Jujutsu Kaisen: Nozomi no Sora

Zen-in-sensei's eyes were gradually being consumed by a pure blackness.

The shrine maiden's spirit-summoning ritual remained effective even after her death, but it didn't last forever. The ritual ended when the magical power of her grandson, who served as the vessel, was exhausted.

Everything should have been this way.

The soul of the grandson, which was covered by the body of Zen Temple Shen'er, did not actually possess any magical power. Furthermore, since the body did not consume magical power, the spirit-summoning technique lost its chance of failing.

Such a fortuitous combination of circumstances and multiple special conditions caused the spell to go berserk, resulting in the current Zen Temple being able to fight instinctively until the container is damaged.

To become a machine that only knows how to kill.

He looked down at the speeding train below, a cold smile curving his lips, and then jumped without hesitation.

……

Inside the carriage at this moment.

Nanami and Masato, who were locked in combat, suddenly froze simultaneously, as an indescribable sense of oppression descended from the sky.

That's not magic.

The extremely dangerous atmosphere caused the two to retreat almost simultaneously, creating distance between them.

The next second, a series of ear-piercing metallic tearing sounds came from above.

Sizzle—!

A thick arm suddenly reached down from the top of the carriage, its five fingers like hooks, gripping the heavy iron plate, and tearing a huge rift several meters long with its bare hands, as if tearing a piece of wet paper!

A fierce gust of wind rushed in through the breach, emitting a sharp howl.

Then a burly figure leaped down from the crack and landed steadily in the center of the carriage.

The man slightly raised his head, revealing an undisguised, brutal killing intent on his face.

The real person narrowed his eyes, quickly scanning the other person's entire body, but then frowned.

There is no magical power.

Not a single bit.

"What's going on..." The real person tilted their head, the stitches twitching as they smiled. "Hey, human, are you a sorcerer too?"

The Zen monastery did not respond.

He simply turned his neck and moved his shoulders casually, the muscles and bones colliding and producing a series of dull popping sounds.

His gaze lingered for half a second between Masato and Nanami before finally settling on Masato.

Sensing the hostility, the real person's smile grew even more arrogant, and his arms softened and deformed, transforming into two sharp longswords.

"If you don't speak, we'll just have to kill you all, human!"

However, before he could finish speaking, Shen Er's figure suddenly vanished.

The real person's pupils suddenly contracted.

"So fast!"

At that speed, he couldn't even catch the other's movements. Before he could stop them, an irresistible force came from his chest.

The punch pierced through the air and slammed heavily into the center of his sternum. A terrifying shockwave emanated from his back, and the force of the shockwave alone created a huge dent in the carriage wall behind him!

Then, several punches of equal power came in succession, and the real man's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into an entire row of seats, and finally embedding himself hard into the metal partition at the end of the carriage.

He looked at the huge wound that had burst open on his chest, but a morbid excitement flashed in his eyes.

"No magical power... yet it still possesses this kind of power?"

He grinned maliciously, inserted his hands into the hollow cavity of his shattered body, and pulled out several condensed cyborgs.

Those cores of souls were kneaded and fused in the palm of a real person, reshaped like clay into a gigantic alien.

"Multiple Souls!"

The monster rose up like a bridge, roaring as it charged toward Shen'er, its enormous body instantly filling the entire carriage!

But Er's figure was no longer there.

The real man felt a blur before his eyes, a gust of wind rushed towards his face, and the violent killing intent was already right up to his nose.

He instinctively thrust his arms forward like blades, but Shen Er dodged to the side and then chopped down with a whip kick like a battle axe, knocking him hard to the ground!

boom!

The train deck was dented by a real human head.

Shen Er then seized the real man's two long, knife-like limbs, his five fingers tightening—

Click!

Amidst a chilling cracking sound, those two sharp blades, capable of cutting through steel, were snapped in two by him with just two fingers each!

The real man was shocked. Before he could shed his skin and escape, Shen Er was already straddling him, holding the two broken blades in his hands and frantically stabbing them at his head!

Puff puff puff puff puff—!

The speed was so fast that it left only a chilling afterimage. The dull thuds of metal piercing flesh echoed one after another, and the real man's head, throat, and chest were riddled with holes in an instant. There was no blood, but the shattered flesh splattered out like a fountain.

"This is the first time... I've been driven to the brink by someone without any magical power!"

"What terrifying power... and that speed!"

The real person lay in a pool of blood, his mangled face still twitching, revealing a crazed and twisted smile.

"I really want to see... what shape your soul is..."

Nanami, standing a few meters away, was already stunned.

Under that invisible pressure, he even had to breathe carefully, fine beads of cold sweat forming on his forehead, and his fingers gripping the knife tightening involuntarily. As a first-level sorcerer, he had seen countless powerful curses, but he had never seen such pure and brutal physical violence.

"Just who is this guy?"

However, attacks that cannot reach the soul cannot ultimately exorcise a true person.

The body, transformed by "non-action transformation," allowed the real person to slip out of the tattered shell that had been fiercely attacked by Shen'er, like a snake shedding its skin.

The writhing mass of flesh reformed on the floor not far away, revealing the human's malicious smile. A newly grown arm reached out and then silently extended towards Shen'er's back.

"Alright, I've got you."

The real person's palm was placed on Shen'er's back, and the fingertips could already feel the warmth of that body.

He grinned, his face beaming.

"Your soul, I can have too—"

However, before he could finish speaking, Shen Er's iron fist came flying back!

boom! !

The real person's body was once again blasted away like a cannonball, his entire body traversing the carriage before crashing heavily against the carriage wall, causing the metal wall to bulge inward into a human shape.

He slumped in the ruins, staring at the hand that had touched Shen'er's back, a look of astonishment on his face.

"What's going on? This guy's body... even his soul can't be interfered with?"

At first, he wasn't even given time to think.

He slowly stood up, stepping over the filth on the ground, and strode closer.

The real person was immediately grabbed by the neck and thrown near Nanami like trash.

Nanami's expression changed drastically. He was about to raise his sword in defense when he found that the body exuding a terrifying aura was already right in front of him.

The two were so close that they could smell the blood on each other.

The hand, stained with blood and bits of flesh, slowly extended and then tightly gripped the blunt knife in Nanami's hand.

The moment that hand grasped his, Nanami Kento felt an irresistible force suddenly erupt.

Before he could even grip it tightly, Shen Er swung him up with one hand and flung him away like a rag doll.

When he propped himself up and raised his head, the blunt knife wrapped with talismans was already in the hand of Zen Monk Shen'er.

The real person squinted, and the pupils under the sutures contracted slightly.

"You snatched the knife that was cut in half lengthwise?"

He immediately sensed something was wrong.

"Non-action transformation" can indeed protect the soul from being destroyed by external forces; as long as the soul is intact, it is immortal.

However, if the body is continuously destroyed and shredded, the magical power consumed to repair it will eventually reach its limit. The man before them, with his unreasonable body, is capable of sustaining the offensive indefinitely until one side completely collapses.

And the one who will most likely be the first to run out of spell power will be oneself.

Shen Er weighed the blunt knife in his hand, seemingly not satisfied with the weight of this cursed tool. He raised his head, his dark eyes locking onto the real person again, and a bloodthirsty smile appeared on his lips.

Just as he raised his blunt knife, about to pounce again—

boom!!!

A dazzling crimson flash shot out from the front carriage, and a violent torrent of magical power instantly tore through the carriage roof, sending steel and sheet metal flying like paper.

Shen Er's figure flashed, and with the instinct of a wild beast, he retreated to the side. The red light grazed his shoulder and melted a huge charred hole in the carriage wall behind him.

Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a figure dressed in a cassock tumbled and rolled in front of the crowd in a disheveled state.

Xia Youjie's face was covered in dust, his bangs disheveled. He quickly rolled over and knelt on one knee, facing the direction from which the dust was coming, forcing a solemn and dry smile.

"...They really show no mercy."

"Mr. Nanami!"

Nanami turned around, panting heavily. His sweat-drenched blond hair hung down his forehead, his shirt was torn, and he was covered in blood. He was no longer the capable man he usually was.

Not far away, Ichichi was crouching at the back of the carriage, using as calm a voice as possible to direct the survivors to evacuate further away.

Nanami suddenly remembered what Gojo Satoru had said to them while leaning back on the sofa before they set off—

"If we encounter a powerful enemy, Nanami and Ijichi's priority is to protect the safety of ordinary people. Leave the rest to me."

If Gojo Satoru and Tosaku were both present, they absolutely could not be drawn into that massive battle. All they could do was ensure that the strongest player had no worries.

So, don't get in the way.

The smoke and dust slowly dissipated.

A tall figure in a black uniform walked out.

The white hair was particularly glaring in the sunlight streaming through the gap in the broken carriage, and the exposed azure eyes were filled with icy coldness; even a glance from the corner of one's eye sent chills down one's spine.

Shen Er was stunned.

He stared blankly at the man who had once killed him, the tip of the blunt knife in his hand unconsciously drooping an inch.

Memories surged forth like a floodgate opening.

"Above and below heaven, I alone am supreme..."

Teenager, assassin, death match...

And finally, the body pierced by "Zi"...

All the images flashed wildly through my mind.

The darkness that had filled his eyes receded like a tide at that moment.

"Go... Gojo Satoru!"

Gojo Satoru's pupils contracted slightly.

The moment he saw the other person's face clearly, his body moved. Almost no one acted on impulse; it was a near-instinctive reaction!

In the blink of an eye, he appeared before Shen'er.

A punch was thrown!

boom! !

Shen'er's body flew backward like a cannonball, crashing through the partition of two carriages before finally embedding itself in a pile of twisted metal rubble.

However, at that moment, a red afterimage shot out from the other end of the carriage.

The fully-formed Tuogen, carrying the unconscious Rime on its back, landed beside Lusuo.

"Don't come here again in this situation, Tuogen!" Lu Suo, sitting on the ground, rubbed his forehead, his tone full of helplessness.

"Gojo Satoru! Together... we can kill him!"

Lu Suo sighed, his smile turning somewhat bitter.

"That's impossible... Although it seems like those two started fighting because of a personal grudge, they'll be here soon and wipe us all out. Let's retreat first."

But then Gojo Satoru's cold voice came through.

Did I say... I would let you leave?

Amidst the shocked gazes of the crowd, Gojo Satoru slowly raised his right hand.

"Domain Expansion—"

"Boundless emptiness!"

"Everyone! Stand back!!"

Nanami roared and pulled out a glass syringe from his pocket—a simple domain device made by Mechanical Maru that Genichi had given him before he left.

He poured his magical power into it and smashed it to the ground.

"The New Yin Flow—'Easy Realm'!"

A surge of powerful magical energy suddenly ignited beneath Nanami and Ijichi's feet, enveloping them in a bright halo.

Almost at the same instant, the enormous black barrier expanded dramatically from Gojo Satoru's center, completely engulfing the entire train car.

The barrier expanded at an astonishing speed, but stopped just one meter away from Nanami.

Cold sweat beaded on Nanami's forehead.

He unfolded the simplified domain not to resist Gojo Satoru's "Boundless Void," but rather an open domain—"Waizō Hōya"—that the Rōsō Society unfolded to neutralize Gojo Satoru's domain!

At the very heart of the clash of realms, Lu Suo's magic was dissolving at an incredible speed.

"What a monster!" A few beads of cold sweat appeared on Lu Suo's forehead. "I clearly shrunk the area just enough to cover the carriage. The outer shell of the domain should have been more easily breached from the outside by the 'Womb-Covered Field' attack..."

"I see. Did you find a way to counter open-domain attacks after your battle with Sukuna?"

In a contest of this caliber, both Zhenren and Tuogen could only hide behind Lusuo's shrine, with no room to intervene.

"Can we still hold on? What would happen if we extended that coverage to our territory as well?"

The real man looked at Lu Suo, who was struggling more and more, and asked with curiosity.

"Given your level of magical power—you'll most likely still die!"

Lu Suo sneered, but he was gritting his teeth and desperately trying to maintain the neutralization of the spell on "Boundless Void" within his domain.

He wasn't worried that his open domain would be shattered by the attack of "Boundless Void." What he was worried about was that Gojo Satoru's massive domain effect would quickly fill the "void" of the entire domain. Even if his domain still existed, it wouldn't be able to neutralize it, and everyone would be directly exposed to the effect of "Boundless Void"'s infinite information infusion!

"That's still not much different from the current situation." The Master thought for a moment, then looked at the Thug beside him. "Let's use the postponement method!"

Just then—

Bang bang bang bang bang! ! !

A dense barrage of bombardment suddenly came from above the outer shell of the "Boundless Void," like a torrential downpour pounding on sheet metal, dull and rapid.

Lu Suo's lips curled into a wide grin in that instant.

Without hesitation, he reached into his robes and hurled the top-grade cursed object, covered in talismans, at Gojo Satoru's feet.

"Prison Gate—"

"Open the door!"

Gojo Satoru felt a sudden chill run down his spine.

An ancient and weathered aura erupted from the die. The four wedges, connected by flesh and blood, instantly opened up in all directions, revealing a large, cloudy, bloodshot eyeball in the center.

And just before Lu Suo's domain was about to completely fail—

Click!

A heart-stopping cracking sound echoed through the carriage.

The "limitless void" shattered with a deafening roar!

Technique-based circuit breaking.

Gojo Satoru's figure paused slightly in mid-air.

The untouchable "infinity" that had always surrounded him vanished in that instant.

Covered in blood, Shen Er flipped down from above, his feet smashing through the roof of the car, and landed steadily beside Gojo Satoru.

He raised his hand and wiped the sweat mixed with blood from his face, his eyes burning with the same ferocity as twelve years ago.

The three of them, including Ryosaku, shot out from the shattered domain remnants and rushed straight towards Gojo Satoru, who was temporarily unable to activate the "No Limit" technique!