30 seconds had passed since the domain had opened, and that meant it was coming. The sure-hit effect of this domain.
I exhaled, then got into a proper stance.
"Chiral Blossom Emotions."
My new version of falling blossom emotion still suffers the same weakness as the original, I have to stand still to activate it, of course it doesn't matter in this domain where combat is prohibited.
The shroud of cursed energy, protected me from the domains sure-hit..
Just like before.
On top of the domain expansion, I could still see the green grid that was centered at Kuroda's location. He was standing still, in another minute he would finish healing.
But it doesn't matter.
This domain restricts all combat, meaning that even after he heals, he just has to watch me stall till the Kamo clan reinforcements come and shatter his domain from the outside.
He also can't just turn his domain off or he will enter burnout and I will kill him easily.
This fight is already over, no point thinking about him.
Still that feeling of a black flash, I understand everything Tomogui was talking about back then.
That sensation still lingered in my nerves — the alignment of cursed energy within 0.000001 seconds of physical impact.
For an instant, the world had felt simple.
As if jujutsu wasn't as complex as it really was. Jujutsu felt more like it was a part of me, no not just a part of me, jujutsu felt like everything.
I feel like my entire outlook on jujutsu itself is changing. The way I interpret my technique is developing.
My cursed technique, Chiral Manipulation.
How did the mirrored versions I create come into existence?
At first I always thought my cursed technique created them. Then when I became aware of my innate domain I realized that they were created in my innate domain.
But what does my innate domain represent, what does it actually mean. I called it the 'Chiral Plane' at first I thought it didn't matter much but was that unconscious decision something that came to shape my idea of the technique Chiral Manipulation?
So my technique allows me to bring out mirrored versions of the original phenomena from this plane. Given all these new things could I try mirroring myself, and what would it even do. If I don't have a clear idea of what I am expecting it won't actually work.
If I were to mirror myself it sho–
Suddenly I heard a loud crack sound coming from where the rule board for Kuroda's domain was.
A rule … shattered? The words that composed it were breaking down, what does that mean? That didn't happen last time
The rule that this happened to was … the second rule
Combat between two individuals is prohibited
A jagged line tore through the text.
'Does that mean–'
The air detonated.
Kuroda vanished and reappeared in the same instant, having built his maximum velocity while Futago's was thinking.
The impact was catastrophic.
Something slammed into my torso like a compressed meteor.
The sound barrier cracked.
I smashed into the barrier of Kuroda's domain, but this time the impact was completely different.
I tasted iron.
By the time I got up, Kuroda was already in the process of spinning his rubik's cube again, I could feel the spark of cursed energy. He was going to teleport directly in front of me.
'How did he get so much stronger, his output is almost 70% higher?' I thought, the power he is outputting is no longer manageable for me, to just tank.
'But that should be impossible, how did the rule of his domain change, altering a domain that has been set up already is an extremely difficult feat.'
Mid thought Kuroda teleported to my left, I crossed my arms to block before being sent flying to the other side of his domain.
Before I could react he teleported below me and launched me into the top of his domain, after falling I immediately retreated to a corner of his domain, placing myself back to back against his domain barrier.
'I already know how to read the spark of cursed energy, the moment he tries teleporting I will get him'
Narrator POV:
Unknown to Futago, Kuroda enacted another binding vow
By removing the rule that forbids combat between sorcerers in this domain
He managed to increase his cursed energy output by 40%.
In addition to the 20% output buff granted by his domain.
1.4 × 1.2 = 1.68
Making Kuroda's effective cursed energy output almost 170% of his original.
Back to Futago POV:
'He is going to teleport in front of me, I'll drive my fist straight into him, he won't be able to dodge, this time I will finish him off.'
Kuroda teleported exactly as I predicted, this time I will go straight through your core.
Kuroda didn't even have the time to teleport to the left to dodge my attack, I can feel that no other nodes are activating.
The moment before my fist and Kuroda were going to interact, I could feel it, the way space was folding inward it was going to happen.
Black Flash
Crack. The sound of something breaking echoed right after the impact between us.
The thing that broke wasn't Kuroda.
And the one that was blessed by the black sparks wasn't me
A sharp fracture shot up through my knuckles into my wrist. My hand bent wrong, bones misaligned under the overwhelming difference in power.
Pain lagged a heartbeat behind the sound.
Then it flooded in.
Futago's breath hitched as he staggered back, clutching his shattered hand. Even with all that cursed energy being poured into my reinforcement–
It didn't matter.
I still had the physique of a kid.
Kuroda stood where we had clashed, steam curling off his arm. His expression was no longer frantic.
I dragged myself away slightly, my other hand holding what was broken. My breathing was erratic, pain was surging through me.
It was ecstasy, I understood the expression, the feeling he must have had after landing that black flash.
"You said I'd need twice the output," Kuroda said. I could feel him looking down on me, he must have loved how it felt.
His eyes gleamed.
"I only needed this much."
"This is amazing, the way you looked down on me, you must have thought this fight was over huh"
"But now you die, thanks for teaching me about myself"
He vanished again.