Kenjaku seemed to have lost interest.
He lifted his leg, and the spiked club shifted into a long blade that slashed across Yuji again and again, streaks of blood cutting through the air.
Yuji fell backward onto the ground, the tendons in both his arms severed.
That was exactly what Kenjaku wanted, making him unable to move. After all, a human who couldn't use reverse cursed technique but could still fight with broken bones was better off crippled completely.
Next…
His gaze turned toward Choso in the distance.
This piece should start playing its role now.
'Damn it…'
Choso clenched his teeth tightly as frustration burned inside him.
He knew it. He had never been a qualified big brother.
Protecting his younger brothers, raising them, becoming someone they could look up to… that was what a big brother should do.
But right now, he couldn't even land a punch on this despicable blood relative, let alone protect Yuji from him.
Still, he would never let his brothers feel that this world was meaningless.
And anyone who wanted to hurt them… would have to step over him first.
So…
'Lend me your strength… my brothers!'
"Brother…"
"Big Brother…"
"Choso…!"
"Do your best!"
It was as if their voices echoed in his ears. They reached out together and pushed against his back.
'Yeah… leave it to me.'
Choso's nose stung.
That's right. He was the big brother. He had to keep going.
Boom!
Like thunder exploding across a clear sky, a terrifying surge of blood burst outward as Choso, who had been lying on the ground, stood up again.
"Yuji, wait a little longer. Big brother will be there soon!"
His eyes were bloodshot, his presence rising continuously.
That was the power of bloodline.
Clap!
His hands slammed together, and the strongest move in Blood Manipulation, Piercing Blood, was activated once more.
Kenjaku said nothing. He simply moved and dodged.
In his view, as long as he avoided the initial burst, the rest was slow.
"Hm?!"
Then he noticed something strange.
The blood arrow that should have moved in a straight line suddenly turned and came at him again.
Tracking?!
That was Eso's ability.
As the creator of the Death Paintings, Kenjaku knew their abilities well. But even with tracking layered on, Piercing Blood couldn't possibly match its initial speed. It shouldn't even be able to touch him.
And yet, that was exactly why it caught his interest, like a student who always ranked last suddenly taking first place.
"With Eso's elegance…"
Blood burst from behind Choso, forming wings.
"With Kechizu's freedom…"
He swung his arm forward, his entire arm detaching, connected only by cursed blood, as his hand shot toward Kenjaku at high speed.
"That kind of slow attack won't hit me."
Kenjaku was about to dodge, but suddenly realized his feet had been locked in place by solidified blood.
"With Yuji's… overwhelming strength!"
The flying hand grabbed his shoulder. At the same time, Choso released the blood restraint and yanked it back violently.
Caught off guard, Kenjaku was pulled forward by a huge force, his body lifting into the air and dragged toward Choso along with the hand.
Choso's other fist, filled with rage, came crashing down.
Boom!
Kenjaku raised the arm of the Terracotta Warrior to block, but to his surprise, cracks appeared on that cursed-energy-reinforced arm.
Though he himself wasn't injured, he was still slammed into the ground by that force, the impact spreading into spiderweb-like fractures.
"What's the point of this kind of attack?" Kenjaku asked, confused.
Even if it was creative, the gap in strength between them couldn't be overcome. Aside from Piercing Blood, Choso had no explosive move that could truly harm him.
"The point? You'll find out soon enough!"
Choso didn't linger in close combat and quickly retreated. All he needed to do was draw Kenjaku away from Yuji. Only then could he use a move he had never shown before.
"Canal!"
The blood wings behind him spread out as streams of blood surged forward toward Kenjaku.
"Hm?"
Kenjaku couldn't understand what he was trying to do. Using the same move again wouldn't suddenly make it effective. It just looked like a desperate gamble…
But just as he was about to casually dodge, a sharp sense of danger suddenly rose in his chest.
"Supernova!"
This was a new technique Choso had developed from Piercing Blood. By compressing the blood, he could detonate it and unleash power comparable to Piercing Blood.
"Canal" was just a cover. Its real purpose was to deliver those compressed blood droplets close to the target.
He was sure this attack could seriously injure his opponent.
But something unexpected happened.
The ground around Kenjaku suddenly sank.
Supernova didn't explode as Choso expected. More precisely, the blood droplets were crushed and dispersed before they could detonate.
"You… have another technique?!"
A bold yet logical guess formed in Choso's mind.
"I didn't want to reveal it…"
Kenjaku was annoyed. Now he wasn't even sure whether he should kill Choso or not.
On the other side, seeing his brother pushed into a dead end, Yuji had no choice but to speak up.
"Sukuna… if you don't want to die, then come out and help…"
He was already at his limit. With his tendons severed, he couldn't help at all. This was his only option.
He could switch directly, but he was afraid Sukuna might attack Choso too.
"I don't feel like it~"
A small mouth appeared on his face, and Sukuna's mocking tone made Yuji's heart tighten.
"You can have anything you want! Just save Choso!"
He had no room left to think. The situation was clear. If this continued, Choso would die.
"I…"
Sukuna was about to refuse again, but suddenly paused. Looking at the brat in despair was something he enjoyed, but from his perception, someone was about to arrive from above.
That strange flow of cursed energy… a cursed tool?
And a very weak cursed spirit alongside it?
There was no sorcerer's presence near it. No cursed energy.
Mukuro Fushiguro?
He glanced toward Kenjaku. That guy was clearly carrying his fingers.
An idea flashed through Sukuna's mind.
* * *
Meanwhile, inside the Prison Realm.
With Mukuro at the center, everything within dozens of meters had been flattened.
"As expected… everyone is just as reliable as I imagined…"
He sat on top of Dakostu's twisted, immobilized body, eyes closed as he murmured, clearly satisfied.
He hadn't expected to be sealed, but at most, it just made things a little more troublesome.
"Then… it's about time for me to step in, right?"
Mukuro opened his eyes. In his blood-red right eye, the number "6" flickered.
**
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