May 1, 2017. Labor Day.
After Masamichi Yaga applied for Hasegumo's Special Grade promotion exam, the higher-ups did something unprecedented: they agreed to let him duel Satoru Gojo to determine his eligibility. However, there was a catch—the evaluation had to be conducted by sorcerers of their choosing.
Consequently, the usually quiet Tokyo Jujutsu High welcomed some rare guests. Mei Mei and Yoshinobu Gakuganji arrived to represent the new and old guards of the "Academic Path," while Naobito Zen'in stood as the representative for the Big Three Families.
As for why the higher-ups didn't attend in person? It was likely because old people value their lives. They probably feared that if Satoru Gojo got too excited and "accidentally" unleashed a Hollow Purple, he might just wipe them all out in one go.
Regardless, the three evaluators had already prepared their snacks and drinks, sitting quietly on small stools specially provided by Yaga.
They weren't the only ones there. A crowd of spectators had gathered: Maki and her classmates, Megumi Fushiguro (who hadn't officially enrolled yet), Principal Yaga, and the "Gold Medal Commentator" himself, Atsuya Kusakabe.
A battle for the title of the modern era's strongest was about to begin.
May is a time when spring lingers and summer just begins to stir. Despite the bright sun, the cool breeze kept the heat at bay.
In the center of the field, two men stood facing each other. On one side was the 190cm tall, white-haired strongest sorcerer, Satoru Gojo, dressed in his black tactical gear, his Six Eyes shimmering.
On the other side was the 178cm tall Hasegumo, his hair tied in a single ponytail, wearing his Shingen-ryu martial arts gi.
As the saying goes, one must talk trash before a fight. For two people standing at the pinnacle of the jujutsu world, failing to exchange a few words would be a blow to their reputations.
Satoru cracked his neck, smacking his left fist into his right palm. His crystalline blue eyes glowed slightly as he spoke with rare sincerity. "I knew you'd catch up eventually."
"In our Best-of-Ones, you've never won a single match," Hasegumo replied with a grin. He had looked forward to this fight for a long time. He settled his hands at his sides. "For this duel, you are the challenger."
The moment the words left his lips, they moved simultaneously.
To the spectators, it was a mere blur. Suddenly, the air groaned, erupting into white shockwaves.
The ten-meter gap between them vanished instantly. They were face-to-face. Hasegumo was already mid-punch, while Satoru Gojo was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing directly into the spectator stands behind him. Fortunately, everyone was sitting to the side, otherwise, a couple of "lucky" souls would have surely been crushed to death.
"What happened? Was that a sonic boom?" Mei Mei hadn't seen a thing. For some reason, despite being flanked by two masters, she felt the need to ask the unrelated Atsuya Kusakabe.
Kusakabe was just a "Gold Medal Commentator" in name; while his theoretical knowledge was vast enough to analyze complex jujutsu, pure physical exchanges were hardly his forte.
"This..." Kusakabe looked conflicted. He wanted to say something but was afraid of being wrong.
Luckily, old man Naobito saved him, looking up from his flask of sake. Aside from Gojo, Naobito was the fastest sorcerer alive, and his eyesight was far superior to the youngsters in the stands. "Satoru teleported in, and the kid punched him. It's that simple."
"Obviously," Mei Mei thought, rolling her eyes. Even if she couldn't see it, she could guess that much. "I meant, how did he manage to hit him?"
Just as everyone knows Jotaro can stop time, everyone knew the effect of Satoru Gojo's Limitless. She couldn't understand how Hasegumo had bypassed the Infinity to land a blow.
"It's Domain Amplification," Kusakabe finally answered. As a master of the New Shadow Style's Simple Domain, he might not have a Domain of his own, but he was a walking encyclopedia on the subject. "Aside from the guaranteed-hit factor of a Domain Expansion, using Domain Amplification can neutralize Satoru's Infinity."
"Think of Domain Amplification like wrapping a miniature domain around yourself. It gives your attacks a 'sure-hit' property, but the downside is that you can't use your Innate Technique while it's active."
Unfortunately, only a few clueless students were actually listening to Kusakabe's mumbling. As a Grade 1 sorcerer, Mei Mei's attention was already back on the battlefield the moment she heard the term "Domain Amplification."
...
"Ptui." Satoru Gojo slowly rose from the rubble, spitting out a mouthful of blood. A fist-sized hole in his left chest healed instantly. He wasn't surprised that Hasegumo could hit him—he had seen the Domain Amplification with his Six Eyes. What confused him was something else. "You can even react to teleportation?"
"That's because your timing is off," Hasegumo replied, not holding back the answer. He readjusted his stance, standing as calmly as he had at the start. "Your punch comes after the teleportation ends. To me, that's no different from trying to punch me while standing right in front of my face. When it comes to throwing hands, I don't lose to anyone."
"Is that so? Let's try again." Satoru didn't doubt Hasegumo's peerless martial arts, but he didn't think he would necessarily lose in close quarters. His technique flared as he teleported in front of Hasegumo again.
Just as Hasegumo's first punch had shown no mercy, Satoru's strike was aimed directly at Hasegumo's heart.
Though it was a spar, the presence of the Reverse Cursed Technique meant that as long as they didn't blow each other's heads off, they could usually be brought back from the brink.
"Your Cursed Energy fluctuations are too obvious," Hasegumo's voice drifted into Satoru's ear as he sidestepped the strike and delivered a heavy counter-blow to Satoru's abdomen.
The sheer force rippled through Satoru's body, sending him soaring into the air. Just as the crowd began to wonder if the "Strongest" was being too stubborn, Satoru showed everyone why he chose the same approach despite knowing Hasegumo could react.
"Blue!"
At the same moment Hasegumo's punch sent Satoru flying, a condensed sphere of brilliant azure light appeared right at Hasegumo's chest.
He released Blue before he teleported? He used the teleportation to mask the energy fluctuations and used his own body to block my line of sight. The blue glow was already reflecting in Hasegumo's eyes; in the next heartbeat, it would tear through his chest. Yet, he still had the mental leisure to analyze the move. I was wondering why a short-distance teleport took so much energy for someone with his level of control. He was doing it just to distract me.
Years ago, after Hasegumo had "sold" him on the idea of remote Cursed Energy manipulation, Satoru had put a lot of effort into it. As an undeniable genius, if he could think it, he could do it.
After much practice, he could not only release techniques from any part of his body but also condense Blue and Red in mid-air within a certain distance without physical contact. As for Hollow Purple, that was still a work in progress.
Come to think of it, his positioning after the teleport was off too. He chose that specific angle to force me to punch upward.
If this were the old me, even dumping my entire pool of energy might not have stopped this. Hasegumo's expression remained unchanged. His hands instantly clasped together in prayer, and his right palm shifted slightly.
The spectators only saw a flash of golden light. That condensed, azure Blue vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.
Technique: Projection Sorcery
Divides one second into 24 frames, using the user's field of vision as the frame of reference. The user must then follow a pre-determined movement designed within those frames. Movements cannot be corrected once started. If the user attempts to move in a way that excessively ignores the laws of physics or their pre-set path, they will be "frozen" in a frame.
"What was that?" This time, even Naobito Zen'in was stunned. Not that he expected anyone to tell him. "When did his stance change? And his hand didn't even touch the Blue—what was that golden light?"
Setting his sake gourd aside, Naobito rested his chin on his hand, staring intently at the duo. With Projection Sorcery, he perceived the world in 24 frames per second, giving him god-tier kinetic vision. Yet, he currently couldn't track Hasegumo's movements. It felt like his own Projection Sorcery had been stolen and upgraded.
In Naobito's eyes, Hasegumo's movements looked like a movie where someone had hit fast-forward while simultaneously removing several frames. There was no transition of movement—only the result of the hands clasped in prayer.
Projection Sorcery was a modern technique based on the principles of cameras and animation. As its user, Naobito was a fairly trendy old man.
Because he wasn't familiar with Hasegumo, he didn't realize the boy's technique was simply the manipulation of Cursed Energy. He didn't believe anyone could move that fast through pure physical prowess, leading him to a false conclusion: Is it some new technique?
In reality, Hasegumo was simply that strong. His prayer speed had surpassed the limits of human perception.
"That golden light... was it a hand?" Not even the Six Eyes could see it clearly; Satoru Gojo only barely perceived something touching his Blue.
Let's try again. The thought flashed through his mind in an instant. He didn't stop. Red condensed behind him as he reappeared before Hasegumo.
Satoru, his battle instinct dialed to the max, had already thought of a counter after Hasegumo explained why he could dodge the teleportation strikes: he would complete the punch during the teleportation process itself.
This is a punch that absolutely cannot be dodged. Executing such a move put immense strain on Satoru's body, but the desire to land a hit on his friend far outweighed the physical pain.
At Satoru's current level, if this hit landed, it would undoubtedly trigger a Black Flash.
However, Hasegumo had already predicted the move.
In the next moment, as Satoru finally saw Hasegumo's movement, he felt—for the first time—the sensation of his life flashing before his eyes. He watched the man before him trace a perfect arc, hands coming together in prayer.
The movement was impossibly fast—so fast that Hasegumo had finished the prayer before Satoru's teleporting fist could even connect. Yet, it also felt strangely slow; every micro-movement was crystal clear. The contradictory sensations left Satoru's mind in a state of chaotic disconnect.
So beautiful... like a Bodhisattva...