章 22: Barrier Techniques
Mid-March had arrived.
The task quotas for this month had already been exceeded, and the two mandatory missions had also been completed to standard.
Starting next month, there would no longer be mandatory missions for himself.
...
After the Cursed Womb incident, Minamoto Sōjun slowed down his pace once more.
He realized he still had many shortcomings.
The Flesh Armor needed improvement. So far, only one arm had been completed. His plan was to first complete a full-body armor to eliminate physical vulnerabilities and then refine and upgrade it through battle experience.
The Compound Eye structure also required adjustments, as minor issues had arisen—
During the previous mission, he could sense the presence of the Cursed Womb but struggled to track its movements. In the end, it was only thanks to Mishima Shiko acting as bait that the creature exposed its weakness.
Practical experience is the ultimate test of truth. After repeated use, Minamoto had devised a better arrangement structure and now urgently needed to reorganize it.
He manipulated his eye, dislodging it from the socket until it fell into his palm. The empty eye socket became a hollow void, like a pair of black holes that seemed to draw in the soul.
He examined the eyeball carefully. While it appeared to be a single entity, its interior contained dozens of smaller eyes. Surrounding the large iris were numerous smaller pupils, each independently contracting and dilating, possessing their own unique fields of vision.
This design enabled the function of a compound eye but had limited scalability, which was no longer sufficient for his current strength.
With a thought, the eyeball dissolved into its most fundamental flesh-and-blood cells, disappearing into the depths of his palm.
Cursed energy began to surge within the empty eye socket, almost condensing into liquid form. A miniature eyeball materialized from the cursed energy, its body entirely white, with a circular iris on one side, encased in a hard, crystalline membrane emitting a soft glow.
Nearly a hundred identical eyes appeared next, aligning themselves in a special structure.
Repeating the same process for the other socket, his eye sockets now resembled starry skies. Tiny eyeballs floated and flickered within the cursed mist, reflecting points of light like distant stars.
However, the two sockets only housed about a hundred eyes in total. Despite their small size, the limited space of the sockets made their dense arrangement unsettling for those with trypophobia.
Minamoto's short-term goal was to build up to a thousand in each eye.
As long as the number increased… no one would develop trypophobia from looking at a starry sky, right? Surely not?
From the beginning, Minamoto hadn't simply replicated the compound eyes of a fly. After all, exposed eyeballs would look bizarre and clash with his aesthetic preferences.
This method had its pros and cons.
His field of vision was limited to 180 degrees, far short of a fly's near-360-degree view. However, his dynamic and micro-vision were far superior to a fly's.
With this enhanced ocular power, he could easily see through disguises and track movements, even against something like a Cursed Womb.
As for the inhuman abnormalities it presented?
He only needed to squint, and others wouldn't notice. As long as he was careful to hide this from ordinary people, it wouldn't be an issue.
Minamoto updated his abilities one by one and then left his residence, intending to study the barriers of the Jujutsu High complex.
Since learning barrier techniques from the New Curse Mark, Minamoto had modified his domain and primarily used it as a sensory amplifier.
However, during the Cursed Womb mission, its shortcomings had become evident.
...
The entity known as Tengen was likely the master of barrier techniques.
The Jujutsu High campus was filled with temple-like structures, most of which were illusions that changed configuration daily under Tengen's barrier techniques.
The functions of the barriers covering each structure also varied.
Previously, Minamoto had rarely encountered this type of composite barrier where multiple layers combined and reinforced one another to form a stable, large-scale structure.
Minamoto's own residence was covered by a Warning Barrier, the most common type in Jujutsu High. Its primary function was identification verification, along with some minor protective features.
As long as the information on his ID badge matched him, he could freely enter and exit without triggering alarms. Otherwise, within minutes, someone would come to apprehend and interrogate him.
The principle of this barrier wasn't complicated, and Minamoto had figured it out within a few days.
He had added another layer of barrier on top of it himself—after all, "warning" also implied "monitoring."
Who would want their daily life exposed to surveillance, even if no one was watching?
Minamoto retraced his steps through the campus, wandering without a specific destination, observing the places he passed.
Eventually, he arrived at the Forbidden Repository.
This area's barriers were of a much higher caliber, featuring functions such as warning, protection, concealment, and transformation.
Minamoto circled it several times, occasionally reaching out to touch it. He could clearly sense cursed energy scanning him, followed by a faint repelling force.
Stepping back, Minamoto's eyes glimmered as the miniature eyes in his sockets accelerated their flickering. Each one reflected the subtle changes of the repository, revealing something different from the physical reality.
A dense black cursed energy swirled around the repository, its quantity, distribution, and flow now distinctly visible.
At the point where the cursed energy was most concentrated, a faintly visible door appeared. Minamoto stared intently, trying to discern more details—when suddenly, he felt a gaze directed at him.
He squinted.
The gaze came from within the barrier…
Was it Tengen?
Minamoto averted his gaze.
The Forbidden Repositories within Jujutsu High were numerous, and those in plain sight were inconsequential. The truly significant ones were hidden.
The so-called "Deep Repository" mentioned by Mishima Shiko wasn't even all that deep.
In Minamoto's memory, the most critical repository of Jujutsu High was protected by Tengen's barrier. It had over a thousand doors, but only one led to the true entrance, and its position changed daily, making it impossible to predict.
The composite barrier even allowed for dynamic changes, a testament to the sophistication of barrier techniques.
Minamoto did not force his way in but instead continued deeper into the campus.
According to the New Curse Mark, there was an elevator within the campus that led to the deepest level.
Once there, one could access the pathway to Tengen's Sanctuary, which also served as the foundation for the primary barriers across Japan—Star Palace Passage.
Only by following the correct path could one reach the Star Palace's main hall.
At the very center of the main hall stood the sacred tree rooted deep into the earth, its roots connecting the entire mountain where Jujutsu High was situated. This tree was the final barrier.
Tengen resided within the Star Palace.
Minamoto found the elevator, its entrance guarded by two sorcerers.
He approached. They glanced at him but didn't stop him, indicating permission to enter.
Sure enough, there was an elevator.
Minamoto took it to the depths below.
Upon arrival, he saw a towering sacred tree whose top was obscured. The spiral pathway encircling the tree led further downward.
The scene was filled with layers of temples and pavilions, forming a vast, web-like structure.
From a barrier master's perspective, this arrangement adhered to certain principles.
Numerous branching paths extended outward, some leading upward, others downward, each connecting to different structures.
Minamoto followed the main path, descending a series of steps, spiraling around the tree, until he reached a massive door.
He pushed gently but couldn't open it.
This door was protected by a special barrier distinct from those of Jujutsu High—entry required Tengen's explicit permission.
Clearly, he was not authorized.
Leaning against the railing, Minamoto gazed at the towering tree.
It, too, was part of the barrier.
As long as Tengen remained, the barrier would be unshakable, and this area would be the safest place. Even if the entire Jujutsu High were destroyed, this location would remain unscathed.
This was Tengen's confidence and the reason why Minamoto had been allowed in so easily.
The cursed energy surrounding the area appeared scattered, some interconnected, some divided, hidden within the temples, or emanating from certain pathways… Yet the area around the sacred tree remained pure and unblemished.
From within, the layout seemed vast and intricate, with chaos concealing underlying order.
From the outside, the same structures appeared orderly but hinted at hidden chaos.
For some time, Minamoto roamed the campus, sometimes revisiting the pathway but never managing to enter the main hall. At other times, he explored the outer areas, studying the overall barrier system from afar.
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