Kinji Hakari was brimming with excitement, practically on fire, yet he managed to restrain himself just enough to avoid destroying the arena during his brawl with the Ox. Had he not held back, the building might've crumbled under the force of their battle, putting the unsuspecting spectators in danger.
The size difference between the two was stark, but the power behind each blow stunned the audience. Both combatants possessed terrifying regenerative capabilities. Severed limbs and brutal hits meant little in a battle where recovery was nigh instantaneous.
This was a battle of fists and spirit. Kinji Hakari's invincibility period stretched for four minutes and eleven seconds. Since this wasn't a life-or-death duel, he had the luxury to waste time.
Megumi Fushiguro, however, was nearing his limit. Expanding his Ten Shadows Technique to such a degree was already pushing his endurance. The clash between the Ox and Kinji Hakari was made possible largely due to Megumi's Domain Expansion.
Even his incomplete Domain had powerful effects, notably in amplifying the Ten Shadows. The cursed energy consumption and technical strain were mostly counteracted by the Domain itself.
But Hakari's next Domain Expansion would completely overwhelm the semi-finished one Megumi had created. The victor was becoming clear.
The once stable Shadow Domain began to boil violently. The Ox suddenly started shifting, its form flickering between substance and shadow like a dancing flame—becoming even more grotesque and formidable. It moved freely within the surging shadows of the Domain.
Hakari's punches no longer shredded flesh; instead, they passed through as if hitting liquid shadow. In contrast, the Ox's blows landed with real, tangible force. Its new form translated cursed energy into raw power. It grew in size, with massive fists and monstrous tentacles nearly swallowing Hakari whole.
Except for its head and striking limbs, the rest of its form turned fluid and intangible. Hakari took several hard hits during this new transformation, yet to him, they were just fuel for the fire.
"Hmph\~"
Hakari straightened his twisted torso, exhaled sharply, and slicked back his hair with satisfaction.
"One minute and twenty-three seconds left. Fushiguro, you can't hold out much longer, right? Let's wrap this up."
Cursed energy erupted from Hakari, nearly engulfing him in a blinding aura. Shadows swelled around him, and with blinding speed, he appeared before the Ox.
The beast, despite the gaping holes now in its torso and skull, barely flinched. Its claws snapped at Hakari from both sides, while shadow-tentacles pierced through gaps, skewering him.
Leaping into the air, Hakari twisted, delivering two spinning kicks that sliced deep into the Ox's claws. Black ichor rained down like ink. Then he seized two tentacles, ignoring the three that impaled him.
Yet the tentacles he grabbed began to melt and merge, trapping Hakari inside a fused mass. The enormous shadow limb slammed him into the ground, erupting waves of darkness.
"Haha! That's intense!"
Blood gushed from Hakari's mouth, yet he laughed as though exhilarated. He jammed both arms into the now-solidified tentacle that pinned him, tearing it apart.
"Break!"
Flooding his limbs with cursed energy, Hakari shredded the containment. Then, grabbing a retracting tentacle, he dug his feet in and pulled with raw power.
The massive Ox lost balance and was flung through the air. It crashed down hard, sending shockwaves and inky rain flying.
As Hakari prepared to repeat the move, the tentacle in his grip disintegrated into shadows. Suddenly, a monstrous head emerged from the earth, bursting upward with a tidal wave of cursed energy. The Ox had shed its lower body, replacing it with four grotesque claws that surged forward, engulfing Hakari.
Though his figure vanished, the battle music—a telltale sign of his Domain's rhythm—still echoed. He was alive.
Megumi felt blood on his lips. He was close to his limit and knew that defeating Hakari might be beyond him.
"Still not enough? My mastery of the Technique, my cursed energy output… I need to speed up the subjugation of the last Shikigami. I underestimated the gap between us."
Megumi didn't believe in invincibility. Reverse Cursed Techniques had efficiency limits and varied in quality. Hakari's regenerative power came from immense cursed energy. But Megumi believed that, with enough concentrated damage, even he could be brought down.
He had seen far more terrifying healing abilities. Compared to those, even Hakari's seemed manageable. Ideally, he would've ended this with a Domain clash—but his own Domain wasn't complete.
And sometimes, a small difference decides everything. The failure to overwhelm Hakari's Domain sealed his defeat.
"What a pity..."
This wasn't a fight against a true enemy. Megumi couldn't bring himself to use his last resort.
Boom!
Hakari's fist met the Ushi-Oni's. Their collision shattered the shadow waves. But as the Ushi-Oni began to dissolve, and the Domain faded, even the ever-present music finally stopped.
Hakari stretched and smiled.
"Fushiguro, you were excellent."
The announcer's voice boomed:
"And the victor, owner of this arena, the unshakable gambler—Kinji Hakari!"
Hakari strolled over, hands in his pockets.
"How're you holding up?"
Megumi shook his head and summoned a small Round Deer. After healing himself, his expression improved slightly.
"I didn't defeat you..."
As they walked backstage, Megumi muttered. Hakari paused, then laughed in realization.
"Ah, that? Don't worry about it. I'll wrap things up here and return to Jujutsu High with you."
Megumi looked puzzled. Just then, Panda and Kirara Hoshi joined them.
"Hakari was going back anyway," Panda explained with a shrug. "He just wanted a good fight."
Kirara nodded in agreement. Hakari chuckled.
Megumi said nothing more. The battle had pushed him to new heights, and he had no complaints. Any grievances stayed locked behind his calm demeanor.
Hakari quickly handled arena matters, delegating everything to his subordinates. Most matches here were part performance, part real fight. As long as the crowd was entertained, the illusion worked.
Hakari's absence might dim the spectacle, but operations would continue. Once things were in order, the four of them departed for Tokyo Jujutsu High.
...
The incident with the Cursed Womb—Sadako—left the world shaken. Not because of overwhelming power, but because of its potential to kill ordinary people. Had it matured fully, the death toll could have been catastrophic.
Thanks to quick intervention, disaster was averted. Yuta Okkotsu handled threats while Kamihara Hajime was elsewhere.
As a result, barrier development accelerated, and cursed tool production entered mass planning. Hajime's role focused on embedding his Technique into these systems.
Tokyo Jujutsu High led this effort, joined by key groups. Atsuya Kusakabe took on a senior position. The Zen'in Clan, the Gojo Family, and even the Kamo Clan were involved.
Hajime's rare meeting with a Gojo Clan representative stood out—the man was refined, humble, and low-key, unlike most of the Big Three Families.
The Kamo Clan, lacking cursed tool expertise, bartered with unique techniques and jujutsu research to participate.
Ultimately, Gojo's faction and Jujutsu High gained the most influence. The central forces of the jujutsu world had united. Supervisor recruitment increased nationwide.
Even some ordinary citizens born with cursed energy were welcomed into the fold.
Meanwhile, Headquarters moved to shift public attention.
A high-level curse near Kyoto was initially ranked as Special Grade. Gojo Satoru, the most logical choice, had just completed another mission—but Headquarters didn't send him.
Instead, they deployed three mysterious individuals, masked and unnamed, each reportedly possessing Special Grade power. These agents exorcised the curse with ease and were introduced as Headquarters' secret trump cards.
Even Hajime recognized the strategy. With public attention favoring the famed master-disciple trio—Gojo, Yuta, and Hajime—Headquarters risked becoming irrelevant.
This move rebalanced perception. They wanted to make sure the public didn't see only Gojo's faction as relevant. Though Gojo himself didn't care, Hajime understood the motivation.
"Let them chase titles if they want," Hajime thought. "Being Special Grade doesn't make you powerful. You're powerful, and *that's* why you're Special Grade. And even then, there are levels to that, too."
He was content to let them play their political games.
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