In the underground passageways of Shibuya Station, ruptured water pipes continuously spewed murky streams of water.
Yuji lay in the cold, stagnant water, his abdomen pierced by Choso's Piercing Blood. The puddles around him had long since been stained dark red with blood.
His eyes were tightly shut, and his breathing was so faint it was barely perceptible. He had completely lost consciousness.
A faint set of footsteps broke the deathly silence.
Two girls in sailor uniforms emerged from the shadows.
They looked at the pink-haired boy lying in a pool of blood. There was no pity in their eyes, only determination to accomplish their objective.
Nanako, her hair tied into twin buns and a mobile phone in hand, kicked aside a piece of rubble at her feet and glanced at Mimiko, who stood beside her clutching a worn stuffed doll.
"Looks like our luck isn't too bad. This kid's already half-dead. Saves us a lot of trouble."
Mimiko nodded and pulled a small wooden box wrapped in layers of talismans from her pocket.
As she peeled away the talismans, a shrivelled finger emitting a foul stench was revealed inside.
One of Ryomen Sukuna's fingers.
"As long as we can wake Lord Sukuna, we'll have a chance to take back Geto's body."
Nanako bit her lower lip, hatred flashing across her face.
"That bastard with the stitches on his forehead actually dared to steal Geto's body. He can never be forgiven."
Mimiko crouched down and roughly pried open Yuji's jaw, preparing to force the Special Grade Cursed Object into his mouth.
Just as the finger was about to touch his lips—
BOOM!
The concrete wall beside the passage exploded and melted.
Scorching magma transformed into a fiery serpent that grazed Mimiko's cheek and instantly reduced the wooden box in her hand to ashes.
"Who gave you permission to touch him?"
Accompanied by a wave of blistering heat, Jogo strode through the molten breach in the wall.
Black smoke billowed from the volcano atop his head.
His single eye burned with murderous intent as he glared at the two reckless curse users.
The deaths of Hanami and Dagon had pushed Jogo to the edge of losing control.
The only thing left on his mind was awakening the King of Curses and using that overwhelming power to slaughter every troublesome sorcerer.
"You one-eyed freak..."
Nanako raised her phone, preparing to activate her cursed technique.
"Get lost."
Jogo didn't even spare them a second glance.
He casually waved a hand.
A violent blast of heat erupted outward like a collapsing mountain, sending both girls flying.
They crashed heavily into a wall more than ten metres away.
Having dealt with the troublesome insects, Jogo walked over to Yuji.
He crouched down and flipped his wrist.
Ten of Sukuna's fingers, wrapped in talismans and radiating nauseating malice, spilled into the stagnant water with a series of dull splashes.
These were the fingers Kenjaku had entrusted to him earlier for safekeeping.
"Wake up, Ryomen Sukuna."
"Reduce those arrogant sorcerers to ashes."
Jogo grabbed Yuji's cheeks and forcibly shoved all ten fingers down his throat, forcing him to swallow them.
Gulp.
The sound of swallowing echoed clearly through the dim underground passage.
One second.
Two seconds.
Yuji's body suddenly began convulsing violently.
It was as if countless venomous snakes were writhing beneath his skin. His bones emitted a series of horrifying cracks and grinding noises.
An immense surge of cursed energy erupted from him.
The cursed energy was too pure.
Too evil.
It was no longer merely the accumulation of humanity's negative emotions. Instead, it felt like the absolute stillness left behind after a thousand years of slaughter.
The temperature in the passage plummeted.
The flickering lights overhead shattered one after another with a series of sharp explosions.
In the darkness, Yuji slowly sat up.
The skin on his face split apart as a second pair of eyes opened.
Black markings spread across his cheeks, neck, and arms like thorny vines.
He lowered his head and examined his perfectly restored left hand.
"Oh?"
"That brat's severed hand was actually healed."
Ryomen Sukuna rolled his neck and let out a low, hoarse laugh filled with boundless arrogance.
Slowly, he rose to his feet.
The very act of standing seemed to weigh upon the surrounding space. The air groaned under the pressure.
The stagnant water on the floor was forced away by an invisible force, creating a circular vacuum around him.
Jogo knelt on one knee, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Even as a Special Grade Curse, standing before the King of Curses from a thousand years ago filled him with instinctive fear that reached the depths of his soul.
"You're the one who fed me the fingers?"
Sukuna looked down at Jogo.
There was not the slightest trace of gratitude in either pair of eyes.
Only the indifference of someone looking at an insignificant insect.
"Yes."
Jogo lowered his head respectfully.
At that moment, Nanako and Mimiko, who had been blown away earlier, staggered back while supporting one another.
Facing the overwhelming pressure radiating from Sukuna, they suppressed the fear in their hearts and dropped to their knees.
"Lord Sukuna! We fed you a finger too!"
Nanako looked up and shouted anxiously.
"Please show mercy and help us kill the fake who's stolen Geto's body! If you agree, we'll tell you where the remaining fingers are!"
The air froze.
Sukuna slowly turned his head and looked down at the trembling sisters.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Sharp white fangs were exposed in a sinister grin.
"You..."
"Are negotiating terms with me?"
Before the sentence had even finished—
Slash!
There was no warning.
No surge of cursed energy.
Not even the motion of raising a hand.
Mimiko didn't even have time to scream.
Her head, along with half of her upper body, suddenly shifted and slid apart.
Blood erupted into the air like a fountain, splattering across Nanako's face.
"Mi... Mimiko?"
Nanako stared blankly at the remains of her sister.
Her mind went completely blank.
"Using a single finger to order me to kill someone?"
Sukuna's cold voice echoed through the passage.
"Insects who don't know their place."
"Die."
An invisible web of slashes descended instantly.
Nanako didn't even have time to beg for mercy.
A dense barrage of Dismantle sliced through her body, reducing her to hundreds of pieces that scattered across the floor like a pile of flesh.
The smell of blood instantly filled the passage.
Watching the scene unfold before his eyes, Jogo felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead.
The King of Curses was even more capricious and tyrannical than the rumours claimed.
After killing the twins, Sukuna turned his attention back to the kneeling curse.
"And you."
"You fed me ten fingers at once."
Crossing his arms, Sukuna spoke with a hint of boredom.
"Tell me. What do you want?"
"Do you want me to kill someone? Destroy a city? Flatten a mountain?"
"As long as it's on the way, I can reluctantly grant you one favour."
Jogo took a deep breath and lowered his head even further.
"I have no requests."
"I awakened you without seeking any reward."
"Our goal is for you to fully resurrect. Once that happens, curses will replace humanity and become the true rulers of this world."
For a moment, Sukuna fell silent.
He studied the volcano-headed curse before him.
The indifference in his eyes faded slightly, replaced by the amusement of someone who had discovered an interesting toy.
"No requests?"
"Completely devoted to me?"
Sukuna threw back his head and burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
"What an amusing obsession."
"A curse with a spirit of self-sacrifice purer than most humans."
The laughter gradually subsided.
Sukuna looked down at Jogo once more.
"For the sake of those fingers, I'll give you a chance."
He pointed directly at him.
"If you can land a single hit on me..."
"Even if it's only enough to touch the edge of my clothes..."
"Then from this moment onward, I'll work for you."
"Whether it's killing people or dealing with that annoying white-haired sorcerer, I'll do it."
"How about it?"
Jogo's head snapped up.
Battle intent blazed within his single eye.
He knew the gap between them was like heaven and earth.
But if he could land even one hit, he would secure the King of Curses for their side.
It was an offer he couldn't refuse.
"Are you serious?"
Jogo rose to his feet.
The volcano atop his head erupted with scorching black smoke.
The remaining stagnant water instantly evaporated under the intense heat, and the concrete walls glowed red from the temperature.
"I never take back my word."
Sukuna cracked his neck and began walking toward the far end of the passage.
"Come on, Volcano Head."
"Show me what you've got."
...
Meanwhile.
Near the entrance to Basement Level 5, not far from the connecting passage.
Rin walked leisurely through the dim tunnel.
The Kusanagi Sword hung casually in his hand, its scabbard dragging across the floor and leaving a shallow groove behind.
Suddenly, he stopped.
Deep within the darkness ahead, a vast and malevolent cursed energy was surging toward him like a tsunami.
Its wild, tyrannical presence regarded all life as insignificant.
Even through the thick reinforced walls, that oppressive aura was impossible to ignore.
"So you're finally awake."
A faint purple ripple appeared within Rin's dark eyes.
Six black tomoe slowly formed within the Rinnegan.
He recalled the rooftop of Sugisawa Third High School in Sendai.
Back then, he had stepped on this so-called King of Curses and ground him into the dirt.
"After eating more than a dozen fingers, you've certainly regained some confidence."
"Good."
"That seafood earlier was far too weak. It barely counted as a warm-up."
Rin strode forward without hesitation, heading straight toward the overwhelming pressure of cursed energy.
"Since you're awake..."
"Let me help you remember what it feels like to have every bone in your body crushed beneath someone's foot."
___
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