"It's not that," Hayashi said as he looked at Gojo Satoru. "The attacks I used earlier were practically all my strength, but your 'Infinity' prevents me from causing any real damage, so I gave up on that method of attack."
This time, it was Gojo's turn to be surprised. He waved his hand nonchalantly, "Oh~ You actually know my technique? Where did you learn about it? Go ahead, tell me. I won't kill you. You don't have the aura of a curse, nor do you have the foul stench of a curse user. I'll just consider you an arrogant, rude junior who came here to eat dirt. Is that fair?"
"Hahaha, you're still as humorous as ever, but no matter what I say, it's pointless," Hayashi replied.
Before Hayashi could finish speaking, Gojo's figure appeared in front of him in an instant. Gojo grabbed Hayashi's face with one hand and twisted his body with an eerie fluidity, delivering a punch straight to Hayashi's stomach.
"Ugh!"
The punch hit Hayashi so hard that it left him stunned. He was sent flying, blood spurting from his mouth. That punch wasn't even a Black Flash—just a regular one.
It was too powerful. Hayashi was nearly knocked unconscious by the force, his vision almost fading to black. Fortunately, he quickly pressed his hand against his stomach and activated "Time Trace!"
In the next moment, the damage he had just taken was completely reversed, restoring him to his previous state.
Before Hayashi could react, Gojo descended from the sky with a brutal kick, driving Hayashi into the ground with even more force than the punch. The impact buried Hayashi in the dirt, his entire body feeling as if it had been shattered.
Enduring the intense pain, Hayashi used his time-flash technique to teleport 30 meters away, once again using "Time Trace" to quickly heal his injuries. In such a short time, Hayashi could recover with minimal cursed energy.
"A reversal technique?" Gojo muttered in surprise. Reversal techniques were common among special-grade curses, but rare among jujutsu sorcerers. Only a few at Jujutsu High could use it.
Yuta Okkotsu, Shoko Ieiri, and Arata Nitta were among those who could use it. However, the speed and efficiency with which Hayashi was able to heal himself with the reversal technique was something that shocked even Gojo.
"If I didn't have some strength, those two hits of yours would've killed me. Are you sure you're not trying to kill me?" Hayashi asked, genuinely puzzled. Gojo had said he wouldn't kill him, yet his blows had been powerful enough to make Hayashi feel like Gojo was treating him like a curse spirit.
"Sorry about that. You're a bit special, so you need special treatment," Gojo replied, his interest in Hayashi only growing.
Hayashi, on the other hand, had no intention of engaging in any more close combat with Gojo. After being beaten so badly twice, he wasn't going to risk getting hit again unless he was out of his mind.
"It's nice here, though. I can freely use moves I wouldn't normally dare use and fight people I wouldn't normally get to fight. It's thrilling," Hayashi suddenly laughed. He quickly moved his hands, one passing through the other, his fist suddenly opening.
Gojo's eyebrow twitched. "Could it be…?"
"Domain Expansion—Amaterasu Tsukikage!"
A pitch-black boundary instantly spread out, enveloping the sky above both Hayashi and Gojo.
The enormous sun and moon appeared, the surrounding space vast and starry, as if they were standing in the middle of the cosmos.
Gojo looked down at his feet, noticing the flickering points of light beneath him. In front of him stood Hayashi, with a blazing sun at his back, while behind Gojo hung a bright moon.
"Not bad, not bad at all!" Gojo exclaimed, not in the least bit worried. Instead, he laughed and clapped his hands. "For someone your age to open a domain is already impressive, but it seems your domain is quite unique. I can feel a threat here, but it seems like your domain isn't fully developed yet?"
"You're right," Hayashi admitted. "This is the most basic form of my domain. If I continue to improve, it'll reach a higher level."
Hayashi had only wanted to test if he could land a hit on Gojo within his domain—assuming Gojo didn't open his own domain in response.
"You're really impressive. Can you tell me your name?" Gojo asked, giving Hayashi an approving smile.
"Hayashi," he responded.
"Hayashi, huh? A good name, just like you."
After complimenting him, Gojo began to sense the changes in the domain. It felt as if his movements were being slowed, as though he were trapped in quicksand, finding it difficult to move freely.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if all things had gone dormant. The sensation was familiar but not quite the same.
With a wave of his hand, the sun behind Hayashi and the moon behind Gojo emitted a powerful, blinding light. The two forces clashed, sending an invisible shockwave toward Gojo.
But Gojo remained unfazed. The immense power of the sun and moon was suddenly halted by another invisible force around him, stopping it in its tracks. No matter how hard it pushed, it couldn't break through to Gojo.
Gojo stood, untouched, behind what seemed to be an impenetrable barrier. Even within Hayashi's domain, Gojo was unaffected.
As expected of Gojo Satoru, Hayashi thought. In his domain, Gojo remained unscathed. Every other opponent Hayashi had faced in his domain had died, but Gojo was different.
Though Hayashi's domain ensured a guaranteed hit, he wondered if it could actually bypass Gojo's "Infinity."
"Azure Black Flash!" Hayashi shouted, punching out a strike imbued with the power of Azure Black Flash. The azure-black fist traveled the distance, seemingly in the sky yet arriving in front of Gojo in an instant.
But Gojo merely sidestepped the attack, avoiding it effortlessly. Hayashi was stunned—Gojo was standing within the part of the domain where everything should slow down. How could he move so fast?
"Domains differ in strength. Yours can't fully restrict my power. Maybe you don't understand, but the truth is, your domain has little effect on me," Gojo explained.
Hayashi felt a tinge of defeat. His domain had already killed two special-grade curse spirits that could use domains. But in front of Gojo, it seemed almost insignificant.
Still, Hayashi knew his domain was still developing. As he grew stronger, so would his domain. He was confident that one day, when he unlocked his ultimate form, the Divine Eclipse, Gojo wouldn't be able to take it lightly.
Sure, Gojo was a bug, a cheat in the system. But who said Hayashi wasn't one too?
"You might not fully understand, so let me show you instead," Gojo said, bringing his hands together and calmly announcing:
"Domain Expansion—Unlimited Void!"
In an instant, a white boundary overtook Hayashi's Amaterasu Tsukikage domain. Hayashi's expression changed drastically.
Without a second thought, he exited the mirror world immediately.
There was no way he was going to face Gojo's domain. He had experienced it once before, and he knew exactly what it felt like.
That time, Gojo had targeted Jogo, not him. If Gojo had aimed it at him, it would've been a completely different experience, one that Hayashi had no intention of enduring.
Just as Gojo's Umlimited Void finished expanding, Hayashi vanished from the scene, leaving behind not even the faintest trace of his presence.
Hayashi reappeared in the real world, drenched in cold sweat. He rushed to the bathroom and splashed water on his face to calm down.
Returning to his room, Hayashi glanced at the timer on his desk. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Despite spending what felt like a long time in the mirror world, only one second had passed in the real world.
Excluding the time it took to wash his face, it was as if time had paused while he was in the mirror world. This realization filled him with joy, as it was almost like stopping time.
However, what didn't make him happy was losing 20 points.
Entering the mirror world cost 10 points, and exiting it cost another 10. At least he hadn't been killed; that would've cost 100 points.
With only 30 points left, Hayashi knew he couldn't afford to keep using the mirror world inside the school. He had to venture out. Otherwise, if he kept encountering Gojo every time he entered the mirror world, he wouldn't stand a chance.