Isekai Restaurant
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Chapter 22: Jujutsu Exam
- Silas -
"Do I need to take anything with me for the exam?" I asked, taking one last look over my bag and asked Gojo-sensei who had come to take Naruto and me for the Jujutsu Exam today.
Naruto was taking his exam for Grade 3 Sorcerer while I would take the exam for Grade 1 Sorcerer. We had thought Sakura would come for exams with us too but turns out that she would be taking her exam in a few days. They apparently had too many candidates appearing for the exams in this period and thus couldn't be placed in one day.
That's why we packed our bags and got ready for the trip.
On the side, Miu and Shigure-san were giving Naruto a pep talk… not that he needed any. If anything, he was too excited for the whole thing
Kanna on the other hand looked bored.
She wanted to go with him too but wasn't allowed so she was pouting in the corner.
"You won't need anything. Hmm, actually, you can take your knives which you use for fighting. Other than that, I don't think you will need anything else." Gojo-sensei said after some thought.
"Hmm. Then I am all done."
"Go and kick some asses, Boss, Naruto-kun!" Tohru wished excitedly.
"Good luck, Silas-san." Sakura wished me from my side. "Good luck to you, Naruto-kun. Don't play any pranks on your examiner and behave well, alright?"
"Okay. I will totally become a Sorcerer today, dattebayo!"
"I am sure you will. Just take care." She smiled at him before giving me a packed lunch for everyone.
Lavy and Shuna were still busy with the final preparations before the Comiket and couldn't be here.
"Alright alright enough flirting, you two. Seriously, get a room or something. We are getting late. Hurry up now." Gojo-sensei said, making my lips twitch while Sakura just smiled but looking closely, I could see the shade of red on her cheeks and ears.
Archdaemon Senses for the win.
We left the Restaurant and the warded building appeared in front of our eyes once more. They looked far more advanced than before.
The talismans looked fascinating.
I knew that Sakura was learning more about them. Even Yuri and Narberal were doing the same to help ward the new buildings in our town, but I haven't had the chance to learn them myself.
Actually, if my memory serves right, even Irene-san specialised in Enchantment Magic and knew Writing Magic of several kinds.
I will ask her to teach me some. Right now, I only know the basic barrier taught by Nanami-sensei which can repel normal humans from an area. It was one of the first things taught to us as it needed to be cast before we fought any curses.
Other than that, my fighting style was pretty direct, mainly focused on martial arts and knives with my Skills. Having some auxiliary things to learn would help a lot.
There were so many different kinds of magic. Such fascinating things. It would be such a waste to not even try to learn.
My Sage Skill was particularly good for learning new things and I had already completed learning the Ice Devil Slayer Magic. It was time to pick up the next Type of Magic for me.
I was just waiting for August-sensei to return from their trip.
Ainz had also offered me a way to learn Tier Magic but since I had picked one style already, I was waiting to continue going further on it or I would just become a jack of all trades and master of none. That's not what I want.
Right now, I mostly trained my control over my power which had increased a lot due to my evolution into Archdaemon.
We walked out of the building as a familiar scene of Shinjuku appeared in front of us.
The place we were in was supposed to be an underground subway. It was now changed into the secret base surrounding the Restaurant while the actual subway was diverted slightly away from the previous location.
Did we just teleport?
That was… convenient…
Man, I need to learn that too.
"Woah! So cool. Where is the exam, sensei? What do we have to fight?" Naruto jumped up excitedly.
"Mah mah, we need to meet others before we go for the exam. Now, hold tight and don't resist." He placed a hand on our shoulders and I felt a sense of compression and expansion before the scene in front of us changed. "We're here."
We looked around the place. There were several Japanese style buildings in the middle of lush green areas.
Very few people could be seen around the place.
Gojo-sensei walked in the front while we followed, all the while taking a look around.
A few minutes later, a familiar face appeared in front of us.
"Naruto, my brother!"
"Aoi-san!"
…
Him…
My lips twitched as the two guys, one big and one small danced around happily.
Thankfully, their dance was interrupted by the arrival of a few people.
An old man followed by a woman in a shrine maiden outfit. And was that Maki-san? Did she change her hairstyle?
"Yo! Old man. I brought my students. You can take them for the assessment." Gojo-sensei raised his hand and casually waved at the old man in the lead.
I gave them a polite bow. "Hello, my name is Silas Evans. Nice to meet you."
Beside me, Naruto also stopped what he was doing and bowed towards them. "My name is Naruto Furinji and I am totally going to become a Sorcerer today dattebayo!"
I noticed the slight twitch in the eyes of the old man at his proclamation while Gojo-sensei just laughed loudly and introduced others.
"This is the Principal of the Kyoto Jujutsu High, Principal Gakuganji. Beside him is Mai-chan. She is Maki's sister."
Ah so that's who she was.
She did say that they were twins.
"And the last one is Utahime Iori. She is a teacher here. Don't bother with her. She is weak." He laughed.
…immediately after he said that, a slipper struck his face… or at least tried to but was stopped by his Limitless and fell down.
He wasn't done either but even made faces at her, provoking her even more.
I ignored him, knowing full well the madness this man was capable of.
And it looked like my choice was right too as the others quickly calmed down too. They were too used to him messing around, I guess?
"Stop messing around. The preparations are done. Naruto Furinji will be observed by Aoi Todo and Silas Evans's examiner will be Utahime Iori. Along with you two, Mai Zenin will be taking an exam too. Utahime Iori will be overlooking the exam for her. You will be required to exorcise your target curses according to the rules and return by the end of the day. Any questions will be answered by your examiners." He then looked at Gojo-sensei. "Is that fine with you?"
"Perfect. Then let's hurry up then. Naruto-kun needs to go to bed by 9."
…
They talked about a few things and at that time, Maki's sister was giving me angry looks. She wasn't even hiding her gaze.
Did I do something to her?
I tried thinking and remembered that Maki-san's restriction was due to her having a link with her sister. A fate of sorts… Was the fate-cutting thing bad for her somehow and now she was angry?
No. If something like that happened, they would have told me.
x_
We took a train to reach our next destination. It was a two hour journey.
I found out that Gojo-sensei had teleported us to Kyoto directly.
Seriously, going from Tokyo to Kyoto so quickly. I knew that Ainz and even Milim could teleport but I didn't know of any methods to do so myself.
I will ask Ainz or August-sensei to teach me next time.
I sat with Naruto on my side and Aoi on his other side. In front of us were Utahime Iori and Mai Zenin who still hadn't spoken a single word, only giving me angry glances in between.
"Let's get the briefing out of the way. We are heading to a shrine in Nakagawa village east of Kyoto. There have been reports of a high level curse, a Grade 1 Curse and several lower level curses being formed there. There were several cases of forest fires in the area recently so it might be a fire type curse. We will get more information after arriving. Your task is to exorcise the Grade 1 Curse and the kid will need to exorcise a Grade 3 Curse. If you cannot do it, or are in danger at any time, say so and we will interfere. Don't try to be too brave or you might lose a limb or even worse."
I nodded while Naruto was looking excited actually.
"Don't worry sensei. We will totally kick their butts!"
…I couldn't help but get a smile on my face at his words. His excitement was infectious sometimes. Even the examiner smiled at this but didn't say anything.
"That's the spirit, brother!"
And then there was this kind of excitement… which just makes people shake their heads in embarrassment.
The journey was quite peaceful.
We soon reached Nakagawa village and were met by a woman. She was apparently a local shaman of sorts who had contacted the Jujutsu Academy about the Curse formed here.
The woman looked… creepy. She had white hair, wrinkles all over her face but the creepiest of all were the line of stitches on her forehead. Did she have surgery of some sort?
Beside her was another guy but he was just behind a mask.
"Do you know the number of low level curses in the place?" Utahime-san questioned.
"Yes. The number of curses have been rising abnormally since the last few months. This area only had some low level curses but since that… incident, the number has increased sharply. Some of them even evolved. We tried to keep them in check as much as we could but some still escaped our search and one of them managed to evolve into a Grade 1. This is totally out of our hands now." The woman said worriedly. "We have sealed the area off but I doubt it will hold on for long. Please do something quickly."
"Don't worry, our team can take care of it. Can you point out the area to us?" Utahime-sensei asked.
The old woman nodded and led the way. "Follow me."
While we were following her, I was curious about something and asked Aoi who was walking beside me.
"What incident was she talking about?"
Aoi stared at me for a moment but before he could answer, the girl beside him, Mai, scoffed at me.
"Excuse me?" I asked, confused. "Did I ask something wrong?"
"Wrong? Don't pretend as if you don't know anything. It's annoying."
I was taken aback by the words and couldn't help but ask. "I am afraid I don't understand what you mean?"
She looked at me with the same anger once more. "What I am saying is that you shouldn't poke your nose where it doesn't belong." She said scathingly.
I didn't argue. There was after all a chance that me cutting fate might have done something to her. "Pardon me but do you have some problem with me? You have been giving me angry looks from the first time you saw me and I didn't even know your name before today. I have only helped Maki-san when we met. If you were adversely affected by it somehow, please tell me. I will do my best to resolve the matter. However useless taunts like these won't do anyone any good."
"You!" She gritted her teeth, clenching her fist in anger. "You want to know what incident she was talking about, right? She is talking about the monster bitch among you who broke the barrier over the country. Ever since that day, the number of curses has been increasing like crazy. And what do you all do? Chill out in hiding, handing out cosmetics and fixing useless rejects while all of us tire out and die solving this problem. There… are you satisfied now?"
I narrowed my eyes at her words. She meant Sakura. We knew that it was Sakura's awakening that broke the barrier over the Restaurant's area.
Did it really cause all of that?
Even Naruto who was jumping around happily beside us while talking to Aoi became quiet and looked at us.
"Mai, be quiet. They don't know anything about it. Don't blame everything on them. If it hadn't been for them, you would still be struggling at the bottom with pitiful Cursed Energy. You of all people don't have any right to blame them." Todo said, frowning.
"And why shouldn't I? It would have been better if they hadn't interfered. I didn't ask for this. Why should I hold back?" She shouted back.
"You all, be quiet. We are on a mission. Solve whatever problem you have after this is over." Utahime-san turned around and scolded, making the girl scowl at us.
There was an awkward silence for the rest of the path.
We reached the place around half an hour ago.
It was a small forest outside the village borders and inside the place was an old shrine. It looked dilapidated, the walls were covered with vines and some parts even had roots growing out of it.
The worst part however was the feeling the place was giving.
I wasn't good at sensing but even I could feel the… wrongness of the place.
"Is that the shrine?" Utahime-san asked the old woman who nodded, looking at the shrine warily. "Alright. You wait here. We will take care of it." She then looked at us.
"Go on. Your turn. I haven't seen you two work with my own eyes but Aoi and Shouko-chan vouched for you and you were recommended by that insfufferabl… Gojo and while I might not like it, he usually knows his job well. If you face any trouble, give the word and activate the talisman. It will prevent any attacks from a Grade 1 Curse for a while and we will intervene, but it will also mean that you will fail the exam. Mai will be fighting a Grade 3 Curse too. You all cannot assist each other." Any other questions?"
"Do we have to kill all the curses in the building?" I asked the thing which had been bugging me the most.
She just stared at me in response. "Normally it is our job to take care of any extra curses but… If you can… no one will blame you… but you should only bite what you can chew."
"I see. Thanks." I looked at Naruto and started walking towards the shrine. The rest stayed back and watched.
- Utahime Iori -
"Taking down all the curses… hmph, who does he think he is? Just don't step in my way." Mai scoffed but followed but in another direction.
She let out an internal sign.
Mai's attitude had turned for the worse ever since… that day.
Her Cursed Energy had increased quite rapidly and was increasing even now, being somewhere near a Special Grade 1 Sorcerer but her attitude was getting worse hand in hand.
Whereas the previous Mai put on a strong front and was still subdued against the likes of Todo, understanding her own limits. This one, she didn't hold back against anyone. Perhaps the reason for that was also due to the fact that she was now supported by the Zenin Clan, now that she had somehow increased her Cursed Energy while Maki was removed from the family rosters completely, not that the girl herself cared for that anyways.
That was also one of the reasons why she could get an assessment while previously it was suppressed by the Zenin at every corner.
While their actions had become a bit more restrained since the… unfortunate dismissal of the higher ups of the council, the Zenin clan was still one of the three major Jujutsu families.
She looked at the girl who was walking towards the other side of the shrine and while unethical, she hoped that she would lose today… just so that she doesn't get her head too high up in the clouds and die early. Jujutsu was a very dangerous profession and had no place for such arrogance… at least not without the strength to back it up.
The boy, Silas, looked around and then clicked a finger as a barrier sprung up around the place.
It wasn't exactly necessary since they were so far away from any population but still, rules were rules. Good to see he wasn't like that insufferable bastard who walked around like he owned the place.
As soon as the barriers were erected, the curses inside moved too.
Three curses, all Grade 3, stepped out of the shrine and looked around, spotting them and racing towards the three quickly.
Mai jumped to the side and drew her pistols and quickly took aim at one of them, shooting continuously.
The curse couldn't handle the barrage of attacks and was purified immediately. One of the remaining two changed its target to her and the last one still charged towards the two boys.
It was the kid who jumped forward this time and she gripped her talismans, ready to intervene at a moment's notice.
Seriously, who recommends a kid to be a Juutsu Sorcerer? He was barely eight.
Aoi, on the other hand, was calmly looking at the scene ahead as if already knowing what to expect.
Surprisingly a pair of golden chains erupted out of the kid's back and shot towards the curse. The curse reacted and smashed the ground as shadow-like tendrils erupted from the ground, making a shield around itself.
A Cursed Technique… she belatedly realised that it was a Grade 2 Curse and was about to intervene when Aoi grabbed her shoulder. "Wait and watch. My brother is not so weak."
She looked in awe as the chains directly pierced through the tendrils of shadows and then bound the Curse directly.
"Those chains of his, can bind Cursed Energy and bypass any Cursed technique. Not even Satoru Gojo's Limitless can stop them. Match that with my brother's immense Cursed Energy and he is bound to become one of the strongest Jujutsu Sorcerers in the world. His only weakness right now is his age and inexperience."
Just as he said, the chains crushed the Curse, exorcising it easily.
"My my… such talent… and such an amazing cursed technique. It seems that bringing you all here was well worth the effort." Suddenly the woman behind her spoke. She looked behind but as soon as she did a feeling of weightlessness enveloped her and she lost control of her body.
The woman moved at a speed completely different from what one would expect of someone her age, kicking Aoi.
He crashed into the huge pile of rocks on the side of the stairs they were standing on. She quickly threw her Talismans towards the woman but the talismans didn't go more than a few feet forward before falling to the ground.
The woman spread her hands as shadows… no, curses emerged from her hands.
"But that's… Cursed Spirit Manipulation… you are…"
"Hahahaha do you recognise me? I have to say, it was difficult getting around that troublesome man to find out this information. The secret in the subway of Shinjuku. The source of that huge Cursed Energy… but I now finally have a lead."
As she spoke, hundreds of Curses surrounded the place.
Even the ones in the Shrine had noticed the movements and quickly started coming towards them.
Utahime's eyes widened and she shouted towards them as quickly as she could. "Run! Run away. It's an ambush. You cannot fight them. Call Gojo!"
Even Aoi, who was crashed into the rocks, got up and tried to face the enemies but was cornered by other Curses, finding it hard to overcome them.
Mai saw them, her face paling at the sight of the hundreds of Cursed Spirits and turned around and was about to leave but her exit was cut off by the Cursed Spirits once more.
"Now now, we are just having a talk. Don't you think it's uncouth to run away during a conversation?" The woman… or Cursed User or whatever it was spoke with a smile as she looked at the two students who had arrived there by now. "Hello there. Naruto Uzumaki and Silas Evans…"
The woman… tore the skin on her head, to reveal her brain… no a Cursed Spirit… was that its true form?…
"To be honest, I was just expecting to find some news about the secret hidden in the Subway of Shinjuku but…" She stared at the younger of the two… "That Cursed Technique… it forced me to reveal myself. It is just too good for me to let go. So hand over the boy and we can leave our separate ways. We can do it the hard way… or the easy way… the choice is all yours."
"You want Naruto?" Silas asked.
"Why yes. And since we are at it… why don't you tell me about the monster in the Shinjuku subwa…"
Before she could finish his words, Silas waved his knife.
Utahime watched with wide eyes as dozens of cursed spirits were slashed from the middle in two clean halves.
Even the ones which had surrounded her were cut and she gained her footing back, quickly running back to the two kids.
"That's… Sunuka's vessel? Attack!" the leader of the curses jumped back sending waves of Curses towards them.
"Aoi, leave them and come here. Bring the girl too." Silas shouted.
Thankfully, Aoi seemed to have heard him too and appeared near them using his Cursed Technique and the next second Mai appeared near them.
"We need to make an opening and take this news back to the headquarters. No matter what happens, take Naruto with you. Don't let them succeed in their goal." She said, regaining her bearing. "There are special grade curses among them. We cannot win this."
However no one responded to her.
"Silas." Todo asked.
"Hmm?"
The boy responded, still looking at the curses around them.
"How many do you think you can take on?" Todo continued.
"Depends…"
"On what?" She asked, unsurely.
He however didn't answer her and looked at the leader of the Curses. "Say… what did you intend to do with Sak… the one in the Shinjuku Subway?"
"Obviously use her for my plan. I plan to remove the barriers between humans and curses, make them evolve into something higher. To do that, I need to cause unimaginable havoc, to understand the true extent of Cursed Energy… and the one in the subway… she is the key to all this. That power… it was as if a God had awakened. By just a single outburst, she had increased the number of curses in the entire country by three times. Such a power… if used fully… it could give rise to a period far more chaotic than the Heian Era… the Golden Age of Curses… It can give us a glimpse into the true nature of Cursed Energy and could be the key for me to ascend to a higher realm."
There was silence in the entire place as she tried to comprehend what was being said and the more she understood, the more she got scared. This… this person was completely insane.
Madness… such madness would cause an extinction of all humanity in the entire country… No… she had to send this information back at any cost.
"I see…" Silas spoke, almost resigned. "Then we have nothing to talk about." He then looked at her. "How many normal people are there in a one kilometre radius?" He asked.
"Normal? You mean non-sorcerers?" She looked around, trying to sense but didn't find anything.
"I cannot sense anyone. We are in a nearly abandoned village and we walked a long distance from the village too. This shrine was supposed to be built for a Land God which the people of the nearby village believe in but they have stopped coming here since the place was sealed." She said, looking confused. "Why? Can you teleport away from here?" She asked hopefully.
"Teleport? No… not yet. Anyways… I don't think that will be necessary anymore." he said absentmindedly as he looked at the leader of the group of curses. She took his silence for resignation after all, it would only be a miracle or some kind of divine intervention to get out of this kind of situation. But she couldn't give up.
"We cannot give up, Silas. We need to send this news to the Headquarters or many people will die." She quickly interjected but her words stopped as she sensed a hurricane of cursed energy flood the area.
She froze. Beside her, Mai, who was about to say something, froze too.
Todo was doing better but she could see some sweat on his forehead too.
On the other hand, the curses… they were getting crushed.
The lead of the Cursed Users, directly made a handsign. "Domain Expansion!" A giant pillar of Cursed Spirits erupted from behind him.
Silas however, kept his knife back in his sheath and all she heard was a whisper.
"Frost."
And the whole world turned white.
x_
"Ahahahaha this is really something, isn't it?" Gojo laughed as he watched the scene in front of him.
The large expanse of ice… it covered a circle with exactly one kilometer radius, freezing everything inside. Trees, water, animals, curses… everything was encased in ice.
Even now, twelve hours after the incident, the ice hadn't melted one bit.
The expressions of horror on the faces of the Cursed Users were clear to see, as they were frozen almost instantly. Everything looked like some kind of expensive show piece.
It was only when someone touched it that it shattered and crumbled apart into dust.
"Hundreds… there were hundreds of curses… Grade 1, even Special Grades… even an Open Domain… all of them… he killed all of them in a moment." She whispered, her heart skipping a beat as she recalled the scene once more.
"Oh look… Silas got this one too. I was looking for this one for a while now. What a surprise." Gojo's words broke her out of her thoughts.
"Don't pretend! I asked Principal Gakuganji and you knew they were manipulating the information to have us sent here. Why didn't you stop it?"
"Now now, don't be angry. All of it turned out for the better, didn't it?"
"That's not the point!"
"It obviously is. I knew someone was so deeply entrenched in the system that they could even manipulate such things… so the only way to bring them out would be to give them what they want so that they come out to accept it. We gave them bait and they took it. Silas did a pretty good job though. I knew he could do it if he stopped caring for a bit."
"So you used us as bait to bring them out… Were you watching? Why didn't you interrupt when they came out and surrounded us?" She shouted at him.
"Ma ma, if I did that, how could we see such an impressive show by Silas? Students progress the best when under pressure… although, this level of enemy was nothing for Silas. After all, he is a guy who can freeze the entirety of Japan just as easily as he froze this place. So, I guess it was an overkill?"
She froze as she stared at him. "He can do what?"
"Oh? Are you scared? Why are you so weak, Utahime?"
This time however she didn't even have the strength to throw her slipper at him.
Scenes from earlier flashed in her mind.
That boy… the same boy who had cooked lunch for everyone. The boy who was talking so nicely even against Mai's unwarranted hostility… he could…
A shiver ran down her spine when she thought just what Mai was playing with.
She will have to go and give the girl a good talking to.
Her words could have gotten all of them killed had it been someone crazier…
"You didn't see his power… his Cursed Energy… it was terrifying. Such power… it makes people lose the hope to resist."
"Hmm, yes. He seems to have grown again. I think this was the second time that had happened. His Cursed Energy was stronger than Naruto's with all his advantages. And while not to her level… he can still grow… so who knows what will happen in the future though?"
The words only went on to make her more terrified.
Just what in hell was hidden inside the Shinjuku Subway?
- Silas -
"Here's your Grade 1 Sorcerer Certification. And congratulations, you have been granted the Rank of Special Grade Sorcerer by unanimous votes by the Jujutsu Association. You are now officially the same Grade as me… although I would still win." He laughed.
I shook my head with a smile at his antics.
His focus changed to Naruto. "As for Naruto-kun, you are now a Grade 2 Sorcerer. The Curse you exorcised was actually a Grade 2 Curse and no one wanted to waste their time testing you again so you are directly given the Rank of a Grade 2 Sorcerer. Congratulations, Naruto-kun."
The kid in question jumped in joy on receiving the badge.
"Yay! See this Miu nee-chan, Shigure-chan, Nii-san. I am a Sorcerer now. Kanna-chan, I did it, dattebayo!"
"Great job. You know what? I will make a cake to celebrate this event." I offered, making even the bored looking dragons perk up.
Seriously, Kanna, Tohru, Milim… even Fafnir has a sweet tooth. Although the last one always claims that it is to keep his mind active and in perfect state when playing games. I call bullshit. He is just a glutton like other dragons I have known.
We partied as the girls congratulated me too.
"Hahahaha Silas is now the highest ranking Jujutsu Sorcerer there can be. I guess you are Naruto and Sakura-chan's senpai now." Gojo-sensei laughed and I looked at Sakura who was smiling too.
"I guess that's true. Don't worry, I will always take care of my kouhai." I smirked as I patted her head.
To be honest, I was expecting her to be embarrassed but she just smiled. "Then I will count on you… senpai."
…
Damn, I just felt my heart skip a beat…
That word can be quite dangerous when used by a cute girl like her.
Sakura's exam was going to be held later.
I had taken some time to ask about the situation back in Nakagawa village.
After all, I had a feeling that I might have done something excessive back there.
"No, you did the best thing that could be done. In fact, I dare say, I myself couldn't have done better."
"What about the thing about the number of curses increasing? Maki-san's sister seemed quite angry at us for that. Will it really be fine?"
I hadn't told Sakura about that or she would start blaming herself again.
The whole news also made me worried about her own exams. Would there be any ambushes or unexpected situations in her case too?
Gojo-sensei just took a sip of his drink and then spoke. "Tell me… when you… took action today… what were you thinking?" He asked.
"I… I was just thinking of the danger they posed to us, Naruto and Sakura and that the only way to remove the danger was to remove them."
"And what if they could be convinced to change their ways… the only cost would be the lives of Naruto and Sakura-chan… or even just Sakura-chan?"
I frowned at his question.
"Go on, answer me."
I thought seriously about the question. "I would kill them."
He smiled widely at the answer. "Exactly! That's what you need to understand. Your priorities. What does it matter what others say? You know what you need to do. As long as you are not going out of your way to trouble people, they have no right to blame you. It is not your fault that they are weak. You shouldn't blame yourself for being strong. The same goes for Sakura-chan. The barrier broke because it was weak. As simple as that. The people were just bitching because it is now making them run around and do some actual work. They are just used to people cleaning their asses for them." I was pretty sure I saw a clear hint of disdain on his face at the mention of 'they'.
Was he talking about the higher ups of the Jujutsu Association?
He continued. "As for Mai Zenin… hah… she needs to fight her own demons instead of always blaming the world. You are not the first person she has blamed for her own messed up life. Don't bother about her."
That… was a new way to look at things.
Gojo-sensei saw that I was quiet for a while and spoke again. "I had been following that group of cursed users for a while now. They were extremely dangerous and the one you fought had even managed to trick and seal me. If they were allowed to run around, it would have been a catastrophe. You and the Restaurant's arrival has saved thousands, probably millions of lives. That's thousands of times more than any lives which have been lost due to extra curses popping up."
I nodded, feeling lighter after the talk.
"Alright then. I guess it's time to teach you about Domain Expansion. I honestly wanted to wait until you two became a Grade 1 Jujutsu Sorcerer but I wasn't really expecting today's events so let's get it done with."
Domains.
Nanami-sensei had told us a bit about them but didn't go into details as he himself didn't have much idea about it. He told us to talk to Gojo-sensei to find out more about it.
"Alright then, let's begin. What do you know about Domain Expansions?"
I remembered the little bit I knew and spoke. "It is considered the pinnacle of Jujutsu Sorcery. Domain Expansion is the most supreme technique any jujutsu user can use. It is achieved by expanding one's innate domain with cursed energy while using a barrier to construct it inside a separate space. The caster then imbues their cursed technique within the barrier to complete the expansion, allowing them to deploy their ability all throughout the domain."
"Hmm, basically that. Domain Expansion is an advanced barrier technique. It constructs the user's innate domain inside a barrier infused with their innate cursed technique. Within a domain expansion, the user's cursed techniques are improved and any that are activated are guaranteed to hit."
"What are Innate Domains?" I asked, taking a hint at the new term.
"An Innate Domain, normally referred to simply as a Domain is a mental landscape that embodies the mind of an individual which they are born with. Innate domains serve as the foundation of an innate cursed technique. You can consider it to be a metaphysical space that reflects their mind and soul. In Domain Expansion, you make a barrier and expand this very space to the outside world, dragging people into it. This is one of the reasons why techniques become amplified when in Domains as the mind is directly controlling everything inside the Domain."
I nodded, understanding bits of it now. Suddenly I remembered something and asked. "The thing we were fighting, the stitches curse… thing… whatever it was… he used a Domain Expansion… or at least I think he did. I wasn't really paying attention and directly froze him. There was something weird about it however, as his Domain didn't make any barriers. What's up with that?"
"Oh, a barrierless Domain or an Open Domain is extremely rare. I only know of one other who can do such a thing, the same guy you digested." He smirked, making me frown. "Anyways, those are extremely rare as their barriers possess no outer shell yet still retain a sure-hit. It is akin to painting on air instead of a canvas and is remarked as divine, even by the standards of domains. Seems like the guy you exorcised was even more ancient than I had expected. Congratulations again."
I wasn't sure what to feel about it as the guy died too quickly for me to know.
"You were lucky in a way too. Domains are nearly impossible to escape from the inside. The cubic volume of the space appears completely different on the inside, making finding the boundary's location difficult for anyone trapped inside. Anyone searching for the edge of the domain is likely to be killed by its can't-miss attack and the barrier is reinforced from the inside even if they did find it. However, the more the barrier is reinforced from the inside, the more vulnerable it is to penetration from the outside. In specific situations, an ally of the domain's target can break in from the outside to rescue them. You froze everything, directly killing the user and saving yourself and others from a very brutal fate."
…
"Now now, no need to look so disturbed. There are several ways to counter a Domain Expansion. They are called Anti Domain Techniques. Anti-Domain Techniques are countermeasures designed to withstand the can't-miss attack of opposing domain expansions. They are mainly designed for those who cannot expand their own domain for any reason. We will be learning about those too. After all, it is inconvenient to kill every ant with a cannon. With your power, you would probably be able to counter kill most Domain Expansion users with these." he waved his hands as if to pacify me.
"What's the use of learning those if I can just learn Domain Expansion?" I asked, curious about the whole thing.
"Hmm, you see, while Domain Expansion might be very strong, it comes with its own drawbacks. First, it requires immense Cursed Energy… which is not exactly a problem for you three… but still. The second reason is that using a Domain Expansion makes your innate cursed technique go on a cooldown period for a certain time… this is again not a problem for you with your magic… Third, it provides an ability to protect yourself and others from Domain Expansions when you yourself cannot expand Domain due to your Innate Cursed Technique being on a cooldown."
I looked at him weirdly but nodded. "I will learn it." Since I was learning, I wanted to learn everything perfectly.
"Great! That's the spirit. Now then, the first step to learn Domain Expansion is to meditate and reach your own Innate Domain. This step usually takes people some time to achieve. It's easier for people with high experience in Jujutsu as they often interact with their own Innate Cursed technique and meditate or concentrate. So they can get into touch with their innate domains more easily. The barrier and imbuing part is comparatively easier."
He then taught me the way to do so too.
"Now, Domains can be divided into two types, based on the purpose. They are Lethal Domain and non Lethal Domain. The first one is as it says, Domains whose purpose is to hurt others. Nowadays, most of the Domains are of this style, mostly as they give an instant and huge boost to their power. Non Lethal Domains however, do not directly harm others, instead they impose a rule on the ones caught inside. If they go against the rules, they can be subjected to the decided penalties. These types of Domains, while not doing direct damage most of the time, can be incredibly tricky to handle."
He gave me a few moments to digest the information.
"First of all, you need to discover what kind of Innate Domain you have and what kind of Domain Expansion you want. Remember, the more restrictions on the domain, the stronger the power. So take your time when making your domain. No need to hurry."
I nodded.
"Good. In the meanwhile, we will learn about the basic Anti Domain Techniques. Let's start with those first."
For the rest of the day, he taught me the basics of Simple Domain.
- Ikki Kurogane -
"That was a good fight, Ichigo. Your Spiritual Power is as absurd as always." he smiled as he dispelled his Intetsu.
"And yet I cannot touch you even now." The orange haired boy scoffed as he dusted himself and got up.
"Well, you have just started your swordsmanship training. It takes time to learn martial arts of any kind. Your progress speed is quite good." He shrugged. If he was being honest, Ichigo was progressing at a scary pace but Yoruichi had told them not to say it to him, lest he gets a big head. Ichigo did have the tendency to act before he thought most of the time.
"You are not doing so bad yourself. Your Spiritual Power is increasing at a faster pace than we were expecting. Seems like the fights with Kisuke and his friends helped a lot." Yoruichi said while jumping and sitting on his head.
He clenched his hand. Indeed, he could feel his progress.
Kisuke had taken him to his friends whom he had met at the Restaurant. They were a… unique bunch but their power was without a doubt. Kisuke had just thrown him there for training for the last two weeks.
Their plan for him was very simple, continuous fighting.
From the moment he entered the barrier, they fought till he fainted. Then they woke him up, and healed him before going through the same cycle again.
The only times he had breaks was when it was time for him to eat or when he fainted and was being healed. Such training, while excruciating, gave great results.
He could feel that his mana had increased from F Class to almost the middle stages of C Class. At this rate, he could even reach the B Class before the new session of the Academy.
According to Kisuke, constant pressure made his soul stronger. The food from the Restaurant, especially the High Quality food they had eaten during the Party helped. The food had not only increased his Mana but he felt like his body was a level stronger than before.
It was strengthened to the level where he could fight a low D Class Blazer with his physique only. When combined with his mana, his strength rose to a level he hadn't thought was possible. While he still hadn't managed to break the chains and become a Desperado… he was sure he could reach there in time.
This time he would show everyone that he was not a waste.
He left Kisuke's shop with Ichigo. He had to go back to Ryozanpaku Dojo for training.
On the way, both he and Ichigo suddenly felt something nearby.
They looked at each other and dashed towards the source of the Spiritual Pressure.
As they turned around the corner, a scene of a fight appeared in front of them.
Uryu Ishida, the guy who had picked a fight with Ichigo and called several hollows during his fight with Shadow-san was laying on the ground. Behind him was Rukia Kuchiki, Ichigo's… friend?
And on the opposite side were two figures.
The first one had slate gray eyes and long black hair, kept up together with some kind of headpiece. He was wearing a shihakushō and a white scarf with it. The second man had brown eyes and long crimson hair, which was kept in a high ponytail. He had tribal tattoos covering his head and was wearing a black kimono. He had sword raised and was about to strike down Uryu.
Ikki felt Ichigo make the first move as he struck down at the red haired man who dodged at the last moment. The ground where Ichigo's zanpakutō hit was shattered into pieces.
He arrived there a moment later, Intetsu summoned and stood before Rukia and Uryu, covering them behind him.
"What is going on here?" He asked the surprised girl.
"I see. I get it now. So you are the human who took Rukia's powers." The red haired man asked but Ichigo attacked him before he could finish.
They clashed several times but Ichigo lost his balance and collapsed on his knees.
The red haired man rested his blade on his shoulder. "You will die and Rukia will get her powers back. But what an idiot you are. Did you think you could do something? You are a Soul Reaper by accident…"
Before he could finish his words, Ichigo swung his sword, taking the man by surprise, forcing him to dodge but still cutting a part of his kimono.
"Ah my bad… you were just so wide open that I couldn't resist taking a strike at you."
The red haired man's face turned into a scowl and then he laughed. "Hahahaha do you think you can win against me… with that oversized blade? Let me show you the difference between you and a real Shinigami. Howl Zabimaru!"
His blade shone and changed its shape, turning into a long 6-part segmented blade, each segment is wider than the one preceding it from the hilt, with 2 pick-like protrusions on the front and back of each segment. He swung his sword and Ichigo dodged towards the back but the sword suddenly extended, forcing him to defend, the power made the ground under his feet crack as the sword's protrusions still pierced his shoulder. Blood spurted from his torn shoulder while the enemy dragged his sword back."
The enemy was about to strike again when Ikki made a move, clashing with his sword and pushing it back.
Ikki felt the weight behind the attack. It was heavy… but he could manage it, barely.
"You all just keep coming like bugs." The red haired man roared and attacked again.
His swordsmanship was like a wild animal's but even then there was a rhythm. He had obviously trained to master his sword's form and was able to use it properly.
But his skill… had a lot to work on.
Ikki swiped his blade to the side and took the opportunity to close in and strike at him. The man dodged back and retracted his sword but Ikki didn't give him a chance as he thrust his Device at the handle of the opponent's sword, forcing him to disarm.
He was about to strike and subdue the enemy when he felt a sudden chill run down his spine and dodged to his side with all his might. The place where he was at, was cut apart.
The black haired man who hadn't moved until now, finally made a move.
Ikki felt the bead of sweat run down his forehead. He was sure that he would have been hit by that attack. In fact, it was probably only his constant training with Hiraku Shinji and others over the last two weeks which enabled him to dodge this attack. Even the man himself looked surprised at him.
This man… they couldn't win against him.
So he shouted directly. "Ichigo… take Rukia and Uryu and run. Get help. You cannot win against him."
"What! I am not going to leave you behind." Ichigo shouted back.
"It's not the time to argue." He shouted, trying to convince him but to no avail.
"To even be thinking that you can leave in front of me is laughable. Do you think that fluke just now can be repeated?" The black haired man asked.
"Ittou Shura!" Ikki didn't hesitate and directly went all out.
Flashing in front of the man he swung his Intetsu. The sword passed through the man but Ikki didn't feel any resistance.
The next second, he felt a sharp pain from his back. Looking down, he saw a sword piercing through his chest. His mana dispersed and he lost control of his body.
As he fell, he saw the black haired man had appeared behind Ichigo and had pierced his chest too.
With that, his vision faded.
x_x_
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Beta Note: The advance chapters are in order of what is updated, a first Tier will not get 2 advanced chapters for every story, only the next two to be released.
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Author's Note:
I am back with another chapter of 'Isekai Restaurant.'
Several things happened.
Our boy Silas took the Jujutsu Sorcerer Exam and encountered a surprise there.
Unfortunately, this time things didn't go according to keikaku for Kenjaku.
He wanted to pull an Orochimaru on Naruto and wanted to go for Sakura too… unfortunately he bit off more than he could chew and paid for it.
Too bad he was dealing with an outlier like Silas. While he could so-called paint on the world, Silas can freeze the world itself.
The casual attack from Silas did scare the crap out of Utahime and Mai, the latter needed that though.
Finally, he is learning about Domain Expansion.
I have a rough idea about his but some suggestions will be appreciated though.
Should I make it a Lethal Type or a Non Lethal Type Domain?
Lastly, the Soul Society Arc has just started with Ikki in the mix.
How will this change things?
We will know next time.
Enjoy the new chapter.
Good Day, Peace Out.