Megumi exited the building as he took a breather, only to feel an overwhelming pressure from Cursed Energy flowing over him. He looked up at the top of a building and saw him. A man in a haori, with white hair and blue eyes. For a second, he mistook him.
"Is that... Gojo-Sensei?"
The man jumped down and smiled, asking, "Oh? You know one of my descendants? Is that it?"
The man smiled confidently as he looked at Megumi, thinking, 'He said Gojo-Sensei? A Teacher? Times really have changed.'
"Kogane. Who the hell is this guy?"
Kogane displayed the information.
Name: Gojo Ren
Rules Added: 0
Points: 30
Current Colony: Tokyo Colony 1
Megumi's eyes widened as he realised the severity of the situation.
'He's from the Gojo Clan? Descendants? He's a Reincarnated Sorcerer!'
Ren sighed and asked, "Where can I find Sukuna?"
Ren tapped his foot impatiently, waiting for Mergumi's answer.
Megumi looked annoyed, thinking, 'Another Gojo. Just great.'
Megumi made a serious expression and said, "Sukuna isn't available right now, and we don't plan on him being available. But Kenjaku's different. You can fight him..."
Ren made an irritated expression, asking, "Are you dumb or just desperate? I want to fight the strongest. Ryomen Sukuna. I never got the chance back then. I was born too late."
Megumi's expression darkened at the realisation. This was a man born in the Golden Age of Jujutsu. The Era of Heian.
Megumi took a breath as he sweated, thinking, 'This guy is Gojo-Sensei's ancestor and from the Heian Era. Though his eyes don't look the same as Gojo-Sensei's. No Six Eyes? Then, using the Limitless Technique probably won't be possible. He's got to be strong in some other way, though. His Cursed Energy alone... he has more than Yuta-Senpai. It's way too creepy.'
Ren suddenly disappeared. Megumi reflexively reinforced his body with Cursed Energy, and then Ren reappeared next to Megumi, whose eyes shifted, trying to see him, when he felt a painful sensation in his stomach. It was like the point of impact was drawing everything into itself.
"Aggh!"
'What the?!!'
Before he could react, he was knocked backwards as he was sent flying through a wall.
'That wasn't like in Shibuya with that guy.'
Megumi remembered how Toji would disappear from sight via sheer speed thinking, 'This guy just teleported! Is that his Cursed Technique?'
He slowly got up as he finally felt the pain from that one attack.
"Ugh..."
He lifted his shirt, checking his stomach and seeing that a bit of his skin had been torn off at the point of impact. He grimaced at the realisation, thinking, 'His Cursed Energy draws everything in. You can't be serious.'
Ren laughed, saying, "Hey! Not bad. You blocked it. That's impressive. Most people end up having a hole in their stomach when I punch them, but you were able to block it. You've got good instincts."
'He's a freakish monster to be able to hit that hard. He'd give Maki-Senpai a run for her money.'
Megumi made the hand sign as he summoned, "Demon Dogs: Totality!"
Ren made a surprised expression.
"Oh? Ten Shadows Technique? This might actually end up being fun. Let's have a good fight. What do you say, Zenin?"
Megumi responded with, "I'm not a Zenin. I never was. I'm living under my mother's name. It's Fushiguro. It's always been Fushiguro. It'll always be Fushiguro."
Ren sighed, saying, "Your father would be sad to hear that."
Megumi scoffed and replied, "He can cry his heart out all he wants. I don't give a shit."
Ren shook his head disapprovingly.
"You're the same as my son. Michizane. He took his mother's name and made his old man sad without any remorse."
Megumi froze for a second, thinking, 'Suguwara Michizane? As in the Suguwara Michizane? This guy... is Okkotsu-Senpai's ancestor too?'
Megumi sweated as he sent out Totality to attack, only for it to practically freeze in place before it could touch Ren, as Ren sighed, saying, "It's rude to attack someone before the conversation is over."
Megumi stared at the scene of Totality being unable to approach. A cruel reality made itself apparent to Megumi. His opponent was using the Limitless Technique.
'He's... using Infinity? But... he doesn't have the Six Eyes.'
Ren smiled and said, "Wondering how I can use the Limitless Technique? You see, my Cursed Energy has an innate ability to manipulate space to a certain extent. Not enough to be useful without the Limitless Technique, but... good enough to assist in controlling the Limitless Technique. I also have a lot of Cursed Energy, as I'm sure you can tell. I don't need the Six Eyes."
Megumi stared in disbelief, thinking, 'What in the world did I do to deserve this?'
Ren smiled and asked, "Is there something you're scared of? I guess my descendant must be a Limitless User too, with how you're shaking. You must be close to my descendant since he's your Sensei. Let's become close friends as well, okay? Hehe."
Ren rushed towards Megumi, who made a hand sign, summoning, "Rabbit Escape!"
The rabbits poured out as Megumi used them for cover. He maneuvered around the attack as he landed a slash with Totality, and Ren backed off slightly, thinking, 'That was a really good hit.'
Ren raised his eyebrows with a smirk as he assessed, "You're stronger than you look. It hurts pretty bad. You'd give some people I know a run for their money."
Megumi looked at the slashing wound, thinking, 'At least I managed to hurt him.'
Ren's wound began healing as it closed up without issue.
'Reverse Cursed Technique, which puts Red and even Hollow Purple on the table for what he could possibly do. This is the worst. I might actually die here. And right before I could get Tsumiki out of here.'
Megumi clicked his tongue as he looked over Ren.
'The Limitless Technique. Even with that much Cursed Energy and his Cursed Energy Trait, it should still be a very taxing technique. Using it for an entire fight shouldn't be possible. That's probably why I was able to land that attack.'
Ren smiled casually, yawning as he patted the dust off his haori.
"My Limitless technique is limited to use for attacks that I can perceive with one of my five senses. Without that input, I can't use it. A Binding Vow in exchange for the reduction of Cursed Energy Output and Control required for use."
Megumi made an annoyed expression, thinking, 'Revealing a Binding Vow doesn't increase the potency of the vow or the user's Cursed Technique. Unless... is that part of the Binding Vow?'
That was when Ren appeared in front of him.
'Not this again!'
Totality got in the way as they both got sent flying through multiple buildings as Megumi spat out blood. Megumi's vision began to become blurry as he thought, 'It hurts so much... This guy isn't as strong as Gojo Sensei. Was Gojo-Sensei holding back that much when training me?'
Megumi's arms shook as he looked down, trying to see Totality, but saw nothing but a bloodstain.
'He can... kill my Shikigami in a single hit. You can't be serious. I... can't use them openly? If I didn't sacrifice Totality, I'd be dead right now.'
Megumi slowly tried to get up as he began to sweat in fear, thinking, 'How the hell do I beat this guy? Gojo-Sensei is stronger, but... the difference between this guy and me is so great that I might as well be fighting Gojo-Sensei.'
Ren walked into the building as Megumi looked at him darkly, thinking, 'I have to imagine a version of myself that can beat this guy, but... how?'
Megumi focused as Ren looked to him in puzzlement and said, "Wow. You're so durable. I think we can actually become really close friends if you keep this up. Haha."
Megumi stood up slowly, thinking, 'Things aren't looking good. He killed Divine Dog: Totality, and I've only landed a single hit on him. What's worse? He used Reverse Cursed Technique to heal from it, and he hasn't shown his entire arsenal yet.
Ren smiled, pointing at Megumi with a hand sign and saying, "Cursed Technique Amplification: Blue!"
Megumi's eyes widened as he instantly dived into the shadows to avoid the attack, reappearing behind Ren as he slammed his fist into Ren, sending him flying forward, who thought, 'He used the shadow created by the blue to hide, and since it was still connected to me, he was able to invade my shadow and appear behind me.'
Ren stopped his momentum as he turned around and said, "Smart boy."
Megumi sighed and said, "Stop patronising me."
Ren deadpanned and said, "Alright," as he made a hand sign and said, "Technique Reversal: Red!" as Megumi looked shocked, summoning a Cursed Tool Katana from his shadows to block the attack, only for it to shatter and for the red to hit him as he was sent flying back into a wall, as he felt one of his ribs snap causing him to yell in agony.
Megumi looked at the place he was hit. He was bleeding, and it was so painful that it was messing with his ability to think. He sweated, managing to think through the pain.
'He can use Blue and Red. Not good. But things could still get worse.'
He grimaced at the idea of having to deal with Hollow Purple.
Ren looked confused and asked, "Why are you still looking so expectant? Blue and Red are the pinnacle of the Limitless Technique without Domain, right? Oh? Am I mistaken?"
Megumi looked horrified at the idea that he might have just given Ren the information needed to use Hollow Purple.
Ren smirked as he contemplated it, thinking, 'What would be a way to take Red or Blue to the next level... oh? combining them? Is that possible?'
Megumi ran towards him, thinking, 'I have to stop him before he figures it out!' only for Ren to make hand signs.
"Technique Amplification: Blue. Technique Reversal Red."
A Blue and Red Orb appeared in front of Ren as Megumi froze on the spot. There was no way to move to the side to avoid it, even if that would help. He saw a door at the far end of the room as he moved towards it, thinking, 'I'm not going to make it!'
"Phase. Twilight. Eyes Of Prajna. Nine Ropes. Polarised Light. Crow And Shomyo. The Gap Between Within And Without. Imaginary Mass. Hollow Technique: Purple!"
Ren got the two orbs to fuse, as he thought, 'The power output is too high to control without the Six Eyes. I'll have to reduce the output a bit. Still, it'll be on a different level from just a Blue or Red.'
A purple orb appeared as Ren fired it at Megumi, who tried to dive into the shadows, but his body was too injured.
It hit him in the side, just barely missing his vital organs, forming a hole he was bleeding from as he fell back, bleeding out. Megumi felt like screaming in pain, but he focused his mind as he managed to try to consider his next moves.
'Maybe if I use my Domain... no. He might have his own. If he does, it'll be over and then... can't I just trust everyone to save Tsumiki? It's not like I could kill him while I'm like this, just with my Domain either. I'm so injured that I think I'm dying.'
Megumi's thoughts shifted to Tsumiki.
'Ugh. No. I'm not going to die here. I can't die. She's depending on me. That stupid big sister. There has to be a way. There has to be a way to beat this guy.'
Ren looked to Megumi, saying, "You're the same as the 10 Shadows User from my era. Hey, summon that big guy. Mahoraga right? Summon him. He was fun to fight back then."
Megumi looked at his hands, thinking, 'Summon... Mahoraga? No... not again. I don't want to summon him. If I had just been stronger. If I had just known how to use the Reversed Curse Technique... then Mahorraga wouldn't have been summoned in Shibuya. Then all those people wouldn't have died.'
Megumi thought back to a conversation with Shoko.
[Shoko sighed, asking, "You want to learn Reverse Cursed Technique? It goes like hyoi! And hyo! And like that!"
Megumi grew a tick mark out of frustration.
"You can't be serious."
Shoko sighed and said, "It's not easy to learn. It took Gojo being at the brink of death to learn it. Even a guy as talented as him struggled."
Megumi looked shocked, asking, "There's someone who could put Gojo-Sensei on the brink of death?"
Shoko sighed and said, "Toji Zenin. He had to tire out Gojo and use the Inverted Spear of Heaven, but... he was able to put Gojo into a near-death state. It was so bad that Gojo had no choice but to learn it. Either that or die."
Megumi sweated, remembering Toji from Shibuya, and how Tengen had mentioned him as the factor that had changed everything.
Megumi gritted his teeth and asked, "Shoko-san. Please try to teach me. I need to learn it."
Shoko sighed and said, "Alright. I'll try my best to get it through to you."]
Megumi lay there as Ren looked annoyed, asking, "Aw, are you dead already?"
He turned around, walking away when he heard something.
"Technique Reversal: Imbuement: Max Elephant!"
That's when an arrow of water pierced through the air. It barely missed Ren's stomach as he coughed up blood before turning around. He saw Megumi clasping his hands together, mimicking Choso and Noritoshi.
Megumi stood up, thinking, 'This is how Noritoshi uses it, right? Piercing Blood. Wow. This works? I... I never would have imagined this before!'
Ren looked dumbfounded, asking, "You learned Reverse Cursed Technique?"
"That's right, ya bastard! I was desperate, you know. I felt like I was going to die. I didn't want to give up. I kept pushing Cursed Energy into my wound. I tried everything until one method worked. It's multiplication. It's Cursed Energy over itself. Then I fueled everything towards that method, and here I am. Alive."
Ren looked confused, asking, "How are you using the Shikigami's abilities without summoning them?"
Megumi pointed to himself and said, "Reversal involves facets of an opposite property of your technique. Ten Shadows lets me summon Shikigami, but if I did that, you'd just kill them, so instead of summoning them, I imbued them into myself!"
Ren smirked, thinking, 'On the brink of death, learning Reverse Cursed Technique would trigger that kind of reaction in anyone. It was the same with me when I fought and lost to Kenjaku. But that jubilation doesn't guarantee victory.'
Ren smiled, thinking back to his battle with Kenjaku.
[Kenjaku blocked an attack from Ren, who jumped back.
Kenjaku looked at his arm and simply said, "Heal", as his Cursed Energy began automatically healing him. The Reversal of Cursed Speech is the ability to influence your own body and Cursed Energy. It can enhance the body and cursed energy, making it capable of things that should be impossible. Ignoring all physical conditions, such as exhaustion, injury or physical limits.
Ren smirked, saying, "That's awesome! Teach me how to use it! No one could teach me, but maybe you can."
Kenjaku sighed and said, "It's the multiplication of Cursed Energy over itself. Though it's not as easy as it is a simple concept."
Ren smirked, saying, "Thanks for the info. I'll figure it out soon!" making a hand sign and saying, "Technique Amplification: Blue!"
The Cursed Seals of the Inumaki Clan appeared on Kenjaku's face as he smiled and said, "Miss."
The Blue flew completely off-target and flew into the distance as if it had listened to his command before Kenjaku said, "Infinity Off" as he coughed some blood up in recoil. The blood dripped down his lips as Kenjaku nailed Ren with a combo of attacks and then knocked him to the floor as Ren lay there.
Kenjaku smiled and said, "Blue. Hit him."
The blue that had missed before returned, hitting Ren right in the stomach as he coughed up blood and his eyes rolled back into his head.
Kenjaku shook his head, thinking, 'He was strong but... too overconfident. That seems to be a trait passed down in the Gojo Clan.'
Then he looked surprised as Ren stood up and laughed maliciously as he shouted, "I finally get it! Reverse Cursed Technique!"
Ren charged towards Kenjaku, who sighed, thinking, 'He still hasn't had enough?'
Ren smirked, shouting, 'It's not over yet!"
Kenjaku then calmly made a two-handed hand sign and said, "Domain Expansion: Absolute Decree Of My Facination!"
Ren looked surprised before making a two-handed hand sign and shouting, "Domain Expansion: Boundless Axiom Of Space!"
The Cursed Seals of the Inumaki Clan formed on Kenjaku's face as the Domain Clash began, thinking, 'Let's see whose Domain is more refined.'
Ren smirked, thinking, 'As long as mine hits first, I can kill him! Cursed Speech won't help him if I can tear him apart with a flick of my wrist.'
A black dome of the clashing barriers formed only for it to collapse a few seconds later, with Ren lying on the ground, his limbs cut off and holes riddling his body, thinking, 'I lost. I lost for the first time in my life. He managed to beat me without a Domain, and then, when I managed to pull myself together, he crushed all my hopes with his Domain. That refinement, too. He's on a different level. Special Grade. Such a joke to label someone like him with that title and tie him to that level.'
Kenjaku sat down there casually as Ren healed himself with the Reverse Cursed Technique. He was almost completely out of Cursed Energy.
Kenjaku smiled and said, "You've got so much Cursed Energy that you were strong."
Ren got up and asked, "You're not going to kill me and use your technique to steal my body?"
Kenjaku smiled and said, "There's no point. However, it would have been nice. If only you were born a little later or earlier."
Ren sighed and said, "You don't need to tell me things I already feel. I was born too late to experience the joys of the Era of Heian."
Kenjaku laughed and asked, "Is it about Sukuna? Do you really think you'd be able to beat him if you lost to me?"
Ren shook his head and said, "Of course not. What I want isn't to be the strongest. I want to fight the strongest because everyone else is too weak."
Kenjaku sighed and said, "I see, so that's how you feel. That loneliness from being so strong. You want to cure it by fighting someone stronger than you."
Ren smirked and said, "Yeah."
Kanjaku smiled and said, "So? You feel less lonely now?"
Ren paused for a second and smiled, saying, "Yes. I do. I finally understand what it means to face someone stronger. I think I finally understand those around me."
Kenjaku smiled and said, "Haha. Only those who have lost can understand those weaker than themselves. That's funny, isn't it? Though in most cases it's impossible not to lose at least once."
Ren smiled and said, "You're right. From here on, I consider you a friend. Is that alright with you?"
Kenjaku laughed at this and said, "You're a funny guy. I'll give you an opportunity to fight Sukuna. In the future. How about it? I'll call for you when it's time."
"Seriously?"
Kenjaku smiled and said, "Yes. I have other plans for the future as well. I wonder if I'll find a partner who can help me with them. So. How about it? Are you willing to join my Culling Game?"
Ren smirked and shouted, "Bring it on, Kenjaku!"]
Ren smirked and shouted, "Bring it on, Fushiguro!"
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To Be Continued
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Rating Out Of 10 For This Chapter?
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