Jujutsu Kaisen: The Sorceress of Control

Sorry, I made a mistake and published chapter 16 before chapter 15

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Makima, already in her room, watched Rika for a few moments, who had quickly fallen asleep. The exhaustion was evident in her body; the recent burst of energy had been devastating both physically and mentally. Rika's cursed power is very dense... Makima thought. If she doesn't learn to refine her energy, each use will be counterproductive to her body. She recalled the bright pink flash Rika had unleashed, so intense and powerful. She had never read about a similar ability in any record. "It seems my intuition wasn't wrong," she murmured with a slight smile.

Suddenly, something outside the room caught her attention. The familiar energy of someone practicing called to her. Her again, she thought as she rose from her seat and headed outside.

Makima moved silently between the trees until she found Mai Zenin, who was practicing her aim with a small revolver. The night was calm, interrupted only by the echo of Mai's gunshots. Makima watched in silence from a distance for a few minutes. Something about Mai's technique caught her attention. She remembered Naoya once mentioning that his cousin's technique involved "creating" something, and the more she thought about it, the more it resembled her own technique, which she had called "Bang."

Finally, Makima approached, her presence cold and powerful, though not revealing her thoughts. Mai noticed her but didn't stop shooting.

"Use your technique without the gun," Makima ordered, her tone sharp and leaving no room for doubt.

Mai stopped, breathing heavily. "If I do it that way... I'll pass out," she said between gasps, trying to explain her limit. Her body was exhausted, and the pain only increased with each effort.

"Use it," Makima repeated, her gaze as sharp as a blade. It wasn't a suggestion or advice—just an order. Mai had no other choice.

With a mixture of fear and resignation, Mai raised her hand, setting the gun aside. She hesitated for a second, but Makima's look made it clear that there was no room for excuses. She pointed her finger at a nearby tree trunk, trying to channel the cursed energy as if she were still holding the gun. A faint flash barely grazed the trunk, leaving a minimal mark.

Her body collapsed to the ground, gasping and on the verge of collapse. She could barely move, feeling that her energy had completely drained.

Makima watched with wide eyes, her usually unflappable expression showing a spark of surprise, something extremely rare for her. What she had just witnessed wasn't insignificant. Mai could barely stand, and yet her technique bore an unsettling similarity to Makima's own.

How is this possible? she thought, confused for the first time in a long time. Without saying a word, Makima aimed at the same tree Mai had tried to damage. In a low but firm voice, she murmured, "Bang," and the trunk exploded into a thousand pieces, crashing down with a thunderous noise that echoed across the estate, alerting the residents. The branches scattered across the ground as the sound of destruction faded.

Mai stared in disbelief from the ground, her body trembling from exhaustion. How...? She couldn't understand how her cousin, Makima, had used something so similar to her own technique, but with devastating power.

Makima, with her hands clenched into fists, noticed something strange. A small metallic thread began to form between her fingers, glinting faintly under the moonlight. She observed the thread closely, realizing it was made of pure cursed energy. This... she thought as confusion overtook her mind. No record of her technique mentioned anything like this. Control, command, dominance... the Chains of Attack and Control. But this is... something more.

Her invisible force, which she had always thought only expelled cursed energy, was far more complex than she had imagined. Makima looked at Mai, who was just as surprised and confused. How is it possible that our abilities are so similar?

Before she could fully process the situation, a golden chain formed out of nowhere, extending from her hand to Mai's head. Without warning, the chain embedded itself deeply in Mai's mind, connecting them in a way Makima had only experienced with those under her control.

Mai froze, her eyes wide open, and for a brief moment, Makima felt that something had changed. Mai was now under her control, but in a different way than she had manipulated Rika. The connection was more tenuous, less absolute. I don't understand... Makima thought, trying to rationalize what was happening.

She looked at Mai, who, still gasping on the ground, barely seemed aware of what was going on. Makima, normally so sure of herself, was now lost in her thoughts, unable to fully grasp the meaning of this new power. The chains, the control, the manipulation of invisible force... it all seemed more complex than she had imagined. Could her technique always have had greater potential, one she was only now beginning to unlock?

Makima stood still, watching as the golden chain slowly faded from Mai's head. Confusion clouded her mind, an unusual sensation for someone like her, accustomed to having absolute control. This new power, a manifestation she had never anticipated, was both fascinating and unsettling. She had always exercised total dominance over her technique, but this was different. It was power hiding within power, an unexpected revelation.

As she looked at Mai, panting and exhausted on the ground, Makima began to reflect. "Is it possible there's more?" She raised her hand, observing the faint golden glow still vibrating in the air. She already had a theory—her technique wasn't just about control, but something deeper, something that could allow her to tap into the abilities of those under her dominion.

The sound of hurried footsteps broke the night's silence. The guards were approaching, drawn by the noise of the fallen tree. Makima sighed, adopting her usual indifference before ordering Mai to stand. Despite her weakness, Mai obeyed under Makima's control, who watched her every movement coldly.

When the guards arrived and asked what had happened, Makima calmly and authoritatively dismissed their concerns, assuring them she had simply overdone her training. With nothing more to say, she let them take the young Zenin away.

When calm returned to the estate and Mai's figure faded into the distance, Makima raised her hand again. "If it's true..." she thought, focusing the energy in her palm. She could feel the presence of Rika and Mai, Rika's much stronger than her cousin's, as if she could feel the echo of their technique resonating inside her. "If I can access the abilities of those under my control..."

She concentrated that energy. The air around her hand began to vibrate, and suddenly, a pink beam shot out from her palm, identical to the one Rika had fired earlier in her desperation. The beam lit up the area for an instant before striking a nearby tree, causing it to explode.

Makima observed the residual pink energy scattered in the air; the beam she had just unleashed still shining in her mind. "I can use their techniques," she thought, her smile widening slightly as she processed the implications of this new discovery. "There's no limit to what I could achieve." The sensation of absolute power that came from this revelation was intoxicating—the idea that her technique now not only controlled but also granted her access to her subordinates' abilities put her in an incomparable position.

In her mind, a thought began to form: "My technique is practically invincible." Control, the ability to manipulate others' skills, was a devastating weapon. Who could challenge someone with such power? Who could resist her will when she not only controlled bodies but also their techniques—the deepest secret of a sorcerer?

However, the thought dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Makima, with her characteristic coldness and meticulousness, stopped herself. She forced herself to reflect calmly. "Nothing and no one is invincible," she reminded herself in silence. She had read how the most powerful had fallen, those who believed they were above everything, dragged down by their own ego and carelessness. And she wouldn't make that mistake.

The moonlight illuminated her face as she maintained her impassive expression, controlling any spark of self-satisfaction that might have ignited within her. This power was just another tool in her arsenal, and like any tool, it had to be used with precision, not arrogance.

"Ego is a double-edged sword," she thought. She wouldn't allow this new discovery to cloud her judgment. She knew that while she wielded formidable control, she must always remain vigilant, always one step ahead. And as she held onto that thought, she reaffirmed her conviction: true power didn't just lie in what she could do, but in never losing sight of her own limits.

With that final thought, Makima turned and disappeared into the shadows, ready to continue perfecting her technique.