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Boom!!!
A blinding flash of thunder exploded, and a cone-shaped Noble Phantasm tore through a tangle of arms, hitting Mahito square in the chest. Countless electric arcs burst out, swallowing him whole.
[Vasavi Shakti]
This Noble Phantasm, though a thrown weapon, was first forged as a sword; the original form of the Buddhist vajra. Legend says the god Indra used it to slay the evil dragon Vritra.
The rolling thunder flared like a flood dragon, bright and fierce, cutting across the sky like a blade of lightning. In an instant, it shattered Mahito's innate domain.
An innate domain, after all, was just a sorcerer's or curse user's cursed energy packed tight. Against a strong enough outside force, it fell apart like paper.
"No, no!!!"
Thunder roared wildly.
A devastating orb of lightning crashed down, as if the sky itself were breaking. Blue-white light punched through the ceiling, letting the night spill in.
A flood of thunder pierced Mahito's chest.
In a flash, countless bolts tore his body apart with brutal force.
Whoosh!
Yuto swung the Blade of the Undying Slayer through the air. Flames sparked from the curved sword, trailing mana as they left a sharp line behind.
Crossing a vast distance, the sword's gleam flashed, smashing the young man's body to pieces.
Mahito's ability might dodge physical harm, but it couldn't stop an attack that struck straight at the soul. This magic sword canceled out undead traits.
"Ugh… cough, how is this possible?"
"My plan… it's not finished! How can I die here?!"
Gurgle, gurgle.
Blood gushed out under pressure, pooling into a scarlet stain on the ground.
Mahito's head, eyes still wide with defiance, rolled a few times before stopping at Yuto's feet. Resentment and confusion lingered in his bloodshot gaze.
His lips parted, trembling as he tried to speak his final words.
Bang!
A sharp pop rang out, like a cracked watermelon. Blood sprayed upward, reaching nearly ten feet, yet it hovered oddly before Yuto, never touching him.
Standing amid broken walls and rubble, the young man scanned the scene with a cold face. Then, without a glance back, he walked away.
And so, the four curses; vile beings who'd plagued humanity were all dead.
Unlike Yuto, who'd gone straight for the barriers' heart, the sorcerers rushing in after him faced streets crawling with curses.
These weren't weaklings. Second-grade curses made up a third of them, and plenty of quasi-first-grades wielded cursed techniques.
Shibuya was overrun, a trap swarming with thousands of curses. That's why Nanami Kento regretted it now.
They should've pulled back sooner. The enemies this time were too strong—beyond anything he'd pictured.
"Don't look at me like that," Kenjaku said, gazing down at Nanami Kento on the ground, his smile soft like a spring breeze. "Staring won't change a thing, you know?"
Nanami wanted to stand, but his body wouldn't move. Covered in cuts and missing a leg, he was pinned by a crushing gravity that made every twitch agony.
"Are you really Geto Suguru?"
Nanami forced out the words, his breath ragged, eyes locked on the familiar figure. His chest burned with frustration and doubt.
"Gojo Satoru asked me that too," Kenjaku replied.
"Is it so shocking I'm still alive?"
He chuckled, as if remembering something funny. "Oh well, you're just a small piece in this game. I'll let you live this time."
With that, Kenjaku lost interest and turned away.
Ahead lay another broken figure. Itadori Yuji. The boy was out cold, helpless on the ground.
"Wait… stop…!"
Fushiguro Megumi, nearby, forced his battered body up, desperate to act. But as he shifted into a stance, a massive weight slammed him back down.
"Don't be rash," Kenjaku warned, giving him a hard look.
"I'd rather not deal with that fearsome Mahoraga."
"Just stay down and keep that monster caged. No point in us both dying here."
Truth was, when Kenjaku first showed up, he'd targeted Megumi over Yuji or Nanami. To stop Mahoraga, the best move was to knock Megumi out before he could summon it.
"The Zen'in family's Ten Shadows Technique," Kenjaku mused, his eyes glinting as he studied Megumi.
"If I could claim it, his body might actually be worth taking."
Too bad that, beyond the starting divine dogs, the other nine shikigami needed taming. Without mastering Mahoraga, the technique was useless.
"Too risky, and I'm short on time. Never mind."
The spark in his eyes faded, and Kenjaku stepped toward Itadori Yuji.
Just then, a huge curse appeared beside him, grabbing Yuji and lifting him up.
Kenjaku's gaze turned strange as he looked at the boy.
"If I had a choice, I wouldn't do this," he said, his voice mixing pity with a chilling fondness, like a father watching his own child.
"For my grand plan, you'll have to be the sacrifice, Yuji."
The last hint of softness vanished, replaced by cold resolve.
Kenjaku pulled a package from his robe and unwrapped it. Inside were ten red, twisted fingers—Sukuna's, once held by Jogo, now in his grasp.
One by one, he shoved them into Yuji's mouth, forcing him to swallow.
"Hmm, that should do it."
He signaled the curse to drop Yuji and smiled. "Time to wake up, King of Curses from a thousand years ago."
As the curse let go, Yuji wobbled but didn't fall. He stood steady.
Buzz…
"It's over…Sukuna's free!" Megumi gasped.
A wave of cursed energy, vast and endless, filled the air. Megumi and Nanami's faces darkened.
Black, claw-like marks spread over Yuji's skin, reaching his face. Two extra eyes snapped open below his own, brimming with malice: evil, wild, and free.
"Well, well," a deep, wicked laugh rumbled from Yuji's mouth.
"So it's you."
The cheerful Yuji was gone. A brutal aura took over, his hands now red as if dipped in blood.
"Long time no see, King of Curses," Kenjaku said, grinning like he was greeting an old friend. "If you'd slept any longer, you'd miss the fun."
"Oh?" Sukuna's laugh was low. "A thousand years, and you've got everything ready, huh?"
"Exactly," Kenjaku replied, eyes narrowing with a bright smile. "The moment's perfect. Time to reshape the world."
"So, what's your next move?"
Sukuna burst into loud, reckless laughter.
"Hahahaha! Whatever I feel like, of course!"
His voice dripped with disdain for life, a hunger for chaos, and a strength that crushed everything; a laugh only the mightiest could claim.
"I get it," Kenjaku said, falling quiet.
He knew better than to push Sukuna. One wrong word, and he'd be the first to die.
"Gojo Satoru's sealed, kind of a shame," Sukuna said, talking to himself. "I wanted to kill him myself, but I'll let it slide for now."
He glanced toward the third layer of barriers.
"Hey, that Yuto kid's over there, right?"
Kenjaku's eyes narrowed tighter.
"So, you're curious about him too," he said with a sly grin. "Do you want to pay him a visit?"
"Of course," Sukuna said, waving a hand, his smile sharp with interest. "A kid they call the Tyrant, uniting the jujutsu world? I never pulled that off. He's worth crushing."
"He's tough," Kenjaku warned, still smiling. "Even Gojo couldn't beat him."
"Hmph. Watch your mouth," Sukuna snapped, his lips curling with killing intent.
If Kenjaku weren't still useful, that line alone would've gotten him killed.
"Lord Sukuna!"
A sharp wind cut through the air behind them.
A white-haired kid in monk robes, hair in a short bob, knelt before Sukuna. "I'm here to welcome you. After a thousand years, you rule again."
"Oh, Uraume?" Sukuna said, looking down with a blank face at his old servant.
After a quick exchange, they vanished together.
Kenjaku watched them go, a mysterious smile on his lips.
"Sukuna, don't let me down."
With that, he left too, leaving Megumi and Nanami to slip into unconsciousness, hearts heavy with regret.
........
"Tsk, this is a real mess."
Meanwhile, at Shibuya's underground station, Mei Mei rubbed her temples, eyeing the towering figure tearing through everything.
Before she got there, two curse users had used a séance on Fushiguro Toji's corpse, bringing him back. Awake, Toji killed them fast, then started cutting down anything in sight, driven by instinct.
His Heavenly Restriction body didn't burn cursed energy, so the séance wouldn't stop. The wild Toji would keep attacking the strong until his vessel broke.
And now, chasing a payout, Mei Mei had the bad luck to run into this "Sorcerer Killer." Her Black Bird Manipulation wouldn't stop someone this good in a fight.
Coo!
Another crow exploded mid-flight, its flesh and feathers bursting with force. But Toji's sturdy frame took the Kamikaze blast without a scratch.
"Miss… what's happening?" a shaky voice asked.
Beside Mei Mei stood two trembling women, one a graceful beauty in a kimono, the other a pink-haired girl with a striking figure.
Sawamura Sayuri and Fujiwara Toyomi wished they'd never come to Shibuya for the festival. Who'd have thought the lively place would turn into a curse-infested nightmare?
{Eriri Spencer Sayuri's mother and Chika Fujiwara's elder sister respectively}
But it was too late for regrets now. Sayuri, the older one, bit her lip and asked the white-haired woman nervously.
"Ha, I'd love to explain, but it's tricky," Mei Mei sighed.
She glanced at the hopeful pair, weighing whether to ditch them and run. Money was her life, but she wouldn't die for it. Cash could be earned again, lives couldn't.
Bang!
A fist smashed another crow, its blood splattering the ground red. Mei Mei winced, feeling the loss. Her flock was gone now. There was no way to escape now even if she wanted to.
"Ladies, our luck's rotten," she said.
"Please, don't give up!" the two cried, seeing despair on the tall woman who'd shielded them.
If even this crow-controlling sorcerer was out of moves, what chance did they have?
Boom!
A gust hit them hard.
Toji vanished, then charged, fists like steel aimed right at them.
"It's over!?"
The three shut their eyes, picturing their end under those blows.
Rumble!
But then, chains rattled loud in their ears. Metal clashed, and countless links poured from nowhere, wrapping Toji tight.
"Huh, what's this?"
They peeked out and saw a young man, calm and sharp, floating above and looking their way.
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