DOMAIN EXPANSION: 『 』
The interior of Suguru Geto's domain, which had swallowed Kokun whole, was a pale pink space paved with giant molars like cobblestones.
This domain, which evoked the inside of a mouth, was in truth the interior of Suguru Geto's own oral cavity. The swarms of cursed spirits crowding the space were the entirety of the curses Suguru Geto had subjugated until now.
Because it was a domain imbued with his own innate technique, he could manifest an overwhelming quantity of spirits in an instant. However, this sight—the quintessential application of a domain's basic effect—was not the true essence of Suguru's territory.
The change that followed was so utterly irrational that even the rampaging Kokun, who had completely lost his sanity, hesitated for a moment.
Suguru Geto had imbued his domain with the concept of his own mouth, and at the same time, he had expanded the interpretation of 'oral ingestion of cursed spirits,' which was originally supposed to be a binding vow restriction of his technique.
Namely: 'The forced absorption of cursed energy within the domain.' This domain was a complete meta-counter against sorcerers, designed to arbitrarily and dogmatically devour any and all curses.
As long as it was deployed first, its effect could even 'latch onto, crush, and erode' an opponent's domain if it was activated as a countermeasure. This was truly a new, modern anomaly.
By returning the cursed energy stolen from hostile entities to himself, his cursed spirits, and any chosen allies, he gained a unilateral advantage. By removing the sure-kill effect, he had increased the domain's durability and efficiency, demonstrating enough power to siphon away every drop of the cursed energy erupting from Kokun.
However, interference with the inside of a body—a type of domain in itself—was outside the scope of this technique. Sensing this by instinct, the rampaging Kokun channeled all his cursed energy into physical reinforcement, leaping forward with extraordinary strength in an attempt to slaughter Suguru Geto.
But.
"I'm sorry, but I'm a coward. Until quite recently, I was a very negative person, moping around and worrying about what I'd do if my best friend abandoned me. That's why the only reason I'm facing you like this is because I'm absolutely certain of my victory."
As Suguru spoke, he turned his focus toward Kokun, and a certain cursed spirit's Simple Domain activated.
"Am I... pretty?"
Yes, it was the Special Grade cursed spirit he had captured this year: the Slit-Mouthed Woman.
A domain is strong against interference from the inside but weak against interference from the outside. Taking full advantage of this characteristic, Suguru maintained the effect of 『 』 while layering the Slit-Mouthed Woman's 'Inviolable Domain' on top of it. After confirming that Kokun, who was incapable of answering due to his lost sense of self, had fallen completely silent, Suguru prioritized distributing the cursed energy snatched from Kokun to the Slit-Mouthed Woman and himself, 'locking' him down entirely.
No matter how much physical strength one possessed, resisting the Slit-Mouthed Woman's Simple Domain—its effects bolstered by Suguru's supply of cursed energy—was utterly impossible without defending with cursed energy of their own.
To be doubly sure, he used a First Grade cursed spirit with a technique that 'steals sound from space' to construct a wall of silence around Kokun. Now, it would be forever impossible for him to 'answer' the Slit-Mouthed Woman.
"Now then, I wonder how much longer you have left to live?"
Suguru Geto spoke with a truly gentle smile, yet he never lowered his guard. He protected himself behind the Rainbow Dragon, quietly waiting for Kokun's end as if slowly tightening a noose of silk.
Suguru Geto's domain, 『 』, was an ego-driven territory that stripped power from the wicked and showed favoritism to the good.
Following his heart and slaughtering the evil that imposed irrationality with an even more powerful irrationality of his own, that domain was truly worthy of a member of the 'strongest.'
In the end, Suguru waited for about ten minutes after the theft of cursed energy from Kokun had ceased. It was roughly an hour later when he finally deactivated his domain.
Walking out of the domain while carrying the remains of Kokun, who had been reduced to something resembling a withered mummy, Suguru Geto would receive a Special Grade designation following this mission.
"Satoru, Naoya, I've arrived, too. On this side."
Suguru's figure overflowed with confidence. Like a creature flaunting its newly molted form, he walked triumphantly toward the meeting point where everyone was waiting.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]