Chapter 17: The Spirit Artifact Takes Form
Satoru Gojo’s low murmur instantly drained Suguru Geto’s expression of color.
“Gojo, what did you say?”
Gojo raised his hand, attempting to activate his technique once more, only to find that no matter how he tried to infuse cursed energy, the Limitless technique that should have been bound to him showed no response at all.
It was as if it had been erased.
“Indeed, you are strong— the will of heaven and earth favors you exceptionally. Not only have you been bestowed with a pair of extraordinary eyes, but also with intellect and fortune beyond that of ordinary men. Given time, your achievements will rival those of legendary figures like Abe no Seimei and other human gods…”
Above in the firmament, Riku Kisaragi opened his eyes, their golden hue shining like the radiance of the great sun, dazzling and soul-stirring.
Gojo grinned and said to Geto, “Did you hear that, Geto? He just said I’m as formidable as Abe no Seimei! That’s the legendary great onmyoji! No wonder I’m the best!”
“Is this really the time to be celebrating?” Geto wore a facade of banter alongside Gojo, but his heart was in turmoil. “Without Limitless, I don’t have many cursed spirits left in reserve, and there’s this unknown barrier…”
This man was terrifyingly powerful! Where had he come from? Why was there no information whatsoever about him in the jujutsu world?
Countless questions weighed heavily on Geto’s mind as he looked up at the boy suspended in the sky, his face grave.
“Yet, even if you are invincible in this world, as long as you have not transcended, you remain shackled by the laws. One day, you will become a puppet of the heavenly way.”
Cultivators endure countless hardships in pursuit of higher realms, all for one purpose—transcendence.
To transcend the mortal world is to break free from the shackles of laws and principles; to transcend the mundane is to escape the cycles of birth, aging, sickness, and death; to transcend the earthly realm is to reconstruct the laws themselves, rendering even the heavenly way powerless over fate.
Though the Riku Kisaragi before them was not his true form, his soul, having undergone the tribulation of ascension, possessed the qualification to no longer be a mere pawn, but a being that even the heavenly way must respect.
So long as he refrains from destructive acts that would shatter this world and annihilate all life, no matter how recklessly he behaves, the will of heaven and earth would not dare to risk annihilation merely to control him.
“If granted sufficient time to grow, you will not be inferior to any opponent I have ever faced. However…”
A surging torrent of spiritual power erupted, pouring endlessly into the Ueyuzen blade under Kisaragi’s command.
Even a special cursed tool struggled to bear such terrifying force, its blade emitting a dazzling spiritual radiance.
“To those who intend harm upon my family, I will not allow them to live in this world for even a second.”
On the ground, Geto was utterly bewildered. “Family? He rebelled because he didn’t want to be monitored at the school, so where did this family come from?”
Looking at the enraged boy before him, Geto felt something was off, though he couldn’t quite place it.
“I feel like I’ve encountered something like this before…”
Riku Kisaragi interrupted Geto’s distracted thoughts.
“Method of spirit control, spirit vessel, manifest!”
Kisaragi pressed his finger onto the sword’s hilt. Along with the spiritual power infused into the blade, a portion of the law’s force also surged in.
Like the finishing touch on a painting, the flowing patterns engraved on the blade swiftly coalesced in midair, transforming Ueyuzen into a mighty spiritual dragon radiating terrifying majesty.
Seeing the birth of the spirit dragon and feeling its overwhelming power capable of destroying heaven and earth, even Gojo involuntarily gasped, “If it hits you, you’d die, right? Definitely.”
As for the answer, they would soon find out firsthand.
---
Riku Kisaragi flicked his fingers and murmured, “Go!”
Sensing his master’s will, the spirit dragon charged straight at Gojo. The very space confined by the barrier trembled and collapsed under its might. One could only imagine the dreadful fate awaiting anyone struck by it—
“Hmph! You really think that thing can take me down? You’re seriously underestimating me!”
Gojo attempted to vanish instantly but was shocked to find his feet seemingly welded to the ground! Despite exerting all his strength, he couldn’t even lift a leg!
He quickly realized what was happening and instinctively looked up. Kisaragi gazed down calmly.
“The space is sealed by me. You can’t escape.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the spirit dragon, carrying the force to destroy heaven and earth, struck. Gojo’s figure was swallowed by the massive dragon’s body—
Boom!
The tremendous shockwave swept through the entire space within the barrier. Caught off guard, Geto was blasted hundreds of meters away, crashing heavily to the ground.
His bones shattered, organs displaced, yet he ignored his own injuries and hurriedly looked toward Gojo’s position. As dust settled, a bottomless chasm appeared where Gojo had stood.
Thinking of Gojo’s lost Limitless protection and the terrifying power of that blow, Geto’s heart skipped a beat as he shouted, “Gojo!”
From the devastated earth came a voice Geto thought he would never hear again, filled with Gojo’s usual arrogance: “Geto, you’re seriously underestimating me!”
A hand appeared at the edge of the chasm, and Gojo forcefully leapt out from its depths.
“I’m not some extra who gets one-shotted by the boss! Because I’m the strongest!”
Geto exhaled in relief, not even bothering to mock the self-proclaimed title Gojo had just bestowed upon himself. “Glad you’re okay…”
Kisaragi showed no surprise. His lingering divine insight clearly revealed all that had transpired earlier.
“Using your full strength to strike the spirit dragon directly to lessen its force was decisive.”
Though Gojo withstood the attack, losing Limitless’ protection left him badly injured—the boy’s clothes torn, body soaked in blood, scarred and battered, looking as if he had just crawled out of a sea of blood.
Yet his eyes blazed with fierce fighting spirit as he looked at Kisaragi: “This is the first time I’ve ever been beaten so badly! But now that I’ve nullified your killing move, it’s time you taste mine…”
Clenching his fist, Gojo was about to make his move when Kisaragi sneered coldly, “Who said the spirit dragon was neutralized?”
“What?”
Gojo’s intuition flared alarm bells.
With a wave of his hand, the spirit dragon, which Gojo had expected to dissipate, reappeared in the sky.
Gojo gasped, “No way…”
A cruel, icy smile curled at Kisaragi’s lips: “Heaven and earth endure, spiritual energy flows unceasingly, the spirit form never fades.”
The brief respite was shattered, sinking the atmosphere back to its nadir.
Yet Kisaragi made no further engagement. Changing his hand seals, the spirit dragon roared, ready to strike Gojo again—when suddenly, a massive cursed spirit charged toward Kisaragi’s position.
Geto stood atop the cursed spirit, weapon aimed at Kisaragi’s heart. “Killing you will also release the technique!”
“Indeed, that is a second method of resolution, though its difficulty is at least ten times that of the first—”
Kisaragi made no attempt to evade. The sword thrust by Geto with all his might was stopped by an invisible wall before it even grazed Kisaragi’s garment. Without giving Geto a chance to react, Kisaragi commanded the spirit dragon to lash its tail, sending Geto flying again.
---
Startled, Geto forgot to press the attack and instead looked toward Gojo. “Gojo, you see that? What he’s using is…”
That frustrating feeling of a person standing right before you but unreachable was all too familiar to Geto.
Gojo snapped back from his shock. “Limitless.”
“No, wait—you’re not from the Gojo family and don’t have the Six Eyes…” Suddenly recalling how Kisaragi had sealed his technique, he asked incredulously, “So, this is the laws?”
If the situation hadn’t been so dire, Geto would have gleefully watched Gojo’s self-inflicted misfortune—always relying on Limitless to provoke trouble, and now he was getting his just deserts.
“Gojo, what do we do now?”
Though unspoken, Gojo read the question in Geto’s eyes, and despite himself, he felt his composure falter, even a crack in his defenses showing. “This is insane! How the hell do you fight something like this with just your head?”
“We can’t just wait to die, can we?”
While the two were dumbfounded, Kisaragi suddenly ceased controlling the spirit dragon after overhearing their conversation.
He looked at the displeased white-haired youth and asked, “Six Eyes, Gojo… You’re Satoru Gojo?” No wonder hearing the name ‘Limitless’ sounded so familiar—it was the same term Shinji had used when trying to sell him a favor yesterday.
But here’s the problem: Shinji said he didn’t remember men’s names. So why did he keep mentioning this white-haired guy?
Something was wrong. There had to be something wrong here.
With that thought, Kisaragi’s gaze toward Gojo turned icy, as if looking at a corpse.
“What is your relationship with Shinji?”
“Huh? You nearly killed me, and you don’t even know who I am?”
“Answer me.”
Gojo was utterly bewildered. “Who’s Shinji? I’ve never heard that name before!”
Kisaragi stared coldly, his golden eyes scrutinizing him for lies. “Is that so?”
“No! Why are you looking at me like a jealous spouse confronting a mistress? I swear I don’t know anyone by that name!”
Nearby, Geto asked, “What’s his family name?”
“Zen’in.”
“Huh? From the Zen’in family?” Gojo sneered upon hearing this, “Then he must be jealous of me! After all, under my leadership, the Gojo family has completely crushed the Zen’in—”
Bang!
He was cut off by the spirit dragon’s tail whip roaring down upon him.
Gojo barely dodged, leaving a fissure tens of meters deep gouged into the ground.
Kisaragi coldly threatened, “Shinji does not envy anyone. If I hear one more slander against him, I will kill you immediately.”