"They actually went in…"
"Two fearless idiots. So young, and they're gonna die in a place like this. Sigh, all for the lure of money."
"Everyone, let's call it a day. They're not coming back out."
The hidden onlookers shook their heads in pity. Hayashi and Todo Aoi, so young, were about to meet their end here.
"Let me run you through some precautions…" As they walked, Hayashi briefed Todo on what was inside—what dangers they'd face. With Todo's strength, though, he could dodge most of it.
Todo raised an eyebrow, surprised. "How do you know what's in there? Been here before?"
"Sort of. In a dream," Hayashi grinned, stepping into the black innate domain.
The next moment—
The scenery shifted fast. The white sky turned into a gloomy night. An ancient town materialized, red lanterns swaying without wind, flickering above the doorways.
"This is…" Todo's face grew serious. He'd never seen an innate domain this massive. It stretched endlessly, like a creepy ancient city blanketing everything in sight.
Looking back, the path they'd come from was gone—just a dark, ancient road stretching into the void, too long to see the end.
"Pretty mind-blowing, right? First time I came here, I felt the same. It's not about strength—just pure awe," Hayashi said. He couldn't use an innate domain himself, but if he wanted to, he could probably tinker with something from his Sun-Moon Domain.
His "pass" didn't include domain techniques, though. Fair enough—innate domains just gave the caster a favorable battlefield. Their actual utility wasn't that big.
But that bald curse user seemed to have a tighter grip on his domain than most, able to mess with it in ways others couldn't.
Made sense. If he couldn't tweak his own domain, today's mess wouldn't exist—he'd have been taken out quick.
"Places this eerie are rare. They say curses in China are different. I didn't buy it before, but now I see it," Todo said, scanning the area as he walked. He wasn't worried, though.
Simple reason: his best bud Hayashi was here. A guy stronger than him—basically two first-grade jujutsu sorcerers rolled into one. Even if a special-grade cursed spirit showed up, they could handle it.
Unless it had a domain of its own.
Hayashi didn't know what Todo was thinking, but he felt this place was more dangerous than last time.
No big deal, though. Take out the caster, and it's over. The only hassle was his cursed energy range being squeezed down to fifty meters—no, now forty.
"Let's head straight to the target, Todo. Keep up," Hayashi said, then shot forward like a coiled spring snapping loose.
"Got it!" Todo boomed, chasing after him. Speed-wise, he wasn't lacking—easily matching Hayashi's pace.
Todo knew Hayashi had a teleportation technique. Maybe he was sticking to normal speed so Todo wouldn't lose him.
That's the kind of care you show a best bud, right?
Todo thought so, anyway.
Whoosh!
Hayashi landed in a huge courtyard, surrounded by red pillars—just like in the mirrored world. But the scene was slightly off.
There were more pillars now. A man and a woman, nailed to two of them, were still conscious. Spotting Hayashi and Todo, they shouted, "Watch out! Red pillars will shoot up from the ground. If they catch you, you can't break free!"
Hayashi and Todo locked eyes. The next instant, they leapt aside as two crimson pillars erupted from where they'd stood.
"Dodge the first wave, and you're safe," Hayashi said. He knew some of the rules here. Avoid the initial pillars, and they wouldn't pop up again. If he was right, that samurai was next.
Sure enough—
A tall figure in red samurai armor emerged from the grand entrance. Eight large flags jutted from its back, ghost faces flickering on them.
"Last time, it had six flags. It's only been a few days—now it's eight?" Hayashi frowned, scanning the area. The curse user was nowhere in sight.
Was it because he'd brought someone this time, making the guy cautious?
No, that didn't add up. In the mirrored world, that curse user had underestimated him. Even with Todo here, he'd still be cocky.
Todo's cursed energy didn't scream "threat" to outsiders—just average. No way it'd spook that curse user.
Wait.
Was it because they'd dodged the pillars? Maybe that tipped the bald guy off, so he stayed hidden.
"Is that the mastermind?" Todo's eyes gleamed as he watched the samurai descend the stairs. He peeled off his shirt, revealing a chiseled, muscular torso.
With Hayashi here, fighting would be a blast. A strong best bud brought surprises—especially for leveling up.
He was grateful for that. If Hayashi were way weaker, Todo wouldn't care about strength in a friend, but a frail bud would demand more effort to protect.
The jujutsu sorcerer path wasn't long or short. In their limited time, they had to chase infinite potential.
Curses didn't age out, which made them such a pain. Humans had known this forever—same starting line, different finish.
"Todo!" Hayashi called out. "Let's do this!"
" Hell yeah!" Todo's deep voice roared.
In a flash, they unleashed their cursed energy, charging the samurai like cannonballs.
Todo's right fist clenched, swinging in sync with Hayashi's moves. Up close, they unleashed a storm of blows on the samurai.
Its power had clearly jumped since last time—now in special-grade territory. Hayashi and Todo's onslaught was fierce, but its new rank didn't ease the pressure. If anything, it fought harder.
As a puppet—a dead soldier of sorts—it had no emotions. Its only goal: eliminate these two.
A silver blade flashed, parrying their attacks.
It wielded a sword, yet these two pinned it down with fists. Every strike dodged its blade, targeting wrists and joints, throwing off its swings.
Cursed energy armor flared around Hayashi. He grabbed the samurai's blade with both hands, locking eyes with Todo.
Todo got the signal. Spreading his fingers, he seized the samurai's face, leapt, and slammed its head into the courtyard ground.
Boom!
A thunderous crash kicked up dust and debris. Todo stepped back. Hayashi landed beside him, whispering, "This thing's theoretically unkillable unless we turn it to ash. But it's not our real target—we need to draw out the caster behind it."
Todo stood silent, soaking in Hayashi's words. Looked like this fight already had its endgame.
Still, they'd keep swinging.
Soon—
The dust cleared.
The samurai rose from the crater, shedding rubble. No damage visible.
Aside from some dust, it was unchanged.
Hayashi signaled with a glance. They charged again, clashing with the samurai.
Nearby, the man and woman pinned to the pillars gaped. Were these two even human? This strong?
They'd come as a group of four. Two got caught by the pillar trap, stuck and immobile.
The other two dodged it but faced the samurai—and it was a nightmare. Unkillable, regenerating no matter what they threw at it.
When their cursed energy ran dry, it overpowered them, pinning them to the pillars.
By the usual script, these new sorcerers would follow the same fate. The pair didn't warn them—it was pointless. They'd figure it out soon.
But they were floored. These two were leagues above them. Even so, they couldn't dent that freaky samurai.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fistfights echoed. Hayashi and Todo went all out—but just with basic attacks, no techniques.
Even that drained stamina and cursed energy. After ten-plus minutes—
The samurai stood tall, injuries healed mid-fight.
Hayashi and Todo, panting, flanked it at an angle.
By all accounts, their stamina was nearly shot. Defeat was just a matter of time.
Then Hayashi's eyes flicked to the courtyard entrance. A barefoot figure in tattered robes stepped out—a bald man with a stiff, creepy expression.
"Finally showing up?" Hayashi exhaled in relief. Without this guy appearing, he couldn't track him—cursed energy range too restricted to hunt properly.
The guy could hide easily, staying off radar.
Only when Hayashi and Todo looked spent did this cautious curse user emerge—ready to reel them in.
Clap, clap, clap~
"Impressive fight. You two are the strongest jujutsu sorcerers to step in here so far. Shame your brains don't match. Didn't you notice? No matter how you hit it, it doesn't take a scratch," the curse user said, his stiff grin widening as he approached.
Facing Hayashi and Todo now, he was confident he could finish them—no hesitation left.