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Yorozu had never seen the boy floating above them before, but during the time she pretended to be Megumi's sister, she had heard his name mentioned. He was someone the former owner of this body's brother trusted deeply, and someone he clearly admired judging by the way he spoke about him.
Yuji Itadori.
Megumi hadn't shared many details. He had only said that he would introduce them someday, and that she could trust him.
He had said he was strong enough whenever it truly mattered.
But...
Just strong?
Yorozu could feel the pressure radiating from the boy. Despite the relaxed smile on his face and his carefree demeanor, she could tell with absolute certainty.
This boy was incredibly dangerous.
And she wasn't the only one who realized it.
Even Mahoraga, impossible as it was to know what crossed its mind, seemed to have reached the same conclusion.
Yuji Itadori was overwhelmingly powerful.
The greatest threat here.
The shikigami was distracted. Perhaps it was considering its next move. Perhaps it was reassessing its priorities. It didn't matter.
Yorozu saw an opportunity.
Mahoraga was, without question, the worst possible opponent for her. If she eliminated it, she doubted that even someone as powerful as Itadori would possess a way to suppress her the same way the Divine General could.
She had to remove it from the battlefield immediately.
...!
Both Itadori and Mahoraga turned toward Yorozu as a large black sphere formed before her, floating silently above the ground.
At first glance, it looked harmless.
Nothing more than a strange orb made of liquid metal.
But appearances couldn't have been more deceptive.
Itadori immediately noticed what made it so unsettling.
Its shape.
It was perfect.
Far too perfect to exist naturally.
He vaguely remembered Sukuna's fight against Yorozu in the manga, enough to know that touching this sphere was a death sentence. Something about generating infinite pressure.
A technique powerful enough to rival, perhaps even surpass, Gojo's Hollow Purple.
Rip!
Mahoraga stepped backward as the sphere descended onto the ground before surging toward it, tearing through everything in its path as though the world itself were made of butter.
The Divine General braced itself.
Its fist drew back before launching straight toward the massive sphere.
The instant they collided, its mistake became obvious.
Its fist vanished completely.
The sphere ignored the impact, continuing forward effortlessly as it erased half of Mahoraga's body.
Its regeneration immediately began reconstructing everything it had lost while it retreated from the relentless sphere chasing after it.
At this point, Itadori was little more than a spectator.
He simply watched with curiosity.
This was supposed to be a canonical battle.
Honestly, he hadn't expected it to happen anymore after everything that had changed.
Still, it was unfolding in a completely different way.
That was probably because Sukuna wasn't here.
Mahoraga had defeated Yorozu so easily in the original story because Sukuna deciphered her technique almost immediately.
Now...
Mahoraga had to adapt on its own.
Of course, it was only a matter of time before it completely adapted.
Yorozu was undeniably powerful.
But once Mahoraga figured it out...
The sphere charged once again.
The moment it reached Mahoraga, the Divine General thrust its blade forward.
The flawless sphere was pierced.
There was nothing Yorozu could do anymore.
Crack!
To her horror, the sphere stopped completely.
Tiny fractures spread across its perfect surface before it shattered into countless fragments of metal.
"What?" Yorozu froze in complete disbelief.
"The Perfect Sphere... was destroyed?"
Ignoring her shock entirely, Mahoraga rushed toward her.
Its blade rose overhead before descending in a fatal strike.
!
...
Just before the blade landed, Yorozu suddenly saw the back of the same boy who had been casually watching moments earlier.
For some reason...
He was protecting her.
"Hey."
Itadori didn't even look back.
"Mind not dying?"
His arm trembled slightly as he caught Mahoraga's massive blade with one hand.
"That's my friend's sister's body you're wearing."
Boom!
His other fist slammed into Mahoraga's abdomen with overwhelming force.
The Divine General was launched across the entire stadium before crashing into the spectator stands.
Yorozu stared with wide eyes.
Her mouth hung slightly open as she continued looking at the young sorcerer's back.
"Stay where you are."
His eyes remained fixed on the shattered stands where Mahoraga was already climbing back to its feet.
"I'll deal with you once I'm done with this compulsive adapter."
He never once looked at her.
Yorozu didn't move.
Not because she was afraid.
Not because she was intimidated.
Simply because it was the most logical decision.
Running seemed tempting.
But she knew better.
If she tried, this boy would hunt her down.
Considering she hadn't even noticed him until he was standing right in front of her...
She doubted she could ever outrun him.
As irritating as it was...
All she could do now was hope the two monsters killed each other.
"..."
Mahoraga rose completely.
Its posture remained firm.
Its overwhelming presence hadn't diminished in the slightest despite fighting someone like Yorozu.
No.
If anything...
It looked even better than when the battle had begun.
That was simply how Mahoraga worked.
The longer it fought.
The more damage it received.
The more battles it experienced.
The stronger it became.
Bigger.
Faster.
Smarter.
More...
Adapted.
Itadori rolled one shoulder before quickly stretching both arms and lightly bouncing on the balls of his feet to warm up.
Silence followed.
Not because either of them was tired.
Nor because either lacked confidence.
But because both understood something.
The battle ahead would not end after a brief exchange of blows.
Perhaps...
This would be the only opportunity they had to think.
To calculate.
To prepare.
A brief moment.
Yet both used it perfectly.
Exactly...
Five seconds.
!
That was all the time they needed.
Boom!
Mahoraga charged like a raging bull.
Its fist shot toward Itadori like a cannonball.
But Itadori didn't retreat.
Instead...
He threw his own punch.
"Black Flash!"
Black lightning erupted in every direction.
His fist completely overwhelmed Mahoraga's, pulverizing it before tearing straight through its chest and launching the Divine General backward like a meteor.
Itadori chased after it immediately.
Before Mahoraga could recover, another punch slammed into its back.
This one wasn't enhanced by Black Flash.
It didn't need to be.
The impact alone was enough to punch clean through the Divine General.
Mahoraga looked downward.
It could see Itadori's fist protruding from the other side of its abdomen.
Its exposed teeth clenched as it grabbed the arm lodged inside its body and tried to snap it in half.
!
The instant it grabbed him...
A violent surge of electricity exploded through Mahoraga's body.
The voltage was so intense that parts of its white skin blackened from severe burns.
The electrocution lasted only seconds.
Yet it felt endless.
Once it ended, Mahoraga, still smoking and crackling with electricity, blasted away using explosive leg strength.
Its body regenerated almost instantly.
Its regeneration truly was absurd.
Itadori could confidently say it possessed one of the fastest healing factors he had ever seen.
Perhaps only Hakari during Jackpot could rival it.
But he also knew...
It had limits.
Sukuna had proven that.
Gojo had proven that.
As long as Mahoraga was overwhelmed beyond what it could regenerate...
Its adaptation wouldn't save it.
And unfortunately for the Divine General...
Itadori had countless ways to accomplish exactly that.
!
Itadori leaped just as Mahoraga closed the distance with a devastating punch, its fist shattering the ground beneath it.
For a brief moment, it looked as though Mahoraga would simply continue its assault.
Instead, it drove both fists into the earth.
With a tremendous burst of strength, it ripped an enormous section of concrete and soil from the ground and hurled it toward the sorcerer.
Itadori smiled.
His fist, coated in cursed energy, smashed through the massive chunk of earth, reducing it to countless fragments.
Debris scattered in every direction.
Mahoraga was nowhere to be seen.
Itadori quickly scanned his surroundings.
The instant he glanced over his shoulder, he caught sight of the Divine General's massive blade descending toward his head.
Tck! Tck! Tck! Tck!
Just before the blade could connect, his body vanished in twenty-four frames per second, reappearing directly behind Mahoraga.
"Black Flash!"
Without the slightest hesitation, his fist crashed into Mahoraga's back with enough force to launch the Divine General into the sky like a falling star in reverse.
Black lightning wrapped around Itadori's arm before slowly dispersing as he shook the smoke from his fist.
Clank!
Even from that distance, he heard the unmistakable sound of the Dharma Wheel turning.
It didn't frighten him.
It didn't intimidate him.
Patience was a virtue.
And Itadori possessed plenty of it.
He reached into his mouth and pulled out one of his molars.
Holding it tightly for a moment, he then opened his hand.
A lump of flesh rested on his palm.
The moment it landed on the ground, it writhed violently before taking on a humanoid shape.
Moments later, it had become an exact copy of Itadori.
Even its clothes were identical.
"Keep your eyes on her."
He pointed toward Yorozu, who watched everything in complete confusion.
"If she tries to run, knock her out."
The clone looked between Itadori and Yorozu before nodding.
It closed its eyes.
When they opened again, they gleamed like a serpent's.
Streams of water formed around its body, floating through the air before condensing into countless needle-like spikes.
Yorozu pressed her lips together.
The moment she blinked, her eyes widened.
The clone's hand was already resting on her shoulder.
She slowly looked up.
The cold expression on its face said more than words ever could.
One wrong move...
And she would receive a complimentary acupuncture session.
She gritted her teeth.
Humiliation made her fists tremble as she lowered her gaze.
She was supposed to become Sukuna's partner.
Instead...
She was being humiliated by a sorcerer from the new generation.
"..."
Itadori observed her for a brief moment.
He could easily guess what she was thinking.
He simply couldn't care less.
Ever since awakening, his clones had become drastically more efficient.
They could replicate a significant portion of his cursed energy reserves.
More importantly...
They could even generate cursed energy on their own.
Through a simple Binding Vow, he had given himself the ability to create complete clones capable of retaining up to two cursed techniques.
The tradeoff was equally simple.
As long as those clones existed, the original Itadori could no longer use the techniques assigned to them.
If he divided all of his techniques among different clones...
He would essentially become an army of superhuman sorcerers with nearly limitless cursed energy, all sharing a single objective.
Itadori doubted even Sukuna at the peak of his strength could casually deal with one of his fully committed clones.
And if the arrangement ever became inconvenient...
He could simply dispel the clone and immediately regain access to its techniques.
Even against a fully prepared Meguna...
Numbers would never become a disadvantage.
"..."
Boom!
A powerful impact echoed overhead.
Itadori looked toward the sky.
Mahoraga was descending through the clouds like a missile.
He smiled.
Floating upward, he calmly waited for the Divine General to approach.
"Come, Mahoraga!"
Shhh!
Just before impact...
Itadori reached forward and grabbed the air itself.
As though it were a tangible sheet of fabric, he pulled it in front of him.
The instant Mahoraga struck the distorted space...
Its body froze completely.
Crack!
"Thin Ice Breaker!"
The sky itself shattered.
The impact rippled through Mahoraga's entire body like a devastating shockwave before hurling it away.
Its body crashed through a nearby building, punching clean through the opposite side.
Itadori slowly exhaled between his fingers before shooting forward to continue the pursuit.
He flew above Mahoraga as the Divine General spun helplessly through the air.
Clank!
The Dharma Wheel turned once more.
Mahoraga instantly regained control over its body.
It landed firmly on the ground.
The muscles in its legs bulged unnaturally before compressing.
Then...
Boom!
The ground exploded beneath its feet.
Concrete shattered as Mahoraga launched itself toward Itadori.
Their bodies collided in midair.
Punches flew faster than the eye could follow.
The battle swept across the skies above the city.
A blast of flames eventually forced Mahoraga back toward the ground.
That wasn't enough to stop it.
The Divine General landed atop a building and immediately sprinted up its side like a relentless beast.
It launched itself once more.
At the exact same moment...
Itadori charged forward.
He grabbed Mahoraga by the neck.
Spinning through the air, he hurled the Divine General into the ground.
The impact sent debris and dust exploding outward in every direction.
Clank!
Itadori landed lightly.
The instant his feet touched the ground...
Mahoraga appeared before him.
Its blade descended immediately.
Bam!
Itadori blocked it with his forearm.
Without allowing a second attack, he drove a flame-covered punch straight into Mahoraga's stomach.
A massive wave of fire swallowed the Divine General whole.
Mahoraga's mouth opened.
For a brief instant...
It actually looked unconscious.
One second later...
Its teeth snapped shut.
Its hands grabbed both of Itadori's shoulders before slamming him into the ground.
An endless barrage of punches followed.
Each strike hit like a machine gun.
Lying beneath it, Itadori defended himself while carefully tracking every blow.
It's adapting to my physical strength.
With every turn of that wheel...
Its body becomes even stronger.
And my punches are becoming less effective.
He gritted his teeth as the relentless assault began pushing his defense to its limits.
Its adaptation truly is incredible...
Mahoraga's fist came down once more.
This time, Itadori caught it.
His fingers dug deeply into the Divine General's flesh.
Mahoraga stared at him for a brief moment before throwing its other fist.
It met the exact same fate.
For the first time since the battle began...
Mahoraga looked genuinely...
Confused.
I want that!
With a grin stretching from ear to ear, Itadori pulled both knees toward his chest before kicking forward with both feet while simultaneously yanking on Mahoraga's arms.
Rip!
Both of the Divine General's forearms were torn clean from its wrists.
Its body was launched high into the sky.
"Come on, Mahoraga!"
Itadori stood up, cursed energy instantly healing the bruises on his arms.
Mahoraga crashed to the ground several meters away.
By the time it stood again...
Its hands had already regenerated.
Itadori watched it with an eager smile before confidently beckoning with one hand.
"Come on."
!
Mahoraga covered the distance in an instant.
Both fists descended like bolts of lightning.
It wasn't enough.
Itadori vanished into a trail of animation frames before reappearing above the Divine General.
A powerful kick slammed Mahoraga back into the ground.
Before Itadori even landed, a towering pillar of flames engulfed the shikigami.
Mahoraga opened its mouth.
No sound escaped.
Instead, it calmly stepped through the inferno.
It turned toward Itadori and immediately rushed him, unleashing another relentless barrage of punches.
Itadori blocked or dodged every single one.
Just as he prepared to counterattack...
Clank!
A fist suddenly connected with his torso.
The impact launched him across the battlefield.
He regained control before crashing into anything and spat a mouthful of blood.
Has it completely adapted to my raw physical power?
His cursed energy instantly repaired the internal damage.
But the moment he looked up, he was forced to leap backward as Mahoraga stomped exactly where he had been standing.
His eyes narrowed.
The Divine General had grown.
Not dramatically.
But enough to notice.
Boom!
Itadori blocked another punch.
Even so, the overwhelming force sent him spinning through the air before he halted his momentum.
He shook his head and immediately searched for Mahoraga.
!
Only to find the Divine General already above him.
Both hands came crashing down like an enormous war hammer.
Bang!
Just before the strike connected...
Mahoraga's body froze into a single animation frame.
Itadori retracted his fist from the Divine General's abdomen before spitting out another mouthful of blood.
"You really aren't someone to underestimate."
He smiled as he wiped the blood from his lips.
"You've been an incredible opponent."
"But let me end this in a slightly anticlimactic way."
His hands came together.
Cursed energy surged outward in every direction.
"Domain Expansion..."
His barrier expanded.
Then, slowly...
It changed.
The pitch-black barrier gradually became transparent.
A Domain Expansion was nothing more than the physical manifestation of one's innate technique.
Naturally...
A domain could not exist without a barrier.
The barrier was the canvas.
It was inside that canvas that the user's innate technique was painted, transforming ordinary space into a world where their rules prevailed.
Yet Sukuna had accomplished something impossible.
He painted directly onto the air itself.
Without a canvas.
How was that possible?
No one truly knew.
But Itadori had a theory.
Every painting required three things.
A canvas.
Paint.
And a brush.
The canvas was the barrier.
The paint was the innate technique.
But...
What was the brush?
The sorcerer?
No.
The sorcerer was the artist.
The one holding the brush.
The brush itself was merely the instrument that allowed the paint to reach the canvas.
The bridge between imagination and reality.
Even if someone painted directly onto the sky...
A brush was still necessary.
So if the barrier was the canvas...
And the innate technique was the paint...
What projected that technique onto reality?
The brush.
And what exactly was that brush?
The totem.
!
In an instant, the barrier vanished completely.
A single gigantic eye floated high above the battlefield.
It slowly opened.
Its enormous crimson iris observed everything below as though nothing in existence could escape its gaze.
"Hunting Territory!"
Awooooo!
The domain was complete.
The colossal wolf, Amarok, landed heavily upon the earth before raising its head toward the heavens.
Its howl echoed throughout the city as the purest declaration of territorial dominance.
The great wolf that devoured existence itself was no longer confined to a single location.
Now...
The entire world had become its hunting ground.
Crack!
Itadori wasted no time.
He struck the animation frame imprisoning Mahoraga, smashing it into the ground.
The Divine General immediately attempted to rise.
Amarok gave it no chance.
The enormous wolf landed on top of Mahoraga's body.
Its jaws, lined with monstrous fangs, clamped down onto the Divine General's shoulder with enough force to tear through flesh effortlessly.
Mahoraga opened its mouth.
Whether in agony or rage...
No one could tell.
The blade extending from its forearm lengthened as it prepared to stab Amarok.
"Dismantle!"
A devastating slash interrupted the attack.
Mahoraga's arm split cleanly in two, the wound blackened and charred.
"Devour him, Amarok!"
The wolf obeyed immediately.
Its savagery intensified as it tore into Mahoraga like a true apex predator.
Meanwhile...
Itadori unleashed an endless storm of slashes, preventing the Divine General from regenerating.
Even Mahoraga...
The mighty Divine General...
Could no longer endure.
Its Dharma Wheel?
It no longer mattered.
What good was adaptation when most of its body already rested inside the stomach of the great soul-devouring wolf?
The battle was over.
Awooooo!
...
Sukuna swallowed the third finger Uraume had prepared for him.
"Even after sacrificing the power of five fingers..."
"I doubt anyone from this generation can stand on equal footing with me."
He examined his four hands, slowly opening and closing each one.
After synchronizing his soul with the new body, he immediately restored his original form.
Four arms.
A second mouth upon his abdomen.
The towering physique that had once inspired fear across an entire era.
It might have sounded arrogant.
But from Sukuna's perspective...
Even in a weakened state...
His original body should still be enough to defeat anyone alive.
Besides...
Sukuna wasn't a fool.
He had no intention of throwing himself into battle while weakened.
"What shall we do now, Lord Sukuna?" Uraume asked respectfully, standing ready to serve.
"..."
Sukuna remained silent for a moment.
His four eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
Then...
A cold, disdainful smile spread across his face.
"Let's go find the brat."