Riko has already fainted.
Gojo Satoru, whose Cursed Energy felt completely frozen, glanced at Riko Amanai lying unconscious on the ground.
"This is terrible."
Gojo stared, shocked and suspicious, at the white-haired man who resembled him in both looks and manner—about seventy or eighty percent similarity. Moments ago, this thing had claimed to be his ancestor.
"Utterly ridiculous."
All of the Gojo Family's ancestors lay obediently in the clan ancestral hall; there weren't even any bones left, let alone corpses. None of them were out and about.
"Wait."
Gojo suddenly recalled an exceptionally troublesome incident that had happened within the family.
If he connected those two barely related events, the man in front of him might actually be his ancestor.
Because the family
really had lost an ancestor... Had Gojo not taken the mission to protect the Star Plasma Vessel, he would probably still be nagged by the old fossils at home to search for it.
Those old geezers cared too much about face; the ancestral hall was the core of every major clan.
Yet someone had sneaked in and stolen one of the skeletons—if word got out, where would the Gojo Family put its face? They'd be laughed to death.
What else would you call that but trash?
How did those old coots still have the nerve to rush him every day? It wasn't Gojo who lost the thing.
Gojo wondered what those guys wanted with his family's ashes.
And now, lo and behold, they had actually summoned his ancestor.
Disturbing the souls of the dead and all that.
Why did jujutsu have so many random Cursed Techniques?
"Six Eyes, appearing once every five centuries—the legendary eyes of the Gojo Family."
Gojo Shinyan gazed at Satoru's crystal-clear eyes; even the most brilliant sapphire would look dull before them.
He showed an appreciative smile.
"So roughly three hundred years have passed."
The previous Six Eyes had emerged two centuries before Gojo Shinyan was born; he never expected to be revived in the modern age and finally see the Six Eyes he'd dreamed of in his youth.
Xin Yan shook his head; the arm he'd rested on Satoru's shoulder slid into his kimono sleeves as he stepped away.
"I can move again."
Because that bastard released the binding, Gojo felt the pressure vanish.
The stalled Cursed Energy broke through the obstruction and flowed freely once more; the near-absolute defense of Limitless resumed operation.
Only Limitless can suppress Limitless.
With the stranger's intent unknown, Gojo decided not to invite trouble.
"Kid, don't be hasty."
Reading his intention, Xin Yan spoke in a relaxed tone.
"I'm thinking—wait a moment."
Yet that simple warning carried overwhelming pressure for Satoru.
He sensed that if he tried to leave with Riko Amanai now, something very unpleasant would happen.
For example, Riko's death.
"Damn it."
For once, Gojo understood what it felt like to have his life in someone else's hands; he clenched his wrist.
Though the original caster's contract still lingered in his mind, it wasn't unbreakable for Xin Yan.
What clan head could bear to kill the most promising youngster of his own bloodline?
The same was true for Gojo Shinyan.
Clan benefit was supreme.
So Xin Yan, revived from death, considered how he and his dear descendant could join forces and accomplish something meaningful.
Two users of Limitless—just thinking about it was terrifying.
One was the era's strongest; the other still green, yet destined for the top—an alliance of titans.
The only problem: time was limited.
Because the Curse User who summoned Xin Yan was too weak.
Who wouldn't want to live longer if they could?
After testing, Xin Yan realized this wasn't true resurrection—more like summoning a shikigami.
Using Cursed Techniques accelerated the drain.
If he did nothing, he could remain in the world for two days at most.
At full Cursed Energy output, he might last less than an hour—worst case, half an hour—before turning to dust.
So he had to decide how to squeeze the greatest profit before his eyes closed.
Xin Yan pondered carefully.
"Tengen is still alive? And what's with this country's Barrier?"
Did Tengen intend to destroy the nation?
Xin Yan looked skyward; the lofty Barrier was funneling all the world's Cursed Energy into this country.
This era was wrong.
And the bastard capable of reviving him and attempting to control a dead soul—
Had Xin Yan been weaker, he might have become a puppet.
He knew he had crushed that guy into molecules in an instant.
Yet the bastard hadn't died.
The seasoned Xin Yan had merely destroyed a clone.
Kenjaku, having once bled badly at Kenmyo's hands and nearly died, no longer risked using his real body.
Even for the ritual to revive the Gojo ancestor, Kenjaku was too cautious to show up.
A total coward.
Xin Yan found the bastard's aura oddly familiar, yet he couldn't place it.
Still, three centuries had passed since Xin Yan's era.
Could another millennium-old being like Tengen exist?
Impossible.
Hunt him across the world? Forget it.
Xin Yan might not even live that long.
So there was little he could do.
"Brat, let's wipe out the other two of the Jujutsu World's Big Three Families."
That sudden remark made Gojo Satoru choke.
Gojo Shinyan considered letting the Gojo Family crown him the eldest, but judging by the reaction, it wouldn't fly.
"No? Of course not."
"Get serious, you old fossil."
Gojo Satoru had assumed he was pondering something weighty.
Only to find the first words out of his mouth absurd—teaming up to wipe out the other two of the Jujutsu World's Big Three clans.
This is an era of peace, after all.
If they actually did it, Gojo Shinyan could just pat his rear and leave, leaving Gojo Satoru to face the fallout alone.
Forget the rest, the Jujutsu Sorcerer Association's order would collapse. With the checks of the Big Three gone, the Association would almost certainly spiral into savage growth.
"Haha, I was joking. Don't get so worked up."
"You—!"
Veins popped on Gojo Satoru's forehead—pure fury.
How could anyone spout such irresponsible nonsense?
Or did the older generation just love settling things with brute force?
They never considered consequences; even the reckless young master Gojo Satoru could see the bigger picture.
Talking to this man was exhausting—normal logic didn't apply.
He didn't realize that in others' eyes, Gojo Satoru was much the same.
Only now, seeing a carbon copy before him, did Gojo Satoru grasp how punch-worthy he himself could be.
Gojo Shinyan sighed.
For someone who couldn't linger in this world much longer,
the single most valuable and immediate thing he could do was clear.
Use the last spark of his life to ignite this kid.
"I never asked your name. I'm Xin Yan, 28th head of the Gojo Family."
Gojo Shinyan introduced himself.
"Satoru. Gojo Satoru."
Gojo Satoru said.
"Satoru—truly a fine name."
The corner of Gojo Shinyan's mouth curled slightly.
"So, Satoru, care to play a game with me?"
"A game? What kind?"
"Try to beat me."
Are you kidding me, old man?
"With your eyes, you must see my Limitless is still incomplete."
Gojo Satoru's eyes widened.
The memorial tablets in the Gojo ancestral hall are ranked upper, middle, lower.
If he recalled correctly, this bastard's tablet stood at the very front.
Only six tablets in total qualified for that spot.
The so-called center stage.
Only the era's supreme powerhouse earned the right to have their tablet placed there, the first sight for descendants to revere.
A call to follow their example and spread the Gojo Family's glory throughout the Jujutsu World.
Gojo Satoru had yet to claim the title of strongest.
His friends Kenmyo and Suguru Geto weighed heavily on him.
To earn the title he still needed time—at the very least, his current mastery of Limitless wasn't enough.
Proud as he was, he wasn't blind; their brief clash had already shown the gap.
Anyone whose ashes could occupy the Gojo Family's most honored spot was indeed extraordinary.
Gojo Satoru acknowledged Gojo Shinyan's strength.
"No way! That's bullying the young."
Gojo Satoru shook his head.
"I could call you great-great-grandpa, yet you're still going all-out on a junior—where's the fun in that?"
"Really? But I think your Limitless should be stronger than mine."
Gojo Shinyan pointed at his own red irises, so different from Gojo Satoru's.
"You have the Six Eyes; I don't."
The Gojo genealogy is clear: only the Six Eyes can fully master Limitless.
"Believe it or not, my Limitless isn't as mighty as you think."
Gojo Shinyan spoke these words to encourage Gojo Satoru.
But Gojo Satoru wouldn't take the bait.
Gojo Shinyan shook his head.
His intent was to spark Gojo Satoru's own Limitless through their clash,
helping him find his own path within the technique.
But that required willingness; forcing the issue was pointless.
"Then let me sweeten the pot."
Gojo Shinyan merely opened his hand,
and Riko Amanai, shielded behind Gojo Satoru, floated up as if seized by Telekinesis.
Glass-like panels appeared around the girl, forming a diamond-shaped, airtight crystal that encased her completely.
To Gojo Satoru, it looked as though the old bastard had locked Riko Amanai in a crystal coffin to suffocate her alive.
"Riko!"
Gojo Satoru smashed his fist against the glass, even using something akin to Black Flash,
dense Cursed Energy coating his fist, yet it couldn't break through; instead, his arm shook, numb from the impact.
Gojo Shinyan said nothing, only crooking a finger; the crystal coffin shot skyward like a rocket, five hundred meters above ground.
"Like I said, I just want a proper fight with you."
Gojo Shinyan continued with a smile.
"If I'm right, that child is Tengen's Star Plasma Vessel, and you're running around with her to dodge those Curse Users."
A helpless look crossed Gojo Shinyan's face.
Seeing Gojo Satoru's expression told him his guess was ninety-percent correct.
"Our next family head is playing bodyguard for that thousand-year-old turtle Tengen?"
Has the Gojo Family fallen so low?
Damn that Tengen.
Frowning, Gojo Shinyan snapped his fingers crisply.
"To boost your motivation."
A clear hour-and-minute hand appeared on Riko Amanai's body, ticking down like a countdown.
"I've set a timer."
"Thirty minutes. If you don't beat me, you know what happens to that little girl, right?"
Gojo Shinyan made an exaggerated explosion gesture for Gojo Satoru to see.
"He's the Star Plasma Vessel, you bastard!"
"If Master Tengen loses control, human society will be destroyed because of it."
Gojo Satoru roared at Gojo Shinyan.
"Don't mention me—the entire Gojo Family is gone. Is this what you, the former clan head, wanted to see?"
"Think whatever you like."
Gojo Shinyan remained unmoved.
"I'm already dust, only brought back by accident."
"Talk to me about the world ending—it's too far away to matter."
Gojo Shinyan spread his arms; his gaze turned savage, nothing like the idle slacker of moments ago. A wild grin split his face—this was his true nature.
"Now! Hurry up and entertain me."
The instant Gojo Satoru felt every restraint on him vanish,
he resolved to teach this lawless old geezer the meaning of 'never mock the young and poor.'
"As you wish."
Gojo Satoru inhaled, drifting slowly into the air. When his eyes opened again,
his Six Eyes glowed pale green from the Cursed Energy flooding them. Expressionless and solemn, he looked like a god.
"Shhhk!!!"
A swirl of dark-blue Cursed Energy gathered in his hand; the newborn orb instantly drew in powerful winds,
a storm's eye forming in moments.
"Oh~ interesting."
Gojo Shinyan's white braids whipped about as if they might be torn off; his own eyes blazed with sorcerous light from the Cursed Energy he'd injected.
"Is this gravity?"
With a veteran's sharp eye he instantly saw what Satoru was doing—the kid's Limitless looked rather intriguing.
Besides, the technique didn't seem to strain the caster much; was that the Six Eyes' doing?
It was the first time Xin Yan had ever met a bearer of the Six Eyes, so curiosity got the better of him.
"Surprised you even know what gravity is, fossil."
Satoru sneered.
In his mind, everyone from that era was supposed to be ignorant.
"How rude, brat."
"Show some respect to your ancestor."
Xin Yan's Cursed Energy flared, effortlessly neutralising Satoru's terrifying pull. While grass and trees around him tore from the earth and spiralled toward the colossal sphere in Satoru's hand, his own hair merely fluttered gently.
He stood as steady as Mount Tai; the ground beneath his feet remained untouched.
Gojo Shinyan said,
"Besides, I went to university."
"???"
The statement nearly fried Satoru's brain. University sounded like ancient history to him—how could this relic from who-knew-how-many centuries ago have attended one?
Normally, after graduating from Jujutsu High, a sorcerer simply entered society.
So Kenmyo had always wondered: does Jujutsu High count as a technical college?
"What's with that look?"
"My tutor was Sir Isaac—ever heard of him?"
In his youth Gojo Shinyan had sailed to Britain to study the most advanced scientific ideas of the day. [Isaac lived 1643–1727]
For most people of that era it would have been nigh impossible,
but remember—Xin Yan was effectively royalty among ancient Japanese nobility, a scion of the Big Three clans of the Jujutsu World, the Gojo Family.
In his memory those school days by the river, the rowing races, the apples he'd swipe beneath the tree where his teacher often rested—all were fond recollections.
He wondered how the old campus looked now; given time, he'd love to visit again.
He assumed Satoru, having never attended university, wouldn't understand.
"Kid, campus life is wonderful."
As someone who'd been through it, Xin Yan still urged Satoru to earn a bachelor's degree.
"Whether academics or anything else, it's a world apart from life here."
"Your 'gravity' was discovered by my professor."
The apple that bonked the teacher's head was eaten by Xin Yan.
Rich knowledge not only refines the self but also fuels the development of Cursed Techniques.
Hence the saying: master maths, physics and chemistry, and you can conquer the world.
Especially for members of the Gojo Family who wield the Limitless.
Cutting-edge scientific thought has always been the driving force behind innovating the Limitless.
"Quit lecturing me, old man."
Satoru was getting annoyed; the Cursed Technique in his hand finished charging.
[Technique Reversal: Azure]
The massive blue sphere brimmed with destructive power and shot straight toward Xin Yan.
Facing the ferocious attack, the man himself showed no alarm—only a smile.
The concept was good, with commendable points,
but still far too naïve!
The blazing Cursed Energy around Xin Yan turned black in an instant, the colour corroding outward from his feet like acid.
In moments nearly thirty square kilometres of woodland were submerged under a black ocean, and Satoru's Azure was swallowed by endless darkness before it could reach him.
Now the two stood as if walking through a cleft sea, the very sky on the verge of being devoured.
"This is my graduation thesis."
Gojo Shinyan said calmly,
"A study of positive- and negative-energy solutions in free-particle theory."