Satoru Gojo reached out and gently placed his hand on Shin's shoulder. A brief wave of dizziness washed over Shin before the two of them instantly materialized on the Jujutsu High training grounds.
The turf across the field was a mismatched patchwork of fresh green grass and dead dirt. It looked exactly like a ragged, heavily repaired piece of clothing.
Ah, Shin thought sheepishly, looking at the craters. Fushiguro and I definitely caused this during our sparring match. I remember Principal Yaga being absolutely furious...
A short distance away, Yuji Itadori was in the middle of physical conditioning while Megumi Fushiguro instructed him on the absolute basics of channeling Cursed Energy.
Gojo led Shin to a secluded corner of the field, far away from the training duo. Shoving his hands casually into his pockets, Gojo smiled.
"Alright, Shin. Make your move," Gojo commanded lightly. "Show me exactly how much you have grown!"
Although Gojo's posture was incredibly relaxed, he had already cranked the sensory output of his Six Eyes to the absolute maximum. He watched the flow of Cursed Energy coursing through Shin's body with hyper-focused precision.
Shin gently raised his hands. Looking completely calm, he slowly lifted his index fingers and brought them toward each other.
Gojo frowned slightly. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and dropped into a loose combat stance, his demeanor shifting into something much more serious.
Is he attempting a Domain Expansion? Gojo analyzed. No, that doesn't make sense. The flow of his Cursed Energy is entirely too gentle. An output this low isn't nearly enough to construct the complex spatial framework of a Domain.
Just as the tips of Shin's index fingers touched, a vivid, overwhelming image was violently thrust directly into Gojo's mind. It was a recreation of The Creation of Adam—the exact moment God bestowed life and creation upon the first man.
"Domain Expansion," Shin whispered. "Genesis."
A flash of genuine astonishment crossed Gojo's face, immediately followed by a wide, ecstatic grin.
"I actually misread the spark!" Gojo cheered. "Shin, you are full of incredible surprises!"
The reason Shin's Cursed Energy had not spiked was due to a bizarre loophole in his technique. His Domain functioned exactly like a pre-packaged meal. Because the dimensional space was permanently constructed and stored within his system void, he did not need to expend massive amounts of energy to build the barrier from scratch. He simply opened the door.
Therefore, as long as the internal framework of the Domain was not completely shattered, Shin could deploy it multiple times a day with virtually zero fatigue.
A massive, spherical barrier suddenly erupted on the training field. Its exterior shell was composed entirely of indestructible, gray-and-black Bedrock blocks.
Unlike a typical, smooth Domain barrier, Shin's sphere was jagged, pixelated, and highly unaesthetic. However, its crude appearance did not compromise its absolute structural invulnerability in the slightest.
The moment Gojo was pulled into the Domain, he was immediately greeted by its very first baptism.
An Iron Anvil materialized out of thin air directly above his head. Imbued with the Domain's absolute "Sure-Hit" effect, the anvil plummeted downward at lethal speed. Because Shin's Domain naturally neutralized Gojo's protective "Infinity" barrier, Gojo had no choice but to actively counter the attack.
"Cursed Technique Reversal: Red!"
A small, violently rotating orb of black-and-red energy burst from Gojo's fingertip, blasting the falling anvil into a cloud of iron dust.
"Oh my, Shin! Your welcome gift is certainly unique!" Gojo laughed, looking around. "Is this really your Domain? The scenery actually isn't half bad."
The interior of Shin's Domain was a surreal, aquatic nightmare. Several three-headed Withers floated ominously through the sky. The ground beneath their feet was fractured and submerged in water, forcing the combatants to stand on small, isolated islands in the middle of a massive lake.
Gojo landed lightly on one of the dirt islands. The moment his feet touched the ground, dozens of mining lasers locked onto him from beneath the water's surface. The colored beams rapidly deepened in hue as they charged up to fire.
Simultaneously, the ghostly silhouette of a massive, spiky fish—an Elder Guardian—flashed across Gojo's vision. A heavy weight suddenly dragged down his limbs, and his physical reaction time slowed to a crawl.
Mining Fatigue applied, Shin noted mentally. It severely reduces attack speed.
"Sensei, aren't you going to dodge?" Shin taunted lightly. "Oh, wait. You can't dodge a Sure-Hit attack inside a Domain."
Before Shin could even finish his sentence, a massive barrage of explosive Wither Skulls swarmed toward Gojo.
"Oh dear," Gojo hummed playfully. "Getting hit by all of this would be quite unpleasant."
Gojo reached up and slowly pulled his black blindfold down, revealing his striking, brilliant blue eyes.
"You have done incredibly well, Shin. However, no matter how powerful a Domain's environmental effects are, if the caster is knocked unconscious, the Domain will naturally collapse."
The moment the words left his mouth, Gojo vanished. Moving so fast he left physical afterimages, he crossed the island in a fraction of a second and drove a brutal, full-power punch directly into Shin's chest.
Shin did not panic. In a flash of light, he instantly equipped his full set of Netherite Armor. The dark metal shimmered with a mesmerizing, rippling purple aura—the visual effect of high-level Enchantments.
"Boom!"
Shin took the punch dead-on without taking a single step backward.
Assuming the baseline damage of Gojo's punch was 100, the full set of Protection IV Enchanted Netherite absorbed the vast majority of the kinetic force. Only 7.4 points of damage managed to bleed through the armor. Furthermore, that remaining 7.4 damage was easily absorbed by the thick layer of Cursed Energy Shin used to reinforce his body.
Even if Gojo had thrown a serious, intent-to-kill strike, Shin was highly confident his maxed-out armor could tank it without issue.
Simultaneously, the Elder Guardian's lasers fired and the Wither Skulls detonated, violently engulfing both sorcerers in a massive explosion.
As the caster of the Domain, Shin was naturally immune to his own environmental hazards. However, as the smoke cleared, Shin was shocked to see Gojo standing completely unharmed.
"This... this isn't right, Sensei," Shin stammered.
"There is nothing wrong with your Domain, Shin," Gojo corrected gently. "I just used Domain Amplification. It is an advanced anti-domain technique that neutralizes a large portion of your Cursed Technique's guaranteed hits. To be honest, I did take some actual damage from the explosions, but I just instantly healed it using Reverse Cursed Technique."
Shin still had a massive arsenal of attacks he had not deployed, including offensive Splash Potions and highly enchanted weaponry. But conversely, Gojo had not even attempted to use his own Domain Expansion.
If their Domains clashed, Shin knew Gojo's Infinite Void would override his Genesis and fry his brain instantly.
"Sigh. Alright, I concede," Shin muttered. "To be honest, Sensei, I still don't have total control over this Domain. I can use mechanics in here that I absolutely cannot use in the outside world. For example, the purple Enchantment glow on my armor. I can't use Enchantments in reality, but inside this Domain, I can adjust their effects at will."
Shin paused, looking down at his hands.
"Plus, I have access to an incredibly powerful item called a Command Block inside this space... but I don't possess the necessary administrative power to actually activate it yet. I am still too weak."
With a wave of his hand, Shin dispelled the barrier. The Bedrock shell shattered into pixels, and the two sorcerers found themselves standing back on the sunlit Jujutsu High training grounds.
Gojo stepped forward and vigorously ruffled Shin's hair.
"You are already incredibly strong, Shin!" Gojo praised warmly. "When I was your age, I definitely would not have been able to beat you. You should be extremely proud of yourself. You have truly earned this level of strength!"