Chapter 51: Against the Limitless
The group arrived together at the No. 5 training field.
Despite the Star Plasma Vessel incident where Satoru Gojo nearly lost his life to Toji Fushiguro, only for Toji to be brought to the brink of death by Minamoto Sōjun, these outcomes were shaped by specific conditions.
Toji Fushiguro, renowned as the "Sorcerer Killer," was exceptionally skilled at dealing with sorcerers. However, Minamoto Sōjun, an unconventional sorcerer, seemed to counter Toji's advantages.
Minamoto Sōjun stood opposite Satoru Gojo at the center of the field.
As Satoru began warming up, Minamoto Sōjun had already built up a formidable aura, ready for battle.
He extended his hand, and Shiiko Mishima stepped forward, handing him the Cursed Scythe before retreating to a safe distance behind him.
Suguru Geto and Shoko Ieiri stood not far behind Satoru.
Minamoto Sōjun ran his hand along the scythe's shaft, as if caressing a piece of smooth jade. The sensation was flawless.
He spun the scythe half a turn, holding it upside-down in front of his chest with the blade pointing outward.
The scythe, designed for sweeping attacks, wielded immense cutting power. As a long weapon, maintaining precise positioning was vital—not just in frontal attacks but also for controlling angles from the sides.
Minamoto Sōjun deliberately moved to stand diagonally across from Satoru Gojo, analyzing as he prepared.
Satoru's cursed energy wasn't infinite, but with the Six Eyes, he could manipulate his energy so precisely that the consumption was almost negligible, effectively granting him limitless cursed energy.
Thus, a prolonged battle was out of the question.
Satoru's technique created an untouchable space around him. Though it seemed he could be struck, an infinite distance remained between any attack and his body—a gap like the expanse of a cosmic universe between fingertips.
The first challenge was finding a way to land a blow on him.
Perhaps…
Minamoto Sōjun closed in swiftly, swinging his scythe upward at an angle. As expected, the blade slowed, caught in an invisible quagmire.
He remained calm—this was anticipated. Taking advantage of the momentum, he sidestepped and dragged the scythe's edge, causing sparks to fly.
Their positions crisscrossed.
In a brief span, Minamoto Sōjun had delivered several strikes, though each at only forty percent of his strength.
Satoru Gojo stood unmoving, observing Minamoto's technique. If an attack couldn't even hit, there was no need for him to counter.
Even though he always knew how formidable Limitless Cursed Technique paired with the Six Eyes could be, facing it directly made him realize he still needed to treat it with greater caution.
After an initial probing exchange, Minamoto Sōjun found the situation somewhat tricky.
He planted his scythe firmly and stood upright. Facing the strongest sorcerer in the Jujutsu world, he resolved to demonstrate his true abilities.
Otherwise…
How else could he put on a show for Shiiko Mishima—huh?!
Excitement surged through Minamoto's veins, his breath radiating heat as an engine-like hum vibrated the air. Everything around him seemed to fall into a strange rhythm.
His figure flickered, unleashing overwhelming momentum as he lunged at Satoru. His blade grew faster and faster, bending the surrounding grass under its force while pebbles levitated, the scene becoming increasingly turbulent.
Yet not a single strike reached its target; Satoru's technique flawlessly deflected all of them.
Faster, it needed to be faster—fast enough to surpass the technique's recognition threshold.
Now!
A smirk curled at Minamoto's lips as he unleashed seventy percent of his strength in a horizontal slash.
Boom!
Satoru raised a hand, condensing a sphere of Cursed Energy into a shimmering blue orb, meeting the blade head-on.
Sss~
The impact dissipated, and Satoru rubbed his temple.
The blade had connected.
Though his body's defenses held firm, he hadn't anticipated the strike's effect on his soul. The force lingered.
Grinning, Satoru commented:
"Oh? So you've been testing the limits of my technique's defenses, waiting to find my reaction threshold. Then, with a normal strike as a feint, you followed up with a stronger one to actually land a hit?"
He raised his head, looking at Minamoto Sōjun, and couldn't help but praise him:
"Your combat instincts are truly sharp."
"If that's all your technique has, I'll only need two moves each time to hit you," Minamoto replied with a relaxed smile, showing no sign of exertion.
"That's impossible. By simply focusing a bit more, I can adjust my technique's response threshold at will," Satoru replied, pinching his fingers to illustrate. "That threshold will always be changing—what will you do to hit me now?"
"My reaction speed is superior to yours. No matter how much you adjust, it's just an extra step—two strikes to test, and the third one will land!" Minamoto waved a hand dismissively. "Now, show me your strength, Gojo."
"Otherwise…"
Before he finished speaking, Minamoto's figure blurred as he charged in, scythe sweeping horizontally once more, forcing Satoru back.
His speed was overwhelming. While spectators saw only a single strike, in reality, three had been executed.
"Otherwise, if you get hurt, don't come crying for comfort!"
Minamoto laughed wildly, his expression bold as he ran his hand along the scythe's blade, leaving streaks of crimson.
He activated Reverse Technique.
Almost simultaneously, the Cursed Scythe was raised high once again.
Sss~ Sss—
It sliced through the air, stopping just shy of Satoru's neck.
Crimson clashed against blue. In the next moment, the blade smoothly circled half a turn, shattering the protective blue aura.
Every hair on Satoru's body stood on end. His instincts screamed that he must not let the crimson energy touch him.
He crouched low, launching himself backward while forming a sword gesture with his fingers.
A blue orb shot out, disrupting Minamoto's follow-up attack.
Blocked briefly, Minamoto split the orb with a single slash.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions echoed behind him as Minamoto closed the distance once more, raising his blade to strike down at Satoru's head…
Minamoto Sōjun, the master of rhythm! Ten coaches unanimously agreed—his grasp of combat tempo was unparalleled.
While Satoru could keep the threshold of his technique in constant flux, Minamoto could ensure that his decisive strike wasn't locked to the third or fourth blow but concealed among any number of feints.
Their clash became a psychological duel of feints and reality.
And this fell right into Minamoto's rhythm.
In truth, Satoru was now fully engaged in a contest of reaction speed—an area where Minamoto excelled.
With a smirk, Minamoto tossed the Cursed Scythe back to Shiiko Mishima and exhaled a visible breath of heated air.
He was thrilled.
Launching himself at Satoru once more, he encountered another blue orb.
With his right hand, Minamoto grasped it, crimson energy seeping out to counter the blue. The orb transformed into crimson before dispersing into his palm.
Cursed Energy Assimilation!
Another orb came flying. Minamoto blocked with his hardened left arm, his body skidding back a few steps, blackened skin showing where the attack had landed.
In an instant, a flash of blue restored his wounds.
Unbothered, Minamoto smirked.
The cost of energy consumption was nearly balanced with the energy he gained from assimilation.
In that case, he could afford to be even more reckless!
…
Unfortunately, the two didn't go all out, stopping short of using their trump cards or unleashing high-powered techniques.
Satoru rubbed his head, feeling an intense migraine.
His inability to perceive souls meant that his Reverse Cursed Technique couldn't heal damage at that level.
In the end, it was Minamoto who alleviated his discomfort.
Satoru casually picked up the Cursed Scythe, finding it heavy. After a few experimental swings, he noted how unwieldy it felt.
He tossed it back to Minamoto with a comment:
"This thing hurts so much when it hits, but it doesn't seem all that special."
Minamoto chuckled, handing the scythe back to Shiiko Mishima.
"This weapon is bound to its master. Anyone else who wields it can't freely use its abilities."
As its creator, Minamoto was, of course, an exception.
This feature prevented the weapon from empowering an enemy if lost. The stronger the weapon, the more devastating it would be in enemy hands.
Shiiko playfully shrunk the scythe and hung it from her earlobe, prompting awe from the others.
The modification wasn't particularly difficult to achieve, but few craftsmen considered such an approach.
"Oh, by the way, Shoko needs you for something"
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