Curse Technique.
A very advanced form of cursed energy manipulation, refined to such a level that it can only be performed by certain individuals who develop a technique around it.
Of course, it wasn't voluntary. It happened on its own. Luck and blood determined whether someone possessed a cursed technique or lacked one entirely. Most Jujutsu Sorcerers did not possess a technique, and the true potential of a sorcerer was often determined by the technique they developed.
Some techniques were inherited from generation to generation. This was especially apparent in the great Jujutsu clans like the Zenin, Kamo, and Gojo.
However, there were also those who developed their techniques without any inheritance.
And it was clear that I was one of them.
But there was a difference.
My technique was different from most techniques I could remember from those fragmented memories. Unlike most techniques, this one wasn't a standalone ability. If anything, most modern sorcerers, upon facing a technique like this, would likely give up immediately—simply because of what Jujutsu had become in this era.
A Domain.
A technique that used to be casual during the height of the golden era of Jujutsu had now become the arsenal of only a few outstanding sorcerers because of how modern Jujutsu Sorcery had evolved.
Nowadays, a Domain had become an instant-kill, sure-win weapon—unlike what it used to be in the past.
So even I was surprised when I found myself calling out the same words I had always imagined saying after watching Jujutsu Kaisen.
"Domain Expansion… Death Trade."
A bright smile spread across my face as my mind tensed under the overwhelming pressure of opening my Domain.
A barrier erupted around me, filled with my own cursed energy and imbued with my cursed technique.
This was the highest form of Jujutsu, second only to Reverse Cursed Technique.
The entire second underground floor visible to me—along with every curse spirit present—was engulfed by the barrier of my Domain.
And the moment the barrier closed, the sure-hit effect of my Domain activated.
As for my technique?
It was right there in the name.
Death Trade.
A technique that allowed me to place trades upon myself or others.
Unlike most cursed techniques, I could only use it inside my Domain. It was completely domain-based.
The moment my Domain fully established itself, anything within the barrier that possessed cursed energy became subject to my trade through the sure-hit effect.
As for the trade…
"You guys want to fight me?"
"Fine."
"I won't run anymore."
"And in return… come at me one by one."
"I'll fight all of you."
The trade took effect.
I would fight them all.
There would be no running away.
But every fight would be one-on-one.
The Domain's effect activated immediately.
All the curse spirits rushing toward me froze mid-motion as if time itself had stopped for them.
They remained locked in place.
But not all of them.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed movement.
One curse spirit was still moving—and it was coming straight at me.
The same centipede curse spirit that had blocked my escape earlier.
I took a long breath and exhaled slowly.
This was the trade of my technique.
Not the trade I had declared inside the Domain—that was different.
This was the natural trade of domain-based techniques in general. They were usually non-lethal compared to Domains like Unlimited Void or Shrine.
But that also made them easier to execute.
They required far less cursed energy.
And they placed far less mental strain on the user.
Still, I had to fight my way through this.
There was no other way out.
At least now I would be fighting them one at a time.
Cursed energy flared around my body.
A Domain had many functions.
Aside from guaranteeing the sure-hit effect of a technique, it also trapped targets inside its barrier so they couldn't escape—and it granted the user a boost of 120%.
I was already experiencing the boost from Black Flash, and now it stacked with the Domain's enhancement.
Right now, I was arguably in the best possible condition to fight.
If I failed even in this state…
Then I was simply meant to die here.
With my focus sharpened, I rushed toward the centipede curse spirit with all my fury.
I was ready to dismantle the damn thing for what it had done earlier.
The centipede lunged first.
Eager to devour the human standing before it.
Its long segmented body scraped across the floor of my Domain while hundreds of hooked legs clattered like blades.
The creature was easily twice my height when it reared up, its pale body twitching while rows of jagged mandibles clicked hungrily.
I barely had time to think.
The curse struck.
A blur of chitin and teeth shot toward me.
Instinct alone made me throw myself sideways.
The mandibles snapped shut exactly where my head had been a moment earlier.
I crashed onto the ground and rolled clumsily.
It wasn't graceful.
There was no hint of skill in my movements.
Fragmented as my memories were, I was certain there was nothing in them suggesting that I had ever been a fighter.
At least my body didn't feel like one.
My movements lacked the grace of a veteran who had survived countless life-and-death battles.
No.
Mine were simply desperate.
I pushed myself up, my heart hammering.
The centipede twisted around with unnatural speed and rushed at me again, its body slithering across the Domain floor like a living whip.
I tried to punch it.
The strike landed poorly against the creature's armored shell.
Pain shot through my knuckles.
Even with cursed energy reinforcement, it hurt like hell.
The curse barely reacted.
A second later the centipede slammed into me and sent me skidding several meters across the ground.
The air exploded out of my lungs.
I coughed, forcing myself back to my feet.
Okay… not the hard shell. That won't work.
Target the underside.
I grimaced when I noticed the hundreds of legs beneath its body.
For a moment I almost considered attacking the shell again, but I knew better.
Even if I didn't fully understand it yet, I could feel something changing.
My technique was reinforcing me.
Strengthening my body.
Sharpening the flow of cursed energy within me.
Inside my Domain…
I was stronger.
The centipede lunged again.
This time I didn't retreat.
I stepped forward instead.
Its mandibles snapped toward my throat.
Instinctively, I raised my arm, cursed energy surging through the limb.
The jaws clamped down on my forearm.
Pain exploded through my nerves.
But I didn't pull away.
Instead, I grabbed the creature's head with my other hand.
Raw cursed energy poured through my palm.
It was the best I could do.
I didn't know how to shape it.
I didn't know how to control it properly either.
But I could force it.
And that was exactly what I intended to do.
I forced it out through sheer willpower.
The energy detonated between my fingers.
The centipede's head cracked with a sickening crunch.
Its body wrapped around me, hundreds of blade-like legs digging into my flesh as it tried to stop me.
But I didn't stop.
Pain screamed through my body.
Still, I kept crushing.
The creature thrashed violently across the Domain floor before finally collapsing in twitching coils.
I had literally crushed its skull with my bare hands.
Silence followed.
I stood there panting, bloodied and shaking.
Then the corpse dissolved into black ash.
I… won?
The thought wasn't a statement.
It sounded more like a question.
As if I expected the monster to come back to life any second.
I stared at my trembling hands.
That actually worked.
I was surprised my impulsive, instinctive action had succeeded.
Around me, hundreds of frozen curses remained locked in place across the Domain, waiting.
And just as the first curse spirit died, the contract of the trade activated.
Another frozen curse spirit began to move.
One by one.
I was supposed to fight all of them.
The realization was almost terrifying.
I swallowed.
Still, even in this situation, there was hope.
My Domain was called Death Trade for a reason.
But that part would come later.
For now…
I had to earn my living.
Literally.
"Next."
The world shifted.
The frozen sea of monsters remained motionless.
But one of them began to move.
A tall, twisted humanoid curse peeled itself free from the stillness.
Its body bent at impossible angles, its limbs dragging across the floor like a broken puppet.
I clenched my teeth.
This was going to be a long fight.