Upon hearing the system notification, Aomori was in an excellent mood.
The increase in affinity for both light and dark energy indicated that his mastery over these two elements had strengthened significantly. Maneuvers that were once difficult to execute were now effortless.
For instance, he no longer needed to rely on Psychokinesis to form energy spheres; energy blasts similar to the Spirit Gun or Kamehameha could now be unleashed through brute force without the need for incantations.
His power had increased substantially.
Such an obvious sign of growth was not lost on Aomori, nor on anyone else present; they all knew he had broken through once again.
In addition to light and lightning, he now has darkness? Does he correspond to day, stormy weather, and night? Surely he won't eventually master extreme weather like snow or sandstorms too, Megumi Fushiguro thought, find it increasingly plausible. Even if Aomori couldn't do it now, he would surely learn over time, just as he had today.
This won't do. If we don't exorcise him now, in a month or two, no one will be able to restrain him, not even Gojo-sensei.
I'll use "that" move to take him down with me right here!
This thought suddenly surged in Megumi's mind, growing more intense as his hands clenched tighter.
The other two weren't thinking as far ahead as Megumi. Shoko Ieiri spoke up directly: "The Reverse Cursed Technique... you've learned it?"
"No way, this just started," Yuji Itadori said in shock. It had taken him a long time to learn the application of Cursed Energy, and the Reverse Cursed Technique sounded far more advanced; it should have taken much longer to master.
"Isn't this the kind of thing one learns just by looking at it?" Aomori said, echoing her earlier words.
"Fair point," Shoko Ieiri nodded in deep agreement. "It's only a big idiot like Satoru who needs so much time."
Hey now! Both Yuji and Megumi felt personally insulted.
"So, can I go now? I've already helped, haven't I?" Shoko Ieiri asked Aomori, as if she had just finished a trivial task.
"My apologies, but you still have to witness my ascension to godhood." Aomori politely sent Shoko back to the stone pillar and turned his gaze toward Megumi.
"Now, let us welcome our second guest to the stage."
Aomori pulled Megumi directly in front of him, released the Psychokinesis binding him, and said with a smile, "It's your turn."
"My turn?" Megumi stretched his stiff body, his eyes wary. "What could I possibly have that's worth you learning?"
"There is something, of course. You just haven't realized it yourself."
Aomori gestured with an open hand. "Come. I'll give you a chance. Fight me. If you can force me to move even a single step, you win."
"If you win, you can let Shoko Ieiri leave this place."
"Only Ieiri-sensei?" Megumi squinted and asked, "What if I lose?"
"Then I'll kill Yuji Itadori!"
"Hey! Why is it that if he wins, Sensei gets to go, but if he loses, I die? That's not fair!" Before Megumi could speak, Yuji started shouting again. "I want to fight too! How about Fushiguro and I take you on together?"
"As a god, you wouldn't be afraid of two mortals teaming up, right?"
"Naturally, I am not afraid, but the stakes must change," Aomori said calmly. "If you win, I let Shoko Ieiri leave. If you lose, I kill both Yuji Itadori and Shoko Ieiri. You decide, Megumi Fushiguro."
"Fushiguro, agree to it! We'll fight together!" Yuji said impatiently.
Megumi glanced at Yuji, took a deep breath, and said, "I agree to..."
Yuji smiled.
"...the first proposal."
Yuji's smile froze. "Fushiguro, you jerk! Why won't you let me fight with you? Wouldn't two people have a better chance?"
"Because you're in the way."
"What?!" Yuji was deeply hurt. "I'm not in the way! I'm much stronger than before. I won't hold you back!"
"It's not enough. Let me show you the gap between us."
Megumi turned back and looked at Aomori. "When do we start?"
"Whenever you're ready."
"Then let me prepare."
He actually started doing warm-up exercises right in front of Aomori.
During this, Megumi's thoughts were far from calm.
He had lost both parents at a young age. Under the influence of his deadbeat father, he initially rejected his Zenin bloodline and his destiny to become a jujutsu sorcerer.
It wasn't until his sister, Tsumiki Fushiguro, fell into a coma due to a curse that he began to question why "good people who deserve happiness receive no reward." He realized the world was unfair.
That was why he resolved to become a sorcerer, to create a world where more good people could enjoy happiness equally. Since then, he had acted on those words, saving as many "good people" as possible.
Yuji was an idiot, but he was a good person through and through. Ieiri-sensei spent her life saving others; she was also a good person.
Therefore, he was determined to save them, no matter the cost.
Onee-chan, Itadori, Kugisaki, Gojo-sensei... I'm sorry. Please forgive me.
Having made his decision, Megumi felt a sense of relief.
After about ten minutes, he stood up straight, exhaled slowly, and said to Aomori, "My innate technique is the Ten Shadows Technique. I can manipulate ten types of shikigami."
"I know that. It's the hereditary technique of that decadent family I visited," Aomori said.
"Correct. But you surely don't know that when this technique starts, I only have the two Divine Dogs, Black and White. All other shikigami must undergo an Exorcism Ritual before they can be used. By increasing the available shikigami and using them to exorcise new ones, one can eventually obtain all ten."
"No, I know that too." As Megumi looked at him with doubt, Aomori continued, "I also know that multiple people can participate in the ritual, though the exorcism won't count in that case. The only purpose would be to learn the shikigami's skills in advance to make the subsequent solo ritual smoother. Am I right?"
"Yes. How do you know all this?" Megumi's heart continued to sink.
Even without memories of a past life, Aomori could have learned this from his recent diligent reading at the Zenin estate.
Aomori didn't answer. Instead, as if reading Megumi's soul, he said: "In short, unexorcised shikigami cannot be used normally, but if the purpose is the ritual itself, you can summon them at any time. So, after all that talk, you're actually planning to summon your strongest shikigami to take me down with you, aren't you?"
"That's fine. It suits my purposes perfectly. Let me see the true face of the strongest shikigami: Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga!"
"You even know about that?!"
Are all my thoughts being read? Is it telepathy? Given his attitude, was his goal in capturing me Mahoraga all along? What do I do? Should I summon it or not?
Megumi's mind was in a total mess.
"Hey, Fushiguro! Is what he said true? You're going to die with him? I won't allow that!" Yuji struggled violently. Suddenly, a massive surge of Cursed Energy that shocked both Megumi and Shoko erupted, shattering the restraints on him.
He leaped to Megumi's side and said with absolute seriousness, "I won't stand by and watch a comrade die in front of me."
"Heh," Megumi shook his head and laughed. "You have some nerve saying that. Who was the one acting cool and telling us to leave while he stayed behind to fight the enemy last time?"
"Th-that was different." Yuji's serious facade broke instantly as he waved his hands awkwardly. "I was pretty confident then. If it weren't for Sukuna messing things up, I definitely would have made it back in one piece."
"The guy in front of us is completely different from our previous enemies. You can't do this alone. So, let's fight together, Fushiguro!"
"You're already standing here; do I even have a choice?" Megumi said crossly. "If you're going to help, do it right. Don't hold me back."
"Hehe, don't worry. I'm strong now!"
"I hope so."
The two looked toward Aomori, their fighting spirit higher than ever.
We have to win this time!
Are these really the protagonists? They just gave themselves a bunch of buffs in an instant.
However, they were still a bit too green.
Aomori snapped his fingers, and a pitch-black figure emerged from his body, its face identical to his own.
This was a proxy constructed from dark energy, which could be called a "Dark Clone."
With his increased affinity, he could now utilize clone techniques similar to those in Naruto.
"Come," Aomori said, beckoning them with a finger.
"A clone?!" Yuji and Megumi were startled once again.
"Another skill we've never seen."
"This is cheating. He's like a super boss in a game with an endless supply of skills. But this look is kind of familiar," Yuji noted as he reflected.
"Itadori, I'll provide cover, you take point. Don't rush; let's test the strength of that clone first."
If the clone wasn't very strong, they could ignore it and attack the main body directly, though that seemed unlikely.
As Megumi planned, he summoned his Divine Dog.
"Right! Got it!"
Yuji responded, clenched his fists, and launched himself like a projectile toward the pitch-black clone.
Focus. Remember that feeling.
The moment he swung his fist, all distractions vanished, but the expected black lightning did not appear.
No one had ever been able to unleash a Black Flash at will. The current record was only four times in a single day.
But even without a Black Flash, this strike was the pinnacle of Yuji's current state. It was enough to instantly exorcise a Grade 2 Cursed Spirit.
Facing this aggressive punch, the Dark Clone simply raised a hand and parried Yuji's fist aside.
"Huh?" Yuji was surprised, but his movements didn't slow. Since his fist was parried, he attacked with his leg.
Without a second thought, his right leg whipped toward the Dark Clone like a lash, whistling through the air.
However, the Dark Clone seemed to perceive his every move. It raised its own leg, striking first and hitting Yuji squarely in the abdomen, sending him flying.
He soared over ten meters through the air, tumbling several times on the ground.
"Itadori, are you okay?" Megumi asked worriedly.
"I'm fine, I can take it." Yuji rubbed his stomach a few times, stood up, and said, "What's with this guy? He looks weak, but I can't land a hit on him."
"He seems to be using some kind of martial arts."
"Martial arts?" Yuji, who had studied several fighting styles, was eager to try again. "Fushiguro, I'll handle this clone. You try the main body."
"Our goal is to make him move. Don't get distracted, Itadori," Megumi reminded him.
"I know, I know. Don't worry."
Yuji braced himself and stood before the Dark Clone once more. "I'll take care of him in no time."
"Sigh." Megumi sighed and left him to it, commanding his Divine Dog to attack. "Go, Divine Dog!"
"Woof!" The Divine Dog lunged forward with all its might, closing the distance rapidly before leaping into the air, claws extended toward Aomori.
Aomori paid it no mind, not even blinking. His gaze remained fixed on Yuji's battle with the Dark Clone.
He was flustered at first, but in less than two minutes, he's already showing improvement. At this rate, it wouldn't be surprising if he learned the Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist. Yuji is exactly the kind of martial arts genius that Bang-sensei would adore.
While he mused, the Divine Dog's claws struck the psychokinetic shield in front of Aomori, failing to leave a scratch.
There it is. A barrier. About 20 centimeters from his body, seemingly spherical in shape. To push him back, I have to break that barrier first.
"Return, Divine Dog!" Megumi deactivated the technique and summoned a large bird instead.
This was "Nue," a creature with a human face that resembled an owl and could manipulate lightning. It was the strongest shikigami Megumi could currently use.
"Nue, go. It'll be fine this time," Megumi said, stroking its feathers.
The great bird looked at him with a skeptical expression. He had said it would be fine last time too, and it ended up having its heart gouged out, which hurt for a long time.
"Really, last time was an accident. This time it will definitely be fine!" Megumi promised solemnly.
I'll trust you one more time.
The bird spread its wings, took to the air, and charged toward Aomori.
Just as it was about to make contact, Aomori suddenly backhanded it, sending it spinning away.
It lost a fair amount of feathers, and even a few teeth.
Wasn't it supposed to be fine? Men really are liars.
The great bird looked at Megumi with eyes full of resentment.
"..." Megumi offered a few words of comfort and sent the aggrieved Nue back.
He ignored the Divine Dog's attack but countered Nue's. Is it because Nue's attack could penetrate his shield, forcing him to retaliate?
Megumi felt he had discovered a key detail. Just as he was about to test further, Aomori spoke up unexpectedly.
"Too slow. Your attacks are too weak. It seems I need to give you some more pressure."
As he spoke, Aomori snapped his fingers again. More pitch-black clones crawled out of his body.
And there was more than one.
"One, two... five, six."
Aomori summoned six clones at once. Combined with the first one, there were now seven Dark Clones on the field.
The faces of Yuji and Megumi paled. One was hard enough to handle; how were they supposed to fight seven?
"Careful now. Try not to die."
At Aomori's command, two Dark Clones moved toward Yuji, while the other four surrounded Megumi.
This time, it was an all-out offensive!