Within the spacious underground cavern, the tempo of battle accelerated sharply with the addition of the six Dark Clones.
A single Dark Clone had already pushed Yuji to his limits; the addition of two more immediately left him overwhelmed and disoriented. Yuji managed to hold on by a thread, relying solely on his extraordinary physique.
On the other side, Megumi Fushiguro did not feel nearly as much pressure. He summoned Divine Dog and a toad-like Shikigami; with a three-on-four advantage, he actually managed to hold his ground.
Strange. If even a physical monster like Itadori is struggling this much, why am I finding this manageable? Is he pulling his punches on purpose?
Even in the heat of battle, Megumi remained analytical, searching for flaws in Aomori's techniques. He carefully observed the clones fighting him versus the ones fighting Yuji. By comparison, he noticed that the speed and flexibility of his opponents were far inferior to those facing Yuji.
Could it be that Aosora can only perfectly control three clones at a time? Perhaps he can't manage the surplus clones effectively?
The more Megumi thought, the more plausible it seemed. It appeared Aomori intended to finish Yuji off before dealing with him.
"Have you seen through it?" Aomori noticed Megumi's expression. He assumed the boy had puzzled out the constraint.
It was exactly as Megumi suspected: the Dark Clones possessed no consciousness of their own and required Aomori's direct manipulation. Currently, he could only split his focus to control three clones perfectly; any others could only act on basic impulses.
It didn't matter if Megumi saw through it. Aomori simply wanted to use this opportunity to test his new skills, and he was curious to see how Megumi would choose to resolve the situation.
At that moment, three Dark Clones pinned Yuji down and began a brutal assault. Yuji's face was covered in blood; he was clearly reaching his limit.
"Itadori!" Fearing for Yuji's life, Megumi didn't have time for further calculation. He had to save him first.
Forcing the clones back in one burst, he dismissed the Divine Dog and the toad, summoning a massive elephant instead.
"Max Elephant, drown this place!"
"Moo!" The Shikigami known as Max Elephant let out a long trumpet, swinging its trunk to spray a massive volume of water toward Aomori and Yuji.
The torrent, resembling a rushing waterfall, first swept away the four clones in front of Megumi before instantly surging toward Aomori.
Aomori remained unmoved. His Psychokinesis shield held firm, causing the water to split and flow harmlessly around him.
Yuji and the three clones on his side weren't so lucky and were quickly swallowed by the current.
Summoning Max Elephant required a massive amount of Cursed Energy. As soon as the deluge was released, Megumi sent it back. He re-summoned the toad and used its tongue to pull the submerged Yuji to his side.
"Itadori, are you okay?"
"Cough, cough... I'm fine," Yuji gasped, spitting out water flecked with blood.
Watching the Dark Clones emerge from the water largely unscathed, and seeing Aomori watching him with a calm expression, Megumi took a deep breath. With a grave expression, he leaned close to Yuji.
"Itadori, listen to me."
"Huh?"
"I'm going to create an opening. You need to take Ieiri-sensei and escape this place immediately."
"What? No way. I just said we're fighting together, didn't I?" Yuji refused instantly.
"Itadori, listen!" Megumi grabbed his shoulders and lowered his voice. "Based on what just happened, we have zero chance of winning. We're struggling just to handle the clones. You know the possibility of winning is infinitesimal."
"Even if we lose, I'm not leaving you behind to run away alone. I've felt that regret before, and I'm not doing it again." Yuji remembered when Kento Nanami was on the brink of death; if Nanami had died, Yuji knew he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. This was no different.
"I'll be fine," Megumi analyzed quickly. "Aosora is different from other Cursed Spirits. He doesn't care if I live or die; he only cares if I can provide him with a new experience. Until then, I'm safe."
This was a conclusion he had reached after long observation. Currently, the Cursed Spirit was most likely waiting for his Mahoraga. Therefore, as long as he didn't summon it, his safety was guaranteed.
"Really?" Yuji asked doubtfully.
"Really," Megumi emphasized. "I'll be fine, but Ieiri-sensei might not be. She's no longer useful to the Cursed Spirit. She's at risk of being killed at any moment. She's in much more danger than I am, so you have to get her out first."
"But..." Yuji was still hesitating.
Seeing the Dark Clones regrouping for another round, Megumi urged, "Itadori, there's no time! Do as I say, or none of us get out. Go find Gojo-sensei and come back for me, got it?!"
"Fine." Yuji nodded fiercely. "Fushiguro, I believe you. You better wait for me to come back and save you!"
"Yeah, I believe in you too, Itadori." Megumi smiled. But as he turned to face Aomori and the clones, his gaze turned ice-cold.
"Go, Itadori! I'll hold them off!"
"Raaaagh!"
Yuji roared, and a fresh surge of power welled up in his battered body. He sprinted toward Shoko Ieiri with the speed of a world-class sprinter.
In the blink of an eye, he reached her side and grabbed her waist. "Ieiri-sensei, don't be scared. I'm getting you out of here!"
"Okay, Itadori-kun. Try to be gentle," Shoko said softly. Given his frantic pace, she was actually starting to get a little worried.
"I'll try!" Yuji grunted. His grip tightened, and with a burst of Cursed Energy, he yanked Shoko free from the psychokinetic bindings like pulling a radish from the soil.
"Got it! Hold on tight, Sensei!" With Shoko on his back, Yuji bolted.
"Trying to run?" Aomori, who had been watching the drama, feigned disdain for their little maneuver. He merely glanced at Absol and Pidgeot, who were watching from the sidelines.
"You two, go bring them back."
Absol and Pidgeot both rose with a cry and set off to pursue the fleeing Yuji and Shoko.
Seeing the two powerful creatures closing in, Yuji's face went pale. He shouted, "Fushiguro! Todo and I were beaten by these two. They're strong, don't underestimate them!"
"I won't. Don't worry, Itadori. I'm stronger than you think!"
The image of Ryomen Sukuna flashed through Megumi's mind.
'What a waste of talent. You're strong. Why do you run?'
'That's right... even I didn't realize it, but I am strong!'
'Pour out the shadows from my mind all at once. Don't worry about the specific silhouette. Release the Cursed Energy the moment it's refined.'
'Imagine freely. Imagine a future self that has surpassed all limits.'
Megumi clenched his hands, his expression bordering on madness. He screamed hysterically: "Domain Expansion!"
"Chimera Shadow Garden!"
Black shadows flooded the ground like a tide, instantly enveloping Aomori, Absol, Pidgeot, and the Dark Clones.
"The Domain is incomplete, but it should be enough to buy time," Megumi panted. Blood was leaking from his eyes, nose, and ears, making him look truly ghoulish.
Even though it was an incomplete Domain, it had nearly drained his Cursed Energy. He was now relying on his sheer life force to maintain its existence.
"I finally get to see a Domain."
Aomori was overjoyed. He had thought it would take several more "training sessions" to succeed, but Megumi had exceeded expectations, saving him a lot of trouble.
He scanned the Domain, Chimera Shadow Garden, with his Spirit. Precisely because it was incomplete, it was easier for Aomori to see the core logic within.
Aomori lost himself in research, making no attempt to counter the Domain.
Meanwhile, Absol and Pidgeot remembered their orders and ignored the Domain to continue their pursuit of Yuji.
"Don't you dare." With a thought from Megumi, various Shikigami emerged from the shadows on the ground to block their path. Pidgeot, being capable of flight, received special attention as multiple toads lashed out with long tongues to wrap around its body, barely managing to stall it.
Within Chimera Shadow Garden, Megumi could summon multiple shadow Shikigami and even create doubles of himself from the shadows. Furthermore, he could hide within the enemy's shadow to attack from their blind spots.
However, his only mission this time was to stall. He used these tricks solely to avoid damage, hoping to endure long enough for Yuji to escape.
Minutes passed. Yuji was long gone, and Megumi's body had reached its breaking point.
Itadori... you should be out by now. I really... can't hold on anymore...
Just as he was about to give up, a surge of warm energy poured into his body. it continuously nourished his battered frame, healing his wounds and dissolving his fatigue, granting him the stamina to keep going.
"Where is this power coming from?" Megumi, whose consciousness had been fading, hadn't seen Aomori's hand in this. He was utterly confused.
"Whatever. It's a good thing."
Thus, Megumi continued to maintain the Domain.
After this happened a few more times, Megumi, who was no fool, finally realized the truth.
"So your goal was my Domain all along? But... how did you know I could even use a Domain Expansion?"
This was his first time using it; he had only tried it on a whim because it was their only chance for survival. Even he wasn't sure he could pull it off, so how did Aomori know?
"Do you... have the power to see the future?"
Aomori didn't answer; he was busy deconstructing the Domain.
Megumi, thinking he had found the truth, felt Aomori's despair-inducing power once again. He smiled bitterly and said, "Is everything within your grasp? Fine. If you want to learn about Domains, take what you want. If this is the price for Itadori and the others' freedom, it's a bargain."
For a while, one healed while the other maintained the Domain. It wasn't until Aomori looked up and relaxed that Megumi was finally released from his ordeal.
"That will do." Aomori waved a hand lightly, and the shadows covering the ground vanished instantly. Megumi collapsed, having no strength left to stand.
"Thank you for your help. I understand the mechanics of a Domain well enough now."
"Ha... ha..." Megumi didn't even have the breath to speak. Do whatever you want. At least my job is done.
"Now, it's time for our next assistant."
Aomori snapped his fingers. Yuji, who had supposedly escaped, came crashing down from the ceiling, landing right next to Megumi.
"Ow, ow, ow." Yuji rolled on the ground, unable to stand for the moment.
Megumi's expression froze. It took a long time before he could squeeze out the words: "Itadori... weren't you supposed to be gone?"
"Uh, well..." Yuji's eyes turned into dots. He said sheepishly, "I hadn't gotten very far before I was caught by a pitch-black Cursed Spirit. I couldn't fight back at all. Sorry, Fushiguro."
"..."
So all that effort I spent nearly dying was for nothing?
Megumi was so frustrated he felt like spitting blood.
"So you really can see the future?"
The Cursed Spirit of the Heaven is terrifying!
Aomori had no intention of explaining himself. Let them imagine what they wanted; knowing the plot was effectively the same as seeing the future, anyway.
The undamaged Dark Clones merged together into one massive giant, which hoisted Yuji into the air.
Aomori pulled out the six Sukuna fingers he had taken from Jujutsu High, plus two more that Naoya Zenin and Darkrai had found recently. He fed all eight fingers to Yuji at once.
Truthfully, he never quite understood why Sukuna's power remained in his fingers rather than his heart or brain. Was it because Sukuna was a chef who used knives, so the fingers were the "prime cuts"?
Pinned down, Yuji couldn't refuse Aomori's "kindness" and could only watch as he swallowed the fingers.
Including the three he had already consumed, Yuji now had 11 fingers in his system. He was only four away from the mission's minimum requirement of 15. Mahito's group likely held the remaining ones.
Next, Aomori flicked his finger, knocking Yuji unconscious.
"King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna? Before, when you were weak, you didn't even dare show your face. Now that you have a bit more power, do you still lack the courage to face me?"
As if provoked by Aomori's words, the ancient soul within Yuji took over his body. His eyes snapped open.
Strange markings appeared on his face, and his expression shifted entirely. He now radiated a tyrannical aura that looked down upon all living things.
The King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, had arrived!
Megumi, lying like a corpse on the ground, grit his teeth: Sukuna is out? Fine... I hope they kill each other.
Sukuna, held mid-air, looked down at Aomori with disdain. "I act according to my whims. If I want to come out, I come out. If I don't, what of it? It has nothing to do with you. You, who aspire to godhood... you are not worthy."
As expected of the "honored one," his arrogance was top-tier.
"Oh? Is that so?" Aomori said dismissively. "In your opinion then, what qualifies one to be a god?"
"Why should I answer you?" Sukuna looked down at the massive hand of the Dark Clone gripping him and said coldly, "How much longer do you intend to hold me?"
Slash. Slash. Slash.
Sukuna generated invisible slashes out of thin air, all striking the giant Dark Clone. Its arm, in particular, was bombarded with cuts.
However, the technique that usually cut through anything met its match. The giant Dark Clone was unexpectedly durable, and the slashes proved useless.
"Not bad. You're quite tough," Sukuna said, showing no hint of embarrassment.
"Heh." Aomori chuckled and snapped his fingers again.
The giant Dark Clone flashed a malicious grin. It grabbed Sukuna by the leg and began swinging him like a wet towel, slamming him repeatedly into the ground.
After dozens of repetitions and several large craters later, it finally let go.
"King of Curses? Is that all?"