During this period, Noritoshi Kamo had always been a ticking time bomb in this war.
However, it wasn't that he had transplanted his brain into someone else's body.
This body was still Suguru Geto.
The reason for his current appearance was that he had used Mahito cursed technique, Idle Transfiguration, to change the form of his soul, which in turn caused dramatic changes to Suguru Geto body.
As for the scar that remained on his forehead, that was left there to deceive Master Tengen.
If Tengen was misled into believing that he had changed bodies and decided to take this opportunity to eliminate him, it was possible that Tengen's true body would take action.
At that moment, he could easily use Cursed Spirit Manipulation to subdue the already curse-spirit-ified Tengen.
Just as he had done with Mahito.
Although he didn't succeed in deceiving Tengen, at this moment, he had succeeded in deceiving the Nightmare.
Since entering the battlefield, he had stayed on the sidelines and avoided direct confrontation—precisely because he didn't want the Nightmare to notice that he was still using Suguru Geto body.
And now, with Sukuna unexpected attack shattering the protective simple domain around the Nightmare—
This was exactly the opportunity he had been waiting for.
"Domain Expansion: Self-Embodiment of Perfection!"
Using Mahito cursed technique, Noritoshi once again activated the terrifying power that had corrupted many souls before.
In an instant, everyone present was enveloped within it.
In the pitch-black domain, countless massive hands with visible stitch marks intertwined, blooming like a flower of flesh and blood.
Thanks to the domain's guaranteed hit effect, even without physically touching the Nightmare body, he was able to reach her soul.
And at that moment, he sensed something buried deep within the Nightmare essence—
A crystal that firmly anchored her soul.
"This is it!"
Noritoshi eyes gleamed with a sharp light as he reached toward that crystal using Mahito technique.
The force of soul distortion acted upon the polyhedral soul crystal, causing it to tremble violently.
Feeling the turmoil within her soul crystal, Tokisaki Kurumi immediately understood what Noritoshi was trying to do.
She had originally thought Noritoshi and Mahito were working against each other, enemies in this chaotic situation.
But to her surprise, this middle-aged man's body was still Suguru Geto.
And Mahito had long fallen under his control—reduced to one of many enslaved subordinates.
She had to return to the Settlement Space immediately!
However, just as she prepared to respond to the system and leave this world, the effects of Idle Transfiguration began to invade her consciousness.
Bzzzzzzzz—!
The pure soul crystal began to shake violently, gradually becoming tainted.
Kurumi mind felt as if it had been struck by lightning. Her face turned deathly pale as she clutched her head with both hands, suppressing a scream that threatened to tear from her throat.
Hatred, madness, rage—all kinds of negative emotions were magnified infinitely.
It was like the flames of hell, seeping into every corner of her soul, burning her mind without mercy.
As the breath of despair reached her lips and nose, stealing the last bit of air, the trembling girl let out a sharp, piercing scream.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—!"
It was the agony of a soul being torn apart.
When she once played the role of Honjou Nia, she had used a Soul Crystal Reversal Coupon and briefly experienced this kind of pain.
But back then, due to the system's intervention via a prop card, a virtual personality had been created to absorb the backlash of reversal.
This time, however, her soul crystal was being forcibly reversed by external forces.
This pain—her soul being split into thousands of pieces, each burning in the fire of despair—was enough to drive her completely mad.
"Did I succeed?"
Seeing the Nightmare seemingly devastated and even unable to counterattack, Noritoshi murmured cautiously.
However, an inexplicable unease began to settle in his heart.
The reason for this soon became apparent.
With the soul anchor disturbed and the Nightmare soul severely injured, rather than becoming weaker, her aura was growing stronger.
It was as if what he had just disturbed was not an anchor—but a seal.
And now, the devil was about to awaken.
Both Sukuna and Satoru Gojo sensed something was wrong. Ignoring their own injuries, they refocused their attention on the Nightmare.
Space Slash!
Imaginary Technique: Purple!
Both men simultaneously released their strongest attacks toward the Nightmare.
BOOMMMMMMMMM—!
The energy that had been building within the Nightmare exploded to its limit. With her at the center, it erupted outward in a violent burst.
Dirt flew. Stones rolled. A massive shockwave consumed everything around them.
Whether it was Sukuna slash or Gojo Purple, both attacks were instantly neutralized the moment they touched the shockwave.
The three men's pupils shrank as they instinctively halted their offensive.
Noritoshi quickly pulled away, retreating into the distance.
Gojo activated his Teleportation, appearing next to Sukuna. Abandoning the lower halves of their bodies, they brought only their upper halves to a safe distance.
As the shockwave diminished and the dust began to settle, the three finally saw the figure at its center: the Nightmare, kneeling with her face buried in her hands.
At some point, the Nightmare iconic black-and-red off-shoulder evening dress had disappeared.
In its place was a luxurious white military uniform.
This uniform exuded a dignified elegance. The pure white main body was as pristine as a snow-capped mountain, adorned with silver-gray epaulets and buttons. The inner layer of the skirt was a gradient black.
The hem fluttered gently, highlighting the grace of femininity. The upper jacket's clean lines revealed a commanding and heroic spirit.
Under the trio's stunned gaze, the Nightmare slowly lowered her hands and raised her exquisite face.
Her left eye, which should have resembled a golden clock, was now dyed sky blue, with twelve tiny Roman numerals replaced by twelve constellation patterns.
This was the Reversed Form of the Spirit of Time.
The White Queen—in her complete form!
The ruler of the Pure White Domain rose again, picking up her saber and flintlock rifle.
Her icy gaze swept across the three, chin slightly raised, face devoid of emotion.
The majestic aura she exuded—without a single word—made Satoru Gojo, Sukuna, and Noritoshi feel a chill in their souls.
"Who… are you?"
Sensing the drastic change, Gojo asked in a low voice.
He had no idea what had caused this transformation.
But compared to the Nightmare he knew—elegant and cruel like a noblewoman—this version bore no resemblance in temperament.
The figure before him was something entirely different.
"You're holding your head too high."
The White Queen had no intention of answering any questions.
Faced with Satoru Gojo, who had dared to speak before she did, she raised the saber in her hand.
Just as a warning exploded in Gojo mind and he tensed all the muscles in his body, ready to dodge, a phantom identical to him suddenly appeared right in front of the White Queen.
The saber sliced swiftly and cleanly across the neck of Gojo illusion.
At the exact same moment, a segment of Satoru Gojo neck abruptly vanished, causing his head to fall to the ground with a heavy thud.
His body, now without a neck, gushed blood like a fountain before collapsing heavily to the ground.
The Pisces Sword!
It could cut open a space to duplicate the enemy directly in front of the user—any attack inflicted on the illusion would simultaneously appear on the real body!
"We can't just sit and wait to die!"
Sukuna mood grew heavier. His gaze, sharpened from extreme mental focus, no longer betrayed any emotion.
He couldn't understand what exactly had happened either, but there was no doubt the Nightmare had grown stronger.
Moreover, she had become even more arrogant.
She definitely knew that unless a special grade sorcerer's brain was destroyed in an instant, they could repeatedly heal themselves with Reverse Cursed Technique.
But her attack had still aimed for the neck instead of the brain.
If that slash had shattered Gojo brain directly, he would've truly died.
Was it because she disdained killing them? Or was she toying with them in a game of cat and mouse?
Either way, it was infuriating.
Sukuna took a deep breath, suppressing the roiling emotions within him, and started thinking about how they could turn the situation around.
Over a dozen plans flashed through his mind.
But facing this now even more mysterious and powerful foe, none of them seemed truly viable.
In that case, only one choice remained.
"I offer a weakening of my future physical strength in exchange for a substantial boost in speed!"
A Binding Vow.
This was the only method Sukuna could think of now to reverse the tide.
It was a high-level combat vow capable of dramatically increasing one's combat power in a short period. This was also the first time Sukuna had ever used one.
Not only because no one before had ever pushed him to the point of needing to use such a technique, but more so because the price it demanded was far too steep—even he could only afford to use it a limited number of times.
A high-level Binding Vow was essentially trading a short-term buff for a permanent debuff in the future.
If not for a life-threatening battle, no one would ever consider doing such a thing.
And clearly—this was a life-threatening battle!
The moment he placed the vow on himself, Sukuna shot out like an arrow from a bow.
With the vow boosting him, his speed now exceeded what the human eye could perceive—he was now faster than Satoru Gojo at full sprint!
And also, faster than the Nightmare!
In nearly the blink of an eye, as if he had teleported, he appeared right in front of the White Queen.
He formed a claw with his hand and fiercely struck at the White Queen's head.
"Clang———!"
Unexpectedly, the White Queen actually kept up with his speed, lifting her saber to block the attack.
"What?!"
Sukuna was startled. He immediately pulled back, narrowly dodging the incoming Cancer Sword.
After activating the vow, although his speed had greatly increased, the Nightmare speed had also seemingly improved.
While he was still faster, the difference wasn't significant enough to gain an advantage in battle.
"I offer extended casting time for my future techniques in exchange for a substantial increase in strength!"
With a second vow placed upon himself, Sukuna once again dashed forward.
One of his hands gripped the final sword-shaped special-grade cursed tool and clashed with the White Queen's saber. The other three hands clenched into fists and struck downward with full force.
Each strike was laced with dark, ominous light.
Black Flash!
"Boom boom boom———!"
A Domain of Ease manifested in time, blocking all three Black Flashes.
However, this time the Domain of Ease only trembled violently and showed no signs of shattering.
"Not just her speed, even her defense has improved?"
The sense of doom in Sukuna heart grew heavier.
At the same time, he cast a cold glance at Geto Suguru.
That old bastard… what the hell did he do?!
Not only had he failed to inflict any damage on the Nightmare, he had somehow made her even stronger!
In terms of techniques, they were already at a disadvantage.
Whether it was the Emperor of Chronos who controlled time, or the Emperor of Space who controlled dimensions—their specifications far surpassed theirs.
The Nightmare only weakness had been her physical body.
But even that so-called weakness was only "relatively" weak compared to her other overwhelming abilities.
Now, even her attack, defense, and speed had all been enhanced to another level, compensating for her last remaining shortcoming!
Sukuna could no longer think of a way to defeat this opponent.
For the first time in his life, he felt true powerlessness.
Even with the blessings of two Binding Vows, after just a few rounds, as his final special-grade cursed tool turned to scrap metal, he had no choice but to abandon close combat.
Powerlessness.
Not just Sukuna—Satoru Gojo and Geto Suguru also felt the same way.
"Can we… have peace?"
Seeing not even a sliver of hope for victory, Geto offered a hesitant suggestion, "If you're different from the Nightmare… if you're reasonable and not bloodthirsty, we can completely surrender and let you take over this world."
"Cursed energy? Heh."
The corners of the White Queen's lips curled into a smile, as if she had just heard something amusing. She tossed out a seemingly nonsensical question:
"Do you know why the Nightmare devours cursed energy?"
She placed a heavy emphasis on the words "the Nightmare," seemingly making a deliberate point that she herself was not the Nightmare.
"N-No… I don't…"
"Because she needs cursed energy… to seal me away." the White Queen said with a light chuckle. "Speaking of that, I should really thank you. If you hadn't shaken the seal, I wouldn't have awakened so easily."
Upon hearing this, Gojo and Sukuna immediately turned their eyes toward Geto Suguru.
And Geto was completely dumbfounded too—he genuinely didn't know how it had come to this.
"Don't give up so easily now. I haven't had enough fun yet."
The White Queen pointed the tip of her saber toward the three of them and said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes:
"I'm not as gentle as that child. If you don't try your hardest to entertain me… you really will die, you know?"