Kinji Hakari slammed the table.
"Are you looking down on me, Cursed Spirit!"
Well, as expected.
Jogo couldn't take it anymore.
He stood behind Mahito acting as a bodyguard, and now he suddenly stepped forward.
"Watch your tone, human brat!" Jogo spoke arrogantly.
"In front of you is a Candidate for the Divine Throne who can bring evolution to both humans and spirits!"
"If you don't want to be abandoned in the new world, you'd better..."
The Immortal Master raised a palm, and Jogo swallowed the rest of his words.
His expression was contorted, but he ultimately shut his mouth.
Kinji Hakari didn't give Jogo so much as a glance, only glaring fiercely at the Immortal Master, his voice sounding like the roar of a tiger while hunting.
"I indeed find the current Jujutsu world an eyesore, but I haven't fallen so low as to oppose my mentor."
"Do you think just because many Cursed Spirit Users frequent my place, I'm a Curse User too?"
"Don't look down on me!"
"Even though I was suspended from Jujutsu High, opened an Underground Fight Club, took in Curse Users to make money here, and ignored the rules of the Jujutsu world by openly telling guests about the existence of Sorcerers—even being put on a wanted list..."
He paused between words and said, "I am still a legitimate Sorcerer of the Jujutsu world."
"A Cursed Spirit actually wants to talk to me about cooperating to subvert the Jujutsu world? How ridiculous!"
He called it ridiculous, yet he had no smile.
His gaze glared fixedly at the Immortal Master, his Cursed Energy boiling as if he would erupt and kill in the next instant.
That's right.
Although the Sorcerer Kinji Hakari was indeed wanted and had committed many acts violating the prohibitions of the Jujutsu world, he really wasn't a Cursed Spirit User.
His wanted status was merely for being brought back for solitary confinement.
He felt he wasn't wrong, so he didn't obey the order—the so-called wanted poster was actually just that, not the same as a traditional Sorcerer's execution warrant.
He really was a legitimate Jujutsu Sorcerer!
The Immortal Master had prepared to start fighting five seconds into the meeting because his words indeed carried a condescending insult, especially for someone like Kinji Hakari who dared to defy the conservatives of the Jujutsu world.
But he didn't expect Kinji Hakari to actually endure it without attacking.
The first reason he thought of was that Kinji Hakari was taking Kirara's wishes into account; for his companion's sake, Kinji Hakari was temporarily enduring.
But soon, he keenly perceived the fluctuations in Kinji Hakari's soul—Kinji Hakari was pretending to be on the verge of exploding, but in reality, he didn't want to fight at all.
This wasn't endurance, but a scheme; he was bluffing.
This was the first time the Immortal Master encountered a true 'verbal trap.'
Before this, even an old fox like Kenjaku hadn't done this...
That's it, the Immortal Master suddenly understood.
Because Kinji Hakari had no idea he had eyes that could see through the soul, he was testing the Immortal Master in his own way, wanting to obtain more information.
'Should I play with him?' the Immortal Master thought.
Splash, splash, splash.
Kirara acted as if he didn't see the tense atmosphere, pouring wine with ease.
He took out two wine glasses, placing them in front of Kinji Hakari and the Immortal Master respectively, and raised the bottle, pouring with practiced movements.
He asked casually, "So, if I were to ask you to use your Cursed Technique for me, what would be required?"
After thinking, he added, "Oh right, if you say you want me to whisper in his ear to change Kinji's mind, I'll refuse."
"Although I'm looking forward to your Cursed Technique, I care more about Kinji than my own wishes."
"I unconditionally follow all of Kinji's decisions."
The Immortal Master glanced at Kirara and smiled.
He said to Kinji Hakari, "You have a good woman."
Kirara looked triumphant.
Kinji Hakari frowned, thinking: 'Is the bluff not working?'
'Or does this King of Curses in front of me really have the confidence to defeat me?'
'Or perhaps he doesn't understand my ability?'
'But that doesn't make sense either.'
'Although the number of times I've personally dueled is small, and I'm confident I've traumatized my opponents every time I strike, those Sorcerers eager for evolution wouldn't keep my ability a secret.'
The Immortal Master crossed his fingers, resting his arms on the table, and propped up his chin with the back of his hands.
"Kinji Hakari."
"Unknown Cursed Technique, suspected to be related to luck or gambling."
"Compared to your never-before-disclosed Cursed Technique, your Domain Expansion is more widely known."
"Domain Expansion: Idle Death Gamble."
"Modeled after the legal gambling game pachinko, as long as you get three matching symbols, you hit the jackpot."
"After hitting the jackpot, you can obtain a certain extra reward."
Kinji Hakari kept his cool and didn't make a sound.
The Immortal Master continued with great interest.
"The rules themselves are simple, but what's not simple is the reward obtained."
"Since it's a gambling game based on pachinko, the gambling odds should also be the same as pachinko, but you can rely on an unknown Cursed Technique to change those odds, resulting in you being able to obtain the extra reward 100% of the time."
"That jackpot is—"
The Immortal Master paused and said word for word, "—Infinite Cursed Energy."
Jogo and Hanami, standing behind the Immortal Master, let out low exclamations simultaneously.
The Immortal Master wasn't finished.
"For 4 minutes and 11 seconds starting from the moment you hit the jackpot, you will obtain Infinite Cursed Energy."
"At the same time, if you are injured during this period, you will automatically activate the Reverse Cursed Technique to repair your body."
"In other words, within the 4 minutes and 11 seconds after hitting the jackpot, you are invincible."
"After the 4 minutes and 11 seconds end, the Domain stops, but since you had Infinite Cursed Energy during that time, you retain enough power to expand the Domain again after it ends, allowing you to expand it once more."
"A nesting-doll-style Domain Expansion."
"This is something even Gojo Satoru and Ryomen Sukuna cannot do! But Kinji Hakari can."
Jogo and Hanami were completely speechless.
Jogo even felt a wave of lingering fear.
No wonder this man hadn't spared him a single glance from beginning to end.
He thought it was the man's arrogance, but it wasn't arrogance—it was confidence.
He was confident that a Special Grade Cursed Spirit like Jogo was no different from a pebble on the road or an ant by the lake to him.
A truly different dimension.
Isn't this—literally—invincibility?
How do you fight such an enemy?
Kinji Hakari lay back on the sofa again, a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.
"It seems you are very clear about my Cursed Technique; that saves me some breath."
"King of Spirits, you are still in my fight club."
"I will abide by the rules I set myself."
"Since you haven't affected me or my fight club, I will also ensure you won't be harmed here."
He crossed his arms and spoke calmly.
"But I won't fail to react to your offense because of that—I'll give you a chance."
"Use your ability to fulfill Kirara's wish, and I'll grant you a way out, letting you leave from here."
Jogo wanted to angrily question his arrogance again, but this time, without the Immortal Master's intervention, Hanami quickly pulled him back.
Before this, Jogo and Hanami really hadn't looked into the owner of this fight club.
In fact, they didn't believe a lone human could pose a threat to them at all, so they followed the Immortal Master here without knowing anything.
Just like how they knew nothing and were coaxed by Kenjaku into dealing with Gojo Satoru.
If the Immortal Master hadn't appeared out of nowhere, they would still be foolishly following behind Kenjaku.
Now with the Immortal Master, they had even less need to think about these trivial matters.
But now, a 'trivial matter' had turned into a potentially fatal major issue, which could only be decided by the Immortal Master at this time.
The Immortal Master suddenly asked, "Want to give it a try?"
Kinji Hakari was stunned.
The Immortal Master slowly reached out his hand, palm up, and placed it on the table.
He said, "Try and see if my ability works on you?"
The Immortal Master looked up, his heterochromatic eyes—one gold and one blue—seeming to illuminate one's heart.
"Idle Transfiguration: Heterochromatic Projection: Emotion Ignition!"
Kinji Hakari's heart was fiercely stirred!
His eyebrows shot up like two swords piercing the heart.
He looked directly into the Immortal Master's eyes, his hands twitching; he was tempted.
Not tempted by the Immortal Master's 'evolution' ability—in fact, he didn't believe in evolution at all.
Sorcerers who could reach his current strength had infinite confidence in their own potential.
Even if there were an 'evolution,' Kinji Hakari was confident he could reach it on his own without relying on the Immortal Master.
What tempted him was understanding the essence of the King of Curses' ability.
This was a good opportunity.
But his extraordinary self-confidence didn't make him light-headed.
Before the Immortal Master came to him, he already knew the fate of Awasaka Jiro.
He knew Awasaka Jiro was still lying in the infirmary; clearly, there was nothing wrong with his external or internal injuries, yet he just wouldn't wake up.
This must be the Immortal Master's Cursed Technique.
With such a bizarre Cursed Technique, he didn't want to make contact mindlessly.
"What's wrong?"
"Worried my Cursed Technique will affect you?"
A faint light appeared in the Immortal Master's heterochromatic eyes, like starlight in the night sky.
The corners of his mouth curled slightly, and he said composedly, "Then I'll take another step back... I'll allow you to use Domain Expansion."
"If you can touch me even once, I'll agree to your request."
—Silence.
Jogo and Hanami simultaneously broke into a cold sweat.
Kirara handed the wine glass to Kinji Hakari.
He took a deep breath, took the glass, and downed the wine in one gulp.
'This is a provocation,' Kinji Hakari thought.
'I can't fall for it.'
'I need to stay calm, calm, calm—Screw it!'
"I'm going to pull your tongue out, King of Curses!"
He formed hand seals and shouted in rage.
"As you wish!"
"This is the Domain Expansion you've been waiting for—Idle Death Gamble!!"