A blinding radiance erupted from Souma Gojo, surging outward in a violent tidal wave of light.
Satoru and Suguru squinted, their eyes burning as the brilliance threatened to sear their retinas. As the light expanded, a staggering sight unfolded: their own domains—the very pinnacle of jujutsu sorcery—were dissolving. It wasn't a slow erosion; they were vanishing like mist under a midsummer sun.
In a domain struggle, such a one-sided collapse meant only two things.
Either their domains existed on entirely different planes of power—where one's sheer refinement crushed the other like Satoru facing Jogo—or, the opponent's technique was a perfect, conceptual counter. Like boiling water poured onto snow, the victory was absolute and instantaneous regardless of effort.
Satoru and Suguru knew they weren't that far behind Souma in raw strength. This was the second scenario. But a terrifying question remained: their techniques were fundamentally different. What kind of monstrous power could conceptually negate both Unlimited Void and Universal Myriad Phenomena simultaneously?
The light receded, leaving behind a world that stole their breath.
Above them stretched a vibrant, cerulean sky filled with kaleidoscopic clouds. There was no sun, yet the realm was bathed in a holy, eternal noon. Beneath their feet lay a surface like an endless mirror, perfectly reflecting the pristine heavens.
The Mirror of the Sky.
Compared to the cosmic dread of Satoru's void or the macabre throne of Suguru's spirits, Souma's domain was breathtakingly beautiful—and utterly overwhelming.
Souma stood a few paces away, wearing a relaxed grin.
Satoru yanked at his white hair in a fit of pique. "Argh! No fair! Since when did you master Domain Expansion, too?!"
Suguru, however, was already analyzing. His eyes scanned the horizon, searching for the "sure-hit" factor. "Ze... what is the imbued effect of this place?"
Souma tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Why don't you two try using your techniques and see for yourselves?"
Satoru and Suguru attempted to circulate their energy, only to freeze. A cold realization washed over them. Their bodies felt hollow. The well of power they had drawn from since childhood had been capped. There wasn't a single drop of Cursed Energy left in their veins.
Aside from their superhuman physical conditioning, they were currently no different from ordinary humans.
"What happened?" they gasped in unison.
"My Domain Expansion is called The Stainless Realm," Souma explained calmly. "Its effect is simple: it strips everyone within its borders of their Cursed Energy."
Souma could have followed Satoru's path toward the Unlimited Void, but he had chosen to carve a different destiny. He had succeeded beyond his own expectations.
"What?" Suguru's mind raced. "No wonder you could suppress both of us. Without the 'fuel' of Cursed Energy, even the most god-like technique is just a car without an engine."
Then, a thought struck Suguru. "Wait. If that's the case, The Stainless Realm would be useless against someone like Toji Fushiguro, right?"
With a Heavenly Restriction and zero cursed energy to begin with, there would be nothing for the domain to strip away. Toji would be the only one moving at full power in a world of depowered sorcerers.
Souma nodded. "True. There's no such thing as a perfect technique. But then again, how many Tojis are there in this world?"
Satoru's ears perked up. He leaned toward Suguru, whispering loudly, "Hey, Suguru, next time let's bring Toji along and—"
POW!
Souma vanished and reappeared instantly behind Satoru, delivering a stinging slap to the back of his head.
"My foolish little brother! I said the domain strips the target of their energy. I never said I couldn't use mine."
Satoru crouched on the mirrored floor, clutching his head and let out a pathetic, indignant wail.
At Tokyo Jujutsu High, a blonde, stoic boy stood before the legendary trio, delivering a formal self-introduction.
"Good day, Seniors. I am a first-year freshman. My name is Kento Nanami."
"My innate technique is the Ratio Technique. It allows me to divide a target into a seven-to-three ratio, forcibly creating a weak point at the dividing line."
After finishing, Nanami looked up at the three before him. The Six Eyes Twins and the Cursed Spirit Manipulator—the "Strongest Trio" of the jujutsu world. Three of the four Special Grade sorcerers in existence.
Despite his composed mask, even Nanami felt a flicker of awe. That awe, however, was short-lived.
Satoru peered at Nanami's hair with intense interest. "Blonde hair. Are you a foreigner?"
"...Mixed. My grandfather was Danish," Nanami replied flatly.
Suguru rubbed his chin. "Tell me, do you have a facial nerve disorder? Or are you just incapable of smiling?"
"Neither. I simply find no reason to laugh."
Souma flipped through Nanami's files. "You already have records of exorcising curses. You're a Grade 3 sorcerer already?"
Nanami felt a surge of relief. Finally, a senior who cared about actual sorcery. "Yes, Senior Souma. Three months ago, I exorcised a Grade 2 spirit solo, along with several Grade 3s."
"Impressive!"
"You flatter me."
"Excellent. It just so happens I have a stack of Grade 3 exorcism missions right here..."
Suguru blinked. "Ze, those are the missions the school assigned to you, aren't they?"
Souma didn't miss a beat. "I'm merely 'mentoring' the junior!"
"You're just being lazy!" Suguru countered. "Dragging a freshman into your chores on his first day? Where is your dignity as a senior?"
"Slander! Absolute slander! I'll see you in court for that!"
With a dark shadow over his face, Nanami raised a hand. "Senior Souma. This counts as overtime, doesn't it? I hate overtime."
Souma looked at him with a straight face. "If I don't pay you overtime wages, it doesn't count as overtime!"
"..."
Five minutes later, Kento Nanami walked out of the meeting room with a hollow expression. Yu Haibara, who had been waiting outside, rushed toward him.
"Nanami! How was it? The 'Strongest Trio'—they're amazing, right?!"
Nanami's eye twitched. "They weren't exactly what I imagined."
Haibara's curiosity only grew. He practically bounced into the room, stars in his eyes as he faced his idols.
"Hello, Seniors! I'm Yu Haibara! My technique is Amplification Therapy. If an ally is within three meters of me, their technique's power is doubled!"
A while later, Haibara stepped out of the room. Nanami watched Haibara's sun-bright smile and felt a sudden, sinking suspicion.
Did they treat Haibara normally and only decide to mess with me?