The middle-aged man turned and walked away.
Sōjun Minamoto stared at his hand, deep in thought. That guy must have some kind of special cursed object on him.
It wasn't that he secretly activated a technique—he was just far too brazen.
"The village chief was right. We need to be careful around him," Suguru Geto said quietly as he walked up beside him, eyes on the man's retreating figure.
But Sōjun Minamoto didn't quite agree. From the way the man had acted, it felt like he had done it all on purpose—like he wanted to be obvious.
Neither the village chief nor Suguru had picked up on that, both assuming he was just a smiling snake with hidden fangs.
That wasn't wrong, either.
But Sōjun Minamoto, who had interacted with him the most, could sense something else... the man's emotions.
The first time their eyes met, there had been genuine joy.
He had never shown a hint of hatred, not even when the young man was killed. No emotional response at all. Not once did he harbor any ill will.
In fact, he seemed even more pleased afterward.
There was some kind of unspoken understanding between them. As long as they stayed out of each other's way, that was good enough. That was the unspoken agreement from their very first meeting.
"Should we head back too?" Sōjun Minamoto asked, brushing the thought aside as he turned to Suguru Geto.
Suguru didn't respond right away. He glanced back at the village.
This mission wasn't too bad. At least he didn't have to taste cursed spirit orbs this time...
Wait, taste?
Why would I use that word?
He'd never told anyone what cursed spirit orbs tasted like. But now Sōjun Minamoto knew—and had experienced it himself a few times.
Every time he saw the look on Sōjun's face as he swallowed one of those orbs, it felt like some of the bitterness in his own heart was lifted.
It wasn't that he was a pervert.
It's just—when you're suffering and trying to carry that pain alone, ready to quietly endure it...
And then a friend steps forward, willing to share that burden with you...
That suffering suddenly becomes bearable.
Looking back, he realized how stubborn he had been, trapped in that dark corner he'd built for himself.
He really needed to learn how to let things go.
He turned to look at Sōjun Minamoto and suddenly smiled. "Come on. Let's go back to Jujutsu High."
Then he walked ahead.
Sōjun Minamoto blinked. That was... weird.
They retraced their steps through the woods and spent some time searching before they finally found their car parked deep in the ravine.
Sōjun unlocked it. Suguru was the first to open the passenger door and hop in.
Hmm? You're definitely acting weird.
Sōjun got in too, just about to start the engine...
Suguru Geto suddenly asked, "No music?"
He reached over to adjust the car radio, glancing at Sōjun Minamoto.
"By the way, take it easy when starting off. Shift the gears in order, one at a time. Don't skip."
"Got it... okay."
Sōjun Minamoto obediently shifted into first gear, eased the car onto the open road, accelerated, shifted into second, picked up speed again, then into third...
Satisfied now?
Suguru Geto was already lounging comfortably in his seat, fingers tapping rhythmically against the car window. Tap—tap—tap.
Seeing him like that, Sōjun Minamoto chuckled and continued driving toward Jujutsu High in fifth gear.
...
Once they arrived, the two went their separate ways.
Sōjun Minamoto headed straight toward the White Bone Tree.
It was time to dismantle Aragami.
He arrived at the base of the tree, where the two versions of himself merged back into one.
According to plan—
The flame ability was handed over to the Chōchin-obake. Both belonged to the Spirit type and shared the same power attribute, so naturally, fire went to it.
Strength was given to the Fly Head. That mutt didn't have a technique or any special abilities, so it remained purely physical.
The dream-rewriting technique was engraved onto Star Eyes.
Really, it didn't matter. As long as he took direct control, all abilities were interchangeable.
After all, they were one and the same.
But when he wasn't controlling them, the Fly Head and Chōchin-obake operated independently and could only use the powers assigned to them. Their self-awareness made them unique.
Sōjun Minamoto had other plans for them, so he needed to improve their self-preservation. Otherwise, if they got caught off guard, they might end up exorcised.
Now, the most critical part—Domain.
He took out Aragami's Cursed Spirit orb and reverted it into statue form.
Placing a hand atop the statue's head, both crimson and blue energies spread out at once, carefully tracing the engraved technique regions on its flesh and soul.
This was an experiment.
He was going to apply both Cursed Technique Lapse and Reverse Cursed Technique simultaneously—to influence Aragami's body and soul.
Each color had to precisely follow the lines of the technique. Even the slightest misstep could cause the mental image of the Domain to collapse—rendering it void.
On top of that, he had to carefully avoid Aragami's conscious will, or else it might choose to self-terminate.
To be honest, it was incredibly difficult.
Killing it would've been easy—a single strike. But if he wanted to maximize the gain, he had to concentrate, stay sharp, and work the process properly.
Far more complex than a straight-up fight.
Sōjun Minamoto pushed away all distractions and focused.
He was like a child learning to write, carefully tracing the visible lines and patterns of a calligraphy post.
This method helped him understand the structure and purpose of the technique—and also sharpened his own comprehension.
Finally, after painstaking work, only the relevant part of Aragami's technique turned bright crimson, while the soul-side glowed in blue. The two energies surged together and, with a flash of light, fully merged into the technique.
"Try using your Domain," Sōjun Minamoto said to Aragami.
Aragami didn't respond at all.
He felt as if a layer of dust had settled over his technique.
He didn't know what the man had done—but it didn't stop him from using it.
His own technique couldn't betray him... could it?
He simply chose to ignore the man.
Sōjun Minamoto smiled faintly. He hadn't expected cooperation—this was just a test to see if Aragami had noticed anything.
Apparently not.
Sōjun Minamoto activated a technique.
It was the Dream Rewriting Technique.
A faint halo drifted off Aragami's body, enveloping him.
Aragami found himself back in the small village, seated high atop a nine-tiered throne made of swords and thorned flowers.
Below him, a dense crowd of villagers bowed and prostrated themselves, burning away their lives and offering everything they had to strengthen him.
At first, he remained conscious, aware something was off—always on guard.
But as more villagers gathered and belief in him grew, so did his strength.
It surged through his muscles and bones like something solid, coursing through every fiber. Aragami clenched his fists, carefully savoring the power.
He looked around, then frowned.
The temple was too small.
That thought just came to him.
Looking down at the masses, he realized—there still weren't enough people. He needed more.
And more came.
His power seemed limitless now, and his tolerance for the cramped temple diminished with each surge of growth.
Why not expand the Domain?
Build a true divine kingdom that belonged only to him.
A voice in his head reminded him—not to open the Domain.
Why not?
No answer.
Aragami grew irritated. That day, he executed a few of the villagers' candles.
Yes, he called them candles. There were plenty. A few deaths didn't matter.
The more people came, the smaller the temple seemed.
He wanted to open the Domain again.
Absolutely not!
Every time he had the thought, that voice returned.
Why?
Even if this was that man's doing, he could just crush him with one punch.
Which man?
The thought flickered—and was quickly dismissed.
This time, he killed more—over a hundred. But still, it didn't make a difference. If anything, the remaining villagers fed him even richer emotions.
He was the supreme king here.
He could do whatever he wanted.
Yes—whatever he wanted.
...
Cursed Energy + Technique + Innate Domain, deployed through a Barrier Technique—that's Domain Expansion.
All the conditions were fulfilled.
Sōjun Minamoto only adjusted the final Barrier Technique slightly, guiding the shrine to embed itself within Jujutsu High's barrier system, locking it in permanently.
The entrance was the White Bone Tree—chosen long ago.
He extracted Aragami's technique and imprinted it on his arm in the form of an abstract oni face—blue-skinned, fanged and fierce.
Then, he pulled out its flame and shoved it into the Chōchin-obake.
Its strength was temporarily stored in his right arm.
Once everything was done...
Sōjun Minamoto looked at the statue, reached out, and kneaded it down into a thumb-sized cursed spirit orb. Then he popped it into his mouth and started chewing.
Crunch. Crunch.
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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