Shion held the Prison Realm in his hand, a faint, strange light flickering in his eyes.
The Prison Realm, formed from the remains of the monk Genshin after his death, possessed the power of an absolute seal. The physical laws within it were profoundly distorted.
Satoru had once used its spatial irregularities to comprehend his Hollow Technique, Zenith. By applying atomic level control over gravity, he advanced from merely influencing space to completely manipulating and reshaping it.
It was overwhelming in power.
But Shion had no intention of following the same path.
This was not about competing with Satoru. Rather, he had glimpsed something beyond it, a path that could go even further.
Aside from its warped spatial structure, the Prison Realm also altered the flow of time.
Time, the most elusive constant in existence. If he could derive a Hollow Technique, Zenith connected to time itself...
Shion was confident he could suppress Sukuna.
"So... how does the Prison Realm distort time?"
He focused, his thoughts sharpening as if cutting through fog.
Time, gravity...
Then a memory surfaced. A film he had once watched, Interstellar.
On a certain planet, extreme gravity slowed time dramatically. A few hours there equaled decades elsewhere.
According to the Theory of General Relativity, gravity bends spacetime, and that curvature governs the movement of matter and energy.
And his Limitless, at its core, was the manipulation of space through infinitesimal division, closely tied to gravitational concepts.
If he treated himself as a celestial body, like assigning imaginary mass to Hollow Purple, then by granting himself imaginary gravity, he might influence his own flow of time.
The idea struck him like lightning.
Hollow Technique, Zenith was the manifestation of an innate technique pushed to its absolute limit.
Shion's eyes snapped open.
An invisible field of imaginary gravity flowed through his body like a silent current.
"Maximum Technique, Hollow."
From past to present, an unbroken continuum, infinite time.
In that instant, the world seemed to slow to a crawl.
Shion rose to his feet and looked at a butterfly nearby.
It hung suspended in the air, its wings moving with agonizing slowness.
He had not stopped time.
Halting time entirely, whether locally or universally, would mean controlling entropy itself. That was far beyond his reach.
But he could control his own time.
If he moved fast enough, the world would appear slow.
He reached out and caught a falling leaf between his fingers.
A moment later, the butterfly resumed its natural pace, fluttering away as everything returned to normal.
Or more accurately, Shion had returned to normal.
"Phew..."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"Only once a day, and about ten seconds..."
He was not disappointed.
Ten seconds of absolute dominance was already absurd. Anything more would be excessive.
"Ten seconds is enough. Still..."
Shion murmured to himself, "Is a Hollow Technique, Zenith truly just the peak of an innate technique?"
"Can other techniques evolve the same way? Domains, for example..."
Having reached this stage, his curiosity deepened.
If the pinnacle of a cursed technique was Zenith, then what lay at the end of a Domain Expansion?
An open barrier domain, or perhaps isolating and manifesting its effect independently.
For instance, his Domain, Throne of Stillborn Stars, stripped away all cursed energy within its range.
If that effect itself was treated as a technique, could it be used separately? And if so, could it also evolve into its own Zenith?
If it could, would it simply remove cursed energy... or something more?
"Gojo-sensei!"
Two voices called out.
Shion blinked, snapping back to reality, surprised at how deeply he had drifted into thought.
He looked up at the two standing before him.
One was a man with slicked back hair and a composed, mature demeanor, Nanami Kento, a third year at Jujutsu High.
Beside him stood another student with a ponytail and a delicate, almost soft appearance, dressed casually, Hoshi Kirara.
The two were in a relationship.
And yes, Kirara was male.
Shion narrowed his eyes slightly, silently questioning Nanami's preferences.
Was it men, women, or simply anyone attractive?
"Hey, Gojo-sensei!"
"You were completely out of it just now. That could get you killed."
Nanami laughed.
Shion's expression darkened slightly, though his smile carried a hint of mischief.
"Nanami Kento, your promotion to Grade 1 is currently under my review."
"..."
Nanami froze.
"Gojo-sensei, that is blatant abuse of authority."
"Don't exaggerate," Shion replied with a dismissive wave. "During the Tokyo Incident, the two of you beat up members of the conservative faction from the big families. I was the one who covered for you."
Shion rolled his eyes.
The jujutsu world was divided in more ways than one.
Beyond clans, schools, and bloodlines, there existed another divide, one based on the nature of cursed techniques.
The conservative faction preferred straightforward abilities, simple and overwhelmingly powerful.
In contrast, Nanami and Kirara clearly belonged to the more complex side.
Kirara's cursed technique, Love Rendezvous, involved marking targets with star coordinates based on the Southern Cross. Movement between marked targets followed strict rules, and failure to follow them made approach impossible.
Simple in concept, but extremely demanding in execution.
Nanami's technique was no less intricate.
If it had to be summarized in one word, it would be risk.
Because of their abilities, both had been ostracized by the conservative faction. Eventually, things escalated, and they retaliated.
The result was suspension.
Now, the two had opened a casino together, occasionally playing themselves.
Ironically, Nanami, who excelled when using his cursed technique, had terrible luck in normal gambling.
At times, he even relied on Kirara to cover his losses.
Which was why he applied for promotion to Grade 1. The increased salary mattered.
He had not expected Shion to be the one reviewing it.
"I have a mission for you," Shion said casually. "Complete it, and I'll approve your promotion. I'll even arrange double pay."
Nanami's eyes widened.
"Seriously?"
Shion nodded.
"Of course. And the mission is interesting. Your opponent will be at the level of a Special Grade."
"I'm in."
Nanami answered without hesitation.
Not just for the money, but for the challenge.
Facing a Special Grade level opponent was rare.
"So eager?" Shion asked with a faint grin.
Nanami smiled back, his tone light but firm.
"Of course."
"Because I like a bit of passion."
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