Jujutsu Kaisen: Megumi — Chapter 14 - The True Pebble

The first to seize the center of the entire battle was the Hollow Wicker Basket deployed by Megumi and Hajime Kashimo.

A crimson net array lit up beneath both their feet simultaneously, like two blood-red full moons rising from the ground. The patterns interweaved, entangled, converged, and in an instant coalesced into two perfectly round spheres, encasing Megumi and Hajime Kashimo each within one.

The boundary of each sphere was crisp and distinct, sealing the two of them off from the battlefield entirely.

A quiet space, independent of the battle around them.

Under this protection, they could temporarily neutralize the Domain's sure-hit effect.

"This isn't right."

Hajime Kashimo, the Jujutsu Doctor, was the first to sense something off.

He looked down at the crimson sphere wrapped tight around him, brow creasing deeper and deeper.

"Everyone already knows we're from Parallel Worlds — so why are we still pretending to be local?"

"What's the point of opening a basket!"

"If the Kashimo next door sees this, he'll think I can't even open a Domain!"

He ground his teeth, the muscles in his cheeks pulsing.

It was painfully obvious he was deeply displeased with deploying the basket.

"A basket is a basket, and a Domain is a Domain!"

"Don't think knowing the basket means you know the Domain!"

"I refuse to open this wretched basket ever again!"

"Megumi, let's bring out everything we've got and blow them away!"

Lightning crackled. Hajime Kashimo's cursed energy spilled endlessly into the air around him, as though he could no longer hold back his hunger for a real fight. Purple arcs of electricity coiled around his body, illuminating the inner walls of the Hollow Wicker Basket with blinding light, as if he'd burst through the sphere at any moment.

"No, no, no. Being unable to open a Domain and fight is, without a doubt, infuriating."

Megumi extended a single knuckle, held upright before him, halting Hajime Kashimo's stance just as he was about to detonate.

"As the Jujutsu Doctor, haven't you predicted it yet?"

Watching Megumi's resolute gaze, Hajime Kashimo thought fast. His eyes locked onto that single raised knuckle, representing one.

One knuckle. What did it mean? What factor had been overlooked?

The Jujutsu Doctor began his prediction.

And then it hit him all at once.

"There's still that Sukuna who can cross through Parallel Worlds..."

"Correct."

Megumi spoke calmly.

"No matter what, we need to preserve a certain amount of strength."

After all, they'd come here with a mission. They couldn't afford to act too freely.

But such a magnificent feast lay right before their eyes.

How could there be any reason not to watch?

Megumi said: "Come on! Let's open the basket and watch the fight a while first!"

Kashimo said: "A very sound perspective!"

At the sight of the two spheres jutting boldly up from the ground, everyone who had deployed Domains and techniques was instantly sent into a frenzy.

"My god, there are two Hollow Wicker Baskets!"

"That means we don't have to worry about catching Megumi in the crossfire!"

The three women looked at one another. Their gazes met in the air, sparking a strange and wordless understanding.

The surge of cursed energy doubled again. The very air trembled.

"Then there's no need to hold back anymore!"

"Threefold Affliction!"

"Wakeikazuchi Takemikazuchi!"

"Jacob's Ladder!"

Three voices rang out at nearly the same instant, like the opening chord of a trio, announcing that the movement had officially reached its climax.

First, two pitch-black Domain boundaries collided and produced the initial shockwave.

Two completely different Domains, like fire and water that could never mix, like the dividing line of a canyon, at the point of collision they sent ripples of cursed energy cascading outward in wave after wave. Surging fragments of cursed energy battered against each other without pause. Every collision erupted in dazzling sparks and ear-splitting booms, the shockwaves spreading outward ring by ring, warping the air in every direction.

It held, endlessly. One advanced as the other faded; one receded as the other swelled. No victor emerged. Neither could overcome the other. Arms shook, sweat flew, but neither side yielded a single step.

Meanwhile, Hana Kurusu had no Domain. Instead, Jacob's Ladder carved out an Infinity range comparable to the Hollow Wicker Basket.

Beneath that heavenly light, all techniques dissolved.

Golden radiance poured outward, dispersing the surrounding darkness and smoke. Any Domain attack-lock targeting Hana Kurusu would be dissolved by the light of Jacob's Ladder before it could land.

The drawback, however, was that Hana Kurusu could not take the offensive. Without charging up, Jacob's Ladder's range could only extend to the immediate surroundings.

So Hana Kurusu held at the edge of the battlefield, watching and waiting.

Golden wings shimmered in the sunlight. Sharp eyes locked onto the battle below. Moving continuously through the high air, adjusting for the best vantage angle, waiting for the ideal moment to dive.

"Then I'll kill you first!"

"You're the challenger!"

Once it was clear Hana Kurusu posed no immediate threat, Kashimo I and Tsumiki both moved to prioritize each other.

With the two Domains locked in mutual opposition, the sure-hit effect was momentarily unable to activate.

"In that case, I'll use the True Sphere's pull to aim for you!"

Tsumiki drove the True Sphere with bare hands.

The right hand spread wide, palm facing upward. A jet-black sphere rose slowly from the center of that palm, growing larger and larger. It had no concept of contact with the ground, hovering at Tsumiki's side like a black hole, faithful as a devoted guard. Slowly rotating. Its edges devoured the surrounding light, distorting the scenery around it to a visible degree.

At the command of its master's hand, in an instant it became a streak of black shadow, shooting directly toward the slender figure of Kashimo I.

Wherever the True Sphere passed, the air churned into vortices, sweeping up the dust from the ground and leaving a grey trail behind.

The sure-hit was gone.

But Tsumiki had still gained a 120% cursed energy amplification. That was the gift Domain Expansion provided, even with the sure-hit negated, the power boost remained. The True Sphere's speed climbed even further, catching up to Kashimo I in nearly an instant.

Like a meteor falling from the sky, carrying unstoppable momentum — about to make contact.

Kashimo I was not to be outdone. Fingertip as conductor, from above straight down, a heavenly thunderbolt descended. A thick pillar of lightning pierced through the body, merging that figure entirely into the electric light.

"If I can't lock onto you — can't I just lock onto myself?"

In the split second before the True Sphere struck, lightning flashed. Kashimo I's silhouette vanished as if teleporting, leaving only a blue-white afterimage in place. The True Sphere blasted clean through it.

The next second, Kashimo I had already appeared directly in front of Tsumiki's face, before Tsumiki even had time to react.

A long trail of lightning stretched out behind, like the tail of a comet, leaving a luminous mark in the air that refused to fade.

The fingernail tip, sharpened into the edge of a blade, hovered right before Tsumiki's face.

The airflow from the high-speed approach blew Tsumiki's hair back, revealing pupils that had widened slightly in surprise.

Kashimo I used this as provocation, formally declaring that the battle to claim Megumi had entered its most intense stage.

"Mythical Amber Beast!"

CRACK!

Transformed into living lightning, Kashimo I had already surpassed human limits. And to the sound of Tsumiki's sharp click of the tongue, a thrust of those fingernails tore the battlefield wide open.

➤ Next: Big Is Right