Yuji Itadori let out a pained roar, his hands clawing at his face as if trying to tear away the extra mouth appearing there.
At that moment, the concentration of cursed energy in the air surged to a suffocating level!
"Megumi! Run!"
Yuji Itadori shouted his final conscious thought with all his might.
The next second.
His body jerked violently. His once-clear eyes rolled back into his head, only for a pair of crimson pupils to refocus an instant later.
In that gaze, there was no longer the passion or kindness of a youth; it was replaced by an ultimate arrogance that viewed all creation as mere ants.
Black markings spread across his body like cursed vines.
Ryomen Sukuna, incarnated!
"Phew..."
Sukuna cracked his neck, the joints popping loudly.
He ignored Megumi Fushiguro, who stood ready for a fight, and didn't even glance at the wary Panda or Maki.
His wicked eyes were locked dead onto Yoru.
"Found you."
Sukuna grinned, revealing his pearly white fangs.
"That disgusting smell of the sun."
Megumi Fushiguro turned pale and quickly formed a hand seal.
"Divine Dog!"
Though he knew the odds were slim, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.
This was the King of Curses! Even with the power of only a single finger, he was not someone students like them could stand against!
"Run! Yoru!"
Megumi Fushiguro roared.
Yet Yoru didn't run. Not only did he stay, but he even took a step forward.
That single step left everyone present stunned.
At this moment, Yoru's state was very unusual.
The youth, who was usually gentle and even a bit ditsy, now radiated an indescribably cold aura.
Hatred for demons.
It was Yoriichi Tsugikuni's instinct, engraved deep within his soul—an absolute refusal to forgive those who trampled on life.
Although the entity before him wasn't Kibutsuji Muzan, the sickening stench of blood and blatant disregard for life were exactly the same.
"Pathetic creature."
Yoru whispered softly. His voice wasn't loud, yet it reached everyone's ears clearly.
Sukuna blinked in surprise, then burst into a fit of wild laughter.
"Pathetic? Are you talking about me?"
"Hahahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting!"
"In thousands of years, this is the first time anyone has dared to look at me with those eyes!"
Boom!
The ground beneath Sukuna's feet instantly shattered.
His figure shot out like a cannonball, lunging straight at Yoru with an aura that felt like it could destroy the world.
"Die, brat!"
The strike was too fast. It was so fast that Megumi Fushiguro couldn't even track the movement.
So fast that Maki had only just tightened her grip on her spear before the opponent was already in front of Yoru.
The clawed hand, covered in black markings, shrieked through the air as it lunged for Yoru's throat.
There were no flashy techniques, only pure strength and speed.
This was the King of Curses!
'It's over...'
Panda closed his eyes in despair, but the expected spray of blood and flesh never happened.
Clink.
A faint sound, so quiet it was almost negligible, sounded strangely prominent amidst the roaring wind.
Time seemed to stand still.
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief.
There, in the center of the training ground.
Sukuna remained in his lunging stance. That claw, capable of crushing steel, stopped less than a centimeter from the tip of Yoru's nose.
It couldn't advance another inch.
Because a wooden sword—an ordinary, even somewhat worn-out wooden sword—had somehow been placed against Sukuna's throat.
There was no ripple of cursed energy, no light of an innate technique.
A perfect stop.
If Sukuna moved forward even a millimeter, the wooden sword would ruthlessly pierce his throat.
Of course, for the King of Curses, a pierced throat wasn't fatal.
But what truly stopped Sukuna wasn't the wooden sword—it was the gaze.
Currently, Yoru was watching him quietly.
Within those dark red pupils, a blazing sun seemed to burn.
Though there was no physical heat, Sukuna felt as if his soul was being roasted over a fire.
It was as if he were standing before a god looking down upon all living things.
"Move..."
Yoru's voice was terrifyingly calm.
"...and I'll cut you down."
Arrogant. It was beyond arrogant!
Telling the King of Curses, Ryomen Sukuna, "I'll cut you down" was something absolutely unprecedented in the history of the jujutsu world.
But strangely, Sukuna actually didn't move.
The smile on his face froze, and his crimson eyes narrowed slightly as if confirming something.
Even if it was only for a ten-thousandth of a second, he had indeed hesitated.
This brat wasn't bluffing; that sword intent was real.
It was a sword intent capable of slaying a god!
Of course, what truly made him stop wasn't just this wooden sword.
Sukuna's crimson compound eyes shifted slightly, his peripheral vision scanning the empty space at the edge of the training ground.
'Tsk, is that troublesome "strongest" almost here...?'
With the power of only one finger, facing that white-haired Six Eyes user right now would indeed be a bit tricky.
Moreover...
Sukuna's gaze fell back on Yoru, a nearly imperceptible hint of appreciation flickering deep within his eyes.
Despite having no cursed energy, he possessed a will that felt like it could cut through anything.
"Interesting. A truly interesting rough diamond."
"Heh... heh..."
Sukuna suddenly withdrew his hand and leapt back several meters, creating distance.
The black markings on his face began to fade slowly as Yuji Itadori's consciousness started to regain control of the body.
"Not bad."
"Not bad at all."
Sukuna gave Yoru a deep look, as if trying to engrave the boy's appearance into his soul.
"Brat, your name."
Yoru lowered the wooden sword in his hand. The coldness in his eyes gradually dissipated, returning to his usual gentleness.
"Yoru."
"Yoru, is it? I'll remember that."
Sukuna's voice grew fainter, finally ending in a soft grunt.
"Brat, keep your head safe."
"When I truly manifest, you'll be the first one I sacrifice to my blade!"
The voice was extremely brief, sounding almost like an illusion.
As the words fell, the black markings on Yuji Itadori's body vanished completely.
The boy's body went limp, and he started to collapse toward the ground.
Megumi Fushiguro reacted quickly and caught him.
"Yuji! Are you okay?"
Yuji opened his eyes groggily and rubbed the back of his head.
"Huh? Fushiguro? What happened?"
"I think I was dreaming?"
Looking at the bewildered Yuji, and then at Yoru, who had returned to being a ditsy youth not far away.
Everyone looked at each other, feeling that everything that had just happened was as absurd as a joke.
The King of Curses, who had almost wiped them out.
Had actually been forced back by a non-cursed energy freshman with a wooden sword?
Clap! Clap! Clap!
Just then, a sudden burst of applause broke the silence.
"Wonderful! Simply wonderful!"
Satoru Gojo had appeared on the pull-up bars at the edge of the training ground at some point, holding a bag of Kikufuku.
He hopped down while continuing to applaud.
"I didn't expect that while I was just away buying souvenirs, you guys would put on such an amazing show for me!"
He walked up to Yoru and handed him a daifuku with a smile.
"Here, your reward."
"Edamame and whipped cream flavor. It's delicious!"
Yoru blinked and instinctively took the daifuku.
"Thank you, Sensei."
"You're very welcome!"
Satoru Gojo waved his hand and then turned to the others with a playful smile.
"Since everyone is so energetic, there's no time like the present."
"The entrance test starts now!"
Everyone: "Huh?!"
Satoru Gojo raised a finger, pointing at Yoru, then at Megumi and the newly awakened Yuji.
"The rules are simple."
"Student Yoru will be the defender."
"Megumi, Yuji—you two go at him together."
"If you can force Yoru to use that sword..."
Satoru Gojo pointed to the rusted iron sword at Yoru's waist that had remained sheathed.
"...you win!"
The announcement caused an immediate uproar.
"Two against one?"
And they were pitting two high-potential first-years against a transfer student with no cursed energy?
This was simply too...
"Isn't that a bit of a bully move?"
Panda couldn't help but chime in.
"Indeed."
Maki nodded, looking at Yoru with a complicated gaze.
"Though, the one being bullied probably isn't Yoru."
Remembering the previous scene, Maki's wrist still throbbed with pain.
That monster was an existence that could even force back the King of Curses!
Megumi Fushiguro frowned and looked at Yuji beside him.
"Can you do it?"
Yuji hadn't quite grasped the situation yet, but at the mention of a 'test,' he immediately got pumped up.
"No problem! I feel like I'm bursting with energy right now!"
"Good."
Megumi Fushiguro took a deep breath and formed a hand seal.
"Then let's see for ourselves."
"Exactly how strong is this 'zero cursed energy' that even Gojo-sensei praises so highly!"
Yoru took a bite of the Kikufuku. The sweet cream melted in his mouth, causing his tense nerves to relax slightly.
He looked at the two spirited youths before him and sighed helplessly.
"Um... can I finish the daifuku before we start?"
Satoru Gojo: "Nope! It'll taste better after the fight!"
Yoru: "..."
There was no choice since the teacher had put it that way.
Yoru stuffed the rest of the daifuku into his mouth and said muffledly:
"Then... please guide me."
An instant later, his gaze changed.
It was no longer the cold killing intent from when he faced Sukuna, but a pure focus belonging to a swordsman.
It was...
...Yoriichi Tsugikuni's starting stance.