It moved!
The invisible giant suddenly lunged forward, and Itadori Yuji instinctively grabbed Sasaki-senpai's hand and bolted!
According to the fundamental principles of Jujutsu, a Curse can only be exorcised by a Curse. Neither of them possessed cursed energy—running was their best option. They had to either reach a Jujutsu master or hold out until backup arrived.
The enormous body of the Cursed Spirit crashed through the narrow corridor, shattering walls and sending debris from the ceiling tumbling down in clouds of choking dust.
Clutching Sasaki tightly, Itadori sprinted at an impressive speed, weaving between falling rubble with agility and precision. Despite the chaos, his sharp, light-gold eyes remained calm and focused. His instincts were those of a natural-born fighter.
Bang!!
A burning shockwave suddenly exploded behind them. The blast flung Itadori and Sasaki through the air. Their clothes caught fire, the heat searing their backs. A ranged cursed attack!
> "Jade Dog!"
A voice rang out from down the hall. Two spectral dogs—one black, one white—charged through the smoke, intercepting the cursed energy. With a thunderous impact, the jade dogs were obliterated, but they had successfully deflected the deadly blast away from Itadori and Sasaki.
The one who had arrived was Fushiguro Megumi.
His expression was grim, and his hand remained tightly sealed in a gesture—he dared not lower his guard. From the cursed energy radiating off this spirit, Megumi estimated it to be at least Grade 1, far stronger than he was as a current Grade 2 Jujutsu master.
Without hesitation, he reached into his pocket and pressed a button.
This wasn't an ordinary device—it was one of Jujutsu Tech's newest inventions. Once activated, it emitted a distress signal that could be detected by sorcerers within a wide radius. Unlike cellphones, this signal could penetrate cursed barriers and domains.
> Please get here soon, Gojo-sensei...
Megumi had come here under Gojo Satoru's supervision. Recovering a Special Grade Cursed Object was not something a second-level sorcerer should be handling alone.
> "Serpent!"
Megumi formed a hand sign, and cursed energy surged from beneath the cursed spirit. A massive snake coiled upward, jaws wide open, and bit down hard on the monster's leg.
The spirit howled, writhing violently. With incredible strength, it tore the snake apart at the jaws—snap! The snake's fangs cracked, and within seconds its head was ripped in half.
Now enraged, the cursed spirit turned its full attention on Megumi.
It opened its gaping maw, gathering a swirling sphere of dark purple cursed energy, thick and volatile. The pressure was intense—like staring into an exploding star.
> No time!
Megumi desperately tried to summon another shikigami, but he was too late—
Suddenly, a figure flew past him, fist cocked back.
BOOM!
The cursed spirit's head jerked violently as Itadori smashed its jaw with a powerful uppercut, disintegrating the energy blast before it could fire.
> "Why did you come back?! Get out of here!" Megumi yelled.
> "I left Sasaki-senpai in a safe place," Itadori replied, eyes focused. "But I'm not leaving you behind."
Idiot! He's not a sorcerer!
"You have no cursed energy! You can't even hurt it!" Megumi snapped, surprised he even had to say it—it was basic knowledge.
"I know," Itadori said calmly. "That's why..."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small, dried finger wrapped in talisman paper—a Special Grade Cursed Object.
> "W-what are you—?!"
Before Megumi could stop him, Itadori popped the finger into his mouth and swallowed it whole.
The moment it passed his throat, Itadori staggered. Heat surged through his veins. His body pulsed with cursed energy for the first time.
And in front of his eyes, the previously invisible spirit became clear and solid.
Without hesitation, he leapt forward and hammered the Cursed Spirit into the ground with a brutal strike. The creature let out a wet cough—blood pouring from its cracked mouth—as the ground beneath it split like shattered glass.
He could hurt it now.
Megumi stood stunned. This kid… what did he just do?
Still, no time to think.
Megumi summoned another shikigami. A large toad leapt out and flung its long pink tongue around the spirit's body, binding it tightly—especially the jaw. The monster bucked and thrashed.
> Too strong!
Sweat ran down Megumi's temple. This thing was still resisting the full binding.
> Should I keep restraining it? Or release and retreat?
But then—
A hand gently touched the cursed spirit's shoulder.
Slash! Slash! Slash!
Three precise cuts carved the spirit apart like fabric, slicing through flesh and bone with ease.
Megumi gasped.
The one who had landed the final blow… was Itadori Yuji.
But the look on Itadori's face wasn't right.
His eyes were twisted. A wild grin spread across his face.
> "Ahhh… Finally. The day has come! Hahahahaha!"
He covered his face and burst out into mad laughter.
The King of Curses—revived.
Megumi's fingers twitched, forming a seal. His instincts screamed—the worst-case scenario had happened. The vessel had been taken over.
> Sukuna has awakened!
"Ahhh, Megumi, what's with the long face?"
A voice chimed in casually.
Without anyone noticing, Gojo Satoru had appeared—arm draped around Itadori's shoulders, the other hand holding a small bag of sweets.
"Wha—when did you get here?" Itadori blinked.
Megumi and even Sukuna were stunned. Is he pretending?
A second mouth opened on Itadori's cheek—but no words came out.
Sukuna was silent.
Annoyed, Sukuna shrugged off Gojo's arm and brushed invisible dust off his shoulder. Gojo just smiled.
> "So, you're still conscious?"
> "And what do you think you're doing, hijacking someone else's body?"
The two stared at each other, exchanging biting sarcasm. But just as quickly as Sukuna had taken over, he lost control. Itadori reclaimed his body, stretching his arms and breathing normally again.
Gojo looked on with amusement.
> Fascinating. Truly fascinating.
The King of Curses' container… and he's still intact.
"May I ask your name?" Gojo inquired with a smile.
"He's called Itadori Yuji," Megumi answered, stepping forward cautiously.
"Nice name," Gojo nodded. "Itadori, would you mind letting Sukuna out for just one minute? Just 60 seconds."
He raised a single slender finger.
Itadori hesitated. "You mean… that guy inside me? I guess so, but... he's dangerous."
Gojo chuckled. "Don't worry. I'm very strong."
Simple. Understated. But it carried the weight of ten years of mastery. Without James, Gojo Satoru would have truly been the strongest.
---
Meanwhile, back on the beaches of Kyushu Island...
The battle raged between Okkotsu Yūta, Inumaki Toge, and the regenerating spirit Tuogen.
Yūta was breathing heavily, his shirt soaked in sweat. Inumaki was worse—half-collapsed on the sand, still forming seals with trembling fingers, refusing to release his Domain Prototype.
Ten minutes had passed since they activated the distress signal.
Their plan was simple: hold out until rescue came, and look for an opening to deal the final blow.
Tuogen wasn't doing much better. His breathing was ragged, and deep wounds crisscrossed his bloated body.
Every time he tried to attack, Yūta positioned Toge behind him. Tuogen's sure-hit techniques were useless, and his regular attacks were countered by cursed swordplay and Toge's words.
He wanted to run—but could he make it?
Suddenly, Tuogen froze.
Someone had entered his domain.
He focused—and instantly perked up with joy.
> It's a real person! He's here!
Tap... tap... tap...
A lone figure walked slowly across the sand, hands in pockets, smiling as he glanced at Yūta and Toge.
Danger.
Yūta and Toge felt it immediately—a chilling wave of cursed pressure washed over them.
Their bodies tensed. The hairs on their arms stood straight.
> This presence… isn't normal.
The true fight had just begun.
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