JJK: Chapter 10/12

Chapter 10: Loophole

A few days later, in the mountains outside the Tokyo metropolitan area.

"You're too slow."

The speaker was burly, with a lazy yet somewhat arrogant expression.

"I rushed over as soon as school ended, Toji."

Toji Zen'in, no, he had already changed his name to Toji Fushiguro.

Two years ago, Toji, who had rebelled against the Zen'in Family, was taken in by a beautiful young lady named Fushiguro.

Worried that Toji's personality would not let him survive on his own, the kind and handsome young lady took care of him for a while and ended up getting involved herself.

On one hand, Toji was not famous at this time. He had spared Naobito Zen'in some face, so he did not wipe out the Zen'in Family. In fact, if the old man had not died, Maki Zen'in would not have chosen to exterminate the Zen'in Family.

On the other hand, this young lady was unaware of the Jujutsu World and Cursed Spirits.

Later, when they married, Toji Zen'in changed his name to Toji Fushiguro.

"I married into her family, so now I am Toji Fushiguro."

At the time, the young lady was both touched and helpless.

Unfortunately, the young lady died in an accident not long after Megumi Fushiguro was born.

"Phew, alright, let's begin. My time is very valuable."

Exhaling a smoke ring, Toji stomped out his cigarette and stood up, leading Eichi to an open area.

"Hey, let's start."

Toji clenched his fists, an unruly smile on his face.

Eichi did not dally. He bent his knees slightly, Cursed Energy surging.

"Max Elephant."

The shadow behind him extended in the opposite direction, defying common sense, and a large pink elephant appeared before the two of them.

"Oh? That's a good punching bag."

After Megumi was born, Toji once visited the Zen'in Family, not to return to his roots, but to break into the family library and thoroughly examine all the books related to the Ten Shadows Technique.

The reason was simple. When Eichi was celebrating Megumi's birthday, he said, "This child, like me, also has the Ten Shadows Technique."

At that time, Toji immediately said, "This child is in your care."

"You expect me, a branch family bastard who ran away from the Zen'in Family at seven, to understand the Ten Shadows Technique?"

Under Eichi's scornful gaze, Toji left with a warning, "If you dare to lie to me, I'll kill you."

Then Toji headed straight for the Zen'in Family.

After venting his frustrations on the Zen'in Family, Toji's grief over his beloved wife eased somewhat.

However, because he had not attended school, when Toji recited the Ten Shadows Technique records to Eichi, he often missed a sentence here or swapped a word there.

You ask why Toji did not take pictures?

Allowing you to look was already a concession. Taking pictures would be too much. Planning to sell all the information on the Ten Shadows Technique?

Naobito Zen'in, the old man of the Zen'in Family, knew Toji's extraordinary nature but could not change the family's millennia-old traditions. So he allowed Toji and Maki Zen'in to leave while maintaining some contact to save face, making sure they would not go too far.

This was also why Toji was willing to send Megumi back to the Zen'in Family if he awakened his Technique.

It was the only way Toji, who had never experienced familial affection since childhood, knew how to express paternal love.

It was also why, after Toji was reborn and learned that Megumi's surname was Fushiguro and not Zen'in, he said, "That's great."

Toji knew the Zen'in Family was a den of demons, but he also knew he could not take good care of Megumi.

If his child awakened a Technique, then only in that den of demons could Megumi receive the best upbringing.

Although partially incomplete, the Ten Shadows Technique materials Toji brought back still helped Eichi greatly. Before the System left, it only provided information on the external Technique, the Holy Grail, not the Ten Shadows Technique.

Bang, bang, bang.

The sound of fists meeting flesh rang out. Toji, like a boxing champion in a ring, launched a storm-like assault on Max Elephant, this slow-moving, oversized punching bag.

Every time Max Elephant tried to spray water to force Toji back, Toji punched it in the bridge of the nose, making it choke badly.

Head, nose, front legs, hind legs, back, butt.

When he hit the butt, which felt good to him, Toji even playfully switched to an open palm and patted it a few times.

Fists fell like rain, and Max Elephant's angry roars gradually turned into pathetic wails.

Max Elephant did not understand what was happening.

Toji, completely devoid of Cursed Energy, was like a roadside stone during Max Elephant's and the Ten Shadows Technique's subjugation ritual.

Toji's existence was even more inconspicuous than plants and trees.

Yet this stone was strangely powerful. Before Max Elephant could even test the mettle of this generation's Ten Shadows Technique user, this unidentifiable stone rushed over and beat it to a pulp.

After more than ten minutes, the Max Elephant, whose brain had crashed, was beaten unconscious.

Although the Ten Shadows Technique's subjugation ritual had never seen such a situation, according to the rules, with no outsiders, Cursed Energy from anyone other than the Ten Shadows Technique user, intervening, Max Elephant lost its fighting capability while Eichi still had the strength to fight again, so Eichi was judged to have successfully subjugated it.

Eichi: Subjugating a Shikigami has never been this satisfying.

It was just a bit expensive. Most of the money he had saved went to this commission.

"That was exhilarating. Next one."

Toji rotated his shoulders with satisfaction, then tore his shirt open, revealing a muscular physique that even men could not look away from.

Eichi did not dally either, raising his hand to summon the next Shikigami.

"Tiger Funeral."

Tiger Funeral, a Shikigami capable of wielding strong winds, is one of the strongest attacking Shikigami in the Ten Shadows Technique.

The strongest attacking Shikigami in the Ten Shadows Technique is Piercing Ox. Theoretically, if that thing ran around the Earth once, it could smash even Sukuna. The problem is it is too cumbersome. It can only run in a straight line and requires a long charge-up time. Eichi can kill enemies without it, and those he cannot kill, it cannot hit.

Piercing Ox is like something tasteless to eat but a shame to throw away. Better to keep it for fusion materials.

Max Elephant is the strongest for area-of-effect attacks. With enough Cursed Energy, Max Elephant can even unleash a flood to submerge Tokyo.

Tiger Funeral is the strongest for single-target attacks.

Tiger Funeral possesses the agility of a feline and can harness strong winds to increase its speed.

Its sharp claws can tear Cursed Spirits at close range and unleash wind blades from afar. Its biting force surpasses the Divine Dogs and is not inferior to Hun Dog.

Such a Tiger Funeral has almost no weaknesses in a one-on-one fight.

"Roar."

A black and white tiger, even larger than Piercing Ox, appeared before the two.

The terrifying killing intent made even Eichi tremble slightly.

"Do you need my help?"

"No, go cool off somewhere."

After Tiger Funeral appeared, Eichi noticed that Toji was smiling even more happily.

Whoosh.

Strong winds surged, and Tiger Funeral's form was light, yet its speed was too fast for the naked eye to catch.

Boom.

Toji stomped hard on the ground with both feet, launching himself like a cannonball toward Tiger Funeral.

Claws, fangs, whip-like tail.

Iron fists, elbow strikes, whip kicks.

Unlike Max Elephant, which was too cumbersome and could only serve as a punching bag, the agile and highly aggressive Tiger Funeral was barely an opponent for Toji.

A true battle began.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 11: Reappearance

Since Eichi could remember, there had always been a popular topic.

When facing a tiger, if a person were to slide tackle it, would they disembowel the tiger or feed it?

Now, Eichi finally had the answer to this question.

The tiger could be fed until it was full.

During the battle with Toji, Tiger Funeral used pounces multiple times, but its pouncing height changed with Toji's height.

Its claws and gaping maw aimed at Toji's shoulders and head, and its hind legs would not easily leave the ground.

There would not be a situation like in movies or TV where the tiger directly flew into the air. If one truly slide tackled a tiger, they would definitely be pinned down by the suddenly descending tiger and receive a French kiss on the shoulder.

This battle also let Eichi witness Toji's fighting style.

This was a man who could truly use everything as a weapon.

The strong wind compressed in Tiger Funeral's mouth turned into blasts of air cannon shots.

Countless trees were struck and broken by the air cannons.

Toji did not just focus on dodging. He grabbed the fallen trees broken by the air cannons and threw them at Tiger Funeral.

With its vision obstructed by the fallen trees, Tiger Funeral was caught off guard and approached by Toji, forcing it to unleash a full-force storm around itself to push him back.

Toji leaped out of the storm's range, landing with his back to Tiger Funeral in front of a half-meter-tall boulder.

Seeing the enemy had just landed, was unstable, and had his back turned, Tiger Funeral's feline hunting instinct told it this was an opportunity.

Not a sound was made.

It lightly leaped behind Toji.

Tiger Funeral opened its gaping maw and bit toward Toji's neck.

Looking at the shadow gradually covering him under the moonlight, a cold smile appeared on Toji's lips.

Grabbing the stone in front of him with both hands, Toji turned around and slammed it hard onto Tiger Funeral's head with a powerful dunk.

The crunching sound of bones breaking made Eichi wince in pain.

Tiger Funeral let out a cry of pain.

Toji did not give it a chance to breathe. He pressed one hand on its large head, smashing it to the ground, then used that hand as a pivot to jump onto its back.

One punch, two punches, three punches. Tiger Funeral's brain had not yet recovered from being stunned by the stone when it was struck heavily again.

"Awoo."

Its pained limbs struggled, trying to throw Toji off, but his stance was solid, and his punches dispersed all of its gathered strength, rendering it powerless.

Tiger Funeral stuck out its rear, sweeping its whip-like tail at Toji.

Feeling the whooshing from behind, Toji's right hand reached back and grabbed the tail.

At the same time, his left hand did not idle, continuing to punch its head.

Eichi could not help but marvel that it could last so long under Toji's hands.

Max Elephant did not count as lasting. That was pure beating.

Tiger Funeral, however, had genuinely caused damage to Toji. His right hand, which held the tail, had traces of blood, and his body had many scars caused by strong winds and sharp claws.

But they were all minor injuries.

Given Toji's recovery ability, he might be fine after a good night's sleep.

It was a pity that such a powerful Shikigami's only appearance in the original work was when Sukuna turned it into Agito's chest armor.

That is right, the tiger pattern on Agito's chest in the manga is Tiger Funeral.

Soon, Tiger Funeral gave up struggling and merged into Eichi's shadow.

"Next."

Eichi, who had just watched a Wu Song fights the tiger show from VIP seats and still felt unsatisfied, summoned the next Shikigami, Piercing Ox.

Piercing Ox's taming was much simpler than Eichi had imagined.

Just as it started to move, Toji rushed forward, grabbed its horns, and began to wrestle.

Then he twisted forcefully to the side, and Piercing Ox, which was using brute force, was immediately thrown to the ground by Toji's strength.

Then came the classic repetition. Toji held its head with one hand, while his other hand repeatedly punched Piercing Ox into submission.

He stood up with a look of disinterest, as if blaming Piercing Ox for not being strong enough.

Looking at Toji's gaze, Eichi silently formed a hand seal and summoned the next Shikigami, Round Deer.

As soon as Round Deer appeared, Toji kicked it in the head.

Eichi, who had never been nearsighted in his life, could clearly see Round Deer's twisted and deformed deer head.

However, the next instant, Round Deer's head returned to its original state.

In the following time, Round Deer was constantly knocked flying by Toji like a ball, but it just would not die.

This was Round Deer, a Shikigami capable of using Reverse Cursed Technique. Its recovery ability was very strong and could also be used on others.

"Tsk, boring."

Seemingly tired of fighting, Toji pouted in boredom and then walked to a distant bush.

He grabbed a corner of the bush with his right hand and then pulled it open forcefully, revealing several wooden boxes hidden beneath the disguise.

Only then did Eichi realize the bush was a disguise. After it was removed, he saw a blurry "C ten" pattern on the nearby boxes.

C ten? What is that? Unable to figure it out, Eichi quickly turned his gaze back to Toji.

Then he saw Toji take out several steel knives from the box.

That is right, not cursed tools, but steel knives.

After taking out two steel knives, Toji rushed to Round Deer and began his culinary demonstration.

The steel knives turned into a meat grinder, surrounding Round Deer. At first, Round Deer could instantly recover from injuries, but soon the recovery speed could not keep up with the speed at which Toji caused damage.

Just as Nanami, though unable to damage the soul, could still cause great exhaustion to Mahito, steel knives without Cursed Energy, though unable to cause Cursed Energy damage to Round Deer, still consumed a certain amount of Cursed Energy to restore its form.

But it was still consumption. Thus, Toji used the technique of mincing meat with two steel knives, continuously chopping at Round Deer, until the unable-to-recover Enka literally died of exhaustion.

Looking at Round Deer that had literally died of exhaustion and the still lively Toji, Eichi hesitated to speak.

The Shikigami Round Deer was successfully tamed. With this, Eichi now possessed nine of the Ten Shadows Technique, with only Mahoraga remaining.

"Only Mahoraga is left, right?"

Rubbing his somewhat sore arms, Toji spoke to Eichi.

Because he needed Toji's help to tame the Shikigami, Eichi did not hide that he had not tamed Mahoraga.

In reality, his explanation to Satoru and the others was also that it had not been fully tamed yet. It was just that everyone knew too little about Mahoraga, combined with their habitual thinking, which led to the misunderstanding.

Eichi was a bit hesitant, as he did not think Toji had the strength to kill Mahoraga.

But he also knew that deep down, Toji always harbored the desire to prove himself to the world.

This was also why Toji, who always sought advantage and avoided harm, did not flee when facing the awakened Satoru.

Toji wanted to prove himself, to slap those old geezers in the face with facts.

Mahoraga, which no one had been able to tame for a thousand years and was capable of killing the Six Eyes, was undoubtedly the enemy Toji craved.

If he could defeat Mahoraga, then... Thinking of this, Toji's gaze toward Eichi became somewhat fervent.

Seeing Toji's gaze, Eichi knew he could not dissuade him.

If he refused at this moment, he would most likely be beaten until he was willing to summon Mahoraga.

"Sigh, I understand."

After speaking, Eichi bent his knees slightly and formed a hand seal.

"Furube, Yurayura, Yatsuka no Tsurugi, Ikaishinshō Makora"

(To be continued.)

Chapter 12: Art Is...

After many years, Mahoraga's sacred and imposing figure once again appeared before Eichi.

Its head had a strange beauty, its five-meter-tall body was massive, its muscles radiated explosive power, and the overwhelming aura of Cursed Energy exuded despair.

"Is this Mahoraga?"

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Toji's forehead.

He had not yet reached his peak, and due to the taming ritual, he could not use his powerful cursed tools.

Mahoraga's combat strength was immense, even surpassing many Special Grades.

In the original, although Jogo was acknowledged by Sukuna, one must admit Sukuna defeated him with ease.

Facing Mahoraga, however, Sukuna spent considerable effort, even fully expanding his Domain and using countless slashes to try to shatter Mahoraga in one go.

He later found that Mahoraga had already adapted to the slashes, and ultimately used a highly explosive attack to eliminate it.

He suddenly wondered what would happen if Jogo fought Mahoraga. Most likely, Jogo, initially unaware of Mahoraga's mechanics, would be chased and hammered due to the numerical difference, and even after understanding it, he would be helpless against Mahoraga because he lacked a second Technique.

If he were accidentally touched by the Sword of Exorcism midway, he would probably be gone instantly.

Even without considering the Sword of Exorcism's special attack, Mahoraga could probably take down the Four Calamities in a direct confrontation.

Toji, on the other hand, had easily defeated the Special Grade Cursed Spirit Dagon with just Playful Cloud.

As a recently hatched Cursed Womb, Dagon's strength was considerably less than Jogo's, but Toji then only had Playful Cloud, and his combat means were not comprehensive.

Therefore, Toji in his prime should be comparable to Jogo and qualified to fight Mahoraga.

But only to fight. He had never heard of any cursed tool with enough firepower to take down Mahoraga in one hit.

He just did not know what effect the Inverted Spear of Heaven would have on Mahoraga.

But these were meaningless in the taming ritual.

Because the taming ritual is judged by the Cursed Energy system, and this system only recognizes the tamer's own Cursed Energy. Even if Toji used a cursed tool to defeat Mahoraga, it would be meaningless.

The best way to defeat Mahoraga is a one-hit kill, and while Toji's cursed tools are strong, their attack methods are relatively simple, lacking extremely powerful offensive Techniques.

Such attacks would likely be adapted to before Mahoraga could be killed, ultimately leaving Toji helpless and forced to retreat.

The fully manifested Mahoraga stared at Eichi, bent its legs, and swung its right fist toward him.

Bang.

Standing in front of Eichi, Toji did not back down. His right fist, infused with all his strength, slammed into Mahoraga's fist.

A visible shockwave spread from the impact.

The two separated immediately, and through this probing clash, Toji reached a surprising conclusion.

It could not be resisted by force.

This was the first time since obtaining Heavenly Restriction that Toji had encountered an enemy he could not overpower in a direct confrontation.

Seizing the opportunity, he swung his sword and severed Mahoraga's hand.

"Tsk, this is troublesome."

Looking at Mahoraga's hand, which had already regenerated, then at his slightly deformed steel sword, Toji felt troubled.

Mahoraga did not give him time to find a countermeasure and charged again. Its massive body brought overwhelming offense, so Toji abandoned the head-on style he used taming other Shikigami and began to skirmish.

"Rabbit Escape. Toad."

Hundreds of Rabbit Escape emerged from Eichi's shadow, crashing into Mahoraga like a wave.

Their impact did not harm it, but they effectively interfered with its perception.

"Hmph."

Switching to two weapons, Toji circled behind Mahoraga and brought them down with all his might.

Mahoraga turned, about to swing its sword, when its arm was snared by the Toad's long tongue.

Toji did not miss the opening. He used both hands to forcefully chop off Mahoraga's right arm, disabling the most threatening Sword of Exorcism, then followed with a series of heavy slashes.

Soon, Mahoraga's body was covered in wounds.

Clang.

Crack.

The wheel on its head spun, and a crisp snap echoed as the weapon in Toji's hand broke.

"Hey, hey, this isn't an attack from the Cursed Energy system, is it? Can it adapt to this too?"

He looked helplessly at the broken weapon.

"Mahoraga has already adapted to slashes. From now on, all slash-type attacks will be greatly weakened or even nullified."

"Can you control it?"

The Toad vanished, replaced by the Piercing Ox, which ran into the distance.

"I'll try my best."

Having personally experienced the difficulty, Toji's earlier defiance vanished, replaced by solemn focus.

Their figures flashed at high speed through the jungle. Pure physical combat nearly reshaped the terrain.

Under Eichi's anxious gaze, the Piercing Ox finally returned.

"Now."

He shouted to Toji, and countless Rabbit Escape swarmed Mahoraga, forming a fluffy mass around it.

Glancing at the Piercing Ox's position, Toji no longer hesitated. He gathered all his strength and used an Iron Mountain Lean, sending the much larger Mahoraga flying.

Mid-air, Mahoraga flipped, landed, and prepared to attack.

"Max Elephant."

The Rabbit Escape disappeared, replaced by a pink elephant descending from the sky.

Unable to expand his Domain, Eichi could not summon Max Elephant from high altitude while standing on the ground like Megumi in the original, so he moved through the trees using Rabbit Escape as footholds, manually air-dropping Max Elephant from the shadows above.

Boom.

Several tons slammed down on Mahoraga, and the immense weight made its movements pause for a moment.

The wheel spun, and a moment later, Max Elephant was thrown off.

"Huff, huff."

With his Cursed Energy nearly depleted, Eichi used the Holy Grail to replenish it and looked at the rapidly approaching Piercing Ox.

This was his last hope of defeating Mahoraga.

After a long run-up and acceleration, Piercing Ox's power was greatly enhanced. A normal Special Grade might be killed instantly by this blow.

This powerful attack came with huge Cursed Energy consumption. Without the Holy Grail's replenishment, Eichi would have been empty long ago.

Under their tense gazes, the Piercing Ox, like a black meteor, pierced through Mahoraga's body.

The wound was too small.

It dealt damage, but not severe, let alone fatal.

The next moment, under Eichi's unwilling gaze, Mahoraga's body began to rapidly recover.

Still too weak, huh.

Eichi felt unwillingness rise.

As mentioned, Mahoraga's strength was likely higher than Special Grades like Jogo and Dagon.

This "higher" was not just the Sword of Exorcism.

The Sword's anti-Cursed Spirit effect is too powerful. If it struck Jogo, he would likely be gone instantly.

After Sukuna's slash hit Jogo, Jogo's body was severed. But Mahoraga, after taking Sukuna's initial probing slash, was not completely severed.

It later even deflected Sukuna's slashes.

When Sukuna became serious and increased their power, Mahoraga's body was severed multiple times.

Therefore, without prior information, Mahoraga's strength was likely superior to Jogo's.

And Eichi was at best a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer, still some distance from Special Grade.

Even at full power, he could not reach Jogo's level, let alone Mahoraga, who might be stronger.

Watching Mahoraga's body nearly fully repaired, Eichi gritted his teeth and decided to cancel the taming ritual.

At that moment, a figure appeared behind Mahoraga, and a series of glowing red objects were thrown onto its body.

Before Eichi could even see what they were, Toji grabbed him and sprinted away.

In under ten seconds, they had moved a kilometer from Mahoraga. Even a world champion would be humbled by that speed.

Boom.

A huge explosion erupted from where Mahoraga had stood.

In Eichi's stunned gaze, a massive fireball, accompanied by faintly mushroom-shaped black smoke, rose into the sky.

Even a kilometer from the epicenter, the blast could still be felt.

"To… Toji, was that…?"

Eichi looked at him in disbelief.

"I got some explosives from foreign countries earlier. These things aren't subject to the Cursed Energy system's judgment, so I figured they might be useful."

They were indeed useful. Eichi could feel Mahoraga had already begun a new round of adaptation.

"Tsk, what a pain."

Toji clicked his tongue, looking at the tattered figure slowly rising from the flames.

"Let's stop here for today."

He looked down at Eichi.

Eichi nodded.

On one side was himself, whose strongest offensive Techniques had failed.

On the other was Toji, who had fought half the night, suffered considerable injuries, was exhausted, and had used up all his weapons.

Eichi knew the taming ritual could only go this far.

He had no complaints. This battle let Toji test Mahoraga's strength for him, providing valuable experience for future attempts. That was enough.

(To be continued.)