As a Cursed Corpse, Panda's growth path was different from that of a Jujutsu Sorcerer. Opportunities to learn something applicable to both were rare, so whenever he encountered one, he naturally wanted to understand it.
Unfortunately, the person teaching them was Satoru Gojo.
"It's similar to Black Flash. As long as you have the intent, that's enough."
"..."
Everyone fell silent.
Gojo looked around, seemingly disappointed by their lack of reaction.
"What? You're not even going to complain?"
"Because you're actually right this time," Akira replied. "An Innate Domain is something extremely subjective. Everyone's inner world is different, so naturally, the process of becoming aware of it, understanding it, and gaining insight into it will be different too."
Akira did have something he wanted to complain about, but it had nothing to do with Gojo's explanation.
Rather, he was beginning to suspect that his teacher had some strange masochistic tendencies. Whenever no one complained about him, he seemed to go out of his way to give them a reason.
Still, this was a lesson, and Akira decided to keep that thought to himself.
"Correct!" Gojo raised a finger. "But that doesn't mean there aren't any tricks. For example, you can try talking to your inner self. If that doesn't work, you can use something more aggressive, like intense self-suggestion."
"Self-suggestion?" Panda repeated.
"That's right. Imagine your future self. Imagine what you'll become after breaking through your current limits. Keep that image clear in your mind and try to understand what it would feel like to reach that level. I know a few sorcerers who managed to advance to Grade One using methods like that."
Maki Zenin frowned.
"Can people really become stronger that way? It sounds like something out of a fairy tale. Just think about how strong you want to become, and suddenly you're stronger?"
Gojo pointed upward.
"Maki, after everything you've seen in the Jujutsu World, do you still think fairy tales are impossible?"
"That's not what I meant."
"I know. But think about it. Jujutsu techniques are inherited and engraved into the body from birth. That's something we already understand. Now, where does Cursed Energy come from?"
Maki considered the question.
Gojo continued before she could answer.
"Even ordinary people who can't see Cursed Spirits possess Cursed Energy. The difference is how much they have and whether they can control it. If something like Cursed Energy can be born from human emotions, is it really that strange for someone's understanding of themselves to affect how they use it?"
Maki fell silent.
She had always approached strength through training and practical results. Swinging a weapon, improving her body, and defeating stronger opponents were things she could understand.
The idea of becoming stronger through imagination sounded ridiculous to her.
Yet she couldn't immediately dismiss Gojo's explanation.
She suddenly remembered something Akira had mentioned before.
In a certain sense, competition between Jujutsu Sorcerers was also a competition of imagination.
How someone understood their technique, what they believed it could accomplish, and how far they dared to develop it could all affect their strength.
Perhaps her own thinking had been too limited.
"By the way," Gojo added, "if you have time, you can also try sitting meditation or practicing mindfulness. Quite a few Jujutsu Sorcerers throughout history have experimented with those methods."
"Do they work?" Panda asked.
"Who knows? I can't say how useful they really are."
"..."
For once, everyone appreciated that Gojo had admitted he didn't know something.
"Then how did you do it?" Maki suddenly asked.
The moment those words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Gojo turned toward her with an expression that immediately told her she had made a mistake.
She could almost hear his answer already.
After all, aside from Reverse Cursed Technique, which had genuinely troubled him for some time, Satoru Gojo had practically learned everything else without much difficulty.
Asking him about the struggles of understanding an Innate Domain was probably the same as asking a bird how it learned to fly.
Fortunately, Gojo seemed to remember that he was supposed to be teaching.
He didn't take the opportunity to brag.
"Well, becoming aware of your Innate Domain is only the first step. The real difficulty comes afterward."
He raised another finger.
"Materializing your Innate Domain, releasing it into reality, and attaching your Cursed Technique to it. When you've accomplished all three, you have a proper Domain Expansion."
The students listened carefully.
"Most Grade One Jujutsu Sorcerers get stuck somewhere around this stage. Actually, materializing an Innate Domain isn't particularly difficult. With enough Cursed Energy, enough imagination, and a solid foundation in barrier techniques, even Grade One sorcerers can manage it. Some Grade Two sorcerers can do it too."
"Then the difficult part is attaching the Cursed Technique?" Yuta Okkotsu asked.
"Exactly."
Gojo nodded.
"An Innate Domain exists on a subjective level. It's your inner world, after all. If you want that world to interfere with reality, you need to transform it through your Cursed Technique."
He paused briefly, making sure everyone was following.
"But there's a major difference between using a Cursed Technique through your own body and attaching that technique to an entire Domain Expansion or barrier. You can't just release your Innate Domain and expect everything to work automatically."
"So what happens if you expand a Domain without attaching a technique?" Panda asked.
"It'll look pretty impressive."
"And?"
"That's about it."
Panda stared at him.
Gojo shrugged.
"It might have some uses depending on the situation, but in a proper fight, it'll be far less useful than a completed Domain Expansion. Worse, it'll consume an enormous amount of Cursed Energy. Unless you have some special method, you're basically wasting your energy to put on a show."
"That sounds like something you'd do," Akira remarked.
"Hey, I'm very efficient with my Cursed Energy."
"Thanks to your Six Eyes."
"That's still my ability."
Akira had no argument against that.
Gojo smiled and continued.
"Anyway, attaching a Cursed Technique requires a deep understanding of the technique itself. You have to understand its essence well enough to transform and extend it into the form most suitable for your Domain."
He raised his hand.
"Let's use my technique as an example. My Cursed Technique is Infinity. One of its basic manifestations is a gravitational effect, which I produce through Cursed Technique Lapse, Blue."
He casually curled his fingers.
Pancham, who had been lying comfortably on Panda's shoulder, suddenly floated into the air.
"Pan?"
Before the little Pokémon could react, an invisible force pulled it straight toward Gojo.
There was no resistance at all.
Pancham waved its arms in confusion as Gojo caught it.
"See? Attraction."
Panda looked at his suddenly empty shoulder.
"Sensei, couldn't you demonstrate that with something else?"
"But Pancham is right here."
"That's not a reason!"
Ignoring Panda's complaint, Gojo continued.
"If I reverse the effect using Reverse Cursed Technique, attraction becomes repulsion. That's Cursed Technique Reversal, Red."
He gently placed Pancham back down.
"Red is one of my most commonly used techniques. The positive energy produced through Reverse Cursed Technique is especially lethal to Cursed Spirits, which makes this application extremely useful."
There was no need for another demonstration.
Throughout the lesson, Gojo had already used repulsion several times to clear the training field whenever something got in his way.
By now, everyone understood just how convenient the technique was.
"Now then, here's a question."
Gojo raised one finger again.
"If Blue attracts and Red repels, what do you think my Domain Expansion looks like?"
The students began thinking.
Yuta was the first to offer an answer.
"Control over force? Maybe something like combining attraction and repulsion, so you can freely control everything inside the Domain?"
"Not bad. That's actually what I thought at first too."
Gojo smiled.
"But unfortunately, it's wrong."
"Wrong?"
"Yep. Think about it. If my Domain Expansion was just about controlling attraction and repulsion, why would I need to expand a Domain in the first place?"
He tapped the side of his sunglasses.
"With the Six Eyes, I can already control my Cursed Technique with ridiculous precision. I don't need a Domain Expansion just to manipulate forces."
As he spoke, Gojo slightly bent one finger.
"Ouch!"
Yuta suddenly felt a sharp pain on his forehead.
He reached up instinctively.
A single strand of hair floated in front of him, held by an invisible force.
It was white.
Somehow, Gojo had managed to pick out one white strand from among Yuta's black hair and pull it free without touching him.
Yuta stared at it.
Even after hearing Gojo's explanation, seeing that level of precision firsthand was difficult to believe.
"Still can't figure it out?" Gojo asked.
No one answered.
"All right, I'll give you the answer. The real solution lies in advanced mathematics. At its core, it has nothing to do with controlling force."
Gojo turned toward Akira.
"Of course, if Akira wants to know exactly what it feels like, I can always let you experience it yourself."
"Forget it."
Akira rejected the offer immediately.
"Come on. It's a rare opportunity."
"No, thanks. Just looking at your expression tells me it won't be a pleasant experience."
Akira wasn't exaggerating.
Of all the things he could experience in the Jujutsu World, Satoru Gojo's Domain Expansion was firmly at the top of his list of things to avoid.
He knew perfectly well what happened to someone caught inside Unlimited Void.
Unless there was an absolute necessity, he had no intention of experiencing it personally.
"Hey, don't be like that." Gojo clasped his hands together and deliberately softened his voice. "Just cooperate with me a little."
Akira felt a vein twitch on his forehead.
Was this guy seriously trying to act cute?
For a moment, he almost lost control of himself. If Gojo hadn't been the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerer alive, Akira might really have punched him while his defensive technique was down.
"Stop messing around and teach us something useful," Akira said, suppressing the urge. "For example, what advantages does Domain Expansion actually provide? And more importantly, how are we supposed to deal with an enemy who uses it?"
"Eh? You're no fun."
"Teach."
"Fine, fine."
Akira stepped aside.
He already understood most of this information, including the principles behind Gojo's abilities. However, his own knowledge didn't mean the other students knew the same things.
Yuta, Maki, Panda, and Toge still needed to learn.
As an assistant instructor, Akira naturally understood that.
His job was to help guide the lesson when necessary, then let the actual teacher explain the important parts.
Besides, when Gojo was willing to teach seriously, there probably wasn't anyone in the Jujutsu World better suited for the task.
"The advantages of Domain Expansion are actually pretty simple," Gojo said, returning to his usual teaching voice. "There are only two major ones."
He raised two fingers.
"First, your abilities receive a boost inside the Domain. Second, your attacks gain a guaranteed-hit effect."
"Only two?" Panda asked.
"Only two. But those two advantages are more than enough to decide most battles."
Gojo lowered one finger.
"Let's start with the first. A Domain Expansion is created by combining your Innate Domain with your Cursed Technique. Since you're bringing your own inner world into reality, the resulting environment is naturally the one best suited for you."
He looked around at the students.
"Think about fighting someone on terrain they've prepared specifically for their own abilities. Every part of the environment favors them, while you're forced to deal with conditions you might not even understand."
Panda nodded thoughtfully.
That was easy enough to imagine.
"The second advantage is even more troublesome," Gojo continued. "A guaranteed hit."
He raised his remaining finger.
"Once a Domain Expansion is complete, the space inside it is covered by the user's Cursed Technique. In other words, you're already standing inside a completed technique."
"So even if we see the attack coming, we can't dodge it?" Maki asked.
"Under normal circumstances, that's right. You can't avoid an attack that's already guaranteed to hit you simply by moving out of the way."
Maki frowned.
For someone who relied heavily on physical ability and close combat, that sounded particularly troublesome.
Gojo continued his explanation.
"Take my Infinity, for example. Its essence can be explained through the paradox of Achilles and the tortoise."
Several students showed expressions of recognition.
"In the paradox, Achilles keeps approaching the tortoise, but the distance between them can always be divided further. No matter how close he gets, there's still another interval to cross."
Gojo held up his hand.
"That's roughly how my Infinity works. But once Domain Expansion enters the picture, the paradox is removed. Achilles finally catches the tortoise."
He looked at everyone.
"That's the general idea. Understand?"
The students began considering his explanation.
Yuta reacted first.
"I think I get it."
"Oh?"
"It's like combining Field Magic with an Innate Domain, right?"
Gojo's expression brightened.
"Exactly! That's a very good analogy."
Yuta continued thinking aloud.
"Field Magic changes the environment to favor the user, while an Innate Domain creates a space based on the user's own inner world. Domain Expansion combines both concepts, except the Cursed Technique also becomes part of the space itself."
"Right. In terms of effectiveness, it's even better than ordinary Field Magic. And compared to manifesting an Innate Domain alone, it's much more efficient because the technique gives the space an actual function."
Gojo nodded in approval.
"There's another important detail, though. Unlike what you might imagine, a Domain Expansion doesn't necessarily have to be completely closed."
"Really?" Panda asked.
"Of course. Usually, the barrier is sealed to prevent the opponent from escaping. But depending on the construction of the Domain, it doesn't always need to be closed."
Maki immediately caught the implication.
"So the barrier isn't only there to maintain the Domain. It's also there to trap the enemy."
"Exactly."
Gojo smiled.
"Now, considering everything I've told you, can you figure out how to deal with an enemy's Domain Expansion?"
This time, the students didn't need much time to think.
"If we can't win, we run," Maki answered bluntly.
Gojo nodded.
"That's certainly one solution."
Panda crossed his arms and thought for a moment before adding his own answer.
"There's no reason to fight an opponent on their own home ground. Since Domain Expansion consumes so much Cursed Energy, forcing the enemy to use it and then escaping would put us in a favorable position."
He paused, considering the possibilities.
"If we can lure out their Domain Expansion, survive long enough to get away, and wait until their Cursed Energy drops, we can fight them afterward when they're weaker."
"That's the idea," Gojo said. "Of course, actually escaping a completed Domain is another matter, especially when the opponent has gone out of their way to seal it."
Maki nodded.
Knowing what to do was simple enough.
Whether they could actually accomplish it against a powerful enemy was a completely different question.
"Salmon," Toge Inumaki agreed.
Everyone turned toward him.
As usual, he had contributed his opinion with a single rice-ball ingredient.
Akira glanced at Toge and couldn't help thinking that, at times like this, the guy really was better suited to being a repeater.