Jujutsu Kaisen Manga Chapter 171

   

 Summary:

As his fight against Reggie continues, Megumi finds his options increasingly limited. Megumi may only have one course of action left, relying on the power of her domain expansion!

Plot:

Megumi successfully casts her domain extension: Chimera Shadow Garden, trapping Reggie in her shadow. However, Reggie immediately activates an anti-domain technique, Hollow Wicker Basket. It is the predecessor of Simple Domain and works similarly, its task is to block invisible attacks. Reggie believes he has successfully protected himself until four toads emerge from the liquid shadow and wrap their tongues around both of his legs. Confused, Reggie doesn't understand how he was hit after using the Hollow Wicker Basket, not realizing that Megumi's domain is incomplete.

When Jogo and Hanami used domain amplification during the Shibuya incident against Satoru Gojo, they were able to include a technique that was sure to hit. However, by refraining from doing so, the Cursed Spirits were able to pour Satoru's Limitless Technique as a method of neutralizing it.

Hollow Wicker Basket and Simple Domain cannot achieve the same effect to directly neutralize cursed techniques. Instead, these techniques neutralize the domain barrier and nullify its guaranteed hit. Megumi turned the gym into her domain to forcefully close the barrier, so it doesn't include a guaranteed hit. In its current state, the Chimera Shadow Garden only serves to expand the potential of the Ten Shadow Technique to 120%.

This imperfection freaks Reggie out and Megumi notices the change in his expression. Megumi shows Reggie that she no longer sneers and upsets her opponents. Before Reggie can finish berating Megumi for being conceited, he is ambushed by two shadow clones of his opponent. Reggie can't dodge the barrage of hits due to the toad's tongues preventing him from moving. After being struck, Reggie retreats and summons combat knives to cut out the toads' tongues.

Free to move again, Reggie summons a machete and prepares to counterattack. However, Megumi's clone prevents Reggie from gaining any momentum by stepping out of his shadow and grabbing his leg. The clone then throws Reggie towards Megumi's main body, who is armed with her sword and already swinging. Reggie manages to block Megumi's cursed tool with his machete, but the other clone elbows him in the face during the exchange.

Badly crushed, Reggie realizes that Megumi's clones and shikigami took physical form before they hit him, and deduces that this domain is not guaranteed to hit. He narrowly defends the slash from Megumi and praises the increased function of his cursed technique, considering it worse than the deadly domain. Reggie realizes that if Megumi uses Max Elephant and showers him with water, he will lose the fight. Refusing to let this happen, Reggie activates his cursed technique and launches the receipts into the air overhead. Megumi attempts to destroy the receipts with Nue, but is too late to stop Contractual Re-Creation from activating.

The receipts will generate three cars that will drop into the shadow floor. Reggie understands that the entire domain is Megumi's shadow and notices that Megumi only held one cursed tool on it. He theorizes that this is because Megumi has to bear the weight of whatever is held in his shadow, and uses the cars to turn the conditions in the domain against Megumi. Now weighing about 2.4 tons, Megumi's clones disappear and he is immobilized while being forced to crouch.

Believing that Megumi might still be able to summon a shinigami, Reggie maintains his vigilance and plans to gain weight until his opponent is crushed. Despite his opponent about to finish him off, Megumi tells Reggie that he forgot something important. He reminds him that an incomplete domain is still a domain and there is shadow all around, including above them. Megumi suddenly conjures Max Elephant from the shadows above Reggie and the massive shinigami falls right on top of him. Turning their fight into a fight to carry as much weight as possible, Megumi remains confident and asks Reggie which one of them will be crushed first.