Fushiguro Megumi's body slammed heavily against the rock wall.
Shards of stone flew in every direction.
Before he could even slide down, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit had already teleported right in front of him.
No fancy techniques.
Just a raw explosion of cursed energy.
Bam!
Another heavy blow.
Fushiguro Megumi was kicked away like a ragdoll, a trail of fresh blood painting a red line through the air.
"Cough, cough..."
Fushiguro Megumi lay flat on the ground, his vision already starting to blur.
Three broken ribs.
Internal bleeding.
Almost no cursed energy left.
"Is this... the power of a Special Grade?"
He struggled to stand, but his body felt as heavy as lead.
Divine Dog: Totality had already been dispelled.
Against this kind of pure violence, his other shikigami couldn't last even a single round.
Despair.
"Mr. En..."
Junpei stood on a high rock, staring down at the blood-soaked figure below.
"Are we really not going to save him? He is going to die!"
Junpei's hand pressed against the cursed tool at his waist. If En hadn't stopped him, he would have charged down long ago.
"He won't die."
Leaning on the black [Golden Order], En munched on potato chips while watching the tragic scene below.
En knew perfectly well that Fushiguro would achieve a breakthrough in this fight.
"Junpei, watch closely."
"He is hesitating."
"Hesitating?" Junpei blinked in confusion.
"He is wondering if he should use that 'take them with me' move."
En gave a cold laugh.
This kid's trump card was the exorcism ritual—summoning the unbeatable [Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga] and dragging the enemy into a mutual death.
It was the most foolish 'suicide bomber' tactic.
"Fushiguro Megumi!!"
En's voice suddenly boomed through the cavern, drowning out the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's roar.
Fushiguro Megumi froze and lifted his blood-stained face.
"Don't even think about that crappy suicide move!"
En looked down from above, his voice dripping with mockery.
"You want to die? Fine."
"But if you die, what happens to your sister?"
"Sukuna inside Itadori Yuji could come out at any moment. Who is going to keep him in check then?"
Every word cut deep.
Fushiguro Megumi's pupils constricted sharply.
That was right.
I cannot die.
What kind of victory is a mutual death?
That is just running away!
Gojo-sensei's words and En's words intertwined in his mind.
'Winning by dying and winning even if it kills you are two completely different things.'
'In the world of jujutsu sorcerers, only greed leads to the peak of strength.'
Greed...
I want to win.
I want to live.
I want to save my sister, save Itadori, and save everyone!
What is wrong with that?
"Roar—!!!"
Sensing a change in its prey, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit let out a tyrannical roar and charged once more with its massive body.
This time, it was a killing blow.
"Whew..."
Fushiguro Megumi closed his eyes.
Since there was no way out.
Since conventional methods would not work.
Then... break it!
Break through this damn limit!
'No longer limited by "form"...'
'No longer bound by "logic"...'
'Extend the imagination... to the very edge of the shadows!'
Fushiguro Megumi snapped his eyes open.
Those usually calm dark green eyes were now filled with a crazed grin.
It was the manic laugh of a gambler going all-in.
His hands formed a sign he had never used before.
"Domain Expansion—"
Vroom—
The air in the entire cavern instantly solidified.
Even the charging Special Grade Cursed Spirit faltered for a fraction of a second.
Boundless darkness centered on Fushiguro Megumi, like ink dropped into clear water, instantly eroding everything around it.
The rocks vanished.
The bones vanished.
In their place was a bottomless, flowing liquid of black shadow.
"[Chimera Shadow Garden]!!"
"That is..."
Up on the rocks, Junpei's eyes widened, his mouth hanging slightly open.
He felt his very soul trembling.
This is... a Domain?!
Although it looked incomplete and had not formed a closed barrier, the qualitative change in cursed energy was suffocating.
"Finally... he figured it out."
En pushed up his glasses, tapping his cane lightly on the ground.
In the center of the battlefield.
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit was trapped in a swamp of shadows.
It discovered with horror that its feet could not be pulled out, and in the surrounding darkness, countless pairs of crimson eyes were lighting up.
"In here..."
Fushiguro Megumi knelt on one knee, blood gushing from his nose, but the smile on his face grew wider and wider.
"I am the rule!"
"Now... die!!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless black frogs, giant snakes, and strange birds surged out from the shadows—not just individuals, but a beastly tide like a tsunami!
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit fought back desperately, but inside the Domain, the shikigami were infinite.
For every one it tore apart, two more would emerge.
Finally.
"Divine Dog: Totality!!"
A black and white giant wolf, several times larger than before, silently emerged from the shadow behind the Special Grade Cursed Spirit.
Claws slashed through.
"Squelch—!!"
The Special Grade Cursed Spirit's iron-hard body was torn in half like paper.
Purple blood erupted.
With an unwilling wail, the Special Grade Cursed Spirit's body began to disintegrate, turning into ash.
Leaving behind only a dark red finger, which hit the ground with a "clink."
The Domain dissolved.
The darkness receded.
"I... I won..."
Fushiguro Megumi stared at the finger on the ground, his frayed nerves finally snapping.
A massive wave of dizziness hit him.
His body swayed and he fell straight backward.
"Clap."
He did not hit the ground.
A hand steadily supported his back.
En had appeared behind him at some point.
"Well done."
En looked at the unconscious Fushiguro Megumi in his arms, a rare hint of praise in his tone.
He leaned down and picked up Sukuna's finger from the ground.
It was ice-cold to the touch, emitting a nauseatingly evil aura.
But in En's eyes, it was the most beautiful thing in the world.
[SYSTEM: Recovered high-value cursed object: Ryomen Sukuna's Finger.]
[SYSTEM: Estimated value: 50,000 points.]
"This deal just paid for itself."
En put the finger into a specially made sealing box and tucked it back into his jacket.
Then, he pulled an expensive high-grade healing potion from his pocket and poured it into Fushiguro Megumi's mouth like water.
"Gulp."
As the potion went down, Fushiguro Megumi's pale face regained some color, and his breathing steadied.
"Boss, is he okay?"
Junpei finally snapped out of his shock and jumped down from the rocks, looking worried.
"He won't die."
En stood up and straightened the hem of his clothes.
"He is just exhausted. He will be fine after some sleep."
"Then are we..."
Junpei was about to ask if they could leave.
Suddenly.
"Clap, clap, clap."
A slow, rhythmic sound of clapping suddenly drifted from the deepest darkness of the cavern.
Junpei's voice cut off abruptly.
En's movements also froze instantly.
"Impressive."
"That was truly impressive."
A man wearing a five-striped gojo-kesa robe walked out of the shadows with a smile.
The stitched scar on his forehead looked exceptionally hideous in the dim light.
En's pupils shrank violently.
Why?
Why was Kenjaku here?
"How interesting."
Kenjaku narrowed his long, thin eyes, sweeping his gaze across En and Junpei.
Finally, his eyes fixed on the pocket on En's chest.
"Mr. En."
"It is almost as if you knew the finger would be here beforehand."
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