Chapter 11. The Honored One
"I made it clear," Gojo reiterated, the atmosphere slowing down as if to acknowledge the weight of his words. "Even if they try to run, none of them will survive."
Most of the Generals began responding to the command, retreating back to their innate domains. The scene unfolded with a strange sense of order amidst the chaos they had created. The voice from within the cursed womb had instructed them to regroup and focus on defending their respective domains against the incoming invaders.
Rot and Decay were the first to reach the entrance to their domain, thus becoming the first to grasp the gravity of Gojo's promise before any other General.
Using teleportation, Gojo arrived before Rot and Decay in the blink of an eye, before the dual could enter the black and moldy mass that was the link between their domain and the Birth Chamber. The fight between Rot and Decay, and Gojo took exactly two seconds, before Gojo moved on to the next General.
However, to both Rot and Decay, this battle felt like it lasted an entire minute.
Rot, with his darker aura, and Decay, crowned with mushrooms and fungus, exchanged a knowing glance before they dared to attack the Honored One and get him out of their way.
Interlinked in their cursed forms, Rot and Decay wielded the same cursed technique, Exponential, albeit in different manifestations. Rot's portion accelerated decay in the surrounding area, transforming even the air into a corrosive agent, while Decay's power spread spores and fungi to further hasten the rotting process.
However, with the infusion of Divine energy, the Exponential Cursed Technique possessed an added dimension of potency.
Gojo's expression turned serious as he observed their cursed technique corroding and decaying the very essence of infinity itself, inching closer to harm him. It reminded him of Drool's technique, which had exhibited similar behavior.
However, since his confrontation with World Hunger, even the mightiest sorcerer of the modern era had been compelled to evolve. Gojo now possessed tricks that even he had never imagined needing.
As Rot and Decay's Exponential Cursed Technique continued to corrode and decay the essence of infinity around him, Gojo's expression shifted to one of intense focus. He could feel the oppressive weight of the Divine energy imbued in Exponential, threatening to decay and rot him.
However, Gojo remained calm and delved deep within himself, drawing upon his boundless reservoirs of cursed energy and beginning to compress them with the aim of matching the essence of Divine energy (highly condensed cursed energy).
"Infinite Reflection," Gojo intoned with commanding authority as he expounded on the concept of Infinity.
While fighting against Drool - a walking Black hole - Gojo had been forced to push his imagination beyond its limits, leading him to conceive of Infinite Reflection. This technique operated on the same principle of Infinity: harnessing the infinite nature of space-time to create an endless loop of energy.
When faced with the gravitational pull of a Drool or any other entity seeking to consume infinity, Gojo channeled the infinity around him as usual, but now with the added bolster of condensed cursed energy to enhance his protection. However, it also evolved into a kinetic field of defense and attack, due to the condensed nature.
Instead of attempting to resist or counteract Drool directly, Gojo had employed Infinite Reflection to create a barrier of infinitely repeating patterns of cursed energy. As the black hole's (Drool's) gravitational forces converged upon him, they would encounter an unyielding wall of infinite resistance, causing them to rebound and reflect back upon Drool in an endless cycle.
This process not only neutralized the threat posed by the black hole (Drool) but also transformed its own destructive power into a self-sustaining source of defense. The infinite loops of energy generated by Infinite Reflection created a feedback loop that continuously amplified and reinforced the protective barrier, rendering it impervious to even the most powerful and consistent assault.
Moreover, the boundless potential of Infinite Reflection extends beyond mere defense and attack, allowing Gojo to unleash devastating assaults with the ability to warp space-time and disrupt the very foundation of existence.
With Infinite Reflection unleashed upon them, Rot and Decay stood no chance of surviving their own Exponential Cursed technique reflected back upon them. Their bodies rotted and decayed exponentially under the onslaught of their own power, until they fully got exorcised.
"Compared to Drool, you're all just pipsqueaks," Gojo remarked, shifting his attention to the other Generals. "He was the most inexperienced, but he had the most powerful technique among all of you."
The next General that crossed paths with Gojo didn't last a second before being exorcised. Special grade or not, Gojo didn't appear concerned or curious. He was solely focused on preventing them from retreating back into their domains. And even if, by some chance, they managed to retreat, Gojo had vowed to himself that he would keep his promise.
"None of them will survive!" Gojo affirmed with a tone that whispered, 'at all costs!'
Skill merged with speed as Gojo moved within the chamber, with Generals falling in his path one after the other. Jamal watched, still unable to comprehend what was happening. He remained awe-struck, but safe, as no General paid him any attention. They were either focused on trying to stand their own against Gojo or doing their best to reach their innate domains before Gojo could catch up with them.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
However, amidst all the chaos, Jamal noticed a different kind of behavior from four generals. They didn't seem bothered by what was going on, and none of them made any move to retreat to their domains. Instead, they remained in position, observing their fellow generals getting slaughtered by the Honored One.
One in particular caught Jamal's eye, and Jamal couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't running. It was the malnutrition personified old man from earlier, the same one Jamal had silently laughed at for his appearance. But as Jamal stared at the old man, a sense of foreboding washed over him.
"His aura is intense," Jamal observed, feeling a chilling effect run through his body. "Just who is he?"
"Now is as good a time as any for a drink, boisson," came the nonchalant words of an unbothered Monsieur Withering, momentarily snapping Jamal out of his reverie. With quick steps and unplanned stumbles, Jamal sidestepped Monsieur Withering's reach, determined to continue his path towards the cursed womb.
Meanwhile, Gojo was still on the move, mercilessly and swiftly slaughtering special grade curses one after the other as if they were nothing to him.
"He seems to have grown even more powerful since our last encounter," one of the four unbothered Generals observed silently, their words catching the attention of another.
"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet, Saurorath?" the General who overheard interjected with ridicule, their voice a chorus of smaller voices. "He's nothing more than an insect that I could crush with my tiniest feet."
"Hey now," the 'malnutrition personified' 'old man' looking curse chimed in with a tone of dissent. "Gojo is mine to kill. Keep your stinking feet to yourself."
"You should be off somewhere playing games like Monsieur Withering, Grandpa Kwashiorkor," the General with a chorus of voices belittled the mace-wielding General. "I don't see why you were promoted to our levels by the Chosen One. You are weak."
After a brief silence of ponder and reflection, the curse, Saurorath interjected.
"Don't you know, Swam of Locusts," Saurorath addressed the General with the chorus of smaller voices. "that Grandpa Kwashiorkor here is a living legend."
"Four hundred years ago, nearly all members of the Malnutrition Family of Curses were killed by a Six-Eyed Gojo," Saurorath narrated. "Grandpa Kwashiorkor is the only remaining Curse of that Family."
Without 'feeling' Saurorath's narration, Swam of Locust countered, his cursed swam of locusts convulsing.
"I see how you would know that, Saurorath," Swam of Locust accepted. "You are ancient. After all, you came from the negative emotions of Dinosaurs."
"But being a survivor of a powerful family of curses doesn't necessarily make anyone strong," Swam of Locust continued with disdain. "Especially not Grandpa Kwashiorkor."
Grandpa Kwashiorkor bit his pale lower lips, evidently hiding his frustration at the Swam of Locusts. He then breathed gently.
"In this world, the family you come from determines your power," Grandpa Kwashiorkor defended with a calm, wise voice. "If you need enlightenment, look at all the Generals dressed in Divine that Gojo is exorcising with his bare fists like they were nothing. He is only capable of that because he is a Gojo."
Gojo expertly dispatched numerous curses, employing a variety of techniques, some of which had evolved because of World Hunger. However, despite his powerful abilities, he remained bound by the limitations of his mortal form and the constraints of space-time.
Although he possessed the potential to annihilate all the Generals with his full fledged Domain Expansion: Infinite Void, he refrained from unleashing his full power, mindful of Jamal's well-being and the need to maintain Jamal's composure. Gojo understood Jamal's importance more than anyone else.
Consequently, as a result of his refrain and constraints, several of the Generals managed to slip into their domains before Gojo could intercept them. He considered following them but deemed the Cursed Womb a higher priority. Once it was exorcised, he would ensure the escapees met their fate.
Moreover, four Generals stepped forward to confront him, radiating more Divine energy and power than the others had. These four were part of World Hunger's Six Finest, imbued with the purest form of Divine energy.
They were:
1. Sixth General Grandpa Kwashiorkor: The Last Living Curse of the Malnutrition Family.
2. Fifth General Monsieur Withering: Cursed Spirit of the Red Wine.
3. Fourth General Saurorath the Ancient: Cursed Spirit Originating from the Negative Emotions of Dinosaurs.
4. Third General Swarm of Locusts: Cursed Spirit of the Crop.
---patreon.com/cursedmillennial---
'The One' is a trilogy of chapters:
1. The Honored One ✓
2. The Chosen One - Next
3. Guess me
This trilogy marks the end of this arc and transitions the story to Jujutsu High. Did you love it?
Spoiler alert: Expect 'Suguru' soon.
Early Access in Patreon.com/cursedmillennial. Character art for Jamal and the Generals in Patreon for free. Please support me in any way (likes, comments...) and thank you.
A symbol to remind you there's more to see.