As Nanami Kento had once said: true growth isn't just about surviving life-or-death situations.
It is the accumulation of despair. It is a series of helpless moments that gradually mold you into someone you never imagined you would become. The more disappointment and horror one experiences, the more the gap between ideals and reality widens.
Yuji Itadori staggered to his feet.
The light in his eyes had completely vanished, leaving only a hollow numbness.
Like a soulless zombie, he disappeared into the darkness of the ruined subway tunnels with heavy steps.
...
23:07. Less than two hours had passed since the incident began.
Shibuya, once a bustling, neon-lit metropolis, now looked as if it had been ravaged by carpet bombing.
Bloodstained walls, shattered concrete, and faint cries for help echoed from beneath the rubble. The air was thick with the stench of scorching exhaust fumes and ozone.
Amidst the ruins, the transfigured humans rejoiced.
It was Hell for humans, but Paradise for Cursed Spirits.
Mahito walked briskly through the streets, his stitched face beaming with contentment.
During the major earthquakes caused by Sukuna and Mahoraga, the Sorcerers and Cursed Spirits trapped on the lower levels had all escaped to the surface through various collapsed passageways.
"They're both top-tier, but the difference in power is truly astonishing," Mahito muttered to himself, looking at the massive crater in the distance.
"Dagon's aura is gone... and that massive explosion of flames earlier must have been Jogo."
Mahito shook his head, a rare moment of seriousness flashing in his mismatched eyes.
"I really do feel a little disappointed."
"Well, never mind!" Mahito grinned, his cheerful demeanor returning instantly. "It's best to enjoy life while you can!"
With a sarcastic remark, Mahito tossed several shrunken, transfigured humans from his pockets into the street. The bizarre, grotesque monsters began to hunt.
Mahito casually pushed aside a pile of rubble in front of him.
A family of humans huddled underneath, crying in relief at being "saved." They suddenly froze as they looked at the patchwork man.
Mahito reached out his hands gently.
"Idle Transfiguration."
...
At the edge of the surface barrier.
Due to the severity of his injuries, Nanami had been sent to the rear medical facility by an escaping squad.
Shoko Ieiri used the opportunity to treat the minor injuries on Maki and Nobara with Reverse Cursed Technique. Megumi's problem was simply Cursed Energy exhaustion; he didn't require treatment, just a brief rest.
After learning from Mei Mei's network that Yuji was still deep within the barrier, the three students rested briefly, grabbed their weapons, and headed back into the hellscape.
As for White Zetsu...
Sitting cross-legged on a collapsed pile of rubble high above the street, Zetsu smoked a cigar. He leisurely peeked down at the life-or-death battle raging below.
...
"BLACK FLASH!!!"
In the instant Yuji hesitated before striking a transfigured human, Mahito ambushed him!
Black and red sparks of Cursed Energy crashed hard against Yuji's face!
BOOM!
Blood, saliva, and a tooth sprayed from his mouth. Yuji was blasted backward, embedding into a concrete wall, nearly fainting from the sheer concussive force.
"HA! HAHAHAHA!"
Extremely excited laughter echoed through the ruined street.
This was the second time Mahito had touched the core of Cursed Energy! The first time was when he faced Yuji and Nanami months ago, and now, he had landed a Black Flash!
"Yuji Itadori! I've made the decision to kill you here!"
"This is truly fantastic!"
With a frenzied expression, Mahito charged toward the dazed boy, surging Cursed Energy coursing through his fists.
Jogo and Hanami had both died for the plan to revive Sukuna. Without Yuji alive, Sukuna's resurrection was impossible.
Even though Mahito understood the plan, he couldn't control himself. The primal urge was too strong. He yearned to completely destroy his natural enemy right here, right now!
BOOM!
Stone fragments flew out as Mahito's full-force punch was barely dodged by Yuji.
Idle Transfiguration was a deadly technique that altered the shape of the soul. However, because Yuji was the vessel housing Sukuna, Mahito didn't dare use the technique directly on Yuji's soul, lest he incur the King's wrath again.
Conversely, because Yuji subconsciously understood the contours of the soul, his physical strikes could directly damage Mahito's soul.
They were natural enemies.
Without Idle Transfiguration, in a pure contest of physical skills, Mahito's combat strength was almost identical to Yuji's.
"Multi-Soul: Body Repel!"
A modified monster, stitched together from the souls of dozens of humans, resembled a centipede magnified a hundred times. Covered in human hands and feet, it roared and charged at Yuji.
With a powerful downward stomp, Yuji cracked the ground and shattered the monster's skull.
But just as he blocked the wave of transfigured humans, Mahito appeared from his blind spot, delivering another powerful punch to his face!
Pfft!
Mahito had transformed the flesh on his knuckles into a sharp dagger. A long, vertical gash opened on Yuji's cheek, spurting blood.
Seeing the grim, numb expression on Yuji's face, Mahito grinned and sneered incessantly.
"Yuji Itadori, you are me."
"You feel anger, sadness, and despair because of human deaths and the injury of your companions. For you, saving them is an instinct."
"For me... killing them is an instinct."
Mahito was in high spirits, his laughter deafening. "If you don't realize this, you'll never be able to defeat me!"
Yuji's face was full of disgust. He wiped the blood from his cheek and clenched his fists tightly.
"You talk too much nonsense."
Yuji lunged. A punch, a palm strike—the boy and the Curse attacked simultaneously!
BOOM!
The shockwave rippled out, and the two of them were sent flying backward, tumbling across the asphalt.
Ignoring the excruciating pain in his chest, Yuji swooped forward the moment he landed!
In the ruins, Mahito's figure split into two. The main body and a clone.
Yuji stopped in his tracks, his face turning extremely ugly.
Standing on a pile of rubble, Mahito and his clone were each holding an ordinary, blood-covered human by the neck. They were survivors pulled from the ruins, still showing faint signs of breathing.
"Humans have weaknesses that can be so easily exploited," Mahito purred.
One on the left, one on the right. Using the humans as living shields, Mahito grinned maliciously and charged, punching at Yuji's vital points repeatedly!
These weren't transfigured monsters; they were still living humans.
Yuji dodged frantically. Every time he threw a counter-punch, he was forced to stop his fist abruptly before it struck the hostages.
Whip, axe, knife, sword, club...
Mahito constantly changed the form of his soul-arms, tearing off chunks of flesh from Yuji with each strike!
Watching his predator reduced to fleeing in disarray, Mahito laughed uncontrollably!
...
Very good, very good!
Let him be tortured to death like this, little by little!
As he tossed the human in his hands around like a rag doll, the murderous intent in Mahito's eyes grew even brighter.
The main body and the clone pushed the two dying humans out in front of them, throwing them directly at Yuji!
If Yuji didn't catch them, the force of them hitting the ground would kill them instantly!
Even knowing it was a trap, Yuji instinctively reached out his hands.
Still reeling from the trauma of Sukuna slaughtering thousands, Yuji absolutely could not bear to watch innocent people die before his eyes again.
"Haha!"
Mahito chuckled softly, his eyes brimming with malice!
The main body and the clone transformed their arms into four massive, sharp blades!
In the instant Yuji caught the civilians, Mahito aimed at Yuji's vital points and stabbed forward fiercely!
SWISH!
"Hairpin!"
A whistling nail infused with Cursed Energy shot into the clone's brain at lightning speed!
Mahito noticed the attack but, relying on his immunity to physical damage, didn't dodge. He didn't want to waste a single millisecond of the opportunity to kill Yuji Itadori.
But the moment the blades touched Yuji's skin...
Thump!
Yuji and the two humans sank directly into the black shadows beneath their feet, completely vanishing from the strike zone.
Mahito turned around, a gloomy expression replacing his grin.
Standing nearby was a short-haired woman wielding a hammer, a bespectacled female Sorcerer with a Naginata, and a spiky-haired boy with his hands in a shadow puppet seal.
Yuji safely emerged from the shadows at Megumi Fushiguro's feet.
High above, White Zetsu shook his head. He slowly stood up, tossing his cigar aside.
The script was flawed. The actors had made a mistake by interfering in the protagonist's destined 1v1 battle.
The Stage Director needed to go on stage to make adjustments.
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