On a gentle slope, flowers of every color bloomed. Ignoring seasons, ignoring climate, ignoring region—every imaginable species of flower clustered here in chaotic, untimely abundance.
Looking up the slope, trees adorned with blossoms like scattered thoughts formed a mottled forest, blurring the boundary between heaven and earth, dyeing the sky itself with ever-changing, brilliant colors.
Grotesque, wondrous, unreasonable, familiar... countless picture frames depicting different things lay randomly scattered between this gorgeous heaven and earth.
Some sat properly on easels. Some lay tilted among the flowers. Some floated inexplicably in the air... Flowers and paintings these were the only two things visible as far as the eye could see.
The extreme colors, desperately asserting their presence, nearly stinging the eyes of any beholder.
Upon closer inspection, countless bookshelves were arranged beneath the mountains of blooming flowers, supplying nutrients to the vivid blossoms like soil.
This scenery was the sight within Hii Kōri's Domain Expansion and also the summary of his life to date.
Every painting was his understanding of something in this world. Every flower was an inspiration that had burst forth in his mind. Every book was the crystallization of a technique he had mastered.
Everything he had heard, seen, known, felt, thought, and cherished—all gathered here in this incomparably gorgeous space.
"Nirvana Quietude: Blank Mandala... huh."
Seated in a sea of flowers, his hands maintaining the hand seal, Hii Kōri lowered his gaze and repeated the name of Hyakki Kūbō's Domain Expansion.
The essence of a domain is the materialization of one's inner mental landscape—an extension of the user's will. This is the truth behind the so-called "sure-hit effect" of techniques.
When multiple sorcerers expand domains simultaneously, what is contested is not merely quantifiable "values" such as barrier technique proficiency, cursed energy output, or technique effects, but also the strength of the "inner self."
One could say that once a domain is successfully established, it almost amounts to declaring the victor.
What Gojō Satoru does expanding his own domain inside another's domain and overwriting it is something only he can accomplish.
Admittedly, overwriting an opponent's domain with a stronger domain is theoretically a feasible solution, but in practice, it is not the optimal approach.
Domain Expansion itself is something that relies on barrier techniques to exist. If one shrinks the scale of the domain, its strength can be increased. "Domain Extension"—and the "Simple Domain" used by common sorcerers who have not mastered domain expansion to protect themselves within another's domain—are extensions of this concept.
But compared to defensive techniques that only cover oneself, Domain Expansion which takes a spherical form as a simulation of the "Cosmic Egg" theory must, in order to encompass the enemy, be limited to a certain scale even when shrunk.
In such cases, a domain's actual resistance to external attacks is not particularly high. External sorcerers can completely break through the domain's outer shell and invade inside.
Returning to the original point: if one tries to expand a domain inside an enemy's domain, it often leads to one's own shell being pierced by the sure-hit technique, allowing external "contents" to flow in and preventing the domain from forming.
What Gojō Satoru can achieve relies not only on his raw strength but also on his Domain Expansion's ability to forcibly pour a large amount of invalid information into the enemy's brain, rendering them unable to take any action.
In such a state, naturally, there can be no question of preventing the domain from forming.
However, Hyakki Kūbō—enveloped within Hii Kōri's domain—did not fall into this category.
Just as its name "Nirvana Quietude: Blank Mandala" suggested, this Domain Expansion involved Hyakki Kūbō, as "Blank," flipping its "inside" and "outside," reversing the imaginary personality used to maintain its stability into its "empty" Innate Domain.
That is to say, the infinitesimal black dot suspended within Hii Kōri's domain was the only part not covered by his domain.
Just like its almost unnameable "zero-returning" technique, the ability of this Domain Expansion was to radiate outward its inner "nothingness," transforming everything into Blank.
Even when inside another's Domain Expansion, that "dot" would spread like ink dropped into water, infecting the entire domain from the inside out.
The cursed spirit born from humanity's hatred and fear of the world—its ability was a poison to "existence" itself.
Yet now, the infinitesimal point of extinction that should have erased everything remained "still" in the air, having no effect on Hii Kōri's domain.
Just as the wave released by Hyakki Kūbō upon its first manifestation had been neutralized by Hii Kōri's opposing cursed technique, within the domain, where techniques had a sure-hit effect, they could be directly activated without needing physical contact.
Physical form, physical properties, inspiration, concepts, spirituality even the shape of the soul within the range where Hyakki Kūbō existed, all matters were continuously undergoing various changes under the effect of the cursed technique Ucchuṣma's Hundred Transformations Sealed Method, thereby restricting the expansion of Hyakki Kūbō's domain.
"But this just becomes a pure war of attrition..."
The current situation, rather than being a clash of domains, was closer to the scene before either domain had fully formed, when they were still grinding against each other.
Without the effects of barriers, with their inner natures completely opposed, the deciding factor was reduced to only cursed energy reserves.
But cursed energy was the most insignificant factor for both Hyakki Kūbō and Hii Kōri.
The former was a Special Grade cursed spirit from the curses accumulated over centuries in the entire Land of Water. The latter had just landed six consecutive Black Flashes and possessed multiple energy cycles—an super "Rotation Man."
In terms of simplicity cursed energy consumption, in the short term even in "short term" measured in weeks it was impossible to reach a conclusion.
"Well then—"
Hii Kōri raised his right hand and waved it slightly.
And so, the next moment, the seasons turned.
The incomparably blooming spring. The wildly growing verdant summer. The fruiting autumn of harvest. The silent winter that buried color.
Sea of flowers. Green fields.
Waves of grain. Snowy plains.
One cycle complete, the transformation continued. Not a seasonal rotation following the natural order, but one landscape being constantly rewritten by another.
Then, amidst the shifting landscapes, an increasingly bright light burst forth.
A gentle, nearly transparent torrent of light emitted a clear, light blue glow.
As far as the eye could see, there was only a white sea of flowers.
Unnamed wildflowers, whiter than snow, bloomed in the torrent, invading the domain like spreading ripples.
That was the sight Hii Kōri had once witnessed—when the Star Blood still flowed freely throughout the entire planet.
Void is the pure space capable of containing everything. If "Mandala" is the cosmology of emptiness beyond nothingness that Hyakki Kūbō sought, then "Void Mandala" was the principle Hii Kōri believed in.
Just as the effect of Gojō Satoru's Unlimited Void is to pull the opponent into the interior of the Limitless, forcing their brain to undergo countless repetitions of perception and conduction just to "stay alive," generating a large amount of invalid information and causing the brain to lose function—
His Palm Hatching, within this domain, would repeat without limit, continuously returning all matters to their initial state, then transforming them into heterogeneous.
The tree diagram of lineage born from the One would spin and overlap like a kaleidoscope, extending into even more massive and complex patterns. Everything gathered in this domain would, through continuous cyclical transformation, arrive at all answers. The infinite The time originally needed to exhaust possibilities would be maximally compressed and convergent.
Ending and destruction have never been the same thing. Humans, other animals, plants—all will eventually meet their end.
But there is nothing in this world that will destroy everything completely. No matter what, after an ending, new life will come. Even if nations are destroyed, civilizations perish, there are things that continue to survive—things that no one can eliminate.
That is, time.
People understand time as a measurement. But what is called time is simply accumulated meaning—that alone produces significance. People often think of themselves as "passengers," but in truth, time is the passenger. Everything in this world, including humanity, is the river that carries it.
Even if humanity is destroyed, even if nations are destroyed, the time that records the traces of their existence does not disappear. Even if things are lost, even if the responsibility of all things on this planet meet their end, time will continue forever.
The Dragon Veins had granted Hii Kōri the authority to read from all things the "memories" recorded by this planet since its birth. And those records were time itself.
Thus, when the possibilities of all things within the domain are overlapping, what is naturally occurring is this very sight—the planet's past.
In the white sea of flowers, Hii Kōri—who had overlapped his past, future, and other possible present selves—slowly rose.
His crimson hair, now mingled with strands of white, was dyed bright white by the refracted light.
"Well then. Let's end this here."
In his vision, Hyakki Kūbō's domain was segmented into various colors and forms—like the sun seen through a church's stained glass.
That was the "possibilities" possessed by this Special Grade cursed spirit.
The possibility of never being born. The possibility of expanding to erase the universe. The possibility of losing control and dissipating after destroying the planet. The possibility of being disposed of by the Sage of Six Paths.
And then... the possibility of being turned into material by him.
"I don't need the other results—"
Hii Kōri raised hi
s hand, clenched it in the direction of Hyakki Kūbō, and declared.The fragment showing the possibility of Hyakki Kūbō transformed into a cursed object in his hand rapidly floating, spreading, replacing all other colors.
Then, further replacing reality.
As if Hii Kōri had never expanded a domain at all, the white sea of flowers vanished without a trace. And in his raised hand, he held a chaos cursed object like a black sun.
"Phew... done, done~"
Tucking the cursed object away, Hii Kōri stood beside the empty pit and stretched lightly.
The scattered strands of hair tickled his cheeks. He reached up and swept them back, realizing that most of the fine bangs at his forehead had also turned a clean white.
"Ah... of course, dealing with something of this level comes at a price."
Twirling that white strand of hair, Hii Kōri sighed without much concern, then layered another Rainbow Release concealment field over himself.
"Kōri, I'm slightly regretful to report that I couldn't recover the great sword Samehada either."
Then, Rashōmon sensing his return from the domain darted back into his shadow from the shadow of a roadside building.
"However, I've mostly collected the materials from the Yuki, Hōzuki, and Kaguya clans. From bloodline-rich ninjas to women, children, and physical samples capable of reproduction—all part of the haul."
"Good work, Rashōmon."
Although he wanted to complain that the ninja swords were originally Kirigakure's property and that what they had just done should be called looting and kidnapping, not "recovery," faced with Rashōmon's impressive haul, what else could Hii Kōri say?
"And the Mizukage's office has been handled too, right?"
While Hii Kōri had been chatting and fighting with the Third Mizukage, Rashōmon having dealt with the water mirror projections had pretended to gradually be overwhelmed under the combined assault of those Kirigakure jōnin, the regenerating water mirror projections, and Yagura. He had sold an opening, been "dispersed" by a strike of Yagura's club, and hidden in the shadows of the ruins, waiting for an opportunity.
Then, while Hii Kōri was facing Hyakki Kūbō born from the Third Mizukage's body like a butterfly breaking free of its cocoon within that damaged Innate Domain, Rashōmon had gone to the Third Mizukage's office and forged a suicide note imitating the Mizukage's handwriting.
The content was naturally about how "he" had gone mad under the influence of the curse over the years, how the village's unrest had occurred, that he was going to deal with the massive curse, and that if he didn't return, Elder Genji should take charge of Kirigakure's affairs and select a more suitable Mizukage.
With the information synchronized from Hii Kōri, Rashōmon had no trouble simulating the Third Mizukage's handwriting. As for logical issues... having just awakened from long-term madness, writing whatever came to mind was perfectly normal. Rashōmon had even deliberately made the handwriting somewhat sloppy.
Moreover, with the Third Mizukage now missing and the village's curse indeed resolved, who would question the authenticity of this "suicide note"?
As for the belonging of the Fourth Mizukage, it certainly couldn't directly name Yagura.
After all, he was still the "blade" in the Third Mizukage's hand, having killed many of his own. If the Bloody Mist policy was to be blamed on the Third Mizukage's madness under the curse's influence, then after awakening, he would never appoint that baby-faced murderer as his successor.
But once Yagura brought back the reformist high-ranking members who had fled under his protection, wouldn't he become a hero who had endured humiliation for the village, bearing the burden of killing to protect "hope"?
If he couldn't secure the position of Fourth Mizukage after that, he might as well crash into tofu.
"Ah, I'm just too thoughtful, aren't I~"