As it turned out…
Even Infinity could not completely resist the concept of death.
The instant Ronova activated her innate technique— Gojo Satoru’s expression changed.
For the first time in years, he felt something impossible.
His seemingly invincible Infinity was…
weakening.
Not broken.
Not bypassed.
But dying.
The concept that sustained Infinity was being targeted directly.
However— The phenomenon lasted only a brief moment.
Ronova was the first to reach her limit.
“Hah…” She staggered backward, breathing heavily as she immediately withdrew the command of death she had imposed upon Infinity.
The cursed energy consumption was simply too overwhelming.
Theoretically…
Killing the concept of Infinity was possible.
But theory and reality were two entirely different things.
With her current reserves of cursed energy, attempting to erase Gojo’s technique was like trying to empty an ocean with a spoon.
Completely impossible.
Even so…
Gojo remained stunned.
He had expected a cursed spirit born from humanity’s fear of death to possess terrifying abilities.
But seeing it firsthand was an entirely different experience.
His technique…
The inherited technique of the Gojo Clan…
The strongest defense in the modern era…
Had almost been affected.
It was absurd.
If Ronova ever accumulated enough cursed energy…
Wouldn’t she be capable of killing Infinity outright?
Wouldn’t she be capable of killing…
Him?
For a brief moment— Even Gojo seriously considered the possibility that this cursed spirit should never be allowed to mature.
She was a monster.
One that would become invincible once she reached her full potential.
Then again…
Gojo Satoru had always enjoyed raising monsters.
If he stopped taking risks…
He wouldn’t be Gojo Satoru anymore.
In the end— He simply laughed.
“As expected…” “You’re interesting.” Keeping his promise, Gojo treated Ronova to an extravagant meal at a nearby restaurant.
It was her reward.
The following weeks passed peacefully.
Ronova spent most of her time gaming, browsing the internet, and watching videos.
Whenever Gojo had time, he also taught her the fundamentals of jujutsu.
For example— Black Flash.
Although it was famous as a phenomenon used by sorcerers, Black Flash was not exclusive to humans.
Any being capable of manipulating cursed energy could theoretically perform it.
Black Flash occurred when cursed energy was applied within 0.000001 seconds of a physical impact, causing spatial distortion and increasing the attack’s destructive power by an exponent of 2.5.
It was the ultimate demonstration of cursed energy control.
Unfortunately…
Ronova had yet to perform one.
After all…
She had only been born recently.
In her own eyes, she was still a complete beginner.
Objectively, however…
She was anything but weak.
Even without combat experience, Ronova’s cursed energy reserves had already reached the level of a Grade 1 Sorcerer.
Combined with her absurd innate technique…
Very few Grade 1 sorcerers stood any chance against her.
Even weaker Special Grade sorcerers would need to take her seriously.
The only person who made her feel utterly hopeless…
Was Gojo Satoru.
Against anyone else…
Victory wasn’t impossible.
Of course— Real combat was never determined by raw strength alone.
Experience.
Mental state.
The battlefield.
Timing.
Decision-making.
Every one of these factors could completely overturn the outcome of a fight.
Ronova was especially lacking in practical combat experience.
In a real battle, she could easily lose to an opponent far weaker than herself if she made enough mistakes.
Nevertheless…
When it came to pure offensive power— She was terrifying.
Gojo once explained to her that a sorcerer’s destructive power wasn’t determined solely by the amount of cursed energy they possessed.
Instead, it was influenced by two major factors.
Output = Cursed Energy Output + Cursed Energy Control Simply possessing enormous cursed energy reserves did not automatically make someone stronger.
Take Yuta Okkotsu, for example.
His total cursed energy surpassed Gojo Satoru’s.
Yet no one would claim his techniques produced greater destructive power than Gojo’s.
The reason was simple.
Cursed energy output and cursed energy efficiency were different concepts.
Imagine two sorcerers each spending one unit of cursed energy.
One might produce one unit of destructive force.
The other could produce five.
Although they consumed the same amount of energy…
The results were completely different.
That difference came from output efficiency.
Gojo Satoru stood at the pinnacle of the modern era in this regard.
His control over cursed energy was nearly flawless.
Yet…
Ronova was something else entirely.
She was an anomaly.
First— Her total cursed energy had virtually no theoretical limit.
As long as she continued witnessing death and maintaining the balance between life and death…
Her cursed energy would continue growing.
Someday…
Her reserves might even surpass Ryomen Sukuna’s.
More frightening still— Her output efficiency was arguably even higher than Gojo’s.
After all…
She wielded the authority of death itself.
Just moments ago, with her relatively small amount of cursed energy…
She had nearly caused Infinity to “die.” If Gojo himself possessed only the same amount of cursed energy she currently had…
He almost certainly couldn’t have produced the same result.
That alone demonstrated how terrifying Ronova’s innate technique truly was.
She wasn’t merely gifted.
She was a monster.
One whose upper limit had yet to reveal itself.
Besides improving her combat knowledge…
Ronova also pieced together the current timeline.
It was one year before the main story of Jujutsu Kaisen.
The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons had yet to occur.
However…
It was close.
October had already passed.
December 24th— The day Suguru Geto would launch the Night Parade— was rapidly approaching.
Ronova wasn’t particularly interested in interfering.
She had no intention of challenging Geto.
Her priority was becoming stronger.
And the fastest way to grow…
Was witnessing death.
Where could she witness death most consistently?
Hospitals.
Without hesitation, Ronova began visiting hospitals throughout Tokyo.
Ignoring the strange looks from passersby, she quietly searched for patients nearing the end of their lives.
Eventually…
She found one.
An elderly man lay peacefully in a hospital bed.
His breathing had become weak.
His children surrounded him, tears streaming down their faces as they held his hands.
An ordinary scene.
One repeated countless times every day.
Ronova said nothing.
She simply watched in silence.
A few moments later— The old man released his final breath.
At that instant…
Ronova felt a subtle warmth spread throughout her body.
Her cursed energy increased.
Only a little.
But unmistakably.
“So that’s how it works…” She began analyzing the phenomenon.
Perhaps…
The amount of cursed energy gained depended on the significance of the death she witnessed.
The stronger the deceased…
The greater the reward.
If that assumption was correct…
Then witnessing the death of ordinary people would never allow her to grow rapidly.
But what if…
She witnessed the death of Gojo Satoru?
Or Ryomen Sukuna?
The increase would probably be unimaginable.
Then another thought crossed her mind.
Someone whose death would occur very soon.
Someone powerful enough to dramatically accelerate her growth.
Suguru Geto.
If she could witness Geto’s death after the Night Parade…
Her strength would undoubtedly increase by an enormous margin.