Chapter 203: Now It's Our Turn—Summon!
"Fushiguro!!!"
When Itadori Yuji finally struggled out from the shattered wall, the first thing he saw was Fushiguro Megumi being swallowed by flames. No matter how much confidence he had in his partner's strength, seeing Fushiguro take an undefended hit from the enemy made it impossible not to worry.
Setting aside factors like intellect, Itadori's personality and way of dealing with people were actually quite similar to Emiya's. No matter how much others hurt him, he could maintain a relatively calm state of mind. He might even forgive and help a former enemy if he sensed they had their own struggles.
But if the person being hurt wasn't him, but someone close to him or an innocent bystander, the nature of the situation changed completely. He could forgive someone on his own behalf, but he had no right to forgive them on behalf of others.
And most importantly—he absolutely refused to let any enemy who dared to harm his companions get away with it.
That was why, when Fushiguro first met Itadori, the latter had charged fearlessly at a monster that looked terrifying to an ordinary person just to save his classmates. He had even swallowed Sukuna's finger without hesitation, despite it clearly being something dangerous.
From the perspective of a "rational bystander," his actions were foolish and redundant. Instead of a normal person rushing in for a fistfight with a Cursed Spirit, it would have been better to stand aside and let Fushiguro, the professional, handle the problem without interference.
While the outcome was that he successfully exorcised the spirit and saved his friends, he was dragged into the conflicts of the Jujutsu world. He had to face danger at every turn while countless people viewed him as a "nuisance" and wished he would just die on the spot.
When people who call themselves "rational" look down from their high horses, they naturally deem such actions unnecessary and useless. But the truth is, these people might not encounter a friend who treats them like that in their entire lives. Even if they did, the probability of them cherishing such a person is slim.
In short, even though Itadori had been slammed into a wall and was in excruciating pain, he didn't feel much anger for himself. But seeing Fushiguro hurt? That, he could not tolerate.
"You bastard! Who gave you permission to do that to Fushiguro Megumi?!"
Itadori leaped high into the air. Despite the danger, he swung the heavy Charge Blade mid-air, allowing it to transform as he spun his entire body in a full circle. Using the massive centrifugal force, he cleaved down toward Jogo's position.
"Why so irritable? Aren't you humans going to die sooner or later anyway?"
Jogo impatiently shook the hand he had just used to ignite Fushiguro. He gathered Cursed Energy to reinforce his body and used his bare arm to push back against Itadori's incoming attack.
BOOM!
"What?!"
The force transmitted through his arm was far greater than Jogo had imagined. Not only was Jogo's entire body pressed halfway into the ground, but a visible trail of blood burst from the center of his palm.
He had been deceived by visual effects after all, accidentally falling into a "careless" situation. After all, no one could tell just by looking that the Charge Blade Itadori was swinging so vigorously actually weighed several tons—it was comparable to a small truck.
Imagine a truck spinning at high speed crashing into you from the air; just how much force would that generate?
"Get... OFF ME!"
While Jogo was still in a daze, Itadori had already steadied his stance and unleashed a follow-up strike fueled by his fury—
"[Dismantle]!"
It had to be admitted that there was still an unbridgeable gap in raw power between Itadori and Jogo.
His innate technique couldn't even foresee the enemy's weaknesses; the only place where the "cutting lines" were visible was Jogo's neck.
Originally, the [Slashing] technique Itadori inherited was difficult to use directly in combat. Fortunately, with technical support from Emiya, his body acted as an extension of the Charge Blade, allowing him to release the technique directly onto anyone the weapon touched.
As a strange light pulsed from Itadori's blade, Jogo's neck was simultaneously affected by the technique. A clear, visible wound was sliced open by the sudden slash.
If it weren't for the fact that the gap in Cursed Energy between Jogo and Itadori was still massive, Jogo's head would have been severed right then and there.
"This is... a Cursed Technique? And it's cast through a Cursed Tool. It seems this is a rare treasure as well."
After being injured, the first thing Jogo cared about wasn't even Itadori, but the custom-made weapon Emiya had forged for him. By the standards of the Jujutsu world, this tool was firmly in the Special Grade category.
For some reason, every time Jogo saw a good item, it was in someone else's hands, and he immediately felt the urge to take it for himself... he was practically the non-human version of Cao Cao.
"Like I said, kid, you're Sukuna's vessel. I don't intend to kill you, so why so tense?
If I had been serious just now, you'd already be dead. So understand this: if you cooperate, it won't be as painful later."
Jogo flexed his hand, which had nearly been severed, and the wounds on his palm and neck closed completely within seconds.
"Cooperate...? What the hell are you talking about?!
I don't even know how Fushiguro is doing yet. There's no way I'm letting a guy like you go!!"
Itadori's gaze remained steady. He knew that checking on Fushiguro's condition would be meaningless unless he dealt with the enemy first.
"Worried about that guy? You should be worried about yourself. Humans caring about 'companions'... sounds a bit exaggerated."
From Jogo's tone, it was clear he looked down on everything human from the bottom of his heart.
"Companions aren't worth trusting? You have companions too, don't you? Do you not trust them?!" Itadori questioned loudly.
"My companions?" Jogo sneered.
"My trust in them is based on the fact that beings as strong as they are won't be easily killed by anyone. We are going to slaughter all humans together and let Cursed Spirits become the new masters of the world."
Whether it was Mahito, Hanami, or even the currently growing Dagon, their strength was indisputably formidable.
In the Jujutsu world—no, in the entire world—there were only a handful of people capable of defeating them.
With that as a premise, Jogo naturally had such confidence. If anything, the fact that he could remain confident after being beaten down by Emiya so many times was actually quite impressive.
"Is that so? But I heard that one of your companions was already killed by Emiya-sensei a long time ago.
I don't see your so-called 'companions' anywhere now. Are they off fighting Emiya-sensei and Gojo-sensei? Do you really think they can survive?"
Driven by anger, even Itadori had learned the skill of taunting the enemy.
Jogo wanted to snap back immediately, but upon thinking about what Itadori said, a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread hit him.
What if... No, there are absolutely no 'what-ifs'!
"It seems I'll have to take away your ability to talk nonsense first!"
Under Jogo's technique, the temperature in the underground space began to rise uncontrollably. Even the air inhaled began to sear the throat. It wouldn't be long before it reached a level where a human couldn't survive.
"Cough... I have to end this quickly. Fushiguro's side..."
Itadori, enduring the burning sensation on his skin and inside his lungs, looked back, only to find that Fushiguro Megumi had somehow stood up again. He hadn't been defeated by that last attack; he just had a few more burn marks on his body.
"You did well, Itadori... now it's our turn!
Normal Summon—[Piercing Ox]!"
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