How strong am I?

Almost two weeks had passed and Katsuo lived these weeks as before.

Training alone or with his friends, helping Masao fit in, and going to classes. Rinse and repeat.

He wasn't anxious or impatient for his Vow's end, which proved that his emotional state had improved a lot since one year ago.

Currently, seated with crossed legs in his bedroom, Katsuo was peacefully waiting for his Binding Vow to end.

He was carefully sensing the CE in his body when suddenly, he felt something inside of him unraveling itself, and with it, changes started to happen.

Some of these changes were that, gradually, the clarity of his senses and the awareness that he had over CE were increasing, the amount of CE stored in his body also started to rise, his sense of self and control over it reached another realm and, overall, he felt he was becoming invincible.

Of course, with an existence like Gojo around and with his boosted sense of self he knew that that feeling was himself using his past self as a reference, but even if it was so, it was also true that he was becoming increasingly closer to Gojo.

'I wonder how my chances against Gojo-sensei would be right now. Bigger than 0, I hope.'

Katsuo observed and waited until the changes stopped, which they did in a few minutes.

He felt he was one with his cursed energy and he could control it as he desired.

To prove that, he, with just a thought, turned his CE into PE and with another thought, back into CE.

'Amazing.'

Right now, Katsuo felt that even if his heart was pierced through, it would take him no effort to heal it back in shape.

Then Katsuo began testing what he really wanted to do over a year ago.

Katsuo tried using his technique, [Cursed Pill Creation], while inputting the maximum amount of CE with maximum efficiency possible.

Training for that technique was what had caused him to make the Binding Vow in the first place, but he felt confident he could do it now.

He extended his right hand in front of him and activated his technique.

[Pill Creation: Absolute Refinement]

Suddenly a fearsome, invisible, and mysterious force erupted from his hand.

The things around him started to subtly shake as the CE in the environment started getting sucked into the point above his hand, and, as what was expected from a jujutsu education institution, there was very little of it around him.

(AN: CE is created by humans' negative emotions but sorcerers don't let the CE they created disperse so there's not a lot in the environment they are.)

After seeing a pill gradually condense above his hand, Katsuo stopped running his technique.

Laying on his hand was a black pill.

[Grade Four Pill: Mass of cursed energy. Unable to be consumed]

Katsuo looked at the familiar pill which he condensed from the environment CE instead of his own.

He also noticed that the greatly increased CE stored in his body had barely budged.

'I did it. Something that was only thought possible to [Six Eyes] users. I did it.'

Katsuo instantly cooled off his enthusiasm and observed the pill.

Unlike before, Katsuo now understood why it wasn't able to be consumed.

When it was made, the CE in it loses every characteristic and becomes "pure" concentrated CE, which is just poisonous to the human mind and body, however, it would be very nutritious to curses and that's why it attracted so many cursed spirits when he previously smashed one.

Well, Katsuo, as a human, could still take it even if he did nothing thanks to his physical resistance to CE and willpower, but he would become a little sick while he resisted and purged out of his system and he wouldn't gain anything out of it.

After a few more minutes of thought, Katsuo tried to do the same thing, however this time with PE and his left hand, instead.

He turned some of his CE in PE and fueled his [Cursed Pill Creation] with it.

Its effects were instant.

From Katsuo's left hand, an expanding invisible force field was created.

This force dispersed and pushed back CE and realizing that it even affected his own CE, in a split second, Katsuo turned all his CE into PE but the cursed black pill in his hand was still affected.

Due to the force, the condensation of CE in his right hand seemed to lose what kept it together and exploded in the opposite direction of his left hand, blasting his room's window to shards and injuring his hand that was swiftly healed.

Katsuo stared at the destruction a grade four pill caused, analyzed his new technique effects, and simulated his effects with higher grade pills while ignoring the commotion he caused within the dormitory.

'Maybe, I really have a higher than zero chance at beating Gojo-sensei. How strong am I right now exactly?'

Thought Katsuo as he looked up with a brilliant gaze.

"I will name this derivative [Pill Creation Reversal: Absolute Dispersion]"

Katsuo wasn't even close to trying everything that he wanted, but he was already extremely satisfied with the rewards from one year of training under a Binding Vow.

'This past year wasn't wasted, and this is only the beginning!'

Thought Katsuo, with ambition burning in his eyes.

If it was before he wouldn't have thought about this with such fervor, but when he received "enlightenment" about himself after the unbinding, he understood better what had really been driving him to become stronger, apart from his and his family safety.

---

At Gojo's Place

Gojo was laying on a sofa with a magazine that had a cake on its cover over his face.

Suddenly, he sensed something.

He took the magazine, raised his upper body, and took his blindfold.

'Ohoo, that's some good progress, Katsu-chan.'

Gojo thought as a grin appeared on his face.

"Let's give him a suprise."

With that same grin, he disappeared from his spot.