"Only in this way can you survive. Although Tengen also looks down on you, he doesn't see you as some great catastrophe. Anyway, when Tengen needs to, he can just send any Grade 1 Sorcerer to easily kill you."
"Living a life of pain, waiting for the unknown time when Tengen comes… I can't even imagine how you've endured such a stifling existence."
Mahito was telling the truth, and it was also the ending of the old man in the original work. He was indeed killed by a Grade 1 Sorcerer casually sent by Tengen. Following that, his Simple Domain suddenly became common knowledge everywhere; before that, it was clearly stated that the "Simple Domain was a single-lineage inheritance."
Incidentally, the Grade 1 Sorcerer who killed him was Mei Mei, the one who is currently on the run.
With Mahito's current skills, even with one hand tied behind his back, would Mei Mei dare show her face before him? Ashiya Magon remained wooden.
"But despite this, Ashiya-san did not give up." Mahito let out a breath. "Ashiya-san was not acting out of self-abandonment, but rather carefully weighed…"
…his own strength and influence, judging that even if he went mad, he could never succeed. Thus, he chose to endure and stay hidden. To demonstrate his harmlessness, he even reduced himself to this state, ensuring that anyone who saw him would never think he harbored any great ambition.
Mahito sighed, gently stroking the hilt of the bamboo sword. "Is this not also a form of Iai?"
"Ashiya-san actually doesn't care about his own life at all; what he cares about is reigning over the jujutsu world."
"These may seem similar, but there's a huge difference. Because the ambition to 'reign over the jujutsu world' overrides 'immortality.' As long as there is a chance, Ashiya-san will certainly not hesitate to subvert the leaders of the jujutsu world. One only needs to look at Ashiya-san's sword to understand Ashiya-san as a person."
Ashiya Magon was first taken aback, then said with gratification, "You can already be called a swordmaster."
"I wouldn't dare; I'm just cheating," Mahito smiled.
This wasn't Mahito being humble; it really was cheating.
Seeing the sword is like seeing the person—that is a swordmaster's specialty. But Mahito was different; he knew the original work. By inferring the present from the original work, he naturally saw through people accurately.
In the original work, before Ashiya Magon died, his goal was accurately stated by Mei Mei: he actively expanded the number of his disciples and established Binding Vows for each one. These Binding Vows had extremely harsh conditions, including but not limited to being required to die for the New Shadow Style at critical moments, sacrificing their own lifespans, and being forbidden from teaching the Simple Domain to others.
Despite being the one who controlled the lives of all New Shadow Style disciples, he himself lived in extreme poverty. Even regarding the necessary Binding Vows to absorb lifespan, he was very frugal; he lived almost solely for the sake of survival.
The only mistake he made was that he shouldn't have entrusted his life to Tengen. Knowing full well that Tengen was monitoring him, he still lived alone. As a result, when Tengen wanted to kill him, it really wasn't much harder than killing an ordinary person.
Mahito would never make such a mistake.
"It's the same now," Mahito said solemnly. "I know meeting Yuki Tsukumo is dangerous, but could it be more dangerous than Gojo Satoru coming to our door? Right now, we must know how Yuki Tsukumo learned about us. We must guard against any possible contingency. This is a case of 'having no other choice.'"
Because if they didn't know Yuki Tsukumo's information source, this hidden danger would always exist. It was the same logic as Ashiya Magon entrusting his life to Tengen.
Of course, the best outcome would be if this were simply a beautiful coincidence. Then Mahito would only have to face Yuki Tsukumo alone, which would be much easier.
"Since there is no other choice," Mahito's gaze swept over everyone as he took a deep breath, "then we must forge ahead without looking back."
This was the core philosophy of the New Shadow Style: when there is no other choice, forge ahead! Everyone was speechless.
Additionally, Mahito asked Kenjaku, "You just told me that if I already had a Simple Domain, you wouldn't stop me, but would instead advise me to clash with Yuki Tsukumo?"
Kenjaku snapped out of it and nodded slightly. "Your basic strength has already reached the level of a Special Grade Jujutsu Sorcerer, whether in terms of output, survival, or mobility. If neither side uses Domain Expansion, I believe Yuki Tsukumo definitely wouldn't be able to take you down, no matter what her Cursed Technique is. In that case, I could feel at ease letting you see her."
"Then, let's do it that way," Mahito said.
"What?" Kenjaku asked.
"I mean, before meeting Yuki Tsukumo, I will learn the Simple Domain," Mahito smiled.
This time, no one said Mahito was being arrogant, not even Ashiya Magon.
The Simple Domain is an extension of willpower. The current situation was the most suitable time to learn the Simple Domain because if he didn't learn it, he would die! Under the circumstances of having no other choice, "forging ahead" would appear all the more resolute.
Now, no one doubted whether Mahito could learn the Simple Domain; the only question was whether Ashiya Magon was willing to teach him wholeheartedly. After a moment, Ashiya Magon suddenly asked, "Can I see your mirokuji kirigiri?"
Mahito smiled. "Is that the condition for you to teach me the Simple Domain with all your heart?"
Ashiya Magon laughed loudly. "Yes!"
⭐ Enjoying the story?
You can read ahead and support the translations by joining my Patreon! Your support helps me update faster and take on more projects. Thank you for reading!
Read up to 50 chapters ahead!
patreon.com/AminaSim
Next Bonus Chapter at 250 Powerstones.