The surface of the wooden gavel in Higuruma Hiromi's hand was covered with a dense layer of Cursed Energy. He exerted force with his legs, lunging forward, and swung the gavel in his right hand down toward Yuji's shoulder.
Yuji's reaction was extremely fast. Having no Cursed Energy for defense, he could only rely on his physical strength to dodge. He took a step back with his left foot and tilted his body to the right.
The gavel grazed his left arm and fell, smashing into the wooden floor of the lounge. The floorboards instantly shattered, and wood chips flew everywhere.
Seizing the gap when Higuruma Hiromi's attack missed, Yuji clenched his right fist, kicked off the ground, and lunged forward, throwing a straight punch at Higuruma Hiromi's abdomen.
Higuruma Hiromi held his left hand across his abdomen, the surface of his palm covered in Cursed Energy.
The punch struck the palm.
A dull thud echoed.
Higuruma Hiromi's body retreated half a step, but he blocked the impact of the punch with his Cursed Energy defense.
Higuruma Hiromi commented, "Your physical fitness is quite astonishing. To be able to throw a punch with this much power after losing your Cursed Energy, you must have undergone extremely rigorous physical training previously."
Higuruma Hiromi twisted his wrist, and the handle of the wooden gavel suddenly lengthened, turning into a long staff. He gripped the staff with both hands and swung it horizontally toward Yuji's waist.
Yuji immediately ducked, and the staff swept over his head. He supported himself on the ground with his hands and kicked upward with his right leg, targeting Higuruma Hiromi's chin.
Higuruma Hiromi tilted his head back, dodging the strike. He retracted the long staff, and it shortened back into a gavel.
The two engaged in a high-intensity brawl within the lounge.
Yuji's stamina was constantly being consumed. Every punch he threw required mobilizing his entire muscle group, while Higuruma Hiromi relied on the enhancement of Cursed Energy, holding an absolute advantage in strength and endurance.
Higuruma Hiromi found the moment Yuji caught his breath and struck his left ribs fiercely with the gavel in his right hand.
Yuji let out a muffled groan and flew sideways to the right, crashing into the lounge wall. Cracks appeared in the wall, and he slid down to the ground, clutching his ribs and gasping for air.
"You can't win against me." Higuruma Hiromi walked up to Yuji and raised the gavel.
"Surrender your life, these are the rules of the Culling Game."
Yuji looked up at Higuruma Hiromi. "I can't die here. I need to use your hundred points to add a rule, I have to save my companions."
Higuruma Hiromi looked at him coldly. "Laws and rules will not change because of your personal emotions."
The gavel emitted a faint light under the shroud of Cursed Energy as Higuruma Hiromi prepared to deliver the final blow to Yuji.
Just as the gavel was about to fall—
Outside the walls of the lounge, an extremely terrifying energy fluctuation suddenly appeared. This energy lacked the evil and negative emotions of Cursed Energy. It was pure, immense, and cold, suppressing all the Cursed Energy flow within the theater.
Higuruma Hiromi's motion of swinging the gavel came to a dead stop in mid-air. He felt the surrounding gravity increase several times in that instant, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.
The sturdy double wooden doors of the lounge instantly turned into dust under the impact of an invisible force. Wood chips and dust swirled into the room.
Yamada retracted his extended right hand. He stepped into the lounge, his gaze locking onto Higuruma Hiromi, who stood before Yuji.
Toji and Megumi followed him into the room.
Seeing Yamada, Yuji's tense nerves relaxed. He leaned against the wall, panting heavily.
"Yamada-san."
Yamada glanced at him. "You can't even beat a third-rate Sorcerer who changed careers halfway through. After we go back, double your physical training."
Yuji lowered his head, not arguing.
Higuruma Hiromi turned to face Yamada. He looked at the black-haired young man who wasn't releasing any Cursed Energy, and his vigilance rose to the highest point.
"Who are you?" Higuruma Hiromi gripped his gavel tightly. "Are you also a participant in the Culling Game?"
Yamada did not answer his question, taking a step forward.
"You have two choices."
"First, use your hundred points to add a rule. Second, I'll crush your bones one by one and then force you to do so."
Higuruma Hiromi frowned.
He had been a lawyer before becoming a Jujutsu Sorcerer and had an almost obsessive pursuit of rules and order.
"I refuse." Higuruma Hiromi raised his gavel.
"You are breaking the rules. Since you are also participants, then accept judgment."
Higuruma Hiromi formed hand seals, and the Cursed Energy in his body surged out rapidly.
"Domain Expansion: Deadly Sentencing!"
The black spatial barrier expanded instantly, enveloping Yamada, Toji, Megumi, and Yuji.
The surrounding environment once again turned into that solemn and dignified courtroom.
Higuruma Hiromi stood at the prosecutor's desk, and the shikigami "The Judge" floated in mid-air.
"Within my domain, all acts of violence are prohibited. Anyone who violates the order of the court will be severely punished." Higuruma Hiromi announced the absolute rule of the domain.
He looked at Yamada standing below. "Now, the trial begins."
Yamada stood in the center of the courtroom. He didn't look at The Judge floating in the air, nor did he pay any attention to Higuruma Hiromi standing on high.
He raised his left hand. In his left eye, six black tomoe settled within the pale purple concentric ripples.
"Your so-called rules are ineffective against me."
Yamada's fingers splayed open, his palm aimed at Higuruma Hiromi on the high platform and the giant shikigami.
Shinra Tensei!
A repulsive force field erupted forward, starting from Yamada's palm. This repulsive force did not belong to the Cursed Energy system, it was pure physical repulsion. The domain's rules could not impose constraints on energy that did not belong to Cursed Energy.
The repulsive force field struck The Judge directly. The shikigami didn't even make a sound before being crushed into a cloud of dissipating Cursed Energy powder under this irresistible force.
The repulsion continued forward, striking the wooden high platform of the courtroom and Higuruma Hiromi's body.
Higuruma Hiromi's body was forcibly blown backward by this force. He tried to fix his feet with Cursed Energy, but the wooden floorboards were uprooted by the repulsion.
He crashed into the black spatial barrier at the edge of the domain.
The impact of the repulsion did not stop. It acted directly on the spatial barrier that constituted the domain. Dense cracks appeared on the black spatial barrier. The cracks expanded rapidly, making a sound similar to glass shattering.
The next second, the entire courtroom space collapsed. The domain's barrier turned into countless black fragments and dissipated in the air.
The surrounding environment returned once more to the lounge on the theater's second floor.
Higuruma Hiromi fell into a corner of the lounge, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His domain had been forcibly shattered by physical force, and his Cursed Technique suffered a severe backlash.
A sharp pain radiated from inside his brain, and the Cursed Energy in his body fell into a state of extreme disorder.
He looked up, staring at Yamada, who stood in place, in shock.
The opponent hadn't used Cursed Energy, hadn't formed hand seals, and hadn't chanted any incantations.
Just by raising a hand, he had destroyed his domain.
"This doesn't conform to the rules of Jujutsu at all." Higuruma Hiromi struggled to wipe the blood from the corner of his lips.
Yamada lowered his left hand and walked up to Higuruma Hiromi. "I told you, your rules are ineffective against me."
Yamada looked down at him from above. "Now, your domain is gone, and your shikigami is gone. Do you still want to continue your trial?"
Higuruma Hiromi leaned against the wall. He was a lawyer who pursued absolute justice, but when faced with this completely unreasonable and absolute power, he found that all the logic he had built on the foundation of his technique had lost its meaning.
"What exactly do you want to do?" Higuruma Hiromi gave up his resistance.
Megumi stepped forward and looked at Higuruma Hiromi. "We need your hundred points. Add a rule to allow Players within the Culling Game's colonies to leave."
After hearing Megumi's words, Higuruma Hiromi fell silent for a moment. He had killed many people in this colony because he believed they had violated the law and destroyed order. But deep down, he was still weary of meaningless slaughter.
"You're doing this to save people." Higuruma Hiromi judged.
He summoned the system shikigami, Kogane. "Kogane. Use a hundred points to add a new rule."
Kogane flickered in mid-air. "Please state the content of the rule you wish to add."
"Allow players to leave the Culling Game at the cost of 100 points."
Kogane's mechanical voice rang out. "Rule confirmed. Broadcasting throughout all colonies."
A moment later, all participants within the colonies received a notification of the new rule's addition.