Souma Gojo held the Prison Realm in his palm, his eyes shimmering with a strange, calculating light.
The Prison Realm—crafted from the remains of the monk Genshin—possessed the power of absolute sealing. Its internal physical laws were a distortion of reality. Satoru Gojo had used the spatial irregularities within to grasp his own Maximum Technique, mastering atomic-level gravity to transition from merely affecting space to utterly dominating it.
It was formidable. But Souma had no intention of treading the exact same path as his brother. It wasn't about competition; it was about the fact that he had glimpsed a deeper, more profound trail.
Beyond its spatial oddities, the Prison Realm's flow of time was entirely disconnected from the outside world. Time—the most enigmatic variable in the universe. If he could manifest a Maximum Technique tied to its flow, Souma knew he could definitively suppress even Sukuna.
"So... how does the Prison Realm warp the passage of time?"
Souma focused his mind, feeling the fog of mystery beginning to lift. Time dilation... gravity...
He recalled a concept from a film he'd once seen, Interstellar. A planet, due to the extreme gravitational pull of a nearby black hole, experienced time much slower than the rest of the universe—a few hours on the surface equated to decades elsewhere. According to Einstein's General Relativity, gravity curves spacetime, and that curvature dictates the motion of matter and energy.
The "Limitless" technique, at its most fundamental level, was the manipulation of gravity.
If he viewed himself as a celestial body—and assigned himself "imaginary gravity" the same way he gave "Hollow Purple" imaginary mass—he might be able to alter his own temporal flow.
A spark of enlightenment flashed in his mind. Maximum Technique: the pinnacle of an innate technique's evolution.
Souma's eyes snapped open. An invisible, imaginary gravitational field flowed through his body like liquid silk.
"Maximum Technique: Aeon."
Aeon—representing the infinity of time.
In an instant, the world fell silent. Souma stood up and looked at a butterfly nearby. It hung suspended in mid-air, the vibration of its wings slowed to a tectonic crawl.
Souma hadn't stopped time for the universe. To stop entropy in a specific region or across the cosmos was a feat beyond any sorcerer. Instead, he had accelerated his own flow of time to the extreme. If he moved fast enough, the rest of the world effectively became a statue.
He reached out and gently plucked a falling leaf before it could hit the ground.
The next heartbeat, the butterfly fluttered away, and the world regained its frantic pace. Or rather, Souma had returned to the "slow" reality of everyone else.
"Phew..." He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. "Once a day? And for only ten seconds?"
He wasn't disappointed. This was a god-tier ability—ten seconds of absolute invincibility. If he could spam it, the world would lose all meaning.
"Ten seconds is plenty. But..." Souma murmured to himself, "Is a Maximum Technique truly limited to the innate technique? Can the peak of other skills evolve? Like... a Domain?"
His curiosity was piqued. If the limit of a technique was a Maximum, what lay at the end of a Domain? An open-barrier type? Or perhaps stripping the Domain's effect away from the barrier entirely?
Take his "No-Man's Land"—its effect was the forced deprivation of all cursed energy. If he could manifest that effect as a standalone technique, what would its Maximum be?
"Gojo-sensei!"
Two figures suddenly appeared before him. Souma blinked, emerging from his deep trance. He was surprised; he hadn't even noticed them approaching.
He looked up at the arrivals. One had a sharp pompadour and the face of a middle-aged man who had seen too many smoky bars—Hakari Kinji, a third-year student at Jujutsu High. Beside him was a girl—or so she seemed—with a ponytail, a pure and cute face, and an off-the-shoulder top. This was Kirara Hoshi, also a third-year.
Hakari and Kirara were a couple. The catch? Kirara was a man. A fact that always left Souma questioning Hakari's "type"—did he like men, women, or just anyone who looked good?
"Hey, hey! Gojo-sensei!" Hakari laughed loudly. "You were totally spaced out just now. That's a fatal mistake in our line of work, isn't it?"
Souma's face darkened slightly. He smiled with a hint of a threat. "Hakari, your recommendation for promotion to Grade 1 is currently sitting on my desk for review."
"..." Hakari froze. "Sensei, that's a total abuse of power!"
"Zip it! During the Tokyo incident, you two beat up those conservative-faction kids from the Big Three. I was the one who bailed you out!"
Souma rolled his eyes. Sorcerers were a divided bunch. Beyond clans and schools, they were split into the "Traditionalists" and the "Modernists"—or the Simple vs. the Complex.
The conservatives loved simple, straightforward techniques with high output. Hakari and Kirara, however, were the kings of complexity.
Kirara's technique, "Interstellar," was a headache to explain. Essentially, it marked cursed energy with the five stars of the Southern Cross. A target had to follow a specific sequence of stars to get close to another; otherwise, they'd be repelled. It required immense mental processing and split-second reaction time. High ceiling, but a very low floor for anyone without the brains for it.
As for Hakari's technique... it was even more convoluted. If one had to summarize it in a single word: Gamble.
Because their techniques were deemed "unorthodox," they were marginalized by the higher-ups. After their brawl with the conservative students, they had been suspended. Currently, they were running an underground fight club/casino. Ironically, Hakari, who never lost when using his technique, was a chronic loser when gambling in his free time. He was often so broke he relied on Kirara for "subsidies."
That was why he had applied for Grade 1 status—the pay raise.
"I have a mission for you," Souma said. "If you complete it, I'll approve your Grade 1 rank and arrange for double the standard salary."
Hakari's eyes went wide. "For real?"
Souma nodded. "For real. But be warned: this mission is going to be intense. Your opponent will be at the level of a Special Grade sorcerer."
"I'm in!"
Hakari didn't hesitate for a second. It wasn't just the respect for the double paycheck—it was the thrill. A Special Grade-level opponent? That was a high-stakes play if ever there was one.
"That fast?"
"Of course!" Hakari grinned, his eyes burning with a manic energy. "Because... I live for the 'fever'!"
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