The instant Zenin Naoya activated Projection Sorcery, the world in his perception was partitioned into static frames.
This was a world of 24 frames per second that only he could comprehend.
Within this world, he was the absolute king.
Anyone touched by his palm was forced to follow a movement trajectory he pre-determined for that second.
If they failed to follow it—even by a single frame—the rules would judge them as having committed a foul, freezing them into a still image and turning them into a helpless sculpture.
"Die, you ignorant merchant."
Naoya watched the defenseless man before him, his lips curling into a cruel arc.
His fingers had already brushed against the fabric on En's chest.
At this distance and speed, no one could dodge.
As long as contact was made, the rule would take effect.
This man would become a pathetic statue, and then Naoya would shatter his heart with a single punch.
However...
At the very moment his fingertips made contact...
The certain expression on Naoya's face suddenly fractured.
That familiar sensation of injecting cursed energy and forcing his rules onto the opponent... it didn't happen?
Instead, it felt as if he had reached into a bottomless mire, or touched a layer of high-speed, flowing void.
His cursed technique... disappeared?
No, it was swallowed!
"Got you."
The man who should have been frozen suddenly spoke with a smile.
To Naoya's absolute horror, En's white-gloved hand moved with blinding speed, seizing Naoya's wrist before he could react.
"Wha—"
Naoya tried to pull away, but it was too late.
The transparent film coating En's body—Domain Amplification—had neutralized the rules of Projection Sorcery.
"Young Master Naoya, your speed is indeed impressive."
En's voice was steady without a hint of a ripple; he even had a free hand to adjust his glasses.
"But if you can't touch me, what's the point of being fast?"
In the next second...
The muscles in En's arm suddenly tightened as the monstrous strength of a Special Grade physical body exploded without reservation.
"Get... down!"
Boom!
Naoya, who had been in a high-speed charge, was like a fly caught by the leg by a naughty child, violently yanked off his path by an irresistible force.
The massive inertia and counter-force instantly tore through the air.
"Boom!!!"
En swung Naoya's body like a tattered sack, slamming him brutally into the ground.
Rubble flew and dust billowed.
A crater three meters in diameter was smashed into the hard concrete of the training ground. Naoya lay sprawled at the bottom of the pit, his expensive casual kimono so stained with blood and dirt that its original color was unrecognizable.
"Cough... cough..."
Naoya coughed violently, feeling as though every bone in his body was falling apart.
Compared to the physical pain, the shock in his heart drove him even more insane.
'Could that... could that be...'
He struggled to lift his head, staring fixedly at the shimmering cursed energy still flowing over En's body.
"Domain... Amplification?!"
As the legitimate son of one of the Big Three families, he naturally knew what that was.
It was an advanced barrier technique extremely difficult for even Grade 1 sorcerers to master, usually reserved for peerless geniuses!
By expanding a domain without an innate technique to coat the body, one could neutralize guaranteed-hit effects—and even the opponent's cursed technique itself!
"How... how could you possibly know that move?!"
Naoya's voice trembled. This was the natural enemy of contact-type techniques like his!
"As long as you can pay the price, nothing is impossible."
En elegantly dispersed the cursed energy from his body, leaning on his cane as he looked down at Naoya from the edge of the pit.
"Alright, the warm-up is over."
"Now, let's get back to business."
En shook the long bill in his hand once more.
"One billion yen. I assume the future head of the Zenin clan won't back out on his debt?"
"Don't be ridiculous!!"
Naoya launched himself from the bottom of the pit, the killing intent in his eyes turning into madness.
Losing to Toji was one thing. Losing to Gojo Satoru was another.
But losing to some upstart businessman?
Absolutely impossible!
"Projection Sorcery..."
Naoya frantically squeezed the cursed energy within his body, preparing for a desperate final stand.
Speed! As long as he was fast enough—fast enough that even En's Amplification couldn't react—
However.
Thwack.
A black cane pressed against his throat without any warning.
Fast.
Too fast.
Even faster than the Naoya who had just been using his cursed technique.
Naoya froze, cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
Because he saw that beneath En's feet, shadows were boiling.
The massive maw of Great Serpent hung over his head.
Nue's lightning flickered behind him.
Two Divine Dogs glared fixedly at his carotid artery from either side.
And the Golden Rule in En's hand was currently emitting a heart-stopping black and red glow.
"Still want to fight?"
En asked with a smile, his tone sounding like he was asking a guest if they wanted sugar in their tea.
"While I don't mind playing with you a bit longer, the next strike might not be as simple as breaking a few bones."
"Perhaps your throat, or that pretty face of yours, will end up looking quite gruesome."
Naoya froze in place, not daring to move an inch.
It was not just that his technique was countered.
More importantly... it was that pressure.
At this moment, in this man, he actually saw the shadow of the man who had terrified him for over a decade.
Fushiguro Toji.
The same physical presence, the same nonchalance, the same... eyes that looked at him like he was garbage.
"Who... just who are you..."
Naoya spat out through gritted teeth, the pride in his eyes crumbling bit by bit.
"I'm a businessman, Young Master Naoya."
En retracted the cane, but the surrounding shikigami remained in a threatening stance.
He pulled a fountain pen and a pre-prepared Debt Confirmation form from his coat and held them out to Naoya.
"Since you didn't bring cash, just sign here."
"Think of it as a trade: you give me money, and I give you your life."
"I won't charge you interest. But this billion must be settled within a week."
Naoya looked at the white paper with 'Debtor: Zenin Naoya' written on it, his fingers trembling violently.
This was a disgrace.
A disgrace he could never wash away in his lifetime.
If he signed, he would be the first Zenin clan heir to write an IOU to an outsider.
If he didn't sign...
He glanced at the Great Serpent drooling above his head, then at En's cold eyes.
If he didn't sign, he might really not make it out of the gate today.
"Fine... very well..."
Naoya snatched the pen and scrawled his name on the paper with such force that he tore through the sheet.
"Hayashi En..."
"I will remember this debt."
Naoya threw the IOU back at En and turned to leave. He didn't want to stay here for another second.
"Safe travels!"
En carefully tucked away the IOU, not forgetting to call out to Naoya's retreating back:
"By the way, Young Master Naoya! Come back to Jujutsu High to play sometime! We always welcome high-value customers!"
Hearing this, Naoya stumbled in the distance, nearly falling, before disappearing through the gates even faster.
...
As that suffocating cursed energy vanished, the training ground returned to silence.
"I'm alive..."
Not far away, Fushiguro Megumi finally picked himself up off the ground. Holding his broken ribs, he looked at the figure standing by the pit, his heart feeling incredibly conflicted.
He's ridiculously strong.
Not only is his body powerful and his cursed technique bizarre, but he's even mastered Domain Amplification.
Just how many trump cards does this man who calls himself a middleman have?
"Are you alright, Megumi-kun?"
En turned around, the coldness on his face long gone, replaced by his usual gentle shopkeeper persona.
He walked over, reached out to pull Megumi up, and conveniently used the Reverse Cursed Technique on him to stop the bleeding.
"This... is this the Reverse Cursed Technique?" Megumi's eyes widened.
"Just a small trick. A businessman always needs to know some first aid."
En smiled, then pulled out the system contract he had signed earlier from his pocket.
He flicked the paper, making a crisp sound.
"Well, today's revenue has exceeded the target."
"Let's go. To celebrate chasing away the flies and your tenacious performance just now, Fushiguro-kun..."
"Dinner's on me tonight. Let's go get conveyor belt sushi."
Megumi stared blankly at En for a moment before finally letting out a helpless sigh.
"...I want the expensive plates."
"No problem," En waved his hand grandly. "Someone else is paying for it anyway."
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