It was nighttime. The moonlight illuminated the terrain and thus made for an overall sense of tranquility. The setting is that of a highway, and only one vehicle was present; a black car. At the drivers seat was Kiyotaka, and at the passengers seat to the right was Satoru.
"We have a bit of time before your appointment with the principal. Did you want to stop anywhere?" Asked Kiyotaka.
"It's fine. I'll show up early for a change." Said Satoru as his right elbow was placed on the windowsill due to him crossing his hands. Satoru then proceeded to lean his head slightly on the window,as if trying to hear something.
"Stop the car." Said Satoru.
"Huh? Right here?" Said Kiyotaka in surprise. Satoru remained silent, thus giving Kiyotaka the confirmation he needed to reply with the request.
Satoru now stood outside of the car with his hands in his pockets. Kiyotaka parked with the car's engine still on as well as the headlights, in case he was required to follow any more instructions.
"Go on ahead." Said Satoru.
"Huh?A-Are you testing me? You're not going to hit me if I actually go on ahead,are you?" Asked Kiyotaka with worry.
"Just who do you think I am?" Said Satoru in a low but threatening tone, causing Kiyotaka to gasp in shock.
"In that case..." Said Kiyotaka nervously right before driving off. Satoru looked at the direction in which he drove off to. Still keeping his hands in his pockets, Satoru stood on the main road in an expectant manner.
"Now..." Said Satoru. Suddenly a being shrouded in darkness was seen hovering above him. With a maniacal shriek, the being landed on the ground where Satoru once stood with a heavy thud,causing the concrete to crack.
Still levitating off the ground due to jumping back, Satoru got a clearer look of his attacker. It was a cursed spirit,as it's features were inhuman.
It had a single, glowing red eye in the center of it's face and black teeth. The upper half of it's head resembles a volcano, which was complemented with it's hole-like ears. Said ears were filled in with corks. It also wore a green layer with black spots over a black outfit. It's hunchback posture gave it the image of an elderly man.
"Who...Are you?" Asked Satoru. Though the identify of the curse was a mystery to him, it's intentions to harm him were unquestionable.
It would soon learn however,that this was a grave mistake...
The past few hours had been some of the most complex for our teenage hero,Ben Tennyson. He hadn't felt this confused since he first got the source of his powers, the Omnitrix,six years ago.
His newly found ability was one so distant to him,yet so familiar. One that for the longest time,he had believed he could never achieve.
Standing in the middle of the room of the basement where himself and Yuji were taking residence in currently. Both were dressed in their casual attire from earlier on in the day, with Ben now wearing his jacket as well. Ben had closed his eyes and clenched his fists.
His demeanor showed that he was in deep concentration. An admirable feat considering that his friend and teammate,Yuji was sitting across the room on the couch watching a movie with the now sleeping doll held gently in his hands. This showed that Yuji had made progress with his training.
Taking in deep breaths through his nose in order to strengthen his concentration, Ben's efforts would be rewarded by the pink aura from before enveloping his hands from his wrists to his fingers. Once he opened his eyes, and saw the outcome of his concentration,Ben nodded in approval before taking in a deep breath with his mouth.
Upon doing so,he closed his eyes once more and breathed out from his nose, causing the pink aura to disappear. He would continue this breathing pattern for a while, and after a few seconds had passed since the pink aura dispersed,a new one came in it's place.
This aura was a thick red, it's shape akin to that of a flame. Ben's eyes initially widened slightly before narrowing just as fast, showing that he was a bit surprised by this current aura. Taking in another deep breath with his nose while his eyes were closed,Ben let out a sigh, dispersing the aura. Opening his eyes and seeing that it was gone,Ben had a rather somber look on his face.
"You've been at that for a while now." Said Yuji as his eyes were still glued on the tv, slightly startling Ben.
"Y-yeah, sorry about that." Said Ben sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head with his left hand in embarrassment.
"No need to apologize, Tennyson. Gojo Sensei did say you should keep at it for as long as you need to get a better grasp on your powers." Said Yuji with understanding.
"Y-yeah... he did." Said Ben with a weak smile that immediately faded as he raised up his hands to look at them.
'Somehow I feel even more confused than when I started his whole thing.' Thought Ben in reference to when he and Satoru started his training.
"You alright, Tennyson?" Asked Yuji as he looked back at the Ultimatrix bearer.
"I'm alright, just thinking about stuff, that's all." Said Ben with a forced grin.
"You sure? You look kind of down." Said Yuji not quite convinced, causing Ben to blink in surprise.
'That obvious,huh?' Thought Ben before letting out a sigh.
"It's complicated, Itadori." Said Ben as he looked downcast.
"I guess, considering that your powers are one of a kind, according to Gojo Sensei." Said Yuji with a shrug.
His mind traced back to when Satoru had returned with Ben earlier from now. He was awestruck when Ben showed him his newly formed abilities, as it was unlike anything he had expected. Before Satoru departed,he explained to Yuji that Ben's newly formed ability wasn't actually cursed energy.
Although he didn't specify what it was, Satoru did tell Yuji that he had asked Ben to use that ability to draw the latent cursed energy inside him,to which Ben had succeeded in doing, evident by the red aura that appeared earlier.
Though there was much he didn't know about Ben's new powers,he felt that Ben had basically hit the jackpot, due to how diverse it seemed just from the little Ben had come to muster, alongside the emphasis Satoru put on it granting Ben untold potential. With that knowledge,Yuji was understandably confused by unhappy Ben seemed in spite of these events.
"It's really not that unique, Itadori." Said Ben with a light smile.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Asked Yuji, even more confused. Ben's eyes initially widened before closing as he winced,as if giving himself a mental facepalm.
'You walked right into that one, Tennyson.' Thought Ben as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand. He then looked at Yuji who still had a perplexed look on his face as he awaited an answer.
'Do I tell him what's really going on, and risk leaving him more questions than answers,or do I drop it completely, and risk worrying him more?' Contemplated Ben as he still looked at Yuji.
'He Is just looking out for me, afterall.' Thought Ben as he had seemingly made up his mind. This was evident by him letting out a sigh right after.
"Look, Itadori, it's a long story." Began Ben as he walked towards the couch.
"One I'm not entirely sure how I can tell without leaving with more questions than we started." Ben then took his seat beside Yuji. He then leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
"You sure you still want to hear it?" Asked Ben as he looked towards Yuji.
"Well...if it means getting to understand what's bothering you, and knowing how I can help..." Began Yuji as he cupped his left hand underneath his chin.
"Then I don't mind at all." Said Yuji as he looked at Ben with a bright smile. Ben's eyes initially widened slightly with surprised before his expression changed into a warm smile.
"Alright then." Said Ben with a sigh before leaning back on the couch.
"Remember how I said that the powers I just got aren't as unique as you think?" Asked Ben,to which Yuji nodded.
"Well, that's because it's more or less like an inherited ability." Explained Ben.
"Woah, Really?" Asked Yuji in surprise.
"Yeah, you can thank my grandma for that." Said Ben with a chuckle before his expression became more neutral.
"Though no one else in my family has these powers except my cousin, Gwen. And for the longest time, she was the only one."
"But you have them too. Sounds pretty cool,if you ask me." Said Yuji with a grin.
"In theory, yeah it is. But I can't help but feel differently somehow." Said Ben as he gazed at the ceiling.
"Huh? Why?" Asked Yuji.
"It's just..." Said Ben cutting himself off as he let out a sigh.
"When Gwen and I first met our grandma about a year ago,it was at a time when we thought our grandpa was dead. She didn't seem interested in that once she saw Gwen's powers. Heck, she was the one who even explained to us what they actually were." Explained Ben with a snicker.
"Long story short,we worked things out in the end, but ever since that day, I'd been convinced for the longest time that I'd never have these powers. That it's only something Gwen had." Though Yuji looked like he had a question, he held back from doing so in order to let Ben continue.
"I never felt jealous about it,as they fit Gwen perfectly, but to then find that I could do the same thing all this time, even after accepting that I couldn't. It just feels so..."
"Sudden?" Said Yuji.
"Y-yeah, exactly." Said Ben with sadness.
"On one hand, I know for a fact that Gwen would be excited that we both have the same powers now, and would jump at the chance to train me so I could get better at using them..." Said Ben with a weak smile.
"...On the other, which is actually why I'm so down,is that I can only tell her over the phone, not directly." Said Ben as the smile faded.
"Oh right, she lives in the states with the rest of your family." Said Yuji.
"Yeah. You could probably say I'm homesick." Said Ben with a forced chuckle as he scratched the back of his neck lightly with his left hand,all the while looking at the ground.
Closing his eyes briefly before opening them,Ben rested his left elbow on the arm of the couch, and turned his neck slightly to the right to face Yuji.
"I don't want to share too much since I already promised Fushiguro I'd tell him, you and Kugisaki more about me when next we meet. But I will say this." Began Ben.
"I didn't exactly come here on purpose. Though I don't know the exact specifics, It's going to be a while before I can see my friends and family again." Yuji's eyes widened in surprise.
"So having this power reminds me of that a lot more than I'd like. Makes me feel even more restless about seeing them again. And since I don't even how long I have to wait until that happens, I'm just left feeling overall..."
"... Lonely..." Said Yuji cutting off Ben once more.
"Not the word I'd use but..." Began Ben with a weak smile.
"But it's still one that relates to what you're feeling." Ben looked at Yuji with confusion, but didn't say anything.
"Because you've been separated from your friends and family, and don't know when next you'll see them, you feel lonely." Said Yuji as he looked at Ben,at this point not even paying attention to the movie.
"Because of their absence,stuff you'd have issues figuring out on your own but being able to rely on them to help seems almost impossible." Ben looked away to his right side with an expression that bore mixed emotions. One of deep thoughts, and one of deep sadness.
"It doesn't even have to be always that. Sometimes,them just being around makes you feel safe, makes you feel at home. It makes perfect sense too, considering they are your home." For a while, silence was all that stood between the two.
Ben, struggling to speak as he wasn't sure whether to come to terms with what Yuji had just said. Yuji, believing that it would be best if Ben spoke first,so as to make him feel at ease.
"I'm both surprised and impressed by how right you are." Said Ben with a light chuckle, thus breaking the silence. He then turned to face Yuji, with his hands clasped together and placed on his knees.
"But overall, I'm grateful for you trying to comfort me. It means a lot." Said Ben with sincerity and a warm smile on his face.
"Don't worry about it. You trusted me with what was bothering you, the least I could do was see how I could help." Said Yuji with a warm smile and sincerity as well. However, once he widened his eyes slightly, his expression became one of reluctance.
"Speaking of personal struggles, I've been going through one that's been pretty daunting lately." Said Yuji sadly as he looked away to his left.
"One I'm sure you're already aware of." Said Yuji as he looked back at Ben,who was looking at him the whole time with worry.
"Sukuna." Said Ben gravely. With a nod,Yuji looked even more downcast as he looked at the ground.
"I'm just worried about if I ever get into a situation where I switch him, but can't switch back. Or if I can't eat all his fingers and fail everyone. Or worse,if people get hurt,or even die because I can't control him." Yuji's grip on the bear tightened slightly as his body became tense.
"I know all too well how that feels." Said Ben with empathy.
"You do?" Said Yuji in surprise as he looked at Ben. His body became more calm, but not completely.
"Not completely, but I know enough." Began Ben as he rested his back on the couch. He looked at Yuji, before looking back at the TV.
"A while after I first got the Omnitrix, when I was ten,I had a problem with one of my aliens. Whenever I used him,I always felt different somehow. More aggressive, More... sadistic." Said Ben through narrowed eyes.
"Turns out that form was actually alive, and was trying to escape the Omnitrix. It succeeded and wanted to use the watch to take over the world. Turn it into his ideal world, which i can say was nothing short of twisted and frightening." This caused Yuji to gasp in shock.
"Though I managed to beat him,I still had his form within the Omnitrix. I've been reluctant to use him ever since, afraid that he might take over again. But not long before I met you guys,I was able to use him with no drawbacks." Said Ben as he remembered when he was stuck inside the Ultimatrix, and transformed into GhostFreak to try and fight the Ultimates.
"His name is GhostFreak, and he's easily one of my greatest enemies. One that I wouldn't have been able to beat without my cousin and Grandpa having my back each time." Said Ben with a faint smile.
"Which brings me back to you." Ben said as he turned to look at Yuji.
"We may not know what exactly Sukuna's planning, but we do know that it's not something good." Said Ben.
"That's why I promise you that I'm going to do everything I can to make sure that you don't lose control to him,or that he hurts anyone. If possible, I'll help you control his powers instead." The conviction in Ben's voice as he said this caught Yuji completely by surprise, evident by his mouth being wide open.
"You'd do that?" Asked Yuji.
"Of course. I've got your back, Itadori." Said Ben with a smirk as he placed his right thumb on his chest.
"Just like how I know now, that you have mine." Ben's smirk changed into a broad smile.
"Of course!" Yuji said with a smile of his own as his initial surprise was gone.
"You might not be able to see your friends and family anytime soon, but Gojo-Sensei, Fushiguro, Kugisaki and I. We're all here for you." Yuji then brought forward his left fist, causing Ben to look at him with surprise.
"Thanks man, means a lot to me." Said Ben with a chuckle before bringing forward his right fist as well,thus leading the two to do a fist bump.
"Anytime." Said Yuji with a smile.
"Though I hope you don't mind me asking..." Began Yuji with a sheepish smile as he looked embarrassed.
"Go ahead." Said Ben with a smile,thus enabling Yuji to regain his composure.
"What exactly are these powers you just got?" Asked Yuji. With a smirk,Ben held up his left hand which was clenched into a fist.
"It's called Mana." Began Ben as the familiar pink aura enveloped his left hand, causing Yuji's eyes to widen in surprise.
"It's basically life energy, and it's found in stuff ranging from plants, animals, humans and aliens." Said Ben as he dispersed the aura by unclenching his fist.
"Really?" Asked Yuji in excitement.
"Yeah, and I remember correctly, anyone could learn how to use mana. But since my grandma comes from a race of aliens that's made up entirely of mana, it's more of an inherited ability for Gwen and I." Said Ben, looking at Yuji from the corner of his left eye with a grin.
"Your grandma's an alien?!" Shouted Yuji in disbelief.
"Yeah. I was surprised too when I first found out about it. But I've got to admit,it is pretty cool." Said Ben proudly.
"It's not just cool, it's amazing!" Said Yuji with enthusiasm.
"And from what you've just told me, Mana's almost like Ki, Chakra,Nen and Reirokyu." Said Yuji in awe.
"When you think of it like that, yeah, they are pretty similar." Said Ben with a smirk as he crossed his arms.
"That means you could totally do stuff like a Spirit Bomb or all those other moves I named before." Said Yuji with excitement over the possibilities that came with Ben's new powers.
"Me? Not even close. I just learnt how to draw my Mana today, and I haven't even progressed past that." Said Ben almost dissmissively.
"Gwen on the other hand,is a different story." Ben said with a grin.
Unbeknownst to the duo, Satoru was standing behind them at the entrance with his hands in his pockets.
'Wow,he learns surprisingly quick.' Thought Satoru as he looked at Yuji.
'I'm guessing Tennyson must have gotten a better handle on his powers since he's talking with Yuji. And the fact that Yuji's able to have a conversation with him without causing any problems is impressive too.' Satoru's expression then turned into a smile.
"She's your cousin right?" Asked Yuji.
"Yeah, and what she can do with her powers are really cool." Said Ben with a smile.
"Really?" Said Yuji with excitement.
"Yeah for instance,she could..."
"Yuji, Tennyson." Said Satoru, causing both boys to gasp in shock over the sudden jumpscare.
"Gojo?!/Gojo Sensei?!" Said Ben and Yuji in unison as they turned back to look at Satoru who waved at them.
"You need something?" Asked Yuji.
'Looks like we'll be able to increase his output quickly and move on to the next stage soon.' Thought Satoru.
"We're heading out you two." Said Satoru.
"Huh?" Said Yuji in shock.
"What for?" Said Ben in confusion.
"It's an extracurricular lesson." Said Satoru, but it doesn't alleviate the boy's confusion.
"I'm going to teach you two about the pinnacle of jujutsu battles,Domain Expansion." Said Satoru as he turned his left with a grin on his face.
The cursed spirit was laid out on it's back inside a pool of water. Purple blood dripped from it's right bottom lip due to its mouth being wide open, and little drops of water splashed repeatedly on it's body, which most likely could have meat that it was struck into the water, and splashed across it.
With it's single eye submerged into the water, the curse gradually began to succumb into the realm of unconsciousness. As the water drops ceased, memories of a conversation held in the past came to it's mind.
'You can try, but you'll die,Jogo.' Said a voice that didn't belong to the curse, now revealed to be Jogo.
Jogo proceeded to lift his upper body as he sat on the water, before getting back to his feet a bit groggily.
'It wasn't just talk.' Thought Jogo before chuckling. Steam began to emit from the top of his head.
'No matter. If I can't hit him, I'll just drag him into my Domain.' Jogo then looked up to the night sky, before looking around him.
'Where did he go?' Thought Jogo.
"Sorry about that." Said the voice of Satoru as he appeared behind Jogo by a couple of feet away from him. Once Jogo turned to look at him,he saw that Satoru was standing on the water, causing a ripple effect below him. He held Yuji and Ben by the back of their shirts with his left and right hand respectively.
"Where the heck?! Hey, where are we?!" Asked a panicking Yuji.
"Did you just teleport us to somewhere we don't even know?" Asked an annoyed Ben.
"Were you waiting?" Asked a grinning Satoru.
"That's..." Said Jogo in disbelief.
'Sukuna's vessel?!' Thought Jogo as he looked at a still frantic Yuji.
'And that other boy. Brown hair,green eyes. Is he the shape-shifter?' Thought Jogo as he looked at a displeased Ben.
"This is Itadori Yuji." Said Satoru as he held up his left hand to show Yuji before dropping it down.
"And this is Ben Tennyson." Said Satoru as he held up his right hand to show Ben before dropping it down.
"They're both here to watch." Said Satoru.
"Mt Fuji! His head's Mt Fuji!" Exclaimed Yuji as he pointed at Jogo. Satoru then placed Yuji and Ben on the water gently, allowing them to stand. Both boys looked at the water with disbelief over the fact that they were able to stand on it.
"Why aren't we sinking?!" Asked Yuji as he repeatedly stepped on the water with his left leg while standing at Satoru's left side.
"Gojo, weren't we at the school just ten seconds ago?" Asked Ben as he stood at Satoru's right.
"What's going on here?!" Asked Yuji
"Oh,we warped here, just like you said." Said Satoru with a smile as he looked at Ben.
'He's just going to leave us in the dark like that, huh?' Thought Ben as both he and Yuji frowned at Satoru's vague response.
'Sukuna's vessel, and the shape shifter..' Thought Jogo as he looked at both Ben and Yuji with his eye narrowed.
'You have to render Satoru Gojo incapable of fighting. The second is to get Ryomen Sukuna and Itadori Yuji on your side, alongside Ben Tennyson.' Said the voice from before as a recollection of a past conversation in Jogo's memory.
'I can't kill them both due to our future plans. Has he caught on to our goals?' Thought Jogo as he looked at Satoru.
"What are the brats for? Are they shields?" Asked Jogo in a demanding manner.
"Shields? No,no. I told you, they're here to watch." Said Satoru with a smile, causing both teens to look at him with curiosity.
"I'm in the middle of teaching these boys lots of things. Don't worry about them. Just keep fighting." The confidence Satoru oozed as he said this stood in stark contrast to the nervousness Yuji felt and the feelings of apprehension Ben felt as they looked at Jogo.
"Bringing in people who are just going to slow you down makes you a fool." Said Jogo with a smile.
"It'll be fine. After all..." Began Satoru with a smile as he held up his left hand.
"...You're weak." Said Satoru with a mild voice crack before grinning.
Jogo had a small smile on his face with his mouth slightly parted,thus highlighting his expression of disbelief. Like a grenade that just had it's pin removed,the corks on Jogo's ears and head flew out due to a small but concentrated stream of fire pushing them out.
And just like a bomb going off, the streams of fire became very large as Jogo growled at Satoru with fury. The intensity of the heat that emanated from Jogo was so fierce that it caused the water to shake violently.
"Don't underestimate me, brat!" Shouted an enraged Jogo as the streams of fire were now gushing out like a broken dam filled with water.
"I'm going to enjoy swallowing up that smug face of yours!" As he increased the intensity of his flames even further,a large tidal wave came towards the trio, but it dispersed before it could even hit any of them.
'This guy is weak?' Thought Ben as he had his eyes and mouth wide open in disbelief while standing in front of Yuji and Satoru.
'I can tell just from standing here, that he's a lot stronger than all the curses I've fought so far.' Ben gritted his teeth as he recalled all his fights with cursed spirits up to this point.
'Definitely even stronger than Sukuna right now.' Thought Ben as he looked at Yuji who was frozen in fear. Turning back to look at Jogo who didn't seem to be letting up in the slightest,Ben instinctively began to use his right hand to push back his left sleeve. But before he could push it back all the way,he was held by the back of his head gently.
Gasping lightly in confusion through gritted teeth,Ben looked back to see a smiling Satoru who also held a confused Yuji by the back of his head gently.
"You'll both be stay close to me." Assured Satoru.
As he dispersed his flames,Jogo widened his single eye before narrowing it as he sported a sinister grin while clasping both hands together.
"Domain Expansion!' Shouted Jogo.
Suddenly, darkness enveloped the area, with the only things visible being the four of them. Both boys began to look at their none existing surroundings with disbelief, while Satoru stood calmly with both hands in his pockets. However, the moment both of their eyes fell on Jogo,a floor covered with lava appeared in front of them before the entirety of the floor around took the same shape as well.
Gasping in shock, the boys looked over their heads,as walls began to form around and above them. Once they had all formed,lava began to spew out from all corners of their surroundings, which was now akin to the inside of a volcano.
Jogo grinned as he noticed the look of despair on Yuji's face.
"Wh-What is this?!" Asked a stammering Yuji.
"Coffin of the Iron Mountain!" Answered Jogo with a grave tone.
.
The lava which had now occupied all the corners of their surroundings, began to push and pull in a manner similar to water.
"What is this place?" Asked Ben.
"This is Domain Expansion." Explained Satoru.
"Ow,hot! Hot,hot,hot, hot, hot! Shouted a panicking Yuji as a small drop of lava brushed past his shoulder, causing Ben to look at him with worry.
"You use cursed energy to construct an Innate Domain imbued with a cursed technique in your surroundings." Said Satoru as he ignored Yuji's plight.
"What you all experienced at the juvenile detention center was an incomplete Domain that hadn't been imbued with any cursed techniques." Ben's eyes widened as Satoru recalled their last mission.
"If that had been a proper Domain,all of you first-years would have died. I think Megumi understood that." By this point,Yuji had calmed down and also looked at Satoru attentively.
"Spreading out a Domain consumes a ton of energy, but it's merits are worth the cost." Said Satoru as he held up his left hand to his waist level.
"One such benefit is the boost to stats due to environmental factors."
"Oh. Like buffs in video games!" Said Yuji with excitement.
"Another is..." Said Satoru as he looked to see a collection of rocks all piled together and sent towards them like a speeding bullet. With a gentle backhand motion with his left hand, Satoru immediately shattered the rocks.
'Most sorcerers would have burned to ash the moment they entered my Domain!' Thought Jogo as his eye was widened in disbelief.
"...That the techniques imbued in the Domain are guaranteed to hit within that Domain." Said Satoru as he continued with his explanation as mild steam emanated from his left hand before he dropped it.
"Guaranteed?!" Asked Yuji as he stood in front of Satoru.
"Guaranteed!" Shouted Satoru as he looked at Yuji directly.
"But don't worry. There are several ways to deal with it. You can take the hit using a cursed technique, like just now,or..." Explained Satoru.
"I don't really recommend this one, but you can go outside the Domain. That's usually impossible."
"You can also..."
"If I neutralize that Infinity of yours with a dense Domain,then my techniques will reach you." Said Jogo, cutting off Satoru.
"Yeah, they'll hit." Said Satoru still smiling.
"Huh? Infinity?" Asked Yuji as he crossed his arms.
Another recollection of a memory came to Jogo's mind. This one involved him standing in front of a table that was styled in a manner similar to that of a restaurant. Behind Jogo,who held a sinister grin,was three corpses laid across the table and chairs burning.
'Give me the Prison Realm! I'll add it to my collection.' Said Jogo in the memory.
'I came here half in jest. I thought I wouldn't care if I couldn't kill him.' Thought Jogo, his mind now focused on his present predicament.
'But having this difference between us thrust in my face...' Jogo then began to recollect his battle with Satoru, and grit his teeth with frustration as he remembered how thoroughly outclassed he was in their fight.
'On my pride as a cursed spirit,as the new humanity, this is completely unacceptable!' Declared Jogo.
"The most effective way to deal with a Domain." Began Satoru as he slowly raised his right hand until it was directly in front of his face.
"Is to lay out your own Domain." Satoru proceeded to gently grab his blindfold with his right index finger and middle finger respectively.
"When two Domains are laid out at the same time,the more refined one will dominate that space." Slowly,he began to peel off the blindfold, revealing an eyebrow in the process.
"Though, sometimes, compatibility and the amount of cursed energy are factors." Satoru had managed to bring the blindfold down to the front of his nose.
"There won't even be ashes left of you,Gojo Satoru!" Shouted Jogo as he took a step forward with his left leg. Upon doing so, the ground in front of him gave way, and a wave of lava began to rush towards the trio. Before it could make contact with them,it stopped in it's tracks,as if suspended in motion due to time.
Yuji and Ben groaned due to the heat that emanated from the closeness of the lava. Satoru however,had successfully pulled his blindfold down to the level of his mouth.
"Domain Expansion." Said Satoru as he dropped his blindfold even further until it was wrapped around his neck, though he still held onto it. His appearance had changed slightly but significantly due to the now discarded blindfold.
His hair was now in bangs, covering the top of his ears. His eyes which were now exposed was initially closed. But upon opening,it could be seen that they had an alluring blue color to them, which complemented his mesmerizing face nicely.
"Infinite Void." Said Satoru as he raised up his left hand before crossing his left middle finger behind his left index finger.
Immediately, the surrounding area became pure white, leaving Ben,Yuji and Jogo in surprise as neither the lava or the walls were in sight.
Their surroundings would change once more. This time to a black color filled with numerous streamlined colors akin to that of a rainbow. Ranging from red, purple,pink and neon.
Jogo stood in front of the trio like a statue,as he was unable to move. The look of complete shock and confusion complemented the stance he took nicely,as he too held up his left hand with his middle finger crossed behind his index finger.
Whereas Satoru's stance showcased confidence and composure, Jogo's stance showcased confusion and an apparent struggle to compute the events around him.
It would be quite ironic,as what Jogo's eye was being subjected to at that very moment was far beyond his comprehension.
Firstly,Jogo saw what looked like two a tree from two different mirrored views that were completely in black and white.
Secondly,he saw what looked like a large,faint green nucleus in a black background. Inside the nucleus was a very small and black ball.
Thirdly,he saw millions upon millions of white cells all within a black environment.
Then, his perception of his surroundings changed back to the mixture of colors, only for it to immediately change into a new surrounding. This one was completely black, and floating in front of him was what seemed like a giant human eyeball.
The sclera however,was a grey texture mixed with other faint but notable colors. The pupil, though black, seemed more in line with a black hole.
Suddenly, multiple stripes of white and black appeared from all corners of this new environment,as if it was a paper smeared with ink.
'What just happened?' Thought Jogo as he still remained motionless.
'Was my Domain overwhelmed? I can't see anything. I can't feel anything.' Jogo's single pupil began to shake as he saw what looked a small mirror reflection of himself inside the gigantic black pupil.
'No.' Jogo then appeared inside of the pupil, with his surrounding environment still remaining the same as when he was outside it.
'I can see everything! I can feel everything! But the information is never complete...'
'So I can't do anything!' Both Jogo and the world around began to have a desaturated grey color scheme. Before the coloring could change any further, Satoru's left hand suddenly placed itself on top of Jogo's head.
"This is the inner world of Limitless." Explained Satoru as he did in fact stand behind a still motionless Jogo. He held Yuji around his right hand, and Ben by the back of his shirt with the same hand, thus leaving the brunette teen to nearly touch the nonexistent floor.
"Perception, communication...Every action involved in living is forcibly carried out an infinite number of times." Though the white and black smears still remained, the primary color of the world around them was blue.
"It's ironic, isn't it?" Said Satoru while smiling.
"When granted everything, you can't do anything... but just die peacefully." Both Ben and Yuji looked up at Satoru with disbelief,a drop sweat even forming on Yuji's right cheek.
"But I have questions I want to ask you,so I'm letting you off the hook with this." Said Satoru before he began to tug firmly at Jogo's head. With a broad smile that served to unsettle the teens even further, Satoru looked at Jogo as his head began to stretch due to the strain it was being put under by being pulled on by Satoru.
A rather loud snap was heard as Jogo's head was ripped clean off by Satoru. Purple blood began to gush out like a fountain at the hole were Jogo's head once rested on.
It's actual color wasn't what was shown however,as the world around them became black and white, including themselves and Jogo's blood.
The only other color that existed was a blood red smear plastered horizontally around the sections of white in the world.
In the real world,a rather large silver ball floating above the water could be seen for a few moments before it shined a bright, ultraviolet light, and shattered like glass.
Jogo's head was thrown towards the grass, and began to roll across it before eventually stopping, with it being rested sideways. A look of disbelief could be seen on Jogo's face. Then,a foot could be seen placed on the exposed side of Jogo's head, causing his single eye to look up in order to discern the owner.
"Now,who told you to come after me?" Said Satoru, who's left foot was the one that was stepping on Jogo. He had put back on his blindfold, but he held it up with his right hand,thus revealing his right eye. Ben and Yuji stood behind as they looked on with disbelief.
'He really is the strongest jujutsu sorcerer!' Thought Yuji.
'As a living organism, he's on another level.' Satoru had a rather cold expression from just his single eye that was exposed.
'If I ever had any doubts about Gojo being the strongest,he just threw them all out the window.' Thought Ben.
Far away from the four,atop a mountain were two unique individuals who watched the current events unfold.
The first,who sat on the ground with his hands on his knees,was tall, slim man with long black hair partially tied up behind his head while the rest drapes down his back. He had small black eyes and bangs that occasionally cover the left eye. His earlobes were large enough to fit fairly large circular earrings. He sported a gold-colored kasaya garment over black yukata robes. His monk attire is completed with white tabi socks and zori sandals.
The second, who stood,was a cursed spirit. It was large and tanned cursed with black lines running across it's entire body. It had a helmet like head that didn't cover it's teeth, branches for where the eyes are supposed to be, and two black lines that zig zag down it's face. It had a white cloth wrapped it's left arm in a manner similar to a bandage. It also wore black baggy pants that was held up with a white sash.
"Oh,dear." Said the human with a tone of amusement instead of worry.
"What now?" Said the human,as he continued to make jest of Jogo's situation. The cursed spirit however, raised up it's left index.
"Will you rescue him?" A white dandelion formed on it's finger.
"I can't let people from the school see my face, so I'll be going home now." Said the human with a smirk before getting up. Before walking away,he turned his back on the cursed spirit.
"If you want to save him,go ahead and save him." Said the human,as if taunting the cursed spirit.
"Though I don't know if your kind have such emotions." With that,he began to walk away.
"We do. We're the true humans after all." Said the cursed spirit before vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Quite the statement for a cursed spirit to make." Said the human with a sinister smirk.
Back on the ground, Satoru continued with his interrogation of Jogo, rolling his head back and forth ever so slightly.
"You don't seem like the type to act on orders." Said Satoru.
"Was something good supposed to happen if you killed me?" Asked Satoru, making jest of Jogo's plight.
"Regardless,I want to know. Who was it?" Said Satoru with his tone suddenly shifting to a more serious one.
"Come on, just tell me already." Said Satoru with playful annoyance as he began to slowly apply pressure on Jogo's head.
"Like I'd ever tell you, brat!" Said Jogo defiantly.
"You sure you should be saying that?" Asked Satoru in a teasing manner as he applied more pressure to Jogo's head.
"Damn you!" Cursed Jogo.
"Hurry up and tell me,or I'll exorcise you." Said Satoru in a teasing manner once more.
"Of course, I'll do it either way." Said Satoru in a more sincere manner.
"Wait,curses are capable of holding conversations?It seemed so normal,I overlooked it." Asked a confused Yuji.
"Yeah,it crossed my mind too now that I think about it." Said a curious Ben.
Raising his head slightly, Satoru gasped in shock as an object landed in-between him and Jogo. It had a shape similar to the bottom of a tree bark, but was slim. It had a large,white dandelion flower on top of it.
As both Ben,Yuji and Jogo gasped in shock upon seeing the tree root, the ground below the root began to rapidly spurt out different types of flowers until it completely enveloped the area.
As a result, the perception of reality of all four individuals turned into a pink background with flower petals constantly falling. Ben,Yuji and Satoru all had faint blushes on their cheeks as they smiled happily with their eyes closed and their mouths slightly opened.
"Wow!" Said Satoru in awe.
"Flowers!" Said Ben and Yuji in unison.
"Pretty!" Said Satoru in agreement.
Jogo, who's mouth was stuffed with flowers,was struggling to speak.
Satoru still sporting a smile, would eventually change his expression to one of confusion. Upon doing so,he would lightly slap himself on the face with left hand,thus snapping himself back to reality.
'That is a curse, right? It's stripping away my will to fight.' Theorized Satoru.
Ben and Yuji, who were still under dream effect, would be pulled out of their trance by Yuji suddenly being lifted up to the sky from upside down by a large brown vine.
Both Ben and Satoru would gasp audibly as they witnessed Yuji's plight. While they were distracted, the cursed spirit would immediately pick up Jogo's head with it's right hand before running away.
"Itadori!" Shouted Ben with worry.
"Hang on, I'll get you down safely!" Ben brought his left hand which was clenched into a fist backwards, and his right hand which was also clenched into a fist forward. Upon doing so, the pink aura would manifest itself on his hands once again. But they would end vanishing as soon as they appeared, causing Ben's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Huh? Why can't I use my powers?!" Asked Ben to no one in particular as he looked at his hands.
"You guys, I'll be fine! Go after him!" Said Yuji in an attempt to reassure the both of them. He would end up failing to do so, because as soon as he was raised high into the air as much as the vine would go,he was brought back down rapidly.
"Oh no!" Said Ben with a low tone of dismay. Immediately, he pushed back his left sleeve with his right hand, and cupped said hand around the now exposed Ultimatrix.
From the ground were the vine emerged sprung out it's source. A cursed spirit in the form of a tree bark that had no eyes, but a rather wide mouth with fangs colored the same as it's body. Several tree branches were plastered across all corners of it's body, and atop it's head were several large vines as well.
"Sorry,I lied, help!" Shouted a frightened Yuji as he was a few seconds away from being eaten.
Almost immediately, the vines all fell as if they were sliced by the air itself, and the cursed spirit was immediately engulfed in flames. Satoru faced the exorcised curse with his hands crossed, indicating that he was the one who attacked.
He then turned back while taking a battle stance, leaving Yuji to scream as he began to fall. Luckily for him,Ben caught Yuji in his hands bridal style.
"You alright?" Ben asked a confused Yuji. Nodding slightly in confirmation,Yuji was then placed gently on the ground by Ben.
'Wow.' Thought Satoru with a grin as he stood upright.
'He got away. He's good at hiding his presence. He's way creepier than Volcano Head.'
Yuji then fell on his knees gently, before lowering his head to the ground, and placing his hands on it as well.
"Uhhh... Itadori?" Said Ben in confusion as he was taken aback by Yuji's display.
"I'm sorry about that." Apologized Yuji as he stretched out his left hand.
"So cursed spirits of that level are forming a faction now? Said Satoru to no one in particular as he cupped his chin with his left hand and a smile on his face.
"They managed to escape because of me. Though you're the one who brought me here,right?" Unbeknownst to Yuji, his apology was being completely ignored.
"This is getting interesting." Said Satoru with childlike glee.
'He's completely ignoring him.' Thought Ben with a frown.
"Yuji, Tennyson." Said Satoru as he looked back at both teens.
"I want you both-or rather everyone-to become strong enough to beat that." Whereas Ben's reaction was more of a subdued feeling of surprise, Yuji's was more evident.
"Huh? Beat that?" Asked Yuji in disbelief as he thought of Jogo.
"It's better to have a concrete goal, right?" Said Satoru as he waved his left index finger side to side.
"Man, I'm glad I brought you both here." Said Satoru with childlike excitement as he raised his head up slightly.
"I had no idea what was going on, though. Are you serious?" Yuji deadpanned.
"Me either. And unfortunately,I think he is." Ben deadpanned as well.
"Now that we've set your goal,all that's left is to pursue it." Said Satoru before putting his left hand back in his pocket.
"We'll speed up the schedule a bit. For the next month, Yuji, you'll be watching movies and fighting me." Said Satoru as he pointed at Yuji with his left index finger.
"Tennyson, you'll also be fighting me, but will focus on getting a better grip on your new powers." Said Satoru as he pointed at Ben as well. He then clenched his right hand into a fist and placed it inside his left palm.
"Fighting you?" Asked Yuji in disbelief.
"Will I still be alive a month from now?" Said Yuji as he crossed his arms with a somber expression on his face.
"You'll be fine." Encouraged Ben with a smile as he wrapped his left hand around Yuji's shoulders. Yuji then let out a small smile in response.
"After all, it's practical combat." Said Satoru before dropping both hands.
"You'll take on and complete several harder missions." Said Satoru as he raised up his right hand.
"You'll learn the basics and how to apply them." Said Satoru as he brought out his right index finger and middle finger with each sentence he said.
"And then you'll show them off at the exchange event." Said Satoru as he dropped his right hand before raising it back up and wide with his left hand.
"Hey,Sensei!" Shouted Yuji as he raised up his left.
"Yes,Yuji?!" Shouted Satoru as he pointed at Yuji with his right index finger.
"What's the exchange event?" Said Yuji with embarrassment that was only masked by his smile.
Satoru also sported a smile of his own, one that was of disbelief. He looked at Yuji, before looking at Ben.
"Don't look at me like that,I don't what it is either." Said Ben in self defense as he crossed his hands.
"I didn't tell either of you?" Said Satoru still smiling.
"Nope." Replied Ben.
The setting is a small japanese styled hut with light illuminating the windows. Inside it was Principal Yaga who had a stern look on his face as he crossed his arms and legs while sitting down on a chair with no legs. Sitting in front of him with his hands placed on his knees was a very nervous Kiyotaka.
He has sweating profusely due to the intense glare he was subjected to by Yaga, which caused him to look to his side. Both men then looked at the brown but low wooden table in between them.
"He's late!" Shouted Yaga, causing Kiyotaka to gasp in fear.
The setting was the hallway of a building that had several doors, and was dimly lit. Walking by with his hands crossed was the human from earlier.
Coming to a stop in front of a black door, the man held it by the handle with his right hand, before proceeding to open it. Upon doing so, he walked inside the seemingly pitch black room.
The setting changed once again to daytime, and the environment was that of a beach. Appearing from the other side of the door before closing it, the man, while walking forward, looked at the ocean.
Coming to a stop, the man looked through the corner of his left eye at what seemed to be a red octopus within the water who's eyes and a small portion of it's head were the only things that were visible.
"Sure is peaceful here." Said the man.
Placed a few feet away from him was an umbrella that shielded a beach chair from the harsh rays of the sun. Sitting on said chair was a rather unusual individual who held a brown book in his hand.
Though he had an appearance of a tall human male,the patchwork on his face made him give off a rather unusual vibe. This was further complemented by his heterochromatic eyes, with his left eye being dark blue and his right eye being gray.
He had long grayish-blue hair that reached past his neck and is sectioned off into three large strands with ties at the ends. Along with his face, He had stitches all across his body that give him the appearance that he was sewn together.
He also sported a black shawl that is separated into three pieces on the left sleeve. He also wore matching pants but was without shoes.
"How's Jogo doing,Geto?" Asked the man as he flipped a page on his book.
"On death's door." Said the other man,now revealed to be Geto,as he walked towards him.
"Hanami stepped in to save him,so he'll probably be fine." By now,Geto stood by the side of the patchworked man.
"How irresponsible. You're the one who egged him on." Said the man.
"Heavens, no." Argued Geto.
"I tried to stop him." Geto then began to look around as if in search of someone.
"Where's Michael?" Asked Geto.
"He's been gone for a while, said he needed to feed." Said the patchworked man as he flipped another page of his book.
"Does he actually need to feed,or is he just avoiding us again?" Said Geto with a sly smile.
"Who knows with him." Said the man with a smile of his own. Geto then turned back, and saw the cursed spirit, revealed to be Hanami, standing in front of the closed door and holding Jogo's head in his right hand.
"Speak of the Devil. At least two of them ." Said Geto before facing them fully.
"Jogo, Hanami. Glad to see you're safe." Said the man with a smile.
"How can you say that when you see me like this?!" Asked Jogo, obviously annoyed.
"You're lucky you got off with just that." Taunted Geto, causing Jogo's single eye to widen. Geto then held up his hands and stuck his tongue playfully in response.
"Why, you..." Threatened Jogo.
"I think you understand now..." Began Geto.
"So we'll go about sealing Gojo Satoru at the appropriate time,in the appropriate place, once we've secured our advantage over him."
"We'll carry it out on October 31st in I'll contact you with more details later." Said Geto with a smile as he looked towards the ocean.
"Good enough, Mahito?" Asked Geto as he looked at the patchworked man, now revealed to be Mahito with a playful smile.
"No objections here." Said Mahito as he closed his book and placed it in between his laps. His head was lowered, and his eyes were covered by his hair.
"Let's be cunning about this. Like curses should." Said Mahito as he raised his head up and opened his eyes.
"Like humans should." Said Mahito before letting out a light chuckle as he revealed himself to be a curse.
TO BE CONTINUED