Domain Expansion, recognized throughout the Jujutsu World as the pinnacle of “Cursed Techniques,” is the ultimate move that takes shape when a Jujutsu Sorcerer reaches the highest level of mastery in Barrier Techniques, possesses immense Cursed Energy, and has fully understood, realized, and mastered their own Cursed Technique.
By forming hand seals and using Cursed Energy to deploy a Barrier Technique, that vast amount of Cursed Energy naturally forms an Innate Domain.
Then, a guaranteed-hit Cursed Technique is infused into the Domain.
Inside the Barrier, the Cursed Energy originating from you will naturally focus its attacks on any abnormal Cursed Energy within the Domain.
By deploying “Hollow Wicker Basket,” one can expand their Cursed Energy to resist the guaranteed-hit “lock-on.” For that very reason, if Cursed Energy is not continuously channeled into Hollow Wicker Basket through the specific hand gesture, its protection is easily lost.
Before adapting Mahoraga, Gen had already deployed his own Domain.
Modern knowledge, along with his understanding of Jujutsu Kaisen from before his transmigration, allowed him to open a basic Domain with ease.
It was not Megumi Fushiguro’s half-finished Domain, but Gen’s own Innate Domain.
[Dark Surge Eightfold Still Water]
A closed Domain relies on trapping the opponent inside.
Whether from within or without, there will always be a weak point.
If that weak point is broken from either side, the Domain will collapse in an instant.
As the “strongest,” how could Gen not have considered how to solve that?
Then, what if Eightfold Still Water were like Malevolent Shrine, an open-type Domain?
With extremely advanced Barrier Techniques as its foundation, he would paint his own Domain onto a canvas without boundaries, then anchor it to fixed points and add a small Binding Vow.
After adapting Mahoraga, Gen began thinking about how to complete his own open-type Domain.
However, a purely open-type Domain would not overwhelmingly suppress a closed Domain on its own.
Sukuna’s solution was to rapidly dismantle other people’s Domains with Dismantle and Cleave, but that was not compatible with the Ten Shadows Technique.
The imitations of Dismantle, Cleave, Lightning, and the other Shikigami’s Cursed Techniques could not be attached to Gen’s Domain, because that was the Binding Vow Gen had made.
After Divine Dog Shiro was unexpectedly killed by a Cursed Spirit, Gen came up with the idea of outputting several times the Cursed Energy required to summon a Shikigami, causing the “Shikigami” to cover his body.
From there, he could use the abilities of other Shikigami the same way he used Mahoraga’s wheel.
But that was not his Cursed Technique.
Therefore, he could not do what Sukuna did, using a wide-area Cursed Technique to maintain his Domain’s combat power while also targeting closed Domains.
But Gen thought of another way.
The shrine at the center of a Domain was not irreplaceable.
Gen’s open-type Domain worked by turning himself into the “shrine,” letting the “shadows” formed from Cursed Energy surge out of his body like seawater, thereby destroying a closed Domain from within.
At the same time, this Domain was essentially an extension of his body.
He could summon the Ten Shadows Shikigami from any point within it, or use the Shikigami’s Cursed Techniques.
As for countermeasures against open-type Domains, Gen naturally had something prepared as well.
But of course, he would have to wait until he encountered another open-type Domain before he could test it.
As the street appeared once more, it meant that Ryu Ishigori’s Domain had completely shattered.
Gen’s Domain, meanwhile, remained under perfect control, limited only to the roadway without damaging the surrounding streets.
The Cursed Technique was added to the surging current of shadows.
Within that darkness, it was as if countless tentacles were lifting and entangling him, followed by the rushing shadows slicing into the bound Ryu Ishigori like sharp blades.
The surging shadows wrapped around Ryu Ishigori’s body like flowing water, while the coiling shadows gripped his flesh like threads.
Immediately after, Gen appeared from within the shadows.
Ryu Ishigori rapidly repaired his wounds with Reverse Cursed Technique while struggling to pull his fist out of the sea of shadows.
He threw a punch, but before it could hit Gen, the shadows wrapped around it again and dragged it back into the shadow sea.
Something was wrong.
His Cursed Energy was draining away.
Cursed Technique burnout prevented Ryu Ishigori from freely controlling the release of his Cursed Energy.
Worse still, the shadows were slowly stealing his Cursed Energy.
Unlike Ryu Ishigori, who was already nearly spent, Gen was currently under the layered buffs of Domain Expansion and Black Flash.
Ryu Ishigori gritted his teeth, gathered his Cursed Energy, and fired a thick, long laser of Cursed Energy.
As he released it, his pompadour nearly came undone.
The deep blue beam pierced through the body of the Gen in front of him, only for that “body” to vanish after being struck.
A moment later, a hand pressed against his back.
He had no Cursed Energy left.
The sticky black shadows clinging to him were not only restricting his movements, but also drawing out the remaining Cursed Energy in his body at tremendous speed.
He had been submerged in Eightfold Still Water for less than ten seconds, yet the Cursed Energy surging through Ryu Ishigori because of Black Flash had already been drained almost completely dry.
Ryu Ishigori gave up.
He was satisfied to have fought the strongest.
Even if he had not managed to hurt the person before him at all from beginning to end, his opponent had at least shown him the greatest respect.
He let out a breath, felt the hand pressed against his back, and waited for the fine, dense slashes to appear.
The slashes he had expected, the ones that could have cut Ryu Ishigori into tiny pieces, never came.
Instead, the black shadows slowly receded.
The tide-like mass of darkness was drawn back into Gen’s body, and the two of them landed on the asphalt at the same time.
“Hah…”
Gen let out a long sigh, then gave Ryu Ishigori a firm pat on the back.
Ryu Ishigori stumbled.
Only after realizing he had not died did he turn his head.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
The confusion on Ryu Ishigori’s face did not fade.
Against an opponent who had run out of options, the normal thing for a Jujutsu Sorcerer to do would be to unleash their Cursed Technique without holding anything back.
But Gen had not done that.
Instead, he had voluntarily dismissed his Domain.
“Why didn’t you kill me?”
“Oh, because I don’t like killing people.”
Ryu Ishigori looked at the burger being held out in front of him and fell silent for a moment.
“Eat up.
Spicy chicken burger.”
“…”
Ryu Ishigori took the burger and sat down on the steps.
He tried a bite.
Compared to the taste stored in this body’s memories, the sensation of actually eating it now made him feel the food’s flavor far more vividly.
After swallowing the burger in two or three bites, Ryu Ishigori wiped his mouth and looked up at Gen again.
At that moment, Gen was stuffing fries into his mouth, flicking them up one by one and letting them fall between his lips.
The strange little act left Ryu Ishigori rather speechless.
If not for the plates made of shadows around them, and the utterly undisguised Cursed Energy, Ryu Ishigori might have doubted whether the person beside him was really the “Strongest of Muromachi” from moments ago.
“Good, right?
Modern refined fried food is nothing like the roasted chicken and sake from ancient times.”
“Mm.”
Perhaps because he was too preoccupied with the fact that Gen had not killed him, Ryu Ishigori had wolfed down the burger so quickly that he had not actually tasted much of its “deliciousness.”
But no matter how battle-crazed he was, after facing an opponent who had already defeated him and even shown him mercy, he could not muster the desire to fight again.
In this almost one-sided battle, Ryu Ishigori felt like a child forced into a seat at a lavish feast.
Before the appetizers had even finished being served, he was already full, while the truly delicious food had only just been brought out.
What he sought was dessert.
He would leave this unmanageable main course for someone else.
“Any more?”
“Burgers?”
“Mm.”
Ryu Ishigori nodded and took another burger from Gen.
He took another bite.
The bread was soft and fragrant, accompanied by the aroma of chicken.
As he chewed, the tender texture of the meat and the crisp lettuce blended together.
With that mouthful, the sauce, meat juices, and slight spiciness burst across his tongue.
“How is it?”
“I have to admit, it’s pretty good.”
Having sorted out his thoughts, Ryu Ishigori nodded.