"Now you can't control the blood outside your body, Kenjaku."
Eichi, wrapped in shadows, exuded immense pressure, like a Devil King emerging from the darkness.
"Indeed, but that alone isn't enough."
As he spoke, Kenjaku narrowed his eyes and subtly surveyed his surroundings.
A hundred-meter radius was covered by Eichi's Shadow Domain.
At the edge of the Shadow Domain, ten enormous Max Elephant trunks extended from the shadows, spraying water toward the sky.
That water then turned into countless droplets, falling within the range of the Shadow Domain.
"I say, isn't this a bit too extravagant?"
Kenjaku looked at Eichi, somewhat speechless.
Not to mention the huge range of the Technique.
After all, using Domain Expansion causes Cursed Technique Burnout.
So doing this was not unusual.
The problem was, weren't those ten Max Elephants a bit too much?
Using that much Cursed Energy just for a localized rainfall?
He could have simply summoned two or three and had them spray water at him from nearby.
"No choice, I have too much Cursed Energy to spend."
Eichi spread his hands and said something that made Kenjaku want to punch him.
"Is that so? Then how about lending me some?"
Kenjaku still wore a smile.
However, Eichi could sense a trace of bitterness in Kenjaku's words.
"Sure, surrender, and I'll lend you some."
Dark, shadow-like Cursed Energy radiated from Eichi.
Crimson eyes appeared one after another within this Shadow Domain.
It was as if, in the next second, they would swarm Kenjaku, this delicious enemy, and devour him completely.
If Kenjaku wanted to escape, no matter which direction he moved,
at least two or three of the rain-making Max Elephants would appear,
blocking his path with their massive bodies.
Although Eichi had a lot of Cursed Energy, he was not someone who wasted it.
Those ten Max Elephants, while seemingly only making rain, were also responsible for preventing Kenjaku's escape.
After all, Eichi was not Takaba.
That special counter to Kenjaku.
He could not directly nullify Kenjaku's thousand years of knowledge and accumulation.
No one knew how many trump cards that immortal had gathered over a thousand years.
Akutami Gege probably had no idea how to make this ultimate mastermind leave the stage and hand the spotlight to his beloved son, Sukuna.
That was why he arranged for an overpowered Takaba, right?
'Now, let's see what you do next, Kenjaku.'
Eichi approached Kenjaku, preparing to attack.
"Actually, I also studied the Ten Shadows Technique, but unfortunately, I couldn't tame Mahoraga in the end, so I had to give up on it for the time being."
Kenjaku suddenly said with a smile.
Eichi's eyes narrowed.
Considering that Kenjaku had lived for a thousand years and constantly studied Cursed Energy,
Eichi thought it was indeed possible that Kenjaku had once taken over the body of someone who possessed the Ten Shadows Technique.
It was just that even Kenjaku had failed to tame Mahoraga in the end.
Otherwise, Eichi would not have been the first person in a thousand years to tame Mahoraga.
"Later, in order to understand the full extent of the Ten Shadows Technique, I instigated a duel."
Kenjaku smiled as he looked at Eichi.
The moment Eichi's attention was drawn by his words, another "nail" was gripped in Kenjaku's hand.
"The full extent of the Ten Shadows Technique, a duel…"
Eichi remembered something, an incident that had caused a rift between the Zen'in Family and the Gojo Family.
"Exactly, that imperial duel."
Kenjaku chuckled.
"Is that so."
Eichi did not refute it.
"But so what?"
"Hmm, indeed, nothing."
Kenjaku nodded.
Then both of them revealed the same unhinged smile.
"Water Prison, rise."
Countless raindrops hidden within the shadows burst out from the darkness and converged toward Kenjaku.
Those streams of water eventually formed a constantly rotating sphere of water, dozens of meters in diameter.
The moment Eichi had been waiting for had arrived.
This sphere of water would continue rotating and compressing until everything inside it was torn to shreds.
However, as the water sphere condensed, a momentary opening appeared.
Anti-Gravity System.
The Technique of Kenjaku's previous body, Itadori Kaori.
Kenjaku could use three kinds of Techniques.
The first was Kenjaku's own mysterious brain-hopping Technique.
The second was the Technique possessed by Kenjaku's current body.
At present, it was Blood Manipulation.
This was one of the Techniques Kenjaku was most familiar with.
For a thousand years, Kenjaku had often used members of the Kamo Family as targets for body replacement.
Therefore, his development of Blood Manipulation ran very deep.
He had even used people with Blood Manipulation to create Cursed Objects, making it easier to obtain a body capable of using Blood Manipulation later.
The third was the Technique possessed by the person whose body Kenjaku had controlled previously.
This Technique would be preserved until Kenjaku replaced his body again, at which point it would disappear.
Under Technique Reversal of Anti-Gravity System, the effect of supergravity,
a momentary gap appeared in the currents of water sweeping toward Kenjaku.
Kenjaku seized that gap to stomp the second nail into the ground.
In the next moment, two Curtains appeared in the sky.
Within these Curtains, filled with white light, shadows disappeared, and shikigami disappeared as well.
The uncontrolled water currents also fell powerlessly.
Eichi curiously looked over the pure white space around him.
"A Curtain, and two layers. Let me guess, one layer is meant to eliminate shadows, and the other is related to shikigami?"
Eichi stated his guess.
"Exactly."
Kenjaku wrung out his soaked clothes a few times.
"The first layer of the Curtain fixes the size of shadows within the barrier, preventing you from expanding your shadow.
The second layer of the Curtain ensures that only two people can exist within the barrier. Any additional presences will be forcibly expelled."
Kenjaku smiled as he looked at Eichi.
With Mahoraga absent now, what will you do?
Summon Heroic Spirits?
But they would also be blocked by the Curtain.
If the Heroic Spirits chose to break the Curtain from the outside, that was fine too.
Kenjaku could use the time it took for the Curtain to be broken to make new preparations.
"Well, since you've also studied the Ten Shadows Technique, then you should know why this Technique is called Shadow Spell, not Shadow Shikigami, right?"
Eichi suddenly smiled.
"Hmm?"
Kenjaku felt a trace of unease in his heart.
"Max Elephant."
The Ten Shadows Treasure Wheel above Eichi's head rotated.
The Ten Shadows Treasure Wheel was a Maximum Technique, a Technique.
Therefore, it was not dispelled by the Curtain like shikigami were.
The shadow beneath Eichi, restricted to the size of a single person, crawled up onto Eichi's body.
The abilities of Max Elephant were directly loaded onto Eichi.
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet."
The stream of water Eichi spat from his mouth transformed into a water dragon and rushed toward Kenjaku.
Seeing this, Kenjaku used Piercing Blood to strengthen himself and dodged the Water Dragon's attack.
"Convergence: Piercing Blood."
Crimson blood continuously compressed in Kenjaku's hand.
"Explode!"
The Water Dragon beside Kenjaku suddenly exploded.
A large amount of water instantly enveloped Kenjaku's surroundings.
"Tsk."
Kenjaku clicked his tongue.
Even if Piercing Blood could still be launched after being disrupted by the water, it would not pose any threat to Eichi.
"Nue."
The Ten Shadows Treasure Wheel above Eichi's head rotated.
Nue's abilities were loaded onto Eichi.
"Lightning Release: Ground Run."
Purple lightning spread along the ground, especially across the water-soaked ground left behind after the Water Dragon Bullet exploded.
It quickly covered Kenjaku.
Kenjaku instantly became the brightest person on the field.
(To be continued.)