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CHAPTER START---
At high noon on one of the many small islands scattered throughout the nation's oceanic territory, a Domain Expansion Barrier hovers in the midst of an empty grassy field. The animals scatter away from the area, and the small pond below the Barrier is left as a dry hole, while all the grass withers and dies, blowing away with the scorching winds.
The Domain Expansion Barrier remains in place for a minute, then rippling waves of blood red Cursed Energy wash over its surface, instantly shattering it.
Taiyo, wearing a tracksuit, and Kenjaku, wearing a similar outfit, leap away from each other by kicking off the air. They land on the ground opposite each other, and Kenjaku wipes the sweat from her brow, taking a few desperate breaths as RCT flows through her body, healing her lungs as the air scorches them.
Across from her, Taiyo wipes the blood from his nose and relaxes, a jovial smile on his face. "See, told you I have it under control."
"Yeah, you catch on fast. Or was it because you had such a wonderful teacher?"
"Don't pat yourself on the back too much, but yes, I couldn't have done this without you."
"I know," she says. "Give me a moment to recover my Innate Technique, then we can continue. From this point onward, don't use Immolation. I want you to construct the Barrier I showed you earlier while avoiding my strikes."
"You want me to do something so complex while fighting?" Taiyo says while exhaling red mist from his nose. "I'm barely able to even visualize the 'nothingness' of it."
Kenjaku wipes a drop of blood trickling from her nose. "Your opponent won't be so kind as to tell you their intentions and give you a handicap. If all goes to plan, the entire world will stand against us. We, or more accurately, you, must be ready for anything."
"I will be," he takes a combat stance, mirroring her. "But I have to ask, when are you going to show me one of your other two Domain Expansions? I've only see the gravity technique, I'm curious about the others."
Kenjaku smiles. "My other two Innate Techniques don't have Domain Expansions, they are unsuitable for such a feat. Suguru Geto has neglected his training with Barrier Techniques in exchange for overwhelming opponents with sheer numbers, when I have his body, I'll use his Domain Expansion on you."
"Promise?" Taiyo smiles as they charge each other.
"You Special Grades, never sane," Kenjaku says as she aims a kick at his head.
Taiyo avoids it, then steps back as she constantly presses the assault, easily avoiding her with his vastly superior speed and All Combat. "Sane is boring. If I were sane, we wouldn't be friends!"
"If you were sane, we never would have met until it was too late, now start the Barrier."
As Kenjaku constantly pressures him with an onslaught of strikes and attempted grabs, Taiyo blocks or evades everything with practiced ease. Compared to Satoru Gojo, even her impressive speed, to him, was like watching someone wade through mud.
Taiyo clasps his hands together, flowing his Cursed Energy to them and focusing on his internal desire, formulating a Binding Vow.
Around them, the air grows dense with Cursed Energy, and Kenjaku frowns. "Starts over," she says, and Taiyo silently obeys.
They continue this routine training for minutes at a time, with Taiyo burning through more Cursed Energy than any other living Jujutsu Sorcerer can compare to, and still pushing forward as if it were nothing.
After a few more minutes, as beads of sweat are streaming down his forehead, trophies earned by his intense concentration, Kenjaku feels the Empty Barrier forming.
"Anti-Gravity System!" she announces, giving him a clear chance to avoid the attack.
Taiyo leaps away while still forming the Barrier, but Kenjaku quickly expands the range to the limit of 3m -10ft-, causing gravity within that area around her to cease. The safe zone directly around Kenjaku makes it impossible to manipulate her own gravity, but between 30cm -1ft- from her body, and 3m -10ft- everything begins to hover.
Taiyo considers using Domain Amplification to negate this Innate Technique as he begins floating like a helium balloon, but instead maintains focus on the Barrier.
Kenjaku takes this opportunity to wave her hand upward, releasing a wave of neutral Cursed Energy like a blast wave and sending him flying into the air.
As he tumbles through the air, Taiyo considers using Immolation, but remembers the rules of this training exercise. Feeling that using any Cursed Energy beyond reinforcement or enhancement would disrupt his fragile Barrier, he decides to simply take the damage.
He does his best to control his fall, trying to land on his feet, but Kenjaku deactivates her gravity technique and rushes over to his landing spot, and as he enters her range, she activates it again.
"Amplified-Gravity System!" she announces, giving him a moment to prepare for the change. Using positive Cursed Energy, she flows it through her Innate Technique to reverse the effect, creating Cursed Technique Reversal, amplifying the gravity a dozen times over to crush her opponent.
Taiyo is thankful for her warning, knowing he wouldn't get such a courtesy in a real battle, and reinforces his body to withstand the sudden weight increase. His feet reach ankle-deep into the dirt as he's still forming the Barrier.
Kenjaku wastes no time in spinning while he sinks up to his knees in the dirt, launching a right cross at his face, executing perfect punching form. But Taiyo is too focused on the Barrier, and to her surprise, doesn't avoid the hit.
Her fist and forearm shatter against the Special Grade's automatic defenses, breaking her focus and deactivating her gravity technique. "Damn it!" she leaps away, skidding across the ground while Taiyo easily pulls himself out of the earth.
"Sorry," Taiyo says.
"Focus," Kenjaku's arms are already healed before she properly regains her footing, and she withdraws two Talismans from her pockets, flowing Cursed Energy through them.
Two Shikigami, each standing 3m -10ft- tall and built like a muscular, genderless humanoid, matted with torn and seemingly rotting blue flesh, manifest from the Talismans and charge Taiyo alongside Kenjaku.
Taiyo frowns and leaps away from both Shikigami. "Now you're just mocking me."
Kenjaku smiles. "It's not my fault your custom pet Shikigami is so complex. If you wanted to create something simpler it would have been done by now."
"You're my teacher, so it is your fault."
Kenjaku narrows her eyes at him and points at his head. "Raijin Gauntlets!" From her fingertip, an arrow of solid green lightning is fired at Taiyo.
He narrowly avoids the attack, but it slows his retreat enough for the Shikigami to catch up. In any real battle scenario, he'd instantly destroy both Shikigami and Kenjaku with his absurd speed, but for the sake of training, he continues to weave between strikes.
"That Innate Technique is so lame!" he laughs while pushing off one of the Shikigami's shoulder and leaping into the air, hands still clasped together.
"Well it was either steal the body it came with, or die," Kenjaku says while focusing her Cursed Energy. "I use Barriers within my body to keep my three Innate Techniques separated, so it's easier when I simple neglect one. But just for this special occasion, I'll use this."
Kenjaku balls her fists and smashes them together, creating green sparks around her hands like gauntlets as she parts them. The sparks dance across her hand before occupying the empty space between her fingers, forming a spear of solid green lightning.
"Raijin Gauntlets, Maximum Technique: Raijin Spear!" she rushes forward, pushing her speed to the limit and swinging the spear like a bat at Taiyo's side.
He raises his foot to block it with the sole of his shoe, reinforced by Cursed Energy, but the force sends him sliding across the training field.
Taiyo can't help but analyze this sight, his first encounter with a Maximum Technique, even as Kenjaku desperately tries and fails to make contact while assaulting him with her Shikigami.
'So this is a Maximum Technique. The most powerful application of a Innate Technique, aside from Domain Expansion. Not all Innate Techniques are suitable for a Domain Expansion. I can't imagine what something like Nanami's Ratio Technique would even be like for a Barrier. But that Innate Technique is likely a bad example for a Maximum Technique too.
A Maximum Technique is the upper limit short of placing it into a Barrier, so for Raijin Gauntlets, which can create charges on the user's hand or small lightning constructs, creating a large spear makes sense as the upper limit.
For something like the Ratio Technique, it wouldn't make sense to have one, as that Innate Technique is always active. A glorified passive effect, like my Cursed Energy trait and self-regulating atomic heat.
Maybe Ino could have one, perhaps using every aspect of his seance technique at once. Stacking each form would make him pretty interesting to fight at least, but he'd still be lacking against myself.
Does this mean Gojo's Maximum Technique is a massive Blue? No, it can't be that simple. I suppose the only way to find out is to push him to the point of needing it, then I'll experience it firsthand. But that does beg the question of my Maximum Technique.
Immolation has a lot going on the deeper you look, but from the outside, it's similar enough to a laser beam or igniting the air to fly. My Maximum Technique could be igniting the atmosphere to cause a chain reaction, but…that's more like a desperate kamikaze strategy. That's how losers think. I'll come up with so—'
Taiyo stops, noticing Kenjaku and the Shikigami have halted their assault.
"What?" he asks, and Kenjaku gives him an annoyed look, gesturing down to his hands.
"You separated your hands, we need to start over."
He's being so intrigued by the idea of Maximum Technique's that Taiyo completely forgot the purpose of this training exercise, extending their training by hours…
END CHAPTER---
Discord: discord .gg /eHuxNeZfyS [Come chat with me]
pat.reon: Keanu_Eugene [Read ahead & support me]
You.tube: @KeanuEugene [Giving away all my writing knowledge]