Chapter 126 (Patreon)

Ragnar Kagenou came to a stop in a relatively spacious clearing within the forest.

“Have either of you ever heard of an open-barrier domain?”

“An open-barrier domain?” Satoru Gojo repeated. “No, I can’t say I have. Is it another variation of Domain Expansion?”

Gojo truly had never encountered the concept before. As far as he knew, every Domain Expansion required a barrier to form an enclosed space and contain the cursed energy within it.

“I haven’t heard of one either…” Suguru Geto began, only to pause as something occurred to him. “Wait. Are you talking about something like the Domain Expansion I used last time?”

When Geto had expanded his domain, he hadn’t created a closed outer barrier around it.

“More or less,” Ragnar replied. “An open-barrier domain follows a principle somewhat similar to Domain Amplification. The difference is that Domain Amplification wraps the technique around the user’s body.”

He glanced between the two of them.

“An open-barrier domain is exactly what the name suggests. Instead of enclosing the domain within a barrier, you manifest it directly in the outside world.”

Gojo considered Ragnar’s explanation for a moment.

“But without a closed barrier, wouldn’t the target be able to escape the domain?”

“They would,” Ragnar admitted. “A domain without an enclosing barrier gives the enemy a way out. But Gojo, that weakness wouldn’t matter nearly as much for your domain.”

Geto quickly understood what Ragnar meant.

“Anyone caught within Unlimited Void is overwhelmed by the information forced into their mind,” he said. “They lose the ability to move almost immediately. Without a closed barrier restricting its range, it might become even more dangerous.”

“Exactly.” Ragnar nodded. “Gojo, if you can remove the outer barrier from your domain, the effective range of Unlimited Void will increase drastically.”

Gojo’s interest was immediately piqued.

“An open-barrier domain, huh? Now that sounds interesting.”

Gojo first activated Domain Amplification around himself. Using that sensation as a foundation, he attempted to extend his domain outward.

However, because it was his first attempt, the manifested area only reached a radius of roughly ten meters.

Even so, it was an impressive result. Gojo had only just learned the theory, yet he had already managed to put it into practice without any previous experience.

Ragnar turned toward Geto.

“Geto, you’ve already manifested a complete open-barrier domain. Did you notice anything different when you used it?”

“Anything different?” Geto thought about it for a moment. “Now that you mention it… there was.”

Gojo immediately appeared beside him.

“Really?”

Geto smiled.

“It’ll be easier if I show you. With the Six Eyes, you should be able to see everything clearly.”

He brought his hands together.

“Domain Expansion: Kishimojin Hall.”

This time, Geto deliberately chose not to close the domain. He allowed it to spread freely in every direction.

Black cursed energy instantly crawled across the ground. A pale cyan mist filled the air, and the temperature throughout the surrounding forest plummeted.

Gojo’s Six Eyes observed every stage of the process in extraordinary detail.

Inside his mind, he analyzed Geto’s cursed energy flow and reconstructed the structure of the open domain.

“So that’s how it works…”

Everything gradually fell into place.

Gojo moved several hundred meters away before forming a hand sign.

“Domain Expansion: Unlimited Void.”

There was no enclosing barrier.

Unlimited Void unfolded directly into the outside world, spreading outward in every direction. Within a two-hundred-meter radius around Gojo, space itself appeared to twist and distort to varying degrees.

Gojo looked around with fascination.

“This feels strange. It’s like I can control Unlimited Void much more freely…”

A prismatic mass of energy gathered within his palm.

Gojo compressed it until it became small enough to rest between his fingers, then fired it like a bullet.

Ragnar watched the projectile streak through the air.

“This is something new.”

At first glance, the attack didn’t appear to possess much destructive force.

However, the true terror of Unlimited Void had never come from physical destruction.

After taking some time to familiarize himself with the open-barrier version of Unlimited Void, Gojo raised his hand once more.

“Cursed Technique: Dust.”

A glasslike, iridescent light appeared above his palm. It was no larger than a bullet.

Gojo examined it with satisfaction.

“Not a bad name, right?”

“It suits it,” Ragnar replied. “What does this ‘Dust’ do?”

Gojo smiled faintly.

“It’s a compressed fragment of Unlimited Void. I fire it into the enemy’s body, then release the compression from inside them.”

He lightly flicked the glowing projectile between his fingers.

“The moment it expands, it floods their mind with Unlimited Void’s effect and destroys their consciousness.”

Geto stared at the light in Gojo’s hand.

“That’s terrifying. Someone struck by it probably wouldn’t even understand how they died.”

“I owe this one to you and Ragnar,” Gojo said. “Without the two of you, I never would’ve tried creating an open-barrier domain. I definitely wouldn’t have developed a new technique from it.”

“Don’t reveal it carelessly,” Ragnar warned. “A technique like that could give Kenjaku quite a surprise.”

Gojo’s smile sharpened.

“Funny. I was thinking the exact same thing.”

Geto looked between Ragnar and Gojo as sinister smiles appeared on both their faces.

For a moment, he genuinely couldn’t tell which side was supposed to be the villain.

Beep. Beep.

“Hm?”

Ragnar felt his phone vibrating and pulled it from his pocket.

Shoko Ieiri was calling him.

He answered.

“Hello, Shoko. What is it?”

“I was calling to ask whether you’ve forgotten something.”

“Uh…”

There was a brief silence.

“Never mind,” Shoko continued. “Those two young girls you sent over appear to be curse users. You do realize that’s a problem, don’t you?”

Ragnar cleared his throat.

“They aren’t curse users anymore.”

As he spoke, he glanced toward Geto.

Geto noticed Ragnar looking at him but couldn’t understand why.

“Now that I think about it,” Shoko said, “weren’t those girls following Geto?”

“Well, about that…”

“Is there something else you’re trying to tell me?”

Ragnar hesitated.

“…Come meet us in Roppongi, Minato Ward.”

Beep.

The call ended.

The corner of Ragnar’s mouth twitched.

She hung up before I even finished speaking.

Honestly, that woman hasn’t changed at all.

Whatever. I’m not going to argue with her.

Ragnar put away his phone and turned toward the other two.

“We’re changing locations. Shoko is coming to meet us.”

Gojo slipped his hands into his pockets.

“Now that I think about it, the four of us haven’t gone out together in a long time.”

Geto laughed softly.

“That’s true.”

“Then let’s go,” Ragnar said. “I found a barbecue restaurant nearby. The food is supposed to be good.”

“Barbecue again?” Gojo asked. “You really do love grilled meat, Ragnar.”

“Sounds good to me,” Geto replied.

——Roppongi, Minato Ward——

“Ragnar. Over here.”

Shoko spotted Ragnar waiting near the restaurant entrance and called out to him.

“You’re finally here, Shoko.”

She stopped in front of him.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s freezing out here. My hands are going numb.”

Shoko stared at him without sympathy.

“I hadn’t noticed. I never thought I’d see the day a distinguished Special Grade sorcerer complained about the cold.”

She glanced toward the restaurant.

“You didn’t call me all the way here just to stand outside and talk, did you?”

“Of course not. I already reserved a table. We were only waiting for you.”

“We?” Shoko repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“That’s right. We.”

Ragnar led her inside the restaurant and stopped before one of the private rooms.

He slid the door open.

“Surprise. It’s time for a reunion with an old friend.”

Shoko looked inside.

Suguru Geto sat at the table, raising a hand in greeting.

“Hey, Shoko.”

She stared at him.

“Is that really you?”

“One thousand percent real,” Gojo answered in his place.

While Geto was distracted greeting Shoko, Gojo swiftly reached across the table and stuffed another piece of grilled meat into his mouth.

“Hey!” Geto immediately turned back. “Gojo, are you stealing my food again?”

He hurriedly put down his chopsticks, but he was already a step too late.

Gojo leaned back with a satisfied grin.

“What a shame. Looks like I win.”

Ragnar’s expression twitched as he looked at the half-empty grill.

“You two seriously started eating without us?”

A faint smile slipped across Shoko’s face before she could hide it.

“Honestly. You could’ve warned me about this.”

“I was about to explain everything when you called,” Ragnar said. “Enough talking. If we don’t start eating now, those two will finish everything.”

Shoko took a seat.

“You have a point.”

Ragnar hurried toward the table as Gojo and Geto reached for the grill again.

“Slow down! Both of you, slow down! Are you starving? Leave some for us!”