I didn't stop.
Not after that talk.
Not after understanding even a fraction of what I could do.
If there was a path forward…
I was going to run it until I collapsed.
Practice. Again. And Again. And Again.
The first attempt failed.
Badly.
"Domain Expansion—"
Nothing.
Just a flicker of space and a weak distortion that fizzled out like a broken spark.
I clenched my jaw.
"…Again."
The second attempt—
The air warped.
The ground cracked slightly.
A faint outline of something… structured…
Then it shattered instantly.
I dropped to one knee, breathing hard.
"…Closer."
The third.
The fourth.
The tenth.
The twentieth.
I lost count.
Days blurred together.
Morning.
Training.
Failure.
Adjust.
Think.
Try again.
Sometimes I worked alone.
Sometimes Izuku Midoriya watched, scribbling notes faster than I could move.
"…You're stabilizing the outer layer but losing internal rule enforcement!" he'd shout.
"I KNOW!" I'd snap back, trying again anyway.
Other times, Satoru Gojo would casually observe, hands in his pockets.
"You're forcing it too much," he'd say lazily. "A domain isn't just power—it's confidence."
"…I'm confident!" I'd argue.
He'd grin.
"Then prove it."
Even Hiromi Higuruma watched once.
Silently.
Judging.
He didn't say much.
But when he did—
"Your structure is improving. Your intent is not."
That stuck with me.
The Breakthrough
It didn't happen during a big moment.
No dramatic music.
No sudden realization.
It happened…
When I stopped trying to force it.
I stood alone in the training field.
Quiet.
Still.
Breathing steady.
"…It's not about copying the courtroom…"
I closed my eyes.
"…It's about the rule."
Judgment.
Control.
Binding conditions.
Authority.
I felt it again—
That place in my mind.
The distorted space.
The fragments.
But this time…
They didn't clash.
They aligned.
My eyes opened.
Calm.
Focused.
"…Domain Expansion."
The air didn't explode.
Didn't crack.
Didn't resist.
It simply…
obeyed.
"…Deadly Sentencing."
The Domain Forms
BANG.
The sound echoed instantly.
The world shifted—
Seamlessly.
Perfectly.
No flicker.
No instability.
The training field was gone.
Replaced.
A courtroom rose around me.
Massive.
Exact.
Every detail sharp.
Every shadow precise.
The air itself felt heavy with judgment.
I stood in the center.
Unshaken.
Unforced.
In control.
"…I did it…"
Showing Everyone
"REN?!"
Voices echoed.
The others had arrived—drawn by the sudden shift.
Kaito.
Midoriya.
Bakugo.
Mina.
Kirishima.
Even the Jujutsu students.
They stood inside the courtroom now.
Frozen.
Staring.
Denki whispered:
"…No way…"
Midoriya's notebook slipped from his hands.
"…He actually did it…"
Bakugo grinned slowly.
"…Heh. Now that's more like it."
At the front—
The judge appeared.
The shikigami.
Watching.
Waiting.
The gavel lifted.
BANG.
Everything locked into place.
No one could move freely.
No one could attack.
The rules were absolute.
Perfect.
And standing calmly to the side—
Even Hiromi Higuruma himself… looked surprised.
"…You replicated it."
I looked at him.
"…Not exactly."
I raised my hand slightly.
The space responded instantly.
"…I understood it."
Control
I walked forward slowly.
Each step echoed across the courtroom.
Not forced.
Not unstable.
Natural.
Like this space…
Belonged to me.
I stopped in the center.
Looked around at everyone.
"…This is your first time seeing a perfect one from me."
Denki gulped.
"…I don't like being in here…"
Mina nodded quickly.
"Me neither…"
Kirishima whispered:
"…This is intense…"
I smiled slightly.
"…Don't worry."
I raised my hand again.
"…I'm not judging anyone."
The pressure eased—just slightly.
Enough to breathe.
Not enough to forget where they were.
Ending It
I exhaled slowly.
"…That's enough."
I lowered my hand.
The courtroom cracked—
Then shattered.
Light fractured.
Space folded back.
And just like that—
We were back in the training field.
Aftermath
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then—
"DUDE?!" Denki yelled.
"THAT WAS INSANE!"
Kirishima grabbed my shoulder.
"THAT WAS SO MANLY—YOU MASTERED IT!"
Midoriya was already scribbling again at top speed.
"…Perfect structure… stable rule enforcement… adaptive control… this is groundbreaking—!"
Bakugo smirked.
"Tch. Took you long enough."
I just stood there.
Breathing.
Hands slightly shaking.
"…I did it…"
Not almost.
Not close.
Perfect.
Then I looked at my hands again.
Space flickered faintly.
Different than before.
Stronger.
Sharper.
"…And this is just the start."
Because if I could do this…
Then what else could I understand?
What else could I build?
What else could I become?
I looked up.
A small grin forming.
"…Alright."
"…What should I learn next?"