After learning the conditions required for Ronova’s growth, Gojo Satoru completely abandoned any intention of exorcising her.
At first, his plan had been simple.
A newly born cursed spirit, no matter how extraordinary, could easily be eliminated before it had the chance to mature.
However, once he realized Ronova possessed the potential to one day threaten even his life…
His old habit resurfaced.
Gojo Satoru had always enjoyed gambling on possibilities.
Rather than destroying a promising opponent before they could grow, he preferred watching them reach their full potential.
Now, after hearing about Ronova’s ideals and understanding the way she became stronger, his final doubts disappeared.
A cursed spirit that sought to preserve the natural balance between life and death…
…wasn’t necessarily an enemy.
If nurtured properly, she might even become an ally someday.
Finally, Gojo made his decision.
“From now on, you’ll stay with me.” “I’ll help you grow stronger.” “But in return…” “You’ll remain under my supervision.” “If I ever find your actions contradicting your words…” He smiled.
“I won’t hesitate to exorcise you.” Ronova was simply too dangerous to be allowed complete freedom.
If she went out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Yet killing such a unique existence before knowing what she might become felt equally wasteful.
Keeping her close was the safest choice.
Ronova had no objections.
In fact…
It was exactly what she wanted.
She would have protection from the strongest sorcerer alive.
She would also enjoy free housing…
Free meals…
And an unlimited budget.
As the strongest jujutsu sorcerer of the modern era, Gojo Satoru certainly wasn’t short on money.
Living with him was basically winning the lottery.
As part of their arrangement, Ronova handed Gojo a single black feather.
It served as proof that he had successfully dealt with the newly born cursed spirit.
After all, countless people had witnessed the terrifying cursed energy storm.
Everyone knew Gojo had personally gone to investigate.
Returning empty-handed would only raise suspicion.
By presenting one of Ronova’s feathers as evidence, the higher-ups would naturally assume the cursed spirit had already been exorcised.
For Ronova…
It also meant she could disappear from the public eye.
A win-win situation.
…
Under Gojo’s arrangements, Ronova quickly changed out of the extravagant outfit she had originally manifested with.
Gone were the dramatic black veils and ceremonial robes that made her look like a self-proclaimed dark queen.
Instead, she changed into an ordinary oversized T-shirt and a pair of casual shorts.
Even then…
Her figure stretched the loose shirt enough to make it obvious it wasn’t quite as oversized as intended.
Her long, fair legs only added to the impression.
Looking down at herself, Ronova sighed.
“If this were my previous life…” “I’d probably be admiring someone like this from afar.” Now…
She was that person.
It was still a little surreal.
Besides changing clothes, she also moved into the house Gojo had prepared for her.
Considering the danger she represented, he deliberately chose a detached house in a secluded area.
Comfortable.
Quiet.
Private.
It almost felt like she was being secretly kept by someone.
“…Not bad.” Ronova shamelessly accepted her new life.
Once she had settled in, she finally had time to carefully examine her own abilities.
As the Curse Spirit born from humanity’s fear of death…
Everything she possessed revolved around the concept of death itself.
The first was her innate technique.
All Things Die.
Its effect was deceptively simple.
It bestowed the concept of death upon its target.
Anything capable of possessing a “death” could theoretically be killed.
Humans.
Sorcerers.
Cursed Spirits.
Even abstract phenomena.
Space.
Time.
Or even cursed energy itself.
The technique ignored conventional durability.
It directly imposed the result known as death.
An absurdly overpowered ability.
Naturally…
It also came with an equally absurd drawback.
The amount of cursed energy consumed was enormous.
The stronger or more abstract the target, the greater the cost.
In theory…
Ronova could simply declare Gojo Satoru dead.
Unfortunately…
That remained only a theory.
The cursed energy required to kill someone of Gojo’s level was far beyond what she currently possessed.
For now…
It was impossible.
Besides All Things Die, she possessed another ability.
The Feather of Death.
The black feather she had given Gojo was one of these.
Each Feather of Death was the physical manifestation of the concept of death itself.
Against living beings…
It possessed an almost absolute killing property.
Anyone pierced by a Feather of Death would suffer a wound imbued with death itself.
Even a Reverse Cursed Technique would struggle to heal such an injury.
However, these feathers were extraordinarily precious.
Only deaths personally witnessed by Ronova had an extremely small chance of producing one.
Each Feather of Death was also a single-use item.
Once activated…
It disappeared forever.
At present…
Ronova possessed only four feathers.
After giving one to Gojo…
Only three remained.
Fortunately…
She wasn’t completely broke.
…
Thanks to Gojo’s connections, Ronova quickly obtained a legal identity.
With proper identification came a phone.
With a phone came social media…
Online shopping…
And games.
Life immediately became much more enjoyable.
This led to an unexpected scene when Gojo visited her house one afternoon.
Ronova sat on the sofa wearing headphones, completely absorbed in an online match.
“What are you aiming at?!” “You actually missed a skill shot from that distance?” “If you’re this bad, go raise pigs instead of playing ranked!” “Oh?” “You still dare talk back?” “Keep talking and I’ll personally come to your house!” Gojo stood silently at the doorway.
“…” “…” Was this really the terrifying Special Grade Cursed Spirit that had frightened even him?
Why did she sound exactly like an internet-addicted gamer?
After several seconds of speechless silence…
Gojo cleared his throat.
Ronova immediately paused the game.
“I’ve got something for you.” “What?” Gojo smiled.
“Let’s go.” “I want to see what your abilities can actually do.” “If you perform well…” “I’ll reward you.” Ronova narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
A reward?
Or are you planning to watch my abilities…
Then immediately decide I can’t be allowed to live?
Knowing Gojo’s personality…
She ultimately chose to trust him.
Not that she really had another option.
She couldn’t beat him anyway.
…
One advantage of living in such a remote location…
Was that no one would be disturbed by whatever happened next.
Standing in an open clearing surrounded by trees…
Gojo casually slipped both hands into his pockets.
“Come on.” “Attack me.” Ronova immediately became excited.
Then…
She froze.
She had absolutely no combat experience.
How was she supposed to fight?
After thinking for a few seconds…
She decided on the simplest solution.
Just punch him.
She charged straight toward Gojo with surprising speed.
Watching her straightforward attack…
Gojo sighed inwardly.
She really has no fighting experience.
No footwork.
No feints.
No cursed energy reinforcement.
Just a punch.
Then again…
She had only been born yesterday.
Expecting technique from a newborn cursed spirit would be unreasonable.
Gojo didn’t even bother dodging.
He simply stood still.
As Ronova’s fist approached…
It suddenly stopped mere centimeters from his face.
Infinity.
The neutral state of the Limitless.
By infinitely dividing the space between himself and any incoming object, every attack slowed to a halt before ever reaching him.
An untouchable defense.
Ronova wasn’t surprised.
She already knew exactly how Gojo’s technique worked.
And fortunately…
Her own innate technique happened to be one of the rare abilities capable of interfering with concepts themselves.
She smiled.
“So…” “You rely on Infinity?” “Then…” Die.
In that instant— Ronova activated her innate technique.
All Things Die.