Not to mention, after only fighting once, this guy didn't hesitate to go find the Key Holder and kill them.
This is equivalent to telling a combat beginner, "This is a punch," and "This is a dodge," then stepping aside and saying:
"Next, go fight Tyson."
And this beginner freaking won!
Fushiguro Megumi suppressed the shock in his heart and asked in as calm a tone as possible:
"I think I understand 'Innocent.' If the verdict is 'Guilty'—"
"What will happen to me?"
"Or more directly, if this really is a miniature courtroom, if I confess, show a good attitude, and the offense is minor, will the punishment be mitigated?"
"You really do catch on quickly," Hiromi Higuruma praised, then said expressionlessly:
"Regrettably, I am under no obligation to answer that question."
"However, I can tell you something else."
"You have three options: 'Silence,' 'Confession,' or 'Denial.'"
"'Denial' also includes making false statements."
"Meaning I can still lie?" Fushiguro Megumi asked in confusion.
"Isn't this a trial?"
"If everyone told the truth, there would be no need for a trial," Hiromi Higuruma said gloomily.
"One final reminder: you only have one chance to make a statement. The same applies to me."
"After your statement, I have only one chance to refute you based on the evidence in my hand."
"Finally, the judge will hand down a verdict based on the Six Codes."
Fushiguro Megumi's cheek twitched.
Dammit, he doesn't even know what the Six Codes are!
Does Japanese law even have a concept called the Six Codes? Which six laws does it refer to?
Fushiguro Megumi searched his memory, only recalling the Constitution and the Civil Code.
What were the other four?
"Begin your defense."
Hiromi Higuruma straightened his back and said with a solemn expression:
"Judgeman doesn't have much patience."
In other words, time was limited.
If the time limit for the defense was exceeded, a verdict of "Guilty" would be given by default.
Fushiguro Megumi could now fully understand the composition and solution to this Domain Expansion, but a terrible realization now surfaced in his mind—
—Fushiguro Megumi didn't understand the law.
He understood Jujutsu.
He knew how to throw a punch.
He knew that those who harm others are unjust and that those who kill should be punished.
He understood these moral principles engraved in human civilization, but he had never learned the actual legal statutes, the laws written in black and white!
Slap.
Fushiguro Megumi covered his mouth and let out a silent sigh.
Although this Domain Expansion had a quite terrifying Binding Vow and, under the right conditions, could even have a completely negative impact on the user, it happened to grasp the essence of a Domain Expansion:
Conditions completely favorable to the user.
Fushiguro Megumi had never heard of a Jujutsu Sorcerer coming from a lawyer background.
Even if there were, they would surely have forgotten most of the law during long-term Jujutsu combat.
Traditional Jujutsu Sorcerers like Fushiguro Megumi were even more ignorant of the law.
No, Fushiguro Megumi was actually considered decent.
Those from the traditional Three Great Families had moral standards and legal knowledge that were still stuck a thousand years in the past!
How was he supposed to argue this?!
But Hiromi Higuruma was a genuine modern lawyer who had been through many legal battles.
According to himself, he had fought so many battles that his conviction had broken, leading him to think of engraving the law into the barrier of the Dream Walk Migration and then reversing dream and reality, forcing everyone in the world to accept the law in order to achieve a perfect world without crime.
Arguing law with such a person was surely asking for trouble.
Any hope of being "Innocent" had become a castle in the air, a total absurdity.
Therefore, Fushiguro Megumi thought:
I must not follow his line of thinking!
"One last question," Fushiguro Megumi asked, moving his hand away from his mouth.
"What is the maximum time limit for the defense?"
Hiromi Higuruma looked at him deeply.
"I am under no obligation to answer."
Fushiguro Megumi smiled.
"In other words, there really is a time limit, right?"
Hiromi Higuruma remained silent.
"Then let's give it a try."
Fushiguro Megumi formed a hand seal.
"Let's see what your Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing is really made of."
In the original work, Itadori Yuji had also been caught in Hiromi Higuruma's Domain Expansion.
Itadori Yuji's choice was to utilize the rules of the Deadly Sentencing Domain as much as possible, as he had no other ability to counter a Domain Expansion at that time.
He hadn't even learned Simple Domain yet.
But the current Fushiguro Megumi was the exact opposite.
He was a professional.
Why did modern Domain Expansions have to add "Sure-kill" on top of "Sure-hit"?
Clearly, as in the current situation, "Sure-hit" alone was already terrifying enough.
"Sure-kill" wasn't strictly necessary.
The reason lay in Fushiguro Megumi's next move.
"Domain Expansion—"
Fushiguro Megumi declared in a deep, low voice:
"—Chimera Shadow Garden!"
Splash!
Hiromi Higuruma heard the sound of waves, but it wasn't coming from afar—it was right under his feet!
He looked down and saw the ground beneath him rippling like unstable waves, as if he were standing on the surface of the sea.
The solid floor of the miniature courtroom had, at some point, turned into a black tide.
This tide was Fushiguro Megumi's shadow—
His Domain Expansion!
Domain Expansion: Chimera Shadow Garden!
Purely by instinct, Hiromi Higuruma moved from his spot.
Boom!
A massive sound suddenly erupted.
Right before Hiromi Higuruma's eyes, a giant elephant appeared out of nowhere, crushing everything in its path.
The giant elephant swung its trunk toward Hiromi Higuruma.
The trunk swept across, ruthlessly tearing up fences and soil like a storm.
—Max Elephant!
Hiromi Higuruma's Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing hadn't disappeared.
Rather, it was being enveloped.
"Let me teach you, Higuruma-kun."
Fushiguro Megumi smiled, a smile as hideous as a man-eating demon.
He formed a hand seal, and the shadows beneath his feet rose and fell.
The world seemed to fall into absolute darkness.
"When a Domain Expansion clashes with another, they don't cancel each other out; they suppress each other."
"The sure-hit effects of both Domains are active simultaneously, and both sides' attacks will take effect directly through their respective Cursed Techniques."
"We both have to suppress each other's sure-hit."
"And besides a sure-hit, I also have a sure-kill."
"Your Domain, which has no sure-kill and only rules, will also be threatened by my sure-kill!"
This was why modern Jujutsu Sorcerers had to include a "sure-kill" when constructing a Domain Expansion.
The logic was simple.
Given that both sides had a sure-hit, whoever could kill the enemy in the shortest time would naturally have the absolute advantage.
An old-style Domain Expansion with only a sure-hit and no sure-kill could never win a Domain battle against a modern one!
Hiromi Higuruma's face was gloomy as he said flatly:
"I stand corrected."
Fushiguro Megumi formed another hand seal.
"—Great Serpent!"
The Great Serpent shikigami of the Ten Shadows Technique was excellent for surprise attacks because it could be generated directly from the ground beneath the enemy, lunging out to bite and kill them from below.
Just like now!
The ground beneath Hiromi Higuruma's feet suddenly collapsed.
The moment he lost his footing, a massive serpent's mouth swallowed him!
At the critical moment, Hiromi Higuruma thrust his hands forward, manifesting a Cursed Tool—the gavel often used by judges.
The original gavel was small and delicate, but this one was so large it required both hands to hold.
The long handle propped up the Great Serpent's lower jaw, while the head of the hammer supported its upper jaw.
Hiromi Higuruma suddenly erupted with staggering Cursed Energy, reinforcing his entire body.
The Great Serpent's bite was powerful enough to crunch through steel, but at this moment, it couldn't snap the large gavel.
Even though Hiromi Higuruma had withstood the attack, Fushiguro Megumi laughed.
"Just as I thought!"
"Your attack power might actually reach the Special Grade level."
"After all, you fairly killed the Key Holder of the Tokyo Second Barrier."
"Without enough attack power, you couldn't have achieved such a feat."
"But your defense and mobility are lacking."
"You can only rely on pure Cursed Energy reinforcement for defense and movement."
"This is because you've been a Jujutsu Sorcerer for too short a time—only a single day!"
"I suspect you haven't even fully developed your own Cursed Technique yet."
Although Fushiguro Megumi said this, sweat dripped from his forehead.
He had noticed it.
Even though the opponent had no sure-kill, their sure-hit was precisely suppressing his own.
Neither Max Elephant nor Great Serpent's positions should have been where they were.
Max Elephant should have crushed him directly, and Great Serpent should have swallowed him whole.
The reason they didn't was that Fushiguro Megumi couldn't make it happen.
He realized his sure-hit was being knocked aside.
For a layman in the Jujutsu World to grasp the essence of a Domain battle so precisely was only possible if the opponent's talent for Cursed Energy was so high that Fushiguro Megumi couldn't even fathom it.
Damn it.
Even though he had specifically explained things like "both sides' techniques will hit simultaneously" as a sort of hint and then said things to lower the opponent's morale, this guy didn't waver even slightly.
He was like a battle-hardened warrior.
Hiromi Higuruma stepped onto the large gavel he had manifested and exerted force.
The Great Serpent's mouth snapped shut, but before that, Hiromi Higuruma had already launched himself away.
He reached out in midair, and the large gavel reappeared in his hand.
Thud.
He landed on the ground.
He looked up.
Max Elephant and Great Serpent both looked down.
These two massive shikigami easily exceeded two meters in height, and looking down at him now was like looking at an ant crawling on the ground.
"Bullseye," Hiromi Higuruma said flatly.
"I am indeed still growing, still searching for the direction of my growth."
He raised his hand and adjusted his collar and tie again.
He was dressed neatly, like a samurai placing his sword at his waist.
There was no wavering in his eyes as he placed the gavel in front of his chest.
He didn't know any fighting skills, but there was no fear in his heart.
He said:
"November 1, 2018. Fushiguro Megumi is suspected of murder in a courtroom."
The black shikigami Judgeman had floated indifferently throughout the previous exchange.
Only now did it repeat Hiromi Higuruma's words.
"November 1, 2018. Fushiguro Megumi is suspected of murder in a courtroom."
Hiromi Higuruma slammed his gavel down.
"Please," he said.
"The suspect may begin his defense!"
Fushiguro Megumi formed a hand seal and roared:
"Piercing Ox—!"
Max Elephant and Great Serpent moved aside simultaneously.
Suddenly, the entire barrier vibrated as a fierce fighting bull smashed through the outer barrier and charged in.
Ten Shadows Technique: Piercing Ox!
This was a shikigami of immense power.
It could increase its attack power based on the linear distance it ran.
Now, it charged from outside the barrier, carrying an aura that could crush all creation.
Usually, the exterior of a Domain Expansion is easier to break than the interior.
This is because the inside of a Domain Expansion is inherently the caster's advantage zone.
They only need to prevent the target from escaping its range, and no caster expects someone to break in from the outside.
Fushiguro Megumi took advantage of this!
Piercing Ox crashed into the interior from outside Deadly Sentencing, breaking through with ease.
Max Elephant's trunk slammed down violently, but it didn't aim for Hiromi Higuruma.
Instead, it struck his left side.
Simultaneously, Great Serpent swung its massive tail toward Hiromi Higuruma's right.
The attacks from Max Elephant and Great Serpent created two walls, trapping Hiromi Higuruma in between—
And in that gap—
—Piercing Ox came charging in!
Hiromi Higuruma raised his gavel.
Suddenly, the hammer expanded into a giant mallet.
He stood his ground, staring expressionlessly at the charging Piercing Ox.
Massive roars erupted on both sides of him as the attacks from Max Elephant and Great Serpent missed.
Hiromi Higuruma hadn't dodged at all.
He chose to face Piercing Ox head-on.
Then, at the very moment Piercing Ox was about to strike, he brought down the gavel.
Legal Apprentice, 59th Class, member of the Iwate Bar Association, Hiromi Higuruma, thirty-six years old.
A graduate of Tokyo University's Faculty of Law, he had easily passed various difficult versions of the old bar exam before Japan introduced the law school system.
For Hiromi Higuruma, it was a simple matter of inputting necessary knowledge into his brain and extracting it when needed.
Because of this, everyone who knew Hiromi Higuruma called him a genius.
However, his greatest shining point was actually—
—his talent as a Jujutsu Sorcerer.
(T/N: Whenever these narrations start my internal voice keeps getting replaced by Tengen)
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