章 7: Epiphany
In the current era, Kukan'yu Kingdom had swiftly become a focal point for the world's martial artists, a place where ancient traditions met new techniques in an ever-tightening web of global connections, Zaban City, in particular, stood at the epicenter of this growing phenomenon.
This rise was heralded by the recent emergence of the Storm King, a figure whose reputation alone could make a martial artist's name or break it. Though it had been a year Storm King since abandoned his dojo, and the city, the fame he left behind made Zaban a pilgrimage site for those seeking to test their limits and hone their craft.
There was a growing consensus among the martial arts community that Zaban City was poised to become the next great cradle of martial prowess. The city's dojos, teeming with students and masters, bustled with an energy that seemed to vibrate through the very streets. Stories of legendary battles, secret training regimens, and masters whose skills bordered on the supernatural echoed through the alleys and taverns, inspiring both awe and ambition.
Gojo strolled into the Storm Dojo, following the group of martial artists, the faint scent of incense mingling with the humid air of the environment outside. There was a huge board there bold lettering which read: Storm Striker Style.
The room was wide and open, with wooden floors polished from years of training. Dozens of martial artists paused their exercises to glance at the newcomer, his white hair stark against the dark interior, and his black sleeping mask a curious choice. With Six Eyes Gojo noted their strangeness, their energy although not contained enough to be harnessed into techniques, seemed to be on a path towards it.
'They are somehow training nen here.'
So as curiosity got to Gojo, he walked up to the nearest instructor who was advising some students, hands casually in his pockets. "Hello, I see you've got a pretty intense training method here," he began, his tone light but with an edge of curiosity. "Mind sharing it with me?"
The instructor, a tall man with a shaved head and a hardened expression, looked Gojo up and down. "If you want to know our methods, you'll have to join the dojo," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest.
Gojo tilted his head slightly, as if considering the offer, then shook his head. "Nah, I don't have the time for that. You could just tell me now, save us all a lot of trouble."
The instructor's gaze hardened, his stance widening as he subtly prepared himself. "We don't have time for jokers. If you're not serious, you can leave. Now."
Gojo's smile faded, replaced by a cold, almost bored expression. "Guess I'm not getting what I want the easy way." He sighed, his voice dropping to a threat. "Too bad for you."
In an instant, the instructor moved to strike, but Gojo was faster. His foot shot out in a sweeping motion, hooking behind the instructor's ankle in a perfect Deashi Harai—a forward foot sweep. The instructor's feet flew out from under him, and he crashed to the floor with a resounding thud, a look of shock crossing his face as he hit the ground, and Gojo placed his foot on his head knocking him out.
"WE HAVE A DOJO HUNTER!" The students near the instructor shouted and ran back.
The dojo erupted into action, the martial artists rushing at Gojo from all directions, determined to subdue the intruder. But Gojo didn't even bother taking his hands out of his pockets.
"CATCH HIM!"
As the first assailant reached him, Gojo stepped aside with a fluid grace, his leg sweeping across the floor in a low arc. His foot hooked behind the man's ankle, pulling it out from under him with a swift Kosoto Gari— a small outside hook. The martial artist toppled backwards, his balance completely destroyed, and crashed to the floor.
'Compared to that annoying ship fight with all the chaos-'
Another fighter lunged at him, aiming a powerful punch at Gojo's head. Without a hint of concern, Gojo turned his body just enough to avoid the blow. He stepped in close, placing his foot beside the attacker's and twisting his hip sharply. The man's knee buckled as Gojo executed a Hiza Guruma—a knee wheel—sending him flipping head over heels before slamming down onto the wooden boards.
'-this is quite fun.'
Gojo continued to walk through the crowd, his movements almost casual. A pair of martial artists rushed him from either side, hoping to catch him in a pincer attack. Gojo's eyes flicked in their direction, and with a slight shift in his stance, he executed Ouchi Gari — major inner reaping—on the fighter to his right. His leg swept behind the man's, reaping it from under him and sending him sprawling forward. Without missing a beat, Gojo pivoted to the left, and as the second attacker reached him, he performed Osoto Otoshi — large outer drop.
He stepped behind the man and brought his leg down hard across the attacker's, forcing him to the ground with a resounding impact.
'As dad used to say: One of the best of knowing someone is just fighting them.'
The dojo floor was soon littered with groaning bodies, each one having been thrown or swept aside with the effortless precision of a master. Gojo's feet continued their deadly dance, each movement a demonstration of perfect timing and balance. A fighter came at him with a wild kick, but Gojo merely turned his body and executed Sasae Tsurikomi Ashi—a lifting-pulling ankle prop. His foot blocked the man's ankle, and with a light push, the attacker's leg was swept out from under him, sending him sprawling onto his back.
Another martial artist charged at him with a low tackle, trying to bring Gojo down by surprise. But Gojo, barely glancing in his direction, performed an Uchimata—an inner thigh throw. His leg hooked inside the attacker's thigh, and with a twist of his hips, Gojo lifted him off the ground and slammed him down onto the floor, the impact echoing through the room.
'The intensity of their energy is way higher than the average person. This couldn't be just physical training or fighting. Even the former foreign mercenaries that settled in Port Town didn't have this much and they have fought in wars.'
One by one, around a hundred martial artists fell, each to a technique more precise than the last. Gojo's hands never left his pockets as he moved through the crowd, his feet doing all the work. He used the Harai Tsurikomi Ashi—a lifting-pulling foot sweep—to send another fighter skidding across the floor. A well-timed Osoto Guruma—a large outer wheel—took down two opponents at once, their bodies crashing into each other as they fell. It was like watching a group dance routine where one dancer decided to just trip everyone up destroying the whole performance, and Gojo was that dancer.
"Now," he said, his voice calm but carrying an edge of danger, "about that training method? What is it?"
Just as he was about to stomp them around for questioning, the door slid open, and a young woman stepped into the room. She had a composed, almost regal demeanour, her short black hair framing a face that radiated calm confidence. Without any introduction, she began speaking, her voice clear and unwavering.
"Our training method isn't something we typically share with outsiders," she began, her eyes locking onto Gojo's, "but it's not a big secret. We practice a rigorous form of striking, pushed to its absolute limits with bounded weight training. It's a gruelling regimen that tests our bodies to their breaking point. You don't deserve to know the details."
Gojo listened, his interest barely piqued. The woman continued, "But that's not all. We also incorporate a method known as Nen of the Flame, borrowed from the Shingen Style. It's a series of mental exercises designed to strengthen one's Inner Life Energy, one's aura."
She raised her hand and began to count off the exercises on her fingers. "There are four key exercises in Nen of the Flame. First, Point. You focus your mind, reflect on yourself, and determine your goal. This helps in centring your thoughts and emotions, preparing you for the battles ahead."
"Second, Tongue. Here, you put your thoughts into words. It's about clearly articulating your intentions, not just to others, but to yourself. This verbalization strengthens your resolve."
"Third, Temper. This is where you intensify your will. It's a step beyond merely deciding what you want; it's about honing that desire into a sharp, unwavering force."
"And finally, Release. Once will is fully tempered, you put it into action. Every punch, every kick, every movement you make is backed by the full weight of your focused intent."
After she was finished speaking, she steeled herself for her second task. To make the white hairs regret ever learning about this. But before she could do anything she saw him slap his forehead lightly and began laughing.
"Satoru, you fool," Gojo muttered aloud, ignoring the perplexed looks from the others. "You've been trying to view this new energy as Cursed Energy, but it's not. Cursed Energy isn't a vital force necessary for life. It's an emergent property from the soul when the connected organism feels stress-related emotions. That's why it's also called negative energy."
The girl watched him with a mixture of confusion and wariness as if trying to decide whether he was insane or simply unconventional.
He chuckled, the revelation hitting him with a mix of clarity and irony. "But in this world, the phenomenon of Cursed Energy is entirely replaced by this vital force, this aura. It encompasses all forms of emotions, positive and negative alike, which explains its dual properties. And you were wondering why aren't you able to use your own energy to your limits, you were using only the negative parts while completely ignoring the positives. You were only using half of your generated strength, maybe even less. How the hell you didn't think about this before? Oh yeah, you were busy accumulating encyclopaedic knowledge of an entirely new world."
The girl finally asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"
"This whole time I believed I was an alien who crash-landed on another planet and is now trying to repair his craft with unfamiliar technology," Gojo mumbled with understanding, "But now I know the truth, I am an alien who crash-landed on another planet, and is now trying to build a new craft with unfamiliar technology."
"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked, feeling more annoyed than angry now. Then suddenly she felt something and activated Gyo, her aura flowing into his eyes and she saw it.
Her eyes widened as she shouted, "You are a nen user."
Without warning, Gojo's aura exploded outward, a massive surge of energy that filled the entire dojo. It was a tidal wave of power, radiating from him in all directions with overwhelming force. Those without Nen couldn't see it, but they could feel it—an inexplicable, bone-chilling sensation as if they had been suddenly exposed to a violent hailstorm while stripped bare. The air itself seemed to shudder under the weight of his presence, the walls of the dojo creaking as though they might buckle under the pressure.
"Most sorcerers have to make cursed energy flow, so most instinctively believe it starts from the negative feelings in their stomach and flows through the rest of the body. However, thinking of one's body as different sections is what delays the flow of their energy. To understand this cycle, one must realize that they exist in the world with their entire mind, body, and soul as one."
The martial artists staggered back, their bravado shattered, faces paling as the invisible storm raged around them. Some dropped to their knees, clutching their chests as though struggling to breathe, while others stumbled, their legs refusing to support them any longer. The sense of dread was suffocating, and it took every ounce of willpower for them to remain standing.
"The aura nodes... Yes, I see it. Over 72000 aura pathways and 116 aura nodes in my body."
The girl, however, did not flinch. Her breath caught in her throat for just a moment, but she quickly regained her composure. Gritting her teeth, she took a fighting stance, her eyes locked onto Gojo's figure at the centre of the storm. She could feel his overwhelming power, and though it dwarfed anything she had ever encountered, she knew she couldn't back down.
Gojo laughed, "I am almost here, on the verge of gaining the same control level I had with cursed energy."
"Everyone, get out of here!" she shouted over the roaring energy, her voice cutting through the chaos. Her comrades hesitated, fear and uncertainty flashing in their eyes. But she was insistent, her tone leaving no room for argument. "Now! Run!"
At her command, they began to scramble toward the exits, their fear overcoming any thoughts of standing their ground. The room cleared out in seconds, leaving just Gojo and the girl facing each other in the eerily empty dojo.
"My name is Kaede, and you won't leave this place unpunished," Kaede said inhaling deeply, gathering every ounce of her strength, and with a fierce cry, she launched herself at Gojo, her determination burning brighter than ever. She gathered her aura and immediately unleashed her first Hatsu.
[ Hatsu: Phantom Kunai ]
Her aura took the shape of illusory glowing white kunai in her hand and threw it at Gojo, but just tiled his dodged it. Letting the aura weapon wizz past him and dissipate into nothingness.
"You think you could destroy the Dojo just because my older brother isn't here anymore," she said.
"I am not here for that," Gojo said, finally withdrawing his aura, leaving it in a contained state. "Alright, I got what I was looking for, now I am going to leave unless you have something else to say to me."
But without another word from her, two more aura made kunai appear, Kaede lunged at Gojo with a sweeping kick, yelling as she initiated the attack. Gojo barely moved, his hands still in his pockets as he effortlessly sidestepped over the sweep. Kaede followed up with a rapid counter, deflecting two of his casual kicks from Gojo before slashing at him with her blade. Gojo leaned back, the blade slicing through the air inches from his face. The Kunai dispersed.
Kaede made another move, launching into a blur of motion as she closed the distance between them. Her battle cry echoed through the empty dojo as she initiated a Sweep, her leg arcing through the air toward Gojo's feet in an attempt to destabilize him. Gojo, with his hands still in his pockets, effortlessly shifted his weight onto his back foot, allowing the sweep to pass harmlessly beneath him.
As Kaede's momentum carried her forward, he seized the opportunity to counter with a low sweep of his own aimed at her supporting leg. Kaede felt her balance give way, and she hit the ground hard, but she rolled with the fall, springing back to her feet in a fluid motion.
Gojo barely had time to appreciate her agility before she was on him again, this time executing a series of Flourishing Slashes. Another set of phantom kunai whistled through the air as she slashed at him twice in rapid succession. Gojo leaned back, narrowly avoiding the first slash, then twisted to the side to dodge the second. Kaede followed up with a powerful overhead kick, but Gojo was faster. He stepped in close, catching her leg and swept her off her feet again, sending her crashing to the floor.
'His aura is around the same level as my brother's.'
Kaede grits her teeth as she pushes herself up, her eyes blazing with renewed determination. She flicked her wrist, summoning a pair of new Phantom Kunai from her aura, and hurled them at Gojo with deadly precision. Gojo sidestepped the first, his reflexes razor-sharp, but the second kunai was already on its way. He spun out of the way, the blade grazing his jacket as it flew past. Kaede didn't give him a chance to recover—she dashed back, launching herself onto the wires that crisscrossed the ceiling of the dojo. She usually used it for balance technique but now it had become a weapon for her.
'But I won't lose to him.'
Perched high above the ground, Kaede became a blur of motion, her Waltz technique in full display. She threw kunai in quick succession, the weapons slicing through the air toward Gojo from multiple angles. Gojo's eyes tracked each projectile with ease, his Six Eyes processing the trajectories almost before she even released them. He remained perfectly calm as he slipped between the kunai, his movements fluid and precise.
As Kaede dashed forward along the wire, slashing at him with a speed that would have overwhelmed most opponents, Gojo shifted his stance, his posture lowering slightly. With a quick step and a subtle twist of his hips, hooking her leg with his and yanked her off balance. Kaede felt the world tilt as she was thrown from her perch, but she caught herself mid-fall, twisting her body to land in a crouch.
Not a moment later, she lunged at Gojo, aiming for a Drop Kick as she vaulted onto another set of wires, and then plummeted toward him. Gojo remained unfazed, stepping out of the way with minimal effort, his hands still tucked casually in his pockets. As she passed by, he used her momentum against her, hooking her leg mid-air and flipping her into a sweeping hip throw that sent her slamming into the dojo floor.
Kaede groaned as she pushed herself up again, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She was battered, and bruised, but not broken.
"NOT OVER YET!"
As Kaede got on a knee, sprawled on the dojo floor, battered but defiant, she clenched her teeth and summoned every last ounce of her strength. Her eyes glowed with an eerie light as she called forth her ultimate technique: [Hatsu: Lumin Butterflies ]
In an instant, the dojo filled with an ethereal mist formed of Kaede's aura, swirling and condensing into ghostly figures. These phantom warriors materialized, each one a spectral combatant armed with weapons that could deal real damage despite their illusory nature. They stood in formation around Kaede, their eyes locked onto Gojo as they prepared to charge.
Gojo's eyes narrowed as he scanned the spectral army. To anyone else, they would seem like an overwhelming force, but his Six Eyes discerned their true nature instantly. These weren't just illusions—they had physical form, but they were fragile, tethered to a certain frequency of sound. A weakness he could exploit.
The phantoms rushed at him all at once, their weapons raised to strike. But Gojo remained unfazed. With perfect timing, he clapped his hands together sharply. The loud, resonant sound echoed through the dojo, and the moment it did, the spectral fighters began to dissolve. One by one, they dispersed into wisps of light, their forms unravelling and fading as they succumbed to the vibrations.
'How did he know their weakness? He is surely sent here by one of brother's enemies.'
Kaede's eyes widened in shock as her summoned warriors were obliterated. But she wasn't done yet. With a fierce glare, she pointed her hand at Gojo, her fingers trembling with the last reserves of her energy. With a sharp snap of her fingers, the remaining wisps of the phantoms coalesced into a swarm of luminous butterflies. These new forms were smaller but faster, each one now a homing missile with explosive potential.
The butterflies darted toward Gojo with terrifying speed, their glow intensifying as they zeroed in on their target. In the blink of an eye, Gojo assessed the threat and reacted. He lifted his leg and slammed it down into the floor with precision. The impact shattered the floorboards beneath him, sending up a spray of wood and debris that formed a barrier between him and the incoming swarm.
The butterflies collided with the barrier, and for a split second, the entire dojo was filled with the sound of multiple small explosions. The wooden barricade splintered and shattered, but it did its job—neutralizing the immediate threat.
As the smoke and dust cleared, Gojo was already on the move. With a burst of speed, he darted through the debris, dodging the last remnants of the butterfly projectiles with effortless grace. In a flash, he closed the distance between him and Kaede.
Kaede barely had time to react before Gojo was upon her. His hand lashed out in a blur, his movements precise and controlled. With a swift chop to the back of her neck, he knocked her out cold. Kaede's body crumpled to the floor, her consciousness slipping away as she fell into darkness.
Gojo stood over her, his breath steady, his expression calm. The dojo was silent once more, the echoes of their battle still lingering in the air.
"Impressive technique, you could make it big in the Jujutsu world, " he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. "I guess I went too far.... Nah, all is well if it ends well."
クリエイターの想い 
LimitlessDrill
LimitlessDrill I want to write one action chapter because as some of you may know, the first half of the exam barely has any action. About the Storm King stuff, it's going to play a part way later in the story.
Writing is hard, cheer me up! VOTE for me! I tagged this book, come and support me with a thumbs up! Like it? Add to the library! Have some idea about my story? Comment it and let me know.
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