"Trash… koff…" the curse user cursed after being struck by Jin's shadow.
"Tsubaki…" Jin said in a low voice.
Immediately, an identical double materialized from a small burst of smoke.
It was one of Tsubaki's applications beyond shadow manipulation. Tsubaki possesses several abilities Jin can exploit.
One of them is clone creation.
'I had planned to use this trick to overload Gojo's senses, but I'm using it on this guy instead,' Jin thought while rushing toward Jiro.
The curse user wasn't intimidated by the duo's speed. Without a moment's hesitation, he swung a fist toward Jin's face.
"Haha, you're not so cocky anymore," he said in an amused voice after landing a decisive blow.
Jin's body was sent flying through several trees, but his silhouette turned into smoke midway.
"An illusion?!" Jiro exclaimed before instinctively activating his innate technique.
"Oh… you really are an experienced curse user," Jin declared while watching Jiro casually rise from the spot where he had been kicked in the stomach.
Reverse.
That is the name of Jiro's innate technique, according to Jin's memories from his previous life.
'If my memories are correct, it allows inverting the concept of damage between a weak attack and a strong attack,' he thought while staring at his opponent.
Even though Jiro is a forgettable secondary character, Jin had found his innate technique incredible in its practicality.
If it falls into capable hands, the individual is technically invulnerable.
An enviable power.
"Hehe, you thought I was like that brat?" Jiro replied while rising with a nonchalant air.
However, he analyzed Jin seriously.
'I didn't have time to fully activate my innate technique at the start of his first attack,' he thought while still feeling the pain from the shadow strike.
Jiro is an experienced curse user who could likely be classified as a Grade 1 sorcerer.
Nevertheless, he has overall low talent.
"No, I can't compare you to that child," Jin calmly replied while tightening his grip on his weapon.
Hearing Jin's words, the curse user felt flattered by his opponent's recognition of his strength.
"Unlike that brat, you've clearly passed the age where anything can still be salvaged… Tsk. You're not a rough diamond, you're just coal," Jin clarified after realizing the misunderstanding.
"What did you say?!" Jiro yelled while charging at his opponent.
Unlike their first exchange, the curse user was confident enough in his innate technique's use.
Thus, he unleashed himself in a berserker-like duel.
"Haha, I'm going to wipe that arrogant little smile off your face," Jiro mocked while continuing to attack without caring about his defense.
His attacks were blocked or deflected, but it was clear his new fighting style temporarily gave him the advantage.
Unfortunately, he was interrupted in his frenzy by a metal box-like object on the ground.
Bam!!
'It's been a while since I used my grenades,' Jin thought while creating some distance.
"I don't think you'll die from something like that—" he said while staring at Jiro's former position.
He didn't finish his sentence because Jiro emerged from the explosion without the slightest scratch.
The reversed innate technique had saved him from Jin's trick, but his clothes weren't spared by the shrapnel of the homemade grenade.
"Vile fox," Jiro insulted.
But Jin responded with a blade strike.
Katana blows and cursed-energy-reinforced fists chained together while both men sketched predatory smiles.
From an external perspective, the fight seemed stuck in a war of attrition.
Nevertheless, Jin soon accumulated the most wounds of the two.
"Master, you should use more energy!" Tsubaki pleaded anxiously in Jin's mind.
Yet her creator ignored her.
An unusual act that Jin had never shown since his arrival in this world. Unconsciously, worry began to spread in Tsubaki's heart.
Had she been judged useless?
Did Jin no longer want her?
Had she disappointed him too?
This kind of phrase spread through the weapon's mind as images of her "childhood" resurfaced in her memory.
Tsubaki was losing confidence in herself.
"Tsubaki…" Jin pronounced in a calm tone while once again being wounded by his opponent's fist.
Tsubaki's complex almost awakened, but Jin's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Yes?!" she replied with a start.
"You're going to attack in three seconds with the strongest blow you can deliver," Jin declared without hiding his plan from Jiro.
"Uh…" Tsubaki let out after hearing her master's strange order.
"Pathetic! If the Gojo brat had trouble with you, then the bounty will be mine!" Jiro mocked while continuing to attack without caring about his defense.
Tsubaki was confused but decided to follow orders.
1
Jin blocked a punch, then took advantage of the opening to grab Jiro's collar and hurl him into the air to create distance with a kick placed in the man's stomach.
2
Immediately after, Jin's cursed energy intensified to the same level he had shown during his fight with Satoru.
He also pulled a flash bomb from his pocket.
3
"Useless—" Jiro's voice was interrupted by the burst of light Jin had just created.
The following events would shock any spectator, because Jiro's head was separated from his body.
Confusion was readable on his face, but he wasn't the only one perplexed.
Tsubaki had also attacked Jiro after Jin used the flash bomb.
However, the attack had caused no damage.
At that moment, several questions raced through the girl's mind.
A logical situation, because Jin hadn't had time to explain Jiro's technique to Tsubaki nor let her see the final scene of the fight with the flash bomb.
Tsubaki had attacked Jiro relying solely on the presence of his soul, thanks to her wavelength.
However, these thoughts were chased away by Jin.
"Thank you for trusting me, Tsubaki," he said while sketching a sincere smile.
Jin hadn't had time to explain to Tsubaki that Jiro could reverse the value of damage between lethal attacks and harmless ones.
He had to make the curse user believe he was going to deliver a massive attack, in order to finish him off with a simple ordinary katana strike.
That's what killed Jiro.
Blushing.
"N-no, it's just that… but it's… heheh…" Tsubaki lost the ability to speak properly after Jin's thanks.
Seeing her act so cutely pleased him, but Jin soon wore a disappointed expression while looking at Jiro's corpse.
'I lowered my cursed energy output to his level, but this guy lost the moment I decided to exploit my knowledge of his innate technique,' he thought while walking toward Jiro's soul.
Normally, Jin surpasses Jiro in every aspect. However, he wanted to experiment with a deathmatch against another Grade 1 sorcerer.
Unfortunately, Jiro hadn't been able to satisfy him.
"Master… do you want me to… eat him?" Tsubaki asked in a hesitant voice.
It was clear that the idea of devouring the soul of a person not on the shinigami's list didn't appeal to her.
Jin shook his head to deny Tsubaki's assumptions.
"No, I have a better idea," he said while making a hand gesture.
(Image)
"Domain Expansion: Causal Market," he said in a low voice.
The first time he opened his domain, Jin hadn't performed any specific signs.
This action could indeed be done that way, but it consumed an enormous amount of cursed energy.
Thus, he decided to include a few hand signs to lighten the burden.
The result was exceptional.
Immediately after performing the Taoist mudras, the duo found themselves facing the Goblin. The latter didn't seem surprised to see Jin again but cast a disapproving glance toward the soul in Tsubaki's hands.
"Do you really think this thing has as much value as your soul?" it declared in a displeased tone.
Tsubaki wanted to speak. However, Jin raised his hand to stop her.
Tsubaki pursed her lips reluctantly but decided to obey her master's order.
The latter walked toward the Goblin's stall with a calm step before stopping right in front of him.
"I already know it's ridiculous to hope to buy myself back with a soul of this quality," he began while observing the objects on the green creature's stall.
The Goblin sketched a disgusting smile while nodding.
"Exactly. You'd need at least a high-quality soul. Maybe if you bring me three of Sukuna's fingers, I'll consider closing the deal," the green creature declared.
Tsubaki frowned even more, but Jin didn't care much. He understood the Goblin's point of view, because the soul of a potential Special Grade cannot be redeemed with that of a Grade 1.
The request for three of Sukuna's fingers is reasonable.
"That's why I would like to trade this soul for an 'ordinary' person," Jin explained while staring into the creature's eyes.
A small silence settled between the two.
The idea of wanting a powerless person in exchange for a sorcerer's soul seems disadvantageous for Jin.
However, the Goblin knew deep down.
There are formidable people without power, because the world prefers to avoid giving them any.
Higuruma is one of them.
That's why the Goblin narrowed its eyes toward Jin for a moment.
His client clearly wanted to scam him, but the question was in what way Jin intended to scam him.
"A powerless person? Hehe… You really think I'm going to fall for this scam? Fine, whatever. Who do you desire?" the Goblin asked after a pause.
"You surely already know, but my wife loves leading me around by the nose," he said in a somewhat plaintive tone.
The Goblin wanted to tell Jin he wasn't there to listen to how messed up his life was.
But it decided to hold back.
"So, I've decided to have under me a man intelligent enough to handle things, but not strong enough to rebel," he finished explaining while adjusting his glasses.
The Goblin found himself nodding in understanding after listening to the single father's story.
"Hence my desire to obtain the man named Kiyotaka Ayanokōji," he finally expressed, revealing his goal.
But the Goblin's response was just as quick.
"No…"