Since they were inside Rika Orimoto's Domain Expansion, Satoru Gojo had not activated Infinity.
The attack struck him squarely, but he did not even grunt. Instead, he let out an annoyingly satisfied hum.
"Now this is more like it. This is how running a dungeon should feel." Satoru Gojo grinned. "You spend all day cooped up in the lab or the infirmary. Don't you ever get bored? Come on, Shoko, when was the last time you got some proper exercise?"
"None of your business." Shoko Ieiri gave him a flat look. "If I go exercise, are you going to do my work for me?"
Satoru Gojo rolled his eyes.
"If I cover for you, who's going to cover for me?"
Neither of them could really complain about the other's workload.
Among the staff at Tokyo Jujutsu High, these two had long occupied the top spots in both workload and importance. The fact that Shoko Ieiri could use Reverse Cursed Technique and still had such heavy dark circles under her eyes said enough about how busy she was.
"Isn't there Akira?" Satoru Gojo suggested.
"He's still a student. At least let him graduate from Tokyo Jujutsu High first." Shoko shook her head. "Youth shouldn't be wasted working all day."
"You really spoil your students. Just like Makoto."
"Look who's talking. Who's the one who insists on giving students psychological counseling after every mission?"
"..."
"..."
The two looked at each other and fell silent.
Neither had anything to say about that.
In the end, they were still walking the same path. Their methods might differ, and they argued whenever they had the chance, but their ideas about protecting the younger generation had never been that different.
Unfortunately, this peaceful moment did not last long.
"Hey! Where are the mages? Stop slacking off!"
Akira's shout came from the front.
"Control! DPS! Focus fire! Burn down the boss! The next wave is coming!"
As the party commander, Akira was already shouting himself hoarse.
He had enough trouble keeping the formation together. If his teammates started chatting in the middle of combat, what was he supposed to do?
Letting people slack off during a dungeon raid was absolutely unacceptable!
"Coming, coming!"
Satoru Gojo raised his eyebrows, immediately switching back into his veteran gamer persona.
"Watch carefully. Here comes my triple combo!"
He raised his hand.
"Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue!"
Azure light flashed as the surrounding space twisted under the force of his technique.
Immediately afterward, Satoru Gojo followed up with Hollow Technique: Purple, suppressing its output to a mere one percent.
Even at such a low output, the destructive power was considerable.
Of course, Satoru Gojo was not trying to steal the show.
This was a team raid, after all.
Dealing too little damage would slow everyone down, but dealing too much damage was equally troublesome. If he accidentally pulled the boss's aggro onto himself, the entire formation would be disrupted.
Their main tank, Maki Zenin, had yet to fully return to the front line.
Besides, Hollow Purple was better suited to concentrated destruction than wide-area attacks. Its piercing power was terrifying, but it was not the best choice for clearing scattered enemies.
The remaining damage had to be supplied by the others.
"Gardevoir!"
At Akira's command, Gardevoir immediately acted.
Having strengthened herself through Calm Mind, she released a powerful Psychic attack toward the enemies ahead.
Yuta Okkotsu and Darkrai followed almost simultaneously.
Yuta had an enormous reserve of Cursed Energy. Even without relying on a complicated Cursed Technique, he could directly release it as a powerful energy blast.
Darkrai took a different approach.
"Quick Attack!"
Its figure disappeared into the shadows.
In the next instant, a dark blur shot across the battlefield. Darkrai moved rapidly between the enemies, striking and withdrawing before they could respond.
The attacks from Gardevoir, Yuta, and Darkrai came one after another, covering the areas that Satoru Gojo's Hollow Purple had missed.
"Done!"
Satoru Gojo raised his hand and gave everyone his signature thumbs-up with the same fingers he had just used to fire Hollow Purple.
His expression practically begged for praise.
Unfortunately, Akira had no time to indulge him.
"Senior Akira! The third wave is here!"
Megumi Fushiguro's report arrived right on time.
As the party's scout and support, Megumi had been monitoring the battlefield with his Shikigami.
The Divine Dogs moved around the perimeter, while Rabbit Escape spread through the surrounding area.
Both were highly mobile, making them suitable for scouting and keeping track of enemy movements.
Akira immediately issued another command.
"Formation C! Focus on control this time! Main controller, give us a big one!"
"Salmon."
Toge Inumaki stepped forward.
He had barely participated in the earlier fighting, deliberately preserving his strength for this moment.
Now it was finally his turn.
Holding a loudspeaker in front of his mouth, Toge drew a breath and shouted with all his strength.
"FALL DOWN!"
The power of Cursed Speech spread through the battlefield.
The advancing enemies were forced down, giving the rest of the team the opening they needed.
"Main tank! Are you healed up yet?"
"Yes, yes. Almost done."
Shoko Ieiri answered impatiently.
Her mouth kept complaining, but her hands never stopped working. Reverse Cursed Technique continued flowing as she treated Maki Zenin's injuries.
Satoru Gojo, who had just returned from the front line, looked at her with a grin.
"You're actually having a lot of fun, aren't you?"
"Who knows?"
Shoko brushed her hair back and glanced at him.
"Why don't you go bother your precious son instead?"
"Oh?"
Satoru Gojo immediately turned his head.
"Megumiii~"
Megumi Fushiguro's expression changed the moment he heard that voice.
"Are you having fun?"
"Go back!"
Megumi's face darkened.
"We're in the middle of combat!"
"Then after the fight, can we..."
"Swap! Main tank, with me!"
Akira completely ignored Satoru Gojo's nonsense and shouted another command.
"Coming!"
Maki Zenin responded immediately.
A moment earlier, her body had been completely relaxed as she received treatment. Now, her muscles tightened, and she launched herself forward without the slightest hesitation.
From stillness to full speed, the transition happened in an instant.
That was one of Maki's greatest strengths.
Her physical abilities were already impressive, and after repeated training with Akira, their coordination had become increasingly smooth.
The two quickly returned to the front line.
Maki was responsible for taking physical attacks, while Akira handled the attacks that relied on Cursed Energy and techniques.
With his so-called super Makoto rookie template, Akira could withstand magical damage that ordinary students would have trouble dealing with.
Of course, the sight of the two tanks being repeatedly attacked looked rather miserable.
Anyone watching from the outside might have thought they were being beaten half to death.
In reality, however, the damage they received was not particularly serious.
With their respective strengths and Shoko Ieiri providing healing from behind, the two could continue holding the front line.
"Good! That's the rhythm!"
Akira watched the formation stabilize and immediately raised his voice.
"Aggro is stable! DPS, keep attacking! Finish this wave and we'll eat big!"
"Ohhh!"
Cheers broke out among the team members.
With the two tanks holding their positions, the damage dealers could finally attack without worrying about drawing too much attention.
The entire party began moving more smoothly.
Of course, finishing the current wave did not mean they had cleared the dungeon.
Far from it.
There were still too many unknowns inside this Nightmare dungeon connected to Rika Orimoto.
Its difficulty was worthy of the Queen of Curses. Even Satoru Gojo, with all his strength and experience, found it troublesome.
How could a place like this be cleared so easily?
If it were really that simple, Akira would never have gone out of his way to bring a super healer like Shoko Ieiri into the party.
Naturally, he had obtained Yuta Okkotsu's consent before inviting her.
After all, this Nightmare dungeon was connected to Rika Orimoto, and Yuta had the right to decide who could participate.
As for Megumi Fushiguro, Akira had brought him along because the timing was perfect.
Megumi needed more experience fighting Cursed Spirit, and this was also a valuable opportunity to learn how to cooperate with others.
Having powerful Shikigami was one thing. Knowing how to use them properly in a team was another.
Akira had considered all of this before organizing the raid.
As the commander, he had always been practical.
He had no intention of rushing straight to the final boss just to prove how strong their party was.
There was no point taking unnecessary risks.
Their current goal was to advance step by step, improve their coordination, and collect as much information about the Nightmare dungeon as possible.
When they had enough experience and understood the dungeon's mechanics, they could attempt a proper full clear.
Besides, this was an exclusive dungeon.
There was no competing party waiting to steal their first-clear achievement.
Why rush?
After the current strategic objective was completed, Akira finally relaxed his pace.
"All right, mission accomplished!"
He looked over the party.
"Anyone who wants to withdraw can leave now. If you still have energy, you can stay and test the fourth wave."
"Then I'll go first."
Satoru Gojo immediately stepped forward and stretched his arms.
"It's rare to find a place where I can move around freely. Of course I'm going to fight until I'm satisfied."
He had been holding back his output throughout the raid.
For someone like Satoru Gojo, who rarely encountered enemies capable of challenging him, the Nightmare dungeon was an unusually convenient training ground.
Ever since it appeared, he had been visiting Tokyo Jujutsu High much more frequently.
Part of the reason was to protect the students.
The other part was his own training.
Perhaps Akira's earlier words had given him a sense of crisis, or perhaps he had simply realized that he could use this opportunity to improve.
Whatever the reason, Satoru Gojo had begun deliberately placing restrictions on himself.
No Infinity barrier.
No Cursed Technique.
No Domain Expansion.
He even tried fighting without relying on the advantages provided by Six Eyes.
Of course, these were different training conditions that he tested according to the situation.
Sometimes he stayed at the rear and acted as a sniper. Other times, he rushed straight to the front and fought the enemies with his bare hands.
Without his usual Jujutsu techniques, his hand-to-hand combat ability finally had a chance to shine.
Naturally, compared with his overwhelming Jujutsu, his physical combat skills were somewhat less impressive.
But that was only because the standard of comparison was Satoru Gojo himself.
Among ordinary Jujutsu Sorcerers, his hand-to-hand combat ability was already more than respectable.
Moreover, Satoru Gojo had experienced Black Flash before.
With Six Eyes helping him perceive and control Cursed Energy at an extremely precise level, his chances of triggering Black Flash were naturally better than those of most sorcerers.
Although it still could not be activated at will, he had a considerable advantage when attempting it.
And now...
Black light suddenly flashed through the azure Cursed Energy surrounding his fist.
Space twisted.
The impact struck with terrifying force, wiping out everything directly in its path.
"Yes!"
Satoru Gojo raised his fist high.
"Did you see that? I landed Black Flash!"
His expression was full of pride, as though he had just accomplished something unbelievable.
Akira glanced at him.
Then he turned toward the others.
"Anyone who still has strength left, follow Teacher Satoru Gojo! Try to seize this opportunity!"
"Yes!"
The students responded immediately.
None of them needed Akira to explain what he meant.
They had all listened to his earlier explanation about Black Flash and the special state of concentration that followed it.
The Zone.
Once a Jujutsu Sorcerer experienced Black Flash, their understanding and control of Cursed Energy could temporarily reach an entirely different level.
It was an opportunity that could greatly benefit their future development.
There was also the possibility that the state of the battle and the rhythm created by Black Flash could help others find their own chance.
Of course, one person landing Black Flash did not mean the entire party would suddenly enter that state.
There was no such convenient thing as dragging every teammate into some kind of Black Flash Domain Expansion.
Still, even a slightly higher chance was worth trying.
"Charge!"
"Before learning Simple Domain, learning Black Flash first doesn't sound bad!"
"Master Black Flash and smash the school in Kyoto!"
"Yeah!"
The students rushed forward with surprising enthusiasm.
Looking at them, it was difficult to believe they were supposed to be students of Tokyo Jujutsu High.
Under ordinary circumstances, young Jujutsu Sorcerers would have been satisfied with improving their basic combat ability and learning to control Cursed Energy properly.
These people were different.
They were already talking about Black Flash, Domain Expansion, and other top-tier or near top-tier techniques as casually as if they were discussing what to eat for dinner.
And the worst part was that they genuinely believed they could learn them.
Of course, it was easy to see where this attitude came from.
Above them was Satoru Gojo, a teacher whose example was crooked to begin with.
Below him was Akira, who was usually steady and practical but could be just as bold when it came to training and improving himself.
With those two setting the standard, how could the students possibly remain normal?
After spending so much time together, their way of thinking had gradually become similar.
They no longer looked like ordinary students.
They were more like a group of experienced dungeon raiders who had become far too comfortable challenging powerful enemies.
Even their conversations had started sounding ridiculous.
"Ten Shadows Technique isn't that amazing."
"Cursed Speech is such a pain. It's hard to learn, has too many restrictions, and isn't that useful at all."
"Triple-core Makoto isn't as strong as you think."
"Managing Cursed Energy carefully is a hassle too."
"Do you know how tiring it is to command and fight at the same time? I'm still too weak."
Each complaint sounded perfectly reasonable when coming from the person saying it.
Unfortunately, anyone else listening would probably have wanted to hit them.
Ten Shadows Technique was an inherited technique of the Zenin family.
Cursed Speech was an inherited technique that ordinary sorcerers could only envy.
As for Akira's triple-core Makoto template and his ridiculous standards for Cursed Energy control, those were even harder to compare with normal students.
Yet here they were, casually complaining about abilities and achievements that other sorcerers might spend their entire lives trying to obtain.
Shoko Ieiri listened to their conversation while continuing her work.
The more she heard, the more uncomfortable she became.
Finally, she could no longer hold back.
"Can you guys act a little more like students?"