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Sukuna took a moment to savor his freedom. The last two times he had seized control, the sky had been consumed by the vastness of night, so in a thousand years, this was the first time he had felt the sun's light since his return.
And even if he would never admit it, he felt pleasantly satisfied. The warmth of the sun touched his muscles as he spread his arms wide, as if trying to absorb more and more of that sensation he had almost forgotten.
For those who knew him, it was a sight both surprising and deeply unsettling. Sukuna was not known for appreciating trivialities; his focus was battles, destruction, and massacres. Whatever else happened around him was of no importance, so long as he had those.
To see him enjoying something as mundane as sunlight…
It was truly disturbing.
And Sukuna knew that as well. He, the King of Curses, taking pleasure in something as simple as the warmth of the sun…?
It irritated him to feel good about it, but not only for that reason. His irritation soon boiled into fury when he remembered who was responsible.
The one whose very existence infuriated Sukuna. The one he saw as an insult to his title as King of Curses. An insect that seemed born with the sole purpose of imprisoning him.
A vein bulged on his forehead as his head turned toward the one he despised so much. Lying burned on the ground, his chest rose and fell faintly, the only sign that life still lingered.
Yuji Itadori, a sorcerer with less than five months of experience, yet infuriatingly talented.
Until meeting Itadori, Sukuna had never believed a sorcerer could irritate him so profoundly. Yet the boy had not only achieved that, but made the King of Curses despise him more than he naturally despised humanity itself.
A wretched existence, one that almost felt unnatural. Itadori was not merely a vessel. He was an absolute prison, not just for Sukuna but for any soul.
Normally, Sukuna should never have been able to take control. That possibility only arose because, at the brink of death, Itadori's hold over the division of their souls had weakened. Even then, the King of Curses had been forced to use a binding vow to claim control for a mere fifteen seconds.
By sacrificing the equivalent power of five combined fingers, Sukuna finally gained freedom, though at the cost of being significantly weakened.
Even if he felt humiliated for resorting to such measures, there was nothing more he could have done. Besides, in the end, Sukuna remained confident. Even weakened, no one of this generation could possibly defeat him.
All of these fools' efforts had been in vain.
Sukuna's eyes fell on Itadori's pitiful state, his brow furrowing in irritation.
He would have preferred to kill the boy in better condition, to humiliate him properly, perhaps even "take care" of those girls in front of him. But he would not dismiss the idea now.
Itadori might be talented, a sorcerer who, like Gojo Satoru, disrupted the balance of the world simply by existing. But to Sukuna, he was nothing more than a worm, someone to be crushed and discarded like trash.
A weakling unworthy of the dust beneath his feet.
Itadori could surpass Gojo Satoru, he could surpass even the King of Curses himself and ascend to godhood, and still Sukuna would never acknowledge him.
His hatred was so deep that to him, Yuji Itadori would always be a worm like any other.
That was why killing him here and now, in such a pathetic state, did not wound Sukuna's pride. In his eyes…
He was only exterminating a bothersome pest.
His hand rose, cursed energy gathering after a brief delay. He prepared to end Itadori's life, focusing only to ensure the strike would be lethal.
Though it might have looked like an act of mercy given Itadori's condition, Sukuna saw it differently. He was merely denying the boy any shred of hope that survival was possible.
For someone like Itadori, who had people waiting for his return, that seemed a fitting punishment.
"...!"
But as Sukuna readied himself to eliminate the pest without interruption, his jaw clenched when something heavy struck his hand, his body shoved backward by immense force before he even realized a flying shikigami was staring him down.
"Bastard." He spat, his broken hand instantly mending with reversed cursed energy.
Again, sorcerers were interfering. Could they not simply die already?
Landing beside the shikigami, Yuki's blonde hair swayed. The gash across her chest, once pouring blood like a waterfall, had recently sealed, clear evidence of her proficiency with reversed cursed energy.
A special-grade sorcerer, as Sukuna recalled. With an unknown technique, the woman was a mystery, but he assumed she had to be at least competent to have survived Kenjaku.
But competent was far from enough for someone like the King of Curses. To him, she was nothing more than an appetizer.
"The King of Curses…" Sukuna lifted his gaze with a stoic expression as Yuki suddenly spoke. "I was curious about you. Someone with that title could not possibly be a disappointment."
A smile curved Yuki's lips, which only made Sukuna glare at her with disgust. "But trying to kill someone you did not even defeat? I am sorry to say, but I am disappointed."
A vein bulged across Sukuna's forehead as Yuki's smile turned mocking. She was not merely acting; she truly found it disappointing. She knew he was supposed to embody absolute malice, but had expected at least some measure of honor.
"I expected more from the King of Curses."
Cursed energy burst from Sukuna's body, irritation twisting his face as his killing intent surged like a powerful wave. Yuki, under such pressure, stepped back.
As an experienced sorcerer, she had faced powerful enemies before, but this was undoubtedly the first time she felt something so utterly oppressive.
Kenjaku had been powerful, yes, but Yuki had still believed she could defeat him. Sukuna was different.
Not only because of his overwhelming aura, but also because she was far from her best condition, Yuki was absolutely certain she could not defeat him. That only held her back further. She needed to protect Itadori at all costs, but could she possibly do so while facing the King of Curses?
This was truly a situation… of pure shit.
"These damn sorcerers… Always a thorn in my side."
Fortunately, her provocation had created exactly the opening she needed. Sukuna, now focusing on her, left Itadori aside. Maybe she had struck the right nerve, or maybe he simply wanted to dispose of her quickly. She did not know.
But it worked, and that was what mattered.
"If you want to protect this trash so badly, then…"
Swoosh!
"Just die."
Yuki's eyes widened as Sukuna pointed at her, the ground before her torn apart before Garuda leapt forward to shield her, taking the cut in her stead. The shikigami trembled, but withstood the slashing attack.
"I did not even see it coming." Yuki felt sweat bead on her forehead, a nervous smile tugging at her lips.
"Tsk." A sharp click came from the King of Curses.
While Yuki felt the crushing intimidation, cautiously weighing her chances against Sukuna under these circumstances, the King of Curses was unimpressed by the special-grade sorcerer. Even weakened, Yuki could not be a true threat if she had needed saving from Kenjaku by that boy.
If she were anywhere near as strong as Gojo, Kenjaku never would have been a problem.
That was why, in his eyes, Yuki could not offer even half the danger that a general of the Void had posed a thousand years ago.
Perhaps she was even weaker, but for that, Sukuna would test her himself.
His eyes locked onto the sorcerer's nervous expression, a sharp grin spreading across his lips as his gaze gleamed with pure malice.
Fortunately, now that he was free, he was in no rush…
He could play with these fools for a while.
Test firsthand what this new era truly had to offer.