"Tiamat's Authority affects all carbon-based lifeforms, influencing everything from muscles and bone marrow to genes and cells—both macro and micro aspects of living organisms—but it doesn't include modifications to the soul."
"The reason I could dismantle Mahito's technique must be due to changes in other aspects, correct?"
Roy stood in the courtyard, his figure as straight and unyielding as an ancient pine. Though his words were speculative, his tone carried absolute certainty.
At that moment, a notification chime came from the phone in his hand.
[Correct.]
The phone had no signal whatsoever. The message could only have come from the Root itself.
"Then what caused this phenomenon—changes in me, or changes in you?"
[Both.]
The Root's reply was succinct.
When Roy referred to "changes in me," he meant his own unique adaptive ability—the capacity to conform to the rules of any world, adapting to its special properties and power systems.
Judging from his last trip to Asterisk, where he adapted to mana the moment he arrived, his adaptation to a world's rules wasn't a process but instantaneous.
In other words, there was no need for minutes or days of adjustment. Merely by entering that world, he had already completed his adaptation the instant he arrived.
However, his battle with Mahito didn't grant him cursed energy, proving he couldn't acquire the rules of another world by fighting characters who had crossed over from other worlds. It seemed that to adapt to another world's rules, he had to personally visit that world.
Thus, his "changes in me" referred to whether he had unknowingly adapted to some extraordinary rule.
As for "changes in you," that naturally pointed to the Type-Moon world itself.
The Root had sent Roy to explore other worlds precisely for its own evolution. The Type-Moon world wasn't static—it was constantly evolving. The fact that Orga Lux, weapons requiring manadite as an activation energy source, could now be used in this world was evidence of that.
But in truth, the reason Roy could dismantle Mahito's soul-altering technique through Tiamat's Authority wasn't solely due to the Type-Moon world—it also lay within Roy himself.
Mahito's crossing over—or rather, being dragged into the Type-Moon world—meant he carried a portion of the Jujutsu Kaisen world's rules. The Root of the Type-Moon world wouldn't overlook such rules and had long since assimilated them.
In other words, Mahito's technique had already been adjusted to conform to this world's operational rules.
However, Mahito was a cursed spirit, and the world rules he carried were incomplete.
[As for your changes, since I cannot see through you, this is merely speculation: the power you received from Tiamat seems to be synchronizing with your own being.]
"Explain that in simpler terms."
[That power is becoming yours.]
[Previously, though you could wield that power, it was essentially Tiamat's gift. If she severed your contract, you would lose it immediately.]
[But now, that power seems to be gradually becoming your own, unrelated to Tiamat. In the process, filtered through your unique adaptive abilities, this power may have undergone some novel changes.]
[As a result, your current body modification ability now includes alterations to the soul's form, aligning more closely with the concept of the 'Primordial Goddess.']
"So you're saying my body modification ability evolved in some way as it became my own power, transformed by my special adaptive capabilities?"
[That's the conclusion I've drawn. This may be a conceptual evolution—your adaptive abilities might not stem from the physical level but from the conceptual one... As someone devoid of sentiment, even I find myself curiously anticipating what you might become.]
Roy's expression shifted as a thought suddenly occurred to him.
Right!
Back when he had crossed into Asterisk City and his Mystic Eyes evolved by adapting to its rules, he had wondered whether they might eventually gain the ability to manipulate all powers that fit the concept of "mystic formulas."
Now, it seemed his body modification ability had similarly evolved to align more closely with the concept of the "Primordial Goddess."
"An adaptability rooted in the concept itself... I see. That does make sense."
Considering both cases, this speculation seemed highly plausible, and Roy couldn't help but nod in agreement.
If true—if his special adaptability was indeed rooted in the concept itself and not some superficial notion like those in the Nasuverse, but something far more fundamental—then even he couldn't help but feel eager to see what he might become.
[Prepare yourself. The second crossing is about to begin.]
At that moment, the Root's message interrupted Roy's thoughts.
He glanced at the spatial window displaying the information and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The second crossing already? That was quick... Don't tell me it's the world where Mahito is from?"
[Correct.]
[Although we've grasped some of that world's rules due to Mahito's presence, they remain incomplete. You'll need to explore it once and bring back a more comprehensive understanding.]
"Figures."
Roy let out a noncommittal snort.
"But it works in my favor too, so I don't mind going. Still, why now?"
Mahito had been in this world for a while—probably less than a year but at least over half a year.
If they needed a more complete understanding of Jujutsu Kaisen's world rules, they could've sent him there first instead of Asterisk.
[Part of the reason is that your previous dream connection with Asterisk was unstable. The link might have been temporary and could've vanished at any moment.]
[The other part is—that world hid itself. We couldn't find it before.]
"It hid itself?"
Roy's eyes widened slightly.
Since when did worlds act so... human?
[My speculation is that world may have lost a very important figure—not Mahito, but someone crucial enough to touch its reverse scale, making it instantly neurotic. Like a hedgehog, it not only hid itself but also became extremely wary.]
If the Root's conjecture is true, then it's entirely possible—if the world itself could be described as neurotic.
For worlds like the Nasuverse, vast and prosperous with countless protagonists across different eras and parallel worlds, losing a dozen or so main characters would hardly be a loss—just a drop in the ocean.
In worlds like Asterisk, while the protagonist Ayato Amagiri is important, his existence isn't the absolute center of the entire world. In contrast, figures like Fan Xinglou hold no less significance. Moreover, with the world's consciousness remaining hidden and perhaps due to Stella becoming an exchange student in this world, Asterisk remains calm and undisturbed.
But for other worlds, losing a main character is far from a trivial matter.
Especially for smaller-scale worlds, losing a crucial figure is truly devastating—no less than a knife plunged straight into the heart.