HRU: Chapter 132/133

Chapter 132: Domain

"Onee-san, you're so strong. I'm lucky to have your friendship. With you, Ryūjin Jakka might finally show its true power."

Satoshi sighed, a mix of regret and reluctance on his face, as he drew Ryūjin Jakka once again.

Sensing the ice on the ground melting and noticing that Sode no Shirayuki had returned to its sheath, Kaori assumed Satoshi had given up.

She relaxed slightly and began walking straight toward Satoshi, ready to take Ryūjin Jakka.

However, the moment she reached out her hand, a sudden fluctuation of Cursed Energy surged around her.

Yagyū Saemon and Yagyū Hidetsugu!

Why had they shown up here? And even more puzzling, how did they land so precisely outside the barrier?

"Is Young Master Satoshi here? Why can't I sense him anywhere?"

Yagyū Hidetsugu sounded clearly anxious.

"Nejibana told me this was the place."

Yagyū Saemon was anxious as well, but now wasn't the time to panic. He could only search carefully.

Inside the barrier.

After hearing Yagyū Saemon's words, Kaori's expression darkened. These two from the Yagyū clan had been drawn here because of Satoshi.

She only now realized that Nejibana had somehow transmitted information through a Zanpakutō. It was the first time she'd heard of a Zanpakutō being able to do that.

Satoshi hadn't surrendered at all.

If he could send a message via Nejibana to Yagyū Saemon, then Gojo Satoru, who wielded Senbonzakura, and Gojo Shunichi, the wielder of Suzumushi, must've received it as well.

Likewise, there was no way that Katen Kyōkotsu hadn't conveyed the situation here to Zenin Toji.

Which meant that strong reinforcements from the Gojo clan, the Yagyū clan, and the Zenin clan were all converging here.

A cold gleam flashed in Kaori's eyes.

She'd been tricked by Gojo Satoshi.

In a flash, she leapt backward.

There was no way Satoshi would obediently hand over Ryūjin Jakka. There had to be a trap.

Once again, her instinct had saved her from disaster.

Satoshi hadn't expected that the person he had asked for help would arrive and expose the trap he had set for Kaori.

Since he wasn't the one controlling the barrier, he had no way of knowing what was happening outside. He didn't know that Yagyū Saemon and Yagyū Hidetsugu had shown up just as he was trying to deceive Kaori and happened to speak about Nejibana.

Even if he had known, Satoshi could only sigh at how coincidental it all was.

As Kaori jumped away, Satoshi slashed forward with Sode no Shirayuki, unleashing his ultimate technique.

"Absolute Zero!"

The surrounding temperature plummeted to -273.15°C. In such conditions, any target struck would be instantly frozen.

Had Kaori been hit by that Absolute Zero slash just now, everything would have been decided.

Unfortunately, due to a strange turn of events, Satoshi's most crucial attack missed.

Now, standing in the state of Absolute Zero, Satoshi radiated a terrifying chill. Even someone as powerful as Kaori could feel that approaching him would cause severe harm.

She didn't know how long he could maintain this state.

But with reinforcements from the Gojo clan and Zenin Toji en route, she realized she could not afford to drag things out.

If Satoshi could hold on for even a few more minutes, the barrier might be discovered.

Her expression turned grim.

"Satoshi-kun, you've really impressed me. You've actually forced me to use Domain Expansion."

She began forming hand seals in front of her chest.

Watching her, Satoshi—whose body temperature was gradually returning to normal—felt a sudden jolt of surprise.

He could only maintain the Absolute Zero state for four seconds. If he had just held out a little longer, he would have been able to move again.

More importantly, exiting the Absolute Zero state had to be done gradually. If it was released too quickly, it would damage his body.

Now, because of Absolute Zero, Kaori was forced to use her Domain, making her reveal one of her trump cards.

Once the Domain was deployed, it should become observable, even from outside.

After all, the power of a Domain was far from subtle.

As if reading his mind, Itadori Kaori sneered.

"Satoshi-kun, don't get your hopes up. Even if your allies arrive, they won't be able to break in before this barrier deactivates on its own."

"This transformation barrier is integrated into my Domain. Even if it becomes visible, the people you called won't be able to break a Domain that merges with the barrier itself."

"Satoshi-kun, I'm furious now! I'll take Ryūjin Jakka, and I'll take your life and your body too! As for your reinforcements—Gojo Satoru, Zenin Toji—they'll watch helplessly from outside as you die in my hands."

Her sneer twisted into a malevolent smile. She hadn't wanted to go this far, but Satoshi had left her no choice.

To be pushed this far, what a humiliation for her, a master strategist.

"Domain Expansion: Womb Profusion."

…

Outside the barrier, Toji, moving at full speed, arrived even before Satoru.

Seeing Yagyū Saemon and Yagyū Hidetsugu standing in front of him, his expression grew heavy. He instantly understood, they had come because of Satoshi's message.

"Did you find Satoshi?"

Yagyū Saemon shook his head. They had only just arrived themselves.

He had been wondering whether Nejibana had relayed false information, but now that Toji had also appeared, it confirmed the message had been accurate.

"Damn it!"

Toji frowned.

Behind him, Yuki finally caught up. After witnessing Toji's speed firsthand, she finally understood what a body bound by a Heavenly Restriction truly meant.

"Is Satoshi in danger? Huh. Isn't that him?"

She pointed at a boy in a kimono ahead of them. Her eyes lit up.

Didn't Toji just say Satoshi was in danger? But he's right there?

But then, the boy who looked exactly like Satoshi appeared beside Toji.

"Where's Satoshi? Didn't he leave with you? How did he end up in danger?"

Satoru's expression was dark and stormy.

Toji didn't respond. He simply walked in the direction of the barrier, guided by instinct.

Though he couldn't see the barrier, his absolute perception had already picked up an anomaly in the surrounding space.

"Young Master Satoru, what's most important right now is finding Young Master Satoshi," Hidetsugu whispered a reminder.

Toji was the strongest among them. This wasn't the time for internal strife.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 133: The Battle of Zanpakutō’s Submission

When she heard Hidetsugu address him, Yuki immediately realized that the young man in front of her wasn't Satoshi.

This one possessed Cursed Energy and techniques. He was another Six Eyes child of the Gojo clan and Satoshi's twin brother, Satoru.

Aside from their Cursed Techniques, the two were indistinguishable.

Of course, the Zanpakutō at their waists were also different.

Satoru calmed himself and gave a small nod to Hidetsugu.

Right now, the priority was finding Satoshi.

While everyone focused on locating him, Toji had already followed his instincts and struck the barrier with a powerful Hakuda.

With a single punch, the ground beneath them trembled.

Then, a translucent barrier emerged before their eyes.

In the previously empty alley, Satoshi and Kaori appeared.

"Satoshi!"

The moment Satoru laid eyes on him, he immediately released Cursed Technique Lapse: Blue. Without holding back a single drop of Cursed Energy, he poured everything into the barrier.

Yuki and Hidetsugu were visibly shaken. A six-year-old had this much Cursed Energy?

For the first time, the Gojo clan's monstrous talent was being shown to the outside world.

As expected of the Gojo clan's inherited technique, this thought ran through both their minds.

But what happened next shocked them even more.

Even Satoru's full-power technique failed to break the barrier. The entire structure merely shuddered slightly—no visible cracks at all.

At the same time, they all felt the shift in gravity within the barrier.

Just by standing near it, their bodies felt twice as heavy.

"A Domain…" Hidetsugu muttered, his expression darkening. He hadn't expected the one attacking Satoshi to actually master Domain Expansion—the ultimate secret of a jujutsu sorcerer.

Meanwhile, Yuki's eyes locked on the caster inside the barrier, her face full of disbelief.

That was the short-haired, sharp-eyed woman she had encountered before. She'd never imagined that the real reason she'd been observing Satoshi was to set him up for an ambush.

The situation was far more complex than she'd expected. But one thing was certain: this woman was a clear threat to Satoshi.

As the Domain continued to unfold, the danger to Satoshi only escalated.

Yuki summoned Garuda, ready to support Satoru and Toji in breaking the barrier—but Hidetsugu stopped her.

"Don't act rashly."

Act rashly?

It was the first time anyone had ever said that to her. She was stronger than the uncle beside her, how could she possibly be acting rashly?

Just as Yuki was about to speak up, three surging energy bursts erupted from Toji, Satoru, and Saemon.

"Flower Wind Rage and Flower God Roar, Heavenly Wind Rage and Heavenly Demon Sneer!"

"Rankle the seas and heavens, Nejibana!"

"Scatter—Senbonzakura!"

All three Zanpakutō activated their Shikai simultaneously. Before Yuki's eyes, the true forms of the Zanpakutō unfolded.

Within a storm of cherry blossom blades, Katen Kyōkotsu's dual swords and Nejibana's long spear struck the barrier in unison.

...

Inside the barrier, Kaori's expression turned even more grim.

Thankfully, she had already deployed her Domain. Otherwise, the combined attacks from Toji and Satoru might have shattered the barrier entirely.

Even now, while the Domain held strong, Kaori knew it wouldn't last much longer, not after another round of coordinated Zanpakutō strikes.

She had to take Ryūjin Jakka immediately and prepare for evacuation.

Dragging things out would only work against her.

Now that she'd expanded her Domain and merged it with the barrier, Kaori no longer considered Satoshi a real threat.

Sode no Shirayuki's Absolute Zero had been dangerous, yes—but he was no longer in that state.

Within her own Domain, Kaori believed Satoshi was already within her grasp.

She raised her right hand and slammed it down.

Satoshi instantly felt his entire body become ten times heavier. If it weren't for the enhancements of his Heavenly Restriction, his bones might have been crushed.

He immediately recognized the ability—an indiscriminate gravitational field. A Domain ability, not unlike Sukuna's cleaving slashes.

If he couldn't endure this pressure, it was over.

Toji and the others were outside, and it was only a matter of time before they broke through the barrier.

But if he died at Kaori's hands before that happened, then even if they tore her apart afterward, it would be meaningless.

So, Satoshi knew he could only rely on himself now.

He had to block her attacks, no matter what it took.

But what cards were left for him to play?

Kendo? That wouldn't work against someone who could manipulate gravity—his Zanjutsu would never connect.

Rushing her? Under these warped conditions, even his basic movement was distorted.

Unless he could unleash Ryūjin Jakka's Shikai… or achieve Sode no Shirayuki's Bankai.

But both paths were near-impossible right now.

Still, this was a desperate situation.

No matter how difficult it was, he had to try.

Satoshi gripped Sode no Shirayuki tightly, his heart as cold as the blade.

Under crushing gravity, he forced his body upright.

Are you truly prepared?

A gentle voice echoed in his heart.

A woman appeared before him, wearing a white kimono, her appearance that of a perfect Yamato Nadeshiko.

A glint of determination flashed in Satoshi's eyes.

He nodded.

The personified Sode no Shirayuki smiled softly and pulled him into her embrace.

Her entire form merged with Satoshi.

In that moment, a fierce internal battle ignited in his consciousness.

The battle between him and Sode no Shirayuki.

A battle to determine whether the Zanpakutō would accept submission.

A battle that would decide if her Bankai would be realized.

A battle that would decide if Satoshi would live—or die.

If Sode no Shirayuki won, Satoshi would perish.

But if she lost, Satoshi would be reborn.

(To be continued.)