"Ha, what's this... Blood Manipulation, is it!" He touched his face and realized his nose was bleeding, yet Hakari Kinji only grew more excited. "And there's some trick to it I've never seen before... kah!"
Why was he so worked up right now?
Because from the very moment he first laid eyes on the girl, he had already felt the thrill rising out of the threat of death.
No one likes danger, and Hakari Kinji was no exception. But whether something is exhilarating and whether you like it are two different matters. It was precisely because he loathed it that he could feel exhilarated.
Will I die? Or—will I win? The blood of a gambler was boiling.
Compared to this surge of fervor, the attack his soul had just taken counted for next to nothing.
Hakari Kinji didn't break stride just because the [Straw Doll Technique] had wounded him; on the contrary, he charged forward in even bigger strides.
"But is that all there is to your [danger]?"
The man swung his fist down, coarse Cursed Energy wrapping around his arm like a pair of brass knuckles he'd been born wearing. "If this is all you've got, you really are a disappointment to me!"
The [Straw Doll Technique]'s attack can unconditionally inflict damage upon a person's soul. It can't be defended against, can't be dodged—but as for actual killing power, it isn't really as thorough as [Piercing Blood], much less as broken as [Idle Transfiguration].
If it had been Nobara striking Hakari Kinji, she absolutely would not have been able to hurt him. The reason Mahiru's attack just now was so devastatingly effective was, in large part, because of the girl's own raw strength.
And also because of the high multiplier of Blood Manipulation itself.
Hakari Kinji felt that the blow just now had set his five organs and six viscera screaming in agony—but as far as "something that makes him feel the threat of death" went, that still wasn't quite up to the mark.
It isn't this! It's not this at all!
The thing that makes me sweat down my back in fear—it isn't this!
Because this thing can't kill me!
If this is the only thing you possess... then, you nameless monster, the one who dies will be you!
"Damn it! I'm really going to be late..."
The male lead in the performance bowed his head and scratched it in frustration, while the female lead on the opposite platform boarded the train across the way. Their chance encounter had failed, and the golden-preview jackpot draw was declared a bust.
Hakari Kinji slammed a fist into Mahiru's arm, an air-bursting crack rang out, forcibly blocked by the girl's "Blood Armor."
The man pointed both hands skyward once more: "Again! Riichi!"
A red subway door appeared.
"I can already feel it!" he roared with laughter. "Here it comes!"
Mahiru raised an eyebrow.
Every performance, every train door, was a Riichi. And the jackpot odds of this extremely rare red-door Riichi could only be called mediocre.
A gambling dog always makes a big fuss whenever he's hoping to hit the jackpot—utterly useless.
Still, she really was a little infected by her opponent's fervor.
"How many people have gone bankrupt with the exact same mindset as you?" the girl chuckled, a crimson drop of blood appearing between her two cupped palms. "If you've really got what it takes, then hit the jackpot and show me."
Because she'd been infected by her opponent's fervor, she too found herself looking forward to him hitting the jackpot.
The girl pressed her hands together and unleashed [Piercing Blood].
A crimson ray streaked across the space of the Domain, arriving in an instant. Hakari Kinji's shoulder was pierced through; gritting his teeth and grinning, he sprinted off to the side, shaking off the pursuit of [Piercing Blood], then closed in once again and swung his fist at the girl.
Mahiru activated "Flowing Red Scale," instantly boosting her body's speed and strength, dodged Hakari Kinji's attack, and in the same motion backhanded him flying.
At the same time, Hakari Kinji's jackpot draw failed once again.
"If your luck's this bad, you shouldn't be gambling!" Mahiru laughed, as her backhanded [Joined Hairpin] spear came down to the ground again.
Blood burst from Hakari Kinji's chest.
Itadori pressed in close, trying to pin Hakari Kinji down with a grappling technique, only to be dodged and backhanded flying.
Mahiru struck out with Piercing Blood once more; Hakari Kinji dodged again—this time, because he'd prepared for it in advance, he barely managed to evade.
But things were looking grim: the man's movements had already begun to slow.
The blood-poison within Mahiru's Blood Manipulation had already started to take effect, and his movements were beginning to grow sluggish.
The two faced off for the moment. Hakari Kinji panted heavily, the fervor on his face fading a little, leaving him looking somewhat haggard.
"Is your luck always this lousy?" Mahiru asked with a smile.
"Phew... you'd better come at me for your next strike with the resolve to kill me." The exhausted Hakari Kinji looked at Mahiru, beads of sweat all over his face as he broke into a smile.
In fact, although the odds of hitting the jackpot on each draw were only 1 in 239, Hakari Kinji—whether through sheer dumb luck or by some means, who knew—could guarantee that within 30 tries he would absolutely land the grand prize.
But against an enemy like Mahiru, one capable of finishing him off within the span of those 30 tries, his pity-timer guarantee meant nothing at all.
And so, this [Idle Death Gamble] had become a true life-or-death wager.
And this time, Hakari Kinji's luck really did seem to be a bit off.
"You're still talking big even now?" Mahiru's hand made the [Piercing Blood] stance once more, smiling. "Just like those people who, before every single bet, console themselves saying 'the next one's bound to hit'… besides fooling themselves, what good does it do?"
Clatter, clatter, clatter—— A subway came rolling in from the distance.
The male lead boarded the train. This was another Riichi. This Riichi's jackpot odds were higher than the "running late, catching the train" one, but far lower than the "golden door" Hakari Kinji had rolled earlier.
Gold—that was a preview with an eighty-percent jackpot expectation value—in a case like that, Hakari Kinji failing to hit was the low-probability event.
But he still didn't hit.
If he couldn't even hit that, then how could he keep praying that an even-lower-probability "Riichi" would land?
If this were the original work, he'd probably have hit the jackpot long ago.
But this time, Hakari Kinji's luck was clearly at the lowest trough of his life.
The subway slowly began to move, and the scenery of the Domain shifted to the interior of the train car.
"Honestly, I'd actually advise you to go find a spot and do your draws somewhere by yourself before a fight, and only come fight once you've hit..." Mahiru sighed, somewhat disappointed; she felt that this time she wouldn't get to see Hakari Kinji's complete form. "Though it's not your fault you can't beat me—after all, you're completely countered by me..."
"Shh..." Hakari Kinji closed his eyes and raised a finger before his lips, cutting off his opponent's words and silencing Mahiru. "When I told you to attack me 'carrying killing intent'... that wasn't talking big. Quite the opposite—I was [begging] you."
"[Begging] me? Begging me to go for the kill against you?"
Mm... [begging] you. Owing to the rule quirk of the "pachinko" game: if the previous draw landed the grand prize, then the next time he opens his Domain, Hakari Kinji will enter a "probability-surge" state—simply put, his jackpot odds skyrocket.
So opening the Domain to draw first, waiting until he hits the jackpot, and then going to fight while carrying a whole pile of buffs—that is the correct way to use Hakari Kinji's ability.
Granted, this time Hakari Kinji had been ambushed by Mahiru... but in fact, even in the original work, on the occasions when Hakari Kinji had the chance to do this, he never really actively tried this approach.
Because... "I am sincerely [begging] you to harbor more killing intent toward me." Hakari Kinji kept his eyes closed, tilting his head back, both hands cupped at his ears as though listening for something. "Because... only a gamble like that has any [passion] to it."
Can a gamble you're guaranteed to win still be called gambling?
Is a life with no uncertainty really worth looking forward to?
No one likes being utterly defeated, no one likes dying with no place for their bones to be buried.
But in Hakari Kinji's eyes, if it meant he would "forever lack passion"... then he would rather ride a roller coaster for the rest of his life.
Tap, tap, tap.
It was the sound of high heels striking the ground.
The male lead in the pachinko story turned his head in a daze.
The beautiful female superior from his company, with long, straight black hair, had suddenly appeared right before him.
"What a coincidence." The female superior seemed a little surprised. Ding—— Ding—— Ding
Hakari Kinji kept his eyes shut, holding his listening pose, an expression of pure enjoyment breaking across his face: "——[It hit]."
BOOM!!!—— A magnificent surge of Cursed Energy, vast as mountains and seas, erupted toward the heavens, the scenery within the Domain washed over by countless jackpot animations.
Every wound on the man's body vanished entirely.
The rousing jackpot BGM resounded throughout heaven and earth. Hakari Kinji opened his eyes, his eyes flaring with brilliant light from the colossal volume of Cursed Energy.
"It hit!!!——"
The grand prize had arrived! Cursed Energy gushed forth!
After who-knows-how-many Riichis since Hakari Kinji opened his Domain, after Mahiru had demonstrated her absolute domination over him, he had successfully rolled the grand prize!
From this moment on, he would possess infinite Cursed Energy, his stats soaring wildly, along with a fully automatic "Reverse Cursed Technique" whose efficiency is the strongest in all of Jujutsu Kaisen!
The tide of battle had reversed!
Exhilarating beyond belief!
This was the victory of a gambling dog!
The man twisted his body to the BGM, leaping up into a dance out of sheer exhilaration.
"What is this?!" Itadori, sensing this terrifying Cursed Energy, was shocked to the utmost. Because he had never sensed such magnificent Cursed Energy from anyone other than Satoru Gojo.
The Hakari Kinji before him was a completely different person from before!
"Ha——" Mahiru, too, broke into a fervent smile. "Congratulations!"
She had finally witnessed Hakari Kinji after a jackpot.
Or rather, the whole city had witnessed it.
After a jackpot the Domain automatically dispels, and Hakari Kinji's beam of Cursed Energy shot straight through the clouds.
Everyone capable of perceiving Cursed Energy noticed this place.
"What is that?!"
"What powerful Cursed Energy..."
"What is that thing? Don't tell me that whatever-it-is, the strongest of the modern era, has come attacking..."
"This Cursed Energy..." Fushiguro was uncertain and alarmed. "Isn't this way too over-the-top?!"
That volume of Cursed Energy was utterly terrifying... and most importantly, the one it came from didn't cherish this Cursed Energy in the slightest, splashing this enormous Cursed Energy around as if wasting it.
As though this surge of Cursed Energy were merely a trifling tip of the iceberg, not worth a second thought.
"Now! Hahaha! The situation's reversed, baby!" Amid the tsunami of Cursed Energy, Hakari Kinji pointed both hands at himself. "Now, it's your turn... are you still going to keep drawing?!"
Hakari Kinji had already noticed that Mahiru no longer had any killing intent, so he was asking his opponent whether she still intended to keep fighting.
From his own point of view, if the girl's power was only what she'd shown so far... then now that he'd drawn the grand prize, he'd already declared victory.
Although the infinite Cursed Energy would be limited by his output ceiling, that magnificent Cursed Energy would still crush the absolute vast majority of enemies.
And the "automatic Reverse Cursed Technique" lasting 4 minutes and 11 seconds would make him an undying being.
Dripping with blood—healed in an instant.
Severed arm, severed leg—healed in an instant.
Poison would be healed, curses would be healed, unconsciousness would be healed; even if he lost consciousness, the infinite Cursed Energy would still loyally and automatically mend Hakari Kinji's body.
To kill him, you'd have to instantly destroy all of his brain or all of his Cursed Energy core.
Aside from Satoru Gojo, Hakari Kinji had to this day never encountered a single person who could pull that off during his grand-prize window.
He thought he'd won.
"Haha, it really is quite a spectacle." Mahiru laughed aloud, and facing the jackpot-rolling Hakari Kinji, she walked up to him with a smile. "If I could, I'd really love to learn your Technique too..."
The girl's long hair turned blue.
Her original appearance was revealed.
"But what a pity—I'm not all that fond of gambling..."
"Is that so!" Hakari Kinji understood Mahiru's meaning and, lowering his body, charged at her. "But I think you don't really mean it!"
Hakari Kinji's Cursed Energy already carried an attack-power bonus thanks to its coarseness, and under infinite Cursed Energy—if other people's magnificent Cursed Energy was a flood, then Hakari Kinji's Cursed Energy was a debris flow churning with rebar and concrete.
Wherever the Cursed Energy washed over, everything in its path was automatically pulverized.
"Aren't you feeling the [thrill] too?!" Hakari Kinji shouted with a grin. "Otherwise, why would you have waited for me to draw the grand prize?!"
"Oh, that?" Mahiru extended both hands, her Cursed Energy clashing head-on against Hakari Kinji's, and at the same time blinked and smiled. "So that's how I look in your eyes?"
It was true.
She really had been waiting for Hakari Kinji to draw the grand prize, because she wanted to see what Hakari Kinji looked like after a jackpot.
But take note—she did not like anything that "adds danger to herself."
She admitted that dancing on the edge of a cliff was thrilling, but she would never go asking for trouble.
Hakari Kinji, carrying his colossal Cursed Energy, had already charged right up to her and brought a fist down—like a truck swept along by a debris flow.
"Me, I just simply think that it makes no difference even if you do draw the grand prize." Mahiru smiled and extended a single hand to meet Hakari Kinji's fist.
"That's why I just let you draw to your heart's content." Smack.
Mahiru caught Hakari Kinji's fist. Riiip—— With a forceful yank, she tore Hakari Kinji's right arm clean off, shoulder and all.
Hakari Kinji's pupils contracted sharply. He felt that something was wrong, because he discovered that his arm was not being healed—his [undying body] had, unbelievably, stopped working.
And it was at this very moment that he finally realized just how familiar his opponent's face was.
"You're...?" Hakari Kinji's expression changed.
He didn't know what had recently happened over in Tokyo, but he had at least heard of that famous existence, the blue-haired girl.
Blue hair was, after all, a highly recognizable trait.
"...What's going on?" Hakari Kinji's pupils trembled. "My Reverse Cursed Technique..."
Mahiru laughed aloud, backhandedly seizing Hakari Kinji's shoulder and backhandedly slamming him into the ground: "Like I said—gambling is something you just can't rely on!"
Hakari Kinji felt his five organs and six viscera, along with his ribs, being crushed to powder by the girl's Cursed Energy.
Just like before, his [Reverse Cursed Technique] still wasn't working.
His pupils contracted, and he thoroughly felt the breath of death drawing near.
Only then did he understand why he had sensed the danger of death from his opponent from the very beginning.
But, why?
Why had his undying body stopped working?
It was only natural that Hakari Kinji didn't understand.
Because from beginning to end he never knew the most fundamental nature of Mahiru's Technique.
The Reverse Cursed Technique can mend wounds, can mend curses, can mend the effects of poison; even the technique burnout from a Domain Expansion can be repaired by borrowing the Reverse Cursed Technique.
But there is one thing alone—the wounds inflicted by Mahiru's [Idle Transfiguration] are something the Reverse Cursed Technique can never, ever repair.
Not even a little. Not at all.
Yes—the strongest Reverse Cursed Technique in the entire work, the most infuriating cheat, the one that can keep clinging on as long as he rolls the grand prize, Hakari Kinji—his most prided Domain, before Mahiru, meant nothing.
The Hakari Kinji who was extremely powerful in others' eyes was, in Mahiru's eyes... actually nothing at all.
____
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