Becoming Sukuna

"Damn it!"

Every bone in his body ached. Even the slightest movement sent jolts of pain through him.

"What's with that guy? He's a monster!"

Megumi coughed up blood, struggling to sit up. He looked at Yuji and Nanami, who were also badly injured.

Thanks to his abundant cursed energy, Nanami's injuries were relatively minor. After all, Toji had no cursed energy of his own and relied solely on cursed tools and physical strength.

Yuji, on the other hand, had simply endured the attacks with his superhuman resilience.

But even at their best, they were no match for that monster.

How can we fight him if we can't even see his movements?

If we continue, we'll all die here. In that case...

Itadori, I'm not like you. I choose who I save, and I won't let a good person like you die in front of me!

Megumi pushed himself up, his hands trembling as he reached out.

Suddenly, a tall figure appeared before him. Toji Zenin looked down at the boy, then asked, "What's your name?"

Megumi froze, his concentration broken. "Fushiguro... Megumi Fushiguro."

Toji smiled. "So you're not a Zenin, huh? That's good."

Then, to Megumi's surprise, Toji sat down, as if he had all the time in the world.

"What are you doing?" Megumi frowned.

"Relax, I'm not going to attack you now." Toji casually tossed his sword aside.

It spun through the air and landed beside Nanami.

"Have a seat, Megumi," Toji said, leaning back. "Take this opportunity to rest and recover."

"What?" Megumi's frown deepened. "Are you looking down on us?"

The moment he said that, he realized his mistake.

Toji chuckled. "Do I even need to?"

"...Tch."

Megumi was annoyed, but he couldn't deny it.

Though I don't know what he's planning, resting now would benefit us.

Unable to understand Toji's intentions, Megumi decided to wait and see, temporarily abandoning his plan to drag Toji into a suicide attack with Mahoraga.

Seeing Megumi sit down with a sullen expression, Toji smiled in satisfaction.

Meanwhile, Yuji crept over to Nanami. "Nanami, what's going on? Why did he suddenly stop attacking?"

Nanami was just as confused. Toji had even returned the sword he had taken. It was hard to tell if he was scheming or just arrogant.

"I don't know. Let's just observe for now. Be ready to rescue Fushiguro," Nanami said.

"Okay."

They watched Megumi and Toji, Yuji trying to eavesdrop.

"What's your goal?" Megumi asked coldly.

"No goal." Toji studied his face, the image of a beautiful woman flashing through his mind.

"Take care of Megumi for me~"

He heard a faint voice and blinked.

"Toji Zenin... are you from the Zenin clan?" Megumi asked.

"Not anymore." Toji scoffed. "That shithole wouldn't tolerate someone with no cursed energy."

Although he was the enemy, Megumi couldn't help but agree. He knew that Maki wasn't treated well within the clan.

So this man suffered the same fate, huh? Despite being so strong…

"Let me see, you're sixteen now, right?"

Megumi was taken aback by the question. "Yes, why?"

"So Gojo kept his word, huh? Despite being such an annoying bastard." Toji didn't seem interested in answering Megumi's question. "It's good that you didn't go to the Zenin clan. Have you been living with Gojo all this time?"

"What's the point of asking these questions? It's none of your business."

Megumi was getting annoyed.

"Well, whatever. Just making conversation."

"There's another girl, Tsumiki. She's my adopted sister."

Despite his annoyance, Megumi couldn't help but answer Toji's questions.

"Wow, he actually got Fushiguro to talk to him!" Yuji was surprised.

Toji wanted to talk about more personal things, but he realized that all he knew was the jujutsu world.

He looked up at the night sky, occasionally illuminated by distant flames.

"Your technique is the Ten Shadows Technique, right? The jujutsu world is a shithole, but talent can still make things a bit easier."

"What are you trying to say?"

Before Megumi could finish, a large hand ruffled his hair.

"You've grown taller."

"It's about time."

The Séance Technique required cursed energy to maintain. Once Jinichi's cursed energy was depleted, the technique would end.

But now that Toji had possessed Jinichi, once Jinichi's cursed energy ran out, Toji would lose consciousness and become a mindless killing machine.

Toji patted his son's head, then suddenly thrust his hand into his chest and crushed his own heart.

"!"

"What?!"

Megumi's eyes widened in shock as he watched Toji collapse with a smile, his face reverting back to Jinichi's.

"Hey! Fushiguro!" Yuji rushed over. "Why did he suddenly kill himself?!"

"I don't know..."

"What's wrong?" Yuji noticed Megumi's pale face.

"I feel sick," Megumi said.

What was that all about? Suddenly asking all those questions, then killing himself...

"Regardless, he's dead now," Nanami said, approaching them. "We don't have time to dwell on this. Let's go support the others."

"I suspect the barrier will be broken soon." He looked up at the sky.

"This attack will be over soon."

"So, it was just a cursed womb until now. No wonder it was so weak."

Naobito Zenin chuckled, watching the red figure floating in the air. He didn't seem worried about the enemy's power-up.

The special grade curse, Dagon, now had a humanoid body and a pair of red wings.

Hachiman, leaning against a pillar, stared at Dagon with a deadpan expression.

It would have been better to let it go get killed by Ryōichi-sama… Now it's pissed.

He glanced at the old man in the white uniform, hoping he was strong enough to handle this.

Otherwise, we might not last until Ryōichi-sama gets here.

"Those who are injured, get out of the way. Don't be a hindrance."

"Okay."

Hachiman retreated to a safe distance.

Yukino joined the group.

"Yukinoshita-san, long time no see!" Nobara greeted her.

"Yes, it's been a while," Yukino nodded. "But this isn't the time for a reunion."

"Don't worry, we'll take care of this quickly! We can chat at a cafe later!" Nobara grinned.

Ino stared at Yukino, momentarily stunned by her beauty.

She's…

"Is that a new first-year? But I heard it was a boy..."

Before he could ponder any further, Dagon, floating in the air, raised a finger.

A massive torrent of water materialized, swirling around his fingertip before forming a sphere and crashing to the ground.

The water exploded outwards, engulfing the group.

"Water Style: Great Waterfall Technique?!" Hachiman, watching from a safe distance, exclaimed in surprise.

"Huh?" Naobito Zenin grinned and summoned a series of blank cursed energy frames to shield himself.

The water crashed harmlessly against the frames.

"Water?!" Nobara barely managed to grab a pillar to avoid being swept away.

Yukino dug her feet into the ground and braced herself against the current.

She's so strong… Nobara thought enviously.

Ino, with his mask on, was the most agile, gliding effortlessly across the water as if he were ice skating.

"Invited Beast Number Two: Black Tortoise!"

The torrent subsided, and Dagon descended.

"Curse, do you know how many frames are in one second of animation?" Naobito Zenin asked, striking a pose.

"I'm not a 'curse.' I'm Dagon," the curse replied.

"Lately, people have been obsessed with higher resolutions and frame rates..."

"Hanami, Jogo, and Mahito..."

"Always going on about 4K and 60 fps..."

"We all..."

"If it were just a personal preference, fine. But now TVs have motion smoothing on by default. It's like the concept of 'doing more harm than good' has vanished. It's truly lamentable..."

Naobito continued his rant about animation frame rates.

"We have names!" Dagon finally roared, unable to take it anymore.

"Don't you have any sense of atmosphere?!" Naobito chided.

Whoa, that old man seems self-absorbed. He should have just listened. Now he's pissed it off completely, Hachiman thought, watching from afar.

Dagon was about to attack when it suddenly froze. Naobito had somehow appeared behind it, his hand pressed against its back.

The curse was trapped, as if encased in a mirror.

"What?" Hachiman jumped to his feet. "That old man... Does he have the same type of technique as me?!"

Maybe I can ask him for advice later... But he doesn't seem very approachable...

No, I should be worried about surviving this first.

BOOM!

Before he could dwell on it any longer, a loud crash echoed through the space as Dagon was flung against a wall. Yukino quickly followed up with a few slashes.

Debris flew, and a jet of water burst through the dust cloud.

Naobito effortlessly dodged the water, but the pillar behind him was struck.

Dagon emerged from the dust cloud, unharmed.

"Defensive water currents, and it can still attack?" Naobito mused. "High cursed energy, troublesome technique… What to do?"

"The answer is simple: Overwhelm it with speed!"

A barrage of attacks – projectiles, nails, and slashes – rained down on Dagon.

At the same time, Naobito, Ino, and Yukino charged.

The water shield shattered, but Naobito had already reached Dagon, landing a powerful kick that sent it flying.

"Invited Beast Number One: Xiezhi!" Ino summoned his attack.

The blast hit Dagon, creating a crater in its abdomen.

Yukino's hand pressed against Dagon. "Cleave."

Blood splattered from countless cuts.

Then, Naobito appeared above Dagon, kicking it in the neck.

Nobara seized the opportunity, her nails exploding as Dagon landed.

"Hmph, that's all a special grade can do?" Naobito scoffed.

Don't celebrate too early! Hachiman was both amazed by their teamwork and worried about the old man's words.

As expected, before the dust could settle, Dagon emerged, fully healed.

It ignored everyone else and charged straight at Naobito.

A wave of water surged towards the group, separating them. Only Naobito, with his barrier, and Ino, with his Black Tortoise, remained unaffected. But Naobito was left vulnerable.

Dagon appeared behind him and slammed its fist into his head.

"Old man!" Ino gritted his teeth and unleashed his strongest attack. "Invited Beast Number Four: Azure Dragon!"

A red dragon materialized, its roar echoing through the space as it bit into Dagon.

Dagon was forced to release its technique.

The dragon flew around, attacking relentlessly.

"Damn it! I can't activate my technique!"

Dagon struggled against the dragon, while also being harassed by Yukino's slashes and Nobara's nails.

Then, Naobito suddenly appeared and landed a series of punches, sending Dagon flying.

The dragon caught Dagon in its jaws and slammed it into a wall.

In that case…

Dagon raised its hands.

"Not so fast."

Naobito stepped on its hands, preventing the activation of its Domain Expansion.

But a strange pattern appeared on Dagon's stomach.

"Domain Expansion..."

"What?!"

Suddenly, the underground space was replaced by a sandy beach and a vast ocean.

"What happened?"

Hachiman stared at the black barrier in confusion.

It was his first time seeing a Domain Expansion.

"Is this a curtain?"

He reached out and poked it. "So hard!"

"Woof!"

He turned to see the wolf shikigami.

"Ah, it's Hikigaya!"

Nanami and Megumi arrived.

"Is this… a Domain Expansion?"

Is it such a powerful Domain Expansion that it doesn't even need hand signs?

Naobito's expression turned grim. "This is getting troublesome."

Yukino and Ino's faces also fell, but Nobara's reaction was different.

"Whoa! Hawaii! It's Hawaii!"

She looked at the sandy beach, the clear blue sky, and the vast ocean with a disappointed expression.

"This isn't Hawaii. It's the enemy's Domain," Yukino reminded her.

"I know, I know. I realized that the moment I saw that creepy octopus head." Nobara glared at Dagon.

"We have no way to counter a Domain. Be careful, everyone!"

The moment Ino finished speaking, blood splattered from his waist.

Yukino and Nobara were also injured.

"Is this the sure-hit effect? We can't even sense the shikigami before they attack?!" Ino exclaimed, looking at the disappearing piranha.

"Secret Art: Falling Blossom Emotion!"

Naobito activated his technique, his body enveloped in cursed energy.

Any shikigami that touched him would trigger an automatic counterattack.

Although he continued to take down shikigami, there seemed to be an endless supply.

Dagon observed their reactions. "That bearded man is different. Time to get serious."

"Seventy percent of my power on the bearded man, thirty percent on the masked man and the black-haired woman. As for the other one, she's too weak to be a threat."

Dagon clapped its hands together. "Technique Release: Death Swarm!"

The sea behind it churned violently, and massive fish-like shikigami erupted from the water, their mouths filled with sharp teeth.

"Incoming!" Ino yelled.

The shikigami vanished as quickly as they appeared.

Yukino swung her sword, but it cut through nothing. "They don't even exist before they attack... What a troublesome technique."

She ran across the beach, trying to dodge, but it was futile.

A sharp pain tore through her, and she saw a giant eel shikigami biting into her.

Ino, thanks to his Black Tortoise armor, wasn't as badly injured, but he was still overwhelmed by the sheer number of shikigami.

He dodged and weaved, trying to escape.

"The attacks aren't letting up. Could this Domain's innate technique be..." Naobito trailed off.

Then, a giant fist slammed into his face, sending him flying.

Although Falling Blossom Emotion could counter the sure-hit effect, it left him vulnerable to attacks from Dagon itself.

Nobara looked around, annoyed that she was the only one unscathed. "You damn octopus, are you looking down on me?!"

She threw her nails into the air and swung her hammer.

The nails shot towards Dagon, but it swatted them away and appeared before Nobara in an instant.

"You're the weakest one here."

Dagon kicked Nobara, sending her flying.

"One down."

A cut appeared on Dagon's neck, but it quickly healed.

Yukino, watching from a distance, retracted her hand. Even if she ignored the shikigami and attacked Dagon directly, she wouldn't be able to inflict any significant damage.

And I can't get close to it with the sure-hit effect active…

What do I do?

The more she thought, the more her mind blanked.

She couldn't think of any effective strategy.

I can't imagine… us winning.

Dagon reached out towards her, summoning more shikigami.

Pain exploded through her as a shikigami bit into her.

Am I going to die here?

Sukuna-kun...

"Yukinoshita!"

Ino, seeing Yukino being attacked, gritted his teeth and, mimicking her previous attempt, deactivated his Black Tortoise and activated his Xiezhi.

A giant piranha bit into his shoulder, but a spinning projectile also materialized in his hand. It flew through the air, striking the shikigami attacking Yukino.

Yukino snapped out of her daze and used Cleave, destroying the remaining shikigami.

This isn't working!

I can't keep relying on Sukuna-kun to save me. He's fighting his own battles.

She glared at Dagon, determination hardening her gaze.

Dagon flinched, surprised by the sudden intensity.

What?

I was pushed back by a girl?

Enraged, it summoned a swarm of shikigami to attack her.

Yukino took a deep breath, focusing solely on the enemy.

Think, Yukino. What would Sukuna-kun do?