cursed Technique while using other techniques and engaging in intense combat.
Compare this to the Reverse Cursed Technique of the same period: the Sky Manipulation user could not regenerate her arm after it was severed by Yuta Okkotsu; Yuta Okkotsu himself barely survived being cut in half, requiring Rika and other Cursed Techniques to sustain him; Yuki Tsukumo couldn't even release her Reverse Cursed Technique while strengthening herself with her Cursed Technique and Cursed Energy—she and Kenjaku explained in the narration that it cannot be used during uninterrupted attacks.
This is the norm.
But Gojo Satoru is not the norm! Kinji Hakari is a man who can perfectly recover as long as he uses Infinite Cursed Energy, even when his severed arm has been blown to bits with no chance of reattachment. Gojo Satoru's Reverse Cursed Technique is only superior to his; as Gojo Satoru himself said, for him, there is no upper limit to the Reverse Cursed Technique!
The Crimson Lotus Demon God used Instant Movement and Uncanny Valley to fight continuously in mid-air, while Gojo Satoru kept pace using his Limitless ability to shrink space. Unlike the situation with Cursed Technique Burnout, Gojo no longer had to dodge the aftershocks of Star Rage; his Limitless could completely withstand them, allowing for close-quarters combat.
At this moment, Gojo Satoru finally realized the difference between having a weapon and not. Although his mobility was superior to that of the Crimson Lotus Demon God—whose Instant Movement and spatial swapping were excellent for aerial combat—it paled in comparison to his Limitless.
He should have held an absolute advantage, kicking the Crimson Lotus Demon God like a ball in the infinitely vast sky.
But he couldn't! Because the tip of the God-Slayer Sword, mirokuji kirigiri, was always pointed at him. The Crimson Lotus Demon God had deeply mastered the essence of the Shinin Style; even in mid-air, he swung the blade so flawlessly that not a drop of water could penetrate. Even with his Six Eyes precisely coordinating with the spatial compression of Limitless, Gojo could find no opportunity to lunge into close quarters with the Crimson Lotus Demon God.
No, even if he did lunge in, so what? Gojo Satoru had to admit that his Limitless-enhanced fists might not be able to break through that absolute defense, which even his Reversed Cursed Technique Application: Red—simulating a Supernova explosion—could not shatter.
He would need to use a Hollow Technique, and it would have to be one that didn't lack a single step—Incantations, Hand Signs, concentration, and focus—reaching 150% of its normal power. But the problem was that if he used a Hollow Technique, its stable structure would be easier for kirigiri to slice through, and the wind-up for a full release was also...
...too long. The Crimson Lotus Demon God could leisurely aim at the trajectory of the Hollow Technique and slice it apart with a single strike.
It would be fine if he could just snap that sword with Limitless, but the problem was that the sword wasn't a mere Cursed Tool—it was a Tsukumogami! When faced with an attack threatening its own existence, the Tsukumogami could trigger its own ability, New Line. Gojo was certain that if he dared try, his hand would be severed first.
The gap between the two sides was exactly that one weapon!
Gojo Satoru firmly believed that if he held a weapon capable of rivaling kirigiri, he could definitely expand his advantage and eventually secure victory. But he didn't have one; before this, he had even looked down on so-called Cursed Tools, believing he was invincible on his own and that there was no place for a weapon.
For the first time in his life, Gojo Satoru felt his own arrogance.
Usually, this would be the point where a Domain Expansion decided the outcome. As the possessor of the ultimate Domain Expansion against intelligent beings, Gojo Satoru theoretically...
...could not possibly fear a Domain battle. Before this, Gojo couldn't even imagine the possibility of losing in a Domain battle. But—the Mahito had prepared too thoroughly!
Although Gojo had vaguely realized how Mahito was immune to his Unlimited Void, he had no solution even if he knew, because it was too specifically targeted at him. Before this, he never thought an intelligent being could nullify Unlimited Void.
Even a Vengeful Spirit with thinking capacity inferior to a puppy would be hit by Unlimited Void, but the Jogo Armor lacked even a shred of thought. Unlimited Void was as ineffective as if it had hit some inorganic matter.
It was a perfect counter! What should he do?
Without hesitation, Gojo Satoru thought of the only way:
Black Flash!
Only Black Flash could break the deadlock at this moment, and it wasn't as simple as just attaching Black Flash to a punch. Because of kirigiri, Gojo suspected that even a Black Flash capable of distorting space would be sliced apart by that Tsukumogami. Thus, he had to land a Black Flash while avoiding kirigiri's blade, and it had to hit the vitals of the Crimson Lotus Demon God, who possessed Instant Movement and spatial swapping.
What harsh conditions!
Landing a Black Flash originally required luck—a very large amount of it. Even Gojo Satoru himself had once admitted he couldn't use Black Flash anytime he wanted. The difficulty of Black Flash didn't even lie within oneself; it was closely related to the current environment, the opponent, and one's own emotions.
But Gojo Satoru had to not only land a Black Flash but also meet all the harsh conditions above to secure victory.
"Can I do it?" Gojo asked himself.
Then, he laughed out loud internally:
"—Of course I can, I must be able to, I can do it easily!"
The two men, who clearly lacked true flight abilities, clashed continuously in mid-air. kirigiri's blade light and the Limitless-enhanced fists reflected each other. Every collision erupted with a massive sound, and the clouds in the sky had been completely dispersed by the shock. Continuous air explosions seemed to cover the entire world.
The displacement of both sides grew faster and faster! Eventually, the entire sky seemed filled with the two men using Instant Movement. Occasionally, they circled each other in the air like flying eagles, glaring at one another, but more often, they crisscrossed like hungry beasts meeting in the wilderness.
Gojo Satoru only felt his condition getting better and better. Limitless and Cursed Energy reinforcement were operating at an unprecedented high speed. He didn't even need to deliberately control the flow of Cursed Energy now to naturally use the Cursed Energy that usually required careful preparation.
He had a strong feeling.
It was coming.
Black Flash!
But before that, his originally spirited heart stopped for a moment. He subconsciously retreated a great distance out of shock. His mobility far exceeded that of the Crimson Lotus Demon God; as long as he wanted to retreat, he could do so at any time.
This was also why the Crimson Lotus Demon God never used Domain Expansion again after letting Jogo use it once as a sneak attack at the very beginning. As long as Gojo wanted, his Limitless could ensure it was absolutely impossible for him to be enveloped by a Domain Expansion.
The Crimson Lotus Demon God had no chance to open a Domain Expansion again!
The Jogo Armor on Mahito's body melted and dripped away like flowing water. He had actively taken off the Jogo Armor and canceled the Soul Fusion Knight.
Why? Without the Soul Fusion Knight, wasn't Mahito afraid that Gojo Satoru would immediately use Unlimited Void to start a Domain battle? Or did Mahito possess other tactics to ignore Unlimited Void besides the Soul Fusion Knight?
In fact, there wasn't such a complex reason. The logic was simple:
Jogo was holding him back!
The use of Black Flash is a dual resonance of force and physics, but this is only a surface-level relationship. If it were that simple, Gojo Satoru, known for his precision, would have been able to use Black Flash whenever he wanted. But even he had to brew for a while and maintain high emotions and a suitable opponent to land something like a Black Flash.
This wasn't a simple technical problem; it also involved some essential questions of Cursed Energy: the instant resolve when converting fear, hesitation, sadness, or habit into Cursed Energy, judged by the heart.
The reason Mahito could use the unprecedented Fusion Black Flash in the battle against Yuki Tsukumo was that he was already in sync with kirigiri, and their Cursed Energy was completely fused and linked. When hearts resonate simultaneously, the Fusion Black Flash is naturally released.
But Jogo's current state was such that he had no room for thought in order to block Unlimited Void!
A creature that cannot think, no matter how excellent, is just a stone wall. Doesn't Cursed Energy also circulate in this planet's atmosphere, and isn't it broader and more continuous than anyone's Cursed Energy? Then why can't the Earth use Black Flash? Because it is merely a natural cycle; it is a large rock with no capacity for thought.
Even if a large rock bears a great amount of force, it cannot use Black Flash. Just like Jogo now!
Mahito had a strong intuition that he could use Black Flash as early as when he was suppressing Gojo Satoru with an overwhelming advantage, but he was always just short.
And now that he and Gojo Satoru had reached this stage, logically he should have used Black Flash before Gojo, but he couldn't. Why?
Because part of his Soul was a Soul Armor completely incapable of thought. His Soul had a fatal flaw!
Therefore, Mahito had to take off the Jogo Armor and release the Soul Fusion Knight. As for a Domain battle?
"I'm about to use a damn Black Flash, who's afraid of your Unlimited Void! Isn't it just a Domain battle? Without the Soul Fusion Knight, let's have a fair and square Domain battle!"
The crimson Demon God Armor slowly flowed off Mahito's body, revealing him dressed in a haori and kimono. After the magma-like flow ran off Mahito's body, it recombined in mid-air to become Jogo.
At this moment, Jogo had completely lost consciousness. Although he kept that single eye stretched across the upper half of his face open, there was no expression in it, leaving only a void.
This was the true appearance of being hit by Unlimited Void. Even Mahito hadn't expected that even after releasing the Soul Fusion, the effect of Unlimited Void would still be operating on Jogo. Mahito suspected Jogo might be brain-dead; the only consolation was that even if Jogo was brain-dead, it didn't matter, as he could be resurrected after the battle at worst.
Mahito glanced at Jogo as he fell from mid-air, then gave his full attention to Gojo Satoru. He sought calmness within madness, placed kirigiri at his waist, and prepared in mid-air to enter the barrier of Gojo Satoru's Domain Expansion.
But it didn't happen.
Gojo Satoru did not use Domain Expansion.
Of course he wouldn't use it! In this battle, every time Mahito made an unexpected move, it was to set a trap for him. Unlike Mahito, all of Gojo Satoru's information was laid out clearly for everyone to see, so much so that after entering the combat rhythm, he was always being led by the nose by Mahito.
Mahito had opened a Domain battle and used Soul Fusion Knight ahead of time, forcing Gojo to simultaneously activate his Domain battle, only for Unlimited Void to be hard-countered by the Soul Fusion Knight, making the fight extremely uncomfortable for him.
Then, to break through the Coffin of the Iron Mountain, he naturally chose to use a Hollow Technique, wanting to blast it apart in one go. He then noticed Mahito assuming an Iaido stance, seemingly wanting to clash with him. He thought it would be a Beam Struggle like in a manga, but he didn't expect Mahito's Iaido to be so rapid; he was cut in half instantly.
If he hadn't set up a Reverse Cursed Technique to guard against this, he would have died then!
After finally escaping the predicament of the Domain battle, he thought he would have a hearty Cursed Energy battle without techniques against Mahito. Instead, this bastard didn't follow the rules of engagement at all; he didn't suffer from Cursed Technique Burnout and used Star Rage to bully a blank slate who could only use physical strength.
If he hadn't evolved an Aerial Double Jump on the spot and used a Binding Vow to barely sustain his life, he wouldn't have been able to stall until the Reverse Cursed Technique healed his Cursed Technique Burnout. He would have been dead for sure.
It could be said that in these short thirty minutes, he had approached death twice, barely crossing the tightrope each time.
And now, Mahito was making another unexpected move. How could Gojo Satoru mindlessly charge in again?!
This wasn't the Domain Expansion duel against Ryomen Sukuna in the original work. Although that duel was also thrilling, ultimately, with Gojo Satoru's intellect and cursed arts operational ability, there were other solutions. Ryomen Sukuna himself would also bear the cost of Cursed Technique Burnout, which was within Gojo Satoru's common knowledge, so Gojo Satoru was fearless.
But this bastard Mahito was different. He had truly created a bunch of things that perfectly countered him, purely to drive Gojo Satoru to his death.
Could it be that a man like Gojo Satoru must be pushed to the brink to be satisfied? Or is it that a man like Gojo Satoru cannot fight outside of a Domain battle?
Don't be ridiculous, don't underestimate me!
So, what if my Domain Expansion is unilaterally sealed? I'll use my Limitless and my fists to take you on!
In the blink of an eye, Gojo Satoru used the space-shortening ability of Limitless to arrive in front of Mahito, who had just released Jogo. His Six Eyes burned fiercely, and the Cursed Energy throughout his body surged like a raging tide. He placed his hand at his waist, making a charging motion, and just as he reached Mahito, his fist suddenly shot out.
A Charged Heavy Punch, and—
Black Flash!
At this moment, Gojo Satoru's emotions finally reached their peak. His calm reasoning and wild passion coexisted, harmoniously beautiful like the fusion of cold and heat. The circulation of Cursed Energy no longer needed the Six Eyes to drive it; his body's instincts were responding to Gojo Satoru's soaring heart. With the maximum degree of Limitless and physical reinforcement, he swung a strike brimming with killing intent.
With this one strike, he would break through the predicament and seize victory!
"I win, Mahito! You're a step too slow!" Gojo Satoru roared in his heart.
In the next instant, his Six Eyes saw black flames ignite on the tip of the kirigiri blade, and Mahito's hand gripping the hilt also ignited with black flames simultaneously. In an instant, the black flames from the tip and hilt spread across the entire blade, dyeing the silver-moon-like kirigiri blade as black as the abyss.
This was the true double Fusion Black Flash—
—Divine Sword Mukū Kūshiki.
"How could I let you not enjoy yourself to the fullest, Satoru?" Mahito chuckled in his heart.
The Black Flash fist and the Divine Sword blade struck each other at the same time!
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