Cursed Technique Burnout is absolute.
Every sorcerer who uses Domain Expansion will inevitably experience the phenomenon of Cursed Technique Burnout because it is fundamentally a protective mechanism.
Everyone who uses Domain Expansion pushes their Innate Technique beyond its limits. The physiological location of the Innate Technique is the brain. The result of overusing the Innate Technique is similar to an overheating engine needing to cool down.
In Gojo Satoru's experience, no one could ignore Cursed Technique Burnout. Not even himself, anyone he had ever met, or any Cursed Spirit capable of using Domain Expansion could avoid the phenomenon of Cursed Technique Burnout.
Without exception!
And now, a true exception stood before him.
Why?
"Mahito is the only character in the entire work who can ignore Cursed Technique Burnout!"
Of course, this wasn't true ignorance. The efficiency of Idle Transfiguration did indeed decrease. Just like in the original work, after Mahito first used Domain Expansion, he still had some power left, but all he could do was use Idle Transfiguration to expand his body and then explode to escape. After that, he couldn't use Idle Transfiguration to its maximum extent either.
Later, in his battle with Kokichi Muta, Mahito used Domain Expansion one moment and then, immediately after, used Idle Transfiguration to transform into an alien form with a giant, fat worm lower body and a humanoid upper body to kill Kokichi Muta.
The original Mahito truly ignored Cursed Technique Burnout during his final battle with Itadori Yuji. He used a 0.2-second Domain Expansion, immediately followed by a Black Flash hitting Todo Aoi, after which he instantly recovered from Cursed Technique Burnout.
How on earth did he do it?
Because Idle Transfiguration's physical repair capability far surpasses Reverse Cursed Technique!
If the original, misguided Mahito could do such things, the current Mahito was even more capable!
The principle behind his lack of Cursed Technique Burnout was simple: just moments ago, he used Idle Transfiguration to maintain the form of his brain's Soul unchanged, then physically shattered his own brain from the inside.
It only took a few seconds—the very gap during his conversation with Gojo Satoru—for him to recover from Cursed Technique Burnout!
This was a method learned from Gojo Satoru's recovery from Cursed Technique Burnout during his decisive battle with Ryomen Sukuna. But Gojo Satoru needed careful treatment to prevent aftereffects, while Mahito could directly use Idle Transfiguration to record his Soul and recover 100%.
For the current Mahito, Cursed Technique Burnout does not exist!
Gojo Satoru hadn't anticipated this at all. After all, this was something even he couldn't do. He thought they should now enter a state where both had no Cursed Techniques, relying on physical reinforcement for a Cursed Energy battle. Gojo Satoru only needed to watch out for kirigiri's force blade.
Who would have thought he'd have to face Mahito's Cursed Technique bare-handed?!
The Fang Thrust carrying Star Rage closed in on Gojo Satoru almost instantly. Gojo Satoru could have elegantly sidestepped and then struck the Crimson Lotus Demon God with his fist, but he chose to dodge with a large movement in the very first moment.
The next instant, the Fang Thrust struck the spot Gojo Satoru had just occupied. A tremendous explosive sound erupted, accompanied by a shockwave rising from thin air. The immense force drove a storm forward. These winds propelled by Star Rage's imaginary mass spread outward like an explosion. The violent force caused kirigiri's blade tip to pierce the ground into a massive fissure over a hundred meters long without even touching it.
Yuki Tsukumo's Star Rage has no upper limit. She herself once said in a narration before her death:
[ "I myself am not affected by the mass adjusted by Star Rage—" ]
[ "—if it's only within a certain 'Density Range'!" ]
The imaginary mass added by Star Rage can truly affect her own density! This is the same principle as when Jogo uses flame Cursed Techniques: if the temperature reaches a certain degree, even if the influence of Cursed Energy dissipates, the physical thermal radiation still remains.
Yuki Tsukumo couldn't do it because she was human. Her body, though well-trained, was still within the bounds of common sense. If not for her Cursed Energy reinforcement and Reverse Cursed Technique, a single bullet could kill her.
But Mahito was different.
Up to now, he had truly and thoroughly understood the peak of physicality in this world:
The infinite Cursed Energy of Kinji Hakari bestowed upon him a body capable of almost permanently producing Cursed Energy, and an ability for his body to evolve continuously alongside Cursed Energy. This allowed him, even after just exhausting his internal Cursed Energy like Gojo Satoru, to extract a sufficient amount of Cursed Energy in an instant, endlessly.
The Heavenly Restriction of Toji Fushiguro bestowed upon him a body that surpassed the peak physical performance of any human in this world. Even more terrifying was that Heavenly Restriction was obtained by offering all of one's Cursed Energy to the heavens, but Mahito didn't need that step at all.
Just as Ryomen Sukuna, despite possessing an exaggerated amount of Cursed Energy, still had physical performance surpassing that of the Heavenly Restriction user Maki Zenin, the current Mahito was the same. It could be said that, apart from Ryomen Sukuna, he had thoroughly researched the people with the strongest bodies in this world.
His body—transcended the limits of this world!
What Yuki Tsukumo couldn't do, he could. The Star Rage in his hands was the true Star Rage!
"Have you ever been hit by a planet, Satoru?"
The Crimson Lotus Demon God casually swung his sword.
Boom!
The tremendous sound almost drowned out the Crimson Lotus Demon God's dual-layered voice.
The sound was accompanied by a tremendous roar and the enormous fissure left in the wake of its blade light.
Gojo Satoru's Six Eyes could see through the billowing dust the result of the Crimson Lotus Demon God's casual slash. Starting from the tip of kirigiri, a fan-shaped fissure extended for over a hundred meters, finally crashing into the valley's cliff wall. The entire cliff face trembled, and countless rocks and dust rained down from above.
Gojo Satoru's decision to dodge just now was correct. In his current state of Cursed Technique Burnout, even if he were caught in the shockwave rather than a direct hit, he would inevitably be smashed to pieces like space debris carelessly swept up by a passing comet.
Gojo Satoru licked his lips.
"Yuki Tsukumo's Star Rage... Only in your hands do I understand why she named her technique Star Rage. This is basically a humanoid comet!"
Even Yuki Tsukumo herself wouldn't dare use it like this! If she tried, she'd die first!
Just how tough is your body, you bastard?
Thump.
The Crimson Lotus Demon God took a step.
Gojo Satoru prepared to dodge, but the next moment his expression changed drastically. His Six Eyes saw that while the Crimson Lotus Demon God maintained the Star Rage state, his eyes were gathering immense Cursed Energy. A second technique was being activated.
—Reverse Cursed Technique, Soul Creation, Zenin Ranta.
—Technique Release.
—Divine Might!
Currently, Mahito possessed a perfect body he had constructed for himself. Before this, when using Soul Creation, he could only switch between them one at a time. But ever since creating this body, he had been capable of using them simultaneously. He just never had the chance.
Yuki Tsukumo simply didn't give him the opportunity. Upon discovering he possessed a technique that was in essence a Limitless Cursed Technique, she immediately pulled him into a Domain Expansion. Inside the Domain, he couldn't use the Limitless Cursed Technique at all, only barely maintaining a Simple Domain.
(T/N: What they mean by Limitless is a technique that can do anything. It has nothing to do with Gojo Satoru)
And now, for the first time, the power of the Limitless Cursed Technique was being displayed.
Clang!
Gojo Satoru's Cursed Energy nearly froze in that instant. The technique Divine Might, which Zenin Ranta could release with just a gaze, had the effect of completely stiffening the target's body, rendering them immobile and helpless. Its duration varied based on the difference in Cursed Energy and physical ability between the user and the target.
Even with a huge gap, it could freeze them for at least an instant. Just like Gojo Satoru right now!
The state of Falling Blossom Emotion that Gojo Satoru had been maintaining took effect. The moment Divine Might fell upon him, Falling Blossom Emotion directly shattered the technique. Before this, even Gojo Satoru himself didn't know that a "gaze" could be considered a form of cursed attack. This was also the first time he felt the "weight" of a gaze.
Because before this, Zenin Ranta had never used Divine Might on him. If not for Falling Blossom Emotion, he wouldn't have even reacted in time. It was simply because this technique was too covert and too tyrannical. Anyone hit by it for the first time would be utterly bewildered.
Gojo Satoru's reaction was extremely fast, but even in that mere instant, the Crimson Lotus Demon God had already arrived before his eyes.
Then, a swing of the blade.
BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM!
Although the Crimson Lotus Demon God only swung kirigiri once, the ensuing sound was continuous, like a bomber flying at low altitude opening its bomb bay, dropping payload after payload onto the ground, erupting in a series of deafening roars.
The entire flower field was blasted into the sky. Countless flowers were tainted by deep clods of earth and mud. The secondary and tertiary explosions triggered by the immense force shook the entire valley, as if struck by an earthquake above magnitude 7. The earth was carved with a massive abyss. The valley's gigantic shattered rocks, along with the entire flower field, tumbled into the chasm.
Japan's topography in this area was permanently altered.
At the most critical moment, Gojo Satoru leaped away, avoiding the direct strike. kirigiri almost sliced into his body. But even though he avoided the direct hit, the aftershocks equivalent to an earthquake above magnitude 7 still slammed into him. His Cursed Energy defense shook violently from the first impact. The atomic-level precision of Cursed Energy manipulation granted by the Six Eyes was pushed to its absolute limit.
Yet, even so, the massive impact fractured both his legs and nearly destroyed half his body from the shock. He was tossed up and down in the dust like scraps of paper caught in a tornado. Petals of flowers danced before his eyes, only to be shredded the next instant by the colossal whirlwind.
Gojo Satoru opened his mouth and spat out bits of his internal organs. The tremendous shock had almost completely pulverized his insides. Before this, he never knew Yuki Tsukumo's Star Rage could be this powerful. Just a week ago, he had fought her and kicked her around like a ball!
Yuki Tsukumo had clearly stated at the time that she did lose to the King of Curses, but even if she lost all memory of that battle, she could feel that the King of Curses had also reached his limit. Back then, the King of Curses ended the fight with a strike that surpassed his own limits. If he hadn't surpassed them, the winner would definitely have been Yuki Tsukumo.
Listen, just listen to that statement. It sounded like a closely matched fight, with the Lord of Curses just being luckier. Right now, Gojo Satoru just wanted to angrily shout at Yuki Tsukumo:
"Are you blind?!"
A curtain abruptly appeared before Gojo Satoru's eyes. The curtain parted, revealing the Crimson Lotus Demon God within. He casually tossed the curtain aside.
—Reverse Cursed Technique, Soul Creation, Ui Ui.
—Technique Release.
—Instant Movement!
"Fuck!" Gojo Satoru finally couldn't help but curse out loud.
He was currently mid-air, his whole body swept into the high altitude by the shockwave. He had no point of leverage. Moreover, in his state of Cursed Technique Burnout, he couldn't use the Limitless's Instant Movement. Yet, the Crimson Lotus Demon God didn't need to aim precisely at him when swinging his blade. He just needed to swing toward the space Gojo occupied. The storm generated by its immense mass alone was enough to kill him.
But Gojo Satoru still did not give up!
Focus all his power! Use a Binding Vow to sacrifice a part of his body to withstand the damage! As long as he wasn't directly hit by kirigiri, even being crushed by the wind pressure of a passing comet was acceptable! Gojo Satoru was resolved.
But the Crimson Lotus Demon God performed an unexpected action while floating. He didn't swing forward. Instead, he twisted his body and swung the blade behind him.
Gojo Satoru reacted with extreme speed, immediately understanding the reason for the Crimson Lotus Demon God's action. He couldn't help but change his expression.
—Reverse Cursed Technique, Soul Creation, Todo Aoi.
—Technique Release.
—Un! Can! Ny! Val! Ley!
"Here it comes, Satoru!" roared the Crimson Lotus Demon God. "Before your Cursed Technique Burnout recovers—you will die under my kirigiri!"
Snap.
A strange sound rang out.
But the Crimson Lotus Demon God hadn't clapped his hands at all. In fact, Uncanny Valley didn't necessarily require clapping. After Todo Aoi lost his hand, he chose to use a metronome as a substitute. This metronome could strike 50 times per second, so Todo Aoi designed it to trigger a transfer with each strike.
Mahito possessed superior body modification abilities compared to Todo Aoi. He modified a part of his body into a sound-producing organ. The moment he performed Soul Creation to mimic Todo Aoi's pseudo-Soul, this organ would immediately activate and vibrate according to Mahito's will.
Just like now!
The positions of the Crimson Lotus Demon God and Gojo Satoru suddenly swapped. Now, Gojo Satoru had his back to the Crimson Lotus Demon God, and the tip of the Crimson Lotus Demon God's kirigiri was almost touching him. kirigiri's Cutting Line was already etched onto Gojo Satoru.
This was no mere slash. A strike carrying the mass of a comet would churn the atmosphere into a tornado just from being swung. Even a light graze without touching the ground could cause an earthquake. If it unfortunately struck the earth, it would immediately trigger a major quake, permanently altering a corner of the map.
And now, such a blade tip was touching Gojo Satoru's body...
No!
Gojo Satoru jumped in mid-air without any point of leverage. A surge of Cursed Energy formed beneath his feet. The Crimson Lotus Demon God's pupils contracted. This was the unique skill that, in the final battle of the original work, should have been used by Ryomen Sukuna during his fight with Gojo Satoru:
A double jump in mid-air!
At the time, the Jujutsu Sorcerers watching the battle had remarked that they simply couldn't understand how Ryomen Sukuna did it. While double jumps in games were common, for the Jujutsu World, this was a miracle only Ryomen Sukuna had ever performed.
But Gojo Satoru had never used this move until his death! He always used Limitless to twist and shift in the air, never needing a mid-air double jump. For Gojo Satoru, there was no need to even learn the technique of a mid-air double jump.
A thought flashed through the Crimson Lotus Demon God's mind:
Gojo Satoru was evolving right here, right now, under the crisis of death. Right before his very eyes. Right in the midst of their battle!
RUMBLE—!
The Crimson Lotus Demon God swung his blade for the third time. The force of this swing was the sum of the previous two. The wind pressure from the immense mass pushed everything ahead outward. Even though he avoided kirigiri's direct strike, the tremendous pressure generated by its mass still slammed into Gojo Satoru. And this time, it was closer and more dangerous than the last.
Gojo Satoru's legs should have been directly shattered into pieces from being too close to kirigiri's immense mass. Even his waist and abdomen should have snapped from the massive pressure it generated. And because he was airborne with no leverage, he would be swept into the storm.
But no. None of the above happened!
Gojo Satoru turned around, balancing his body within the storm. Reverse Cursed Technique flowed through his limbs and bones like a burning torrent. Not even the immense mass could shake his body. But the Crimson Lotus Demon God perceived the price Gojo Satoru paid for this.
His left arm was completely pulverized.
He used a Binding Vow to forcibly balance himself in the storm and reduce the damage. The price was losing his left arm!
Mahito thought of Kinji Hakari. In the original work, he had done the same. An explosion that should have completely blown Kinji Hakari to pieces could be survived by sacrificing a part of his body through a Binding Vow at the critical moment.
The Crimson Lotus Demon God felt no disappointment. On the contrary, he felt ecstatic.
Using a Binding Vow to sacrifice a part of his body to resist damage—what did this mean?
It meant Gojo Satoru was truly, genuinely driven into a corner by him! Even Gojo Satoru had reached his limit! He had exhausted all his tricks!
Victory was in sight!
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