[Suguru Geto, the user of [Cursed Spirit Manipulation], has shown extremely strong close combat ability based on his mission record.
In many cases, he can end a fight using only Cursed Energy and taijutsu. In his tactical planning for humanoid opponents, his technique usually plays a supporting role...]
Kenjaku rapidly ran through every piece of related information in her mind. That was her habit, and her principle as well. A fight without a reasonable chance of success, or one where the conditions for victory were not in place, had no meaning...
And information on Suguru Geto was far too easy to obtain. As a model worker when it came to missions, both the Governor's Office and the Mission Bureau had extensive records on him.
For a sorcerer, the advantage created by an information gap was enormous. Since Suguru Geto had identified her as Noritoshi Kamo, she could start by using the already known [Blood Manipulation Technique], then use [Antigravity System] at the critical moment to finish things. And under no circumstances could she let him get close...
Several threads of blood spread outward, wiping out the Cursed Spirits gathered around her. But Kenjaku then saw that Suguru Geto did not close the distance to take advantage of his physical strength. Instead, he formed a hand seal with both hands...
"Domain Expansion..."
As Suguru Geto spoke, the ground grew darker and darker, becoming more and more muddy, like a swamp made of Cursed Energy...
If one looked closely, countless grotesque Cursed Spirits could be seen weaving through it, swimming through the mire in almost cheerful fashion...
"[Sea of Karmic Spirits]"
"You gave up your obvious advantage and chose to enter an unknown domain clash instead... If I don't respond, that would be rather lacking in taste..."
Suguru Geto rubbed his head.
"Don't get the wrong idea. It's just that when I see you, for some reason I don't feel like fighting you at close range... It gives me a headache."
"Tch."
Seeing the wave of Cursed Energy rushing toward her, Kenjaku also expanded her Domain.
Behind her, a withered tree of flesh burst from the earth, made of densely packed human faces and torsos.
As its branches and leaves of human skin slowly unfurled, Cursed Energy carrying an overpowering stench of blood instantly filled the entire space.
On that tree of flesh, a tree made from sin and spirits, countless grotesque figures of different shapes, all joined together by flesh, continuously swayed their twisted limbs.
"[Womb Profusion]"
"Hidden among all beings, containing all dharmas, endowed with all merits.
...just as a child rests within the mother's womb."
"So they're both domains without any overt effect... Which means your domain is more specialized in function?"
Suguru Geto paused slightly. In truth, the other party was helping him carry out Technique Disclosure... Was she using a preemptive declaration to weaken the effect of any technique he might reveal?
Then Suguru Geto smiled, unconcerned. With a wave of his right hand, the Cursed Energy in the pitch-black sea beside him began to spin, gathering in front of him.
Seeing this, Kenjaku also raised a hand and activated her technique.
"The Maximum of [Cursed Spirit Manipulation], Uzumaki. It compresses the absorbed Cursed Spirits into one and bombards the enemy with ultra-dense Cursed Energy..."
"You've voluntarily abandoned the versatility that makes Cursed Spirit Manipulation so useful... It's nothing more than a way to recycle low-grade Cursed Spirits..."
Suguru Geto nodded.
"However, its real value is that when [Uzumaki] is used on a Grade 1 or higher Cursed Spirit, it can extract the technique..."
"Extracting techniques carries risk. A body can only contain so many techniques."
"Sorry, what I meant was another use for [Uzumaki]."
"Oh?"
"Think about it differently. [Uzumaki] extracts the technique and briefly engraves it into the body, while the Cursed Energy is left behind to attack the enemy.
So what if what's extracted is only the Cursed Energy?"
"Then the technique imprint is left behind where the attack originally landed, but without a vessel, it dissipates instantly..."
"So in other words, if the timing is right, you can switch the vessel for that 'technique imprint.'"
"In the end, you're still just using a Cursed Spirit's technique..."
Before she could finish, Kenjaku suddenly narrowed her eyes.
Suguru Geto laughed.
"So you figured it out. You really are impressive…
First, use the barrier of the Domain as a temporary vessel. Then replace the Cursed Energy the Cursed Spirit originally used with the energy generated by Reverse Cursed Technique, allowing it to become the vessel for the technique.
That way, you can create a 'positive Cursed Spirit.'
Or rather... a divine spirit..."
Hearing that, Kenjaku did not attack immediately. Instead, she looked at Suguru Geto with clear interest.
That line of thought was indeed unusual. If something like a "positive Cursed Spirit" truly could exist, then the whole world would gain a new variable.
Suddenly, something jumped out from the Cursed Energy swamp beneath them. It was a book covered in eyes, with centipede-like legs constantly twitching on either side...
Suguru Geto called it into his hand.
As Uzumaki absorbed it, a blurry talisman-like imprint slowly appeared on the barrier of the Domain.
During that process, Suguru Geto continuously filled it with Reverse Cursed Technique...
Once the Cursed Energy had been completely replaced, a man appeared there wearing pale green gauze robes with wide sleeves, his eyes gently closed.
"And just like that, the Cursed Spirit born from students' hatred of books has become the God of Knowledge, Sugawara no Michizane."
Kenjaku stared at the sight before her, slightly dazed.
This was not the real Sugawara no Michizane. It was the image students held of the "god of learning" they prayed to before exams.
It was practically the same principle as a Special Grade Imaginary Cursed Spirit...
And with the appearance of the God of Knowledge, the changes in Suguru Geto's Domain barrier, along with its precision, became so drastic that Kenjaku could not immediately determine whether she could break through the outer shell of his Domain in a short time.
"Interesting..."
But perhaps because she had thought of something, Kenjaku saw that Suguru Geto's astonishing [Uzumaki] had not been used for a direct attack, but instead to create a positive Cursed Spirit. So she also canceled the attack she had been preparing.
"Fighting itself is whatever. But if I fall behind when it comes to developing techniques, that would leave a bad taste in my mouth..."
The withered tree of flesh behind her swayed continuously. Streams of blood ran slowly through the grooves in its bark, gathering and reshaping at the end.
"[Blood Manipulation Technique] is a technique that controls blood. But once blood comes into contact with water, the lowered concentration of blood cells makes it impossible to control.
According to your friend's way of thinking, you should look for 'characteristics' inside a 'weakness.'
If you think about it from that angle, and combine it with some modern concepts, then the true target of [Blood Manipulation Technique] is not 'blood' but 'cells'...
In other words, if your control is precise enough, you can develop it with cells as the foundation, especially after creating blood with Reverse Cursed Technique..."
With the Domain increasing the precision of her control, the blood behind Kenjaku formed three humanoid bodies. They were heavily built, with powerful muscles, their entire bodies covered in armor created through chitin mineralization. They looked somewhat similar to Yorozu's bio-armor.
"Maximum. [Avatar]"
After sensing the three additional bodies she now had, Kenjaku smiled.
"Using blood to draw talismans is a clever little trick, yes. But in the end, you still never pursued the true essence of the technique..."
...
"Wow, you're amazing~~"
The sudden voice inside the Barrier made both Kenjaku and Suguru Geto turn at once.
Suguru Geto was puzzled by how the newcomer had gotten inside the opposing Barriers, but the moment he saw who it was, he relaxed.
Kenjaku, on the other hand, broke out in a cold sweat. The memory of almost getting beaten to death with a single staff strike came rushing back...
"How did you get in?"
What confused her was not that Akira Zenin had entered the Domain, but that he had done so completely without a sound. From the look of things, he might even have been here for quite a while...
Akira Zenin raised a hand. A Barrier like the one Satoru Gojo used for "Domain Reversal" clung to it.
"Domain Amplification formed from a Voidification Barrier... just learned it."
The moment she saw that, Kenjaku immediately dispelled her Domain. At the same time, Suguru Geto also released his Domain at Akira Zenin's signal...
Kenjaku knew very well how terrifying Akira Zenin's hand-to-hand combat became when reinforced with Cursed Energy. Besides, with [Avatar] still in play, this body was not all that important.
After calmly devoting herself to its development, she had discovered that by combining the Maximum Technique of Blood Manipulation with her own technique and her own knowledge, she could create all kinds of bodies. She no longer needed to take over hosts to achieve "technique freedom."
But the moment she released the Domain, Kenjaku regretted it...
She raised a finger at Akira Zenin. For the first time, her composed expression fell away, replaced by sheer disbelief.
"You..."
Smiling, Akira Zenin pulled out a plastic bag. Inside, neatly soaked in liquid, were several brain worms.
Their bodies looked no different from human brains, but each one had four spider-like legs, and where a face should have been was a wide mouth full of perfectly even teeth.
"These are your backups, right~~ Haha, brain clones?"
Kenjaku's eye twitched.
"All six are here... How is that possible?"
Akira Zenin shrugged.
"When you made the brain clones, you used the 'sludge' left over from my last Cursed Energy outburst, didn't you?"
Kenjaku said nothing. She had indeed used that sludge, taking advantage of its ability to half-convert physical matter into something like a cursed spirit, then cultivated these "brain worms" with her technique.
But not even Abe no Seimei had been able to determine the locations of the cursed objects he made once they were hidden inside those Barriers...
Was the connection between that unusual Cursed Energy and Akira Zenin really that strong? It was absurd.
After confirming that Suguru Geto was uninjured and merely sitting there recovering his strength, Akira Zenin looked back at Kenjaku.
"I want to ask you something."
Seeing that Akira Zenin still had not made a move, Kenjaku nodded.
"What is it?"
"How many holes does a straw have?"
"..."
Given the situation, the question was so out of place that Kenjaku froze for a moment, then slowly narrowed her eyes.
Meanwhile, Akira Zenin casually swung the bag of brain worms in his hand, humming some tune under his breath...
If Kenjaku treated the straw as a single through-hole you could look through, she would answer one.
If she thought pinching one end still left an opening on the other, she would answer two.
But either answer would prove that she was still a "person" who relied on experience, because the question never defined what a "hole" actually was. The moment you discuss it, you inevitably start from an experiential prototype of a hole, then build outward from there...
Relying on experience was not a problem in itself. But for a monster that had lived a thousand years to still instinctively depend on it, that meant she had never truly escaped the cognitive framework of a "short-lived species." To Akira Zenin, that meant there was no room left for alteration.
"So, a non-material concept like holes... You're really bringing in Lewis's philosophical discussion of holes here? That's a little too self-indulgent..."
Akira Zenin stopped swinging the bag and leaned forward slightly.
"Get to the point."
Kenjaku lowered her eyes, as though she had given up on running.
"I think a straw is just like a roll of tape. Both can be continuously deformed into a ring without piercing them or sticking anything together. In topology, they're homeomorphic."
Akira Zenin could not help laughing.
"So you really didn't live all those years for nothing..."
Kenjaku pushed back the hood of her cloak and looked toward a certain area in the southeast.
"Unlike Tengen, I truly have 'lived' for a thousand years."
...
"In that case, how about helping me with some research?"
Akira Zenin rubbed at his chin a few times.
To be honest, when Kenjaku faced Yuji, she would consciously or unconsciously reveal a kind of "maternal" quality... and now she was even wearing the Tiger Mom's body.
If you thought about it that way, Yuji might have ended up finding a "mother" in a very unconventional sense, though the reunion had something undeniably cultish about it.
Kenjaku ignored the obvious mischief on Akira Zenin's face.
"You want to work with someone like me, a person whose name is stained throughout history?"
Akira Zenin shook his head.
"Don't misunderstand. It would be a waste to let all the knowledge you possess disappear. I just want to squeeze out whatever value you have left..."
Kenjaku fell silent again.
"You really are direct."
...
"I have one condition."
Kenjaku's words broke the brief silence.
But Akira Zenin immediately lifted a hand and wagged his index finger.
"You should understand that negotiation only works when strength backs it up... You have backup plans, but I have comrades too.
Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Megumi Fushiguro, Yuta Okkotsu, Maki, Toge, Yuji, Panda... Noritoshi Kamo, Aoi Todo, Kokichi Muta, Mai, Momo, Miwa..."
As Akira Zenin listed the names one by one, Kenjaku's expression turned serious again. No matter how she looked at it, the jujutsu world of this era was absurdly stacked. She had meant to lie low for a while, only to be found immediately. Even her backup measures had already been wiped out...
"The current jujutsu world really is impressive, both in vitality and in strength."
Even though Kenjaku's tone had softened, Akira Zenin showed none of his usual joking manner.
"I'm only saying this."
He looked at Kenjaku calmly.
"You're not qualified to negotiate with me."